Balfour Beatty and Corporate Social Responsibility Dissertation

Balfour Beatty and Corporate Social Responsibility - Dissertation Example The concept of corporate social responsibility is not something new (Hemingway 2002). In fact, as early as 1930’s the idea that firms should be responsible not only to its shareholders, but to society as a whole was already espoused (Hemingway 2002). However, it is only in the last forty years that discussions pertinent to CSR have become fervent. In the ensuing intensive elucidations pertinent to CSR, various concerns related to its definition, process, implications, field and many other issues have been raised (e.g. Carroll 1999; Friedman 1962; Porter & Kramer 2006). The demand for a positive response for CSR is asked of all companies regardless of the sector and size. Looking at the construction industry, its activities are highly prominent in communities where they are operating. The typical construction activities such as mineral extraction, construction, maintenance and demolition cause serious inconvenience, disruption to the general public and natural environment (Bart horpe, James & Taylor 2004). This situation if handled improperly can result in the ire of the community. On the other hand, accepting the high visibility and impact of the activities of the construction industry may become an opportunity for the company to build a positive relationship with the stakeholders in the public arena where they are conducting their affairs (Barthorpe et al. 2004). In this regard, this research will look into the practice of corporate social responsibility vis-a-vis Balfour Beatty, one of the largest construction companies not only in the UK, but also in the world. It asserts that upon observing the CSR response of Balfour Beatty, it can be attested that corporate citizenship is not a linear progression, but that it is possible for a company to be at various stages in different elements of CSR at the same time. Likewise, regardless of the intent of the company in adopting CSR, (this is significant to note because it is one of the arguments against CSR, e.g . Lin-Hi 2010), companions continue to respond to it in a positive way even if they get involved in some ‘unscrupulous activities’. This is significant as it serves as a lesson not only for the company involved, but also for all organisations. The project has the following structure. The first section is the introduction, which contains the focus and structure of the study. The second section of the project will deal with Balfour Beatty and how effective is it in aligning its goals and conduct with CSR. For the analysis, Mirvins and Googins’ Stages of Corporate Citizenship will be used. Meanwhile, the third section of the project will address a more in-depth look in some of the elements and stages of Mirvins and Googins’ Stages of Corporate Citizenship vis-a-vis Balfour Beatty Plc. Finally, the fourth part will be the limitations and conclusion of the study. In the end, it is the intention of the study to gain a better understanding of CSR by looking into the CSR of Balfour Beatty Plc. CSR and Balfour Beatty: A Demonstration of Corporate Citizenship Balfour Beatty PLC is a British construction, engineering,

