Generically Modified Organisms and Allergies - 706 Words

â€Å"The immune system didn’t evolve for allergy. Why in a hundred billion years of evolution would we evolve a response for allergy?†(Joel Weinstock). Throughout the years, food allergies have been on a dramatic increase in the United States. Allergic reactions are caused by antibodies in the immune system which are also known as immunoglobulins. There are five types of immunoglobulins that are produced to fight antigens, such as, bacteria, toxins, viruses, animal dander, fungus, and cancer cells . Each immunoglobulin fights a different antigen and is found in different parts of the human body. Immunoglobulins help the immune system when an allergen has entered the human body, each of these antibody releases a chemical called histamine, which is produced by the immune system to protect the human body. Histamine is one of the main reasons why allergy symptoms are triggered. Food allergens can cause severe or mild reactions due to an unusual mistake the immune system ca n make. The immune system usually mistakens a particular substance to be physically harming the human body and in the act to try and protect itself, it releases histamine. There are many reasons why food allergies occur, such as processed foods, genetically engineered proteins in foods, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms can all cause serious food allergies. It all began in 1996 when Genetically Modified Organisms were introduced to our foods. Genetically Modified Organisms are organisms that have beenShow MoreRelatedThe Perils of Genetically Modified Food Essay examples1234 Words   |  5 Pagesorder to produce something that will be better or healthier than its original design. One example of such â€Å"messing† with nature is genetically modified foods. Genetically modified foods also referred to as GMOs is a term used to describe crop plants designed for human or animal consumption using molecular biology techniques. These crops have been modified in a laboratory by molecular biologists in order to improve some desired characteristics such as enriched nutritional content or better resistance

Teens and Alcohol Essay - 1416 Words

Teens and Alcohol Everyday teenagers are faced with many decisions. One of the most important of these is whether or not to join in with the trend of teenage drinking. The decision teenagers make can be crucial to their future well being and success in life. Teenage drinking has many causes, namely peer pressure, the attitudes of society, parental influence, and addiction. Changes need to be made in each of these areas for teenagers to be protected from alcohol related problems. Peer pressure strongly influences teenagers to drink. During the teenage years it is generally very important for teenagers to feel they are one of the group and that they fit in and are not different. Teenagers who feel unpopular sometimes drink†¦show more content†¦The most troubling findings of this study reveal the impact of binge drinking on students who do not binge-the second-hand binge effects. It is no longer possible to view binge drinking as solely the bingers problem. Non-binging students are payi ng too steep a price(180). The following are second-hand effects of binge drinking. Students effected by second-hand effects of binge drinking have reported higher incidences of being insulted or humiliated, having unwanted sexual advances, being hit, pushed or assaulted, having serious arguments, interrupted sleep or study, personal property damage or being sexually assaulted or date raped (181). Please see chart below for percentages of these incidences. All colleges are unique; each has its own culture and traditions, resources and priorities, and relationship with the local community. But every college with a substantial proportion of binge drinkers must begin with the question Can we accomplish our mission and fulfill our students goals if we tolerate behavior that compromises the quality of students educational and social lives, as well as their health and safety?(181-182). There is a program called Twelve-Step Program that provides a model that colleges can adapt to their own needs (182). Following is a list of the twelve points of creating a good Twelve-Step Program: 1. Assess the ways on which alcohol is affecting your college. 2. AdmitShow MoreRelatedTeen Alcohol Problems Of Teens814 Words   |  4 PagesTEEN ALCOHOL PROBLEMS. The problem of alcohol to teens is serious because it can harm your body. Rates of teen that drink alcohol A national study, 13.8% of eighth-graders reported having at least one drink in the past 30 days, and 11.5% had been drunk at least once in the past year.Twelve- to fourteen-year-old binge drinkers consume 91% of the alcohol drunk by their age group. Ninety-four percent of the alcohol drunk by all 15- to 17-year-olds and 96% of the alcohol drunk by all 18- to 20-year-oldsRead MoreAlcohol and Teen Drinking Essay552 Words   |  3 Pages According to Men’s Health, â€Å"alcohol kills more teenagers and young people than any of the other drugs taken to affect mood and behavior (heroin, cocaine, marijuana).† This issue interests me due to the many friends I have who drink overwhelmingly. Also, I have so many cousins that are younger than me that I am concerned about with this issue. There are many reasons to why teens may drink, not all of which are reasonable but is the truth, from what I know. Teen drinking can also result in very manyRead More Teen Alcohol Addiction Essay1499 Words   |  6 PagesTeen alcohol addiction - Is there any hope for a teenager who wants to get his or her life straightened out? Its very interesting that I find myself writing about something that not only is commonsense, but what is more, something that every one knows about in general but may not in particular. Alcohol use among teenagers is a serious problem and is responsible for death and injury in automobile accidents, physical and emotional disability, deterioration of academic performances, aggressiveRead MoreTeen Drugs / Alcohol Abuse1396 Words   |  6 Pagesincludes teen drugs/ alcohol abuse, littering, and the relationship between police and the community. A few factors can incorporate great and bad properties that impact all individuals inside and outside of any community. Groups can make great responses to other individuals around them and can likewise bring about negative responses. Now the question is, how are we going to fix this problem together. Frist, we are going to begin with, one major problem that is occurring here in Beaufort is teen drugsRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcohol And Teen Drinking1069 Words   |  5 Pagesthat it is acceptable. But, teenagers’ bodies are still developing. They fail to realize that consuming alcohol places them in danger  for numerous issues.   Consuming alcohol is more widespread among teenagers than most realize. Alcohol and Teen Drinking (1) reports that three-fourths of seniors,  a little over two-thirds of Sophomores, and two out of five 8th graders have experimented with alcohol. With rising statistical information available on teenage drinking escalating, the signs and symptomsRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcohol On The Body Of A Teen2009 Words   |  9 Pagesyoung people who start drinking alcohol before age 15 are five times more likely to abuse alcohol or become dependent in it than those who first used alcohol at age 21 or older. According with the research, scientists have an identified a number of genes that correlate to alcohol addiction. They gave also found that the brain goes to severe changes when a teen starts drinking to excess. The effects of alcohol on the body of a teen are many, and it impacts dramatically teen health. There are many negativeRead MoreAlcohol and Teen Drinking Essay2212 Words   |  9 Pages Alcohol use among American teenagers is a problem of epidemic proportions. Alcohol is a drug -- the drug of choice of adolescents and adults. Abuse of this drug Is responsible for death and injury in automobile accidents, physical and emotional disability, loss of productivity amounting to millions of dollars annually, deterioration of academic performance, aggressive and disruptive behavior causing problems with family and friends, and individual financial ruin. It also is the primary cause ofRead MoreEssay on The Effects Alcohol Has On Teens1431 Words   |  6 Pagespercent of teens drink alcohol because they think it is fun; however the problems it may bring are not so fun (Hyde 22). There over six times more teen deaths per year from alcohol than any other drug (O’Malley 30). Alcohol affects the body of teens as well as all of the developmental processes. A major issue of teens drinking is that it increases the chance of becoming an alcoholic in the future; which leads to lowered self-control, impaired judgment, and lowered inhibition (Heath 12). Alcohol can completelyRead More Teens, Drug, and Alcohol Use Essay593 Words   |  3 PagesTeens, Drug, and Alcohol Use There is no simple answer to why a teen might begin using drugs or alcohol. Many times, it is a combination of several things. They may turn to drugs to escape stress or loneliness or to overcome shyness in social situations. They may want to be seen as grown up, or they may simply be curious. Teens often want to be like their role models as well; so, if their favorite music group or a cool friend at school uses drugs or alcohol, they may also use drugs or alcoholRead More Consequences of Teen Alcohol Use Essay1089 Words   |  5 Pagesthat drinks heavily, and this influences teens. Most Americans use alcohol to celebrate wedding anniversaries, to welcome the New Year, and to enjoy many other special events. Alcohol is a legal drug for people over the age of twenty-one. By the time most teens reach senior high school, nearly all will have faced a choice about whether or not to take a drink. Although this drug is illegal for teenage use a large percentage of teens use alcohol. Many t eens die in automobile accidents, which could

What Can We Do to Stop Abuse Animals. Free Essays

Recently animal abuse is increasing around the world. People are treating animal as non – feeling creatures. They use them for food, clothing, entertainment, and so on. We will write a custom essay sample on What Can We Do to Stop Abuse Animals. or any similar topic only for you Order Now These are some of the biggest crimes humans are doing against speechless creatures. There are many ways to prevent animal abuse but the most importantly everybody should treat animals with respect. First of all, we have to make authorities aware of the fact that animals are being ill-treated by people when you witness them. Laws will make these people realize their mistake. For example, there was a Singaporean who broke his dog’s legs, just because his dog has eaten his food. One of his neighbors who saw this reported to police. After that this man had to pay $500 for his action. Other examples in Vietnam people hunt elephant for stuck or cows for food. Secondly, recently on some websites appear more videos of animal abuse on the part of young people. This has proven they do not respect and love animals. We should teach them how to treat animals. Especially with a children, you have to teach children how to treat animal with kindness and respect and considers them as friend. Thirdly, always comply with the laws about animals in your local area. And tell everyone to do it. For example, The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Singapore always takes care of animals, which are neglect and abuse. In conclusion, people should learn more about animal. They are like humans and they need love and care. We have to respect animal. How to cite What Can We Do to Stop Abuse Animals., Papers

