American Values in the Declaration of Independence Essay

In 1776, a semi-unified country signed one of the most important documents in history. Since then the nation has shown signs of how different the country was from 1776 to the present. The Declaration of Independence is based on the social contract theory of government and is focused on equality, freedom, and power. These values have been both supported and contradicted in American history (Jefferson, pg. 443). In the declaration, Jefferson states that â€Å"all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness† (Jefferson, pg. 443). This speaks directly to the humanist theory of social contract that was prevalent at the time. One of the greatest political philosophers of the time was a man named John Locke. His ideas on governance were that no government could be effective without the consent of the governed and that should a government ever abuse its power â€Å"they break their contract with the people and therefore no longer enjoy the consent of the governed† and it is the right of the people to overthrow it (O’Connor &Sabato, pg. 9). When Jefferson explained that â€Å"these united colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent states† (Jefferson, pg. 46), his intent was to make clear that they would no longer look to another nation for guidance and support; that America would be its own sovereign nation from that moment on. One of the most contradictory aspects of the Declaration of Independence was its stance on the equality of man. Jefferson speaks candidly about it but what he refrains from discussing is the institution of slavery. The inconsistency of the two ideas almost screams off the page. It is not simply a forgotten issue on Jefferson’s part. He knew well that slavery was a problem in a nation he was purporting to be filled with equal men. Unfortunately the resolution to that issue had not as yet made its presence known and the Founding Fathers simply left it for future generations to figure out. When Jefferson stated that the United States were to be free, it began a period of time where Americans would begin to decide just what it meant to be an American. Values would be adopted; a cultural identity far removed from that of Europe would be founded. America, while separating itself from Britain, still had to wrestle with the fact that the rest of the world thought them nothing more than degenerate barbarians who were bucking the control of their superiors. However, between the landing at Plymouth Rock and the Revolutionary War, those little colonies had grown apart from Great Britain. Not just in distance but in cultural values as well. Feudal Britain could not understand the democratic America and vice versa. The humanist theories of the autonomy of the human spirit had really taken root in America whereas in Britain and other parts of the world the ideas were little more than words since there were already monarchical governments in place. While it is true that America based many of its systems on British techniques, there’s no denying that the emphasis of power and control rest far more readily in the rights of the individual rather than the rights of the nation. Of course this is not to say that America doesn’t have a few skeletons in their closet. Americans still to this day value their freedom and the idea of self-governance, but there was a time in history when this was forgotten. Around the turn of the twentieth century America annexed parts of the Philippines. This imperialist-style aggression towards another sovereign nation seems to fly in the face of everything America was built on especially since the Philippines had just won their own independence from Spain (by practically following the playbook that America had written. ) Another way to look at it would be to observe how America interacts with nations and people that are under a different form of government than their own. In a time where independence is lacking in other countries, the United States government tries to export its qualities to other non-independent countries. Even though at one point in time the United States became free on its own from higher powers, now America is the higher power trying to enforce independence in other countries. Though the United States has good intentions, it is not difficult to understand how other nations could see America as imperialist. America doesn’t want to expand its territorial boundaries but it has no problem trying to inflict their style of government on other nations. The Declaration discusses how much power the United States will have by stating that the newly independent olonies will have â€Å"full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which Independent States may of right do† (Jefferson, pg. 446). Power is one value that anyone can appreciate. No matter what country a person is from, at one point in time they wanted power. To give a country the qualities that Jefferson has quoted, â€Å"levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce† (Jefferson, pg. 446) it gives power to any country. In history, we have encountered when having too much power can leave one person to make bad decisions. For example, Ex-President Clinton, after two terms in office he was being accused of having extra-marital sexual relations in the White House. Then he continued to publicly lie to the United States about the affair. Later he was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice. This example shows someone who had so much power being the President of the United States that he thought he could get away with having an affair while he was in office. He will always be known for his impeachment. Though he had good qualities as a President, he obviously could not handle all the power that was given to him. It could be opined that the reason Bill Clinton was impeached, besides lying under oath, is that he went against a core American value that holds fidelity within the confines of a marriage to be nearly sacred. When he broke from that value, he broke the faith the American people had in him. In conclusion, the American values that necessitated the writing of the Declaration of Independence may have changed since it was written, but not by much. America is an autonomous land filled with people who have built a system of values and a cultural identity that is its own. No longer is Great Britain a threat and common wealth can be achieved easier. America is not perfect but it is unique. Where else on earth can people enjoy the freedoms that this nation affords its citizens? The values of independence and self-governance that brought the Declaration of Independence to life still remain a part of the social fabric. Granted, the people are not fighting against a foreign power anymore, but that same spirit that riled a nation to revolution still maintains its hold on the current system of government and keeps it in check so that this nation â€Å"of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth†.

Example Persuasive Essay

Should Teachers Be Able to Bring Guns to School? Guns are powerful weaponry used mainly for protection. Misuse of this type of weapon is the cause of laws and regulations that are enforced today, for people can be greatly injured if not used for pragmatic reasons. Guns have literally been banned from many public places, such as schools, for this reason.Absolutely no one, aside from law-enforcement officials, are allowed to carry a gun on them in schools; however, teachers should be allowed to carry guns as well because they know their responsibilities and need the ability to protect their students, as well as themselves, in a case of emergency. In a time of crisis, such as an intruder or another person with a gun at school, teachers act as an aegis to their students, for most teachers treat their students as if they were their own children.Knowing their responsibility of protection, teachers know that it would be difficult to shield their students if an intruder were to infiltrate th eir classroom or place where they were assigned to teach or monitor students. However, by being able to bear a gun, they would not only be able to protect their students, but they could also stop the intruder from harming any other student or faculty member as well.This process of being able to allow teachers to carry guns would be inevitably difficult, for, in most places, as Brad Knickerbocker says, â€Å"District policy prohibits anyone except a law-enforcement officer from bringing a weapon onto campus† (1). However, as Knickerbocker also says, â€Å"Throughout the country, lawmakers are filing bills that would make it legal for adult school employees to carry firearms†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1).Therefore, there is a chance that a bill will be passed and allow the great advantage of being able to possess a gun on school property for the responsible teachers wanting to provide a protected environment for their students, be able to protect themselves, and simply have a security mea sure for any emergency situation that may come up. Initially, students are the major components that make up a school, for, without them, educators would have nothing and no one to teach. Students should be able to come to school worry-free and comfortably, for they should not have the fear of a school not being safe at any time.Moreover, in order to be a preventative of students being afraid, there should be more security measures than there are currently in schools today. Indubitably, most schools have emergency drills and practices for protection; however, that is not always enough, for people in a school can still be harmed, or even worse, executed. For example, a student could walk into a school with a concealed weapon and easily start firing off into a crowd of students; therefore, law-enforcement officers alone may not be able to reach the situation fast enough.Furthermore, if each teacher were allowed to carry a gun, with proper training, they would be able to stop the stude nt from harming any more students than they could have before. Nevertheless, this does not mean only a gun such as a pistol, for even Taser guns could be used if the intruder or the threatening student didn’t need to be injured to the extent to where they are immediately deceased. Basically, students would be much more protected where they could roam the halls without apprehension if teachers were allowed to carry and use guns accordingly.Subsequently, teachers should not only be able to protect their students, but they should be able to protect themselves as well. Although there are risks where teachers could harm themselves by accidental usage of a gun, misplace a gun, or have their gun stolen, there still seems to be more pros than cons on the situation. As students are known to be the main components of a school, the educators are very important as well. Because of this, those educators need to be protected in case something abominable was to happen to them as well.Most t eachers would agree that if a situation came up where law-enforcement officers were needed, they would want to be equally equipped with protection, and, in this case, that protection would be a gun. Unfortunately, there are still teachers that would rather not have a gun, for, as Kenneth S. Trump, President of National School Safety and Security Services, said, â€Å"The vast majority of teachers want to be armed with textbooks and computers, not guns† (qtd. in â€Å"Arming Teachers† 1).However, those disagreeing teachers most likely wouldn’t believe that if an emergency came up to where their own lives were threatened. Typically, the majority of teachers would agree that a gun could be a great advantage in a case of emergency, whether or not there could be a few risks at stake. Finally, emergency situations can happen in the blink of an eye, and the phrase, â€Å"expect the unexpected,† should be applied as a preventative for anything harmful that could have been avoidable. Also, an emergency situation can get so out of hand that numerous law-enforcement officers would need to be present.An example of this would be the Columbine High School massacre, where a student brought a gun to school and fired off into a crowd of students, which injured 21 people and executed 15 people; however, this could have been avertible if teachers were allowed to have guns, for a teacher could then have had the ability to stop the student from causing any harm, aside a simple scare of the school’s students and faculty being wounded. Moreover, that massacre is merely an example of an event that could have been much worse, for, with violence becoming worse in today’s world, an execution of a whole school could even happen.This, at least, should be a reason for teachers to have guns so everyone would feel safe in the long run. In addition to this, the matter of teachers having guns shouldn’t be a complicated matter when emergencies co me up because it would be a great advantage for all teachers with training for the usage of guns to be able to have a quick way of response to any type of thing that may endanger human lives; therefore, avertible situations should be taken into consideration, and, if nothing else, arming the teachers with guns would be a great way to fulfill that thought.Mostly, some people could say that a process as complex as this would seem not worth fighting for; however, many teachers could agree otherwise, for they would rather be protected and take risks than to be like a sitting duck and not take even the slightest risk to support an advantage that could save other people’s lives, as well as their own. Trump says, â€Å"The arming of teachers and school staff goes is a significantly different issue that goes beyond simply the issue of an individual’s right in a number of states to be licensed to carry a concealed weapon† (qtd. n â€Å"Arming Teachers† 2). This is partially true, for it does inevitably go beyond the basic rights of individuals; however, that does not mean that it shouldn’t be taken into effect because complexity comes around. Basically, when push comes to shove, people shouldn’t back down due to the lack of simplicity of a certain matter, and, in this case, that matter would be allowing teachers to carry guns.Ultimately, risks are taken every day, and the risk of wounding a few students to a whole body of students seems to be a much better way out. That way, the teachers wanting to protect their students, as well as themselves, can act as a precaution, for most realistic teachers know that, if an emergency situation came up, it would surely be atrocious to go back and see that less harm could have been done after all.As Knickerbocker says, â€Å"The NRA and other gun advocates view allowing guns on school property as a safety measure† (2); therefore, overall, if an organization such as the National Rifle Association were to agree that teachers should have the advantage to step up in emergency situations in order to protect their students, as well as themselves, then it shouldn’t be such a crucial matter to allow guns to be carried by teachers after all.Works Cited â€Å"Arming Teachers and School Staff with Guns. † schoolsecurity. org. National School Safety and Security Services, 1996-2008. Web. 2 Oct. 2012. Kinckerbocker, Brad. â€Å"Should Teachers Be Able to Bring Guns to School? † seattletimes. nwsource. com. The Seattle Times Company, 2007. Web. 2 Oct. 2012.