Ethics in Psychology Essay Example for Free

Ethics in Psychology Essay The definition of ethics is as follows: â€Å"a theory or system of moral values; the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by a person†. (dictionary.com ) In modern day society, we have bio-ethicists; professionals who are trained to judge what can be considered ethical, as well as strict guidelines set forth by the APA (American Psychological Association). However, during the early years of the formation of Psychology, there were no bio-ethicists or universal guidelines, therefore some of the early experiments such as the â€Å"Little Albert†, and â€Å"Mother Attachment† would be considered unethical and therefore would not be permitted today. In 1920, behaviorist John B. Watson and his assistant Rosalie Rayner conducted an experiment now called the â€Å"Little Albert†. The desired outcome of the experiment was to show empirical evidence of classical conditioning in humans. (T. Bartlett) A similar study that preceded â€Å"Little Albert† was conducted by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, which demonstrated the conditioning process in dogs. It is said that Watson wanted to continue and further Pavlov’s research to eventually show that emotional reactions could be classically conditioned in humans. Watson and Rayner first selected a nine month old baby from a local hospital, his name was Douglas Merritte. The child was then exposed to a series of stimuli including a white rat, a rabbit, a monkey, masks, and burning newspapers; his initial reactions were observed and recorded. The boy initially showed no fear of any of the objects he was shown. However, the second time the boy was exposed to the white rat, it is accompanied by a loud starling clang, that clearly frightens the child. This portion of the experiment is repeated multiple times until the mere sight of the white rat, or creatures that have a similar appearance, frighten the child even when unaccompanied by the startlingly clang. The researchers have successfully conditioned Little Albert to be afraid. (T. Bartlett) Today â€Å"Little Albert† is considered to be a cruel experiment of questionable value, clearly in violation of all five of the APA’s general ethical guidelines. The APA states that psychologists must: â€Å"respect the dignity and worth of all people, and the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination. Be aware that special safeguards may be necessary to protect the rights and welfare of persons or communities whose vulnerabilities impair autonomous decision making. Be aware of and respect cultural, individual and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language and socioeconomic status and consider these factors when working with members of such groups. Try to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based on those factors, and they do not knowingly participate in or condone activities of others based upon such prejudices.†(APA) The first problem with â€Å"Little Albert† stems from the harm caused to the individual in question. Douglas Merritte was ultimately driven to feel extreme fear and even terror when exposed to anything that remotely resembled the white rat. This was mentally damaging for the child, and may have impaired his ability to integrate himself into society at a later date. (Cherry. K) Secondly, the right to withdraw was not present in the experiment; even when the boy became distressed and even ill the experiment continued. Therefore, today, the â€Å"Little Albert† experiment would be considered highly unethical. During the 1960’s, American Psychologist Harry Harlow, conducted a series of controvertial experiments known as the â€Å"Mother Attachment Experiments†. These experiments were used to analyze the mother-child relationship in primates. In Harlows initial experiments, infant monkeys were separated from their mother’s shortly after birth and were raised instead by surrogate mothers made either wire or soft terry cloth. In one experiment both types of surrogates were present in the cage, but only one was equipped with the ability to nurse the infant. Some infants received nourishment from the wire surrogate, and others were fed from the cloth mother. Harlow established that mother love was really behavior based, meaning the offspring would seek physical comfort, rather than feeding. Harlows isolation studies also demonstrated the need for maternal interaction with their infants and the importance of play as part of the normal process of psychosocial growth. Harlow has received multiple awards for these experiments, they have been deemed of extreme significance for understanding those aspects of human behavior related to depression, aggression or sexual dysfunction, which originated in the formative years of mother-infant interaction.†(Theodore Lidz of Yale University Medical School). However, due to the fact that the experiments caused extreme psychological effects on the primates used in the trials, they could be seen as highly unethical. In the APA’s ethical principles of psychology, section 8.09 clearly states that psychologists must have a: Humane Care and Use of Animals in Research. Subsections B and D of sectio n 8.09 are relevant when considering Harlow’s treatment of the primates. Subsection B states: â€Å"Psychologists trained in research methods and experienced in the care of laboratory animals supervise all procedures involving animals and are responsible for ensuring appropriate consideration of their comfort, health and humane treatment† (APA). In the â€Å"Mother Attachment† experiments, Harlow himself was not trained in the research methods and experienced in the care of the primates, nor was there any consideration for their comfort or mental health after the experiment. Furthermore, subsection D states that: â€Å"Psychologists make reasonable efforts to minimize the discomfort, infection, illness and pain of animal subjects† (APA). Harlow failed to minimize the negative effects of his experiments on the primates in a long term setting; most primates involved in the study were clinically depressed after the termination and in some cases during the experiment.Therefore, in accordance to the APA’s ethical guidelines Harlowâ €™s experiment would be seen as morally questionable and in most cases unethical in modern society. There is no question that the science which is psychology has been built and greatly advanced through the means of what some would consider unethical means and experimentation. â€Å"Little Albert† is seen today as a cruel experiment of questionable value. However knowledge was gained from this â€Å"unethical† experiment that has helped modern day psychologists. The â€Å"Mother Attachment† experiments, have won multiple awards for their â€Å"extreme significance† (Theodore Lidz) in the analysis of behavior based on the mother-child relationship; despite the fierce criticism and controversy surrounding the experiments. Should both experiments be considered morally wrong and unethical? Perhaps. Did both experiments play a large role in the advancement of psychology? Without a doubt. Therefore in Harlow and Watson’s cases, the end justifies the means. References American Psychological Association (APA). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Retrieved December 10, 2012, from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx?item=3 Bartlett, T. (2012). The Sad Saga of Little Albert Gets Far Worse for a Researchers Reputation . Chronicle of Higher Education, Vol. 58(Issue 23), A-26. Cherry, K. Psychology Complete Guide to Psychology for Students, Educators Enthusiasts. Little Albert The Little Albert Experiment. Retrieved December 10, 2012, from http://psychology.about.com/od/classicpsychologystudies/a/little-albert-experiment.htm (1975). Honoring Harlow for dedicated research . Science News , Vol.107 (Issue 24), 383.

Plot Flaws in The Great Gatsby Essay example -- The Great Gatsby F. Sc

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was a novel that epitomizes the time in our history known as the roaring twenties. It was a time of great extravagances and frolicsome attitudes. The novel also revealed the darker side of this time with its underlying themes of greed and betrayal on the part of many of the characters. The novel as a whole seems to be a very well thought out piece of literature with little or no flaws. However, if studied a bit harder several defects can be spotted. These include such things as shifts in setting, sequence manipulation, and shifting of narrators. The setting of a novel is very important to the overall plot. It can help define the mood and can give some aspects of where the story is headed. The majority of the story takes place in â€Å"East and West Egg† of Long Island, New York. These locations were where the majority of the main characters lived and interacted with one another. That was until chapter seven of the novel. Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby have been invited to tea at Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s home. This was a very critical portion of the plot due to the increasing pressures Gatsby and Daisy are feeling about their relationship, and when they will tell Tom of their affair. It was very hot and all present were obviously uncomfortable. Suddenly Daisy asked, â€Å"Who wants to go to town?†(125). They eventually agree and all go to town. They end up getting a hotel room in downtown New York City which was just as hot if ...

