Is there water and life on mars?

Unlike Earth, since there are no oceans to obscure the planet Mars, its topography is now better explored and known than that of Earth (Australian Geographic 2003). It has the largest known volcano in the Solar System, Olympus Mons, three times as high as Mt Everest, arid the longest and deepest known canyon, Valles Marineris, 4000 km long and 10 km deep (Australian Geographic 2003).Mars has no continental plate movement, so its surface isn't constantly reworked by mountain-building processes. As a result, much of the landscape is as it was billions of years ago (Australian Geographic 2003).NASA researchers are taking lessons from the debate about life on Earth to Mars. Their future missions will incorporate cutting-edge biotechnology designed to detect individual molecules made by Martian organisms, either living or long dead (Zimmer 2005).The search for life on Mars has become more urgent thanks in part to probes by the two rovers now roaming Mars' surface and another spaceship tha t is orbiting the planet. In recent months, they've made a series of astonishing discoveries that, once again, tempt scientists to believe that Mars harbors life or did so in the past. At a February conference in the Netherlands, an audience of Mars experts was surveyed about Martian life. Some 75 percent of the scientists said they thought life once existed there, and of them, 25 percent think that Mars harbors life today (Zimmer 2005).The search for the fossil remains of primitive single-celled organisms like bacteria took off in 1953, when Stanley Tyler, an economic geologist at the University of Wisconsin, puzzled over some 2.1 billion-year-old rocks he'd gathered in Ontario, Canada (Zimmer 2005). His glassy black rocks known as cherts were loaded with strange, microscopic filaments and hollow balls. Working with Harvard paleobotonist Elso Barghoorn, Tyler proposed that the shapes were actually fossils, left behind by ancient life-forms such as algae. Before Tyler and Barghoorn' s work, few fossils had been found that predated the Cambrian Period, which began about 540 million years ago (Zimmer 2005). Now the two scientists were positing that life was present much earlier in the 4.55 billion-year history of the planet. How much further back it went remained for later scientists to discover (Zimmer 2005)?In the next decades, paleontologists in Africa found 3 billion-year-old fossil traces of microscopic bacteria that had lived in massive marine reefs (Zimmer 2005). Bacteria can also form what are called biofilms, colonies that grow in thin layers over surfaces such as rocks and the ocean floor, and scientists have found solid evidence for biofilms dating back 3.2 billion years (Zimmer 2005).Fluvial Landforms geologic features putatively formed by water were identified in images of Mars taken by the Mariner and Viking spacecraft in the 1970s (Bell 2006). These landforms included enormous channels carved by catastrophic floods and large-scale valley networks s omewhat reminiscent of river drainage systems on Earth. Over the past decade, images from the Mars Global Surveyor, which has been orbiting Mars since 1997, have revealed spectacular examples of extremely small and seemingly young gullies formed in the walls of some craters and canyons. These observations indicate the past presence of liquid water on the Martian surface or just below it but not necessarily for long periods (Bell 2006). The water from the catastrophic floods, for example, may have lasted only a few days or weeks on the surface before freezing, seeping back into the ground or evaporating.Furthermore, the networks of river-like valleys shown in the Viking orbiter images do not have the same characteristics as terrestrial river valleys when seen at higher resolution (Bell 2006). The Martian valleys could have formed entirely from subsurface water flow and ground erosion a process known as sapping-rather than from water moving over the surface. The gullies observed in th e Mars Global Surveyor's images may also be the result of water seeping underground below ice or from buried snow deposits (Bell 2006). Although these features are stunning and dramatic indicators of water on Mars, they do not firmly prove that the Red Planet once had a warmer, wetter, more Earth-like environment with long-lasting lakes and rivers.In the past few years, however, new satellite images have provided much more convincing evidence that stable, Earthlike conditions prevailed on Mars for long periods (Bell 2006). One of the most exciting discoveries is a class of features that look like river deltas. The best and largest example, photographed by the Mars Global Surveyor, is at the end of a valley network that drains into Eberswalde Crater in a region southeast of the Valles Marineris canyon system (Bell 2006). This drainage system terminates in a 10-kilometer-wide, layered, fan-shaped landform characterized by meandering ridges that crosscut one another and show varying de grees of erosion. To many geologists, this feature has all the characteristics of a delta that formed at the end of a sediment-bearing river flowing into a shallow lake.Further evidence of an Earth-like climate in Mars's past comes from high-resolution images, taken by the Mars Odyssey and Global Surveyor orbiters, of the small-scale valley networks on the plateaus and walls of the Valles Marineris canyon system. Unlike previously identified valley networks that seem to have formed largely from subsurface flow, these newly found networks have characteristics that are consistent with their formation by rainfall or snowmelt and surface runoff. For example, the networks are arranged in dense, branching patterns, and the lengths and widths of the valleys increase from their sources to their mouths. Moreover, the sources are located along the ridge crests, suggesting that the landscape was molded by precipitation and runoff. Indeed, these landforms provide the best evidence to date that it may have rained on Mars.A more exploratory possibility is that these runoff features arose relatively recently, perhaps one billion to 1.5 billion years after Mars formed. To estimate the ages of Martian landforms, researchers count the number of impact craters on the feature the more impacts the region has endured, the older it is. This dating method, however, has many uncertainties; it can be difficult to distinguish between primary and secondary impact craters and volcanic calderas, and erosion has destroyed the evidence of craters in some regions (Bell 2006). Still, if these surface runoff valleys do turn out to be relatively young, Mars may have had an Earth-like climate for as much as a third of the planet's history and perhaps longer if even younger valleys are eventually identified.Yet another piece of evidence supporting persistent liquid water on Mars is the observation of truly enormous amounts of erosion and sedimentation in many parts of the planet. Making calculatio ns based on new orbital imaging data, researchers have determined that the rate at which sediments were deposited and eroded in the first billion years of the planet's history may have been about a million times as high as the present-day rate (Bell 2006).But what process could have transported the massive amount of sediment needed to bury almost everything in the Gale Crater region? (Bell 2006) Scientists believe flowing water offers the best explanation. Studies of erosion and sedimentation rates on Earth suggest that wind could have moved some of the Martian sediment in the past (just as it is doing today, albeit at a very slow pace). No viable wind-based scenario, however, can explain the rapid transport of millions of cubic kilometers of material across large fractions of the planet's surface, which apparently occurred repeatedly during Mars's early history. Flowing water, though, has routinely moved gargantuan amounts of sediment on Earth and could have done so on the Red Plan et as well.In addition scrutinizing the shape of Martian landforms, scientists have searched for hints of liquid water in the composition of the planet's minerals (Bell 2006). One of the reasons why researchers had long believed that Mars never enjoyed an extensive period of warm and wet climate is that much of the surface not covered by wind-borne dust appears to be composed of material that is largely unweathered pristine volcanic minerals such as olivine and pyroxene. If water had flowed over the surface for a long time, the argument went, it would have chemically altered and weathered the volcanic minerals, creating clays or other oxidized, hydrated phases (minerals that incorporate water molecules or hydroxide ions in their crystal structure).The emerging paradigm is that Mars had an extensive watery past: puddles or ponds or lakes or seas (or all of them) existing for long periods and exposed to what must have been a thicker, warmer atmosphere. During the first billion or so y ears of Martian history, the Red Planet was a much more Earth-like place, probably hospitable to the formation and evolution of life as currently known. The Martian environment began to change, however, as sulfur built up, the waters became acidic and the planet's geologic activity waned (Bell 2006). Clays gave way to sulfates as the acid rain (of sorts) continued to alter the volcanic rocks and break down any carbonates that may have formed earlier. Over time, the atmosphere thinned out; perhaps it was lost to space when the planet's magnetic field shut off, or maybe it was blown off by catastrophic impacts or sequestered somehow in the crust. Mars eventually became the cold, arid planet recognized today.This new view of Mars is not yet universally accepted, however. Key questions remain unanswered (Bell 2006): How long did the waters flow in the Eberswalde delta; for decades or millennia? Where are all the sediments that appear to have been eroded from Meridiani Planum and places such as Gale Crater? And were they eroded by water or wind or something else? What is the global abundance of clay minerals on Mars, and were they ever major components of the planet's crust? And, most vexing, where are the carbonates that should have formed in the warm, wet, carbon dioxide-rich environment but have not yet been observed anywhere on Mars, not even in the older terrains where clays have been detected? Acidic water could have destroyed the bulk of the carbonates but surely not all of them!Perhaps the most important question of all is: Did water or life ever exist on Mars, and if so, was it able to evolve as the environment changed so dramatically to the present-day climate? (Bell 2006) The answer depends in large part on how long the Earth-like conditions lasted. What can be deduced is that the past decade of discoveries on Mars may be only a small taste of an even more exciting century of robotic and eventually human exploration.ReferencesAustralian Geographic, (2003 ) Life on Mars. 08161658, Jul-Sep2003, Issue 71Bell, J., (2006) The Red Planet's Watery Past. Scientific American, 00368733, Dec2006, Vol. 295, Issue 6Zimmer, C., (2005) Life on Mars? Smithsonian, 00377333, May2005, Vol. 36, Issue 2