Drinks Market and Smoking Ban Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Drinks Market and Smoking Ban - Case Study Example It also focuses on the impact ban on smokers has on the cider market in UK along with the impact of the reduction of duties on the ciders. The UK retains relatively high levels of alcohol consumption. Historically, the country has been associated with brewing and distilling, the drinking of bitter in pubs and the consumption of whisky, a product historically tied in to Scotland. The trend for young people in their twenties to feel they can get drunk is being followed by teenagers who generally take an inspiration from the older people. (ICAP, 2007) This has resulted in more number of cases on 'binge' drinking - getting drunk more number of times within a very short time. The media suggests that this has been the main reason behind the increase in number of crimes at night. It is worth mentioning that studies show that of the people indulging in crimes at night, 80% of the cases were said to be committed by people between the age group of 20 and 30. When a bartender was asked about the increase in the drinking habits among the youth, he said, "'There's always someone asking for "one more bottle". Also the fact that publ ic transport in many places stops just before midnight, so if they miss the last bus (costing say 1.50), they'll have to get a taxi (costing say 10), so they feel that it is better to spend money on drinks rather than on the expensive taxi." Philip, from Kidderminster, commented "I like drinking beer because there are many different types of traditional British beer to try and also as it is nice to meet up in a pub with friends." These factors, coupled with the lethargic attitude of the government of UK have led to boost of sales of not just Magners, but other brands as well. Coming to the laws laid out by the Government, which say that serving alcohol should be stopped at 11 PM. All these factors have been immensely helping the brands to execute their strategies and tap the markets. In fact, the brands have been focusing on aggressive promotions in places close to various universities, which have been severely criticized by eminent educationists who feel that this could increase the crime rates in the universities. The Government too has come under severe criticism for remaining as a mute spectator to all this. Hence, it can be inevitably said that the above-mentioned factors did go a long way in making the most by the brands, who've always considered youth centric places as demographic markets, which needed to be tapped appropriately. The success of Magners clearly illustrates as to how successful marketing campaigns coupled with aggression can boost the overall performance and growth of a firm. The television advertisements of the brand have been described as the marketing success of the decade and more and more people shower

Should Internet Purchases be taxed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Should Internet Purchases be taxed - Essay Example Projected estimates of lost revenue due to decrease in sales taxes collection, go as high as $55 billion by 2011. Interestingly now many of the retailers are providing option of "in store" pickup after ordering online, which ironically enforces sales tax collection as sales tax is compulsory on store pickup. (Leonard). State and local governments are worried that lost revenue may decrease their ability to provide civic services at expected levels since expected revenue from store front retail sales are being increasingly cannibalized by online retail (Yegyazarian, Anush 54). If increasingly larger amounts are siphoned off then to make up for loss either newer stream of income has to be realized (by increasing taxes) or by cutting spending (thisnation, Dec 2006). Many retailers go to great lengths to avoid physical presence in high sales tax states, because they can use a lacuna in the "laws" and save significantly on paying the sales taxes. Economist Goolsbee argues that imposing taxes on cybershopping may "could cause online sales to drop Shopping days without the avoidance of sales tax may be transient.

Week 5 response papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 5 response papers - Essay Example Taking this into account, it would not be logical to ask the developing countries to bear an equal burden in solving a problem that has hugely been caused by their developed counterparts. By making their positions clear, the developing countries are in no way trying to manufacture their way to development status. Regarding voluntary governance, I strongly agree with the student. Citizens across the world are learning how important the environmental conservation and sustainability is and will definitely opt for products that are produced by self governing organization (Soederbaum, 2008). However, this move may be hampered if cost is a major issue as poor people will prefer to buy cheaper products even if their producers did not care about the environment. Considering the above fact, compulsory governance of the environment is appropriate as its effects equally far reaching considering that organizations will prefer to do the right thing than to face the law and have heft fines imposed upon them for non-compliance. While my view regarding the application of similar emission standards to developing and developed counties does not tally with the student, it is held that both types of countries contribute harmful emissions in the environment. The student has effectively introduced the notion that various alternatives can be applied in resolving the dilemma. Jia’s (2009) suggestion that the deployment of clean technology be used as a measure seems realistic and is worth consideration in my view considering that developing countries will be more motivated to embrace new technologies as opposed to paying when forced to incur high costs associated with the popular suggestion of introducing caps. It is common knowledge that acts done voluntarily often draw a lot of attention and reaction. Voluntary sustainability actions, in agreement with the student, can have far reaching effects as stakeholders such as consumers are given the opportunity to

Persuasive Paper Part 3 Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Persuasive Part 3 - Research Paper Example In the United States, as per the Federal legal provisions, every state is required to maintain a sex offender registry. The purpose of this law was to extend the identity, names and addresses of the proclaimed sex offenders to the public so as to empower the common people and enable them to protect themselves and their children from possible sex offenses. However, in a practical sense, the sex offender registry happens to be quiet exhaustive and bulky and it is not possible for the people to commit to memory the names and addresses of all the sex offenders. Thereby extending to the people an exhaustive list of sex offenders replete with the name of people who got involved in varying gravity of sex offenses is not likely to protect the masses against sex offenses (Paludi, 2008, p. 178). Yet, on the other side, having one’s name in the sex offender registry could much harm the life of an individual. ... Hence, it will be totally unreasonable and farfetched to enter the names of such people in the sex offenders list. On the one side such an approach will do no practical good to the people, and on the other side such an approach will only make it difficult for the redeemable sex offenders to enter the social mainstream (Yessine & Bonta, 2006). People are bound to be unsympathetic towards the individuals whose name is in the sex offender registry. Hence, the contemporary sex offender registration laws need to be changed so that only those sex offenders who are liable to indulge in sexual offenses in the future get listed in the registry and the individuals who got listed by indulging in some momentary public indecency could get a chance to lead a normal life (Sullum, 2003). The existing sex offender registration laws happen to be counterproductive in their scope and intention because they are punitive in their spirit (Hodgson & Kelley, 2002, p. 225). The very objective of saving the ci tizens from sexual offenses gets overlapped by the act of labeling people who indulged in varying degrees of sexual offenses in a generalized category of sex offenders. It will be reasonable to conclude that not all sex offenders are beyond rehabilitation. There is a category of sex offenders which is open to social rehabilitation. Thereby, making an individual open to stigmatization by placing one’s name in the sex offender registry and pushing one into isolation is certainly not the right way to rehabilitate a sex offender (Wilson & Petersilia, 2011). In fact it increases the likelihood of a registered sex offender further engaging in sexual offenses. Simply speaking, compiling a long list of sex

