NEBOSH International Diploma Essay

I INTRODUCTION Nalanda Associates is committed to achieving Health, Safety, and Security and Environmental management for all its activities as an integral part of our business. The purpose of Nalanda Associates HSSE Management System (HSSE-MS) is to provide the framework and structure for the delivery of the highest level of HSSE Performance in accordance with best industry practice. I.1 Aim Individual Health, Safety, Security and Environment systems, management tools and techniques have evolved over years. They just needed to be integrated into the business in a structured manner. In order to manage HSSE effectively, we need a sound management system to provide managers with the assurance that they are discharging their responsibilities effectively and as a basis for continuous HSSE performance improvement. The Nalanda Associates HSSE Management System has been developed to meet these needs; it provides a set of arrangements to ensure that we control our HSSE risks in a practical, effective and efficient manner. It builds on experience gained in the application of earlier systems and arrangements and also draws on external developments such as Quality Management standards (ISO 9000), Health and Safety Management (HS(G)65),Environmental Management (ISO 14000) and HSSE Management (E&P Forum). The aim of the HSSE Management System is to provide an assurance to all of us at Nalanda Associates, as well as regulators, partners, licensing authorities and insurers that we are able to comply with Company Policy and Legislation through a process of self-regulation and control. The emphasis is placed on an approach which is both objective setting (establishing what to do and then doing it) as well as proactive (taking action before and not after the event). Plan → Do →Check → Act The focus is on a systems model approach as applied in quality and other business Management systems. This self-regulatory approach is risk based, not at any cost, but on the premise that necessary and cost effective measures applied, should reduce risk to a level that is As Low As Reasonably  Practicable (ALARP*). The management system combines Health, Safety, Security and Environment, and is based on the following key points: †¢ Prominence being given by both industry and the regulators world-wide to the need for self regulation based on internal control; †¢ Managers setting their own objectives, monitoring their achievement and demonstrating that the organisation is self regulating – thus minimising external regulatory burdens; †¢ Synergy to be obtained from managing HSSE together; †¢ Need for sustained effort to improve HSSE performance; †¢ Integration of HSSE into our businesses for efficient use of management resources. * ALARP – a point at which the cost of further risk reduction is grossly dis-proportionate to the benefit gained. It is to be recognized that Nalanda Associates is going through a phase of continuous growth. Hence, the HSSE-MS will need to continually evolve to respond to changing needs of business environment. HSSE Management System cuts across the functional boundaries of different departments/installations/facilities in Nalanda Associates and is a system to manage HSSE in an Integrated and co-ordinated way. I.2 Objective Management Demonstrate Leadership and commitment at all levels of management chain †¢ Establishing performance contracts & key performance indicators related to HSSE deliverables across all levels in the organisation for successful delivery of HSSE Targets & plans for the year †¢ To develop and implement strategies to improve Contractors’ HSSE performance through visible leadership and increased facilitation to contract partners. Environment Reduce levels of environmentally harmful emissions, discharge and waste operations and activities. †¢ Develop & implement targets to reduce GHG emission †¢ To apply best practices for minimising emissions in new projects Safety Ensure ‘zero injury’ operation †¢ To ensure that staff and contractors managing their activities understand & implement Life Savers & associated standards & procedures. †¢ Focus on safety during execution of new projects †¢ Ensure lessons learnt are implemented Health – Zero Occupational Illness †¢ Improve upon current Health Assurance Framework (HAF) score of 85% to 100% Security – Zero Security Incident †¢ Review and effectively monitor security risks and implementation of associated control Measures I.3 Methodology Used for this report This includes observation 1. When ,where, with whom PU foam factory †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2. Consultation with whom 3. Inspection when,where,how 4. Document verification which documents you verified.

Emphasizing Cultural Attributes Essay

Abstract Students identified for special education programs, either for the gifted or for students in need of more intensive instruction, are often identified solely by their qualifying label or diagnosis in close to all circumstances. The emphasized focus on this one attribute often results in a lack of acknowledgement for the culture of the child and how that culture affects learning style and social behavior. The students in these programs may not have the self-awareness to know and be proud of their heritage nor might their peers have an idea of how each are the same and different because of these ancestral qualities. This lack of recognition disrupts the efforts that both schools and communities put forth in establishing multicultural environments for learning and socializing. It causes people to view special education students with a narrow perspective which then affects the manner in which they ultimately view all other groups. Reversing this trend and helping people to consider special education students as whole persons is achievable through simple yet intensive education of both students and professional educators. A combination of special education curriculum and professional development focusing on differentiation between cultural characteristics and label-related behaviors would provide the framework, tools, and training needed to implement a consistent education about cultural diversity as well as broaden the awareness of administrators, teachers, and instructional staff regarding different cultures and ways of life. Resistance from districts or schools would be challenged with research based findings and statistics as well as active experiences from educational establishments already piloting the program. By infusing a diversity curriculum for special education and helping professional educators to consider these students for all of their natural qualities, including but certainly not limited to their qualifying factors for special education, the multicultural movement is perpetuated. Teachers are the greatest role models for both students and community members. Providing curriculum and training in the area of cultural diversity empowers teachers to make subtle and grand changes to their schools and communities. Throughout our education system, students are labeled and categorized so as to ensure proper delivery of instruction and academic services. This labeling process occurs via a series of assessments, observations, and includes correlation with any accompanying medical diagnosis or characteristics of such. Students whose assessment results place them outside the average or normal range are grouped either as â€Å"gifted† or â€Å"in need of more intensive instruction† and placed in special education. Once in a special education program, these students are primarily identified by their diagnosis, such as autistic or cerebral palsy, or label, such as gifted or savant. While this information is crucial to developing an academic plan that will challenge the student and initiate academic growth, these labels tend to cause educators and instructional support staff to lose sight of the student as a whole person. By failing to identify the cultural characteristics of students in special education, the school system makes itself vulnerable to failing the child. Children and their behaviors are shaped by their lifestyles at home and in the community. Households adhere to a variety of procedures and routines from how to manage hygiene to cooking practices to sharing and interacting with others. For students with additional traits that yield enrollment in special education, it is crucial to consider the cultural aspects of their lives so as to enhance the effectiveness of instruction and learning. By disregarding cultural characteristics, the students are at risk of being seen only for their disability or label and provided instruction based on statistics and research taken on other children with similar labels rather than truly individualized for each student. As a special education teacher, I can attest to the simplicity of developing lesson plans based on the disabilities seen in the classroom. Particularly if the classroom is tailored to one diagnosis, such as Autism, using pre-determined and proven methods that lend themselves to the disability are an easy way to deliver instruction and leave oneself believing the lesson was the best it could be. Unfortunately by adhering to published numbers and data collected about other students, scholars suffer both a diminished accessibility to the curriculum as well as misidentification of demonstrated behaviors during both academic and social time. When blinded by published data, educators are more prone to eliminate behaviors that are undesirable under the heading of the disability or label even though the same behavior is common in the culture of the student. Scholars are unable to fully connect with instruction or activities because cultural traits related to learning may be redirected or stopped. In a way, by identifying the student only by qualifying label and not also by gender, culture, or race, the school system is inadvertently causing the students to become more engrained in the shortcoming of their disabilities rather than giving them the knowledge and tools to overcome their obstacles. Additionally, the school forces the students to assimilate to a model of non-culture which results in a total loss of culture identification. In the case of gifted students, not emphasizing cultural differences leaves these leaders of the future short-handed in both social and networking skills. They will lack an understanding of themselves which can isolate them from their cultural peers as well as damage their ability to associate to their peers and colleagues both as children and as adults. Students, professional educators, and the community would benefit from a combination of diversity curriculum and professional development addressing the topic of cultural diversity in special education. As role models for both the students and the community, teachers will reap the most benefit from implementing such a program as well as have the greatest influence over the effectiveness of the results. By establishing a cohesive awareness about the cultural identities of students in special education, the manner in which the students and the community view all social groups will be improved. (MAISD, 2013) Curriculum written to the level of special education students would help both gifted and underachieving students gain a greater understanding and perspective about cultural diversity, allowing them to identify themselves and their peers as members of rich and honorable histories. (Minnesota State Colleges & Universities, 2013) This curriculum would parallel that of general education curriculum but with modifications to make it more accessible to the target audiences of special education. Additional lessons and activities about self identification and awareness, stereotypes of different cultures, comparison of cultural practices, and comparison of specific cultural behaviors and disability-related behaviors provide the foundation knowledge that many special educations students are lacking. Curriculum for special day classes would include creating consistent visual cues for identifying different cultures and the basic characteristics associated with each one. Gifted students would be given opportunities to delve into deeper thinking about their own heritage in comparison to that of their peers, the pros and cons of how different cultural lifestyles and attitudes affect society and the economy, and project how different cultural attributes may affect the future. (Schroeder, 2011). Implementation of this curriculum would be coupled with professional development for all school personnel. The professional development would focus on identifying students in special education by culture, gender, and race in addition to diagnosis or qualifying factors. Participants would receive a general foundation education about how different cultures look in the classroom and how those behaviors mimic the behaviors related to different disabilities or levels of genius. For example, students with Asian heritage tend to avoid eye contact which is also a classic trait of Autism. An Asian student with an autism diagnosis should not be encouraged to make eye contact with adults even though eye contact is an area of social interaction that many autism programs focus on improving. Data taken on the student’s behavior should not include frequency of eye contact because results will yield poor performance that may or may not be related to the disability. In addition to increasing understanding in this area, teachers will be given the knowledge to find students whose cultural behaviors may have led to a misidentification for special education. Our public school system continues to demonstrate a disturbing number of students who have been wrongly identified for special education due to cultural characteristics or inability to relate to assessment tools because of cultural experiences or beliefs. By learning to differentiate between cultural and disability/label related behaviors, teachers will have a first-hand opportunity to ensure that all students are placed in appropriate classrooms offering them a just-right challenge. Professional development will include information about different White cultures for these students are often lumped together as â€Å"cultureless† and therefore disregarded as displaying behaviors that can be attributed to their heritage. (Perry, 2001) White students come from a myriad of ancestries; French, South African, Australian, Spanish, Welsh, and German to name a few, and each display their own unique array of culturally related behaviors. For example, the French culture adheres to hygiene practices that are different than most cultures. As a result, a French special education student may be adverse to water because of lack of exposure. It is important to refrain from automatically attaching the adverse reaction to sensory disregulation or irrational fear, two common characteristics of many disabilities. A special education student with South African roots may only eat meat and avoid vegetables, which reflects the heavy meat diet enjoyed by persons in this region. (Oplan, 2013) It would be easy to label this as â€Å"finicky eating† and relate it back to a diagnosis of Autism or Down Syndrome, disabilities that often manifest a very limited diet. Doing so, however, damages the child and his perception of his culture as it relates to American society. Implementation of curriculum and professional development would be relatively simple as long as districts and schools are willing to make an attempt. Upon introduction to school districts, both the curriculum and training would be supported by research based findings and statistical information regarding instances of misidentification for special education, the rise of disability diagnosis as compared to the increase of culturally diverse students in public school, parallels between cultural and disability related behaviors, and rates of school failure of students whose cultural needs were not served in the classroom. The program would include additional training for district selected educators to act as support personnel for both the curriculum and training as well as regional support contacts. An online live chat forum would be established and made available 24 hours per day, seven days per week to allow educators to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and share successes. Teachers would have opportunities to provide feedback so as to keep the training and curriculum current as well as help them feel acknowledged and empowered to continue implementing the program. Education of special education students beyond the basics is crucial if they are going to have the tools and knowledge needed to actively participate in their communities as adults. In order to interact socially with others as well as protect themselves from bigotry and slander, these students need to understand cultural differences and how those differences both benefit and plague society. They need to know what their role is in establishing a greater sense of multiculturalism in school and the community and be able to share information so as to educate others. Gifted students need a well rounded education about the world and how it interacts, most especially as related to cultural differences. They need to know how to find the threads of commonality among cultural groups while simultaneously celebrating diversity. By maintaining these skills, the students will be in the best position to have a positive influence on society and increase cultural awareness and understanding as well as diminish misguided stereotypes about both disabilities and cultural behaviors. References Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. (2013). Building Respect for Diversity. Retrieved from http://ctlrespectdiversity. project. mnscu. edu/index. asp? Type=B_BASIC&SEC= %7B9F44AF3C-4968-437C-88B2-3AFE80A0D1DD%7D MAISD. (2013). Multiculturalism and Diversity. Retrieved from http://www. muskegonisd. org/ academicservices/for-community/multicultural/ Schroeder, Connie. (2011) Infusing Diversity into the Curriculum. Retrieved from http://www4. uwm. edu/acad_aff/climate/2011_campus_conversation/march11-infusing-diversity-presentation. ppt Perry, Pamela. (2001). White Means Never Having to Say You’re Ethnic: White Youth and the Construction of â€Å"Cultureless† Identities. Retrieved from http://jce. sagepub. com/content/ 30/1/56. abstract Oplan, David. (2013). South Africa. Countries and Their Cultures. Retrieved from http://www. everyculture. com/Sa-Th/South-Africa. html#b Banks, J. A. & Banks, C. A. M. (2012). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. (8th Ed. ). Danville, MA: John Wiley & Sons, In.