Moderator and Mediating

Question: Locate and report on a journal article that examines moderating and/or mediating variables and their impact on outcomes. How were these variables identified? What methods did the authors to assess the impact of these variables on the research outcomes use? How well did the authors control for these factors. Answer: Moderator and Mediating Variables: Identification, Examination and Influence The moderating or mediating variables have magnificent effects on the research analysis performed by the eminent scholars on diverse kinds of topics. A moderator can escalate the vitality of the relationship or causes to reduce the effects between any two variables. The track of the flow of the processes may also be affected by the moderator. Thus the moderators play a dominant role in navigating the conditions required to control the set of operations that denote the effectual relations among the variables used in research activities. In a stimulating situation, the relationship among the variables is quite important that represent the non-zero element, whereas, in another circumstance, it may denote the value of zero (Aronson et al. 2013). If we consider a simple case of the instance of in taking alcohol, the effect of stress and pressure of engagements in work increase the intensity of consuming the substance who tend to avoid it. However, this may not have any negative influence for the people who are accustomed with the situations. Some people have the intension of forgetting the unfavorable circumstances and conditions by availing the drink, that is, the negative social situations are governed by the increased sense of activity of certain programs that help to adjust with the psychological aspects like drinking habits cause to forget the adverse effects of life (Ogata, 2012). On the contrary, people who are reluctant to the stressful conditions of life, do not need to regulate the mental states with the habit of drinking or any other alternatives. Series 1 shows low drinking habits and Series 2 represents high drinking habits (Source: www.uni.edu, 2015) The mediator variable function rendering to the influence of a specified relation that happen in the course of events in a research investigation. It highlights the psychological implications of the particular states of minds denoting the expression of emotions, thoughts and beliefs with the attitudes and behavioral impacts. It has been demonstrated by the psychological experts of the research institutes that the mediators delineate the external factors of the environment has a striking influence upon the internal aspects of the mental frame that produce several situations. The strenuous surroundings and background of work culture might cause the justification for switching over to drinking or any other habits in order to get relief from anxiety and suffering from mental pain and agony (Butler, 2014). The drastic circumstances can be monitored to minimize the prominence of the vitality of the mediator that governs the spirit of the mental conflicts between choosing and rejecting the options to deviate the mind. Estimation of the impact of variables According to the social and psychosomatic analysis of the article, Integrating mediators and moderators in Research design, the result of the interference of the mediators is assessed to perform in terms of theoretical explanations as well as practical implications. The author, David P Mackinnon delineates the significance of third variable in understanding the interpolation effects among the variables factors. The moderating and mediating variables possess significant values both in interfering and non-imposing situations to respond. The consideration of two variables, for instance, a and b, may require another variable to understand the association of more possible relationship (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2015). The interconnection between a and b may have diverse effects for each assessment of the value of c. If the third variable stands as in-between or transitional factor, in a series of actions, so that a sources c and c grounds b, then c is regarded as the mediating variable: a c b. If the inter relations vary between a and b for every value of c, then c can be termed as moderating variable. Figure: Mediator Influence (Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2015) Mediator helps to scrutinize the effects of changes in varied events like tobacco control activities, improvement of performances based on social situations, improvement of the determination of performances, critical analysis of the experimental forms of interventions to bring positive changes or assess the failure of the result. Figure: Moderator Influence (Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2015) Control The concept of mediating variables is extensively to have positive outcomes in the anticipation and deterrence of sexually transmuted forms of actions is greatly controlled to alter the mediators of self-restraint and application of condoms. The mediating variables liker the principles of social obligations, competent aptitudes and outlooks are monitored with specific objectives to change the habit of consuming drugs. Mediation enables the researchers to assess the importance of controlling factors to elucidate and clarify the observed facts in data collection methods of Research studies than setting the designs of the processes of investigation (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2015). A moderator variable adjusts and alters the power of the influence and relative associations among two variables. Moderators such as the age groups, sexual and religious factors along with the racism analysis portray the statistical interpretations of family and social data with the measurement of time and routine performances (Buckworth Buckworth, 2013) References Books Aronson, E., Wilson, T., Akert, R. (2013). Social psychology. Boston: Pearson. Buckworth, J., Buckworth, J. (2013). Exercise psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Journals Butler-Adam, J. (2014). Changes in the offing. South African Journal Of Science, 110(3/4), 1-2. doi:10.1590/sajs.2014/a0061 Ogata, K. (2012). Relationships among Child Maltreatment, Picture Completion Test, and Posttraumatic Symptoms: Two Examinations Using WISC-III for Japanese Children. Psychology, 03(08), 601-605. doi:10.4236/psych.2012.38090 Websites ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, (2015) Home - PMC - NCBI. Retrieved 7 June 2015, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3366634 Uni.edu, (2015) University of Northern Iowa. Retrieved 7 June 2015, from https://www.uni.edu/butlera/courses/org/modmed/moderator_mediator.htm

Warehouse Design

How to Write MBA Essays

How to Write MBA Essays Each year business schools in America receive more than 200,000 applications from perspective MBA hopefuls. Given this vast number of individuals looking to pursue a degree in business administration, I would like to take this opportunity to offer some specific tips on how to create effective MBA essays. I recommend that anyone thinking about applying to business school read the following information. If, on the other hand, this topic does not apply to your specific scholastic goals, please feel free to skip to the next section. If you are considering applying to business school, you should take special care in writing your MBA admissions essay. Regardless of how well you did in school, you can count on the fact that there are thousands of other students applying to business school who have the exact same marks as you. Therefore, you need something more than just good grades and/or test scores to make your application stand out. You need the boost of a powerful and well-reasoned MBA essay. MBA essays are a crucial part of the application process. When writing your MBA essay, make sure to include specific details on why you decided to pursue an MBA degree. Discuss your reasons for choosing the school in question and dont hesitate to use an admissions essays hub and/or editing service to proof your work. Online companies offering admissions essay editing services are especially helpful in making sure that your MBA essay is top notch. The most important factor when dealing with MBA essays is time. Make sure to plan and take all the time you need in order to deliver a quality composition. If you would like additional information on how to write a good MBA essay or if you would like to know more about business school essays and/or law school essays, please dont hesitate to access the link provided.

Inquiring Minds want to know Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Inquiring Minds want to know - Assignment Example This is far more than what numbers can suggest as the supplementary text allows the reader to understand why the research was conducted (the problem recognition) along with the potential shortcomings of the study (Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006). It further aids the comprehension of statistics and quantifiable metrics. In the words of one author, the use of text allows researchers to provide background information and highlight major trends from the research. The statistical information would be presented in this case by starting from the broader background (problem recognition) and ending with specific details. This is usually used in most research reports that begin with broader context (goals and objectives of research) and end up with specific findings and recommendations. A useful tool for representing statistical data would be drawing a â€Å"five number summary† on a chart known as the box-plot. The spread in customers’ responses shall be indica ted and enable the decision maker interpret the inquiry method towards which customers are skewed. Bar charts can be used to convey values through a scaled axis and make comparison easier along a multitude of dimensions. For instance, two parallel bar charts could be constructed for 1992 and 1997 depicting the inquiry methods used. Next, a pie chart could be extremely useful to depict the responses of the primary research conducted through 676 respondents. Apart from being visually appealing, pie charts allow the percentage of total held by each category, thereby making it easier to assess its contribution towards the total ‘pie’ (Iversen, Gergen, & Gergen, 1997). For instance, the ‘forecasted’ use of internet by respondents during next five years could be compared with the use of internet during the past year using two separate pie charts. Multiple bar charts would also be extremely useful in depicting data pertaining to the â€Å"newer inquiry methodsâ⠂¬  including Web-visits, fax-on-demand and email. These charts would allow the decision maker to not only compare the data within each class but also across classes (Francis, 2008). Furthermore, the data in this case is overlapping and not mutually exclusive. For instance, the use of e-mail (as an inquiry method) in the next five years by 73.7% of the respondents does not mean that these individuals are ‘not’ included in the 72.2% of respondents that will visit the website. In other words, it is highly possible that respondents using e-mail may â€Å"also† visit the web and vice versa. This necessitates using multiple bar charts as, unlike bar charts or pie charts, a ‘total’ is not required here. Since the decision maker is concerned more about drawing the comparison than looking at the respective proportions per se this method of representing data would be highly useful. As far as the data of respondents using telephone as an inquiry method for im mediate needs and mail for non-immediate needs is concerned, tables would be the most effective way of representing data. Tables have, since long, been considered as one of the most effective way of displaying data. They enable the decision make

Developing and using power and influence tactics to influence people Article

Developing and using power and influence tactics to influence people - Article Example Different leadership techniques have to be adopted under different circumstances and for different purposes. For instance, to get a project through, people need the support of others. The first action taken by the leaders is to adopt the project as their own and show personal commitment to it. They then work towards generating support from others in the organization. They have knowledge about the company and know how to use the company’s informal system of relationships. Markham (1998) indicates that some types of influence tactics are more successful like the logical argument. Some prefer to use the coercive and persuasive techniques rather than confrontive influence strategies even when they expect resistance although threatening tactics are unsuccessful influencing people. Use of personal power or positional power would depend upon target commitment. Expert power has been more useful than reward or legitimate power sources. Although leaders may use enthusiasm and drive to make their projects successful, these have a detrimental effect on projects and targets according to Markham. This requires influencing many people who may not wish to be influenced and the end result may be tension and conflicts. The project leaders may not be trained enough in interpersonal relations, which imply that being a project leader does not give an individual the power or ability to influence, although Carson and King (2006) believe that empowerment leads to self-leadership. Today’s work environment call for self-leadership, say Carson and King. Empowerment implies to delegate power from the higher organizational levels to the lower ones. Employees must be given the power to take decisions rather than just making suggestions. This leads to self-leadership which involves an analysis of how and why a task should be completed. It is the process of influencing oneself. This helps to improve direction and motivation within

GenerationY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

GenerationY - Essay Example One of the ways of showing this is by talking freely. However, the talk is limited to telling jokes. In as much as it portrays the sense of showing composition, it may be intimidating to some interviewers. Some interviews see it as one being arrogant and out of context. In order to avoid this, the individual should stick to the business of the day and answer according to the questions asked (Meagan & Larry, 2010). Another behavior to avoid is speaking too much about the previous place that the person worked. Questions may come relating to the previous work places that the individual worked. The interviewee in the process may over emphasize the success he had in his previous contract. When the interviewee talks a lot about the experience and the success, the interviewer may conclude that the interviewee is not over the previous work place. In addition to this, it may show that he is expecting similar treatment that he received from his previous job. This may not be a good move especially when the previous job was from a better firm as compared to the one he is applying for presently (Meagan & Larry, 2010). Generation Y individuals should avoid making promises during the interview concerning the amount of work that they are willing to do. These kinds of statements portray the act of being over confident in the job. Over confidence in the job may results to poor performance ultimately. They may also appear as if he is judging those working currently at those positions as being lazy and unproductive. In addition, these statements may also sound insulting to the firm, as the whole administration will be in question about how well they ensure that their workers do their job correctly (Meagan & Larry, 2010). In the event that the interviewer poses attack on the interviewee, the interviewee should desist from getting very defensive in the process. Most of Generation Y individuals did not face a lot of confrontation during their earlier years.

