VALUE CHAIN MANAGEMENT EXAM PAPER - 4 OUT OF 8 MINI CASE QUESTIONS Essay

VALUE CHAIN MANAGEMENT EXAM PAPER - 4 OUT OF 8 MINI CASE QUESTIONS - Essay Example In case of mergers and acquisitions the primary aspect with regards to value chain management involves an integration of two different value chains i.e., one of the acquirer and the other of the acquired company. There needs to be certain changes in the value chain that could help in undertaking an overall improvement in the value chain of the organization (Ray, 2010, p.46). In case of Bramble the primary motive behind the acquisition of CAPS is to undertake and utilise the primary and secondary aspects of CAPS’s value chain elements to generate an overall improvement in the value chain of Brambles that would enable it to move up in the value chain. This strategy of the firm is in tune with the popular theoretical belief that every organization has its own sets of key elements that includes internal as well as external factors. In the case of Bramble the company wants to acquire the knowledge and expertise of the primary and secondary elements of the value chain that includes its human resources, fixed assets as well as intellectual property that can help in improving the value proposition of the organization by helping its move up in the value chain (Bertoncelj, 2008, p.3). Figure 1: Value Chain in Mergers and Acquisitions for CGI (Source: CGI, 2009, p.2) The figure above shows how to improve the value chain by undertaking a merger and acquisition strategy. The figure above shows how a procurement based value chain can be used to generate an improvement in the entire value chain of the organization by using the expertise in the primary and secondary activities of the acquired organization. Brambles hope to leverage upon the existing expertise as well as client base of CAPS to generate long term profitability for the organization. Brambles hopes that with the acquisition of a company engaged in downstream activities it would be able to undertake a vertical integration of its business process. This would help in opening up business opportunities of the or ganization considering the vast and immense potential of the downstream activities. The company believes that with the acquisition of CAPS and the good client base of the organization the company would be able to provide better and augmented facilities both in terms of number as well as quality as the customers would find more facilities under a single roof. This would save the customers time as well as monetary resources that would have otherwise being incurred by taking the services of a different vendor for pellets and container services. This would motivate them to choose Brambles over its competitors as it would be offering greater value proposition to the customers. This would help in generating long term sustainable competitive advantage for the organization in the long run. The vertical integration would also help in generating more value in the value chain (Slide 31-35, Planning and performance in Value chain networks). The acquisition of CAPS would also boost the levels of customer service that would help in enhancing the value proposition in accordance with Holden’s value proposition theory that states customer service as one of the key areas that can be used by organizations to enhance their value propositions. Brambles

Evaluation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Evaluation - Research Paper Example Several local agencies working in conjunction with national health organizations have outlined strategies and measurements to prevent obesity in their specific areas. When collated, the data form part of the national statistics which inform the public of the updates on this chronic illness. The numerous local and state agencies within the country give authoritative data, facts, and statistics; as well as goals, projected outcomes, and recommendations to assist the public afflicted with obesity. Likewise, professionals, both in local and state agencies, are ready to assist individuals in ensuring that an effective successful long term weight loss is achieved. The research aims to evaluate the health promotion program on obesity issues through tools and models applied to attain goals identified in the national agenda. The findings revealed that through regular monitoring and surveillance of the target population’s percentages and statistics on obesity issues, strategies and interventions are adapted and adjusted, as required. Community based response and through the assistance of leadership, social marketing and other measures, ultimately hope to minimize or ultimately prevent the incidence of obesity in the future. The issue of addressing obesity has been specifically identified as a national agenda in Healthy People 2010. Its relevance and priority to focus on this chronic illness and to seek ways to address it are possible through epidemiology surveillance systems and tools implemented both in the local and state levels. Several local agencies working in conjunction with national health organizations have outlined strategies and measurements to prevent obesity in their specific areas. In this regard, the research is undertaken with the objective of evaluating the health promotion program on obesity as one of the national issues