Identity theft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Identity theft - Essay Example Personal data like Social security number, credit card number, bank account, etc. are not unique like for instance fingerprints and can be misused when they fall into the wrong hands. In the United States many people have suffered huge losses on account of unauthorized persons withdrawing funds from their bank or financial accounts and very often these persons who have stolen the identity have committed crimes and run huge debts using the victim’s identity. In short a criminal can use an individual’s identity to commit a wide range of crimes such as fraudulent withdrawal of money from banks, apply for credit cards and loans, fraudulent use of telephone calling cards, or buy goods or services which might not have been possible if the criminal had used his name hurry respond to "spam"  ­ or unsolicited email  ­ that request identifying data in the pretext of offering some benefits. Here people do not realize that in many of such cases the person who has requested for personal information has no intention of passing on any benefit to them. However Internet is not the only source. Misplaced or stolen wallets containing credit cards or other personal information, stolen laptops again containing personal data can prove easy targets for identity thefts. To prevent any kind of fraudulent use of one’s identity one must have a security policy and certain guidelines in place about what personal information should not be given to third parties especially through electronic means like the email. The guidelines to be followed are: 1) There should be no personal or financial details in any of the emails sent. 2) Open only those mails that have come from known persons or trusted parties. 3) All suspicious mails should be reported to the conce rned authorities. 4) Online passwords must be changed frequently and passwords that can be easily be hacked, such as those related to birthdays and

Assignment. Product deelopment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

. Product deelopment - Assignment Example The companies are retailers in freshly brewed coffee and are using status/prestige pricing, market penetration pricing, and market pricing strategy. They include Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Dunkin’ Donuts respectively1. Status/prestige involves setting prices higher than the competition in order to create a perception of an added advantage of the product that creates a reputational quality and distinction. Market penetration pricing involves offering a product/service at a lower price to attract customers from those offering the same product at a higher price. On the other hand, market strategies considers various things before setting the price, but mainly evaluating prices of similar products in the market. It can set prices higher than the competition if it deems it has more features or less if the features are less. Starbucks has been a master of employing value-based pricing to maximize profits. It does this by using research and customer analysis to formulate targeted price increases that capture the greatest amount consumers can will to pay without driving them off. The company does profit maximization by determining the price and product output level that generates most profit2. As has been implied through market penetration strategy, McDonald’s is after the mass market by offering lowest, on average, prices compared to the other two. This strategy is intended to create traffic large enough to cover all cost incurred, including selling cheaply per latte. Lastly, Dunkin’ Donuts prices its products in comparison to the two (market strategy) by offering similar-featured coffee to that of Starbucks and better than McDonald’s3. By using this strategy, its hopes to undercut and win Starbucks’ customers for the same features and offer better features to McDonald’ s customers, hence enough margin. The three coffee shops have different minimum order quantity (MOQ) that will enable each to make reach their marginal

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 59

Assignment Example In addition, professionalism may face numerous issues during the presentation because of the dressing code. Having attire that makes an individual confident during a presentation is an added advantage as it raises the self-esteem to overcome all stances of incivility. Presentations may pose problems to an individual when he or she lacks the etiquette required. Business etiquette involves numerous issues that may hinder an individual’s presentation especially in instances where the presenter parties with his or her work mates and act irresponsibly. Such a trait may augment undesirable behavior from the work mates thereby making the presentation a hard thing to achieve in such situations. A presenter may face stances of incivility in instances where the presentation is targeted to an unfamiliar audience. Unfamiliar audience may not know the characteristics of the presenter thereby acting in a disrespectful manner. When a face-to-face presentation target a multitude of audience, the presenter may be disrupted in substantial levels thereby hindering his or her presentation. In the grouping, I would group Joe and Ellen as teammates. Both of them are hard workers, and that would enable them to complete on the assignment administered. Since Joe is punctual, he will be able to utilize and work on the assignment given with Ellen who may stay late working. These individuals should not work alone as they have varied traits that require each other’s participation. I would assign this group with the responsibilities of drafting the final document after other tasks have been accomplished. During his task, Joe can write the document after Ellen tests and verifies the document. Such document will enable both members to have a thoroughly scrutinized document that has undergone testing and verification. In the next group, I would group Marsha and Suzanne

Contributors of the Periodic Table of Elements Essay Example for Free

Contributors of the Periodic Table of Elements Essay The First International Congress of Chemists took place in September 1860 in Karlsruhe, Germany to review scientific matters that there was little agreement to. Following this congress led to the development of the periodic table of elements. Top contributors to the periodic table included Staislao Cannizzaro, Dmitri Mendeleev, Henry Gwyn-Jeffreys Moseley, John William Strutt, William Ramsay, Friedrich Ernst Dorn, and Glenn Seaborg. Stanislao Cannizzaro, born in 1826 and died in 1910, was an Italian chemist. He presented a method to measure atomic masses and to interpret the results of the measurements. Cannizzaro’s method aided scientists into agreeing standard values for atomic masses. The scientists then searched for relationships among atomic masses and other properties of the elements. Dmitri Mendeleev, born in 1834, was a Russian chemist, and is sometimes considered as the ‘father of the Periodic Table’. Mendeleev was in the process of writing a chemistry textbook and he wanted to organize the elements according to their properties. Mendeleev created a table where elements with similar properties were grouped together. Mendeleev’s table left several empty spaces because there were elements that had not been discovered yet. Then in 1871, Mendeleev predicted the existence and properties of three elements. His predictions were a success and it led to scientists accepting his periodic table. Henry Gwyn-Jeffreys Moseley, born in 1887, was an English scientist that discovered that atomic number, not atomic mass, was the basis for the organization of the Periodic Table. Moseley and Rutherford performed multiple experiments on 38 metals and Moseley discovered a pattern in which the positive charge of the nucleus increased by one unit from one element to the next when the elements are arranged as they are in the Periodic Table. His studies also led to the modern definition of atomic number and it provided justification for Mendeleev’s ordering of the Periodic Table by properties rather than just by atomic mass. Mendeleev’s Periodic Table did not include noble gases because at that time it was not discovered then. The English physicists John William Strutt and William Ramsay discovered four of he noble gases. Argon and helium were discovered by the two scientists in 1894. To fit argon and helium into the table, they proposed a new group that was placed between Group 17 and Group 1. Then, krypton and xenon were discovered by Ramsay in 1898. Radon, the final noble gas, was discovered in 1900 by a German scientist named Friedrich Ernst Dorn. Glenn Seaborg was an American scientist and he discovered all the transuranic elements from 94 to 102. With this discovery, he was the last person to majorly change the Periodic Table by placing the actinide series below the lanthanide series.

Sustainable Construction in SMEs | Research Proposal

Sustainable Construction in SMEs | Research Proposal Introduction The construction industry is a significantly important sector in the UK and has profound economical, social and environmental impacts. The UK construction industry contributes 10% of UK GDP and provides employments to 1.5 million people. Unfortunately, the environmental impacts caused by the construction activities are appalling: annually 70 million tones of waste are produced and 50% of all energy generated is used by the industry (Addis, B Talbot, R, 2001:21). Worldwide, there has been a growing concern on the environmental impacts caused by the construction industry. Since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, Sustainability and Sustainable Development have captured the attention of all the industries in the world especially the construction industry. As a result of this concern, the concept of Sustainable Construction emerged. It is proposed that sustainable construction is the way forward to improve the performance of the construction industry, making it more sustainable, and subsequently helps to minimise the environmental impacts caused by its activities. The development and progress of sustainable construction in the UK is improving, although it lags behind other countries in Europe. Within the construction industry itself, there is a gap of performance and progress between large construction companies (LE) and small construction companies (SME) in implementing sustainable construction. Interestingly, much of the available literature on the UK sustainable construction focuses more on the large companies, while studies on small construction companies are still under researched. Thus, this research aims to investigate to actual level of understanding and implementation of sustainable construction among construction SMEs, with further intention to identify the barriers to these companies in implementing sustainable construction practices. It is impossible to conduct this research based on all disciplines within the construction team hence, a scope is determined. The research focuses only on contractors firms which fall under the category of SMEs (general contractors with less than 50 employees) and therefore, the scope of the construction phase is limited to the production or on-site activities. Justification/Rational of the Research The contribution of small companies towards any changes and innovations proposed by the construction industry is very significant. This is because the largest part of the construction industry is made up of small firms. In 2004, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has registered more than 170,000 private construction contractors working in the UK and 93% of these companies employed less than 8 people (DTI, 2004). Interestingly, previous studies on construction innovations and initiatives by the construction SMEs indicate that this group is often ignored and hence, they are under-performed compared to large construction companies (Sexton, M.G. Barrett, P.S., 2003a). With regards to sustainable construction in the UK, there as been a rapid development since the publications of the Egan Report (1998) and `Building A Better Quality of Life` (2000), which promote and encourage sustainable construction practices. Despite the rapid development, in the construction industry: .take up of sustainability principles varies significantly, with some leading firms following recognised practice, but others still making little effort. (Environment Agency, 2006) There are continuing problems, reaching small and medium sized enterprises, and the entirely of supply chains. The author is intrigued by this matter which seems to suggest that the construction SMEs is lagging behind in implementing sustainable construction practices when compared to large construction companies. Consequently, the question arises as to `what are the barriers to the construction SMEs in implementing sustainable construction? At present, it is widely felt that investigate into barriers faced by construction SMEs in implementing sustainable construction is under researched. Therefore, the author would like to undertake a research on this area in order to explore the level of understanding and implementation of sustainable construction SMEs, and consequently identify the barriers involved. It is hoped that the finding, from this research will help the construction industry to encourage more construction SMEs to implement sustainable construction principles and techniques, as recommended by the UK Government in Building a Better Quality of Life. The scope of the research is limited to contractors companies that employ less than 50 people. The area of research investigation is also limited to the activities on construction site, or known as the production phase. The diagram below demonstrates the deductive approach taken for this research in order to narrow down the research area to specific issues and activities during construction site operation. Eventually, the research scope will be limited to five making practices in implementing environmental sustainable construction, which include waste management, energy efficiency, water conservation materials efficiency and protection of biodiversity.