Survey On Different Energy Harvesting Methods

Survey On Different Energy Harvesting Methods Mubashir Hussain, Sami-Ur-Rehman Khan Telecommunication Engineering Dept FEST, Iqra University Main Campus Karachi, Pakistan Abstract This paper serves as a survey on energy harvesting from different sources and their methods presented after a brief literature review of different technical papers available in the public domain. The Process of extracting energy from our surroundings is known as energy harvesting. The energy harvesting got its origins from the water wheels and windmills. Energy can be scavenged from sources around us like, light, water, wind, heat, radio waves, mechanical vibrations etc. In the present age we need more reliable, low cost and efficient power sources for our systems. The new systems require less energy and give out great output similarly the sources are supposed to be more efficient and effective, in this paper we have presented that how the energy which is presently wasted around us due to radiations, friction or reflection can be scavenged to make them useful of our everyday use. Keywords: Energy Harvesting Networks, Different Energy Harvesting Sources, Methods for Energy Harvesting Introduction Conventional batteries are not always beneficial as they require human involvement for replacing batteries. Hence, require electrical power to make these devices functional. Therefore, consideration of alternate type of energy source to traditional batteries is required. The electrical power is required to operate these devices can be obtained by converting the light, mechanical or thermal energies available in the ambient environment. This conversion of energy available in ambient environment can produce unlimited energy for the lifetime of the electronic device. This process of extracting energy from the ambient environment and converting them into consumable electric energy is known as Energy Harvesting. Typical energies available in ambient environment are mechanical energy, solar energy, RF energy and thermal energy. Since, it is proven to be an efficient alternative to give lifelong electrical power to electronic devices, there is an increasingly volume carried out on energy ha rvesting, these days [1-10, 22-28]. Energy harvesting sources can be utilized to maximize the ability and lifetime of the devices by augmenting the usage of battery [18-20]. Electrical devices switched on by energy harvesters can be utilized to give important information on structural and operational circumstances through positioning them in unapproachable whereabouts [21]. Different Sources Used for Energy Harvesting The categorization of energy harvesting can be done on the basis of the types of energy being used to harvest energy, available in ambient environment, into electrical energy. The different yet widely used sources for energy harvesting are photovoltaic cells, thermoelectric generators, wind turbines, and mechanical vibration devices such as electromagnetic devices and piezoelectric devices [11]. Table I highlights some of the energy harvesting sources with their power generation capability [12]. Table I: Energy Harvesting Sources [12] Mechanical Vibration When a device vibrates, an inertial mass can be utilized to generate movement. This vibrational movement can then be converted into electrical energy using 3 mechanisms including piezoelectric, electrostatic and electromagnetic. Energy used here is mechanical energy. Electrostatic Energy Harvesting This type of energy harvesting mainly depends on the varying capacitance of vibration-dependent varactors (variable capacitors). Vibration causes the separation between plates of an initially charged varactor, which causes mechanical energy to be converted in electrical energy. Electrostatic generators are simple mechanical devices that produce electricity by using manual or mechanical power [13]. Roundy, et al. [31] define the categorization of the electrostatic generators into three main classes namely: in-plane, in-plane gap closing and out-of-plane gap closing, and overlap. The different electrostatic generators under the three distinguished classes are debated in various papers. Piezoelectric Materials These are the materials that convert mechanical energy, produced by applying force, pressure or vibrations, into electrical energy. These materials are able to generate electrical charge when mechanical load is applied on them. This property of piezoelectric materials is considered by the researchers to develop various piezoelectric harvesters in order to power different applications [14, 15]. The very first example of extracting electrical energy from piezoelectric materials is from the collision of leaving steel ball bearing on piezoelectric transducer [29]. 3.3 Electromagnetic Energy Harvesting Electromagnetic energy harvesting can be attained by principles of electromagnetic induction. Electromagnetic induction can be described as the method of generating voltages in an electric conductor by varying the magnetic field around it. One of the most effective ways of producing electromagnetic induction for energy harvesting is with the help of permanent magnets, a coil and a resonating cantilever beam [8]. Electromagnetic induction gives the benefit of better mechanical damping and reliability as there will not be any mechanical intercourse between any parts; therefore, no distinct voltage source is needed [30]. Photovoltaic Cells Photovoltaic cells are the devices that transform light energy into electrical energy. The form of energy harnessed is typically light energy usually received from sunlight. Usage of photovoltaic cells would be effective and efficient at places where the availability of light is guaranteed and usage of batteries and other means of power supply are not feasible or expensive. While designing sources which harvest solar energy, constituents such as accessibility of day light, periods of smoggy cloud and snow cover, effects of operation at higher latitudes, functionalities of the photovoltaic cell used, the strength of the incident light, power supply needs are to be considered [9, 16]. Thermoelectric Generators Thermoelectric generators work on the principle of thermoelectricity to generate the required electrical energy. The phenomena of generating electric current with a temperature difference and vice-versa can be named as thermoelectricity. The thermal energy here is harvested to get electrical energy to power-up electronic devices. These devices are mostly used in space and terrestrial applications. Solid-state thermoelectric generators are considered to have long life, low maintenance and high reliability. However, their usage is limited because of their low energy conversion efficiency and high costs [17]. Microwaves Energy Harvesting Recently, researchers have designed a device that is converting the lost microwaves, generated from Wi-Fi, into electrical energy. The lost microwaves are converted into electrical energy using metamaterials. Metamaterials Literature Review As we know that in today’s world, energy crisis is one of the biggest issues as the demand of energy is increasing day by day and the supply is not enough to facilitate everyone. In such shortfall of energy supply and high demand for consumption, energy harvesting is truly a magnificent approach to bridge the gap between supply and demand. Using energy harvesting networks, we can harvest the ambient energy available in surrounding such as light, heat, electromagnetic and mechanical energy and can convert them into useful energy. Though, the amount of energy being produced by energy harvesting network is low, however, it can still be used to power small and portable electronic devices including our cellular phones –one of the most important devices used for communicating, all around the world. As the researchers are doing extensive research in this field to discover new techniques to produce more and more energy from energy harvesting networks, it seems that, in coming w orld, energy harvesters would be fulfilling more than 50% of our energy requirements. The rapid demand of energy harvesting modules can be observed by the given graph over certain period of time. Key Findings Due to rapidly increasing demand of energy, it is observed that the traditional energy producing networks are not efficient enough to facilitate everyone and people are now looking for alternatives to overcome the shortfall of energy. When it comes to find alternatives of traditional energy-producing networks, energy harvesting networks are on top of the list. Energy harvesting networks are the most efficient yet low cost energy producing devices that harvest the energy available in environment and convert them into electrical energy to power up electrical devices. Previously, solar energy and mechanical energy were two of the main and only known sources that were being used to generate energy. However, after the continuous hard work and research in this field, researchers have introduced such energy harvesting networks that can harvest electromagnetic waves, as well as radio waves into electrical energy to produce energy. The recent Wi-Fi energy harvesting network developed by the s tudents of Duke University, England, can produce electrical energy up to 3.7 volts that is equivalent to the average electrical energy produced by USB –we use to charge our gadgets. Therefore, it can be said that energy harvesting networks are the only best alternatives to traditional energy producing networks to overcome the shortfall of the energy in today’s and upcoming world. Open Areas Recently, researchers have designed a device that is converting the lost microwaves, generated from Wi-Fi, into electrical energy. The lost microwaves are converted into electrical energy using metamaterials. Metamaterials are composite materials having a structure that exhibits such properties that cannot be found, usually, in natural materials, especially the property of having negative refractive index. Metamaterials are capable to capture different forms of wave’s energy and tune them into useful applications. There is no doubt at all that energy harvesting of electromagnetic and other radio waves is the future of energy harvesting networks as they are most commonly founded waves in our today’s tech-world environment –as our communication is mainly done via electromagnetic and radio waves and it would be keep going in future too. So, the Electromagnetic energy harvesting networks would be helping the people, in coming world, to power up their devices for free, anywhere, anytime, wirelessly. Conclusion Harvesting energy from the ambient environment is being considered as a valuable alternate to replace the existing power supplies for energy constraint embedded systems. Especially, the latest research done on energy harvesting of microwaves, radiated from Wi-Fi mainly, has enlightened a new hope among the researchers to identify such energy harvesting methods that can raise the amount of power generated using the power harvesters. These methods would be going to assist in placing the energy harvesters as one of the best power sources for portable power devices in the field of wireless technology. References [1] Amirtharajah R and Chandrakasan A P, â€Å"Self-powered low power signal processing,† IEEE Symposium, VLSI Circuits, Digest of Technical Papers, 1997, pp 25–26. [2] Amirtharajah R and Chandrakasan A P, â€Å"Self-powered signal processing using vibration-based power generation,† IEEE Journal of Solid-Stage Circuits, v 33 n 5, May 1998, pp 687–695. [3] Arakawa Y, Suzuki Y and Kasagi N, â€Å"Micro seismic power generator using electrets polymer film,† Power MEMS Conference, Kyoto, Japan, 2004, pp 187–190. [4] Atwood B, Warneke B and Pister K S J, â€Å"Preliminary circuits for Smart Dust,† Proceedings of Southwest Symposium, Mixed-Signal Design, 2000, pp. 87–92. [5] Cavallier B, Nouira H, Foltete E, Hirsinger L and Ballandras S, â€Å"Energy storage capacity of vibrating structure: application to a shock system,† Proceedings of Symposium on Design, Test, Integration and Packaging of MEMS/ MOEMS DTIP0, Montreux, Switzerland, 2005, pp 391–393. [6] Bayrashev A, Robbins W P and Ziaie B, â€Å"Low frequency wireless powering of micro-systems using piezoelectric magnetostrictive laminate composites,† Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 2004, v 114, pp 244-249. [7] Beeby S P, Tudor M J, Koukharenko E, White N M, O’Donnell T, Saha C, Kulkarni S and Roy S, â€Å"Micromachined silicon generator for harvesting power from vibration,† Proceedings of Transducers, Seoul, Korea, 2005, pp 780–783. [8] Beeby S P, Tudor M J and White N M, â€Å"Energy harvesting vibration sources for Microsystems applications,† Journal of Measurement Science and Technology, 2006, v 17, pp 175-195. [9] Callaway, Jr and Edgar H, Wireless Sensor Networks, Boca Raton, Florida: Auerbach Publications, CRC Press LLC, 2004. [10] Cavallier B, Berthelot P, Nouira H, Foltà ªte E, Hirsinger L and Ballandras S, â€Å"Energy harvesting using vibrating structures excited by shock,† IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, 2005. [11] Park G, Farrar C R, Todd M D, Hodgkiss W and Rosing T, â€Å"Energy Harvesting for Structural Health Monitoring Sensor Networks,† Technical Report, Los Alamos National Laboratories, LA, February 2007. [12] Atwood B, Warneke B and Pister K S J, â€Å"Smart Dust mote forerunners,† Proceedings of 14th Annual International Conference on Microelectromechanical Sytsems, 2001, pp 357–360. [13] Peano F and Tambosso T, â€Å"Design and optimisation of a MEMS electrets-based capacitive energy scavenger,† Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, 2005, v 14, pp 435–529. [14] White N M, Glynne-Jones P and Beeby S, â€Å"A novel thick-film piezoelectric micro-generator,† Smart Material Structures, August 2001, v 10, pp 850–852. [15] Williams C B and Yates R B, â€Å"Analysis of a micro-electric generator for microsystems,† in Proceedings of Solid-State Sensors and Actuator and in Eurosensors IX. Transducers, 1995, v 1, pp 369–372. [16] Raghunathan V, Kansal A, Hsu J, Friedman J and Srivastava M, â€Å"Design Considerations for Solar Energy Harvesting Wireless Embedded Systems,† Fourth IEEE/ACM International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks, April 2005. [17] Fleurial J P, Snyder G J, Herman J A, Smart M, and Shakkottai P, Giauque P H and Nicolet M A, â€Å"Miniaturized thermoelectric power sources,† Intersorie Energy Conversion [18] Kansal A and Srivastava M B, â€Å"An Environmental Energy harvesting framework for Sensor Networks,† Proceedings of International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design (ISLPED ’03). ACM Press, 2003, pp 481-486. [19] Kansal A, Potter D and Srivastava M B, â€Å"Performance Aware asking for Environmentally Powered Sensor Networks,† Proceedings on the Measurement and Modeling of Computer Systems in Joint International Conference, ACM Press, 2004, pp. 223–234. [20] Kansal A and Srivastava M B, â€Å"Distributed Energy Harvesting for Energy Neutral Sensor Networks,† IEEE Pervasive Computing, v 4, January-March 2005. [21] Park G, Farrar C R, Todd M D, Hodgkiss W and Rosing T, â€Å"Energy Harvesting for Structural Health Monitoring Sensor Networks,† Technical Report, Los Alamos National Laboratories, LA, February 2007. [22] Sodano H A, Inman D J, and Park G., â€Å"A Review of Power Harvesting from Vibration Using Piezoelectric Materials,† The Shock and Vibration Digest, 2004, v 36, pp. 197–205. [23] Sodano H A, Inman D J and Park G, â€Å"Comparison of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Devices for Recharging Batteries,† Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures. 2005, v 16, pp 799-807. [24] Sodano H A, Simmers G E, Dereux R, and Inman D J, â€Å"Recharging Batteries using Energy Harvested from Thermal Gradients,† Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, January 1, 2007, v 18, pp 3 10. [25] Sterken T, Baert K, Puers R and Borghs S â€Å"Power extraction from ambient vibration,† Proceedings of 3rd Workshop on Semiconductor Sensors and Actuators, November 2002, pp 680–683. [26] Sterken T, Fiorini P, Baert K, Borghs G and Puers R, â€Å"Novel design and fabrication of a MEMS electrostatic vibration scavenger,† Power MEMS Conference, Kyoto, Japan, 2004, pp 18–21. [27] Staley M E and Flatau A B, â€Å"Characterization of energy harvesting potential of Terfenol-D and Galfenol,† Proceedings of SPIE, 2005, pp 630-640. [28] Tashiro R, Kabei N, Katayama K, Tsuboi F and Tsuchiya K, â€Å"Development of an electrostatic generator for a cardiac pacemaker that harnesses the ventricular wall motion,† Journal on Artifcial Organs, 2002, pp 239–245. [29] Umeda M, Nakamura K and Ueha S, â€Å"Analysis of the transformation of mechanical impact energy to electric energy using piezoelectric vibrator,† Japan, Journal of Applied Physics, 1996, v 35, pp 3267–3273. [30] Roundy S J, â€Å"Energy Scavenging for Wireless Sensor Nodes with a Focus on Vibration to Electricity Conversion,† Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2003. [31] Roundy S, Wright P and Pister K, â€Å"Micro-electrostatic vibration-to-electricity converters,† Proceedings, IMECE, 2002, pp 1–10.