Exposing the Mommy Myth: A Book Review

Society has always glorified and celebrated motherhood. It considers it the most difficult yet the noblest of professions. So precious is its position in society that traditions and norms have been set up around it to protect it from the vagaries of change as well as from attempts to transform it to keep it abreast with contemporary ways. In these modern times, motherhood still adheres to a rigid script that is anchored on the theme that a woman’s true essence is to be a mother, and not just any mother, but to become the Perfect Mom. Media and the images of motherhood they produce are at the forefront of this endeavor to promote and protect the ideal of the Perfect Mom. Except that there is no such thing as a Perfect Mom. Media are doing a disservice to women of all ages by passing off these images as the standard they must aspire for to be considered successful mothers so they can achieve fulfillment and contentment in life. â€Å"New Momism† The book The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Undermined Women by Susan J. Douglas and Meredith W. Michaels is one work that presents a witty yet scholarly critique of media’s romanticized images of motherhood and how they misrepresent the realities confronting mothers. The authors framed their arguments on what they called the â€Å"new momism† which they defined as a â€Å"set of ideals, norms and practices most frequently and powerfully represented in the media that seem on the surface to celebrate motherhood, but which in reality promulgate standards of perfection that are beyond your reach.† The term â€Å"momism† was coined by journalist Philip Wylie in 1942 for his book Generation of Vipers. He used the term to denounce the way American mothers were raising their sons to be mama’s boys who were incapable of fighting for their country. The authors’ decision to reclaim momism and redefine it was a deliberate attempt to show that nothing much has changed since those war years of the early 1940s with regard to society’s expectation of motherhood: it is the mother who is largely responsible whether the child will grow up into a successful, stable, and happy person or not. And media made sure to instill this in her psyche. This is how the authors described what mothers internalize when they read magazines, watch TV, or see a movie: Mothers are subject to an onslaught of beatific imagery, romantic fantasies, self-righteous sermons, psychological warnings, terrifying movies about losing their children, even more terrifying news stories about abducted and abused children, and totally unrealistic advice about how to be the most perfect and revered mom in the neighborhood. (2) The authors further wrote: No wonder 81 percent of women in a recent poll said it’s harder to be a mother now than it was 20 or 30 years ago, and 56 percent felt mothers were doing a worse job today than mothers back then. Even mothers who deliberately avoid TV and magazines, or who pride themselves in seeing through them, have trouble escaping the standards of perfection, and the sense of threat, that the media ceaselessly atomize the air we breathe. (2) It is ironic that the authors started their examination of media messages about mothers during the 1970s, that exciting period in the feminist movement when women were beginning to find their voices and question, even break free from the traditional gender roles that had been assigned to them. Motherhood did not escape their scrutiny and it was one of the topics discussed and debated on during consciousness-raising sessions. They were also beginning to realize that motherhood was not a woman’s destiny and there were choices available for her. Women could choose whether they become mothers or not. And if they chose to be mothers, they could choose to stay at home to raise their children or work outside the home, maybe even pursue a career. Which was what a significant number of them did, giving rise to a phenomenon that may have, in all probability, resulted in the new momism. And why not, motherhood was under threat, especially from feminism, and it had to be protected at all cost. For the authors,   â€Å"(w)hether you are a married religious fundamentalist, a partnered lesbian, a divorced secular humanist with a Ph.D., or a single twenty-year-old trying to make it in the big city, if you are a female human, the new momism has circled the wagons around you.† The book laid out a historical account of how the new momism manifested itself during the last decades of the 20th century and the contradictory messages they send out to women. It juxtaposed mothering guided by famous pediatricians, through regular media exposure, and childrearing advice columns against the emerging feminist thinking on the political characteristic of motherhood during the ‘70s. It discussed how in the ‘80s, media reports of child molestation, abductions and other external threats against children presented working mothers with a dilemma of whether to entrust their children to others while they were out working. But it was also during the same period that media intensified its message that mothers can have both a satisfying career and a stable family life. In the ‘90s, it is the turn of the celebrity moms, who made ordinary women insecure and less confident of their motherhood skills, and the criminal and welfare mothers to be under media attention. The so-called mommy wars were also being fought, supposed conflicts that pitted working mothers against stay-at-home moms. The authors, in dissecting coverage of issues facing motherhood, were able to show the evolving, and at times opposing, images of mothers in media and how they were deeply influenced by new momism. Most of the time, the authors constantly referred to popular culture to illustrate their analysis. This, plus their smart-ass style of writing, may have given some readers cause to think of their work as less than scholarly. Still, their analysis was incisive enough and ably supported by well-documented examples to be dismissed as anything but presenting a legitimate issue about the myths of motherhood. Reclaiming Motherhood It cannot be denied that in this time and age, media still fail to portray a balanced picture of women’s diverse lives, choosing instead to present images and messages that reinforce traditional gender roles that are very limiting. Motherhood is not exempt from this. As the authors argued in their book, media have systematically presented an idealized, and therefore, unrealistic picture of it. Media’s core message is that women are destined to have children. Their primary role in life is to be mothers who must care for them and raise them to be successful, stable, happy persons. Their own fulfillment is anchored on this. No wonder then that mothers who feel differently are assailed by guilt and a sense of failure for wanting to be more than mothers. These feelings become especially intense for working mothers who opt to leave their children in the care of others while they take on work outside the home or pursue a career. As long as mothers are in this situation, they will forever be torn between two opposing forces, juggling one set of responsibilities at the expense of the other, and struggling to meet the expectations of new momism just because these are basically society’s expectations of them as well. New momism’s supposed aim is to promote the interests of children. But as the authors pointed out, this can very well be just rhetoric, considering how public policies have fallen short in supporting mothers perform their childrearing roles. The fallout from this is consequently borne by the children. In today’s struggle for survival, a two-income family is getting to be the norm. While most mothers may prefer to be stay-at-home moms, more and more of them take on employment outside the house because of economic necessity. It will be a validation for working mothers and how they are valued by society if they can be provided with affordable and accessible day care services and welfare benefits. Or their employment terms can be negotiated in such a way that they can work flexible hours or avail of parental leaves for family emergency. Unfortunately, providing support and benefits to working mothers are not high on the agenda of government and business. There have been instances when government has slashed funding for initiatives that respond to the needs of working mothers. Business, on the other hand, prioritizes profit first before benefits for working mothers. So much for the exalted and celebrated status of mothers, particularly of working mothers. Faced with this, is it correct then to say that motherhood as practiced by them should be less valued since they do not meet the expecations of new momism? Not so, according to the authors. They argued that mothers would be better served by reclaiming motherhood and redefining it in such a way that it would encompass shared parenting as well as support and welfare benefits for their childrearing responsibilities. At the top of the agenda to accomplish this is to acknowledge new momism for being the unrealistic ideal that it is and to stand firm against it. Motherhood can never be perfect. All that a mother can do is to try and do her best. To constantly aim for perfection is a futile and self-defeating exercise. The authors have succeeded in debunking the merit of new momism. And they did this with cutting wit and a scathing sense of humor as only two mothers who are fully convinced of their arguments can do. Their style may not work for some readers but there is no denying the fact that they are able to expose some three-decades worth of fallacious thinking and belief that is the myth of motherhood. Work Cited Douglas, Susan J. and Meredith W. Michaels. The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Undermined Women. New York: Free Press, 2004.                                    

Business Ethics as Related to The De Beers Company and Employee Rights Essay Sample