America :: essays papers

America What is the AMERICAN DREAM? I concluded the matter of dreaming about life’s basics wants that are exclusive to North America. The American Dream is the following: Go to college, get a good job, and finally get your own family. If we think about it, the American Dream is indeed a UNIVERSAL DREAM. The concept of the American Dream is created by this value system. The American Dream is intended to be a way of life attainable to all Americans. Whatever maybe the case, the act of trying to escape reality and the result such an act brings, is evident throughout the three novels Jews without money, by Michael Gold, Street Corner Society by William Whyte, and Passing, by Nella Larsen. All three of these books confront the myth of the American Dream. The American Dream can either be a reality or a nightmare depending upon the cultural prejudices and availability of freedom. Individuals who are united through some common bond, which may be religion social status of color, create a group or class of people. While individuals are subject to racial prejudices, which often makes up upward mobility not possible. Without equal opportunities to move upwards within society, the American Dream is not attainable. But it is possible in cases where people are willing to sacrifice their heritage culture etc. Nella Larsen, show us through this novel, that if people want, they can achieve the American Dream, but they would have to ‘pay a price for it.’ This is especially true of Clare Kendry. Her passing is motivated by her desire to improve the conditions of her socioeconomic life. She is successful in achieving her American Dream, but in the end she does face the consequences of her actions. She manages to rise from being a poor girl to settling down in a well household. Using her white skin color and blond hair as commodities, she escapes the reality of her true character. She gained wealth and respect in the community through marrying an affluent successful white man. But the truth is that she paid the price of ‘passing’ because she couldn’t express who she was and her true identity in the fear of being ‘caught’ and then left aside abandoned from the ‘whites’ and the ‘black’ communities. In her case, her decision to ‘pass’ was self-initiated. Clare was afraid to face everyone, especially her husband, with her blackness.

On Empathy :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites The Encyclopaedia Britannica (1999 edition) defines empathy as: "The ability to imagine oneself in anther's place and understand the other's feelings, desires, ideas, and actions. It is a term coined in the early 20th century, equivalent to the German Einfà ¼hlung and modelled on "sympathy." The term is used with special (but not exclusive) reference to aesthetic experience. The most obvious example, perhaps, is that of the actor or singer who genuinely feels the part he is performing. With other works of art, a spectator may, by a kind of introjection, feel himself involved in what he observes or contemplates. The use of empathy is an important part of the counselling technique developed by the American psychologist Carl Rogers." Empathy is predicated upon and must, therefore, incorporate the following elements: (a) Imagination which is dependent on the ability to imagine (b) The existence of an accessible Self (self-awareness or self-consciousness) (c) The existence of an available other (other-awareness, recognizing the outside world) (d) The existence of accessible feelings, desires, ideas and representations of actions or their outcomes both in the empathizing Self ("Empathor") and in the Other, the object of empathy ("Empathee") (e) The availability of an aesthetic frame of reference (f) The availability of a moral frame of reference While (a) is presumed to be universally available to all agents (though in varying degrees) - the existence of the other components of empathy should not be taken for granted. Conditions (b) and (c), for instance, are not satisfied by people who suffer from personality disorders, such as the Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Condition (d) is not met in autistic people (e.g., those who suffer from the Asperger syndrome). Conditions (e) is so totally dependent on the specifics of the culture, period and society in which it exists - that it is rather meaningless and ambiguous as a yardstick. Condition (f) suffer from both afflictions: it is both culture-dependent AND is not satisfied in many people (such as those who suffer from the Antisocial Personality Disorder and who are devoid of any conscience or moral sense). Thus, the very existence of empathy should be questioned. It is often confused with inter-subjectivity. The latter is defined thus by "The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, 1995": "This term refers to the status of being somehow accessible to at least two (usually all, in principle) minds or 'subjectivities'.

Could Have Been Different :: essays research papers

Could Have Been Different   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I had a situation once when I wished that I could have re run it. If only I had thought about what was happening and the power that I actually had, I would have had an entirely different situation at hand. I could have prevented the whole thing a lot sooner.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The whole thing started when I was working at an auto shop called Car Quest. My friend Tammy had just gotten me the job starting as a cashier. Even in the few days that I worked there, I loved my job and everyone I worked with. . I really liked my boss because he was always so cool to me, letting me do my homework with my free time when no customers were around and letting me just mess around with the guys I worked with. Soon, I was beginning to close the store alone with my boss, a lot. He would make weird comments and things but I never really questioned them. I thought that maybe he was just kidding around as everyone there always did.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One night when I was finished closing my drawer with my boss Lonnie, we were heading to the front of the store when he told me he had something to say but it could wait until the next time I worked with him. I insisted that he tell me then. He pulled me to the side and started telling me how beautiful I was and what a great personality I had. I didn’t know what to say so I just said â€Å"thanks†. Ever since then he started to ask if I would kiss him and all these offensive things. I guess I just never knew what to say to him. I mean I was 16 and he was like 50. That was like him being my dad.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I went through this for a long time before I got the nerve to tell my other boss at work Kathy. I guess she wasn’t really my other boss; she was just the only other woman I worked with that could help me out. I told her the entire situation and that I was getting sick of Lonnie’s comments. Once I had told her this she told me that Lonnie was married and had two sons. I thought that was worse. I was beginning to get scared that something more would happen.

Lesson Plan Social Studies

Student Teaching Lesson Plan Template Subject: Social Studies | Topic: Who Where the first Americans? | NCSCOS/Common Core Objective: The learner will acquire strategies for reading social studies materials and for increasing social studies vocabulary. 1. 01 Read for literal meaning. 1. 02 Summarize to select main ideas. 1. 03 Draw inferences. 1. 04 Detect cause and effect. The learner will analyze important geographic, political, economic, and social aspects of life in the region prior to the Revolutionary Period. 1. 01 Assess the impact of geography on the settlement and developing economy of the Carolina colony. . 02 Identify and describe American Indians who inhabited the regions that became Carolina and assess their impact on the colony. 1. 03 Compare and contrast the relative importance of differing economic, geographic, religious, and political motives for European exploration. | Date submitted: 10/27/11 Date taught: 11/1/11 – 1/3/2011| Daily Lesson Objective: Students will be able to: State who the first Americans were. Experience customs of first American families. Understand how first American communities have changed. Identify the different regions where the Indians lived in North Carolina.Connect first American customs to their own experience. Develop their English listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. | 21st Century Skills: Global Awareness, Critical thinking and problem solving:| Rationale/Purpose: Students need to understand the culture and history behind the native American community. Student need to know America’s beginning history and who its first inhabitants were. Students can benefit from understanding Native American culture and finding similarities within their own culture. | Activity| Description of Activities and Setting| Time| 1. Focus and Review | Journal Prompt: Who were the first Americans?Get students warmed up, writing and talking in preparation for class. | 10 min| 2. Statement of Objective for Student| Last quarter we learned about the geography of North Carolina. We learned important terms and facts about the state of North Carolina. This Quarter we are learning about the first Americans, How they got to America and what happened after they arrived in America. | 5 min| 3. Teacher Input | The new unit lesson is introduced to students. Introduce lesson and go through PPT. Review lesson material previously taught. Emphasis new terms. Have students repeat terms, definitions, and lesson details. 30 min| 4. Guided Practice | Call on individual students to answer questions embedded in presentation. Praise correct choices and re-teach incorrect choices to entire class. Students are asked to define terms and re-state relevant facts. | 30 min| 5. Independent Practice | Students are asked to come up to the board and choose the correct answer from a multiple choice format. Other students are asked if the choices are correct or incorrect. If incorrect, the other student is asked to correct th e answer. Students are asked to practice the terms introduced in this lesson by copying each term three times.Students are given worksheets to complete| 15 min| 6. Assessment Methods: 21st Century Skills and Lesson Objective| Global Awareness, Critical thinking and problem solving: Tests are checked for accuracy and scored. | 5 min| 7. Closure| Discuss upcoming lessons and classroom expectation. Review classroom procedures and daily itinerary. | 5 min| 8. Assessment Results: 21st Century Skills and Lesson Objective| Global Awareness, Critical thinking and problem solving: Assess writing samples, choice making and levels of assistance needed to produce appropriate writing samples, Identify stronger writers in the classroom. Student(s) & Modifications/Accommodations:1. Students are asked questions that correspond with learning levels. Some students are asked open ended questions and given choices after 30 sec of no attempt to response while other students are immediately given verbal/ visual choices. 2. Student unable to write complete sentences are assisted with forming sentences a loud verbally in class then asked to copy the correct sentences from the smart board. 3.Non verbal students are immediately assisted by instructor or Para professional and given choices. Once student makes a choice the response is then recorded by staff. | | Student/Small Group| Student/Small Group| | | Differentiation:Students are asked to approach smart board and make choices. Students are asked questions in yes or no format. Assistance is varied according to learning levels . i. e. choices are given, answers written for students to copy, and hand over hand assistance. | Differentiation:|

Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning

University of Zimbabwe Graduate School of Management *Marketing Ma*nagement Question: Kotler (1988) has stated that: â€Å"The heart of modern strategic marketing can be described as STP – segmenting, targeting and positioning. ’’ Discuss this statement using appropriate examples. Introduction Market segmentation By definition market segmentation is the division of a market into different groups of customers with similar needs. Or to express it in another way, market segmentation is the division of a mass market into identifiable and distinct groups or segments, and each has common characteristics and needs and displays similar response to marketing actions. ‘’In essence it is the process of dividing a varied and differing group of buyers or potential buyers into smaller groups, within which broadly similar patterns of buyers exist. ’’ (Wilson and Gilligan, 2007, p. 318). There are several ways in which companies can segment their markets. Just as you can divide an orange up into segments you can divide the population as a whole into different groups of people or segments that have something in common. Marketers therefore look for variables they can use to divide up the population. According to Kotler (1997) the commonly used variables are: Geographic segmentation, demographic segmentation, psychographic segmentation and behavioural segmentation. Products can be aimed at a lifestyle. People are grouped according to the way they lead their lives and the attitudes they share. For example, young professionals may drive a sports car because of the image they want to portray. Married parents might want the same things, but have to provide for their children, which is a large extra cost. They will need a family car to suit their lifestyle. Thus you will find a couple that has just married and have no children, will go for a Mazda 3, while older couples with three or so children will go for a Mazda BT-50 because it is bigger and can accommodate the whole family. However the range and variety of marketing decisions suggest that any attempt to use a single basis for segmentation may result in incorrect marketing decisions as well as a waste of resources. Thus increasingly today you will find marketing strategies combining two or more basis for segmentation of their market. TARGETING Once the firm is satisfied that the segments warrants attention there are various ways in which a firm can then target a market. The first is a single product offering. In other words, the marketer targets a single product offering at a single segment in a market with many segments. For example, British Airway’s Concorde is a high value product aimed specifically at business people and tourists willing to pay more for speed. Identifying marketing targets enables organisations to find opportunities and tap into them. It gives firms the information needed to focus on the buyers that are interested in what they have to offer. This saves both time and money in an ever-changing society. However if you pursue one segment of your target market and the demand for your product decreases, so will your financial strength. In essence, you are putting all your eggs in one basket. When your firm becomes well established in a particular market segment, it may be difficult for you to move to another segment. This may occur due to your market reputation or popularity. For example, if Lorimark HR Consultants becomes known for helping college graduates find jobs, unemployed professionals may perceive them as only having the expertise to serve that market. Another downside of target marketing may that a large segment of the population may be left out in the cold. Though demographics and segmentation might give an overall view of the intended market, consumer spending habits change greatly, depending on trends and economic factors. With society taking on more of a unisex lifestyle businesses should be careful when using for example gender to target market. An example of a product that was traditionally targeted at women and is now being targeted with variations in strategy at men is hair colouring. Men now pay particular attention to their hair in much the same way as woman. Thus target marketing should be done with extra care taking into account all factors that may have an effect on the organization’s profitability and the perception or position it wants to create in the market. POSITIONING Thus positioning is all about perception and is inextricably linked to segmentation. It cannot be defined until the market has been divided into unique segments, and target segments have been selected. As perception differs from person to person, so do the results of the positioning map. Positioning reflects the â€Å"place† a product occupies in a market or segment. A successful position has characteristics that are both differentiating and important to consumers and the characteristic may or may not reflect reality. A position is effectively built by communicating a consistent message to consumers about the product and where it fits into the market in terms of the features, performance, quality, conformance, durability, reliability, style and design — through advertising, brand name, and packaging and all the other elements of marketing mix. Kotler, 1997, p. 301) For years OK Zimbabwe has constantly and consistently bombarded the minds of consumers’ with the message ‘†¦. where your money buys you more. ’ Thereby creating in the mind of the consumer that OK has the best prices and your dollar with OK can take you a long way. Another example w ill be that of Colgate and Surf by Unilever, these products are stuck in the minds of consumers (positioned), such that if someone is buying any other toothpaste or washing powder, not necessarily Colgate or surf, they will still refer to the product as Colgate or surf respectively. It is ‘the’ product in mind of the consumers. That is positioning. What is our current position? What does the space look like – what are the most important dimensions in the category? What are the other products in that space and where are they? What are the gaps, unfilled positions or ‘holes’ in the category? Which dimensions are most important? How do these attitudes differ by market segment? What position do we want to have? Some of the positioning opportunities for a product include: Finding an unmet consumer needs – or at least one that is not being adequately met now by completion? Identifying product strength that is both unique and important. Determining how to correct a product weakness and thereby enhance a product’s appeal. For example Ponds â€Å"new and improved†. Changing consumer usage patterns to include different or additional uses for the product. Identifying market segments, which represent the best targets for a product. How do we create a new positioning? Physical product differences. Communications- finding a memorable and meaningful way to describe the Positioning is not what you do to a product; ‘positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect’. (www. s-m-a-r-t. com/Exp_brandpros. ) Accessed 3 September 2009. Other questions that the marketer should contend with in terms of positioning are: whom do I have to defeat to own the position, do I have the resources to do it, can I persist until I get there and are my tactics supporting the positioning objectives I have set. The positioning map below will show how the motor industry positions their products in the market. Positioning map: +High (price) From the above positioning map it can be concluded that products tend to bunch in the high price/low economy (fast) sector and also in the low price/high economy sector. There is an opportunity in the low price/low economy (fast) sector. Maybe Hyundai or Kia can consider introducing a low cost sport saloon. However it is all down to the perception of the market about the product. Conclusion Undertaking a Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning process is probably one of the most important processes management should undertake both at the onset of a new offer creation as well as part of a periodic revision of the portfolio of offers and strategies used by organization. A market research is always the starting point in the STP process; otherwise the organizations resources will be misdirected. References: Aaker A. David, (1995). Strategic Market Management, 4th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Armstrong J. Scott, (2006). Strategic Marketing Management – A Business Process Approach. Brand pros available at http/www. s-m-a-r-t. com/Exp_brandpros. Accessed 3 September 2009. Grahame Dowling, (2004). Creating Corporate Reputation. Identity, Image and performance. Oxford University Press Inc. Kotler P, (1997). Marketing Management, Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control, 9TH Edition, Prentice Hall. Malcolm H. B. McDonald, (1996) Marketing Plans, How to prepare them how use them, 3rd Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann. Wilson and Gilligan

Islam and the West Essay

The Clash of Civilizations? : Islam and the West When taking another glance at Huntington’s â€Å"Clash of Civilizations? †, the provocative nature of his arguments and the fervent scholarly debate that followed are hardly surprising. Although, for myself, I remain troubled by one important question. Is Huntington completely wrong, as many propose, about a rising conflict between the nations of Islam and those of the West in the post cold war era? Huntington contends that the future will boast conflicts between and within civilizations. More so, cultural issues will bring on these conflicts with a particularly divisive role being played by religion. With that said, it is my contention that Huntington is not completely wrong about the evolution of conflict between these two. Though I feel his groupings of civilizations into eight defining entities to be arbitrary and over generalized. My research and focus will be strictly on the aforementioned conflict between Islam and the West, for which I feel are appropriately categorized, though further research should be done on the capacity of violence between sects within religions. Eric Neumayer and Thomas Plumper (2009). International Terrorism and the Clash of Civilizations. British Journal of Political Science, 39, pp 711-734 doi:10. 1017/S0007123409000751 From,http://journals. cambridge. org. proxy. lib. pdx. edu/abstract_S0007123409000751 The authors examine the elements of conflict through the means of terrorism and root causes that can be drawn from these. They examine Huntington’s claims of increased international terrorism against foreign and domestic civilizations in the post-Cold War era. Drawing from data they identify key components in the underlying causes/provocations for international terrorism. Huntington, S. P. (1993). The Clash of Civilizations?. Foreign Affairs, 72(3), 22-49. The primary concept is that, after the Cold War, there will be a fundamental shift in the dynamics of conflict on a global level. No longer primarily influenced by nations and economics, the proceeding conflicts will be hedged on the fundamental cultural differences that exist within civilizations.