The Congress for New Urbanism and Environmental Awareness Essay

The Congress for New Urbanism and Environmental Awareness In the last two decades the New Urbanism movement has begun among planners, designers, and builders. Though it does not provide complete solutions to many of the environmental problems caused by human development, it shows a greater awareness of the undesirable and potentially destructive tendencies exhibited by conventional methods of design, planning and construction. Robert Davis, board chairman of the Congress for the New Urbanism, describes the problem of urban sprawl and development. "For five millennia, we have built towns and cities with strong centers and clear edges, beyond which lay farms and forests and lakes and streams. For five decades these clear edges have become increasingly ragged, and the centrifugal forces of sprawl have flung a strange collection of objects across the landscape. The strangest of these objects are large boxes with very specialized functions. They are connected to each other by swaths of asphalt and each is surrounded by a small sea of the same material. Their placement relative to each other and to the smaller boxes we live in is designed and planned for the maximum possible consumption of our time, and of energy in various forms, including human..."(http://www.cnu.org/nunjuly98.html). "Our monoculture development pattern started as a good idea to separate steel mills and slaughter houses from dwellings. Now we rigidly separate all uses: our homes, our workplaces, our children’s schools, the places we assemble. This not only ensures the maximum possible consumption of time and energy, it also separates us from each other" (http://www.cnu.org/nunjuly98.html). This is a design perspective based on aesthetics instead of enviro... ...d, watertables, or their conditions. Nor was their any specific mention of the use of natural recyclable or sustainable materials in construction. These facts make me aware that there needs to be more collaboration and sharing of knowledge between planners, designers, builders, and ecologists. If ecological concerns are not given consideration in development, ultimately all life forms will suffer. If biologists and ecologists do not understand the essential elements of economics and aesthetics in design when communicating their concerns, nothing will be done to correct current development trends until human health is severely effected. Works Cited CNU Update http://www.cnu.org/nunjuly98.html Environmental Building News http://www.ebuild.com/Archives/Other_ Beth Dunlop, Architectural Record Jan. 97, The New Urbanists The Second Generation, p.132-135

Child Trafficking Essay

A child is a young human being who is not yet an adult. It also defines trafficking as an act of buying and selling things illegally. So, child trafficking is an inhuman act where children are being used unjustly as objects of business transaction. Boys and girls are involved but girls are mostly involved as victims. They are taken from their parents by the trafficker who with deceitful words promises the girl’s parent’s heaven and earth for instance that she will send them to school or that she has a business in abroad like a saloon where the girls can work for few months and establish theirs. Parents who are living in the villages are the ones they use to go to, because most of them are unable to afford both material and financial needs of all their children. Such parents have no alternative than giving out their childchildren who maybe in their teens to the lady who pretended to be good. Despite all these government can still work on this heavily by the following: Firstly, government should declare free education in every school that is the school owned by the government maybe to the secondary school level. By so doing, parents will not have the excuse of giving out their children to someone else to take care of them. Secondly, government should see to duly paying of workers’ salaries at the end of each month and not leaving them empty handed at the end of the month because they need money to solve the problems facing them in the family and also to prevent them from exposing their children to those heartless human beings that use children illegally to make money. The last but not the least is that the parliamentary arm of government should sit together with the support of the president, make laws for children against abuse and intimidation. Also the judiciary arm should be strict in punishing anybody found exhibiting the act of child trafficking

Americas M4 Sherman Tank, a WWII War Machine

America's M4 Sherman Tank, a WWII War Machine The iconic American tank of World War II, the M4 Sherman was employed in all theaters of the conflict by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, as well as most Allied nations. Considered a medium tank, the Sherman initially had a mounted 75mm gun and had a crew of five. In addition, the M4 chassis served as the platform for several derivative armored vehicles such as tank retrievers, tank destroyers, and self-propelled artillery. Christened Sherman by the British, who named their U.S.-built tanks after Civil War generals, the designation quickly caught on with American forces. Design Designed as a replacement for the M3 Lee medium tank, the plans for the M4 were submitted to the U.S. Army Ordnance Department on August 31, 1940. Approved the following April, the goal of the project was to create a dependable, fast tank with the ability to defeat any vehicle then currently in use by Axis forces. In addition, the new tank was not to exceed certain width and weight parameters to ensure a high level of tactical flexibility and permit its use over a wide array of bridges, roads, and transportation systems. Specifications M4A1 Sherman Tank Dimensions Weight: 33.4 tonsLength: 19 feet, 2 inchesWidth: 8 feet, 7 inchesHeight: 9 feet Armor and Armament Armor: 19-91 mmMain gun: 75 mm (later 76 mm)Secondary armament: 1 x .50 cal. Browning M2HB machine gun, 2 x .30 Browning M1919A4 machine gun Engine Engine: 400 hp Continental R975-C1 (gasoline)Range: 120 milesSpeed: 24 mph Production During its 50,000-unit production run, the U.S. Army built seven principle variations of the M4 Sherman. These were the M4, M4A1, M4A2, M4A3, M4A4, M4A5, and M4A6. These variations did not represent a linear improvement of the vehicle but rather changes in engine type, production location, or fuel type. As the tank was produced, a variety of improvements were introduced, including a heavier, high-velocity 76mm gun, wet ammunition storage, a more powerful engine, and thicker armor. In addition, numerous variations of the basic medium tank were built. These included a number of Shermans mounted with a 105mm howitzer instead of the usual 75mm gun, as well as the M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman. Featuring a heavier turret and armor, the Jumbo Sherman was designed for assaulting fortifications and aiding in breaking out of Normandy. Other popular variations included Shermans equipped with duplex drive systems for amphibious operations and those armed with the R3 flame thrower. Tanks possessing this weapon were frequently used for clearing enemy bunkers and earned the nickname Zippos, after the famous lighter. Early Combat Operations Entering combat in October 1942, the first Shermans saw action with the British Army at the Second Battle of El Alamein. The first U.S. Shermans saw combat the following month in North Africa. As the North Africa campaign progressed, M4s and M4A1s replaced the older M3 Lee in most American armor formations. These two variants were the principle versions in use until the introduction of the popular 500 hp M4A3 in late 1944. When the Sherman first entered service, it was superior to the German tanks it faced in North Africa and remained at least on par with the medium Panzer IV series throughout the war. Combat Operations After D-Day With the landings in Normandy in June 1944, it was learned that the Shermans 75mm gun was incapable of penetrating the front armor of the heavier German Panther and Tiger tanks. This led to the rapid introduction of the high-velocity 76mm gun. Even with this upgrade, it was found that the Sherman was only capable of defeating the Panther and Tiger at close range or from the flank. Utilizing superior tactics and working in conjunction with tank destroyers, American armor units were able to overcome this handicap and achieved favorable results on the battlefield. Operations in the Pacific and Later Due to the nature of the war in the Pacific, very few tank battles were fought with the Japanese. As the Japanese seldom used any armor heavier than light tanks, even early Shermans with 75mm guns were able to dominate the battlefield. Following World War II, many Shermans remained in U.S. service and saw action during the Korean War. Replaced by the Patton series of tanks in the 1950s, the Sherman was heavily exported and continued to operate with many of the worlds militaries into the 1970s.