Introduction Business moralss is defined as the norms or criterions of behavior that direct moral picks about the behaviour of the forces in a concern association and the association with the members of the populace. The end of concern moralss is to guarantee the safety of the employees. direction. and the external populaces are protected from enduring the effects from the concern activities of the peculiar organisation. Social duty along with concern moralss outlines what the house ought to make in the running of the concern. The societal duty of a concern organisation towards the society deserves considerations in all the stages of strategic disposal. whereby the organisation must exert strategic planning through environmental and organisational assessment in order to supply replies to what an organisation might make and what it can make. ( Maund. 2001 ) Discussion The constitution of a concern or company entails coming up with concern rules or ethical motives that must be followed. These concern rules may include how the concern behavior or transacts its concern and how it deals with its clients or consumers. Business moralss besides entails the employee’s rights and their behavior as expected in their responsibilities to the company. The De Beers Company is involved in diamond geographic expedition. diamond excavation and diamond trading. For the De Beers Company I am traveling to turn to the undermentioned ethical issues ; the company’s place on merchandising of struggle diamond. legal issues. popular civilizations. runs and its place on man-made diamonds. Some of the employee’s rights I am traveling to discourse will include the labours criterions. wellness and safety every bit good as environment. The industries system of guarantees is besides another ethical issue that I will turn to under this subject. All this issues contribute greatly to the success of the concern ends and aims. Over the recent yesteryear. De Beers Company has played a cardinal function in selling conflict diamonds from those countries that had diamond struggle due to the rebellions. In the 1990s De Beers Company came up with a policy which applied to all of Africa which was merely to purchase those diamonds that were lawfully traded and which the company believed it were non used to fund Rebel groups in those excavation countries. This was their public place while they were really purchasing struggle diamonds and funding those rebel groups for illicit trade. They were so much involved in get downing wars through the Rebels so that the Rebels could acquire their work forces to mine and research for diamond and sell this diamond at a lower or cheaper monetary value to them. This is a large unethical concern issue since the Rebels are non allowed to come in into trade or concern for illegal trade of diamonds. They were besides involved in offense against humanity as many lost their lives durin g the Rebel wars and this is unethical to concern projects. ( Edward. 1982 ) The other major ethical issue that affects the De Beer Company is the unfavorable judgment on monopoly of the diamond industry. Monopoly is a large concern ethic issue that the company is confronting which is illegal. The diamond market is dominated by De Beer’s companies which were originally formed in South Africa by British proprietors. De Beers now owns about 70 per centum of diamond mines in Africa and a household of companies jointly which is responsible for around 40 per centum of universe diamond production by value in the market. The even per centum partnership trade between De Beers and the authorities of Botswana is the world’s taking manufacturer of diamonds in the market. The supply of diamonds worldwide is controlled merely by De Beers therefore basking a monopoly in Botswana and about near monopoly in diamond supply in the remainder of the universe. Some other diamond mines owned by little companies have less control on the diamond market and this is unet hical in concern. Monopoly is non allowed in concern ; nevertheless. the codification of moralss merely allows 50 per centum of the market monopoly and non all monopoly on the market. This suppresses the little graduated table concerns in the market by even holding control over the monetary values of the market. It besides leads to run outing the resource of the developing states such as Botswana for case through suppression of the mine workers who are lowly. In any concern puting monopoly is non allowed at all and steps should be put in topographic point to avoid such sort of market by any company. De Beers through its gross revenues and selling publicities has been really successful in increasing gross revenues and desire for diamonds. One of the run schemes is that it has been trying to deter diamond proprietors from seting their older diamonds into the secondary market and therefore restricting competition. Since 1947 the company has created many successful runs on how to increase the sale of diamonds. One of the most effectual schemes undertaken by De Beers Company has been the selling of diamonds as a symbol of love and committedness such as the ideal gem for an battle or marrying ring. Another run that the De Beers Company has been involved on is that of HIV Aids bar and control. Bing a planetary company that has many employees throughout the Earth and some of them has been affected so much by the stigma. the company has come out to assist control and halt the stigma. The company through its public assistance activities to its employees and community at big has come out g reatly to battle the stigma through runs that educate people and give wellness attention support for those already affected by the deathly disease. Since the 1950s. it has been possible to make synthesized diamonds in a research lab other than the original natural diamond. These research labs have been able to make diamond rocks that are used for many industrial intents such as for abradants in heavy responsibility boring. It is now besides possible to bring forth research lab created synthetics that are identical optically from mined diamonds even by professional sellers therefore doing them suited for jewellery. These are by and large colored treasures that offer colourless man-made diamonds. This has resulted to the monetary values of the original diamond of the company that it mines to travel down since the competition is really high in the market topographic point as people tend to prefer synthesized diamond that serve the same intent in the market. This is a large menace to the company and it has to run against production of such synthesized diamond that is illegal in the market since it has a great consequence to their gr oss revenues in the market. The company hence ought to get down runs on this illegal trade of synthesized diamond that is unethical harmonizing to the diamond concern. The other legal issue that is of great concerned to the company is who controls or repair the monetary values of diamond in the market so that there is no monopoly in this planetary diamond market or industry. This is a large issue that affects the De Beer’s codification or rules of trade to the market greatly because they may non command the market monetary values. In 2004 the De Beers paid a $ 10 million mulct to the Department of Justice of United States to settle a 1994 charge that the corporation had entered in to with General Electric Company to procure the worth of industrial diamonds. De Beers reached an understanding in the twelvemonth 2005 and a preliminary blessing order was issued to settle the bulk of civil monetary value repairing suits filed against the company in the United States. Such colony of jurisprudence suits does non affect any admittance of liability on the portion of De Beers but it will convey an terminal to all outstanding category actions. This leg al issue on who should command the monetary values of the diamonds in the market continues to be a great issue that affects the concern markets and gross revenues vastly of the company. ( Davis. 2007 ) De Beers Company over the yesteryear has been involved in illegal trade of diamond by funding the Rebels to mine diamonds for them and besides supported the wars so that they could freely merchandise and get diamond without the intercession of authorities. It is besides unethical for a company to prosecute itself in illegal covering that does non run into the specifications set out in concern Acts of the Apostless. For illustration. Rebels forced people in the illegal diamond excavation which is a misdemeanor against the human rights or employees rights. The people were forced to work under rough conditions and for long hours without nutrient or H2O which was a misdemeanor of their rights. Children were besides used mine in the excavation evidences that were non environmental friendly to them which was a misdemeanor of kids rights under any concern moral principle. All this was due to the illegal concern moralss De Beer got involved itself in with the Rebels. De Beers is active in every class of diamond excavation which includes open-pit. belowground. large-scale alluvial. coastal and deep sea. Some of these environments are non contributing for the workers or employees to work for illustration working in the resistance or big scale alluvial therefore the employees need to be protected or insured against such hazards. They besides need protective cogwheels to protect them against hurts and the risky environment the work under. The concern moralss ensures that all this is catered for and all employees’ rights are protected. De Beers Company is on the record utilizing dust suppression method of spraying H2O when boring which violates their rights because dust in a diamond mine can cut and mark the lungs of miners. This is a large hazard and particularly to the workers non protected by usage of protective cogwheels or being insured when such hazards occur. These belowground mines besides posed great hazards of prostration and so the company under concern codifications should guarantee that the mines follow process in boring such mines so that they don’t pose any danger to the employees. Health and safety are among the major concern moralss issues that are concerned to protect their employee’s rights in any company or concern. Labors criterions are besides portion of the concern ethical issues where workers demands have to be addressed for illustration wages should be standardized for them to be able to gain a good life. However. the company besides has some benefits like the retirement strategies and wellness insurance strategies. The wage they earn should be able to prolong them to bask a good life and their criterion could besides be improved by supplying lodging installations. The labours criterions should besides be improved by holding standard working hours to avoid overworking of the workers particularly those in th e mines. The working environment should besides non be risky to the workers and all mines should be safe for mining to take topographic point. There are many alternate solutions to work outing the jobs affecting concern moralss as stated above. The first solution is whereby De Beers warrants that a 100 per centum of the diamonds it now sells are conflict free. All De Beer’s diamonds are purchased in conformity with national jurisprudence. the strategy of Kimberley Process Certification and its ain Diamond Best Practice Principles that is harmonizing to the company are normally followed. De Beers is active in the Kimberley Process which aims to extinguish conflict diamonds from universe diamond flows. On the other manus Diamond Development Initiative should take to turn to the political. societal and economic challenges confronting the little graduated table informal diamond excavation sector and to optimise the good development impacts of little graduated table formal diamond excavation to mineworkers. The De Beers does this through advancing the development of sustainable concern theoretical accounts supported by de velopment undertakings. ( Fisher. 2002 ) In order to hold control of the monetary values in the market. De Beers should offer injunctive alleviation which includes a general committedness to follow with the antimonopoly Torahs of the United States. and a committedness non to prosecute in specific behavior with 3rd party manufacturers and Sight holders. For illustration in the twelvemonth 2006 De Beers Company voluntarily entered into lawfully adhering committednesss with the European Commission ( EC ) to discontinue buying unsmooth diamonds from Alrosa. However. the De Beers Company no longer controls the monetary values and besides no longer monopolizes the market by holding the 70 per centum of the sells. The authorities should besides command the monopoly and put up policies to let the little graduated table companies to sell their diamonds without leting the large companies to take control. The Botswana and South Africa states should ordain Torahs to forestall these companies from working them and from ruling the market s but besides assisting the little graduated table companies. The solution to issues on heath should besides be imposed by the company and the authorities in order to follow all healthy steps put in topographic point in any concern. For illustration De Beers presently holds a legal freedom in South Africa from the compulsory dust suppression method of spraying H2O when boring on the evidences that the dust in its mines is uniquely harmless ; a scenario which might non keep if it is considered profoundly. Such a step will forestall dust in a diamond mine from cutting and impacting the lungs of miners who are exposed to this risky environment. These steps should be enacted and any concern that breaks such jurisprudence should confront effects of action caused. This will heighten the preparation of concern moralss by different companies that attentions for their workers or employees welfare. The production of synthesized Diamond is another job that needs to be resolved that is to extinguish this merchandises from the market. As portion of De Beers’ and Diamond Trading Corporation enterprise to work out this job they came up with the Gem Defensive Program as an instrument to be used by trade and gemological research labs that can observe all interventions. synthetics and simulates diamond merchandises. The two companies besides financess educational plans about interventions that can alter the visual aspect and other belongingss of diamonds and anterooms for all diamond interventions and synthetics to be labeled in such a mode. These activities are undertaken in cooperation with taking trade organic structures as a agency of guaranting full and accurate information is provided to consumers of the merchandises. This Defensive Program will be able to assist place this illegal synthesized diamonds that is being flooded in the market and being made available in the mar ket at a lower monetary value than the original diamond. The concern moralss do non let forgery merchandises into the market and hence De Beers should keep itself from such a pattern ; this will guarantee that all merchandises supplied to the market will be of good quality and of original beginning so that its worth to the consumers for desired usage. The authorities should inspect all mines for safety working status free from fright of prostration and risky environment. Safety steps should be amended and guarantee that they are followed for the Torahs surfs to confront effects. ( Fisher. 2002 ) Diamond is a cherished resource as a symbol of love and commitment hence concern moralss must be held in order to construct a feasible foundation and committedness for concerns and at the same clip protect all employees’ rights in any organisation. Decision The extent of concern moralss is considered extended and can be measured from diverse point of views. In this instance the firm’s direction must do certain that a figure of ethical considerations must be nonsubjective for the concern to be booming in its maps and associations with its human resources and the milieus of its company. Corporate communicating hence must be adhered to and it is termed as a procedure that is used to smooth the advancement of the exchange of information and facts of the endeavor with its internal and external populaces or persons that have a direct relationship with the organisation. This activity is by and large practical in the internal communications direction as it is utilized from the distribution of the comprehension to determination doing with human resources. traders. investors and the company’s associates. Therefore. corporate communicating as a regulation is used to construct the company’s position among its stakeholders. This communicating entails the followers: transmutation direction. capable direction. concern societal duty. exigency communicating and internal connexions. ( Sparrow and Hilltop. 1994 ) Mention Davis. J. ( 2007 ) : The New Diamond Age- Wired Issue diary. Vol. 2 Edward. J. ( 1982 ) : The Diamond Invention: – Diamond Trading Company diary. Vol. 1 Fisher. D ( 2002 ) : De Beers plans war on man-made Gems- Times Publishers Maund. L. ( 2001 ) : An Introduction to Human to Human Resource Management: – Theory and Practice: Macmillan. Palgrave Sparrow. P and Hilltop. J ( 1994 ) : European Human Resource Management in Passage: – Prentice Hall. New York