Brain - the Most Important Organ

Brain - the Most Important Organ If I asked you what the most important organ was then maybe you would say itwas the heart or the lungs, but the vast majority of you would probably have said the brain and for good reason too. The brain controls everything about you. How the Brain Works The brain works by transmitting signals through something called neurons, the neurons transmit these signals through what are called axons. And then those axons are covered is a substance called myelin which acts as a sort of insulator that makes signals faster. Now with all of this it may surprise you that the brain is made of mostly fat! In fact it has the most fat out of any organ. But the brain still manages to work like a well oiled machine. After the neurons clump up they form something called grey matter and white matter. And those form to make up the entire brain. The vagus nerve is the main nerve that connect the brain to the rest of the body. It is sometimes called the â€Å"Highway of the brain† because of how much information passes through it. The arguably most important part of the brain is called the brainstem, it controls breathing, heartbeat, and other vital systems. Then after that the brain is split into hemispheres. There are also cortexes and lobes, but I wont go into detail with those. The left hemisphere controls logical thinking. It also controls speech. The right hemisphere controls the creative part of you. It is tied to artistic ability and also helps you recognize people. But both hemispheres control the opposite side of the body, the right controls left and left controls the right side. The Immune System With all these delicate parts that need to be protected the brain has evolved a way to combat any viruses or bacteria that are trying to attack it or any other part of the body. This system is called the immune system. The first cells that come are called phagocytes. The specific phagocyte I will talk about is called a Macrophage. It is the first defense against bacteria and viruses, but they can be infected by viruses, so the body has made cells called natural killer cells to kill any infected cells. While the Macrophages are very powerful in the case of a bacterial infection, the Macrophages will also cause inflammation and call Neutrophiles. The Neutrophils are so powerful that they accidentally harm the body too. Now if this isnt enough then the macrophages will call an immune cell called the Dendritic cell. The Dendritic cell will start collecting antigens of the virus/bacteria. Then they will travel to a lymphocyte through the lymphatic system. There they will activate T and B cells. The T cells then go to activate the B-cells and and the B-cells produce antibodies that will kill the virus/bacteria. After this there will be leftover T and B cells that will remember the bacteria/virus, and they are called memory T and B cells. This is how vaccines work! Multiple Sclerosis Now with that out of the way we can start to talk about some diseases. The first one I will talk about is called M.S. (Multiple Sclerosis.) This disease is formed because of what is called an autoimmune attack. An autoimmune attack is what happens when the immune system accidentally attacks itself. The most prominent of the cells that attack the own body are the natural killer cells. Now usually in a normally functioning immune system there are cells to stop this, they are called suppressor cells. In patients with M.S. however there is both a lack of suppressor cells and too many natural killer cells. This overall leads to the destruction of the myelin and the symptoms associated with M.S. which there are to many to count, but a few examples are Depression, Headache, Sleep Deprivation, and other symptoms like those. Prions Another of these neurodegenerative diseases are called prions. Prions are malformed proteins that infect other proteins and turn them into other prions. Prions are mostly found in cerebrospinal fluid. There is currently no way to catch Prions from other people other than†¦ Cannibalism and surgical equipment that was not sanitized. But, you can catch it from eating the meat off of animals that have it. One example of these diseases is Mad Cow disease. In humans it’s called vCJD, but the similarity between these two prions is that they both have a 100% death rate within one to two years. The Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) Now you may be asking yourself â€Å"Doesnt the brain have ways to stop diseases like those from harming it?† Well if you were asking those questions then you would be right. It is called the Blood Brain Barrier and as the name implies, it is a barrier between the blood and the brain. Usually this barrier can keep most bacteria and viruses out using a sort of meshat a cost. The BBB also keeps immunes cells from entering the brain in the event of an infection. This is why brain infections are so severe if they occur. Split Brain Now back in the 19th century they didnt understand the delicate machinery of the brain. So they started tampering with it. They created a procedure where they split the cord connecting the two hemispheres in order to cure seizures. It worked for a time, but then the patients started reporting that one part of their body was acting sort of on its own. For example they would choose to eat something and then they would have the left part of their body do something else. This is of course because the two parts of their brain couldnt communicate with each other that well. And that’s why it worked so well to cure seizures which happen because of the brain sending random signals everywhere. All of the diseases I listed are all incurable†¦ For now. So think about the future and what will happen and how medicine will evolve to help cure these diseases. Take this advice and help the world become a better place with no disease!