Black Or White To Kill A Mockingbird English Literature Essay

Black Or White To Kill A Mockingbird English Literature Essay Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty   Martin Luther King, Jr. Racism is a strong element that is portrayed in Harper Lee s Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill a mocking bird. Harper lee was born in 1926 grew up in Monroeville (Alabama) and graduated from Alabama University. The book was published during the civil rights movement and exposed the dark elements of southern racist society.The story is set in Alabama, in the 1930. To kill a mocking bird deals with the moral teachings of a human being that is whether people are essentially good or evil. The book focuses to a large extent on a childs perspective in understanding the world. It clearly bridges a gap between a childs innocence and experience.Racism is a major theme of the novel. During that era, blacks were still highly dominated members of society. Blacks were not permitted to communicate with whites in public places, and there existed a clearly distinct black and white area of town. This research article deals with the concept, history and the major social issues related to Racism and racism in relation with To Kill a Mockingbird. The term racism is often used in a loose and unreflective way to describe the hostile or negative feeling towards another [1] .Racism has two major components -difference and power. It is not merely an attitude or set of beliefs but it also expresses itself in practices, institution, and structure that sense of deep difference justifies or validates. Racism has existed throughout human history.  It may be defined as the hatred of one person by another. Racism  is a word that can be defined in many different ways to people. To some, racism is a way of life, and to some, it is a repulsive term that represents closed or narrow mindedness. Racism comes from different cultural values, ethnic backgrounds, as well as the physical appearances. The conflict of racism occurs when the majority group of society feels that the different cultures and values of the minority group bring the change to the society. The United States of America, which brought people from all over the world, is stat ed as the land of opportunity and freedom, it is also the country that is famous for the racial discrimination. From the beginning of this country, there were conflicts with the Indians, slavery of blacks, and going against the people who immigrated there hoping to achieve their dream. Racism have been one of the most significant issues that people have been facing and fighting for, and is still occurring around us. Racism has killed and at the same time saved the people. It has killed the people as they have been discriminated in many ways. They have become the victims of the society. But in another point of view racism has saved the people, because through the discrimination, they have become stronger and confirmed about them. They have built the power to overcome the barrier of racism. Historically, almost every group of human beings who managed to cultivate a cultural identity did so partly by defining themselves as better than any other group, setting sharp boundaries to how mu ch they would interact with other groups (including intermarriage) and limits to how much of their resources and power they would share. Groups that were isolated by natural borders like the Klingit (Eskimo), native Caribbean tribes, and Australian aborigines did not have to develop traditions of hostility to strangers to protect their tribal identity. Natural obstacles provided all the hostility to invaders they needed; the people themselves could be generous and hospitable to the survivors, who often ended up absorbed into the tribe. Those with extremely strong cultural identities as, for example, Jews and Roma (gypsies) have been able to exist within other cultures without behaving with hostility, although they have often suffered hostilities. This behaviour has changed, however, in the rare times when such a group has found itself in a position of power. In Moorish Spain and in modern Israel, for example, Jews have demonstrated that they can be as violent as anyone else in defence of cultural identity persecuting heretic Jews as well as non-Jews. Racefirst appeared in the English language around the 17th century. North Americans began to use the term in their scientific writings by the late 18th century. Racism was developed and popularized by scientists in the 19th century, as they were regarded as the propagators of truth. At the time this ideology also explained political and economic conflicts in various parts of the world and legalised the dominant role of British in the world economic system. Racism is universal and is evident in many different racial and social groups. It is not limited to white groups. By the mid-19th century, there was general rule that the worlds population was divided into a variety of races: groups of people who shared similar attributes like skin colour. This process of race categorization is referred to as  racialization[2]  and is necessary for the emergence of racism as an ideology. Racism is a product of capitalism. It grew out of early capitalisms use of slaves for the plantations of the developed World, it was solidified in order to justify western and white domination of the rest of the world and it flourishes today as a means of dividing the working class between white and black, and native and immigrants. Racism is commonly assumed to be as old as society itself. However this does not stand up to historical examination. Racism is a particular form of oppression: discrimination against people on the grounds that some inherited characteristic, for example, skin colour, makes them inferior to their oppressors.According to the  United Nations  conventions, there is no distinction between the term  racial discrimination  and  ethnic  discrimination. PLIGHT OF THE AFRICAN AMERICANS   African Americans, who form a significant part of the American population were, and in some irregular cases, are subjected to tremendous discrimination. The  Civil War  fought in America was partly a movement to stand up to this unfair system but sadly racism continued to cast a gloomy shadow over the development of the American nation. The Europeans, who settled in America in the early 1600s brought along the African black population, whom they had enslaved. Slowly, as the white population settled and flourished in America, slavery rooted itself in the US. The period from 1619 to 1865, especially witnessed a tremendously racist America grossly harassing the African American masses. After the Civil War, one law after the other was drafted by the government which severely discriminated the black community. It was a sort of wicked competition amongst the states to inflicting misery against their own population. Massachusetts state legalized slavery in 1641 and was the first to do so in America[3]. The latter half of the 18th century witnessed a big turmoil in America, against the British. The issues of human rights and independence began to gain position and hampered the British policies, a lot of civil rights for the African Americans were considered. Many were even untied but the status of the blacks never improved, especially once the Americans gained an upper hand in their search for independence. Since the elections of 1868, the Democrats who openly advocated discrimination against the blacks, used violence, corruption and intimidation to stop them from voting. Similarly, the Ku Klux Klan, founded in 1867, as a secret organization terrorized the African Americans and the black population at large. The group indulged in brutally murdering the black community and anyone socially advocating their cause. For every 3 whites killed in the fight, 40-50 blacks were killed. This was the real situation, but one which was suppressed and in fact popularized as atrocities against whites, until the 20th century. TYPES OF RACISM Historical racismis based on inheritance and common decent. It identifies a population with a common origin in history, but not a population with a fixed biological character. It is also used to define nation states in Europe through national symbols, such as Nazi eagle, Aryan cross that believed in superiority of some nations over others. Scientific racismbelieves that we can all be characterized by race with certain physical traits, such as brain size, sloping forehead. There is a hierarchy of races and claims that biology determines intelligence. It states that some races need to civilize others providing a justification for colonialism Institutional racismaddresses those activities which are intended to protect the advantages of a dominant group and/or maintain or widen the unequal position of a subordinate group and certain structures in society that systematically discriminate against certain groups, such as apartheid in South Africa, Jim Crow laws in southern U.S. New Racismasserts that no longer does any biological notion indicate cultural or other inferiorities. New Racism is not necessarily an assumption of inferiority or superiority; it is the emergence of new expressions such as immigrants, integration, cultural values, hide the racist text in our culture. RACIAL VIOLENCE Racial violence differs from other forms of violence in that the root causes are to do with assumption of superiority and dislike of other people who are deemed to be inferior because of their identity, ethnic origin, nationality, national origins or descent; and because of their appearance and physical characteristics such as colour, language and dress. These are natural and normal attributes, and any attack on them is an attack of the very core of ones essence as a human being and as a member of the human race. Racial violence manifests itself in many ways. In serious cases it involves physical assault, arson, stabbing, rape, murder, attempted murder, and genocide. Throughout the course of time, many a time racism has played an important role in shaping the history of the world. It has been a problem of the pre-modern world and continues to be a problem and a dilemma in the post-modern world. This problem is not something that can be solved by any number of discussions and debates held all around the world. As long as ethnic and individual differences in people exist, racism will continue to exist. It is not something that we can rid ourselves of. But instead what we can do is prevent it from becoming an issue over which the world gets divided to the point of no return. And also an acceptance in people of each others uniqueness is something that will help tone down the great adverse effects of racism. Racial Prejudice Racial prejudice is an insidious moral and social disease affecting peoples and populations all over the world. It is diagnosed by the cataloguing of its various symptoms and manifestations which include fear, intolerance, separation, segregation, discrimination, and hatred. While all of these symptoms of racial prejudice may be manifest, the single underlying cause of racial prejudice is ignorance. Racial prejudice perverts this uniqueness of the races and takes the view that these differences separate individuals further into groups, with one group being inferior to the other. Racial prejudice affects everyone. Inasmuch as racial prejudice manifests itself in that people are pre-judged based on superficial characteristics, we must honestly conclude that all people suffer from this on various levels. These ideas have been formed from society, media, and our own upbringing.  Maybe these ideas have been taught directly or indirectly, acted out by ones parents. Whatever the source, e ven the most enlightened member of a society will find that to some extent, he or she is judging another based on the superficial aspects of race. Racial prejudice has shaped the form of our present day societies; indeed, prejudice has shaped societies since time began. To counteract the disease of racial prejudice, modern-day societies have drafted and enacted legislation to ensure that people treat each other with respect and dignity allowing one another their inalienable right to their pursuit of life and liberty. While mans actions can be legislated, their hearts and fears cannot. Thus, society continues to suffer from the disease. Forums, coalitions, and initiatives continue to be formed to foster unity, understanding, and tolerance. Racism can only be stopped if all human races realized that we are all equal and that colours are only skin deep. Racism can have very simple solution; unfortunately it is complicated because of how one race discriminate others will cause both of the races to discriminate each other. For example, black people were being slaved during the 1800s and because of this, white people think that black people are inferior to them. During the 1900s many white people came to realize that black people are also human being and that they should treat them the same. This might seem like a happy ending but in reality, racism didnt fade because by then black people had hate white people and they think that white people is their enemy because of how they were treated. Therefore, I believed that the only solution to racism is an understanding among races that everybody is equal. In conclusion, racism is a very important issue in United States. Racism is born when a certain people or organization feel that they are superior compared to other races. There are many historic figures that try to stop racism such as Martin Luther King JR and Malcolm X. RACISM in To kill a mocking bird To kill a mocking bird represents a major element of social inequality bringing out one of the most important themes of the novel that is Racism. Differences in social status are expressed through the overcomplicated social hierarchy of Maycomb, the blacks and the whites that continuously baffle the children. Atticuss family stood near the top of Maycombs social hierarchy, with most of the townspeople beneath them. These rigid social divisions that make up so much of the adult world are revealed The title of  To Kill a Mockingbird  has very little literal connection to the plot, but it carries a great deal of symbolic weight in the book. In this story of innocents destroyed by evil, the mockingbird comes to represent the idea of innocence. Thus, to kill a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. Throughout the book, a number of characters (Jem, Tom Robinson, Dill, Boo Radley, Mr. Raymond) can be identified as mockingbirds-innocents who have been injured or destroyed through contact w ith evil. This connection between the novels title and its main theme is made explicit several times in the novel: after Tom Robinson is shot, Mr. Underwood compares his death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds, and at the end of the book Scout thinks that hurting Boo Radley would be like shootin a mockingbird. Most important, Miss Maudie explains to Scout: Mockingbirds dont do one thing but . . . sing their hearts out for us. Thats why its a sin to kill a mockingbird. That Jem and Scouts last name is Finch (another type of small bird) indicates that they are particularly vulnerable in the racist world of Maycomb, which often treats the fragile innocence of childhood harshly. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, racism, evil, prejudice or discrimination are present throughout the whole book. Racism affects many characters in the book and causes dreadful events to happen. Harper Lee illustrates her strong opinion on racism through view of a little girl, Scout (narrator), growing up in a small, southern community, Maycomb. Illustrating the story in a first person point of view, especially in situations like the trial, help one understand a childs point of view in order to understand the feelings of the little girl better. While growing up, Scout learns to take a positive view of the African-Americans in society. This is shown with the relationship with her maid, Calpurnia. However, this view contradicts the views of the other children living in her area. The other children her ages have adopted their ancestors prejudiced views, such as Cecil Jacobs announcing that Scout Finchs daddy defended niggers. Another example is when Aunt Alexandria forbids Scout to play with Walter Cunningham because she sees them as good folks, but not our kind of folks. Unlike most of the other characters in the book, Scout doesnt let things like race or wealth clouds her judgment of people. Tom Robinson losing his case, the prejudice against Atticus, and the church incident concerning Jem Scout are all directly related to racism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Discrimination appears everywhere inside To Kill a Mockingbird, for example; Tom Robinson lost his case and got sentenced to life in prison, because he was black. The jury was very biased on this matter and so the result was inevitable. Even during the beginning of the trial, everything was a lie. Mr. Ewells face grew scarlet. He stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson. -I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin on my Mayell'[4] Lee uses the word scarlet to show that Mr. Ewell was feeling angry at Atticus for contradicting him, yet was feeling guilty for telling a lie. Following his false accusation, Mr. Ewell exploded towards Tom and Atticus to reinforce his false statement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Similarly, Atticus defending Toms innocence earned him continuous discrimination from local townspeople and even from his own family. His battle for justice caused more problems for Scout. She is continued defending him but the racist remarks did not stop. These remarks just showed how cruel children can be to other children. She feels the need to defend her father to Francis, her cousin. He was also taunting her with accusations: At a safe distance her called, `Hes nothin but a nigger-lover. The force of racism had disrupted their lives, especially Scouts, through the old fashioned and discriminative opinions of the younger residents of Maycomb.     Ã‚   When Atticus decides to defend Robinson, he is cursed at by being called a nigger-lover by many people, including his nephew. Francis, what the hell do you mean?/ Just what I said. Grandma says its bad enough he lets you run wild, but now he turned out to be a nigger-lover.'[6] Atticus suffers every deep blow, being told that some of his family members dont support him. This indirect racism comes only from the equality that Atticus treats any enemy person with. Racism is the ultimate injustice to any person. Furthermore, there is another event supporting the idea of racism in To Kill a Mockingbird. It is when Jem and Scout go to Calpurnias church. There, they encounter discrimination with every step they take! I [Lula] want to know why you bringin white chillun to nigger church. [5] When Lula asks this, she says it with contempt. Harper Lee uses racism in both directions, whites to blacks, and blacks to whites. So, it implies that both are to blame for discrimination. Lula was trying to feel a sense of pride in having a black church to go to, and now, for her, it was like Jem and Scout came stampeding over that pride by entering the doors. Jem and Scout obviously felt that they did not belong and wanted to go home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most important theme of  Mockingbird  remains the notion of prejudice in all of its forms.   Clearly, with the Tom Robinson case, Lees characters deal with racial prejudice head on.   References to black men as niggers and boys persist throughout the book.   Black people occupy the lowest class level of Maycomb society as Maycombs white population of every class waste no time reinforcing their rigid class rules.   In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, racism permeates every idea and inch of this book from the loss of Robinsons trial, the discrimination against Atticus, and the contempt for Jem and Scout. Racism affected everyone in this book whether they noticed it or not. This book is a warning sign, telling the word to take off its blindfold and to start seeing people for who they are. RELATED BOOK A Tree Grows in Brooklyn  is a novel by Betty Smith published in 1943. It relates the coming-of-age story of its main character, Francie Nolan, and her Austrian/Irish-American family in Williamsburg, New York City. The novel is set in the first and second decades of the 20th century.A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a defacto novel. Although a dense novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is widely read by adolescents. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a naturalist novel and carries social realism of Racism to an extreme in depicting the rough lives of the characters. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn  cannot be separated from class issues. Nearly every anecdote, character, and chapter represents or addresses the problem of poverty in early twentieth-century America. Being poor means that the characters constantly must think of being poor-how they will buy the next loaf of bread, or what ones house or neighbourhood looks like compared to another. Smith shows that poverty does not only imply the absence of food, heat, or comfort. Poverty results in Johnnys worthlessness and death, causes Uncle Flittman to run away, and means that Francie cannot attend high school. Every activity, game, action is planned around a limited pool of resources. In addition to the Nolans life, Smith presents an entire poor community, and shows the close connection between poverty and exploitation. Store proprietors take advantage of childrens innocence to lure money out of them; piano teachers beg for tea from their students. Smiths sympathetic treatment of her characters that p overty itself is the evil-not the people. Like the tree man, people just need to think first of their own families and children. The author often juxtaposes the lower class with people of privilege to further develop this theme. Although having money makes for an easier life, in many cases, the most lovable characters in the book are impoverished, or come from a poor background. The rich doctor reigns as a villain in the book; the charity event is exposed as self-righteous and hurtful. By the end of the book, Neely and Francie pity Laurie for growing up without any hardship, saying that she will never have as much fun as they did. Like the tree, the author seems to be saying, she likes poor people. CONCLUSION Hence Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others. Racism and discrimination have been used and will always be a powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred of others in times of conflict and war, and even during economic downturns. The most important theme of  To Kill a Mockingbird  is the books exploration of the moral nature of human beings-that is, whether people are essentially good or essentially evil. The novel approaches this question by dramatizing Scout and Jems transition from a perspective of childhood innocence, in which they assume that people are good because they have never seen evil, to a more adult perspective, in which they have confronted evil and must incorporate it into their understanding of the world. As a result of this portrayal of the transition from innocence to experience, one of the books important subthemes involves the threat that hatred, prejudice, and ignorance pose to the innocent: people such as Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are not prepared for the evil that they encounter, and, as a result, they are destroyed. Even Jem is victimized to an extent by his discovery of the evil of racism during and after the trial. Whereas Scout is able to maintain her basic faith in human nat ure despite Toms conviction, Jems faith in justice and in humanity is badly damaged, and he retreats into a state of disillusionment. The moral voice of  To Kill a Mockingbird  is embodied by Atticus Finch, who is virtually unique in the novel in that he has experienced and understood evil without losing his faith in the human capacity for goodness. Atticus understands that, rather than being simply creatures of good or creatures of evil, most people have both good and bad qualities. The important thing is to appreciate the good qualities and understand the bad qualities by treating others with sympathy and trying to see life from their perspective. He tries to teach this ultimate moral lesson to Jem and Scout to show them that it is possible to live with conscience without losing hope or becoming cynical. In this way, Atticus is able to admire Mrs. Duboses courage even while deploring her racism. Scouts progress as a character in the novel is defined by her gradual development toward understanding Atticuss lessons, culminating when, in the final chapters, Scout at last sees Boo Radley as a human being. Her new found ability to view the world from his perspective ensures that she will not become jaded as she loses her innocence. Hence through this research article it can be seen how the evil element of our society. Racism has not only affected our society but in an abstract ideological manner but also warped the very mind-frames of the people at large. Racism has been and will always exist in the social strata killing and saving people and in its very nature contradicting itself. [1] Racism in the world by Herbert Cole pg. 5 [2]Change in Racism by Chris Heath pg. 104 [3]Slavery in America-History by John Fricke [4] To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee pg. 196 [5] To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee pg. 135 [6] To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee pg. 94   HYPERLINK http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racismRacismHYPERLINK http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. HYPERLINK http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCEParams=A1ARTA0006636RacismHYPERLINK http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCEParams=A1ARTA0006636.  The Canadian Encyclopaedia. Canadian Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 2010-07-23. Racism was developed and popularized by scientists in the 19th century, as they were regarded as propagators of truth. Wellman, David T. (1993).  Portraits of White Racism.