Self Reflective Log Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Self Reflective Log - Essay Example By the time we were ending our project, we had become so close, that if one did not know us better, he or she would have thought that we had known each other all our lives. I believe that our diverse cultural backgrounds played a significant role in the formation of the bonds of work and friendship which made our team such a success. One of the greatest benefits that I personally reaped from being within this team is the confidence in my ability to do all the tasks that are assigned to me, most especially those concerned with the promotion of the principles and practices within Belif. This new confidence in myself has enabled me to think of a greater role for myself in future than I had previously considered. Moreover, through the team work, I have managed to attain the skills which I think are necessary for dealing with prospective issues concerning the promotion of various products that are offered by Belif. I have found that the only way to convince stakeholders to accept a propos ed product is by making it as attractive, creative, and cost effective as possible (Stevens, Williams and Smith 2000 p.607). I have learnt that this is the only way through which these stakeholders can develop any interest in what one has to offer them. In the course of my stay at the Belif, several group and individual tasks have been completed. This was the most exciting part of the work, and all of the activities being important, individuals were given the opportunity to share what they had done individually and also as teams. It was, indeed, a privilege to work and share activities and experience with a group of people who were not only friendly, but also supported me whenever I experienced any problems. Moreover, all members within the work group were willing and able to help each other out to finish all the work that had been assigned to us. All the people involved in the work put in as much effort as they could to do it, and because of this, all the team members were able to work effectively together to ensure that the work was done successfully (De Sousa, Pellissier and Monteiro 2012, p.31). Belif is a unique company because it has facilities which are dedicated to making the lives of all it employees, as well as those individuals who are related to them, comfortable in their environment. Among these facilities are those which are designed to make their children and guests feel at home in their new environment by encouraging them to participate in such programs as health education and dialogue between members of diverse groups and backgrounds (Scotton, 2002 pp.276). Despite this, there are also some problems which are faced by the staff of Belif and among these is the shortage of staff especially when there is an influx of new products in the market and orders for them might overwhelm the Belif staff. One of the most fulfilling aspects of being a staff member of Belif is being able to work with my fellow employees to make sure that the working environm ent is as comfortable and efficient as possible (Schyns 2006, p.192). In addition, I have found that at Belif, the six thinking hats theory is applied in almost every aspect of the business and this is perhaps the reason why the company has displayed such a high level of success. Education is one of the most important aspects that dominate the world today and it has become essential for individuals to have a good education in order to prosper. This is the reason

Mount Saint Helen's Video (Back from the Dead) Essay

Mount Saint Helen's Video (Back from the Dead) - Essay Example According to researchers the mountain is categorized as a composite volcano due to its characteristics, emanating from the cone shape and also the composition of the mountain’s layers which include lava, ash and volcanic debris. The mountain was symmetrical before its eruption; it also commanded a considerable height. As indicated earlier the effects of the Mt. St. Helens eruption caused losses, in economical and geographical spheres. According to the information collected, the destruction spread to an area of more than 500 square kilometers. The lava emitted flowed and covered the area indicated above, bringing about destruction to the existing vegetation, killing the animals located within the area, and also displacing a lot of people from the region (Carson p 79). According to research, 57 people died, the group included inhabitants of the region, scientists and geologists. Historical data clearly shows that the area had been locked up to prohibit the entry of residents, si nce scientists had made a conclusion that the mountain was at its dormant stage. As the video clearly indicates, the respondents interviewed through the documentary are not certain whether the mountain will erupt within the coming years. Indications from the remnant vegetation and land cover only attests to the magnitude of the eruption. The process started with a gradual occurrence which proceeded to a bigger result. The process began with a series of earthquakes being experienced from the bottom part of the mountain. As the number of earthquakes increased the mountain erupted releasing ash and steam. After the eruption, a continued earthquake process and the bulging of the northern part of the mountain clearly indicated that magma was moving up, through the vent (Carson p 124). As the bulge continued, the continued earthquake action led to the busting of the northern compartment of the mountain, triggering the sliding of ice and rocks down the mountain. Consequently after the viol ent earthquake action, the mountain erupted releasing gases, magma and water from the northern side where the bulge had been spotted. The eruption triggered the acceleration of the molten rock, hot rock and ash all over the surface. The effects of the eruption can be accounted for, through the covering of the nearby basins and lakes. Other forms of disturbances are accounted for through classification into various disturbance zones where the effect was witnessed. The first disturbance zone is the flow of the pyroclasticmaterial through the face of the mountain. This process generally involved the flow of pumice and gas through the crater into the overlooking land. This flow caused destruction to the existing organism, with both the vegetation and organic organisms not spared. Debris thrust from the crater also cascaded down the mountain, with avalanches also being witnessed. The second disturbance zone, also known as the northern debris avalanche was witnessed soon after the norther n region of the mountain collapsed due to the bulging of the surface. The debris collected from the collapsed material formed into a large mound which caused a large landslide, which according to the historical evidences indicates that it was the largest land slide witnessed. After the landslide had been experienced, the ice found at the peak of the mountain melted into water which combined with other materials such as sand, boulders and other debris to form a thick material,

Diversities in Health and Healing Beliefs and Its Implication to Research Paper

Diversities in Health and Healing Beliefs and Its Implication to Health Care Delivery - Research Paper Example Holistic care has been the new paradigm of healing hospitals as the world faces the challenge of diversity in each nation. This poses a challenge to institutions to render a loving service rather than mere customer service. It is utilized in understanding that patients, as human beings, are composed of mind, body, and soul and its interconnectedness must be dealt with simultaneously. The final part of this paper examines the health care provider’s attitude and management for patients with different health belief from their own. Diversities in Health and Healing Beliefs and Its Implication to Health Care Delivery Migration is a common phenomenon that transpires throughout the world in this era of globalization and capitalism. Today, each nation has diverse nationalities residing within their territories for purposes of education, business, work, or leisure. This trend posts a challenge to health care professionals, particularly nurses, in delivery of health care services and un derstanding their total well being. Through time, the hospital has shifted its paradigm from being a place where illness is treated to a place aimed to render wellness and holistic services. Practitioners now embrace this holistic approach recognizing the interconnectedness of the body, mind, and soul and treating each aspect in respect of one another rather than the traditional approach of medicine which is focused only with the bodily manifestations (Moodly and West, 2005, p.257). The concept of holistic healing transformed social institutions such as hospitals toward a more just and loving health and healing practices. As the bible says, â€Å"The Lord will strengthen him in his bed of illness, you will sustain him in his sick bed (Psalm 41:3),† Christian institutions and practitioners acknowledge the value of psycho-spiritual assistance to both the ill and well patients. The usual challenged faced by holistic hospitals is marking delineation between the Christian concept of loving service and the capitalist’s value for customer service. While most administrators aim is to increase patient satisfaction, the caregivers and patients seek for a more humanitarian and loving approach when acquiring services from institutions. Health care systems must go beyond the superficial approach of customer service and dig deeper to a more genuine loving service and care (Chapman, 2005). Holistic approach and loving service are two valuable principles that must be carried out by health caregivers. This encompasses the need for better understanding of the patient’s health beliefs, healing preferences, and religion. Respect is the key point of success in this avenue of care (Chapman, 2005), therefore, diversities among these beliefs and preferences must be fully understood by nurses and health practitioners. Christian, Native American, and Buddhist’s Healing Beliefs The Christians focus on God as the Great Physician who heals all forms of illness and this healing could be attained through prayers. They recognize Jesus as the Christ, son of God, who healed thousand of sinners and ill people though prayer and faith during his stay on earth as narrated in the New Testament of the Bible. Christians believe in the power of the Holy Spirit as a current that flows and promotes healing of the mind, body, and soul (Plante and Sherman, 2001). The bible dictated that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit

Child Protective Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Child Protective Services - Essay Example It is essential to discuss some concepts that this body assumes in undertaking their tasks before discussing its roles. They state that it is the duty of the parents to take care of a child various needs. These needs range from mental needs, medical needs, emotional needs and physical needs (Connolly 60). This is aligned with the ideology that children are best looked after in their family units. Incapability of parents to meet these needs may be attributed to their own problems like mental diseases and drug abuse. The CPS performs its roles in processes (Lonne 76). The agency is charged with the responsibility of obtaining reports about suspected abuse cases. Reporting of cases is, therefore, a mandate of the public and the body’s workers. In the next stage, the case facts are sought. The case is thus weighed to meet the body’s standard of maltreatment (Depantills and Dubowitz 100). Thereafter, the nature of the family is assessed to establish the cause of abuse or neglect. Future risks of abuse are evaluated at this stage. From that stage, the child protection team links with the family in reducing the likelihood of future abuse. They can alternatively involve a court process where the situation becomes unmanageable at the family level. In conclusion, it should be noted that the agency cannot fulfill these functions by itself. This is partly because their powers are limited (Seghal 267). It must involve the court process in scenarios that necessitate the same law intervention. This means it cannot prosecute the offenders of the abused child. It cannot also provide a valid report if it does not involve health care professionals. This, however, does not compromise its main role of treating the affected

AS2 Evaluation Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

AS2 Evaluation Report - Essay Example intervention of the mass media as a method of engaging the wider segment of the community to establish an idealistic perspective of prosperity and economic development. The report considers entertainment and education for the young people as style that not only educate and entertain the community but also a technique of enlightening the essentiality of positive attitude towards developmental projects. The report presents an extensive description of innovative approaches as models of participation and community engagement. On the same note, cultural activities and electronic technologies are viewed as a way of enhancing social marketing campaigns to boost economic performance of the community. The study has an objective of establishing requisite procedures for collecting and interpreting communicable information in a bid to support the priority setting for addressing the concern of marginalized groups in a society. Be that as it may, societal outreach and mobilization has always been considered as a number one priority for engaging the marginalized groups since the dawn of time. The community sensitization and mobilization comprises of diverse issues that involves meeting and trainings. In view of the previous studies and comments posed by profound scholars, community engagement through traditional authorities and cultural activities are perceived as a stepping stone towards defining the needs of the disadvantaged groups in the community. Mass media has been conceptualized as technique of engaging and enlightening a wider segment of the community on the essentiality of grasping developmental perspectives. In a strong sense, mass media basically targets the young people since they are believed to have what it takes to implement and put into practice the developmental agendas for facilitating economic performance of a community. The use of television, billboards and quite a number of mass media procedures is quite essential in enabling the majority of disadvantaged

Critically assess the impact of the Hague-Visby Rules in relation to Essay

Critically assess the impact of the Hague-Visby Rules in relation to duties of a carrier - Essay Example Introduction Before and at the start of 19th century , a bill of lading offered by a ship owner contained wide exclusion clauses due to which a genuine claim cannot be made against the carrier in case if there was a loss or damage to the cargoes. The Hague Rules were consented in an international conference held at Brussels in the year 1924, and it is concerned with the accountability for damage or loss to goods carried by a ship under a bill of lading. The Hague regulations were intended to be applicable to all exports from any country, which acknowledged The Hague regulations. ... It is to be observed that 1968 amendment which is known as Hague-Visby Rules (hither after will be referred as HvR) advocated a variety of changes which is intended to be applicable to all bills of lading where (a) the shipment is made from a port of a nation which ratified it, b) if the place of issue of bill of lading is in a ratifying country and c) where the Hague-Visby Rules are applicable to the bill of lading contractually1. 2. The impact of the Hague-Visby Rules in relation to duties of a carrier 2.1 The main objectives of the HvR The main aim of the HvR is to modify The Hague Rules since there were lot critiques especially about the rules on restriction of liability per package or per kilo as the quantum of restriction was too little and less due to technological advancement like usage of pallets, use of containers, etc which demonstrated that the present rules were not adequate and hence, appropriate reforms were introduced through Hague –Visby Rules2. 2.2 Scope of a pplication of HvR HvR is applicable only for contract of carriage where there is a bill of lading or port of loading should be within a contracting State. Thus, HvR is not applicable to a contract of voyage if the port of loading is situated in a non-contracting State to a port of discharge, which is situated in a contracting State. Bill of lading is the essential criteria for the application of HvR. In Pyrene Co Ltd v Scindia Navigation Co3, though, Art 1 (b) demands that contract of carriage is applicable only to contracts of carriage covered by a bill of lading, when an accident happened in the above case, no bill of lading was issued by the career, and it was held by the court that the carriage was yet

Organisational Behaviour AEGON Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organisational Behaviour AEGON - Assignment Example This was carried out through a launch of new products in the UK that were innovative and they captured the different financial status of the customers. Every customer, therefore, had a product they could associate with and which they could afford. The brand promotion was also carried out through changing the name of their other companies to include the name AEGON in them such as was the case for AEGON Scottish Equitable. The brand promotion also involved endorsing a British female athlete as a way to create a closer association with the same people it was trying to promote their products to. Internal forces for change The most important internal forces of change that AEGON undertook were to develop its workforce. They developed the skills of its workers to match the needs of the customers. This way, the employees were well equipped to handle the customers’ needs as well as the new products that were developed. The organization in the other successful nations such as in the US is renowned for its employees that are experts, innovative and have good communication skills. This was what the organization wanted its UK-based employees to be renowned for as another way to attract more customers hence increasing their skills. AEGON could not expect to make any changes externally without having to change their culture which was making them fail to get established in the UK in the first place. Culture change involved the employees and managers changing their attitude, behavior, values as well as belief.