Educational Programs In Prisons Essay examples -- essays research pape

Educational Programs in Prisons   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It is not a surprise to see that prisoners all have a low education level. I guess a more educated person has enough sense not to be involved with crime†¦the relationship between crime and education is easy to see when viewing these facts† (Cordes 1). This is the view of most people when asked why people are in prison. People simply say that criminals were ill educated. As hard as we may try, we cannot do a lot about what happens before they enter prison, but there are many programs inside prisons to help rehabilitate them for when they leave the prison.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The New York Theological Seminary for Afro-American male prisoners (NYTS) runs a program at Sing Sing Prison that allows inmates to get their master’s degree. This program meets five times a week and has only about fourteen to sixteen men admitted every year. The program has become so popular that there is a waiting list of one or more years. The NYTS program helps these men prepare for community service. Forty-two credited hours must be completed in order to receive the degree. Students must also complete a minimum of fifteen hours of field service within the prison. Since the program was established, more than two hundred men have received their degrees. The program is offered in other prisons, and inmates are allowed to transfer to Sing Sing in order to complete the program. Everyday men and women alike challenge themselves, but none as much as those men and women living behind bars. â€Å"Freedom is a struggle that begins in one’s mind. These Af rican American men [in Sing Sing Prison] behind bars challenge themselves daily to live as free human beings. Their courage should inspire us to do the same† (Marable 2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is another federal program that is called Credits for Cons. This is a program proposed by the Clinton administration. They proposed a â€Å"fifteen hundred education income tax credit† (Stanglin 1). This would allow volunteers to get the credit if they sponsored an inmate who took college courses. Many believe church members would take part in this plan, as many have done in the past to help drug addicts. Though the proposal has not yet been passed, many people have said they would be an active member in a program like this one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  North Carolina also... ... Write Way’ is a wonderful program held at the Stillwater Correctional Facility.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, educational programs in prison range from very good with programs like â€Å"Reaching Out the Write Way† and the programs North Carolina has to the ones that aren’t all that good like credits for cons. â€Å"Education, in combination with work programs, can give inmates the skills they need to be successful when they return to their communities...It can enable them to do a job that reduces prison costs, such as taking messages, running a library, like Andy in Shawshank Redemption, or reading recipes to work in the kitchen† (Young 2). Many people think that educating prisoners is â€Å"being soft on crime,† but when you think about it, all it really is doing is working to make sure that the â€Å"revolving door† will stop revolving (Young 1). If this door keeps going around in the circle it is now, it will come to cost the taxpayers up to if not more than one hundred dollars a day. â€Å"The cost of education is mi nute in comparison to its benefits† (Young 2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Republic of South Africa Essay