Television and Media - Stereotypes, Stereotyping and the Media :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Stereotypes and the Media â€Å"Hey isn’t that Reverend Camden's daughter? I thought she was a Christian!† â€Å"Isn’t her dad a policeman?† â€Å"What! The President's daughters were arrested for drinking?† These are statements that are frequently made by people like myself. I expect more from my peers whose fathers have jobs as prominent moral leaders because of the way the media portrays them. Our society places higher standards on pastors of Christian church, a policemen, and the President of the United States of America, because of their positions. These fathers are expected to be upstanding, moral citizens of their community, and are expected to have children that conduct themselves in the same manner. As college students we have learned from the media how to judge our peers' social actions based solely on their fathers' jobs. The nightly news broadcast, newspapers, and television sitcoms such as the The Cosby Show, 7th Heaven, and Dawson’s Creek are all examples of where we learn to judge based on these stereotypes. Imagine you are at a party having a great time listening to a Marilyn Manson CD playing in the background, â€Å"Sweet dreams are made of these, who am I to disbelieve?† While filling up your glass of beer you spring a conversation with the person standing next to you. The music is loud so you both venture out to the porch to talk. Names, where you live, and your major are all exchanged in the beginning of your conversation. The two of you quit talking for a moment to take a sip of the beer you had both just filled up a few minutes ago. As the conversation gets deeper, the issue of your fathers' careers is brought up. Your dad is a real estate agent who sells homes for a living. The person standing across from you informs you that her father is a pastor of a Christian church. Your mouth drops, then your stomach. You quickly look down at your glass of beer, and then you look at her glass. A surprised eyebrow is raised, confused as to why this person is drinking, or wh y she is even at this party. Automatically, without any reason, you have already stereotyped this person and placed a higher standard of social prestige on her because of her fathers’ job.

Life Worth Living Essay

Mysterious is what life seems to be and time seems too short for us to enjoy it. Most of us are often told to live life to the fullest but we were never told how to do so. As we grow, we continue to search on how we will make our life worth living. We tend to be adventurous to try to know the world and what we can do to say that our life is worth living. People have different perspectives on how is life worth living. For me, there are many things that make my life worth living. Life offers many challenges but through the love that I receive from my family and friends I become strong enough to face them. Love that I can receive as I live is what makes my life worth living. The opportunity to receive and share it to others really makes my life worth living. Happy moments that I spend with my loved ones also make my life worth living. They help me create good memories as I continuously live. Another one is the chance to improve myself as an individual and to have a purpose on other’s life. As I explore my potentialities, it’s worth living to have an impact on other’s life. It’s like knowing that if I leave this world, I’ll be remember by those people which I have left an impact. And life is worth living because it lets us experience failures and attain success. Failures strengthen us to face the struggles and obstacles that we will encounter while success makes room for more improvement to be an individual worthy to be called as successful. Life that I have now is worth living. I was given the chance to experience many things. I was also given the time to be with people who completes me as an individual. Enjoying life to the fullest along with my loved ones makes my life worth living. To be able to live with people who I have a purpose and to experience being loved by them makes my life worth living. Life full of mysteries is worth living although time is too short too to enjoy it, as long as long as our family and friends are there to add colors to our life and to take part in our ups and down.