Uncovering the blind spot article Research Paper

Uncovering the blind spot article - Research Paper Example 2). The process of solving a problem, for example, involves generative and analytical approach for understanding available solutions and their consequences before identifying the best alternative. The definition of critical thinking that include a reflective approach also corresponds to Scharmer’s elements of generative listening and the U theory of understanding inner environment towards informed decisions and actions (Marquis and Huston, 2009). The article therefore establishes a strategy for understanding a leader’s inner environment towards effective leadership and decisions for solving existing problems. I for example, though subconsciously, applied the U theory to avert a work boycott by my team due to unmet demands by my organization’s management. While the team had complained about poor work conditions and demanded management’s intervention, the concerns were ignored. The team then met one morning and decided to boycott duty until their concerns were addressed. As the team leader, I isolated myself, analyzed the situation, and decided to persuade the team against the boycott and to outline to them the most appropriate strategy for solving the problem, an approach that averted the boycott. The article’s authors identify a transition from the traditional organizational structure in which communication followed bureaucratic processes and initiated communication barriers across levels in organizations. Based on the authors’ research, the traditional approach is rarely used and its application bears little success as compared to the new informal communication model that organizations are currently implementing. The authors further concludes that a shift from the traditional communication model is necessary due to emerging factors such as globalization, technological advancement, and new approaches to value creation and customers relation. Implementing the new communication model

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 10

Operations Management - Essay Example 29). Through measuring the effectiveness of the new applications at the CEUPU, it becomes easy to calculate the cycle time for the applications process. What is more, comparing the application process with other different units can be a comparable way of doing the calculations. The processing of an application involves several tasks and operations and so a large number of people are usually involved in the long run. Without doubt, the processing of applications is a prolonged course of action that requires watchful examination by several checkers taught to develop assessments (McFarlan & Delacey, 2003, p. 315). In order to calculate the number of people involved in the processing of an application, it is worth taking a look at some essential elements. To begin with, it is undeniable that a unit deals with roughly over 200 applications on a weekly basis. Reflecting on this point of view, several tasks have to be completed by different employees such as clerks, secretaries, and managers, for the process to run smoothly in due course. What this means is that the number the number of people involved in the process will be determined by the type of execution required in the system. More than 10 members of staff can be helpful towards running the entire procedure. However, it is worth noting that the increased number of people available to run the process may bring confusion when it comes to the allocating of duties. Therefore, it is advised when calculating the number of people involved in the process to consider a small number of people in order to ensure effectiveness is given the first priority. Citing on the fact that the entire processing unit is programmed to perform various tasks, it may be difficult to locate an individual file. Worth mentioning, for to be in position to locate an individual file, several calculations and requirements must be met accordingly. In one way or the other, the central processing unit is designed in such

Spread of disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Spread of disease - Essay Example The humoral theory was the hub of cause of disease in the European world till it was phased off by the germ theory that was first conceived in the sixteenth century. It took three centuries for the germ theory to be completely developed and it was accepted in the nineteenth century (Thargard, 1997). Robert Koch made the first discovery of the cause of disease where he postulated bacterium as the cause of tuberculosis in 1882. In 1932, Prontosil drug was discovered by Gerhard Domagk as the drug that could eradicate the microbe that Koch had stipulated. Moreover, in 1944, streptomycin was discovered and proved to be the most efficient treatment in killing the microbe. This served as the genesis of treatment regimes which are currently aimed at treating the symptom, eradicating the cause, and changing the course of the disease hence altering the spread of the disease (Thargard, 1997). Latest technology in the twentieth century has led to a more pragmatic approach to spread of disease since it has led to the discovery of nutritional, genetic and immunological causes of disease. The discovery of these aspects has made individuals learn the roles that nutrition plays in preventing spread of disease and also the immunological aspects that sanitation plays in preventing the spread of disease. Genetically, sanitation has progressed since it has aided in the discovery of how some aspect in an individual predisposes them more to acquire infection compared to other individuals. Consequently, knowledge of the immune system has led to the development of vaccines that aid in the protecting the spread of disease. Inventions have also been made in treatment modalities like laser, surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy all aimed in preventing the spread of disease (Thargard, 1997). Hippocrates a Greek philosopher existed between 430 and 330 B.C. He was a key player in the spread of disease theory since he coined the humoral theory that served as a

Buffalo Soldiers and the Apache Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Buffalo Soldiers and the Apache - Essay Example Numerous literatures confirmed that subduing the Indians on the Plains and the Southwest, securing the borders, escorting stage coaches and trains as well as policing cattle rustlers and illegal traders who sold guns and liquor to the Indians had all become second nature to them as these were their primary responsibilities-many of which were carried out under some harsh conditions. Many of these African Americans had joined with the force mainly to earn their freedom. They decided they would fight to prove themselves and to be free as well as to keep up their end of the bargain to make an attractive $13 a month. Many of these soldiers were former slaves, freemen and Black Civil War Soldiers. However, they couldn’t read and write, so they were considered less than the whites. For these brave-hearted men, bravery was their fiercest fighting tool, and ambition and perseverance were their ammunition, because everything else that they received for resources were inadequate or not u p to standard such as; the old horses, limited food supplies and limited ammunition. In addition, they were deployed to some of the toughest areas. Quite frankly however, it was the 10th regiment of the Buffalo Soldiers who played a greater role in the campaign against the Apaches in the March 1890 Expedition. After being transferred to Texas, research showed that their primary mission was to protect mail and travel routes, control Indian movements, protect against Mexican revolutionaries and outlaws as well as garner knowledge about the area’s terrain (Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture). Particularly credited for the Westward Expansion, the Buffalo Soldiers’ 10th Cavalry explored miles of unmapped terrains after which they used their experience to open 300 miles of new roads and laid 200 miles of telegraph lines according to literatures from this said source. This knowledge helped the Buffalo Soldiers to create maps of the area showing scarce waterholes, moun tain passes and grazing areas that would later allow for settlements in that area. The mission created some tough soldiers in West Texas who always had to be on alert from raids from the Apaches. However, it was the 10th regiment’s success at detailed mapping that later lead to the demise of the Apache Indians between 1879 and 1880. Col Benjamin Grierson and his cavalry decided to play on the weaknesses of their enemies, whose chief at the time was Chief Victorio and his band of warriors who had allegedly escaped from their New Mexico Reservation creating havoc across the Southwest on their way to Mexico. They decided to intercept where it would hurt most in those harsh regions-the waterholes. The mission called for a big military assembly, as such, different troops were assigned to the waterholes. Engagements were met at the all the waterholes, but the two most notable were the ones at the Tinaja de las Palmas (water hole at South Sierra Blanca) and at Rattlesnake Springs wh ich is north of Van Horn. Grierson and his men devised strategies to trap Victorio.

Literature and theory report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Literature and theory report - Essay Example mong economists with one school of thought arguing that the government expenditure is a problem to the economy while the other thinking is that it is a solution to economic betterment. Further notes that European Union has not adopted strict approach of fiscal obligation, taxation reduction and economic freedom.2 Furth is concerned with data on deficits, expenditure, taxation and growth in relation to the fiscal policy stand of thirty-seven European countries. His research revealed that structural deficits would predict stimulus followed by reduction on deficit, and he documented a variability of fiscal policies that many economies have pursued in paradox to a number of prevalent generalizations of European austerity.3 He notes that increasing taxes would be far more harmful than expenditure cuts,4 and the effect of tax increment have a huge difference, and they cannot be together labelled as austerity as they would conceal more than there is in the revelation of fiscal policy.5 Furth research has shown the relationship that exists between increased government expenditure and economic progress. Other economists had focused on government debt and its effect to the economy. It had been noted that government debt hurt the economy by burdening not only the current generation but also the future generation.6 Due to high debt the current generation is forced to pay for the interest of the loan advanced to the country for which benefit will be consumed by future generation. Moreover, the future generation will carry on the burden and mistake of their predecessors because the rate of interest will be much higher that the benefit of which it was taken. Furth’s research presents another angle to fiscal policy approach that the government can utilize without resulting to changing the taxation system. It reveals that there has been a considerate role of the government inability to set up good fiscal policies. Governments have concerned themselves in increasing t axes in

Virtual Cemetery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Virtual Cemetery - Essay Example It is clear that members of the family were buried at a common ground. In addition, the graves of the people that belonged to a given family preferred to design their graves using the same materials, same shape, same size and the same design, it shows the commonness among the people of the family and their uniformity. This in most cases acted as a form of identity to a certain family. For instance, the Comings family that consisted of Lydia, Benjamin, Samuel and Josiah, all had identical graves. This shows the preference of a given family having identical graves. Hereunder is the clear data about the people, their ages, sex, date of death, the type of grave one was buried in, material used to make the graves, design of the grave, the condition of the grave, and the size of the grave and little in formation of concern (Dethlefsen and Deetz 1996). Gravestone design Shape Size Material Condition Design Biography Demography Gravestone design Surname First name(s) Sex Birth Date Death dat e Age Type Shape Size Material Condition Design Comment Hallet Warren M 1791 8th Feb 1811 20 H D S Tall Slate G U & W Hamblen Cornelius M 1752 30th May 1811 59 H D S Tall Sandstone F U & W Howes Ebenezer M 1737 20th Feb 1811 74 Ob SDWC Tall slate P U & W Lombard Caleb M 1736 14th Dec 1811 75 H D Tall marble P U & W Rich Rabeccca F 1742 18th Oct.1811 69 M DISC Tall Marble F M Bangs Benjamin M 1758 9th March 1814 56 Ob D Tall granite F U & W Gray Elizabeth F 1774 16th May 1814 40 H GDWC Short Slate E U & W Hamblen Ruth F 1755 20th Sep 1814 59 H DISC Tall Marble P Ch Knowles Elizabeth F 1738 29th June 1815 77 M DISC Tall Sandstone P Ch Rich Isaac M 1756 29th June 1815 59 P D Short Slate F U & W Atkins Silas M 1742 17th April 1816 84 M D S Short Slate F U & W Burges Thomas M 1748 11th Feb 1816 68 M D S Tall Slate G P Higgins Joseph M 1771 2Oth Nov.1816 45 Ob S D Tall Sandstone P U & W Snow Tamsin M 1811 11th April 1816 5 H D Tall Sandstone G M Collins Marcey M 1814 15th May 1817 3 H SDW C Tall Sandstone G U & W Collins Mary F 1794 20th Oct.1817 23 P GDWC Short granite P U & W Gross Thomas M 1740 17th May 1817 77 P Rectangular Tall granite F R Snow Mary F 1793 9th sept 1817 24 H SDWC Tall Sandstone F M Stevens Levi M 1747 16th March 1829 82 H S D Tall Granite G P Sears Elizabeth F 1782 24th Aug 1829 47 H S D Tall granite P U & W Comings Samuel M 1807 July 1829 22 H S D Tall granite p U & W Comings Benjamin M 1817 1839 22 H S D Tall granite p U & W Comings Josiah M 1810 1810 0.33 H S D Tall granite P U & W Comings Lydiah F 1826 1826 0.08 H S D Tall granite P U & W Damon Judy f 1750 19th Nov 1828 78 H S D Tall granite P U & W Coan Betsy f 1794 12th Dec 1821 27 P Rectangular Tall marble F Ch Hallet Charles m 1751 15 Nov 1821 70 Ob DISC Tall granite F U & W Hallet Elizabeth f 1732 9th March1821 89 H S D Tall granite F U & W Smith John C m 1783 4th Oct.1811 28 H S D Tall Marble F U & W Rider Ruth f 1791 6th Sep.1812 21 Ob Round Gothic arc Tall Granite p P Hall Bethiah f 1763 27th Sep 1813 50 H Rectangular Tall Sandstone p M Gray Elizabeth f 1774 16th May 1814 40 Oth Sharp Gothic arc Tall Sandstone f M The grave forms a sharp arch at the top and its tall. Rich Richard m 1739 1813 74 H S D Tall Sandstone f M Bangs Benjamin m 1758 1814 56 Ob Gothic discoid with caps Tall Sandstone f M Knowles Elizabeth f 1738 1815 77 Ob Gothic discoid