South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological sites in the world.[19][20][21] Extensive fossil remains at the Sterkfontein, Kromdraai and Makapansgat caves suggest that various australopithecines existed in South Africa from about three million years ago.[22] These were succeeded by various species of Homo, including Homo habilis, Homo erectus and modern humans, Homo sapiens. Settlements of Bantu-speaking peoples, who were iron-using agriculturists and herdsmen, were already present south of the Limpopo River by the fourth or fifth century CE. (see Bantu expansion). They displaced, conquered and absorbed the original Khoisan speakers. The Bantu slowly moved south. The earliest ironworks in modern-day KwaZulu-Natal Province are believed to date from around 1050. The southernmost group was the Xhosa people, whose language incorporates certain linguistic traits from the earlier Khoisan people. The Xhosa reached the Great Fish River, in today’s Eastern Cape Province. As they migrated, these larger Iron Age populations displaced or assimilated earlier peoples, who often had hunter-gatherer societies.[citation needed] Republic of South Africa (1961–present) In 1487, the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to reach the southernmost point of Africa. Initially named the Cape of Storms, The King of Portugal, John II, renamed it the Cabo da Boa Esperanà §a or Cape of Good Hope, as it led to the riches of India. Dias’ great feat of navigation was later immortalised in Camà µes’ epic Portuguese poem, The Lusiads (1572). In 1652, Jan van Riebeeck established a refreshment station at the Cape of Good Hope on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch transported slaves from Indonesia, Madagascar, and India as labour for the colonists in Cape Town. As they expanded east, the Dutch settlers met the south-westerly expanding Xhosa people in the region of the Fish River. A series of wars, called the Cape Frontier Wars, ensued, mainly caused by conflicting land and livestock interests. Great Britain took over the Cape of Good Hope area in 1795, ostensibly to stop it from falling under Revolutionary French control. Given its standing interests in Australia and India, Great Britain wanted to use Cape Town as an interim port for its merchants’ long voyages. The British returned Cape Town to the Dutch in 1803, but soon afterwards the Dutch East India Company declared bankruptcy. The British annexed the Cape Colony in 1806. The British continued the frontier wars against the Xhosa, pushing the eastern frontier eastward through a line of forts established along the Fish River. They consolidated the territory by encouraging British settlement. Due to pressure of abolitionist societies in Britain, the British parliament first stopped its global slave trade with the passage of the Slave Trade Act 1807, then abolished slavery in all its colonies with the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. Boers in combat (1881)In the first two decades of the 19th century, the Zulu people grew in power and expanded their territory under their leader, Shaka.[23] Shaka’s depredations led indirectly to the Mfecane (â€Å"Crushing†) that devastated the inland plateau in the early 1820s.[24] An offshoot of the Zulu, the Matabele, created an even larger empire under their king Mzilikazi, including large parts of the highveld. During the 1830s, approximately 12,000 Boers (later known as Voortrekkers), departed from the Cape Colony, where they had been subjected to British control. They migrated to the future Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal regions. The Boers founded the Boer Republics: the South African Republic (now Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West provinces) and the Orange Free State (Free State). The discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1884 in the interior encouraged economic growth and immigration. This intensified the European-South African subjugation of the indigenous people. The struggle to control these important economic resources was a factor between Europeans and the indigenous population, and also between the Boers and the British.[25] The Boer Republics successfully resisted British encroachments during the First Boer War (1880–1881) using guerrilla warfare tactics, which were well suited to local conditions. However, the British returned with greater numbers, more experience, and more suitable tactics in the Second Boer War (1899–1902), which was won by the British. 20th century After four years of negotiating, the Union of South Africa was created from the Cape and Natal colonies, as well as the republics of Orange Free State and Transvaal, on 31 May 1910, exactly eight years after the end of the Second Boer War. The newly created Union of South Africa was a dominion of Great Britain. The Natives’ Land Act of 1913 severely restricted the ownership of land by ‘blacks’; at that stage they had control of a mere 7% of the country. The amount of land reserved for indigenous peoples was later marginally increased.[26] In 1931 the union was effectively granted independence from the United Kingdom with the passage of the Statute of Westminster. In 1934, the South African Party and National Party merged to form the United Party, seeking reconciliation between Afrikaners and English-speaking â€Å"Whites†. In 1939 the party split over the entry of the Union into World War II as an ally of the United Kingdom, a move which the National Party followers strongly opposed. â€Å"For use by white persons† – sign from the apartheid eraIn 1948, the National Party was elected to power. It intensified the implementation of racial segregation begun under Dutch and British colonial rule, and subsequent South African governments since the Union was formed. The Nationalist Government systematised existing segregationist laws, classifying all peoples into three races, developing rights and limitations for each, such as pass laws and residential restrictions. The white minority controlled the vastly larger black majority. The system of segregation became known collectively as apartheid. While the White minority enjoyed the highest standard of living in all of Africa, often comparable to First World western nations, the Black majority remained disadvantaged by almost every standard, including income, education, housing, and life expectancy. On 31 May 1961, following a whites-only referendum, the country became a republic and left the Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be head of state, and the last Governor-General became State President. Apartheid became increasingly controversial, leading to widespread international sanctions, divestment and growing unrest and oppression within South Africa. A long period of harsh suppression by the government, and at times violent resistance, strikes, marches, protests, and sabotage by bombing and other means, by various anti-apartheid movements, most notably the African National Congress (ANC), followed. In the late 1970s, South Africa began a programme of nuclear weapons development. In the following decade, it produced six deliverable nuclear weapons. The Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith, signed by Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Harry Schwarz in 1974, enshrined the principles of peaceful transition of power and equality for all, the first of such agreements by acknowledged black and white political leaders in South Africa, which would ultimately end with the negotiations between F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela in 1993. In 1990 the National Party government took the first step towards dismantling discrimination when it lifted the ban on the African National Congress and other political organisations. It released Nelson Mandela from prison after twenty-seven years’ incarceration on a sabotage sentence. A negotiation process known as the Convention for a Democratic South Africa was started. The government repealed apartheid legislation. South Africa destroyed its nuclear arsenal and acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. South Africa held its first multi-racial elections in 1994, which the ANC won by an overwhelming majority. It has been in power ever since. In post-apartheid South Africa, unemployment has been extremely high. While many blacks have risen to middle or upper classes, the overall unemployment rate of blacks worsened between 1994 and 2003.