Induction in health and social care Essay

Explain why induction is important for practitioners, individual and settings. Induction process is very valuable and of great importance for any early year practitioner, individual or organization. In my opinion this is an ongoing process starting from the advertisement. a) For practitioners: The process of Induction is important for the Early birds in the nest so as to help them integrate into their roles in the organization quickly and effectively. They should be familiarized with the campus first. Like cafeteria, restrooms, classrooms, emergency exits etc. After that introduction with her new colleagues, rules and regulations, benefits and facilities that she will enjoy working here will follow next. Necessary trainings in safety and all her questions/ needs should be addressed. Induction is also very important for the new employees to let them know the organizational structure of the work place. The mission vision of the workplace is introduced and they are informed as to what quality drive is expected from them. They are given an opportunity to know where they stand in the crowd. The timetable of the CPDs and school extracurricular activities are handed out to them. They are given documents related to class they are going to start teaching. b) For individuals: Induction should not be limited to the new comer only rather it should be executed for the old employees as well. I would like to organize induction process at least twice a year. One before the new session starts in September, because they might need a lot of motivation and enthusiasm after spending 6-8 weeks holidays away from school. This can also be extended to 4-5 days. In this process we can review policies and procedure to refresh their minds and remind them of the goals they have to achieve throughout the year, in case of some policies being altered it’s a good time to share with them and get their opinion. Some new incentives can also be shared to boost up their energy and loyalty with the organization. This is a good time to introduce a new staff if there is any or if any staff member is promoted then he/she can be given induction about the new responsibilities attached  with the new position. c) For organizations: If the employees are properly inducted then they will work more efficiently and happily for the workplace. The progress of each child will be consistent and improved, as a result parents are happy and a reputation is built and demand of that work place will increase more in market. 1.3 Explain the link between induction process, qualifications and progression routes in the sector. Every workplace wants to ensure that they recruit new teachers that are most suitably skilled and qualified for their jobi This they do by a rigorous recruitment process. Then through a structured induction process the workplace prepares them for a new role and motivates them so that they give their best. This also helps the newbie to develop upon the knowledge and skills they already have. An effective induction helps the new staff to meet the core standards of the work place and provide a foundation for CPDs towards becoming a more effective teacher. The leader is responsible for selecting mentors for the induction process from the staff depending upon the requirements of the induction process. The mentors should have the skills, expertise and knowledge to coordinate the induction effectively. The  observations and notes taken from the induction process states where the new staff is standing and now what skills and abilities should be focused for further development. Thus the progression should continue to give the new staff a chance to enhance their qualifications and skill where they lack. 1.4 Analyze the role of the induction process in supporting others to understand the values, principles and agreed ways of working within a work setting The induction is a planned process which involves various members. The process of induction depends upon how clear and effective your induction policy is. The policy clearly states the role of each member involved in the induction process; and there is a checklist present for each phase. In this way let a newbie join at the beginning of the session or in the mid of the session every newbie is going to enjoy the induction process so that she understands all her duties and responsibilities adhered to the job. This newbie will learn all the tricks of the trade going on in the organization pretty well including the mission vision and what quality work is expected from her to derive learning and motivation from the students. It is not a one day process it depends the new recruit. If he/she is already an experience teacher then induction for a few weeks are enough but if it’s newly qualified teacher then induction can go as long as 1 term or may be more than that. However if the new teacher is not being monitored as it should be by the mentor or instead of mentoring the mentor has started dictating than induction process loses its effectiveness. It merely becomes a chit chat session If the induction is done effectively with the old staff members as well. One of the advantages of the process is that you get to know where your staff stands. The members of your staff are hard working but lacking in some skills or the other, there you can hold different workshops and training sessions by calling the expertise. Also during the session the mission vision, policies new or updated can be explained/refreshed so your team  members avoid mistakes and know what you expect from them during their tenure. In this way you can ensure quality education for your students by providing competent staff members. However this can turn the table over if the policy does not fully cover all areas of induction and that there is no checklist to keep track of the induction progress. 1.5 Analyze the role of induction in safeguarding individuals and others with a work setting One of the aims of the induction process is safeguarding individuals from any harm coming to them. If I were to head the process of induction in my setting then first and foremost I would make sure that I have all the policies updated and required for safeguarding, e.g. fire safety, health and safety, child protection policies etc. I would make sure that each member of my staff undergoes basic child protection and first aid training, to raise awareness that equips them to recognize and respond to child welfare concerns. This training would start soon after a staff is appointed. They would also be induced on how to deal with emergency situations such as fire. I would hold a fake fire alarm schedule so that the staff and the children know how to react in emergency situations. However, this might not be effective if a large number of staff is present as time can become an issue. But yes if the process is scheduled in batches then this can be overcome. Once it happened in a classroom a child who was usually active was feeling low and wanted to lie down from time to time. Had not my colleague taken child safety training she would have let him sleep but she quickly responded and dashed to the clinic by the time the child had collapsed in her arms. The Dr. called the parents and the child was taken in an emergency to a nearby hospital. The Doctors praised the teacher for timely help otherwise the child’s condition could have worsened. The parents later on admitted that the child had fever and that they gave him medicine which had a  sedative effect. In the end I would like to conclude that to make induction effective w.r.t. time, money and resources there should be an effective carefully planned induction policy and checklist. This policy should be revised from time to time and should also involve feedback from the staff in order to update and make the policy more effective. The team chosen should be carefully chosen according to their abilities. However If there is no check list or policies and procedures up to date or not in place or the mentor is not qualified and knowledgeable enough then the induction process will lose its spirit and it can go totally wrong leaving behind a mere chit chat session.