Macro & Micro economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Macro & Micro economics - Essay Example With the rising income levels of most of the economies, the demands for entertainment products like dolls have substantially increased. In the modern age, dolls are often made of rubberized plastic materials. These materials comprises of crude oil and national gas in them. There are special machines that help to give shape to standardized pieces of doll parts in the manufacturing process. Nowadays to park more potential buyers, doll manufacturing companies use special chemicals to produce dolls of various skin colors to make them attractive to various types’ customers belonging to different global zones. Car Production Process Unlike doll production, automobile industry or car production process is highly labor intensive in nature. Mercedes, Honda, Tesla, BMW etc are the various companies manufacturing cars. With the growth of per capita income levels and the improvement in the rate of urbanization in most of the economies in the world, the proportions of cars demanded in the market have increased significantly. However it should be considered that manufacturing of cars requires high state of technology and exclusive machineries. It is clearly observed in the video that the level of car production process takes place via various steps, where there are huge modern machines automatically executing the manufacturing process. Thus unlike doll industries, car manufacturing industries requires large amount of electricity and petroleum for its working. Hypothetical Input Output Matrix Industry Input Costs Toy Industry (manufacturing dolls) Automobile Industry (manufacturing cars) Cost of Labor Input $153 million $85 million Cost of Capital Input $ 60 million $200 million (Source: Authors Creation) The above hypothetical input industry 2x2 matrixes clearly shows that the gross cost of labor input is more than capital input in the toy industry producing dolls. On the other hand, the automobile industry manufacturing cars require more expensive capital input cost than labor cost. Thus it is quantitatively proved that the toy industry is a labor intensive industry and the car manufacturing industry is a capital intensive industry. Factor Intensity and Factor Abundance China is the most populated nation in the world. Perhaps this is the reason for which the country is rich in terms of labor resource. The nation always concentrates in labor intensive modes of production. It is a labor abundant nation, where the size of its labor force is 937.27 million as recorded in 2011. On the other hand, U.S. is a nation rich in terms of financial resources. This is the reason for which the country is a capital abundant nation that is rich in terms of technological knowhow. The following section of the essay will concentrate on the factor endowments of the two countries and the factor intensities of the industries in a graphically represented Hecksher Ohlin model. Figure 1: Hecksher Ohlin Model Car Production Doll Production The production Possibility Front iers (PPF) shows the two combinations of two goods that can be produced with the given amount of resources and state of technology1. The steeper PPF is of U.S., signifying capital abundance and intensity in production. The flatter PPF is of China, signifying labor abundance and intensity in production. The convex lines are the isoquants that show the different combinations of inputs that can be utilized to produce the same amount of output. B and E are the points inside the PPF of U.S. and China respectively, showing situations where all the resources are not efficiently used. A and G are the autarky or non trading positions of U.S. and China

Medea Greek Mythology Essay Example for Free

Medea Greek Mythology Essay When Medea decides to take matters in to her own hands, about punishing the people who have done wrong to her, she is accused of wanting not justice—vengeance. Because I am not a native of neither Corinth nor Colchis, I have my own view about her motives. However, I would agree with the Corinthian Women, Medea is seeking vengeance; not justice. Some people might argue that Medea is seeking justice. When in actuality, Medea wants vengeance. The opposition would say justice took place because the Gods allowed Medea the time to perform her various acts. Although these things happened Medea turned to vengeance when she took it upon herself to kill Creon and his daughter Creusa. Even the chorus, the â€Å"ideal spectators†, implies that Creon is a poor king when, after he banishes Medea, the First Corinthian Woman sympathizes, â€Å"I am of Corinth and I say that Corinth is not well ruled. †(1. 214-216). This quote gives us proof that Medea has some sort of reason to seek revenge on Creon. However she lets her hatred exceed its boundaries and allows herself to take the lives of the King of Corinth and its Princess all because they chose Jason over her. In addition, her actions all prove that she wants Jason to do more than pay for hurting her. She wants him to suffer at the fate of her own children. Her revenge was selfish. Medea involved the two things she knew would hurt Jason the most—her own children. According to the First Corinthian Woman, â€Å"It would be better for you, Medea if the earth opened her jaws and took you down into darkness. But one thing you will not do, for you cannot, you will not hurt your own children, though wrath like plague-boils aches, your mind in a fire-haze bites the purple apples of pain. No blood-lapping beast of the field, she-bear nor lioness, nor the lean wolf-bitch, hurts her own tender whelps; nor the yellow-eyed, seythe-beaked, and storm shouldered eagle that tears the lambs has ever made prey of the fruit of her own tree. †(2. 115-126). Keep in mind that the Corinthian Women are the conscious of Corinth. Through this quote the First Corinthian Women has stated that Medea could not harm her own children. She even gives examples of the most dangerous predators that don’t even harm their own young. This is evidence that Medea went beyond the state of justice; but she went well into the state of vengeance. Medea knew what she was doing and quite frankly she could care less about anything other than what she thought of what was seeking revenge on Jason. In conclusion, vengeance was sought by Medea. She went above the fact of teaching Jason a lesson; she even stated she hated Jason more than she loved her children. Answer this question is what Medea has done entertaining or morally instructive?

Business in India Essay Example for Free

Business in India Essay 1. Private property-the right to own resources and bequeath property 2. Freedom of enterprise-own a business 3. Freedom of economic choice-work/not work, spend/not spend 4. Role of self-interest a. People are by nature economic creatures b. Self-interest is a fundamental characteristic of people 5. Competitive market system a. Many buyers and sellers b. Market participants, buyers and sellers, have little control over price c. Competition performs the organizing and controlling functions for a market economy 6. Limited government b. Mercantilism: the law gives preference and special benefits to the sector of the economy owned by the government. b. Free-market capitalism: A system of economics that minimizes government intervention and maximizes the role of the market. Laissez-faire is a more extensive form of free-market capitalism where the role of the state is limited to protecting property rights Pros The pros and cons of capitalism versus socialism have been debated for hundreds of years and there is a lot of misinformation out there. Capitalism increases the opportunities in the marketplace for personal economic growth. It increases opportunities for entrepreneurs to increase their personal wealth and for societies to grow as well. Hard work is rewarded under a capitalist economy. In a capitalist economy, consumers can work toward riches and financial freedom. A competitive market results from capitalism and consumers are presented with a wide array of products and services to choose from. Consumers and companies regulate the free market. This is often seen as one of the strengths of a capitalist society. Cons Capital ist economies are money-driven without much regard for people unless they are owners or shareholders of business firms. In a capitalist economy, there is fierce competition and, perhaps, unfair competition. There is a tendency, in capitalist economies, for big companies to get bigger and for monopolistic behavior to occur. Unfair labor practices may occur since companies are driven by the profit motive. Since capitalism requires continual growth, environmental damage may occur as the resources of the earth are depleted. Some say capitalism makes the rich richer. a.  Globalization is the worldwide movement toward economic, financial, trade, and communications integration. b. Connectivity: Localities being connected with the world by breaking national boundaries; forging of links between one society and another, and between one country and another through international transmission of knowledge, literature, technology, culture and information. Free Trade: Free trade between countries; absence of excessive governmental control over trade; Multinational corporations and A Composite Process: Integration of nation-states across the world by common economic, commercial, political, cultural a nd technological ties; creation of a new world order with no national boundaries; c. Pros: Because of globalization, a lot of information is shared across the world. Various cultures can be understood and acknowledged on global level. Countries sharing resources. People can buy a thing which is not local produced and find a cheaper and good quality product in markets. Globalization leads to higher employment since developed countries outsource jobs to under-developed countries. Cons: higher competitive to those local sellers. Since the outset of globalization, free trade between nations has been established, this means that worldwide trade lead these broad products have a cheaper price at the same time it will raid the local market and decrease the local price level. That can make the rich richer and left the poor poorer. Because the other side is multiple cultures will let local country loss its features. More young people just know the other countries goods and left their own specials. Like New York is a multi-culture city in American. d. Globalization is an economic process corporations move money, factories and goods around the planet at ever more rapid rates of speed, searching for cheaper labor, cheaper raw materials, and weak consumer , labor and environmental protection. Globalism is a political attitude ad Globalism appeals to the libertarian Right because this group mistakenly equates the liquidation of nations with a reduction in the power of their governments. But this does not follow. Open borders, a. Sex is biologically determined and it is cannot be changed but gender is socialized and it is variable through time and cultures. b. Men always work more than woman. In most families men is a leader. Women are always been looked as a disadvantaged group. c. Feminism is an activity that women want to get the equity rights with men in social, company and life. It is also a spiritual to tell the  women around world need to have courage, confidence, independence, and women need believe they can do the thing as same as men do. d. Since feminism that lead higher divorce rate and more girls do abortion with â€Å"my body, my choice† but at the same time it is very harmful to our body so it is not an independent behavior. a. Family is a basic social group through bonds of kinship or marriage, present in all societies. The sociology of the family examines the family, as an institution and unit of socialization