Annie Dillard “The Chase” Essay

In Annie Dillard’s autobiography â€Å"The Chase†, she emphasizes and uses great detail in her different writing techniques to make the scenes in the story feel more alive or realistic. The attention of detail can be seen with her intense use of transitions and active descriptions in the actual chase scene. Dillard also uses tone and language of the characters to make the story feel more like actual real time events. In the first paragraph of â€Å"The Chase†, the narrator of the story a seven year old girl is informing the audience about the game of football. She says â€Å"It was all or nothing† (Dillard 121). Basically stating that in football you have got to give all of your effort and not hesitate at all if you want to make the tackle and stop the offense. This do or die attitude is reflected later in the story during the chase scene. It is also the climax of the story. Being that a bunch of kids are together unsupervised, there is going to be some trouble. That is exactly what happens next. The children are all gathered during a winter snowy day making snowballs next to a street throwing them at passing cars. â€Å"Its wide black door opened; a man got out of it running. He didn’t even close the car door.† This kind of unexpected thrill we can all relate to. Dillard adds even more by putting in the little details that make the reader feel the anger of this man and the feeling of we’re caught by the children that we have all felt as a kid is described in that same quote. By using these details in the story the reader can put themselves into the shoes of the characters. Dillard uses lots of active descriptions that are very real throughout the chase scene. She uses actual street names like Edgerton Avenue, Lloyd Street, Willard and Lang. This use of actual real names of streets makes the story. The reader can almost get lost in the chase itself with Dillard’s use of rapid transitions like up, around, under, through, down some, across, smashed. After the chase is over and the children are caught the reader feels tired.

Premium Travel Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Premium Travel - Case Study Example If energy prices decrease, the opposite will be true. Political climate is especially important for Premium Travel. Many of the destinations are in the Mediterranean region. If these areas maintain relative political calm, more people will choose these places for travel as opposed to more traditional vacation spots. If these areas experience relative instability, the opposite will be true. Today, the world economy is so interlaced that hardly an area remains unaffected by change in any other area. So, it goes with tourism. If people have less disposable income, they are less able to fund exotic vacations and may stick with more local attractions; however, if we experience global prosperity, then it is more likely people will spend their vacations more lavishly. Some of the factors that will affect Premium Travel in the future include energy prices, political climates, and the world economy. These external environmental factors will interact to form challenges for Premium Travel over the next few years.

Analyzing essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Analyzing - Essay Example In this article, its author claims that grade inflation is a serious problem; despite this, it is not paid enough attention and almost is not discussed. Therefore, the author chooses to present the overview of both the consequences and causes of grade inflation with the aim to start the discussion of the issue. At first, the author deals with the consequences of grade inflation at different stages of education and presents them in the form of a list. Uva states that even within elementary and high school, the negative influence of this process is visible because putting incorrect marks results in improper placement of students in groups. Consequently, for many of them it is difficult to cope with pressure and they give up learning. If placed in a group they suit, they could achieve better results. In other words, the author’s point is that the roots of grade inflation should be looked for at schools where its negative influence is seen even at elementary level. Also, the author analyses the consequences of inflated grades for colleges, labour market as well as for students themselves. More specifically, Uva traces the progression of inflation as it starts at school and develops up to student’s graduation and job search. The author bases his argument on the statistical data fr om his region where almost a half of seniors graduate with excellent marks, and this makes the colleges increase heir quotas. As a result of exaggerating marks, more deserving students can be rejected. By this, Uva once again highlights the idea that the problem of grade inflation takes it rise from schools. The second main point of the article under consideration is the causes of grade inflation. In particular, Uva analyzes the influence of parents, schools as educational institutions, and teachers and professors as the major catalysts of the development of grade inflation in the country. The author claims

Evaluation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluation - Term Paper Example The multi-faceted concept calls for equal worthiness, entitlement, and privileges, without regard to gender, age, race, religion, ethnicity, capabilities, social-economic background, or disability. The belief has led to a tremendous change in management practices mostly in training, recruitment, and retention of workers who reflect the changing face of the workforce. The discussion in this paper examines some of the concept of diversity management practices learned in the class. Something that I have learned about myself regarding diversity is that the race policy in America is much different from that of China. Personally, I am an international student from China. Over the last few months, I have come to realize that the policies in America are much different from those of China. For instances, in America there are all races of people. Fascinatingly, I have not witnessed cases of discrimination on the basis of race or color. Indeed, discrimination of any act especially on grounds of race difference can render one to be arrested and be prosecuted accordingly. I have learned that the underlying principles of workplace management diversity should be integrated with the aspects of human resource management. These aspects include selection, training, recruitment, development, and performance appraisal. All firms should be committed to embrace diversity. In point of fact, diversity in the workplace helps a firm to build good rapport with the community while enhancing the contribution of the workers. Besides, I have learned that diversity helps an organization improve the quality of products and services delivered. Successful firms focus on incorporating the principles of diversity in their culture system. There are several aspects of diversity management that I have gain familiarity with in the course of the study. I was acquitted of the knowledge that eliminating discrimination

Marketing a New Philosophy of Management Research Paper

Marketing a New Philosophy of Management - Research Paper Example The end of this study will find several considerable results. Its possible outcome involves significant improvement in the knowledge and understanding of most modern concepts of marketing. The study will give a new direction to future training and research work within the field of marketing. Over the years the marketing concept has certainly grown in popularity and status, finding application as a generic business philosophy in a wide range of contexts. However, the concept itself has remained essentially unchanged. A new concept of marketing encourages firms to have a posh name in order to succeed in today’s competition. Despite the often devout adherence to the concept as a normative pillar, in recent years writers such as Houston and Gassenheimer have challenged the marketing concept, arguing that much marketing activity is in fact about the forestalling of competition and the supremacy of markets, not consumer autonomy. (Wensley, 2005) Others have raised doubts about its role in improving the competitiveness of organizations. On the basis of empirical evidence, they have suggested that the implementation of the marketing concept has actually undefined competitiveness. These authors were among the first to question, perhaps unfairly, the value of the marketing concept. (Hooley and Lynch, 2003) But, the key point to which they helped to draw our attention was that the implementation of the marketing concept was becoming the Achilles heel of the discipline. In the absence of clear guidelines about how to put it into practice and make it effective, that which was left was little more than vacuous rhetoric. ( Samli, Palda, and Barker, 2008). This paper argues for the continued development and reappraisal of the marketing concept of something having a posh name. The main point is that the marketing concept, as it is often written about, assumes many of the characteristics of an ideology or an article of faith.

Neil Simons influence on Jewish culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Neil Simons influence on Jewish culture - Essay Example So many of our traditions inherently contain aspects of culture. Look at the Passover Seder-it's essentially great theater. Jewish education and religiosity bereft of culture is not as interesting. It is also clear that Jews have, in one form of another, dominated much of the American theatre, musical theatre and film worlds for much of their existence. Neil Simon is hardly unique in dominating one aspect of the performing arts: he is part of an oligarchy that has been recognized for decades. Simon has brought an eclectic view of what it means to be Jewish to a wide audience for nearly six decades. Thus in The Eugene Trilogy of plays he gives a semi-autobiographical account of his own early life, career and struggles. Brighton Beach Memoirs, the first play of the trilogy, deals with a Jewish teenager who experiences sexual awakening and a search for identity against the backdrop of a complex Jewish family. While not necessarily "about" being Jewish, Simon brings a shrewd sensibility to the idea of the difficulties of growing up and being Jewish (Simon, 1995). Within all of Simon's drama, even the more "serious" tupe as can be seen within the Eugene Trilogy, there is an element of humor. He has brought an ability to view even the most serious matters humorously to a mass audience. In some ways it is easy to see the influence of Neil Simon on icons of Jewish culture such as Woody Allen. The ability to write about a uniquely Jewish experience and yet at the same time to make that experience accessible and even enjoyable to a much wider, often non-Jewish audience has been an inspiration to many different other artists. At times Neil Simon has taken iconic Jewish figures, such as the character of Job from the Bible, and made them accessible to modern audiences. Thus in God's Favorite he transfers the Book of Job to a Long Island Mansion, and manages to make the play both funny and thought-provoking. This play may be seen as part of a recurrent theme that runs throughout many of what at least superficially appear to be light-hearted and comic plays (Konas, 1997). Konas also argues that Neil Simon's comedy is rooted in "people's neuroses" (1997), and one of them that many of Simon's character possess is the fact that they are Jewish. There is a deceptive seriousness to these analyses of Jewish life in America, a deception that allows Simon to introduce the audience to some of their own prejudices and doubts. Thus in Jake's Women the leading character is haunted by the fact that some of his previous relationships have been defined, more or less, with the fact that he was Jewish and the supposed sensibility that goes along with that. Neil Simon's contribution to Jewish culture has been profound. He has brought a decidedly Jewish outlook to stage and film for nearly sixty years, with more than forty plays and thirty screenplays to his credit. He paved the way for other popular artists such as Woody Allen and Mel Brooks to consider Jewishness in perhaps more challenging ways (or at least more controversial ways) than Simon has himself. Such is the role of a catalyst and role-model for others. The