Business Redesign for Healthlite Yogurt Company Essay Example for Free

Business Redesign for Healthlite Yogurt Company Essay Business Structure Healthlite’s corporate headquarters is located in Danbury, Connecticut. All production takes place in processing plants that are located in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Illinois, Colorado, Washington, and California. Healthlite Yogurt Company has 20 sales regions, each with approximately 30 sales representatives. Healthlite has a 12 person in marketing division at corporate headquarters. Products Yogurt and related health products and new yogurt based products which would include frozen desserts and low-fat salad dressings. Major Business Processes for Sales The following are the way Healthlite conducts business in a day-to-day basis: Â · Sales persons must write up hard-copy tickets to place orders through the mail or by fax. Â · Each salesperson stores and retrieves data for assigned customer accounts using the minicomputer system in the regional office. Higher client satisfaction due to value-added customer service is one positive result. Decision-making can be improved because the information systems used are more efficient and can provide them accurate and updated data in real time. Improvement in control of resources (materials, labor and products) and organizational planning. Increased job satisfaction for employees’ particularly regional sales people whose jobs are now greatly facilitated with the aid of the new system. Major Business Process Changes The following major changes are required for the business redesigning plan. Eliminate the need for hard-copy tickets to place orders. Enter sales orders directly into enterprise-wide system instead of using around 20 workers at corporate headquarters to sort and to enter order tickets which could reached up to 500,000 order tickets per week. This also allows all systems users to have access to this data for analysis purposes. Do without the need of using snail mail and fax machines for taking orders. The new business system allows orders to be placed directly through the web site. No longer need to mail printed reports for individual salespeople and sales offices. Salespeople can access the system for needed information at anytime. Sales representatives no longer need to write and mail monthly reports to regional headquarters. Sales information can be accessed from the system. Managers can access up-to-date sales data in the new system anytime they need them. They no longer need to call subordinates and piece information together to update their reports. Announcements, promotional campaigns and pricing discounts can be quickly disseminated though the enterprise-wide system. Thus, helps in improving communication processes between sales managers and sales representatives. Customer Relationship Management tools are available to help with ordering. Customer history management, complaints, and real-time tracking service are also available for use. Reduce the time involved to process orders since faxing and mailing will no longer be required in order to place orders. As a result, this would enable shipments to be delivered on time. Thus, promoting customer satisfaction. Major New Technology Components of the Plan Upon analysis of Healthlite’s needs to implement technology to support the new business processes, an enterprise system comes highly recommended. This is so because an enterprise can best meet the demands and requirements. An enterprise system could link enterprise-wide information processes in turn improving the overall business efficiency. When the entire company is able to use a single software system, all departments can share information readily and freely. Enterprise systems enable the company to avail of a wide-ranging information system technology platform. This technology platform provides a single data warehouse or a databank that can be accessed by different departments to input and to obtain enterprise-wide information. Also, the new system enables data storage in one data warehouse, which will prevent inaccuracy in extracted information. The data should be grouped according to processing sites, but can be accessed by all users. This data storage process will allow differentiation among processing sites at the same time allowing enterprise-wide search capability. It is easy to see then the enterprise system is essential element in propelling Healthlite’s success as it moves into the future. An enterprise system into the Healthlite business will enable the managers to support business processes that will make the company more efficient. The enterprise system will allow for centralized data collection and entry. This centralized entry system will reduce or eliminate paper passing throughout the company. This system will also enable employees to view reports on-line which no longer requires printing of documents or doing paperwork manually unless necessary. This additional feature will help managers and market analysts in accurate sales planning, decision-making, and marketing strategy development by providing them with the ability to collect more accurate information to assist them. Healthlite must also improve the telecommunications infrastructure for the whole enterprise. E-mail capabilities will be needed throughout the company in order to eliminate the ineffective communication using snail mails and fax within the company. Email will enable speedy communication companywide. There is no need to do additional paper works by writing or typing requests. Also, the time and effort necessary to mail or fax the message will be greatly reduced through email. The message sent is received by the person addressed to in real time. If there are problems or requests required, the recipient on the email can quickly act on it. Intranet is another option the company could use. Intranet is a private computer network that can be accessed by authorized persons only. These will ensure that secret company information will not fall on the wrong hands. Adding Intranet and Internet service will definitely improve the company’s day-to-day operations. Recommendations To help facilitate the transition and to make better use of the technology or new system, the following recommendations are given: Â · Healthlite should install an entire enterprise system and not limit itself to the customer relationship management component, or better known as CRM, of the system. In order to be effective, Healthlite could introduce the changes phase by phase. This approach in implementing the enterprise software will enable users to adapt to the system well, starting with the order and sales process and advancing to the most difficult part slowly. Â · The systems development team must focus the development process of the new system on eliminating the existing business inefficiencies in manual reporting, hand order-tickets, and mail and fax order taking. Addition ally, the development team needs to follow the systems development lifecycle to establish its new customer relationship management (CRM) system. All users must be ably represented. This means that representatives in each company division must be involved in developing the system. They should be allowed to make suggestions at the same time provide necessary information in formulating the system. And all users need to have adequate information on the upcoming changes introduced to the system. Â · Healthlite should implement e-mail and Intranet use to improve its internal communications and productivity throughout the entire business. This could help do without the need for paperwork, snail mail and fax. The company should provide value-added customer service by including the customers during the design process of the business system. This is accomplished by soliciting feedback from customers in the form of questionnaires on a regular basis. Â · Due to the low shelf life of the produ cts they sell, Healthlite needs to ensure product freshness by improving the efficiency of its distribution of products and services to customers. With the new automated business system, orders are received and delivered immediately. The timely delivery of the products would ensure their freshness. Â · Management needs to address the accounting discrepancies incurred annually. The accounting problem should be identified and resolved in the design phase to make sure that the new business system they come up with is free of these errors and accounting discrepancies will not occur in the future. Â · Management also needs to ensure that the changes implemented in the business are done step by step especially that the company is in the midst of recent and rapid growth. Management needs to change its views regarding changes and adapt to the new business process accordingly. They should also lead the development process. Â · Managers need to wait until the new business process has materialized and the benefits of the new system are realized before implementing the headcount reduction in order to ensure a smooth cutover. Conclusions Despite its current business process problems, Healthlite has managed to attain succes s in its operations. This means that Healthlite has a lot of room for improvement in the future. And this could be easily attained through redesigning business processes. Currently, the organization uses little or almost non existing technology for their daily company activities. Due to the decentralization, many people are doing the same activities over and over again and doing paperworks manually which are time-consuming and could be transmitted electronically. The rapid growth of the company requires that Healthlite should quickly implement systems changes to improve its business processes and to get the product and services to the customer in a promptly and efficiently. Healthlite’s management also posed some problems due to their very conservative views regarding technology. They need guidance in determining a proven system in which they will be comfortable. The management’s support in the new business process is essential in implementing the changes effectively and leads the company into the future as well as to guarantee its competitive advantage. The company needs to know the importance of using the systems development lifecycle. This process is vital in creating a new business system that will be useful for the company. Also, this phase is important to establish efficient procedures when developing programs that will best fit Healthlite’s needs. An enterprise system will be necessary to advance Healthlite into the future. At the present the company may only focus on redesigning the ordering, sales, and marketing processes. But later on, Healthlite management needs to realize that the CRM system is going to need to be scalable. Healthlite’s business growth despite the difficulties it encountered could mean that the company has a lot of growth potentials in the future. Healthlite therefore needs to accommodate future changes and bigger adjustments. And the new business process they are about to install must be able to handle these changes and need for additional data. The company needs to identify and get rid of the sources of the accounting discrepancies annually between headquarters and the sales force. Management needs the accounting information to make decisions necessary for the company’s growth. The accounting report helps them to address potential problems and see possibilities for future expansion. The discrepancies in their accounting records due to the errors incurred are thus potentially making business decision on bad data. Before the implementation, management needs to address these problems to ensure that they will not arise in the future using the new system. Management needs to take time in implementing the headcount reductions. A successful implementation requires that all employees will be there during its implementation phase. The installation and use of the new system requires the support of all employees. https://support.pearson.com/getsupport/s/?sitename=CW+-+WPStabset-dd12d=1 http://business.vcu.edu/departments-and-centers/information-systems/department-resources/software/ https://www.bl.uk/business-and-ip-centre/industry-guides https://identitech.com.au/

Learning Expirience Essay Example for Free

Learning Expirience Essay Experience can shape our behavior and personality. More over our experiences contribute to our development over time. Learning process occurs when we experience situation that have negative or positive effect on us. In this essay I will briefly describe my personal learning experience; I will also define the concept of learning, and will provide analysis of what I have learned from this experience. In addition my essay will include the analysis and application of classical and operant conditioning as well as cognitive- social learning. My Experience Every person’s identity is formed by the various roles that they perform in the world. In fact becoming a mother is one more such role and it has psychological implications. Four month ago I became a mother to a wonderful, my first baby boy. The experience of giving birth, as well as being home with a newborn for the first few weeks was overwhelming, painful, and emotionally tiring. I am 25 years old and was so exciting to becoming a mother, however when my son was born for the first few weeks I have experienced anxiety, stress, depression, fear and even anger. It has been almost 4 month and my baby is my life, I cannot imagine how I was getting frustrated and feeling all those things when my baby is my joy. Today I am still tired, and stressed, however anger and depression is gone. I have learned from this experience that I need to accept the change in my life, and avoid becoming frustrated. Being prepared for things to be different could have prepared me to deal with situation differently. Also positive attitude should have been my best ally instead of being afraid and having negative thoughts. At last I have learned from this experience that I need to try to develop a new and balanced lifestyle that takes into consideration all areas of my new life. Learning Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience (David A. Kolb, 1984). As we learn, we alter the way we perceive our environment, the way we interpret the incoming stimuli, and therefore the way we interact, or behave (Carpenter Huffman, 2012). Learning through Classical Conditioning One of the best-known characteristics of behavioral learning theory is classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus (Carpenter Huffman, 2012). There are basic principles of classical conditioning process. Such as the unconditioned stimulus (UC) and unconditioned response (UR), as well as conditioned stimulus (CS) and conditioned response (CR) (Carpenter Huffman, 2012). The unconditioned stimulus is one that unconditionally, naturally, and automatically triggers a response (â€Å"The propositional nature of human associative learning,† 2009). For example, baby crying made me feel sad and frustrated, and baby smiling made me feel loved, happy and positive. For instance, when I saw my bay for the first time the feeling of pain was simply gone. As I spend those first weeks with my baby although I have had mood swings and feeling of anger sometimes, however every time I looked at my baby I naturally felt better and calmer. The unconditioned response is the unlearned response that occurs naturally in response to the unconditioned stimulus. For example, feel of love in response to my baby smile is unconditioned stimulus. The conditioned stimulus is previously neutral stimulus that, after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually comes to trigger a conditioned response (â€Å"The propositional nature of human associative learning,† 2009). For example, when my baby cried I felt frustration and in the same time my husband was trying to explain me something thus my husband voice would be conditioned stimulus. Although the sound of my husband voice is unrelated to my baby’s cry and feeling of frustration, if the sound of his voice was paired multiple times with the baby’s cry, the sound would eventually trigger the conditioned response. The conditioned response is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus. For instance, feeling frustrated when I heard my husband talking to me. In my view classical conditioning is a useful technique that can be applied by creating a positive environment to help people to overcome anxiety, fear and frustration. For example, a situation like my baby’s crying with pleasant surroundings would have helped me to learn new associations. Instead of feeling anxious, frustrated and angry in that situation, I learn to stay relax and calm (Carpenter Huffman, 2012). Operant Conditioning Operant conditioning is a technique of learning that happens through rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior (â€Å"The propositional nature of human associative learning,† 2009). The elimination of an undesirable outcome can be used to decrease or prevent undesirable behavior. Feeling frustrated, being angry with situation simply led to more stress and created more problems for myself emotionally and physically. Positive reinforcement: Getting to know my baby, his first smile and lough created a positive and happy environment thus increasing my positive behavior. To conclude learning process revolves around human life. People learn something new every single day, thus creating new experiences and knowledge. Self-development and growth naturally occurs through learning.