The Body Shop: Corporate Governance

The Body Shop: Corporate Governance Management System Corporate Governance The management system and governance of each and every organisation is accountable for the maintenance of the organisation’s strength and survival in the stiff competition in the business world. The role of the governance imposed by the organisation as a whole should always be open minded for the occurrences of changes in order to adjust and cope with the tremendous development that are happening in the internal and external environment of the organisation. With the constantly changing environment, many people especially those in the working organisation find themselves normally adapting. This is because change can bring many improvement and development in different aspects of competency. In many ways, change can make work easier, pave the way for future innovations or generally improve people’s lives. Similarly, change has been adapted by various work organisations for varied reasons. Important changes in the understanding and management of corporate governance and its impacts on businesses have been developed in the past 10 to 15 years. Various researchers, practitioners and policymakers now acknowledge that corporate governance and its impacts on businesses can be conceptualised from a functional perspective and that appropriate interventions involve the development of alternative measures to cope up. It was also noted that the establishment of a conducive environment for learning and training as an integral component of corporate governance have served effectively in implementing organisational change strategies for transformation. At present, this philosophical shift has extended to various settings, including multinational companies and organisations. Directors here have recognised that some employees do not have the skills and behavioural repertoires necessary to cope with the many expectations and challenges of corporate governance. Hence, these employees m ay have the tendency to remain contented with their mediocre performances as their alternative way of mitigating these expectations. Corporate governance pertains to the set of policies that are established in order to make influence in the manner in which an organisation or company is managed, governed or operated. The execution of corporate governance leads to the efficient and effective implementation of the policies and tasks necessary to satisfy a firms customers, employees, and management. It also focuses on the careful management of the processes involved in the relationships among all the stakeholders involved (Bhattacharya, 2000). More often than not, small companies dont really have the capabilities to implement corporate governance. Instead, these companies engage in activities that various schools of management typically associate with the implementation of corporate governance. These activities include the establishment of rules, policies for decision-making, monitoring and evaluation. However, corporate governance deals with all operations done within companies and organisations. Activities such as the management of responsibilities, the control of operations, logistics and evaluations are often related with corporate governance. A great deal of emphasis lies on the efficiency and effectiveness of processes. Therefore, corporate governance includes the analysis and management of internal processes. The Body Shop will be the model business entity that will be used in this research based on their history in corporate governance. Company Background A known British chain of cosmetic stores called â€Å"Body Shop† which is found almost all over the world shows tremendous success in previous years is also the company The Body Shop International plc. Actually, The Body Shop agreed to a  £652 million takeover offer by a French cosmetics group LOrà ©al on 17 March 2006. The Body Shop was founded by Anita Roddick, distinguished for selling its own line of products not tested on animals, and produced in an ecologically sustainable approach (wikipedia, 2006). The Body Shop aims for sustainable growth as a broad market leader in cosmetics as well as for segment leadership. In both cases, the brands of The Body Shop will play a crucial part. The Body Shop is able to establish its broad leadership usually by merging with other strong cosmetics companies and their products, which are then combined into a new, larger company. Offering training to its employees, improving the company operations, and the introduction of new beauty products and technologies then reinforces the positions of the various products of The Body Shop. This practically results in economies of scale that is able to create a distribution network for both its local and international products. If a market is already in the control of other companies, The Body Shop devotes its attention towards the development of a premium segment with its various beauty products. Discussions Any business organisation fundamentally exists because it has certain responsibilities to fulfil for the people in the community as well as the various entities comprising it. The organisation has its human entity ranging from the staff, to the managers, board of directors, stakeholders, suppliers and so forth. All these groups have their own set of functions that contribute to the determination of the business goals, the delivery mechanisms of goods and services, and the operational patterns within the organisation. Furthermore, business organisations are part of the larger society where the markets and consumers are targeted and derived. The complexity of the internal and external surroundings of the business necessitates crucial deliberations and decisions in order to ensure the effective and continuous affairs of the organisation. The overall management of the internal and external affairs of the organisation is what basically forms corporate governance. Basic Definitions 1) Corporate Governance pertains to the set of policies that are established in order to make influence in the manner in which an organisation or company is managed, governed or operated (Bhattacharya, 2000). 2) Company Performance can be measured in terms of the efficient and effective implementation of the policies and tasks necessary to acquire the essential goods or services at the best possible total cost of ownership, leading to the overall satisfaction of a firms customers, employees, and management (Booms, 1981). Role of Executive Directors Executive directors have the primary role to make specific identifications of all the possible sources of evaluation information which includes company performance. This is because aside from the observations of the immediate supervisors, company performance evaluation information can still come from a variety of other sources, including the employees, subordinates, and work products (Einsestat, 2001). For example, whenever The Body Shop utilises company performance information from individuals other than the immediate supervisor, the management informs the employees of the possible sources at the start of the company performance cycle, where they receive their company performance plans. In addition, these executive directors are the people who develop their company’s performance plans. The plans are signed by the employees and then passed on to the management for approval. They make sure that company performance plans are complete and adequate before signing the forms (Gonzalez, 2003). Executive directors also discuss the company performance plans with the employees in a clear and organised manner. Generally, discussions are conducted within 30 days of the start of the company performance cycle. Role of Non-executive Directors Non-executive directors document their company’s performance and provide feedback to the executive directors from time to time throughout the company performance cycle. Documentation normally occurs in the form of memos, and these are retained in the non-executive directors’ confidential files. Actually, these directors also have the authority to determine substandard or unacceptable company performance (Galpin et al. 2002). They normally address minor or marginal company performance issues through company performance counselling and coaching. The Body Shop’s Corporate Governance It can be said that the company has a very good framework that has been established in order to deal with different corporate matters. In fact, there is usually a properly structured program that is further reinforced by company policies and other procedures for the proper guidance of the directors in their daily duties. Consequently, the company has a clear reference guide to its business operations and corporate governance. The Board of Directors which oversee the businesses and the decision-making routines as well as the financial aspect of things, keeps watch. In addition, this includes the maintenance of the standards with regards to corporate governance in the corporation’s different sectors. The Board is made up of ten directors; two are executive while six are non-executive. Because of this, there is a fair division of responsibilities and other tasks among them. And while the non-executive directors are independent from the others, they are still able to contribute their experience and knowledge during Board discussions. Without a doubt, The Board is in-charge of caring for the company’s operations, assets, and its shareholders. All-in-all, the board aims to work with these factors in the hopes of maximising performance. Because of this, it is The Board that is responsible for the finalisation of budgets and strategic plans. And in order to ensure the firm’s competent operations, The Board conducts a monthly review of the company’s businesses in relation to its financial movements. Furthermore, there is a company law that obliges The Board of Directors to carefully prepare each year, a financial report that would have to be accurate and reliable reflecting the true state of the company. All things considered, The Board of Directors is the one that is responsible for the proper safekeeping of accounting statements and to ensure that these records are precise and truthful. In addition, the board is in-charge of guarding the company’s other assets as well as making the necessary steps in order to prevent complications such as fraud and other types of risks. Aside from the board of directors, the company also has other committees as part of their corporate governance. Just like the board, other committees have a well-established reference guide which also discusses their duties and their scope of authority within the corporation. Composed typically of independent directors who are non-executive, the remuneration committee handles the outline for the company’s remuneration policy which would eventually be reviewed by the board. Moreover, this group is also responsible for the various remuneration packages that are given to executive directors. On the other hand, there is also a nomination committee which is also made up of mostly non-executive directors. The responsibility of this group is to recommend to The Board on which people should be appointed as directors. There is also a group known as the audit committee. Compared to the other two, the members of this committee is purely composed of non-executive directors. This group’s duty is to make proper recommendations with regards to the company’s accounting policies as well as overseeing financial control within the corporation (Sternberg, 1998). For this reason, the committee usually receives and reviews financial reports and other statements delivered to them. Then, they make a comprehensive report before they submit it to The Board. Of course, there is also the group’s evaluation of the risks involved which has always been done to assist with the company’s next business move, and have further control of the corporation’s different operations. Apparently, The Body Shop has a clear code of ethics and all employees must affirm their acceptance of this code. The code of ethics includes a conflict of interest policy to ensure that key corporate decisions are made by individuals who do not have a financial interest in the outcome separate from their interest as company officials. The company also actively monitors compliance with the law and the global financial policies and practices over critical areas. These areas include internal controls, financial accounting and reporting, fiduciary