Model building Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Model building - Term Paper Example The purpose of this model is to assess the claim and handle the situation appropriately. It involves investigation procedures to unearth the truth so as to make decisive and conclusive actions. The media and citizens’ claims have to be investigated to assess where they registered complaint and whoever was responsible. This calls for an investigation team to assist in the process. The model tries to give answers why the complaints are not heard. The model Purpose The purpose of the model is to study why residents’ complaints have not been heard. In order to get proper answers independent investigation must be done. Complaint handling procedures are specific to organizations, and each organization policies are unique. Public policy for complaint launching and handling is always very clear. The study would put into account how these complaints were registered. As a line area manager, assessment to ensure that the staff gives appropriate concerns in helping complaint handling, investigates and resolves complaints. Constraints Investigation consumes time and it is often costly. On this basis, the model structure must mirror cost effective one and involve a proper time frame within which the purpose of the study is achieved. Policy is clear on how the complaints should be registered for accountability. This leads to assessment on how the complaint was registered (Adorno, 2000).... Independently, this team ensures to retrieve the logs of complaints for the particular period claim is made. This would involve accessing systems without the aid of responsible staff to handle complaints. This is to make sure the investigation is reliable and accurate. The investigation process is to be done within two weeks. The findings are to be evaluated and recommendation given to various departments to facilitate proper actions. Complaint material published by an organization should include a statement of guarantee that a plaintiff will not be victimized or suffer from negative handling because they have made a complaint. In a public sector, the community should not be isolated because of the complaints they raised due to poor service delivered by public sector. Policy The complaint policy approach has to be reassessed to ensure that proper accountability is in place. The time frame stipulated to handle compliant and priority appended to complaints in regards to sensitivity. Co mplaint value assessment is essential, and during the investigation it must be considered so as to verify if complaints are treated according to policy stipulation. It is essential to understand the existing policies so as to gauge the complaint problem. The resident may be claiming that the complaints are not being handled yet policy implementation is in progress. Integration of complaint handling must be properly instituted into policy document. This is a sure way of enhancing accountability within organizations (Reif, & International Ombudsman Institute, 2004). Commitment and responsibility The model helps in analyzing the commitment of staff to

The Impact of Light Wavelength to Photosynthesis Lab Report

The Impact of Light Wavelength to Photosynthesis - Lab Report Example Nonetheless, our data did not support the hypothesis since the red light did not have significantly higher rate of photosynthesis among the three colors. Light is very significant to plants as it is the energy source that aids a chain of chemical reactions involve in the process of their food production called photosynthesis. With their light trapping photosynthetic pigments, plants collect light energy that then supports the production of sugar. The most important among several different pigments is chlorophyll which is responsible for green color of most plants (Light wavelength and photosynthesis) process we know as photosynthesis (Farabee, 2008). Sunlight as the primary source of light is converted to a usable chemical energy with the actions of green pigment chlorophyll. This process leads to the chemical reaction wherein water and carbon dioxide enter the cell of the leaf producing oxygen and sugar. With that leaves serves as solar collector full of photosynthetic cells (Whitmarsh). Light is a matter and an electromagnetic radiation which is a form of energy. The light that allows us to see is actually a combination of different wavelength and termed visible light. To separate these wavelengths the light must pass a prism making them all visible (Light wavelength and photosynthesis). ... This creates an electromagnetic spectrum of light between red as the longest wavelength while violet as the shortest (Farabee, 2008)The light energy that is transmitted and reflected is represented with the colors that we see while those that we cannot are those that are absorbed (Light wavelength and photosynthesis) Light is absorbed through substance called pigments. For most plants chlorophyll is the green pigment responsible for absorbing all wavelengths of visible light except green. As the pigment absorbs light energy, it triggers photosynthesis; thus making the effectiveness of different wavelengths of light generating electrons relative to the action spectrum of such chemical reaction. Methods The impact of light wavelengths on photosynthesis was determined by exposing the plant Dracaena to light of different wavelengths then measuring the decrease in carbon dioxide level. With a 60 Watts soft white light bulb with red, green and yellow light filters, wavelengths of 630 to 750nm representing red, 570 to 590 representing yellow, and 490 to 560nm representing green were utilized. Two treatments were done for each of the three wavelengths, each treatment with seven replicates. Each of the seven plants was placed in the CID machine and tested for CO2 level respiration. Each plant was initially tested for drop in CO2 after two minutes of light exposure and then final measurements were obtained within seven minutes. Thus had provides us the amount of change in the level of carbon dioxide utilization within five minutes interval. Results The data in Figure 1 shows that the change in level of carbon dioxide utilization differs among colors of different wavelengths. The control where in the sunlight serves as the source of light displays a mean of 160.71