Group Think Essays

Group Think Essays Group Think Essay Group Think Essay Abstract This paper discusses groupthink a psychological phenomenon with reference the attack on Iraq. It argues that what happened in Iraq was a case of groupthink. Outline Introduction Definition Attack on Iraq and Groupthink Conclusion Groupthink On July 9, 2004 the US Senate Intelligence Committee released its report on the United States’ justification for the Iraq war, reported an erroneous â€Å"groupthink† was to blame. Groupthink is described as â€Å"a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive group, when the members’ strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action†. In other words, retreat into a system allowed â€Å"socially designed flaws† to rear within the group’s members. And that was what occurred when American and its allies went on war with Iraq. In 1972, Irving L. Janis published his ground-breaking work â€Å"Victims of groupthink: A psychological study of foreign-policy decisions and fiascoes† which scrutinized how things go wrong when rebellious voices are drowned out, discounted or dismissed out of hand. From the Bay of Pigs, the boom of the Vietnam War, the Challenger shuttle disaster and the notion of the strong Soviet state, 20th century American history is full of cases of usual wisdom being flawed. The â€Å"groupthink† that occurred with attack on Iraq is far from an innocent error, and critics charge that the Senate Intelligence Committee reports’ tries to couch blame as mere unclear thinking. : The fact is that this psychological experience perhaps translates to a broad failure to appreciate the reality of circumstance, the nature or implications of actions, the very disparity between right and wrong. And as a hard core of believers and leaders is characteristically central to such a phenomenon’s workings, their authority radiates broadly outward through their immediate groups and those they relate with. The attack on Iraq meets the criteria of the groupthink qualifiers as pointed out by Janis and which are evident as all the eight ndicators are present in the group think that occurred. I. Illusion of invulnerability in the unipolar world as the only superpower United States felt overly positive about taking on Saddam Hussein. II. Collective rationalization: the government and its allies refused to listen to warnings from the weapons inspectors and other world leaders in the days leading to the attack. III. Belief in inherent morality:. President Bush overlooked the ethical and moral consequences of invading another country on feeble evidence as he and his subordinates believed they were right in the attack. IV. Stereotyped views of out-groups: it is not hard to understand that Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda were linked together although there was no proof because of the stereotyping by the government and because both were view negatively. In addition racial profiling and patriot acts were also a way to stereotype suspicious people namely Muslims. V. Direct pressure on dissenters: those who did not obey or did not follow the group ideas were sidelined like Colin Powel General Schwarzkopf VI. Self-censorship: as in the classic case of group think people did not articulate any doubts about the venture and later admitted to it like Colin Powel. VII. Illusion of unanimity: all the decisions were thought to be unanimous and the country stood united on the eve of the attack. VIII. Self-appointed ‘mind guards: the leadership and government only listened to the news and information that they required to hear, likewise the American people were also fed limited and one sided story from the typical media. Thus it is evident from the above examples that in fact the attack on Iraq was a prime example of groupthink in action, and the results are significantly more then in the case of Challenger disaster as thousands have died and others are still dying because of this unjustified war which was not thought through because of groupthink. Bibliography Justin Rounds. Groupthink colostate. edu/Depts/Speech/rccs/theory16. htm Max Catros Progressive Weekly: July 2004 progresoweekly. com/index. php? progreso=Max_Castro=1089867600

WEEK 4 DISCUSSION PART 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

WEEK 4 DISCUSSION PART 1 - Essay Example In order to quantify the magnitude of Medicaid fraud in the US, the study will be conducted across a wide range of participants. The study will target people who have participated in Medicaid fraud or who have been affected by the scheme. Throughout the study, anonymity of the participants will be maintained unless instructed otherwise. In addition, the study will also target professional in the medical and legislative sectors who have facilitated the scheme either directly or indirectly. The study will be conducted through both open ended and closed ended questionnaires. Research assistant will conduct manual interviews and filling of questionnaires, however, electronic (online) questionnaires will be available. In either of the data collection methods, anonymity of the participants will be maintained unless they recommend otherwise. The research site will be identified through a random process that will be highly inclusive and conclusive. The selection will target both upper and mi ddle class Americans. In addition, the study will have a professional phase whereby the participants will be drawn from both the medical and legal professionals. The study will have a quantitative segment that will capture the magnitude of the phenomenon. On the other hand, the qualitative segment of the study will focus on the reasons or factors that contribute to Medicaid fraud among Americans. In the quantitative segment of the study, the researcher will be interested in identifying the magnitude of losses incurred in the health sector due to the scheme. Financial loses will be identified as the dependent variable while time will be identified as an independent variable. The quantitative segment will also be concerned with the variation of fraud across different social classes. Thus, different income classes will be identified as independent variables while financial losses will

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Psychology - Essay Example Similarly, significantly more women than men meet the diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders (56% vs 35%). On the other hand, men (20%) are twice more prone to substance abuse disorders (eg. alcohol dependence) than women (8%) (WHO, 2007). Also, the incidence of antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy) is three times more in men than women. In cases of severe disorders as schizophrenia, it is obsevered that men have early onset of symptoms but women experience higher frequency of hallucinations or psychotic symptoms. The key reasons behind greater prevalance of such disorders in women are because of greater exposure to poverty, discrimination and socioeconomic disadvantage such as child/sex abuse, traditional gender based violence and overwork. Reasons why more men have antisocial personality disorders as women tend to be more empathic than men. Works Cited WHO. (2007). Gender Disparities in Mental Health. World Health Organization, Department of Mental Health and Substance D ependence. Geneva: WHO.

Training and Development Relate to Human Resource Essay

Training and Development Relate to Human Resource - Essay Example Formal mentoring can also be subject to monitoring by Human Resource managers and others within an organization to make sure objectives are met. Informal mentoring is more of a natural relationship that develops between two individuals with mutual respect, who become involved in the relationship on a purely voluntary basis. Such mentoring is more common and usually more flexible in nature. There is a lack of outside influence and structure, with participants defining the skills and behaviors taught, within their own time frame. There has been much information gathered from mentored involved in such relationships, though not as much from mentors. Manda Rosser (2005) identifies characteristics of mentoring relationships in her study of CEOs a mentors who have been previously mentored. First, most of them recognize the value of such relationships, as many described such relationships as helpful to their current positions and professional skills. Second, most identify mentoring relations hips as long-lasting, often over periods of several decades. Even when the mentoring has negative results, those studied admit that the mentoring relationships Mentoring and Apprenticeship Training HRM420 Term Paper 2 are valuable learning tools. One executive talks about his own mentoring relationship as one in which he was hurt and taken advantage of. Because of the experience, he mentors with an attitude of fairness and giving. Another executive describes mentoring as â€Å"perhaps even one of the most important things that can occur in developing others. Mentoring is giving of yourself. There is no expectation of return†(Rosser, 2005, p.547).

Cultural Oppression Essay Example for Free

Cultural Oppression Essay Women has come a long way from being the gods of the feminist society, oppression from the paternal Roman Catholic, and the continuous struggle to uplift itself from the discrimination in out society. Therefore it is not correct to say that â€Å"The world has evolved in a huge way, but for the groups that remained oppressed it does not seem like evolution has even touched them. † It seems a very narrow way of putting the struggle of women from centuries of oppression when in fact before World War I there were no women in the military, no women in college, no women in office, and no women in the library. Same goes for the homosexuals. There are already four states that allow same sex marriage in the United States and the world is not so unforgiving 50 years ago when homosexuals where killed. Indeed, homosexuals and women have come a long way and it is rather fitting that we recognize them in their accomplishments in pursuing their common good. I agree with Miss Johnson. This society is so bent on discrimination based on color when in fact African Americans are just as able as Caucasians in getting every job done. As long as there are equal opportunities for both races then there won’t be some dumb Joe lying around. We claim to be the most advanced nation in the world but it seems we still have prehistoric traces of slavery in our society. We still think that just because African Americans came to America as slaves then they are a backward race. What the people of America should remember that the very same slaves built this nation with their bare hands and they wouldn’t be slaves had we not made them that way. It seems that we have a double standard when we talk about freedom and liberty for all Americans. That shouldn’t be so because history has proven that it’s never a war of colors, it’s only a war of interests and power. The author mentioned about the struggling African Americans who are in the upper class. Well, money can’t erase prejudice from people especially the prejudice that is rooted in our history. That’s why the weak should fight for its liberation because nobody will save them from it but themselves. Reference