accountability and safeguarding of our corporate assets. A major factor involved in the improvement of The Body Shop involves the establishment and utilisation of company performance measures or indicators that in turn measure their customer’s satisfaction. These measures or indicators are measurable characteristics of products and services that the company typically utilises in order to study and improve company performance. The indicators that will be chosen should be able to represent the essential factors that are crucial to the improvement of operational and financial performance. Through the analysis of accurate information brought about by the tracking processes, the measures or indicators themselves can possibly be analysed and improved to support such goals. Effects of Governance to The Body Shop’s Business Ethics and Purpose The Board has been able to attain complete control of all matters regarding the company. Their self-perseverance and obligation to their duties and finally, their obedience to the company laws all contribute to the development of the corporation. As such, The Board constantly believes that all the data pertaining to financial information and other facts regarding to their operations that are currently being used is reliable. The Board’s authority is clearly recognised within the company. And because of this, it is able to have a solid grip on the corporation’s actual operations, stakeholders and its financial concerns. Needless to say, because of the corporation’s proper structure and its commitment to the stakeholders and to the community as well, the board of directors has proven that it can efficiently handle both its ethical and legal responsibilities. Furthermore, the company is currently maintaining good relations and open communications with its investors. As a matter of fact, shareholders are regularly invited by the corporation whenever there are gatherings to discuss trade updates. Moreover, whenever there is an annual general meeting, investors get the chance to meet The Board members themselves. And of course, for private investors, they can also access the company’s website for various shareholder services. Undoubtedly, the company has good consideration for all of its stakeholders; past, present and future. There definitely seems to be a very well planned framework in the firm’s corporate division. It has good policies and procedures with regards to financial matters and operational concerns. Its procedure of assessing the different kinds of situations that come up is certainly a good move on their part. Not to mention, they have maintained good relations with their stakeholders. And finally, The Boardâ€⠄¢s authority is unsurpassed. Clearly, these facts prove the strength of the company’s corporate governance structure. The weakness on this case however, is the fact that it cannot always be assured that there are no losses or other errors which may result from mistakes and inconsistencies by one of the committees or employees involved. In addition, having diverse populations, there can be a possibility of having internal problems between members who have different culture and beliefs. In addition, some problems occur in terms of giving value to the companies’ shareholders. There are times that the shareholder is not given the enough information about the status of the company, specifically that shareholder which have a small part in the business. This happens when the board of directors does not give value to their shareholders. Other negative aspects include the imperfection of financial reporting procedures which may definitely result in ineffective corporate governance. Why it is of interest to diverse stakeholder groups? The occurrence of corporate governance systems within diverse stakeholder groups reflects the growing difficulty in the management of organisations that require the effective use of valuable resources such as money, materials, equipments, and people. And there is no exception to these. This is the reason why corporate governance systems are being implemented within diverse stakeholder groups in order for them to determine the most effective ways to coordinate these resources through the application of analytical methods derived from fields of studies (Jobber, 1998). Through this process, group management problems are solved in different ways and alternative solutions are then relayed to the group’s management. The management then selects the appropriate course of action in line with their goals. More often than not, corporate governance systems are concerned with complicated issues such as top-level strategy, resource allocation, designing of production facilities and systems, pricing and the analysis of large databases. For example, the company governance strategies of Heineken are focused mainly on driving the growth of its brands and improving the company’s financial performance. These company governance strategies have also helped them secure significant acquisitions and partnerships. And more importantly, these campaigns have led to the release of the potentials of the company’s employees, thus building a quality performance- based culture. On the other hand, Alliance Boots, Europe’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty group came into being with the merger of Alliance UniChem and Boots Group.  The merger recognises and strengthens the existing strategies of both entities by combining complementary businesses and strengths to create an international force in pharmacy-led  health and beauty while maintaining the Company’s commitment to the independent pharmacists through enhanced wholesale distribution and retail services. The company’s ultimate aim is to deliver products that make people look and feel their best. In order to do so, the company values performance and continuously strives to fulfil promises to shareholders through setting high standards of practice that are recognised by all internal and external stakeholders. It intends to lead the pharmacy and beauty industries with its products while demonstrating expertise in conceptualising, marketing, selling and distributing its brands (c ited in the Alliance Boots website 2006). From these examples, we may say that corporate governance should set a proper example of good intent, and provide for those lower in corporate hierarchies the clear message that it is â€Å"do as I do† as well as â€Å"do as I say† (Francis, 2000). Middle and lower management find it hard to be ethical when it seems that the top of the corporate hierarchy have no commitment. The message of sincerity will always filter down, and no amount of deception will foster the view that a board is ethical when it plainly is not. Additionally, the commitment to ethical corporate governance by a board will enhance the prospects of an ethical infrastructure within the organisation. That ethical infrastructure is a manifestation of the commitment, a means of preventing and resolving ethical problems, and an impressive demonstration of sincerity. Conclusion As a person with knowledge of corporate governance systems, the author has always brought up to his superiors the viability of strategy formation regarding the analysis of this topic and at times fails to understand the reasons or logic behind certain strategic implementations imposed on it. By delving into this project paper, the author intended to have better insights into how corporate governance systems are thought up, formulated and then imparted down into the subsidiaries of the company or organisation. The author hoped to have an in-depth understanding as to how the corporate governance systems of companies and organisations are able to compete effectively and profitably in this era of internationalisation where competition is extremely intense. In order to reinforce the learning objectives, two key focal issues were focused upon i.e. innovation and diversity. Innovation was discussed with regard to corporate governance systems of companies and organisations where they were renowned for their developmental capabilities to constantly innovate. Diversity came under strategic thinking and formation as the author considered the diverse culture, political climate, economic surroundings, social environment, technological settings, government policies and legal systems in order to better understand the issues being discussed. The results of the analysis carried out on the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop indicated very significant effects, even amidst the threats of unrest. Therefore, we could conclude that the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop could still be expected to improve faster than average. The review of the capabilities and resources of the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop revealed very little inconsistencies regarding its strategies. This is coherent with their traditional inside-out approach. However, the need to reconcile both the inside-out and outside-in approaches becomes imperative now for The Body Shop. The analysis among the cosmetics industry environment as well as the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop and their capabilities revealed certain gaps, most of which are biased towards the industry environment. However, these gaps paved the way towards determining a number of recommended strategic options to secure the competitiveness of The Body Shop. Also, The Body Shop has to find a balance between adherence to internal forces within the management and to the changing forces of the environment in order to implement such strategic options. References: Allianceboots 2006, Alliance Boots Website and location of Annual Report 2005, Available at: http://www.allianceboots.com, Accessed: November 2006. Bhattacharya, C. B. 2000, Relationship Marketing in Mass Markets, Handbook of Relationship Marketing, Thousand Oaks: Sage. Booms, B. H. 1981, Marketing Strategies and Organisation Structures for Service Firms, in Marketing of Services, J. H. Donnelly and W. R. George, Eds. Chicago: American Marketing Association. Eisenstat, R. A. 2001, Organisational Dynamics, pp. 6-14. Francis, R. 2000, Ethics and Corporate Governance: An Australian Handbook. Sydney, N.S.W.: University of New South Wales Press. Galpin, T, and Murray, P. 2002 HR Magazine, issue # 5, pp. 16-20. Gonzalez, M. 2003, Journal of Business Strategy, issue # 5, pp. 9-11. Grà ¶nroos, C. 1994, From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Marketing, Management Decision, 32 (2), Jobber, D. 1998, Principles and Practice of Marketing (2nd ed.). London: McGraw-Hill Publishing. Sternberg, E. 1998, Corporate governance: accountability in the marketplace. London: The Institute of Economic Affairs. The Body Shop 2006, Available at: http://www.thebodyshopinternational.com/. Retrieved: December 7, 2006. Wikipedia 2006, The Body Shop, Available at:www.wikipedia.com, Accessed: November 2006. APPENDIX The Body Shop’s Corporate Government The Board of Directors and management of The Body Shop believe that sound principles of corporate governance are critical to obtaining and retaining the trust and respect of stockholders, employees, other stakeholders and the public. The board serves at the discretion of stockholders and works to represent their interests by enhancing business strategies and practices for the creation of long term stockholder value. Governance Summary The board consists of three standing committees: Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee; A majority of board members are independent of the company and its management; The Audit Committee of the board has established policies consistent with the newly enacted corporate reform laws for auditor independence; The independent members of the board meet regularly without the presence of management; The charters of our board committees clearly establish their respective roles and responsibilities; The company has a clear code of ethics and all employees must affirm their acceptance of this code. The code of ethics includes a conflict of interest policy to ensure that key corporate decisions are made by individuals who do not have a financial interest in the outcome separate from their interest as company officials; The company actively monitors compliance with the law and the global financial policies and practices over critical areas. These areas include internal controls, financial accounting and reporting, fiduciary accountability and safeguarding of our corporate assets.