Creating a Travel Planning ICT System Essay Example for Free

Creating a Travel Planning ICT System Essay In this project I will be creating a system to help plan the costs, amount of people and which people are going on the overnight trip. Here you will be taking the role of Sana, who is helping her French teacher (Mr Campbell) work out the costs of the week long French trip as he was experiencing some difficulty. On a day to day basis Mr Campbell has to create a letter about parent evenings for the trip, permission slips, dietary and medical requirements and remaining money. He also needs to work out the total in goings and total outgoings and make sure that the school doesnt make a loss but doesnt need to make a profit. He will also need to create a record of data about which pupils are going and arent going and how we will put this in and use this to help create letters As Mr Campbell was experiencing some difficulty working out the costs using a calculator and paper and you had suggested that you would create a system that helps him work out the cost very easily and is a very user friendly design (maybe a user guide to help those who find this system hard and need some help) and you should ensure that anybody with little knowledge of computers is able to change certain amounts e.g. amount of people to see how this affects the overall costs. Sana has also offered to create a system in which Mr Campbell can enter a pupils data, how much they have paid (deposit and other monies) and if he/her has brought in the reply slip, this system must also be able search within this data and pick out what you are asking to see. As well as creating a system that does this you must create a system that links to the list of names and using the information that you have searched for I should be able to create a letter to be sent to parents about reply slips, remainin g money etc. My user for this system is Mr Campbell and Mrs Mccloud and could be the deputy head, head teacher etc. As anyone who needs to know how many people will be missing school and how long for, other teachers will need this information to ensure that all important work is given before and after (this information could be presented in queries or reports). Many people will need to access this record or receive information about the trip so I should be able to send out pieces to teachers e.g. form, lesson etc about which dates will be missed. At the moment the business is run by Mr Campbell and he runs it by collecting information from letters and from pupils then writing it down into a log book but this way is too long and too hard so I will be creating a system which will significantly decrease the amount of time wasted by sifting through handwritten data. Sub problems involved In this task there are 4 different sub-problems within the system they are shown on the next page in the diagram with the problem being at the top and the sub problems being shown below and also how these sub problems are linked shown on the diagram. My first sub problem is my costing sheet which will work out all the separate and total costs of the trip. For this sub problem I could use Microsoft word and Microsoft excel. There are advantages and disadvantages of all of these problems and there are all listed below these will all help me to decide which would be the best method of working out these costs. I have chosen these two programs because in each one I can create tables. Different methods of tackling the problem In Microsoft word I can * Create a table * Merge cells * Change the page layout (portrait and landscape) * Change the background colour of the cells * Change the text colour of the cells * Change the justification of the cells * Make cells bold, italic or underlined * Auto fit the cells * I can sort the data * I can add formulas * Use a table auto format But using Microsoft word also has its disadvantages * Harder to change formulas * Harder to use * If something needed to be changed if would be harder for the user I think that Microsoft word isnt a very good program to use because even though you can do a lot of things with making the table and changing things within the table I dont feel that this is the right program to use as I would like a program specifically designed to do things like costing sheets as I have more experience with those so I am able to make them more user friendly and use more features on it. In Microsoft excel I can * Create a table * Merge cells * Change the page layout (portrait and landscape) * Change the background colour of the cells * Change the text colour of the cells * Change the justification of the cells * Make cells bold, italic or underlined * Auto fit the cells * I can sort the data * I can add formulas * Use a table auto format * Create graphs with data * Do auto sum * Use conditional formatting I can also do many other things that would be useful to the sub problem. The disadvantages of this is * it might seem hard to use the only problem I have with this program is that it could look hard top use but with a user guide and a colour coded system I think that that is over come easily and because I am able to do many different things with this package as I am more familiar to it and I think that that would benefit the user. Any methods of doing this would be better than handwriting it because then I would have to work everything out for each little change and keep writing out the results and this can be very time consuming so the best option is to use a computer with maybe a program that is able to create costing sheets For my second sub problem I am creating a poster to advertise this trip to France I am going to use Microsoft word, publisher or paint. I will be listing there advantages and disadvantages to help me to decide which one is more appropriate and suited to this task. Microsoft word is good because * can insert picture * can insert text * can make text boxes * can change colour, background and type and size and justification of text * can change colours etc of background * can insert tables to display data * can insert diagrams You can also do many other things with Microsoft word sop it would be a good program to use but I dont have as much freedom with the text etc then what I would have with another program in which I am able to do many more things. Paint is a good program to use because * I have a lot of freedom within this program * Can create my own lines and shapes and copy and paste parts easily * Can insert text boxes Microsoft paint also has many other good points but I still think I that this program isnt the most ideal because: * I dont now how to make it fit the whole page * Cant use word art, would have to copy and paste it There are also more problems with it and they wouldnt really influence my decision as I think that using paint is already to tedious from the above two problems so it isnt the most desirable solution. Microsoft publisher is good because * I have freedom * can insert picture * can insert text * can make text boxes * can change colour, background and type and size and justification of text * can change colours etc of background * can insert tables to display data * can insert diagrams I can also do other things with Microsoft publisher but they do not need to be stated as I dont feel that that has any tedious or major problems with it so feel that for this task it is the best piece of software to use. Using a computer and its software to tackle this sub problem rather than using a computer because it would take me a long time as well as designing it I would them need to draw and stick anything on then I would need to colour each drawing in staying within the lines and making sure the colour is even this isnt a very good thing because it would take vary long time and wouldnt look professional so for this task it is better to use a computer. For my third sub problem I am creating a record to store all the details about pupils and teachers going on this trip I will be using either of these two programs as I can use tables in both Mycroft access and Microsoft word. Microsoft word would be good to use because * I can make a table * I can sort the data * I can give the data titles The rest of what I can do with Microsoft word is irrelevant and there are too many problems to list with it because I count do much with this program and there is no use in listing it but I know for definable that I will not need to used this program as I cant even make forms or use queries. Microsoft access would be good to use because * I can create queries * Create forms * Search for and sort data * Create definite field headings for the record * Be able to mail merge this data There are also many other good points but I do not need to state them because of what is above and concerning this sub problem there arent any bad points of using this piece of software for this sub problem. Using a computer is much better than using a hand made system because in a hand made system you would have to write each one out and if any changes needed to be made I would have to re-write the whole sheet and finding data and taking parts of that data would also be very hard as I wouldnt be able to do it in a short period of time so using a computer would save time and frustration. For my fourth sub problem I am creating a letter which will need to be mail merged so I can do this quickly and efficiently. I can use two programs for this task Microsoft word pad and Microsoft word. They bother have there advantages and disadvantages and stating them will help me to decide which program is better. But I already know as I cannot mail merge in word pad and retyping this letter would take too long so I already know that Microsoft word is the best option as I can mail merge here. Using computer I much better than writing this letter out again and again or writing it out and leaving gaps for details because it is less time consuming if I do it this way sop using a computer is the much better option. Reusability Each of my sub problems can be used again. The first sub problem (costing sheet) is reusable because it is not just for one year because it can be used for later French trips or even other overnight trips because if anything needs to be changed like a cost for any one thing you can without changing any of the formulas as this costing sheet will be totally user friendly. The second sub problem (poster) will also be reusable because if you just change maybe the title and dates you will have a poster for another overnight trip or a poster for the same trip for a different year. The third sub problem (record) will also be reusable because if you were to delete the fields you would be able to reuse the system for a new year. The last sub problem (letter) will be reusable because if you were to use the record system to do this you would just need to delete previous records and put the new ones in and use it for next years and the years after trip. Testing For sub problem 1 (costing sheet) testing is needed. For sub problem 3 (record) testing is needed. For sub problem 4 (letter) testing is needed. Performance criterias Performance criteria sub problem 1 Must be able to merge cells Must be able to use formulas Must be able to do auto sum Must be able to do conditional formatting Must be bright Must be colourful Must have an interesting but easy to read font Must be able to make IF statements Must use absolute cell references Must be able to work out total income Must be able top work out total outgoings Must be able to work out the balance All the text will be aligned left It will be in times new roman It will have a font size of 12 In the title there will be a picture of the Eiffel tower The text must be in blue The title will have a blue background and white text. All titles must start with a capital letter. I will be using this to decide on the venue depending on how the transport costs It has to tell me if the trip can go ahead using an if statement It should fit onto one page I should ensure that there isnt a loss made I should be able to work out the minimum amount of people and use this in conditional formatting I should be able to limit the amount of people by using data validation I must be able to make a complicated IF statement Must be able to work out total costs Must be able to work out single costs e.g. travel, hotel, food, etc Performance criteria for sub problem 2 Must be bright and colourful Must use interesting fonts Must attract attention Must give dates of trip Must give price of trip Must give contact number Must give teachers name Performance criteria for sub problem 3 I must be able to link the tables Must be able to use these links to insert this data into the linked table Must be bale to create queries Must be bale to create reports Must be bale to create forms I musty be able to give a description of the fields I must be able to limit the field size I must be able to assign a key field I must be able to have a foreign key I must be able to change the data type to: * Text * Number * Auto number * Currency * Yes/no * Date and time I must be able to create a permanent field name Must be able to store data about each pupil and teacher attending the trip Must have a surname field Must have a forename field Must have an address field Must have a home phone number field Must have first deposit, second and third yes/ no fields Must be able to use this data to mail merge Performance criteria for sub problem four Must be able to mail merge in data Must be able to say which deposit has gone unpaid Must be able to say if we havent had a permission slip Must be able to give money remaining Must be able to give date Must be able to give total cost of trip Must say when next parents evening for the trip is Below I am stating the performance criteria for the whole system with headings to show which it is for so there will be no confusion Performance criteria for the whole system Performance criteria for first sub problem Must be able to merge cells Must be able to use formulas Must be able to do auto sum Must be able to do conditional formatting Must be bright Must be colourful Must have an interesting but easy to read font Must be able to make IF statements Must use absolute cell references Must be able to work out total income Must be able top work out total outgoings Must be able to work out the balance All the text will be aligned left It will be in times new roman It will have a font size of 12 In the title there will be a picture of the Eiffel tower The text must be in blue The title will have a blue background and white text. All titles must start with a capital letter. I will be using this to decide on the venue depending on how the transport costs It has to tell me if the trip can go ahead using an if statement It should fit onto one page I should ensure that there isnt a loss made I should be able to work out the minimum amount of people and use this in conditional formatting I should be able to limit the amount of people by using data validation I must be able to make a complicated IF statement Must be able to work out total costs Must be able to work out single costs e.g. travel, hotel, food, etc Performance criteria for second sub problem Must be bright and colourful Must use interesting fonts Must attract attention Must give dates of trip Must give price of trip Must give contact number Must give teachers name Performance criteria for the third sub problem I must be able to link the tables Must be able to use these links to insert this data into the linked table Must be bale to create queries Must be bale to create reports Must be bale to create forms I musty be able to give a description of the fields I must be able to limit the field size I must be able to assign a key field I must be able to have a foreign key I must be able to change the data type to: * Text * Number * Auto number * Currency * Yes/no * Date and time I must be able to create a permanent field name Must be able to store data about each pupil and teacher attending the trip Must have a surname field Must have a forename field Must have an address field Must have a home phone number field Must have first deposit, second and third yes/ no fields Must be able to use this data to mail merge Performance criteria for the last problem Must be able to mail merge in data Must be able to say which deposit has gone unpaid Must be able to say if we havent had a permission slip Must be able to give money remaining Must be able to give date Must be able to give total cost of trip Must say when next parents evening for the trip is

Global Limited System Essay Example for Free

Global Limited System Essay Global Limited is a global provider of infrastructure information systems, whose services cater to a wide range of industry sectors. One of Global Limited’s business objectives is information security for their clients. In order to provide their clients with information security, Global Limited has utilized a risk management approach to protect their client’s information. From a security standpoint the step taken by Global Limited are sound and will maximize the security of their client’s information. The main weakness as such will remain at the user level. If the end users both internal and external are not security conscious and vigilant in their security awareness then there is a risk of a vulnerability being exploited. The access controls Global Limited implemented using access tokens and PIN numbers for authentication provides a level of security to protect unauthorized access to data and systems. The additional use of the Data Loss Prevention (DLP) product to manage data across the network is integral to compliance of the CIA triad. Global Limited’s approach of layered security from end- point to end user utilized several different methods of controls thus providing their clients with a single comprehensive strategy. Although there is no real way to have complete security against all threats, Global Limited has provided their clients with a secure solution without being so intrusive that the end users cannot do their jobs. If a company or organization’s data and systems are not secure, be it from lack of proper controls or improper physical security, then they would be out of compliance with industry standards. According to the SOX act a company is supposed to have internal controls in place to prevent and detect unauthorized access of financial data. Global’s risk management approach was a key factor in the success of their efforts to protecting their cl ient’s information assets. By utilizing risk management strategies Global was able to detect vulnerabilities where there were the  most likelihood of threat and implement controls to detect and/or prevent breaches of the security controls. The risk management process ensured Global addressed security measures at all levels of the IT/domain. Having remote external access to Global’s network poses many threats. Lack of physical controls over devices could result in breaches. If a person lost a laptop that ad sensitive data or kept their login credentials stored on their phones, an unauthorized person could gain access. If data is not properly classified and protected it could be compromised through VPN. Some other tools that are comparable to those used by Global are Biometrics and cryptographic keys used for authentication. Titan CMS is similar to Global’s DLP suite in that it classifies, monitors and secures data across a network. Clone Guard provides vulnerability scanning, intrusion detection, and penetration testing to test an organizations defensive countermeasures and identify threats. References Managed Network Security, IDS IPS Solutions Provider Clone Systems, Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2014, from http://www.clone-systems.com/?gclid=CPCGzpWn1r0CFaVxOgodtEcAeQ Titan CMS content management systems. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2014, from http://titancms.com/home.htm