Time Value Analysis And The Attractiveness Of Alternative Investments Finance Essay

Time Value Analysis And The Attractiveness Of Alternative Investments Finance Essay Time value analysis The time value analysis can provide the healthcare manager with the necessary information to make important decisions concerning financial strategies. The calculations of future cash flows at specific times are used to determine the attractiveness of alternative investments. The major limitation of the time value analysis is that a small change in cash flow may result in a distorted assessment of a potential investment. Incremental cash flows should be estimated with great care to consider only those that could change if a project or investment is accepted. The time value analysis of the Pensacola Surgery Centers will explore the companys investment opportunities. The company has $50,000 in cash to invest in marketable securities. The option to invest in a bank certificate of deposit (CD) that return interest after 6 months to five years. The earned interest would be reinvested at its maturity date. The future value of a one year CD that pays 10 percent annual interest will total $55,000 at maturity (Table 1). The future value of a one year CD that pays 5 percent or 15 percent will total $52,500 and 57,500 respectively. The other considerations are the banks procedure of compounding the interest. The BankSouth offers a one year CD at 10 percent interest that is compounded semi-annually. This effective annual rate of 10.25 percent will yield a higher total of $55,125 that the annual CD. The Bank of America offers a 10 percent Certificate of Deposit (CD) $50,0000 Investment 10% Annual Interest 10% Semi-Annual Interest (10.25% effective) 10% Daily Interest (10.52% effective) 1-Year CD $55,000.00 $55,125.00 $55,257.79 5-Year CD $80,525.50 $81,444.73 $82,430.42 Table 1: Certificate of Deposit Summary. CD that compounds daily. This results in a higher yield of $55,258 with an effective annual rate of 10.52 percent. The BankSouth will likely offer a competitive rate on its semi-annual compounding CD of 10.3 percent to yield a total of $55,283. The effective annual rate becomes 10.57 percent. The Pensacola Surgery Centers can place $50,000 cash in a five year CD, and have the potential to significantly increase the earned interest. This will not allow other investments to utilize these funds during this five year period. The five year CD with interest compounded annually yields $80,525. The semi-annual interest CD totals $81,144.73, and the daily interest CD yields $82.430. The surgery clinic has the financial goal of having $200,000 available for the purchase of a patient billing system in five years. If the clinic invested a lump sum in a one year CD with 10 percent annual interest, it would need to deposit $124,184.26 today. Another choice would require the deposit of $100,000 in a five year CD with an annual 15 percent interest to result in the necessary $200,000 in funds. The Pensacola Surgery Center may consider the option of an ordinary annuity to build the funds necessary for the computer application. The ability to make yearly payments to the account rather than an initial lump sum will decrease the amount of cash flow deterred from other investment opportunities. If five annual payments of $32,000 are paid at the end of each year, the present value result is $121,305 with an annual opportunity cost of 10 percent. The increase to $138,543 will result if the interest is compounded semi-annually. The future value of the annuity that pays 10 percent interest annually is $195,363, and decreased to $176,820 if compounded semi-annually. The annual interest necessary to accumulate the necessary $200,000, by making the $32,000 yearly payments, is 11 percent. Alternatively, the annual payment of $32,759.50 with 10 percent interest is needed to reach the $200,000 in funds. If the payments are changed to $16,000 every six months, starting six months from tod ay, the future value would total $254,999 with 10 percent annual interest (Table 2). The future value of the payments with 10 percent interest compounded semi-annually yields $201,246. The $16,000 semi-annual payment schedule will accumulate the necessary funds for the capital expenditure. Annuities $16,000 Semi-Annual Payments Future Value 10 % Annual Interest Future Value 10% Semi-Annual Interest Ordinary Annuity $254,998.79 $201,246.28 Annuity Due $280,498.67 $211,308.59 Table 2: Future Value of Annuities Summary. The annuity due type is when the payments are made at the beginning of the period. This type of annuity will result in the maturity one period past the final payment. The present value of the same five annual $32,000 payments will yield $133,436 with an opportunity cost of 10 percent annually. The utilization of a 10 percent semi-annual interest rate will result in $145,470. The future value of the annuity if 10 percent annual interest is paid yields $214,899, and with 10 percent semi-annually the result is decreased to $185,661. The annual interest rate of 8 percent is needed to accumulate the required $200,000 funds with the yearly $32,000 payments. The reduced yearly payment of $29,781 is needed for an annuity with a 10 percent annual rate. The change of the payments to $16,000 every six months results in $280,499 in an annuity that compounds at 10 percent annually. This is decreased to $211,309 if the 10 percent interest is semi-annual. The annuity due with semi-annual payments r esults in a greater accumulation of funds necessary for the computer billing upgrade. The Pensacola Surgery Centers would like to lease out extra space at one location for the term of five years. This venture will cost an estimated $40,000 in initial renovations. The net present value (NPV) of the estimated lease cash flow totals $58,618 (Table 3). The future value of the five year lease cash flow is expected to total $76,223 when invested at 10 percent annually. The present value of this total yields only $47,329 (difference of $11,289) when compared to the NPV calculated initially. The inconsistency of the time value analysis is due to the incremental changes that may become magnified with end results. The manager must use reasonable judgment when interpreting these calculated results. End of Year Net Cash Flow 1 $12,000 2 $14,000 3 $ 2,000 4 $16,000 5 $20,000 Table 3: Estimated Lease Cash Flow The further analysis of the lease will determine the dollar return on the investment and include the cost of the renovations. The return on investment (ROI) of the lease cash flow and the renovations total $39,390. The percentage rate of return utilizes the internal rate of return (IRR) calculation. The expected rate of return is 16 percent which exceeds the 10 percent opportunity cost by 6 percent. The ROI calculations support the clinics financial investment in the lease agreement. The contingency plan if the clinic is unable to accumulate the $200,000 necessary for the computer improvements will require them to borrow the funds. The loan will require yearly payments of $63,094.16 for four years at 10 percent interest (Table 4). The total interest plus principal paid at the end of the loan is $252,376.64. The business will be able to deduct the yearly interest payments on their income taxes for a total of $52,376.64. $200,000 Loan Year Payment Interest Repayment of Principle 1 $ 63,094.16 $20,000.00 $ 43,094.16 2 $ 63,094.16 $15,690.58 $ 47,403.58 3 $ 63,094.16 $10,950.23 $ 52,143.93 4 $ 63,094.16 $ 5,735.83 $ 57,358.33 Total $252,376.64 $52,376.64 $200,000.00 Table 4: Loan Amortization Schedule The utilization of time value analysis aids in the financial decision making processes of the businesss investment management. The calculations attempt to represent the opportunity cost of these potential investments. The discount rate used to conduct the analysis should reflect the risk associated with the investment and the risk of the organization. Good decisions are based on the understanding of the businesss financial strategies, and the appropriateness of the analysis to these objectives. The post completion review of investment decisions should be conduct to assess the processes and results.

Managing the Managers Essay -- Business Management

Managing the Managers MANAGING THE MANAGERS: JAPANESE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN THE USA The article reviews one of the greatest difficulties that Japanese multinational companies face, that is integration of its subplants in other countries, where not just management is viewed as different, but also the general running of the "mother" company's, not to mention the cultural changes which may be faced when atempting to integrate into another country. The article reviewed attempts to do two things. Firstly, the authors explore the management self so as to give reasoning into the two different managing styles of the United States of America and that of infamous Japanese management. Secondly, the authors report their research on management self-conception and style in Japanese owned factories or 'transplants' in the United States. The article is a summary of a large Japanese multinational company's intergration into the United States. This multinational opened 3 transplants in the same region of the United States. One of the transplants (Honshu manufacturing, which incidently seems to hold strategic significance as concluded by the massive capital investment of $300M) has a Japanese General Manager. The second, Honshu assembly holds and American born and raised General Manager. The third transplant is of an intereting nature as this is a Hybrid of Japanese and American management. The article begins with the facts involved when a firm of a more than a modest size is doing business in a foreign environment. It outlines the difficulties and failures that could be encountered when integration is involved. The article continues to inform us on how the article will be presented and the goals of the study at hand. The article is divided into 8 separate but relevant sections, these are: Introduction which talks about the methods used in the study and gives a brief rundown of the subject of Japanese and American management. Management in the Japanese transplants which talks a lot about previous surveys already concluded of which the nature is the same as the subject at hand. This subsection of the article also provides us with a history of the subject, as far back as 1976 . This section gives case example of previous studies made within the field of Japanese management and integration by Japanese multinationals. Mediating the selves... ...y Seniorities Promotion by competence Utilisation of employees Not fully Fully Utilised Blue-collar / White collar Single Class Double Class External relation Long term Short term Group relationship Keiretsu Ownership Basis of relationship Give and take Market mechanism Decision making Collective Individual Responsibility Collective Individual Ambition of employees Promotion within company Promotion in other company Dreams/ Goals Happily working together Efficiently working together Analogy (system) Organical Mechanical The Japanese management style is deductive and believes in insight and intuition. They believe in the power of logic and reasoning, they believe that which cant be seen or measured can exist, they do not break a whole down first into parts to analyze. Compare that with the Inductive American contructive reality belief that we believe in observing and measuring, the belief that that which cant be measured or seen does not exist, alongside the Joe Friday approach: Just the facts ma'am!