The Implementation Issues and Strategic Advantages of Lean Systems

The Implementation Issues and Strategic Advantages of Lean Systems Introduction The global manufacturing sector has undergone a notable transformation over the past years as evidenced by the growth in different manufacturing industries. The growth has been spurred by the profitability potential of the sector. Different companies have been established in the services and the industrial manufacturing sectors in the pursuit to exploit the sectors’ profitability. Uniq Limited is a medium sized company that has been established in the manufacturing sector.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Implementation Issues and Strategic Advantages of Lean Systems specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The firm was established in 1998 and it specializes in the manufacture of fast moving apparels and footwear products. A workforce of 120 employees facilitates the company’s operations. Uniq Limited has experienced a positive performance in its profitability since its inception. Mah aevan (2010, p. 5) defines operations management as ‘a systematic approach to addressing issues in the transformation process that converts inputs into useful, revenue-generating outputs’. Operations management further underscores the importance of understanding and addressing problems and issues that arise in the manufacturing process. Thus, it calls for the adoption of effective solutions to operational issues faced. Mahaevan (2010) further affirms that the core aim of operations management is to minimize the cost and maximize revenue through effective planning and operations control. Despite the positive profitability trend, Uniq Limited is not free from challenges. One of the major challenges that the company faces arises from the increase in the intensity of competition. The high rate of globalization coupled with the emergence of e-commerce has led to a remarkable increment in consumer power. Currently, consumers are demanding value for their money, which means th at they are demanding more for less. One of the techniques that Uniq Limited has identified in its quest to achieve competitiveness entails implementation of a lean system. This paper entails a critical discussion on the implementation and strategic advantages associated with the integration of lean systems at Uniq Limited. Operations function at Uniq Limited Uniq Limited is focused on optimizing the level of customer satisfaction by offering customers high-quality apparel and footwear products. Thus, the company considers the operations function as one of the central operations management functions. To achieve maximize on the level of customer satisfaction, the company has integrated a comprehensive set of inputs and transformation process. Uniq Limited considers a set of inputs to meet the customers’ product needs. The inputs include raw materials, labor, time, money, capital equipment, and information. The transformation process enables the company to add value to the inpu ts. The company outsources the raw materials from low-cost countries to minimize the cost of the final product.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Implementation and strategic issues of lean systems The integration of the lean system in the operations function will improve the company’s capacity to satisfy customers and to maximize profitability. The lean concept arises from the need to reduce the amount of duration that elapses between when the customer places an order and the actual delivery of the order. Black (2008, p. 56) argues that lean production involves ‘a new production approach that focuses on different aspects such as time reduction, quality, flexibility, and teamwork’. To benefit from the lean production approach, organizations must entrench lean systems that minimize resource utilization in the production process and that maximize the output. Charron, Harrington, and Voehl (2014) assert that the lean system is demand driven and focuses on ensuring that an organization achieves continuous improvement. Therefore, an organization only produces what the market requires. This aspect underscores the importance of integrating effective lean systems in the pursuit of competitive advantage. In the process of implementing the lean system, Uniq Limited management should take into account the following components as the core building blocks. Product design The first aspect that the organization should take into consideration entails the product design. Under the product design, the company should ensure that the standard parts that workers are required to use in the production process are specified. The organization should establish modular designs, which entails building smaller subsystems that should operate independently. Additionally, the organization should ensure that the lean system integrates a comprehen sive quality system. This aspect will ensure that the final product adheres to the company’s quality specifications. Process design The firm should ensure that the manufacturing process is well designed. To achieve this goal, the firm should consider several aspects. The core issues entail designing small lot sizes, setting up the required time reduction, and developing the manufacturing cells. The manufacturing cells entail establishing specific and efficient production centers. Thus, Uniq Limited should establish manufacturing centers for its footwear and apparel product categories. Establishing the manufacturing cells is critical in the organizations pursuit to maximize equipment utilization. Moreover, the cost of training workers is reduced because of the ease with which the organization can integrate the cross-employee training technique.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Implementation Issues and Strategic Advantages of Lean System s specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Employing the cross training technique is critical is essential in ensuring that the organization maximizes its human capital. For example, in the event of employee absenteeism, the firm can be able to conduct the production employee by implementing cross-departmental task delegation. The design process component should further be comprised of a quality improvement process. The reason for integrating a quality improvement process is to improve the ease with which the organization identifies quality defects in the production process. Subsequently, Uniq Limited will be able to improve the overall quality of the final product continuously. To improve the contribution of the lean system to the firm, Uniq Limited should ensure that the production process is flexible. This move will provide the firm with an opportunity to make the necessary adjustments easily to cater for market changes (Cudney, Furterer, Dietri ch 2013). The Process design component should further entrench a balanced system. The balanced system should take into account two main aspects. First, the organization should ensure that the production cycle time is aligned with the customers demand. Secondly, the production process should be based on an effectively designed work shift system. Thus, the production workload should be equitably distributed amongst the various workstations. Equitable distribution of workload is fundamental to ensuring that employees in some workstations are not overworked. Thus, the likelihood of an error occurring in the production process due to fatigue is minimized. Moreover, balancing the workload is critical in promoting employee productivity. Huthwaite (2007) asserts that a balanced working system promotes employee productivity. In the process of developing the process design, Uniq Limited should take into account inventory storage. The firm should ensure that the production process does not req uire long inventory storage duration. On the contrary, the inventory storage duration should be reduced as much as possible. Slack, Alistair, and Betts (2012) argue that minimizing the inventory storage duration enables an origination to limit the inventory carrying or holding duration. Nevertheless, the firm should maintain inventory buffers to eliminate delays in the production process due to resource shortage.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Personnel and organizational components Despite the incorporation of effective product and process designs, the contribution of the lean system to an organization’s performance is subject to the level of employee commitment. Thus, Uniq Limited should consider its workforce as its most critical asset in implementing the lean system. To make the lean system functional, the firm should ensure that the employees are adequately trained and motivated. The training process should not only be limited to operations function. On the contrary, the training should be broad by focusing on areas such as problem-solving, statistical process control and quality improvement. Furthermore, the firm should consider integrating the cross-training approach to promote flexibility and line balancing in the production process. The rationale for training employees is to eradicate the talent gap that might hinder the efficiency with which the firm responds to the customers’ demands. Slack, Alist air, and Betts (2012, p, 87) assert that lean manufacturing systems ‘require highly skilled and educated employees to inspect, repair, and design the layout of the automated production technology’. This approach will enable the firm to minimize the duration that employees require to undertake the assigned production activities. In addition to training, the organization should ensure that the employees are motivated. This goal can be attained by giving employees an opportunity to make decisions related to the firms’ production process. In this case, Uniq Limited should give its workforce an opportunity to develop product designs to be considered for production purposes. This aspect will play a fundamental role in making employees develop the perception of being valued in the organization’s continuous improvement process. In line with its commitment to satisfy the customers’ demand, Uniq Limited has integrated the project approach. Thus, the firm†™s production activities are project based. The firm adopted the project-based approach because it specializes in the production of fast fashion. Thus, a specific production process must be completed within the set timeframe. Successful employee development will further be subject to the level of employee interaction. Thus, the firm should consider integrating the two-way communication approach. However, to promote two-way communication, the company should ensure that an effective leadership style is adopted. Mahaevan (2010) asserts that the leadership style has a direct influence on the employees’ commitment to job tasks. Manufacturing planning and control The last element that Uniq Limited should focus on in the implementation of the lean system entails manufacturing planning and control. Successful implementation of this building block depends on how effective the management team is committed to implementing different elements. The first element involves level loading, w hich entails the determination of the most appropriate sequence to adopt in the production process. The apparel and footwear production process at Uniq Limited is interdependent and moves from across different stages. Thus, the firm should consider the firm should integrate the push manufacturing system. This system is critical in eliminating errors. In its quest to ensure that the lean system contributes to improvement in the effectiveness of the project-based approach, Uniq Limited should foster the development of two-way communication within the firm. The two-way communication should not only be limited to workers. On the contrary, it should exist between the organization’s managers and lower level employees. The significance of establishing effective communication in the lean system is to promote efficient workflow between the various workstations. Subsequently, workers in the respective workstations appreciate the importance of collaborating in the production process. Th us, the likelihood of successful production is increased. Implementation of technology To integrate the lean system in its operation successfully, Uniq Limited should consider automating some of its operation functions. The implementation of technology is critical in minimizing the cost of operation. For example, the firms should consider automating the inventory management and employee training process. This aspect will minimize the amount of time and resources required to develop employees. On the other hand, automating the inventory management process will aid in reducing the cycle time. Alternatively, the product designing and quality control process should be automated to minimize errors in the final product. Strategic advantages of lean systems Uniq Limited is likely to benefit considerably by implementing the lean system. Some of the strategic benefits that the firm might acquire are expounded herein. Increased productivity Effective implementation of the lean system requires an organization to develop a well skilled and knowledgeable workforce. To achieve this goal, organizations intending to integrate the lean systems have an obligation to design and implement a comprehensive employees’ training program (Slack, Alistair, Betts 2012). By developing a competent and skilled workforce, Uniq Limited will benefit from increased employee productivity. For example, the firm’s employees will be promoting the firm’s ability to undertake continuous product improvement. High product quality Implementation of the lean system will increase the company’s competitiveness in the changing business environment. The integration of the lean system in the production process underscores the importance of teamwork in executing different operations functions. Through teamwork, the firm’s employees will have an opportunity to brainstorm and share ideas on how to undertake the assigned production tasks effectively and efficiently. Thus, the c hance of the team members developing feasible solutions on matters associated with product quality will be improved remarkably. Therefore, the firm will deliver high-quality products to the target customers. Reduced costs Lean systems are based on minimal utilization of resources and maximization of output. For example, the lean system underscores the importance of operating using a lean workforce. Thus, the cost of operation arising from a large salaries and wage budget is reduced. Moreover, optimizing the resources available will enable the firm to minimize the occurrence of wastage in the production process. The reduction of operations and manufacturing costs increases the likelihood of an organization maximizing its profitability. A lean system further leads to the reduction in the overall cost of operation by limiting the inventory levels and the carrying cost (Slack, Alistair, Betts 2012). Conclusion Uniq Limited decision to implement the lean system in its operations functio n can contribute to remarkable improvement in the firm’s performance. The improvement in the firm’s competitiveness will arise from the strategic benefits associated with the lean systems. Some of the core benefits include increased productivity, reduced cost of operation, and production of high-quality products. However, the firm must ensure that the lean system is implemented effectively by taking into account the fundamental building blocks. Reference List Black, J 2008, Lean production; implementing a world-class system, Industrial Press, New York. Charron, R, Harrington, J Voehl, F 2014, The lean management systems Handbook, CRC Press, New Jersey. Cudney, E, Furterer, S Dietrich, D 2013, Lean systems; applications and case studies in manufacturing, service and health care, CRC Press, New York. Huthwaite, B 2007, The lean design solution; a practical guide to streamlining product  design and development, Institute for Lean Design, Mackinac Island. Mahaevan, B 2 010, Operations management; theory and practice, Pearson, Upper Saddle River. Slack, N, Alistair, B Betts, J 2012, Operations and process management, principles and practices for strategic impact, Pearson, Harlow.

comerce clause essays

comerce clause essays The United States Constitution gives very specific powers to congress. These powers are very limited and are each enumerated in the text of the Constitution. One of the powers is [t]o regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes (Article I, Section 8). This is the only reference in the constitution that speaks about commerce. The Tenth Amendment states that [t]he powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. By reading these statements in the constitution most people would believe that the states have enormous power to control the day to day activities within their state borders. James Madison, who was one of the biggest supporters of a powerful federal government, wrote the following in the Federalist Papers. The powers delegated by the . . . Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce. . . . The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs; concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State (1778). But during oral arguments involving the application of the interstate commerce clause of the Constitution, Justice Antonin Scalia pressed the Solicitor General [Seth P. Waxman] to name a single activity or program that our modern-day Congress might undertake that would fall outside the bounds of the Constitution. The stunned Clinton appointee could not think of one (Moore, 1999) How did we get from federal powers that are few and defined to powers that have no bounds? One of...

Architecture and Commerce-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignment

Carson Pirie Scott Department Store was the first building in the nineteenth century that incorporated the word skyscrapers in the city of Chicago 1 . The fruits of a new prosperity are enjoyed when the dawns of enlightened views break through the dark problems that surround us thereby creating a new freedom for the human kind Carson Pirie Scott Department Store breaks the monotony of crowds of the tall building along State and Madison Streets of Chicago. The structure is constructed of bronze on the ground floor with the facades finished on broad white. The building serves to illustrate the relationship between architecture and commerce. Being an architect of the neoclassical times, Sullivan maintained his phrase of form follows function in his design work. He thus resorted to coming up with a building that reflects the social functions that are to be served by the space 2 .   This was after he analyzed the challenges of high-rise commercial architecture. He illustrates his philosophy through describing an ideal tripartite skyscraper in which the first level which is the base level is the ground floor that houses business activities. The ease of public access, open space and light dominate. The second level is accessed by the public through the 3 staircase. The next level encompasses offices which have the same design because they serve the same function. As was argued by some of the modernist architects of the time, Sullivan based his design achieving more of functionality than beauty. It is possible to build a beautiful structure but at that time Sullivan went for a structure that is ugly but functional as opposed to just erecting just faà §ade architecture. Sullivan illustrates his philosophy in the design of Carson Pirie Scott Department Store in which he gives emphasis to the lower street level and entrance that attract shoppers into the store. He achieves that by using very large windows on the ground floor used in displaying products, placing the three doors that serve as the entrance within a rounded bay at a corner of the site 4 . The placement of the doors makes them visible from any direction when one is approaching the building. Giedion, Sigfried. Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a New Tradition. New York: Harvard University Press, 2013. Siry, Joseph. Carson Pirie Scott: Louis Sullivan and the Chicago Department Store. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2015.