Eulogy for Grandmother :: Eulogies Eulogy

Eulogy for Grandmother The phone call came at 6:45 on the evening of the 16th. At 8:58 I sent out an e-mail message to friends about my Grandmother's death. Many of those friends are former and current church members of congregations I have served as pastor. By the next morning I was receiving e-mail messages back. The ones from former and current church members had a common theme. In addition to expressing their sympathy they all said that they felt they had known my grandmother: "We remember your grandmother from the stories you would tell us of her." That is the nature of memories. They can be collective, shared, or private. They may be special moments - remembrances of her as a sister, a wife, a mother, or a friend. But, when we share those memories they become a part of someone else. The memories become the possession of others. When the Bible tells us to be kind to foreigners in our midst because we were once slaves in Egypt it assumes we have made that memory our own. We were once slaves in Egypt. The sacred memory has been passed down to us. Today, I want to share just a few memories of my Grandmother. She was a determined woman. Yes, she was a woman who could be patient, but that was restricted by the limits of her determination. When I was small she decided it was time to clean the attic. She had asked my Grandfather to place the wagon underneath the attic window so she could drop the stuff she wanted to be rid of. Well, my Grandfather was busy with other things. One day she decided she had waited long enough. She went to the attic and opened up the window and began to hurl items from the window. Imagine my surprise to items raining from the sky. Imagine my Grandfather's surprise upon his return. Then there was the time she was after my Grandfather to clean out the chimney. My Grandfather was up working in the fields when a chimney fire broke out. I was still a baby and my mother picked me up and went running next door to Aunt Mid's house. My Grandmother called the fire department (instead of calling for my Grandfather). My grandfather saw the fire trucks coming up the road from town - followed by cars of just about everybody who lived along the way! My Grandfather saw to it that the chimney stayed clean after that. Eulogy for Grandmother :: Eulogies Eulogy Eulogy for Grandmother The phone call came at 6:45 on the evening of the 16th. At 8:58 I sent out an e-mail message to friends about my Grandmother's death. Many of those friends are former and current church members of congregations I have served as pastor. By the next morning I was receiving e-mail messages back. The ones from former and current church members had a common theme. In addition to expressing their sympathy they all said that they felt they had known my grandmother: "We remember your grandmother from the stories you would tell us of her." That is the nature of memories. They can be collective, shared, or private. They may be special moments - remembrances of her as a sister, a wife, a mother, or a friend. But, when we share those memories they become a part of someone else. The memories become the possession of others. When the Bible tells us to be kind to foreigners in our midst because we were once slaves in Egypt it assumes we have made that memory our own. We were once slaves in Egypt. The sacred memory has been passed down to us. Today, I want to share just a few memories of my Grandmother. She was a determined woman. Yes, she was a woman who could be patient, but that was restricted by the limits of her determination. When I was small she decided it was time to clean the attic. She had asked my Grandfather to place the wagon underneath the attic window so she could drop the stuff she wanted to be rid of. Well, my Grandfather was busy with other things. One day she decided she had waited long enough. She went to the attic and opened up the window and began to hurl items from the window. Imagine my surprise to items raining from the sky. Imagine my Grandfather's surprise upon his return. Then there was the time she was after my Grandfather to clean out the chimney. My Grandfather was up working in the fields when a chimney fire broke out. I was still a baby and my mother picked me up and went running next door to Aunt Mid's house. My Grandmother called the fire department (instead of calling for my Grandfather). My grandfather saw the fire trucks coming up the road from town - followed by cars of just about everybody who lived along the way! My Grandfather saw to it that the chimney stayed clean after that.

Planet Of The Apes Satire Essay -- essays research papers

The setting of the movie compared to the setting in the book makes Planet of the Apes one of the greatest satires. In the movie, the setting takes place on earth in the future where apes deny and are afraid of the past, whereas the setting in the book is on a different planet where apes are civilized and technologically advanced, and the humans were primitive creatures. The orangutans in the movie prevent what happened to the humans from happening to the apes. Orangutans, such as Zaius went to great work as destroying the cave where the evidence of the humans reigned is revealed and removing Landen’s memory. In the book civilization of humans on Earth is equal to and may even surpass the civilization of the apes on Sorror. The point of view in the book is through Ulysees’ mind. He is clam and patient. Taylor in the movie is an impatient angry man who is never satisfied and is outraged by the fact that apes are running the planet and have locked him up. In the movie Tayl or is a misanthrope who is hot-tempered and not respectful to the apes. He calls them "Bloody Baboons!" Taylor left Earth to find a better place and ended up where he started. In the book, Ulysee is kind and respectful towards the apes, and he was granted citizenship to their civilization and begins to assign apes human features. Ulysee was granted citizenship because of the speech he made before them. He gave that speech with respect and loyalty towards the apes for acceptance. The tones in the boo... Planet Of The Apes Satire Essay -- essays research papers The setting of the movie compared to the setting in the book makes Planet of the Apes one of the greatest satires. In the movie, the setting takes place on earth in the future where apes deny and are afraid of the past, whereas the setting in the book is on a different planet where apes are civilized and technologically advanced, and the humans were primitive creatures. The orangutans in the movie prevent what happened to the humans from happening to the apes. Orangutans, such as Zaius went to great work as destroying the cave where the evidence of the humans reigned is revealed and removing Landen’s memory. In the book civilization of humans on Earth is equal to and may even surpass the civilization of the apes on Sorror. The point of view in the book is through Ulysees’ mind. He is clam and patient. Taylor in the movie is an impatient angry man who is never satisfied and is outraged by the fact that apes are running the planet and have locked him up. In the movie Tayl or is a misanthrope who is hot-tempered and not respectful to the apes. He calls them "Bloody Baboons!" Taylor left Earth to find a better place and ended up where he started. In the book, Ulysee is kind and respectful towards the apes, and he was granted citizenship to their civilization and begins to assign apes human features. Ulysee was granted citizenship because of the speech he made before them. He gave that speech with respect and loyalty towards the apes for acceptance. The tones in the boo...

The Trouble with Working It Essay -- Unemployment Jobs Careers Essays

The Trouble with Working It Alison Hooker is a bright young woman. She is a middler communications major at Northeastern University and performing well in her classes. She has experience as a waitress and recently finished her first co-op at a broadcasting company in her native Chicago. She is friendly and outgoing, and carries herself with a confident, yet approachable demeanor. In all regards, she appears to be a capable and collected individual. Despite all these positive attributes, however, Hooker has been unable to find a job in Boston. â€Å"I’ve applied so many places,† said Hooker, who has been persistently searching for work since returning to Boston in January. â€Å"It takes a lot of time to go out and apply to a lot of different places, and it’s even harder when you have classes all during the day. I can’t even remember every place I applied to, probably because a lot of them never even called back.† Hooker isn’t alone in her sentiments of frustration. Within the past few years, finding a job has become increasingly difficult for people across the nation. Unemployment rates have, with few exceptions, been steadily climbing, and that trend is reflected in many discouraged would-be workers. In Boston alone, average unemployment rates more than doubled in the past four years, from 2.9% in 2000 to a full 6% in 2003, according to statistics from the Massachusetts Division of Employment and Training (MDET). Finding and maintaining employment has been difficult for white-collar professionals, let alone unskilled college students that are only available for part-time hours. On the rare occasions that unemployment rates have declined in recent months, many analysts dismiss the seemingly positive statistic as a sign of the ... ...re hoping that things will soon be looking up for the average campus dweller. The statistics vary and the interpretations contradict; for Alison Hooker, however, all that matters is whether all this economic debate will lead to her finding a paycheck. â€Å"It costs a lot of money to go to this school, and it would be really nice to be making some back,† she said. â€Å"I am not all that concerned about getting a real job after school. I think that the job contacts I’m making through co-op will help a lot with that,† said Hooker, who has plans to return to her previous co-op at a Chicago broadcasting corporation in June of 2004. â€Å"I’m not even looking for anything all that great right now, just something part-time. And I just feel like, I made it into college and am getting through all this higher learning- should it really be more difficult to get hired at Starbucks?†