Oedipus and his flaws :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus and his flaws   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Oedipus's Inextinguishable Flaws Flaws plague every man and woman on this planet. Flaws are what we have in common with each other, and all characteristics that make us human. Sophocles's Oedipus, shows that sometimes the combination of certain flaws and other human characteristics can have a tragic outcome. The caring King Oedipus was paranoid and short tempered, and these characteristics brought him to his downfall. From the beginning of the story Oedipus is depicted as a noble caring man. He is greatly distressed about the plague in Thebes. "My soul mourns the city..." (Sophocles 305) he tells the priest and the suffering people of Thebes. If Oedipus did not care for his kingdom, he never would have bothered to seek out Laius's murderer. Oedipus also mourned the death of his wife. As well, Oedipus proves himself a loving father towards his daughters, by asking Creon to take care of them. One of the main reasons for Oedipus's exile is his short temper. Oedipus loses his temper with Tireseas, because he will not tell Oedipus the truth.    After Tireseas speaks the truth, Oedipus grows even more short tempered, and taunts Tireseas for being blind. Oedipus then accuses Creon of sending Tireseas to make Oedipus think he is the murderer. After Oedipus accuses Creon he tells him, "I do not desire your banishment-- but your death."   (Sophocles 313) The death of Laius would never have occurred if it was not for Oedipus's short temper. Oedipus forced King Laius off the road because his procession wouldn't make way for Oedipus and his group. If Oedipus had thought things through he would have never have acted so irrationally and killed King Laius. Oedipus's short temper is triggered by his paranoia.    While he meets with Tireseas, Oedipus believes that Creon, his own brother-in-law and friend, is against him. "Was it Creon that planned this or yourself,"   (Sophocles 309) Oedipus says to Tireseas. Oedipus also thinks that his own   countrymen could be against him. Once Creon comes home and tells Oedipus that he must find Laius's murderer he proclaims, "...whoever slew Laius might turn a hand against me." (Sophocles 306) Oedipus has a certain paranoia around himself as the truth is being unraveled. His wife, Jocasta tells him to

The Fools in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: Romeo and Juliet Essays

The fall of Romeo and Juliet is a culmination of many factors. A controlling father, an ongoing feud and a gullible friar all contribute to this catastrophe, but, for the most part, it was Romeo and Juliet themselves that lent a hand to their own doom. The two lovers were fated to meet and die, but this never could've happened without their help. Had they been patient and rational, perhaps the situation would've worked itself out, but what can one expect from a couple of thirteen year olds who insist that they are in love? The first instance of Romeo's immaturity occurs when he first encounters the lovely Juliet. He know that the party is hosted by the Capulets, and yet he still chooses to attend anyway. As a teenager, he loves to party and is sure that there will be pretty girls there in which to flirt with. Instead of being rational and realizing that this party was a bad idea for a Montague, he and his friends enter without fear. Once the party is over, Romeo hears Juliet on her balcony talking of how she loves Romeo and together they speak of their impending marriage. What? It seems that they are obsessed, not in love. How could they love each other when in fact they have just met hours earlier? They are children who have crushes and plenty of melodrama to enhance it. Romeo demonstrates his immaturity again when he slays the Capulet, Tybalt. Being an idealist, he does not think about the consequences of his actions. He knows that Tybalt is Juliet's cousin, and that injuring him would wreck any chance of them getting together legitimately, yet he does it anyway. Instead of pausing a moment and thinking about the situation in an adult manner, Romeo allows "fire[ey'd] fury be [his] conduct..." and instantly kills Tybalt. Although a bit more realistic than Romeo, Juliet has instances of emotional drama and impatience that symbolize a thirteen year old girl with a terrible infatuation. True, her father is insisting that she marry Paris, but Juliet never lets her feeling for Romeo be known to her parents. Instead of telling the truth about her marriage to Romeo, she leads her parents to believe that it is

Food Memoir Essay

Eating it as soon as it gets out of the oven is an amazing experience. The elation increased inside me as soon as I started to smell the juicy baked chicken. Suddenly, it feels like a irresistible need to grab a bite of it right away. Obviously you can’t resist it, so you cut a piece of it and eat it. The crunchy sensation of the baked cereal all around the chicken is wonderful, but not only the texture felt good, the gooey of the sugar that comes with the cornflake make it taste like glory. The sweet mixed with the salt of the seasonings is an incredible party inside the mouth. Adding a delicious bowl of baked potatoes with bechamel sauces makes the dish even better. I always love to cook and be creative while cooking; preparing different kind of dishes with different seasons, all natural most of the time. Cooking is not about following recipes and going by the cooking book. Instead it’s about being able to mix different seasonings to create the perfect taste. The history behind this invention comes from the lack of resources to prepare a decent dish. It was a quite night like tonight, listening to John Mayer and my roommate and I were really hungry. Then we looked at the refrigerator and cabinets to see what we could cook but we only found chicken, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. Having all those seasons and been tired of eating grill chicken I decided to make it baked crunchy chicken, but sadly there wasn’t any ground bread and I figured it out late so the only thing that I could use was the cereal. So that is how it happened, a happy mistake. I used cornflakes instead of bread crumbs for the baked chicken. At the time I started to prepare the chicken, two girls came in looking for us. They reaction was priceless; they screamed â€Å"Oh my god! You guys are crazy! † at us. My roommate after he laughed for few seconds he told them that it was going to taste good and that they will want me to cook for them after they taste it. The girls said ok and stayed in our apartment all night with us having fun. While the chicken was in the oven, I put some potatoes to boil. Then when the potatoes were cooked, I prepared bechamel sauces. I took a bowl with all the potatoes and I let the bechamel sauces rain over it. Then I put the bowl inside the oven with the chicken as well. In the meantime, I sat down between the two girls and we talked about something â€Å"special†. That happened later that night. When it was time to take the chicken and the potatoes out of the oven, we all went to the kitchen to see how it looks like. First I took out the chicken and placed on the dinner table, and then I go back to the kitchen to take out the potatoes as well. When I come back from the kitchen, I found that my friends had already eaten one chicken to taste it in like 8 seconds. I told them that they attacked the chicken too fast. Therefore one of the girls said to me that it was really good, that the sugar on the chicken was delicious. We sat on the table, each of us four with 2 boneless Baked Cereal Crunchy Chicken, with baked potatoes doused in bechamel sauce and many very cold coke cans. The coke cans were so cold that I had to use my can handler while the others used a can bag that we have. Those 15 to 30 minutes that we were eating on the table, became a good memory to our brains and especially to our tongues. Even though, that like five other people came to the apartment to check out our dinner and ate from our food, it was a good. They find out about it because the girls posted some pictures on instagram. Every single people who tasted the food, at the beginning when they saw what was it, they were all like â€Å"Cornflakes with Chicken? † However they all found it very tasty. Good enough to tell me that I should do that again. After we ate, I laid down on the sofa with my head over one of the girl legs. Then my friend yelled out loud â€Å"Toy timbi†, that is a Dominican expression that people say when we cannot eat more. My roommate went to the kitchen to clean the dishes, as it was his turn. After he was done, the girls screamed â€Å"Special time! † and suddenly a bottle of Jose Cuervo appeared. They prepared some margaritas with lemon and strawberry mixer. Later on, after around 3 rounds of margaritas we started to listen and dance merengue and salsa. We dance for like hour and half non stopping. Also we were singing a bit while we were dancing. We stopped dancing when he figure out that it was 4:00 am and we had class at 8:30 am. We were all tired but we were also in a happy mood. We all went to bed right away, but sadly none of us make it through the next four hours; the one who woke up earlier was the younger girl at 10 o’clock. She nocked my door very hard, until I woke up really mad because we skipped the class at 8:30 am. When we were all ready, we talked about last night. And the first thing that came out was that the chicken was really good and when I would do it again.

The production possibility curve

IntroductionThe labor incident abridge is a crook that represents the total bet of goods and function that put up be produced in an deliverance prone certain levels of resources in the frugality, the products surmise trend helps check whether an miserliness has beat(p) resources and if an frugality produces optimally thus this go forth publication into economic growth, in that location argon factors that ternion to a cant over in the business theory veer, this includes changes in technology, change in the productivity of factors of labor and increase cleverness and finally the disregard bequeath parapraxis as a result of increased resources in the economy.Production happening bendThe employment possibility curve is a curve that represents the maximum or optimal resource usage when both goods and run are produced, the turnout possibility curve shows the seat in which an economy can be producing its goods and function, an economy that produces be low the achievement possibility curve is said to have idle resources, when the battery-acid is on the production possibility curve then the economy is optimally using all the resources available in an economy to produce both goods and services.The plat below shows the production possibility curveThe higher up diagram is the production possibility curve, when the economy produces at confidential information A then the economy is under producing and thither are idle resource in the economy, if the economy produces at allude B then the economy is producing optimally where there are no idle resources in the economy, peak C is unachievable and an economy cannot produce at this point, this is because the point is above the production possibility curve.Shift in the production possibility curveThe production possibility frontier allow modify outbound if there is increased productivity in the factors of production. If the productivity of the factors of production improves then the p roduction possibility curve testament shake outwards as followsThe other factors that get out cause the possibility production curve to change over is the improvement of technology, the curve will shift outward if there is an improvement in the technology in the economy.The uncovering and exploitation of resources in the economy will also cause a shift in the production possibility curve, if there is a discovery and the exploitation of resources that are used in the production of goods and services then the curve will shift outwards.Effects of producing much goods for the future to the PPCWhen an economy produces more goods then it is possible to achieve the point where the economy utilises all its factors of production and the point of production will be at along the curve, the excess production of goods and services will also tend to becharm producers to explore new resources for production and this will lead to a shift in the curve to a higher level.ConclusionThe producti on possibility curve depicts the total number of goods and services that can be produced in an economy given the level of resources in the economy, the productions possibility curve helps check whether an economy has idle resources and if an economy produces optimally then this will result into economic growth.thither are factors that lead to a shift in the production possibility curve, this includes changes in technology, change in the productivity of factors of production and increased efficiency and finally the curve will shift as a result of increased resources in the economy.If an economy produces more goods then it achieve the point where the economy utilises all its factors of production and the point of production will be at along the curve, the excess production of goods and services will also tend to model producers to explore new resources for production and this will lead to a shift in the curve to a higher level.ReferencesBrian vitamin C (1997) Macroeconomics Introduc tion to Macroeconomics, Rout ledge publishers, UK