Interview Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interview - Case Study Example on suffering mental illness; a summary of the findings and concise note using the subjective, objective, assessment, and plan (SOAP) format with each patients encountered findings. The essay also provides some examples to support the findings. First, Psychiatric history: this refers to the mental profile of the patient. It involves critical information about the patient’s chief complaint, their present illness, any psychological ailments they have made before or in the onset as well as after the mental illness (Hughes, & Kleespies, 2002). In this stage, more specific and closed ended questions could be asked during the assessment process so that the details of the patient’s illness or rather their profiles can be obtained. For instance, a patient who responds that, â€Å"I am just depressed.† Can be engaged further in questing through asking leading questions like, how long has the depression been? How often has the situation been? Or how long has this taken? Questions as such enable an in-depth understanding of the patient thus enabling a good history assessment of the mentally ill patient. Secondly: medical history of the patient. This is medically understood as the patient’s past and evens the present and future that may communicate information relevant for their future, present and past health (Hughes, & Kleespies, 2002). It is an account of all the medical problems and events that an individual has experienced. It also includes other medical facts and treatments or injuries that an individual has been through. As much as possible, they are taken in the patient’s own words. The drugs taken, past and present hobbies use of alcoholics as well as an exhaustive survey of any symptoms that may not have been covered in the patient. This medical history is an important part of the health assessment of a patient with mental illness. The 41 year old woman complaining of restlessness, little need for sleep, racing thoughts, inability to concentrate, alcohol

Community education project , Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Community education project , - Essay Example According to surveys, children of Saudi Arabian descent residing in the United States have little or no mastery of their language, with numerous linguists expressing concerns that in a short while, none of the students and children from Saudi Arabia will be able to write or read their heritage tongue as the influence of the English language continues to overwhelm the Arabic language (Abu–Rabia, 2002). This community education project is heavily influenced by this escalating loss of meaning of the Arabic language especially amongst the children (students) of Saudi Arabian descent living in the United States. Furthermore, research demonstrates the various importance of being bilingual. Being bilingual has been linked in a plethora of different exploits with positive intellectual growth and indeed superior critical and creative thinking capacities. Bilingual persons are also more sensitive to different languages and have listening potentials that are higher than their counterparts who only have an understanding of one language (Ayari, 1996). Bilingualism therefore considerably improves one’s communication skills across various contexts and cultures, thereby creating in such persons a healthy sensitivity towards diversity (Campbell & Christian, 2003). Children who are bilingual have the chance of better understanding other cultures of the world, and are consequently more appreciative of the cultures of other people. Apart from these, learning a different language increases one’s chances of gaining employment in various regions of the globe. Being bilingual in this scenario therefore becomes a great asset in the contemporary competitive world (Valdà ©s, 2005). The Arabic language is a highly renowned and popular less commonly taught language (LCTL) in the United States and is fast metamorphosing into one of the most widely used languages world over. Realizing

One Hundred Years of Solitude Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Research Paper Example eceived its inspiration from European and North American Modernism and on the other hand it also drew influence from the Cuban Vanguardia or more popularly known as Vanguard Literary Movement. The novel founded its plot on the story from the historical context or this can be also taken as a sort of chronicle turned into drama. The novel is based on the life of the multi-generational Buendia Family. The patriarch of the family, Jose Arcadio Buendia was the founder of the town named Macondo. This town is actually metaphoric of the township on which the plot of the novel throbs, the metaphorical Columbia. The story is basically non-linear in pattern and the narrative structure of the novel is unique as it is narrated through different time periods. This technique was adapted by Garcia from the Argentine author named Jorge Luis Borges. He used this technique in his creations like ‘The Garden of Forking Paths’ of 1941. It is important to note that in style and theme, the novel ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ is representative of the literary creation of the Latin American Boom period of 1960s and 1970s (Wood, â€Å"Garcia Marquez 100 Years of Solitud e†). The novel ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ written in the year of 1967, presents the story of seven generations of Buendia Family and their lives at the town founded by them called Macondo. The founding member of Macondo, Jose Arcadio Buendia and his wife Ursula who was also his first cousin, are shown leaving Riohacha at Colombia and headed towards a new destination in search of a better life. The search for a better life and a new home launches them to build a city of utopia and hence they find themselves on a riverbank from where their dream for a world is decked up with visionary mission starts. While camping on the riverbank itself, Jose dreams of a city of mirrors that shall bear the reflection of the world in and about it. After awakening form that dream, Jose decided to shape his dreams and starts

Analysis of Competition Bikes Inc Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis of Competition Bikes Inc - Term Paper Example Income Statement is one of the fundamental financial statement that provides results of revenues, earnings, and EPS (Earning Per Share). The income statement provides a consolidated view of the revenue a company earned, the expenses it incurred and its effect on the bottom line, i.e. the profit during a certain period of time. It is a mirror to the investors reflecting on company performance and its potential to perform. Essentially a company should be earning more than it is spending and thus signal profit earning opportunity to the investors. The horizontal analysis of the Income Statement of Competition Bikes Inc. would compare the performance of the company during the year 2006-2008. The following is a snapshot of the Income Statement of company during 2006-2008 along with its horizontal analysis. We have compared the Income Statement of 2007 keeping 2006 as the base year and then analyzed the performance of 2008 keeping 2007 as the year of reference. Horizontal Analysis of Incom e Statement 2006-2007 As we have mentioned earlier, there are two major sections of an Income Statement: Revenue, Expenses, and Profit. Revenue minus the expenses is the profit and we would look at the company’s change in revenue and overall expenses during the period of 2006-2008. As it is evident from the horizontal analysis of 2007 with 2006 as the base year, revenues have increased by 37.5% during the year 2006-2007 due to the increase in Net Sales by 33.3%, which shows that the company is strong in its area of operation. The Cost of Goods Sold also increased by 31.8%, which is very close to the percentage change of Sales during the year, thus indicating that it is not a negative sign. It is a concern for the company even if the profits are high when the increase in Cost of Goods Sold is not relative to the increase in Sales. A definite weakness for any company is its increasing expenses, specifically administrative expenses. The Selling expenses also increased during the year by 33% including the expense on advertising that increased by 37% and administrative expenses increased by 20.4%. A major chunk of the administrative expense is the expenditure on Research and Developed which increased by 37.5%. The company believes in bringing a superior product to the market that has quality as well as first movers advantage with it, and it provides the company a strong selling potential. Thus, the overall increase in the expenses was by 24%, which is not a positive sign for any company, specifically increment in administrative expenses exhibit operational inefficiencies as the company cannot justify the expenses with any particular expansion project. However, a more clear idea of selling and administrative expenses as compared to the sales would be evident in the vertical analysis of the company. The operating income of the company, which is the revenue minus expenses increased by 154.6% and the overall profit before income tax and the Net Earnings increase d by more than 300% showing abnormal but phenomenal growth. A horizontal analysis of year 2007 keeping 2006 as the base year reveals positive growth for the company in terms of Sales and the overall Net Earnings that shows that Competition Bikes Inc. is moving in the right direction and growing. The major strengths of the company lies in the increase in S

Supply Chain - Six Catagories of Cost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Supply Chain - Six Catagories of Cost - Essay Example This means that the cost of manufacturing a product is not always stable. The manufacturers should understand variable manufacturing concepts, and how a change in cost may lead to additional expenses or even reduce the production cost. The variable manufacturing costs that affect the entire process of manufacturing includes all the steps from the material cost, cost of the required electricity for production to the labor cost (Albrecht, et at 2010). The term â€Å"fixed manufacturing costs† describes the fees required in creating an item. Manufacturers must pay the fixed manufacturing cost in order to produce the goods. According to some business principles, fixed manufacturing costs are not always fixed permanently. They often change over time, but get fixed when related to the production quantity for the period which is relevant. For example, a company which has warehouse costs fixed over the period of lease, can have unpredictable and unexpected expenses, which are unrelated to the production. This is an expense that contains both the fixed cost and the variable components. The fixed cost component shall represent the part of the cost which must be paid irrespective of the activity level achieved by the entity. The variable component of cost, on the other hand, is payable proportionate to the activity level (Drury, 2007). For example, in billing structure of a phone, there exists a monthly flat-rate charge, plus an overcharge of any bandwidth used which exceeds the flat rate. Therefore, the flat rate is the fixed component of the cost, whereas the excess bandwidth becomes the variable component of the cost. Another example is employees who get compensated by commissions (Aryasri, 2008). There is usually a salaried element which happens to be the fixed cost and the commission which is the variable cost. In accounting, total