[27] Poverty among whites, previously rare, increased.[28] While some have attributed this partly to the legacy of the apartheid system, increasingly many attribute it to the failure of the current government’s policies. In addition, the current government has struggled to achieve the monetary and fiscal discipline to ensure both redistribution of wealth and economic growth. Since the ANC-led government took power, the United Nations Human Development Index of South Africa has fallen, while it was steadily rising until the mid-1990s.[29] Some of this could possibly be attributed to the AIDS pandemic and the failure of the government to take steps to address it.[30] Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliÉ ¬aÉ ¬a manˈdeË la];), born 18 July 1918, [1] served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first South-African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress’s armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. The South African courts convicted him on charges of sabotage, as well as other crimes committed while he led the movement against apartheid. In accordance with his conviction’s sentence, Mandela served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island. Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela supported reconciliation and negotiation, and helped lead the transition towards multi-racial democracy in South Africa. Since the end of apartheid, many have frequently praised Mandela, including former opponents. In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela’s clan. The title has come to be synonymous with Nelson Mandela. Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades, most notably the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly announced that Mandela’s birthday, 18 July, is to be known as ‘Mandela Day’ to mark his contribution to world freedom.[2] Apartheid (Afrikaans pronunciation: [É Ã‹Ë†pÉ rtÉ ¦Ã‰â„¢it], separateness) was a system of legal racial segregation enforced by the National Party government in South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority black inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and minority rule by whites was maintained. Racial segregation in South Africa began in colonial times, but apartheid as an official policy was introduced following the general election of 1948. New legislation classified inhabitants into racial groups (â€Å"black†, â€Å"white†, â€Å"coloured†, and â€Å"Yellow†), and residential areas were segregated by means of forced removals. From 1958, Blacks were deprived of their citizenship, legally becoming citizens of one of ten tribally based self-governing homelands called bantustans, four of which became nominally independent states. The government segregated education, medical care, and other public services, and provided black people with services inferior to those of whites. Apartheid sparked significant internal resistance and violence as well as a long trade embargo against South Africa.[1] A series of popular uprisings and protests were met with the banning of opposition and imprisoning of anti-apartheid leaders. As unrest spread and became more violent, state organizations responded with increasing repression and state-sponsored violence. Reforms to apartheid in the 1980s failed to quell the mounting opposition, and in 1990 President Frederik Willem de Klerk began negotiations to end apartheid, culminating in multi-racial democratic elections in 1994, which were won by the African National Congress under Nelson Mandela. The vestiges of apartheid still shape South African politics and society.[2] After decades in a Robben Island prison, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) is released in 1990 and works immediately to bring about the end of apartheid and the initiation of full democratic elections where the black majority population can vote. Mandela wins the race for President of South Africa and takes office in 1994. His immediate challenge is â€Å"balancing black aspirations with white fears.† The country’s still-present racial tensions are shown, in part, through Mandela’s security team, which is composed both of new black and old white officials. The black and white groups are immediately hostile to one another despite sharing the same job and goal. While Mandela attempts to tackle the country’s largest problems – including crime and unemployment – he attends a game of the Springboks, the country’s rugby union team. Non-whites in the stadium cheer against their home squad, as the Springboks (their history, players and even their colours) represent prejudice and apartheid in their mind. Knowing that South Africa is set to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup in one year’s time, Mandela convinces the South African rugby board to keep the Springbok team, name and colours the same. He then meets with the Springboks’ captain Franà §ois Pienaar (Matt Damon). Though Mandela never verbalizes his true meaning during their meeting, Pienaar understands the message below the surface: if the Springboks can gain the support of non-white South Africans and succeed in the upcoming World Cup, the country will be unified and inspired. Mandela also shares with Pienaar that a poem, Invictus, had been inspiring to him during his time in prison, helping him to â€Å"stand when all he wanted to do was lie down†. Pienaar and his teammates train, but the players (all but one are white) voice disapproval that they are to be envoys to the poor and public – fearing exhaustion from overwork. Mandela, too, hears disapproval from friends and family. Many more, both white and non-white citizens and politicians, began to express doubts on using sport to unite a nation torn apart by some 50 years of racial tensions. For many non-white, especially the radicals, the Springboks symbolised white supremacy and they did not want to support their national team. As the tournament approaches, Mandela collapses from exhaustion and the Springboks’ only non-white player, Chester Williams, is sidelined with a pulled hamstring. Things begin to change, however, as the players went around interacting with the locals. During the opening games, support for the Springboks begins to grow amongst the non-white population. By the second game Williams is fit once again. Citizens of all races turn out in numbers to show their unanimous support for the Springboks. At the suggestion of several security guards, Mandela decides to sport a Springbok jersey with Pienaar’s number 6 on it to show his support and his name is chanted repeatedly by the home crowd during his entrance, a contrast to a previous rugby match scene, in which Mandela is booed by some of the whites in the crowd. As momentum builds, even the security team members become at ease with each other and the black members who disliked rugby eventually began to enthusiastically support their national team alongside their white colleagues. The Springboks, possessing a sub-par record, were not expected to go very far and are expected to lose in the quarterfinals. They surpass all expectations and make the final, only to face the New Zealand rugby team – called the All Blacks – the most successful rugby team in the world, the favourites to win the World Cup and historically the Springboks’ greatest rivals. Roared on by a large home crowd of both whites and non-white, Pienaar motivates his team to overcome their doubts and push their bodies to the limits. After ending in a tie, the game goes into extra time, where the Springboks win on a long drop kick from fly-half Joel Stransky (Scott Eastwood) and a score of 15-12. Mandela and Pienaar meet on the field together to celebrate the improbable victory amidst a crowd of some 62,000 fans—of all races. Once there, Mandela thanks Pienaar for his service to the nation, but Pienaar insists the President that he deserves the real thanks. In one particular scene, some white police officers celebrate by hoisting a young black boy, who had been lingering near their vehicle to listen to the radio broadcast of the game, onto their shoulders.