Assess the postmodernist views of the mass media Essay

PM argue mass media are central to the PM theory, as the decline of traditional communities, time-space compression and flexible production – all derived through the media. PM argue the global society is media-saturated, making it harder to distinguish between reality and hyper-reality, and making culture fragmented and unstable. PM challenge viewing audience as passive and easily manipulated, as they use media images to construct individual identities. The major criticism of PM is that their argument is based on abstract concepts and a lack of empirical evidence. Marxists criticise PM for ignoring inequalities in media access, and that the media messages can mislead the audiences, as the main effort behind them is maintaining profit for capitalists. PM argue the society today is media-saturated. BAUDRILLARD argues the media messages dominate and distort the perception of the world. People live media-led virtual lives, spending time on social networks (eg. Twitter) or playing such video games as Second Life. Media-saturated society had created increasing uncertainty in the world by making it hard to discern reality from fantasy. BAUDRILLARD notes people are bombarded with the mass media daily. As a result, the media define our sense of reality and self-perception. To support, BAUMANN suggests people live in a liquid modernity, where we base our identity around consumption, and pick n mix identities. BAUDRILLARD agrees that identity is driven my media-created pressure to consume. However, Marxists argue capitalism is behind media-created pressure to consume, and the growth of consumerism represents the success of capitalism rather than diverse media messages. Nonetheless, BAUDRILLARD still argues that identity is formed by media images, rather than class and imposed values. PM argue the media actively create reality. BAUDRILLARD argues media images have replaced reality to such an extent that we live in hyper-reality, i. e. reality structured by electronic communication. In turn, the media present simulacra (artificial copies of real events), which is hard to differentiate from reality. There is no longer separate reality for things like TV programmes, highlighted by media stories about fictional characters. TUCKLE notes that the lives of TV characters have become more real to the audience than actual communities. For example, people felt so strongly about TV show Cheers that they created Cheers bars in America, similarly to creating Central Perk coffee shops after popularity of Friends. Moreover, the media can create realities of such major events as wars. BAUDRILLARD argues that the First Gulf War was a simulation created by the media, noting that ‘the war only happened on TV’. While not denying the existence of conflict, he criticised its portrayal in western societies. However, the impact of hyper-reality and simulacra is uneven between social groups. They are only significant to those who can access them. PM are criticised for ignoring that media images can increase perception of inequality. More importantly, PM ignore concerns over concentration of media ownership and ideological function hyper-reality may perform. Marxists suggest the RC may create the hyper-reality to reinforce their ideology, whereas Feminists suggest some aspects of hyper-reality, particularly games like GTA, reinforce patriarchy and misogyny. PM highlight the increasing importance of popular culture promoted by the media. STRINATI notes the mass media have caused a breakdown of distinction between high and popular culture, making popular culture dominate the way people define themselves. Popular culture has more influence on our lifestyles than social structures, as opposed to Marxist view that the media owners influence the media output thus influence our identities. However, PM are criticised for not being able to empirically prove the link between popular culture and creation of identities. PM conducted small scale ethnographic research, as they reject possibility of discovering objective truth about social world. However, it severely undermines their argument. In support of PM, however, neo-functionalist PUTNAM found empirical evidence to highlight the breakdown of the real world social interaction and declining social capital due to the influence of the media, and especially new media. In conclusion, PM view of the media is influential in drawing attention to the impact of the media on creation of identities and how consumption influence people’s ability to create their identities themselves. However, the major limitation of PM theory is reluctance to recognise the significance of the market forces and concentration of media ownership in understanding the media impact on the society. Moreover, PM do not acknowledge the media’s role of promoting and exacerbating inequalities among audiences.

Action Plan Essay

There are so many other food businesses around here that are competition, in order for us all to keep this restaurant open we are going to have to step up our game. First we will get new signs, next some of us are going to have to put of fliers around the town, and thirdly we are going to have to come up with a reason for people to want to come to our restaurant. HMM why do people come to places that they have never been before? Why do people go to other peoples restaurants? What is this place known for? What can we change? why do people go? People go to places, restaurants, stores, and other things because of what they have been told, we have a good reputation here but let us go beyond this town. In stores people go into the store because of the display on the outside. People go to things because of appearance, what they have been told, and who has gone. Our place is well fixed up and we have a good reputation in this town and the mayor has been here as well. The real question is why aren’t people coming here? How do we? How do we get people to become attracted or drawn to come buy our food? What is there to do here in this town? There is the movies, arcade, stores, mini golf, and the theater; why don’t we have one of the stores or other fun places donate something and we have a drawing or we give out gift certificates, it would be free advertising for them and get us costumers. Tuesday’s kids under 12 could possibly eat free or maybe kids under 12 could get a free dessert. People love free stuff and people will be drawn to seeing something that has a free on their sign. I know as a small child the restaurant Denny’s had a children eat free on a specific week day and my grandmother would take my sister and I there and order food and what not because she liked the idea of free food for her kids. Having hand out gift certificates will have them build business and have people try our food, like our service, and every single moment of it and then they will come back for more. When we do the raffling off items it will seem like we are having a second grand opening with the publicity from the newspapers, signs, and fliers.

The M/S Milad Nor Company Essay

1) Read chapters 1 – 5 and review the PPTs we covered in class. 2) Expect 5 or 7 short-answer questions General Questions – 1. In class we reviewed three firms in three different countries. The M/S Milad Nor Company in Afghanistan, Caritex in Bulgaria, and Obod in Montenegro. Each company was faced with different problems and issues. Please briefly summarize the similarities between the firms and their individual issues. How do the problems faced by these firms compare to problems faced by similar firms in more developed countries? 2. Your stock market simulation calls for you to invest in securities with a significant presence outside the US – debt, equity, commodities, currencies, derivatives†¦ In researching equities trading on exchanges outside of the US what similarities/differences have you found compared to firms trading on exchanges in the US? Chapter 1 1.The term globalization has become very widely used in recent years. How would you define it? 2.What does an MNE need in order for it to create value through the globalization process? 3.How does the concept of capitalism actually apply to the globalization process of a business, as it moves from elemental to multinational stages of development? 4. Define and explain the theory of comparative advantage 5. Key to understanding most theories is what they say and they don’t. Name four or five key limitations to theory of comparative advantage. 6.Why have Eurocurrencies and LIBOR remained the centerpiece of the global financial marketplace for so long? * These are domestic currencies of one country on deposit in a second country * The Eurocurrency markets serve two valuable purposes: * Eurocurrency deposits are an efficient and convenient money market device for holding excess corporate liquidity * The Eurocurrency market is a major source of short-term bank loans to finance corporate working capital needs (including export and import financing) * LIBOR is the most widely accepted rate of interest used in standardized quotations, loan agreements, and financial derivatives transactions * 7. Which assets play the most critical role in linking the major institutions that make up the global financial marketplace? * The linkages are the interbank networks using currency. Without ready exchange of currencies the market is hard-pressed to operate efficiently. Chapter 2 1. How does ownership alter the goals and governance of a business? Public ownership may be wholly state-owned or partially publicly traded. State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) are created for business purposes rather than for regulation or civil activities. Private firms may be publicly traded (stock) or privately owned by partners or family. 2.Why is this separation so critical to the understanding of how businesses are structured and led? 3.Explain the assumptions and objectives of the shareholder wealth maximization model. 4.Explain the assumptions and objectives of the stakeholder wealth maximization model. 5.Define the following terms: a.Corporate governance b.Agency theory c.Stakeholder capitalism 6.In Germany and Scandinavia, among other countries, labor unions have representation on boards of directors or supervisory boards. How might such union representation be viewed under the shareholder wealth maximization model compared to the corporate wealth maximization model? 7.In many countries it is common for a firm to have two or more classes of common stock with differential voting rights. In the United States the norm is for a firm to have one class of common stock with one-share-one-vote. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each system? 8.What are the key differences in the goals and motivations of family ownership of the business as opposed to the widely held publicly traded business? 9.It has been claimed that failures in corporate governance have hampered the growth and profitability of some prominent firms located in emerging markets. What are some of the typical causes of these failures in corporate governance?p34 10. Do markets appear to be willing to pay for good governance?p36 Chapter 3 1.Under the gold standard all national governments promised to follow the â€Å"rules of the game.† This meant defending a fixed exchange rate. What did this promise imply about a country’s money supply? 2.If a country follows a fixed exchange rate regime, what macroeconomic variables could cause the fixed exchange rate to be devalued? 3.What are the advantages and disadvantages of fixed exchange rates? 4.Explain what is meant by the term impossible trinity and why it is true. 5.Fixed exchange rate regimes are sometimes implemented through a currency board (Hong Kong) or dollarization (Ecuador). What is the difference between the two approaches? 6.High capital mobility is forcing emerging market nations to choose between free-floating regimes and currency board or dollarization regimes. What are the main outcomes of each of these regimes from the perspective of emerging market nations? 7.On January 4, 1999, eleven member states of the European Union initiated the Europe an Monetary Union (EMU) and established a single currency, the euro, which replaced the individual currencies of participating member states. Describe three of the main ways that the euro affects the members of the EMU. 8.Why did the fixed exchange rate regime of 1945–1973 eventually fail? 9.How did the Argentine currency board function from 1991 to January 2002 and why did it collapse? DEAD Chapter 4 1. Business managers and investors need BOP data to anticipate changes in host country economic policies that might be driven by BOP events. 2. From the perspective of business managers and investors list three specific signals that a country’s BOP data can provide. 3. What are the two main types of economic activity measured by a country’s BOP? 4. Why does the BOP always â€Å"balance†? 5. If the BOP were viewed as an accounting statement, would it be a balance sheet of the country’s wealth, an income statement of the country’s earnings, or a funds flow statement of money into and out of the country? 6. What are the main component accounts of the current account? Give one debit and one credit example for each component account for the United States. adjust 7. The US dollar has maintained or increased its value over the past 20 years despite running a gradually increasing current account deficit. Why has this phenomenon occurred? Chapter 5 1. What were the three major forces behind the credit crisis of 2007 and 2008? 2. Why were LIBOR rates so much higher than Treasure yields in 2007 and 2008? What is needed to return LIBOR rates to the lower, more stable rates of the past? 3. What were the three key elements of the package used by the U.S. government to resolve the 2008-9 credit crisis? 4. Why are the sovereign debtors of the Eurozone considered to have a problem that is different from any other heavily indebted country, like the United States? 5. Why has the case of Portugal been termed a â€Å"case of contagion† rather than a sovereign debt crisis? 6. What are the three primary methods which might be used individually or in combination to resolve the European debt crisis?