Department of Human Resource Development and Performance Technologies Essay

Department of Human Resource Development and Performance Technologies - Essay Example It is anchored on sustainable development strategies which seek to provide a long term solution instead of short term measures of poverty alienation. Sustainability is a concept within the development agenda which refers to ability of people to use various resources without finishing them up for the future generation or use. These international developments have been pegged on sustainable technology campaign and this brings the above dined terms into one umbrella idea. †¢ Provide background information about your worksite and its mission. My worksite is an Islamic Center of Terre Haute which is a religious center that serves diverse roles in nurturing the future Muslim faithful and makes effort to promote peaceful co-existence with other communities from different religious faith. This institution is a learning center with an organized curriculum and the workforce deliver services of high standards (Bargach, 2002). There is a spirited management effort to champion for technologi cal application in learning and execution of various administrative issues in line with the concept of sustainable development. ... †¢ Briefly describe what you did while you were at the worksite. Describe your own thinking, understanding, and learning as your project evolved. My work in Islamic center was to help with cleaning, arranging the books in the library, also arranging the Quran books. These activities provided a great challenge which also served as a lesson to me in view of the wider concept of the society. As the project progressed, I began to reflect on the theories learnt in class and compare with the real life situation. It is worth to note that the theoretical concepts learnt in class give a guideline and appropriate hint on how to handle different issues in any situation. Practical application of learnt concepts requires patience and perseverance as they don’t automatically fit. In arranging the books in this institution for instance, there are some cases where the books have erroneous coding and their search process in the database may as well not help. At this point, critical thinki ng is required to advance book search methods. When it comes to cleaning, the effect of the litter and dust on the compound should be seen to be an environmental threat beyond the limits of the institution and this explains the need to place litter bins in places of higher population concentration. This is a sustainable approach that promotes environmental care and a perfect precedent for the future generation. †¢ Identify what was puzzling, problematic, engaging, exciting, etc. about your project. My project entail cleaning and arrangement of books which attracted several problems and equally puzzling situation. Despite my attempts to put litter bins in the

Supply Chain - Six Catagories of Cost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Supply Chain - Six Catagories of Cost - Essay Example This means that the cost of manufacturing a product is not always stable. The manufacturers should understand variable manufacturing concepts, and how a change in cost may lead to additional expenses or even reduce the production cost. The variable manufacturing costs that affect the entire process of manufacturing includes all the steps from the material cost, cost of the required electricity for production to the labor cost (Albrecht, et at 2010). The term â€Å"fixed manufacturing costs† describes the fees required in creating an item. Manufacturers must pay the fixed manufacturing cost in order to produce the goods. According to some business principles, fixed manufacturing costs are not always fixed permanently. They often change over time, but get fixed when related to the production quantity for the period which is relevant. For example, a company which has warehouse costs fixed over the period of lease, can have unpredictable and unexpected expenses, which are unrelated to the production. This is an expense that contains both the fixed cost and the variable components. The fixed cost component shall represent the part of the cost which must be paid irrespective of the activity level achieved by the entity. The variable component of cost, on the other hand, is payable proportionate to the activity level (Drury, 2007). For example, in billing structure of a phone, there exists a monthly flat-rate charge, plus an overcharge of any bandwidth used which exceeds the flat rate. Therefore, the flat rate is the fixed component of the cost, whereas the excess bandwidth becomes the variable component of the cost. Another example is employees who get compensated by commissions (Aryasri, 2008). There is usually a salaried element which happens to be the fixed cost and the commission which is the variable cost. In accounting, total

The Great Leap Forward launched by Mao in 1958 Essay Example for Free

The Great Leap Forward launched by Mao in 1958 Essay When the Communist party came to power in 1949 after a brutal war against the Nationalists, China was in a devastated state. War against Japan had resulted in the destruction of many of its cities including Beijing. Chinas people were left scared with the horrific memories of the Japanese armys horrendous acts. Rescuing China from the gutter was to prove to be a difficult task for Mao Zedong and his communist comrades. In order to understand the fundamental problems with the Great Leap Forward, previous reforms must be considered in order to fully assess the reasons for the its failures. One of Chinas most notorious problems was land ownership. Most of Chinas land was owned by cruel landlords. Peasants were being exploited and were forced to work long hours for poor pay and terrible living conditions. Mao used this in order to take a fundamental step in assuring that he had total control over the people. He introduced the policy of land reform. Mao re-distributed 40% of Chinas land and gave it to the peasants. This proved to be a truly brilliant political decision as he swept the hearts of the peasants on his side. He realised that as 90% of Chinas population were peasants, he needed to appeal to the masses. This policy was considered a success as an estimated 60% of the entire population benefited form the reform. However, this was to be a sign of Maos disregard for human life as this policy resulted in the death of 2 million landlords, by means of public execution during struggle meetings. Mao also started an early form of collectivisation, by 1952, 40% of peasants were collectivised. The next step was the encouragement of cooperatives, these favoured central management of land under private ownership, and by 1956 80% of peasants were part of cooperatives. The important factor of the land reform policy is that Mao was able to gain support from the peasants, the same peasants he would later use to conduct the Great Leap forward. Despite claiming to be a Marxist, Mao considered rural peasants to be the seeds of agricultural success but thought that industrial peasants were the backbone of the economy. The Great Leap Forward was to be the second economic reform Mao was to launch in China. Inspiring himself from Stalins economic model, in 1953 Mao launched the first 5 year plan. This plan was to be extraordinarily successful. The first of his 5 year plans set high production targets in oil, steel, pig iron and chemical fertiliser. Most of these targets were achieved, notably steel production quadrupled. Mao was able to cut inflation down from 1000% to only 15% by introducing a new currency the Yuan. Maos reforms were all interlinked. He used his social reforms to back up his economic reforms. Mao made revolutionary changes to womens lives in modern China. New sets of laws were introduced giving women the right to work, education and custody rights over their children. This was a significant improvement from the harsh days of foot binding. Mao also deemed it important to educate the Chinese population, another success was his improvement of literacy, and by his death 90% of China was literate. Not only did Mao revolutionise Chinese social life, but he put an end to corruption the government. However, these changes were to contribute to the launch of the great leap forward in a crucial way, by giving women the right to work Mao had significantly enlarged his work force which was important considering his beliefs in mass mobilisation. By the time the he announced the launch of the great leap forward 70% of women were employed. The success of the first 5 year plan can be explained by several factors. The targets set were plausible and most importantly Mao had the help of Russian economic and agricultural experts. However Mao deeply mistrusted experts. Some may argue that this was one of the main reasons for launching the hundred flowers campaign. In order to lure out intellectuals and opposition Mao gave a speech in 1957. During this speech Mao encouraged the intelligentsia to constructively criticize the communist party. At first the movement was slow to take of but once Mao forced the media to get behind it, people started speaking their minds about Maos regime. Communist party members were being heavily criticized and the Chinese people demanded reform. Mao, not uncharacteristically decided to reverse the policy in May 1957. This was to result in a crackdown on the intelligentsia known as the anti rightist campaign. Over 300,000 people were sent to labour camps. The hundred flowers was not simply a way at removing the intelligentsia, it was a way of removing Maos opponents, and this was to make the launch of the Great leap forward less difficult and certainly less questioned for the few experts that remained would be too terrified of speaking against the communist party chairman. The scene is now set for the introduction of the Great Leap Forward. Mao dreamed of transforming China into one of the worlds leading economic powers. Maos dream was to become Chinas nightmare with the launch of the great leap forward in 1958. Maos goal was to transform China into an economic superpower overnight. Many peasants knew little of what the Great Leap forward was for, most thought it was simply a plan to overtake major capitalist countries. However, to serve a higher purpose, Mao saw nuclear power as an essential element to become a superpower. However Maos secrete ambition was expensive. In order to mobilise labour, Mao had to further collectivise cooperatives in the rural parts of China. Mao believed that industry and agriculture were equally important, hence the slogan walking on two legs. However, the first 5 year plan had been beneficial to industry but agriculture had stagnated. One of Maos main concerns was Chinas population was outgrowing food production. In 1957 food production had grown 1% whilst the population had grown by 2%. Mao was distraught by the fact that the countrysides production was being used up in by the rural population. This posed a real economic problem for China. It meant that industry was not going to be sufficiently supported by agriculture and thus meant that Maos ambitions could not be realised. Maos answer to this problem was to decentralise control and enable enlarged agricultural units produce food and industrial products. These new super collectives would be known as Peoples Communes. These communes were under the control of local cadres whos main order were to extract as much labour as possible from the peasants. These cadres forced peasants were forced to hand over their property, thus reversing his policy of Land reform. The first of people communes was created in Henan in April 1958. It was composted of 27 collectives with over 9369 households joined together, by December 1958, 740,000 cooperatives had been turned into 26,000 communes. Mao had successfully militarised Chinas society, militia units squads were formed and were composed of everyone between 15 to 20 years of age. Living conditions in the communes were nothing short of appalling. Peasants eat, slept and washed together. All privacy was swept away from them, Mao even considered getting rid of peoples names and replacing them with numbers. According to Jung Chang and Jon Halliday Mao aim was to dehumanise Chinas 550 million peasants and turn them into the human equivalent of draft animals Mao had betrayed the peasants and was going to trade the peasants life for economic growth. Mao expected far too much from these communes. This may explain why the harvest predictions were astronomically high. Mao would have done well to examine the previous harvesting results. The normal yield was a ton per acre. The previous harvest of 1957 yielded a poor 195 million tons of grain. In 1958 Mao announced that the harvest figures for that year had been 430 million tons, western experts place this figure around 200 million tons. This demonstrates how much the production figures were exaggerated. Mao s political secretary Chen Boda told Mao that China was accomplishing in a day what it took capitalist states 20 years to accomplish. Production actually decreased during the Great Leap Forward by significant amounts, the harvest of 1959 was yielded a disappointing 170 million tons the CCP reported it at 282 million tons. This figure was to get even lower in 1960 when it fell to 143 million tons. This can be attributed to poor agricultural techniques. Close planting and deep ploughing were considered to be at the hear t of agricultural success. During these years Mao was asked how he intended to pay for his newly ordered soviet heavy machinery. Mao answered by claiming that China has unlimited food supplies. Consequently China increased its food exports towards Russia.