Company overview of unilever

Company overview of unilever Unilever is one of the fast moving consumer goods (FMNG) in the world. They offer a wide range of products in food, beverages, personal care products and many more. The success story of Unilever can be seen in the annual turnover in the year 2009 which is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬39.8billion worldwide and employs 163,000 employees around the world. Company situation Mission Statement: Unilever main goal is to add value to the life of people. They want to reach out to the consumers by satisfying their everyday needs. By providing the needs for nutrition, hygiene, and personal care they are able to help the people to feel refresh, look good and get the most out of their life. Moving on, they want to develop a new way of making business with priority towards expanding twice the size of company while reducing environmental impact. Below is a graph of Unilevers annual turnover: Source: (www.unilever.com/images/ir_Charts%201996%202006_tcm13-90292.pdf ) Financial Summary: Source : (www.unilever.co.uk//introductiontounilever/annual-reports/ ) This graph clearly shows Unilever progress throughout the past years. Underlying sale growth (USG) is the percentage of increase in turnover, modify for the impact of acquisitions, disposal and exchange rate fluctuations. In the year 2009, the USG growth is 3.5% compared to 7.4% in 2008. Underlying volume growth (UVG) is sales after the impact of (USG), which is 2.3% in 2009 that shows sustainable development strategy is working because Unilever manage to save in the cost of expenditure.. Operating margin for 2009 is 12.6% compared to 2008 is 17.7%, and this has save the company from net impact profit of disposal, restructuring and other on-off items. Source: (www.unilever.co.uk//introductiontounilever/annual-reports/) This graph above shows the financial review of Unilever in different region such as Asia, Africa, and Central Eastern Europe ( AAC) , America, and also Western Europe. Asia, Africa, and Central Eastern Europe (AAC) In the (AAC) countries, the turnover current rate experience a growth of 2.9% after including the effects of acquisitions, disposals and exchange rate as shown in the graph above. The operating profit at current rate has increase by 13.3% in the year 2009. Despite the fact that market conditions are volatile and challenging in some region, Unilever in (AAC) countries manage to produce a remarkable underlying sales growth of 7.7%. The Americans Unilever in the America has suffered a 2.6% decrease in the turnover growth at current rates after the including the effects of acquisitions, disposal, and exchange rate. The Operating profit at current rates for the year 2009 has experience major lose of 37.4% Western Europe Unilever in the Western Europe has suffered losses as much as 6% in the year 2009, after including the effects of acquisition, disposal and exchange rate as shown in the graph above. The Operating profit in 2009 experience the most losses at current rate as high as 50.4% in Western Europe. The factor that causes such huge losses are because of the lack confidence in the consumers towards the brand in the Western Europe, and there have been an increase in unemployment rate due to the challenging economy in many countries. Market Share Source: (http://zpryme.com/blog/?p=420) Above shows the market share of Unilever Bestfoods NA dominating the market with 26.3%. Lipton tea as Unilevers food segment brand has dominated the market because of their market strategy such as Tea Can Do That campaign to create awareness and Lipton tea has promises innovation tea flavors and at the same time providing a healthy lifestyle drinks for consumer . Source 🙠 http://www.fixedincomeinvestor.co.uk/x/analysis.html?cat=Analysis%20%26%20Commenttype=Bond%20of%20the%20Weekaid=291) Chart above shows the market share of Unilever from 1994 to 2008, Unilever has been operating internationally and generate annual sales of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬40billion and the profitable of this company has produce a relatively stable share price that does not have a major downfall even though tough competitive market in the Europe market with competitor like Procter Gamble ( PG ) . Unilever has also performed much better then what the dismal FTSE 100 index predicted over this decades. Market Situation PESTLE implications Political Environment Unilever being a fast moving consumer goods (FMNG) company in the world does not support any political parties whose activities is to promote the party interest, this is because they believe that the business they operate in must be behave with honesty , integrity and openness. However, the political trends still affects Unilever in the United Kingdom. In early February 2010, Unilever has been burden by the increase of taxation by the UK government. Initially, the company is already facing economic instability because consumer are unwillingly to spend more money. Paul Polman, the chief executive said that the daily mail, If on top of that we would get an additional regulatory or tax environment that would make us non-competitive that would be unfortunate for the UK. Mr Polman is worried with the increase of taxation , Unilever has to pay even more into for expenditure cost for research laboratories, manufacturing facilities and more. Source : (www.unilever.com/images/ir_Charts%201996%202006_tcm13-90292.pdf) The graph above shows from year 2000 until 2004, Unilever has been less on expenditure such as manufacturing facilities, and research and development sector. As of year 2004 onwards the cost has been increasing yearly until 1,700 (million) and with the recent increase of taxation in UK , Unilever will have to spend more on expenditure cost in the year to come. With the increase of expenditure cost and in downfall of net profit made by Unilever , this will affect the momentum of profit generated for the company in UK , and this will cost the performance of improvement in Unilever which is a slow growth in the market business. This is why Mr Polman is concerned with the increment of corporation tax. He also added that , We have to be sure when changes are contemplated [by the Government] that it takes into account what other countries do as well in Europe, or outside of Europe, to provide competitive corporate tax rates. Economic environment In the economic environment, Unilever generates wealth by adding value to raw materials, and manufacturing their product for the consumers. The parties that are involve in the economic environment is their employees, government, investors, and many more communities that benefits from the activities of the company. Source : (www.unilever.com//sd_UnileverSDReport170310_amended_tcm13-212972.pdf) This graph shows the parties that benefit from the activities that are ventured by Unilever in UK. Despite the economic instability that happens in decades, Unilever is still able to generate an operating profit of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5,020 and sales of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 39,823 million in 2009. This graph shows us that the employees gain the biggest share of the company which is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5.2billion, whereas the least share is earn by the local communities which is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬89million. The provider of capital obtains the 2nd highest share which is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2.5billion and the governments gain à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬959million from the company in the form of corporation tax that is issued by the government. Sociological Environment Making a difference in society is one of Unilevers biggest aim because they want to deliver the best and to give back to the society that has been supporting the success of Unilever. Unilever will be focusing to provide nutrition information to the understanding of consumers and also improving nutrition quality of their products. In order to improve the nutritional quality of the product and maintaining the taste, It is estimated that reduction of salt intake by 1g can reduce the chances of strokes by 5% and heart attack by 3 % reducing salt by as little 1 g. The Nutrition Enhancement Programme has come up with a strategy known as salt reduction strategy; in this strategy it states that in 2009 we set product benchmarks to achieve a dietary intake of 6 g of salt per day by the end of 2010, with the ambition to reduce further to5 g per day by the end of 2015 Unilever has also extended their impact by working together with World Food Programme (WFP) where they support developing countries and improving the health and nutrition of product. In order to reach out to the people , Unilever in UK has donated à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬500,00 through global partnership and with (WFP). They also encourage people to donate through website to the Haitis earthquake disaster relieve cost. Unilever also had donated soap and Puriet ( water purifier that does not need pressured water and or electricity. Technology Environment In the technology sector, Unilever has been spending in the area of e-business to improve brands communication and market through internet, and also making transaction simple along chain. Unilever Technology has work together with Unilever R D group in order to meet consumers needs. In the year 2003, Unilever introduce the new pallet live storage system from Bitto Storage System Ltd. The purpose of this technology is to store frozen products. Plans are being made to improve IT infrastructure in Unilever. For example, increment in the energy-efficiency of data centers and applying power management strategies. Tele presence video conferencing is also applied in order to reduce the impact of business travelling. Telepresence has been generated in 13 countries and plan to add another 39 countries in 2010. This technology have helped us to reduce our emission by 4,230 tonnes and save up to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬12 million in travel cost for the year 2010 . Environmental Environment Unilever is taking the responsibility in reducing the total environmental impact; the main problem is actually to reduce greenhouse gases from the manufacturer of their products. Unilever has been doing a wonderful job in reducing the production of C02 to the environment. They have achieved a 41% reduction of CO2 emission per tonned production since 1995. Their main goal today is to reduce CO2 production in their manufacturing operation by 25% in the year end 2012. Source: (www.unilever.com/images/ir_Charts%201996%202006_tcm13-90292.pdf) In this graph we can see that, in the year 2009 they manage to reduce their CO2 production by 3% per tonne of production compared to 2008. From year 2000 to 2009 we can see that Unilever is able to reduce the production of Co2 consistently. The factor for this success is because of the good manufacturing practice that they adopt in the factories. However, they have to bear a great cost in venturing into technology that will further reduce the emission of CO2. Source : (www.unilever.com/images/ir_Charts%201996%202006_tcm13-90292.pdf) Unilever also make approach into saving water consumption, they have been consistently reducing water use in manufacturing. Quantity of water usage per tonne of production has been reducing by 65% since the year 1995. From this graph we can study that the goal of reducing water usage is also in the right path. Every year since 2000 until 2009 the usage of water reduces per tonne of production. In the year 2009, as show in the graph water consumption was reduce by 5.6 % per tonne of production compared to the earlier year in 2008, which is a reduction in 8.1% in to be precise . Legislation environment Unilever is protected by European Commission to ensure that there is no infringement towards the brand name and product of Unilever. Unilevers business is also govern by laws and regulation to make sure that products are safely used by consumers and also that advertising and labeling are not misleading in the business world. Unilever also has Environment Policy to follow in order to ensure safety of their products and reduce environmental footprint of their brand. Evaluation should be made at every stage, from producing the raw materials to create products to dispose usage by the consumer as the end user. Environmental management systems should be develops and improve in order to enhance the performance of environmental safety and sustainability programmes. Encourage suppliers to develop and improve ingredients and manufacturing of Unilever products. Relationship with industry bodies, government agencies, and business partners should be strong to promote environmental care and to develop the knowledge and disseminate best practice. Competitors situation and SWOT analysis Although Unilever is a fast moving consumer goods (FMNG) in the world, their standing in the world is also affected by competitor around them. Nestle is also one of the worlds largest food manufacturer, that is based In 200 countries worldwide and head quartered in Vevey, Switzerland. Their operating activities include food, beverages, pet care and also pharmaceuticals. They have 253,000 employees around the world. Strength Recognition as a global company Strong brand portfolio Strong relationship with retailer Economic of scales Weaknesses Dual leadership Inefficient management of brands Reduced spending on R D Inability to maximize acquisition Opportunities Changing of costumers taste The high demand of healthy products Responding toward global activities Threats Strong competition- decrease in revenue New development of different brands Exchange rate Weather SWOT Analysis of Unilever Strength Global sales have topped $ 101billion Ranked as worlds largest bottle water company Major brands consistently supported by consumer Weakness Growth in organic food was flat Breakfast cereal was claim to have posses fake health benefits General Mills is a major brand but slow in innovation and health base products Opportunities Introduce more health-based products Opened Nestle Cafà ©s to feature Nestle Products Provide peanut free and gluten free products Threats Raw ingredient price of chocolate has rise Major Competitor in chocolate such as Hersheys, Starbucks and many more Contamination of food supply SWOT Analysis of Nestlà © Comparison of Unilever and Nestle SWOT analysis Strength Unilever is recognizing worldwide because of the success of their products and is base in many other countries. It has an excellent management of portfolio, which includes many leading global wants with powerful category ranking such as Lipton tea. This brand has the marketing expertise to capitalize worldwide including regenerating 44% sales from the increment in D E markets. Nestle has the attention of consumer as they have target environmental issues by ranking as the largest bottle company in the world, and Nestle is easily accessible because they are operating in more than 100 countries. Weaknesses Reports of replacing current CEO has raise uncertainty factor as his role in Unilever is very successful. Unilever has a wide management folio which includes their top 25 brands. There is a lack of management strategy. Some consumer brands might have stronger management compared to others in order to compete with competitors. Nestles breakfast cereal product has been branded as false claim in providing health benefits by American Medical Association. This will cost Nestle a huge loss in the market share and also expenditure in rebranding the brand. This has give Unilever the chance to target consumer with health benefits products in their food and drinks line which is Lipton tea. Opportunities Unilever can improve the need for high quality food, with more nutritious ingredients or organic meal services. Consumers are concern about ingredients knowledge. Products must be different in packaging, example labeling on nutrition facts on product package. For global activities, Unilever has work in partnership with World Food Programmes (WFP) with support in the development of the health and nutrition of children in developing countries. In 2009, 17 million meals were provided for children of 80,000 and in Kenya, Indonesia, and Colombia at least 50,000 schools were taking part in Health and Nutrition Campaign. Nestle has come up with new strategies in order to target health benefit products such as opening Nestle Cafes that sells their products actively in all countries and also give them the chance to promote new products. Threats World economic instability may affect developing countries and continue to spread in the R E markets. Rivals (FMNG) may rise to capture the market share from Unilever growth areas, as they also focus on the same market as Unilever. Brands like P G and Nestle are also coming with new brands that are cheap and still maintain the quality of products. Weather such as drought is also a threat to Unilevers Lipton tea brand as they might fail to produce the targeted tea amount and good quality tea. As for Nestle as they are exposure to chocolate brands such as Hersheys and Cadbury that might come up with more creative chocolate products. Food contamination is also a threat to Nestle as they are afraid it might damage their image as a global food producer. Raw chocolate ingredients have increase in price and might cost Nestle to spend more on expenditure cost. Objectives and assumptions Societal objectives Specific Guide consumer to reduce salt intake by 6g per day Change the hygiene behavior of people through Lifebuoy and its partner programmes Display percentage Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) for key nutrient on the package of products Measureable Food portfolio has reach benchmark of 76% reduction of salt in products Lifebuoy programmes such as has reach out to 23 countries through Global Washing Hand Programmes Food products that are manufactured with key nutrients on packaging Achievable World Health Organisation has recommended 5g intake of salt per day and this will guide consumer to follow them in the path of healthy life Hygiene education has been rolled -out towards countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam All food products will reduce in percentage of salt, and saturated fat but retain the taste of the products Realistic World Health Organisation recommended to reduce intake of salt has help Unilever to guide consumer to reduce salt intake by reducing the salt concentration in products Millions of people has been reach in 23 countries to increase awareness on hygiene Nutrition information helps consumer to understand how healthy is the product Timely In the year 2010, 5g of salt intake has been reduce. By 2015, 6 g of salt consumption will be achieved Change the hygiene behavior of 1 billion people by the year 2015 Environmental Objectives Specific Reduce environmental impact while doubling size of business All tea for Lipton tea product are from certified sustainable resources All palm oil obtain from certified sustainable resources Reduce CO2 from energy in manufacturing products Measurable Assessed greenhouse gas, water, and waste impact of 1500 products Around 80% of Lipton Tea Label are from certified farms 185,000 tonnes of palm oil are purchase via certified farms Reduce the production of Co2 energy in manufacturing sector of products Achievable Tea that are sold in Western Europe comes from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms Total purchase of 15% palm oil are from Green Palm Certified farms Achieve 41% reduction in Co2 energy from manufacturing products Realistic 65% and 73% reduction in water and total wastage Rainforest Alliance certified farm and Green Palm farms are main supply of tea and palm oil for Lipton tea products Manufacturing sector strategy are able to reduce 44% of Co2 since 1995 Timely By the year 2015, all tea that are sold is certified sustainable sources By the year 2015, all palm oil that are sold is also from certified sustainable sources By the year 2015, water, greenhouse gas, and waste impact is reduce by another 25% Co2 energy reduce by 25%in manufacturing products by the year 2015 Financial Objectives Specific Increase sourcing from smallholder to ensure security supply Reached 49% of sales in developing countries Unilever top line growth in sales by 5% Brand reduction from 1600 to 400 products Measurable Tea and Palm oil are obtain from certified farms 12 brands with sales of 1billion profit Brand extension such as Knorr to increase profit sales Achievable Product production in small portion so that low income earners can purchase it Realistic Increase consumption of products by consumers at all income level in developing product Timely By the year 2012, there is an increase of 5 to 6 % in profit Assumptions In order to prepare this marketing plan, a few assumption to be made for Unilever in the future. Contamination of ingredients in product Unilever takes precaution in producing new products, if the safety of certain ingredients or product that is not sure, Unilever will not put it in the market for sale. This assure consumer that all products manufactured by Unilever are safe to use. Improve technology for better quality of products Technology advancement has assist in finding new ingredients for products and safety precaution measures are taken to improve the new discovery. Unilever will safely exercise substitution method with the product that is already in the market as a development of product quality. Hazardous product that defects product qualities and benefits will be disposed. Strategies Personal care for future sales growth and profitability Unilever has identified the key to achieve sustainable profitable growth through its personal care business segment as it generate the fastest-growing business compared to other sector such as food and beverages. Personal care business refers to the products that are self managed, such as hair shampoo and skin care products. This is because the demand for these products in the market has been increasing, as well as the existing sales from this segment is satisfying. However, Unilevers greatest rival Procter Gamble (PG) for many years have been more innovative and creative in introducing new products. In the previous year in the personal care sale increase only by 1.4% to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬11.30billion while overall turnover rose by 1.4% to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬40.2 billion. In order for creating future sales growth, Unilever will focus more personal care segment for future sale growth and sustaining profit from increasing raw material cost. Graph below shows the revenue increment in Unilever s products line, including personal care segments. External Pressure and Organisational Restructuring High cost of raw material, adverse exchange rates and macroeconomic worries such as politic and regulation of countries might affect the performance of Unilever. In order to secure generation of profit and sustaining raw material cost Unilever has come up with few strategies. Unilever has to reduce 20,000 jobs across its production division and combine its Personal Care and food sector into one category to reduce cost that will be delivered to consumer. Unilever has come up with Path to Growth strategy that promises improvement in its performances. This strategy will help the organisation to restructure its two global divisions, Home Personal Care and Food into one division. This would effectively lower production costs that will be implied into price of the products and influence consumers consumption from price aspect. Price is a crucial matter to consumers due to economy fluctuation that will affect lower spending power. Unilever Marketing Mix Here we will discuss the marketing mix strategy of Unilever in that might boost their sale. Unilever has wide range of brand such as Home Personal Care products to food and drinks like Knorr and Lipton tea. We will now do the marketing mix of Sun silk because Unilevers most profitable line of product is personal care products. So below is the marketing mix of Sun silk from Unilever Marketing mix Explanation Product Sunsilk is one of Unilevers famous brands under personal care product. It targets mainly woman by portraying the 21st century woman that is confident, charismatic, and get going attitude that doesnt wait for things to happen but achieve their goals by sheer hard work. Although the main target is woman but Sunsilk is used by many people of difference class and age group. In order to satisfy the needs of their consumer, Sunsilk has developed various kinds of shampoo and conditioner that suit the different kind of hair type. Sunsilk has manage to gain loyalty of consumers because of their undying effort in producing more innovative products and maintaining its quality through extensive chemical testing until it is truly safe. Place In order for Sunsilk to be the number 1st choice for its consumer, they must distribute their products to all the people no matter where they are. Sunsilk has targeted retail outlets, malls, super market and any other stores as long they are easily access for consumers. The high consumer demand has shown that easy availability factor is very important to reach out to the consumers. Price As the market leader in personal care products, Sunsilk is freely to set the market price. In order to satisfy the main goal of Unilever which is maximise profit , increase the sales and also increase in market share the price of product is an important factors that affect all of this. The research department determines the price of the products while taking account the affordability of consumers of different income level. Unilevers main competition which is Procter Gambles Pantene product has also come up with innovative products to gain the market share of Sunsilk. Fortunately, Sunsilk has the advantage to set the price of product by being the market leader in personal care products. Sunsilk has also take inflation into account, by maintaining constant profit margins. Promotion Advertising and marketing strategy are the main tools for Sunsilk to push up their sales and awareness of their products. In order to promote their brands , Sunsilk has distributed flyers and free sachets at malls, retail outlets and also door to door campaigning. Hair experts are also send to schools to check the hair type of people in one region and how can they improvise their products for such consumers. Free gift hampers and free washes are also given to people to maintain the goodwill and maintain the momentum of brand loyalty. Sunsilk has also increase the awareness of people by using the growing trend of online advertising and communication network of people. Internet access has act as an online material to ensure that people does not escape the attention of Sunsilk. Television is another major communication access for consumer to keep the brand fresh in the mind of consumers and also to attract new consumers and breed interest in the usage of Sunsilk products. Forecast sales budget à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ 2009 (à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬)million 2010(à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬)million 2011(à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬)million 2012(à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬)million Turnover 39,823 41,814 43,905 46,100 Cost of Sales 20,580 20,992 21,411 21,840 Percent 51.68% 50.20% 48.77% 47.38% à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ Operating Profit 19,243 20,823 22,493 24,260 Percent 48.32% 49.80% 51.23% 52.62% à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ Operating Expenses 14,223 14,934 15,681 16,465 Percent 35.72% 35.72% 35.72% 35.72% à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ Profit 5,020 5,888 6,813 7,796 Percent 12.61% 14.08% 15.52% 16.91% The increase in profit and operating profit has shown the sales profit of product sales from Unilevers top brand. The increment in operating expenses has shown that promotion strategy has been to use to stay competitive in the market that Unilever venture into.