The difference between products on a number Essays

The difference between products on a number Essays The difference between products on a number Essay The difference between products on a number Essay Im going to investigate the difference between products on a number grid first Im going to draw a box round four numbers then I will find the product of top left, bottom right numbers, and then Im going to do the same with the top right, bottom right numbers in the box. Ill will then calculate the difference between these products. Not only I am going to investigate squares, but also rectangles, Ill use algebra to try and find a formula or a general rule that will give me this difference for any size shape. Im going to draw a box round four numbers then I will find the product of top left, bottom right numbers, and then Im going to do the same with the top right, bottom right numbers. 12 13 22 23 The difference between 286 and 276 is 10 because 286 276 = 10 13 x 22 = 286 12 x 23 = 276 49 50 59 60 The difference between 2950 and 2940 is 10 because 2950 2940 = 10 50 x 59 = 2950 49 x 60 = 2940 5 6 15 16 The difference between 90 and 80 is 10 because 90 80 = 10 6 x 15 = 90 5 x 16 = 80 I predicted that the difference for all 22 spares will be 10, Ill do another 2 by 2 grid to confirm that my prediction is correct. 82 83 92 93 The difference between 7636 and 7626 is 10 because 7636 7626 = 10 83 x 92 = 7636 82 x 93 = 7626 This shows that my prediction is correct, that all 2 by 2 will equal to 10. 3 by 3 Im going to draw a box round nine numbers then I will find the product of top left, bottom right numbers, and then Im going to do the same with the top right, bottom right numbers. 1 2 3 11 12 13 21 22 23 The difference between 63 and 23 is 40 because 63 23 = 40. 3 x 21 = 63 1 x 23 = 23 6 7 8 16 17 18 26 27 28 The difference between 208 and 168 is 40 because 208 168 = 40. 8 x 26 = 208 6 x 28 = 168 25 26 27 35 36 37 45 46 47 The difference between 1215 and 1175 is 40 because 1215 1175 = 40 27 x 45 = 1215 25 x 47 = 1175 I predicted that the difference for all 3 by 3 spares will be 40, Ill do another 3 by 3 grid to confirm that my prediction is correct. 16 17 18 26 27 28 36 37 38 The difference between 648 and 608 is 40 because 648 608 = 40 18 x 36 = 648 16 x 38 = 608 This shows that my prediction is correct, that all 3 by 3 will equal to 30. 4 by 4 Im going to draw a box round sixteen numbers then i will find the product of top left, bottom right numbers, and then Im going to do the same with the top right, bottom right numbers. 14 15 16 17 24 25 26 27 34 35 36 37 44 45 46 47 The difference between 748 and 658 is 90 because 748 659 = 90. 17 x 44 = 748 14 x 47 = 658 24 25 26 27 34 35 36 37 44 45 46 47 54 55 56 57 The difference between 1458 and 1368 is 90 because 1458 1368 = 90. 27 x 54 = 1458 24 x 57 = 1368 55 56 57 58 65 66 67 68 75 76 77 78 85 86 87 88 The difference between 4930 and 4840 is 90 because 4930 4840 = 90. 58 x 85 = 4930 55 x 88 = 4840 I predicted that the difference for all 4 by 4 spares will be 90, Ill do another 4 by 4 grid to confirm that my prediction is correct. 51 52 53 54 61 62 63 64 71 72 73 74 81 82 83 84 The difference between 4930 and 4940 is 90 because 4930 4940 = 90. 54 x 81 = 4374 51 x 84 = 4284 This shows that my prediction is correct, that all 4 by 4 will equal to 90. 5 by 5 Im going to draw a box round twenty five numbers then I will find the product of top left, bottom right numbers, and then Im going to do the same with the top right, bottom right numbers. 1 2 3 4 5 11 12 13 14 15 21 22 23 24 25 31 32 33 34 35 41 42 43 44 45 The difference between 205 and 45 is 160 because 205 45 = 160. 5 x 41 = 205 1 x 45 = 45 55 56 57 58 59 65 66 67 68 69 75 76 77 78 79 85 86 87 88 89 95 96 97 98 99 The difference between 5605 and 5445 is 160 because 5605 5445 = 160. 59 x 95 = 5605 55 x 99 = 5445 42 43 44 45 46 52 53 54 55 56 62 63 64 65 66 72 73 74 75 76 82 83 84 85 86 The difference between 3772 and 3612 is 160 because 3772 3612 = 160. 46 x 82 = 3772 42 x 86 = 3612 I predicted that the difference for all 5 by 5 spares will be 160, Ill do another 5 by 5 grid to confirm that my prediction is correct. 35 36 37 38 39 45 46 47 48 49 55 56 57 58 59 65 66 67 68 59 75 76 77 78 79 The difference between 2925 and 2765 is 160 because 2925 2765 = 160. 39 x 75 = 2925 35 x 79 = 2765 This shows that my prediction is correct, that all 5 by 5 will equal to 160. 6 by 6 Im going to draw a box round twenty five numbers then I will find the product of top left, bottom right numbers, and then Im going to do the same with the top right, bottom right numbers. 21 22 23 24 25 26 31 32 33 34 35 36 41 42 43 44 45 46 51 52 53 54 55 56 61 62 63 64 65 66 71 72 73 74 75 76 The difference between 1846 and 1596 is 250 because 1846 1596 = 250. 26 x 71 = 1846 21 x 76 = 1596 1 2 3 4 5 6 11 12 13 14 15 16 21 22 23 24 25 26 31 32 33 34 35 36 41 42 43 44 45 46 51 52 53 54 55 56 The difference between 306 and 56 is 250 because 306 56 = 250. 6 x 51 = 306 1 x 56 = 56 33 34 35 36 37 38 43 44 45 46 47 48 53 54 55 56 57 58 63 64 65 66 67 68 73 74 75 76 77 78 83 84 85 86 87 88 The difference between 3154 and 2904 is 250 because 3154 2904 = 250. 38 x 83 = 3154 33 x 88 = 2904 I predicted that the difference for all 6 by 6 spares will be 250, Ill do another 6 by 6 grid to confirm that my prediction is correct. 14 15 16 17 18 19 24 25 26 27 28 29 34 35 36 37 38 39 44 45 46 47 48 49 54 55 56 57 58 59 64 65 66 67 68 69 The difference between 1216 and 966 is 250 because 1216 966 = 250. 19 x 64 = 1216 14 x 69 = 966