Liberation tigers of tamil eelam

Liberation tigers of tamil eelam The opposition group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) recruited and used child soldiers throughout the 25-year armed conflict with Sri Lankan government forces. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was accused of recruiting and using the child soldiers as front-line troops. The recruiters of children under the age of 18 are mainly rebels of LTTE and the Karuna group, a break-away faction of LTTE working with Sri Lanka Forces. Forced recruitment of children under 18 escalated in the final months of hostilities during the conflict in 2008. Child-soldiers.org (2009) noted that children were used to perform a range of duties such as digging bunkers at the front line and to collect weapons from killed cadres and Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers. Children were also among the tens of thousands of civilians forced to flee fighting since mid-2008 and were sent to military-run Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps deprived of liberty and freedom in the north of the country. In the east of the country, even in IDP camps, children were still at risk of recruitment and abduction. Child-soldiers.org (2009) stated that LTTE obtained lists of IDPs from a village officer and they used it to identify families with children for recruitment. Families attempted to conceal the children for the fear of their children being recruited as child soldiers but the LTTE cadres would return at night to search the houses for children. In the past, some families paid off the LTTE to protect their children against recruitment but LTTE no longer provided this option in the last months of conflicts. In March 2009, LTTE was said to have introduced a quota system whereby teams of six cadres needed to return with 30 conscripts or they will be subjected to severe punishment. Recruited children received minimal training as they were used as front-line troops to protect the senior leadership and because of that many children have been among the casualties during fighting. According to Tamil Centre for Human Rights (2006), the Sri Lanka government is responsible for the grave and systematic violations against the children as they sought to cover it up with misinformation and propaganda. They also benefited from the collusion of the unwitting international community, the people concerned about issues regarding child rights, which supported the government with neutrality since 1983. It was found that under aged soldiers were recruited with the help of bogus birth certificates that were manipulated by the government, showing them as over 18 years old. When the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflicts (OP/AC) was being drawn up, Sri Lankan government tried to reduce the recruiting age to 16 for states as there were more than 100,000 army deserters. Furthermore, recruits aged 18 and above did not come forward, forcing the government to recruit under aged children. The International human rights law protecting childrens rights had been selectively used by the government thus suppressing the people rather than protecting the rights of the children. The optional protocol was never tested for any child soldiers to find their real age, thus not helping and preventing the children from being recruited. Tamil Centre for Human Rights (2006) noted that even with the support of the international community, the Sri Lankan government could not suppress the Tamil resistance movement that garnered the support of the people. Therefore the government started raising the child soldier issue, with small groups which did not have popular support and with the so-called human rights organisations, with the intention of discrediting the resistance movement. After the ceasefire agreement between the Government of the Democratic Socialist Repuclic of Sri Lanka and LTTE in 2002, there was a significant decrease in recruitment of child soldiers. United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) was working with LTTE to develop an action plan to reintegrate the children, providing them with assistance to school. They also agreed to monitor and prevent child recruitment in the future. Under international pressure, the LTTE announced that it would stop conscripting child soldier in the 2003, but the UNICEF and Human Rights watch (HRW) have accused it of going against its promises, conscripting Tamil children orphaned by the tsunami. UNICEF claimed that LTTE recruited at least 40 children orphaned by the Tsunami. However, from the start of 2007 LTTE agreed to release all of the recruits under the age of 18. Up to 25% of the children have either one or both parents dead or displaced due to war. Victims of war in Northeast region were sent to â€Å"welfare centres† and around 175 000 Tamils were at the centres in 2000. 50% of the victims were children. A survey held in 2000 revealed that they were deeply traumatised. The suicide rate in these centres is threefold of the national average, hitting 103%. (Refer to Fig. 1) It has been proven by a survey done by The Butterfly Peace Garden in 2000 that children in Sri Lanka are exposed to too much war contents. (Refer to Fig. 2) Besides that, study has shown that 95% of the children attending The Butterfly Peace Garden suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For 92% of these children, the cause of PTSD is due to the conflict within Sri Lanka.

Lewis Carroll :: essays research papers

Of all of Lewis Carroll’s works, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has a unique standing in the category of whimsical, nonsense literature. Much has been written about how this novel contrasts with the vast amount of strict, extremely moralistic children’s literature of the Victorian time Lewis Carroll lived in. Yet, as odd as this novel appears in relation to the other Victorian children’s stories, this short novel is odder because it was written by an extremely upright, ultra conservative man; a Victorian gentleman. Even though the novel seems to contrast with the time of Lewis Carroll, many experiences of Lewis Carroll and his unique character have a great influence in the creation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll, the pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was born on January 27, 1832, in Daresbury England. He was the oldest boy in a family of eleven children of Reverend Charles Dodgson and his wife, Francis Jane Lutwidge. The childhood of Lewis Carroll was relatively pleasant, full of ideas and hobbies that contributed to his future creative works. Carroll’s life at Daresbury was rather secluded, and his playmates were mostly his brothers and sisters (Green 18). Interacting with mostly his sisters, he was the "master of their ceremonies, inventor of games, magician, marionette theater manager, and editor of family journals" (DLB v. 163 45). A great deal of Carroll’s childhood was spent taking care of his little sisters, and his imagination was constantly being exercised in order to entertain them (Green 18). A childhood trouble that Carroll possessed and persisted throughout his life was stammering severely. It is suggested that his stammer may have a risen from his parent’s attempts to correct his left-handedness. This attempt early in his life may have caused Carroll to think he was not normal, therefore hurting his self-confidence (Kelly 13-14). When Carroll spoke to adults, his speech became extremely difficult to understand. Apparently, he panicked; his shyness and stammering always seemed worse when he was in a world of adults (Leach 2). Partly as a result of his stammering, he felt very comfortable around children and he was able to easily form close relationships among them. While speaking with younger children, Carroll’s stammering had magically disappeared. He "simply became one of them-whether or not they accepted him-and most did" (Pudney 20). As a child, Carroll had a fondness of inventing games and language puzzles (14). Lewis Carroll "divided himself into two names, Lewis Carroll and Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson" (DLB v.

Karl Marx And Marxism Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

Karl Marx and Marxism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Karl Marx set the wheels of modern Communism and Socialism in motion with his writings in the late nineteenth century. In collaboration with his friend, Heinrich Engels, he produced the The Communist Manifesto, written in 1848. Many failed countries' political and socio-economic structures have been based on Marx's theories, for example the USSR, East Germany etc. Many people believe that Marxism is not applicable to today's society, as Karl Marx put forward his ideas not anticipating the type of society we have today. The welfare state system has effectively nullified Marx's arguments, and made them irrelevant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Karl Marx, born on May 5, 1818, died on March 14, 1883, was a German economist, philosopher and revolutionist whose writings form the basis of the body of ideas known as Marxism. In his youth he was deeply affected by the philosophy of G.W.F. Hegel, and joined a rebel group called the Young Hegelians, which contributed ideas towards the movement against organized religion and the Prussian Autocracy. Later on in life, he was influenced by the writings of Ludwig Feuerbach, who wrote that God was invented by humans as a projection of their own ideals, and that in creating such a 'perfect' being, in contrast to themselves, mankind lowered themselves to lowly, evil creatures who needed guidance from the church and government. He said that, in creating God in their own image, humans had 'a...