A Clockwork Orange Essay: Existentialist Analysis -- Clockwork Orange

Existentialist Analysis of Burgess' A Clockwork Orange  Ã‚     Ã‚   Freedom and liberalism are catchwords that appear frequently in both philosophical and political rhetoric. A free man is able to choose his actions and his value system, to express his views and to develop his most authentic character. What this kind of idealistic liberalism seems to forget, however, is that liberty does not mean a better society, better life or humanistic values such as equality and justice. In his novel A Clockwork Orange (1962), Anthony Burgess portrays an ultimately free individual and shows how a society cannot cope with the freedom which it in rhetoric so eagerly seeks to promote. Existentialism as a mid-20th century philosophical trend introduced the idea of an absolutely free individual into the scheme of modern and postmodern individualism. A Clockwork Orange is a novel that raises a wide range of ethical questions from the definition of free choice and goodness to methods of punishment. Existentialism in the form presented by Jean-Paul Sartre and the German phenomenologists does not provide an ethical nor a psychological perspective to the novel. Applying 'existentialist thought' to Anthony Burgess' work will, however, give understanding of the narrator Alex as a case of a free individual who attempts to construct his world and relate to it authentically. Hence the main issue to be examined is the necessity of self-definition and the extent of its discouragement in Alex's social environment. Alex is a 15 year-old boy cast into a problematic future society. He is the dominating only child of an ordinary working class family. He attends corrective school during the day and seeks violent pleasures with his droogs during the night. As ... ... postmodernist rhetoric he devises a "new chapter beginning" for his living story. In the eyes of abstract existentialism Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange is an interesting exploration. The novel illustrates that the nature of society is the restriction of freedom. In the social contract some human liberty is exchanged for a social membership, a construction. The problem of society, it appears, is the balance between rights and obligations within the contract. If the balance is not directed towards the individual, but towards the state, the society becomes the annihilator of authenticity. Such a society cannot cope with the natural sense of freedom, self-expression, and authenticity of its people. Bibliography Burgess Anthony 1962. A Clockwork Orange. Penguin Books 1996. Sartre Jean-Paul 1956. Being and Nothingness. Washington Square Press 1992.   