sickle cell disease essays

sickle cell disease essays The genetic disorder I was told to research was the Sickle Cell Disease. I will explain what mutation causes this disease, the characteristics of it, and what has developed in the area The Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited disease. The gene for hemogoblin-S (which causes the disease) is the most common inherited blood condition in America; although most people only inherit one copy of the gene for HbS, while the other gene, hemogoblin-A, is normal, and can override HbS, blocking the disease. These people have the HbS trait, but not the disease, therefore leading a normal life. For an offspring to acquire the disease, both parents must have the HbS gene, yet the child only has a 25% chance of having Sickle Cells. You cannot catch the disease, you are born with it and it is There are many complications and harmful effects as the result of the Sickle Cell Disease. The disease causes hemoglobin in the red blood cells, when it does not receive sufficient oxygen, to form into long, sickle shapes with a sticky, chemical surface. When blood cells are this form, they cannot go through the capillaries, blocking off both blood and oxygen. Fortunately only 20% of all red blood cells become Sickle Cells; the sickle cells have a shorter life span; and most blood cells go through the capillaries before becoming sickle-shaped. The most painful effect known from Sickle Cell Disease are episodes of pain called Sickle Cell Crisis, where the body is in need of oxygen, either from physical activities or a sickle blood cell blocking blood passages that lead to organs. The first day is the worst, where devastating pain goes to the arm, leg, and back, along with the shortness of breath. The other symptoms of Sickle Cells include: strokes, increased infections, early gallstones, yellow discoloring of eyes and skin, low blood cell counts ...