Core Areas of a Successful Business Essay

I.Ethics Leadership and ethics are more than closely related. They are one in the same. A famous quote by James MacGregor Burns sums up the correlation well, â€Å"Divorced from ethics, leadership is reduced to management and politics to mere technique.† (James Macgregor Burns) The quote touches on two very distinct differences. One aspect is leadership, and the other management. One who is a leader has the ability to inspire. He or she can inspire others to work harder, take on tasks thought to be impossible, and the leader could also inspire ideas. The ideas could come directly from a leader, or from those around him or her. A leader has complete clarity and vision. They also have a knack for overcoming obstacles and having others see and share their viewpoint. Another attribute that great leaders possess is the ability to show balance when handling various issues. They are able to balance ethic justice with ethic core. Ethic justice is defined by law and logic, as ethic core is defined by how it influences people on an emotional level. There have been various examples of ethical violations or moral ambiguity in business involving companies such as ENRON and TYCO. These companies were all about the perception of success. However, if someone were to investigate into the numbers, he would see there were serious problems. Hiding debt in dummy companies and offering excessive bonuses to executives are just a few examples of these violations. Where was the oversight? Well, the people who were in charge hand their hands out like everyone else. These individuals seemed oblivious to the consequences of their actions or those who would be hurt in the process due to their greed. Key decisions weren’t made at lower management level. Rather, they were being made at the executive level! Isn’t it the role of effective managers to prevent occurrences like this from happening? What is management’s position in these particular circumstances? Is there a specific procedure they should always follow? II.Processes of Management How do management and leadership differ from one another? It is best simplified by this quote from Peter Drucker, â€Å"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.† The terms manager and leadership are commonly used to mean the same idea, although they serve different purposes. Mr. Drucker gives a glimpse of the differences within his quote. Management is defined as a process that is used within an organization to help accomplish goals. The overall process of management includes planning, organizing, leading, and utilizing individuals and resources available within the organization. Planning is all about strategy and positioning. Having a clear understanding of the company’s objectives will streamline the planning portion of the process. Being able to identify trends are critical in meeting the demands of a business. A well-developed plan will help diminish the chances of failure of an organization. The plan requires structure and a team to deliver the plan. It is important that the structure be in place, and everyone has a clear understanding of their role. The concepts of organizational structures have in practiced for nearly one hundred years. In 1919, a French economic theoretician â€Å"Henri Fayol† published a book titled Administration Industrielle. It was one of the first publications that outlined the various aspects of a functioning business structure. He spoke about how to best to divide the function of business: creating a unity of command, hierarchy of authority, division of labor, and putting in place clear channels of communication. (Nickels & McHugh, 2010, p. 207) Another theory was developed by Max Weber. Max Weber wrote a book titled The Theory of Social and Economic Organizations. He shared many of the same theories as Henri Fayol. However, Max Weber was of the belief that less educated workers carried out tasks better if they were guided closely and given strict rules by middle management to be performed. (Nickels & McHugh, 2010, p. 208) Today many of those theories are still practiced. Businesses have to develop strategies allowing them to be nimble. If a business is slow to react to the market demands, they could be left behind. This is a costly proposition for companies looking to expand. Organizations seem to be moving toward a decentralized authority. This empowers the managers and employees to make decisions based upon their market needs quickly. A faster response time translates into improved customer relations and builds brand loyalty. This type of strategy is found in retail department store chains. On the other hand many fast food chains believe in the concept of centralized authority. All decisions on purchasing and promotion come from those in upper management. This allows companies such as McDonalds to keep their product consistent. (Nickels & McHugh, 2010, p. 210) It is unlikely that a drastic philosophical change within retail or fast food will take place anytime soon. There have been innovative changes within other market segments concerning team structuring and how to best respond to the demands of the consumer. For example, if a company wants to introduce a new product and bring it to market quickly they have the ability to pool their internal human resources. Simply put as bringing the best minds from all facets of the business and have them work on a specified project. This team is commonly known as a cross functional team. What is so unique about this team is that they are self-managed. They may also share different managers during the task. The engineer may work closely with the team on the design of the product. However, when it is time to distribute and brand the product the marketing manager may take over. They also work together on a long term basis fostering new opportunities. (Nickels & McHugh, 2010, p. 218) Working in teams can be great at moving an organization forward and carrying out task delivered by management. Teams can also seize opportunity by having the ability to quickly respond to a changing market such as technology. The biggest advantage of working in a team would have to be communication. Working as a team has far more advantages compared to its disadvantages. Some of the drawbacks would be the team having or developing a disconnection from the corporation’s core values or a feeling that they are their own entity. This occurs when areas are departmentalized from other functions of the business. Sometimes, if a common goal is not reinforced, it can cause some employees to become disengaged. If you have ever been part of a team where one of the members is negative and disengaged it can become infectious. At a minimum it becomes a distraction and disruptive to the team and its progress. (Nickels & McHugh, 2010, p. 212) At what point does leadership step in to take charge? What role, if any, does leadership play in business? III.Leadership Leadership is universal as the principles that define effective leadership are equitable worldwide. This is because leadership is mainly founded on principles that revolve around human relations. It usually requires one to be selfless. Individuals in leadership should always prioritize the needs of all the people who are under his command before his personal needs or interests. There are several styles that have resulted in effective leadership. These styles depend on the demands and requirements of the individuals involved and the tasks facing the institution. However, these styles have also been forced to evolve with the changes brought along by the 21st century. This section tackles the evolution of leadership taking into account various styles and use of varied examples in a bid to highlight and make the issue most comprehensible. Leadership styles revolve around three key points. The first includes the manner in which a leader gives guidelines or directions to his subordinates. Secondly, it is also determined by the method through which the leader implements his plans. Lastly, leadership style is also largely influenced by whether or not the leader motivates people to produce the desired results. Leadership styles are usually categorized into three different and unique styles when referring to individual leaders. One of the leadership styles that have been around for ages is the authoritarian or autocratic type of leadership. In this case, the leader gives the employees orders on what they want to be executed and the execution manner. An authoritarian leader usually is strict on the regulations and policies governing the employees of the company. An example of an authoritarian leader is a traffic police officer giving directions to motorists (Glanz, 2002). According to Glanz, a true leader is best characterized if he or she serves as a role model to others by promoting corporation between them. Moreover, one should also empower other individuals by giving praise where necessary or including them in the process of decision making. Lastly, a leader should communicate effectively to his employees on both his values and those that govern the organization. Another form of leadership style is democratic or participative type of leadership. In this case, the individual in the leadership position includes other people in decision making. Despite this, the leader is the one to make the final decision on the matters at hand. There is also a leadership style where the leader delegates the role of decision making to the employees while giving minimal or no guidance. This style is referred to as free-rein or delegative type of leadership. This style works well where the employees are competent, and the leader has confidence in them. Having any characteristics of these three leadership styles doesn’t mean you can’t enhance your role as a leader/manager with vision, value, and ethics. How does following these important guidelines improve your role as a leader? Leaders that impact businesses and employees on a daily basis know what they value. They also recognize the importance of utilizing their ethical behavior. The best leaders exhibit their values and ethics in their leadership style and actions. Defining your leadership ethics and values should be visible because you are living them in your actions every single day. A lack of trust can become a serious problem in many workplaces throughout the business world. If leaders never identified their values in these workplaces, the mistrust becomes understandable. If leaders have identified and shared their core values then living those values daily will create trust with everyone. Workplace ethics take the same route when the organization’s leadership has a code of conduct and ethical expectation; they become an organization joke if the leaders fail to live up to their published code of ethics. Leaders that exhibit ethical behavior powerfully influence the actions of others including the employees that will eventually make that leader successful. As a leader, choose the values and the ethics that are most important to you, the values and ethics you believe in and that define your character. Then live them visibly every day in the workplace. Living your values is one of the most powerful tools available to you to help you lead and influence other s. Just as in the business text of class; leaders must communicate a vision, establish their values, promote their corporate ethics, and embrace change, and stress accountability and responsibility among employees to become an effective leader in management. How could you improve your role as a leader/manager to become more effective? Managers are often seen as administrators and not leaders, depending on how we define leadership. The meaning of leadership is defined as promoting new direction either in people or organizations. It has nothing to do with being in a position of authority over others. What do we define as management? This is having responsibility for people and other resources with the goal of getting work done as efficiently and effectively as possible. The goal of the manager is to execute the directions promoted by the leader. Managers do not differ from leaders based on their personalities or styles as leaders are not just more lively, charismatic or larger than life managers. Any manager can lead by promoting new directions. Managers can be as inspiring as leaders even when they are wearing their managerial hat; hence, aiming to get work done efficiently, they try to inspire employees to improve performance rather than move them to change direction as leaders do. Both leaders and managers can influence quietly or by example without being charismatic. Any person can step into management, but the real question is how that individual is going to lead his people or team. Managers become successful only by understanding what it takes to be an effective leader to promote change with accountability. An individual can manage, but the true success of a powerful leader is the reflection of performance among its subordinates. An imposing leader knows how to manage as well as how to promote change effectively and positively from leading by example. Becoming an effective leader will eventually give an individual the success to reach his/her employees through positive influence and by achieving the high expectations handed down by the company objective. It is up to the individual leader on how he wants to manage his people in order to receive the best end-results. Taking all of these aspects into consideration, does someone in a leadership position have an obligation to motivate his or her employees, or is it up to the employee to realize his or her motivation? IV.Employee Motivation Many corporations today explore various strategies on how to improve production and motivate their staff to give one hundred percent toward the company’s goals. The most successful companies and organizations always seem to have extraordinarily strong leadership. There are many ways in which strong leadership can motivate the employees in an organization. Strong leadership can be used to energize a team in the workplace. A formidable leader should create a positive correlation between the workers and their employer. Moreover, the leader should be able to pool energy from each worker so as to improve performance and productivity as a team. Strong leaders have enormous reserves of spiritual, emotional and physical energy. The leader should be able to create a time for reflection of performance and also interpersonal evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of every employee. This is because the investment in employees helps to improve performance and also improve motivation (Adair, 1998). Powerful leadership in the workplace can help to motivate the employees through effective communication. Communication helps to influence employees to improve their performance. In addition, delegation of duties within an organization is carried through communication, and it is essential for employees to communicate their concerns in the workplace to avoid inconvenience. An influential leader is a person who listens to the grievances of the subordinates and provides possible solutions to improve the level of performance. Moreover, a prominent leader should also be empowered to solve problems and to suggest solutions for the problems affecting the employees in the workplace. This means the information from every employee should be handled with the respect it deserves, including a concentrated effort placed on improving interpersonal relations with their employees. This reduces conflicts and creates a platform for employees to act as a team (Advameg, 2012). One valuable method to motivate employees in the workplace is to mentor them and encourage them to grow and work as a team. This improves their partnerships and helps the organization to benefit in the long run. The fundamentals of motivation should be based on influencing the employees and helping them to achieve success. In essence, the leader should limit the regulations and set rules. Any change of an objective or rule should be communicated effectively to avoid frustrations which may be created by the confusion. It should also be understood that employees work effectively in an environment where there are reduced rules and regulations. The rules should be developed in such a manner that they enhance integration and cohesion within the workplace (Emmerich, 2009). Awarding the employees who have performed well in an organization is one of the ways which motivates them and improves their capability. The top leadership should ensure that there is the creation of incentive programs in which the best performing employees are awarded according to their performance in the workplace. The main purpose for creation of incentive programs is to show the employees that the organization values and cares about them. In addition, through the rewarding of performance employees are encouraged to continue to seek improvement in their job. The production of employees is prone to increase after they have been motivated using incentive programs Messmer, 1995). Incentive programs motivate performance through maximization of results. Outstanding performance over a period of time should be rewarded through promotion or through the provision of incentives. The incentives should be based on hard work and should vary from one employee to the other. This helps to improve competition and also to help motivate the weaker employees to increase their performance within the organization. The leadership has the obligation to create a program in which the top performers are rewarded according to their performance in the work place. Alternatively, the salaries and remuneration of the top performing employees should be increased to encourage them to work towards achievement of personal goals and objectives (Emmerich, 2009). Performance based on consistent meeting of the objectives should also be rewarded. Some form of compensation helps to encourage employees to invest their personal best into an organization. Employers who reward their subordinates on performance based on consistency have increased rates in meeting of personal goals and objectives. Rewarding the employees shows them that they are important, and increases their level of motivation, consequently leading to excellent performance. This also shows employees that they are highly valued and are significant assets to management. Furthermore, rewarding employees helps to retain them and increase their morale in the workplace. Employees should also receive unexpected rewards to express appreciation for all of their diligence on the job. This unanticipated compensation explicitly illustrates their importance in the organization (Messmer, 1995). One of the proven ways of motivating employees is the reduction of turnover in the workplace. Reducing turnover creates cohesion and trust among the employees. Reduction of turnover also helps to maximize potential through reduction of the costs of retaining valuable employees. When the numbers of employees are at an optimum level, the rate of performance increases. This means that hardworking and promising employees within an organization should be retained while the unproductive employees should be dismissed. Arguably, it is evident that employees who leave their employment have the reason of being unmotivated and unsatisfied. Good leadership would solve these problems while helping to improve performance in the long run. However, the individual who displays a sense of pride complimented with self-motivation is the most valued employee and a key contributor to the success of any organization. (Advameg, 2012). Operating a successful business is by no means any easy task. For lack of a better analogy, it’s like a well-oiled machine. All the pieces have to be working together and each piece doing its fair share of the work. If one were to go down, then the others have to pick up the slack for the malfunctioning section. In business, each position has to be working together to achieve successful financial as well as intangibly. If not, then a company could very well be on the path to failure.