45 Parking Holidays! The Challenges of Cultural Sensitivity in 2016

45 Parking Holidays! The Challenges of Cultural Sensitivity in 2016 In my newsletter last week, I wrote about how the Jewish holidays are treated, and how that affects my sense of belonging as a Jew. I received so many responses that I am writing a full blog on the topic now. Slippery Slope: Parking Holidays and NYC How to handle holidays is a big question for governments and businesses. Between Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and other religious holidays, it’s almost impossible to commemorate all of them. In New York City, there are 45 parking meter holidays- for everything from Christmas to Eid al-Adha to the Asian Lunar New Year. That’s an average of almost one each week, plus the standard Sunday suspension of parking rules. Many of you are probably aware that the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, was last week, and that Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, will be observed Tuesday night and Wednesday of this week. In Israel on Yom Kippur, there are no radio or TV broadcasts, airports and public transportation systems are shut down, and all shops and businesses are closed. Where I grew up (New York City), everyone, regardless of their own religion, knew when these holidays were coming. Schools were closed and many businesses were closed. No one would even think of scheduling a major business event on one of these High Holy Days. Being Acknowledged Now I live in Wisconsin, where it’s simply not like that. â€Å"Taste of Tenney,† a neighborhood event offering fare from local restaurants, is scheduled for the evening of Yom Kippur. Several times, my coaching group has held their annual party on a High Holy Day. I have declined an invitation for this Wednesday to see a presentation by a top speaker in the entrepreneurial world, hosted by that same group. I keep letting them know when these conflicts arise, and I keep saying, â€Å"This would never happen in New York.† But it happens in Wisconsin. I feel hurt and unseen every time this lack of consciousness reveals itself. Like I am not accepted. Like I do not belong. In contrast, I went to swim at the Highland Park Rec Center in Illinois on Rosh Hashanah this year, where the lifeguard advised me that all swim classes had been cancelled for the holiday! I got a lane to myself, admittedly while many other members of my faith were in synagogue. And, as a nice surprise, I also received a sense of acknowledgment and belonging. Education: Another Slippery Slope After sending out my newsletter, I received many responses. A fellow resume writer sent me an article about how classes at Yale, our common alma mater, go on as usual on the Jewish holidays. I was surprised that I did not remember this tradition from my undergraduate years. I feel angry that there is not more of an observance of these holidays. And yet I also understand. Contemplating the 45 parking holidays in New York, I realize that accommodating all these days on a college schedule would be untenable. Still, there’s a strong voice in me saying that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur hold enough weight that institutions should respect them. No one would ever think of scheduling classes on Christmas, would they? Give and Take In the workplace, what’s the best way to handle the holidays? Cultural sensitivity is paramount always. In some professions, workers can do a swap to accommodate everyone. For instance, Jewish police officers and nurses often work Christmas, and their Christian colleagues work for them on holidays like Yom Kippur. If you’re delivering couches to your customers, you want to be aware that sometimes a Jewish holiday will not be the appropriate time to do that. Do you send out holiday letters? Are they Christmas-themed? If so, you might be alienating some people. Do you wish people â€Å"Merry Christmas† or â€Å"Happy Holidays† in December? I have become more tolerant in my 40’s than I was as a younger woman. When people wish me Merry Christmas I say thank you and say it back to them. I’m not sure if I like this shift in myself, as it indicates some level of complacency. I still don’t like it when organizations schedule important events on days that make it impossible for practicing Jews to attend, or that flagrantly ignore the existence of sacred days. I want, at least, to be acknowledged. I’m curious to hear your own experience of your holidays. Are you acknowledged by your country’s trends and traditions? Do you acknowledge the traditions of others? What consciousness can you bring to your life and to the people around you this holiday season whenever and wherever that may be? Save Category:Life and LeadershipBy Brenda BernsteinOctober 11, 2016 2 Comments Jan says: October 12, 2016 at 8:16 am Having grown up in suburban Philadelphia (primarily occupied by White Anglo-Saxon Protestants), I always had to take a day off of school for Rosh Hashanah (only the first day) and for Yom Kippur. In college, I actually met a Jewish guy that I fell for and we got married after graduation. He was the first Jew I had ever dated! But then I found a job out in our state capital (part of PAs Bible Belt) and I was astonished at how little my circle knew about any of the Jewish traditions (or what matzoh or Hanukkah is). When I told my new acquaintances about my wedding (at this point, we had divorced) only taking 20 minutes and that I had to schedule is at 9:00 PM (due to being the longest Saturday of the year), they were astounded. Shortly after moving away from my home area, I found out that many of the suburban Philly schools were actually closed for the High Holidays. Certainly not true in this part of the state (100 miles West of my home area). Although there are a few synagogues in this city they dont have really good bagels or kosher thinly-slice corned beef. And trying to find matzoh (some of the grocery stores get a limited number of boxes 2 months before Passover and if you wait until a week before the holiday, youll be out of luck trying to find matzoh or any Passover foods). The schools around here are not closed for our High Holy Days. And events are frequently scheduled on a High Holy Day, without so much as giving it a thought, since its just a regular work day isnt it My Rotary club is selling Christmas wreaths, as a fund raiser. And our supplier only stocks wreaths not green swags (which I would have no objection to buying and hanging). My husband is not Jewish (2nd husband), so it never occurred to him that hanging a wreath on our front door just isnt something Im comfortable with. I have made the suggestion for a couple years, that we look to a new supplier so that we can have a variety of greens to sell during the holiday season. People are more comfortable hanging out with other people who are like them. But, very often, in sticking with people who are like me, I miss out on so many cultural traditions (language, food, religious observations, traditional activities). But were not just talking about religious differences what about people whose skin is a different color than mine? Or their sexual orientation? Or their gender? Or their political views? Or their physical/mental abilities? Our nation is so very diverse but are we inclusive as well? So many of us who are different from the majority do feel left out. How many women achieve C-Level management positions? How many women achieve that career status at the same pay level as men? Many of us are trying, but our society needs a lot of education about including people who are different and who are so valuable. Today is Yom Kippur. May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life for the new year!! Log in to Reply Brenda Bernstein says: October 12, 2016 at 8:46 am Thank you for this amazing addition and contribution Jan indeed my we all be inscribed in the Book of Life with all our beautiful diversity! What a good thing to remember as the elections approach :-). Log in to Reply

Love-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Love-2 - Essay Example Sappho’s poetry is very feminine portraying jealousy, insecurity, and she had a way of evoking the sight, tongue, heart etc. as though they belonged to someone else. In her poetry, passion reigns supreme. Naturally her poetry is old fashioned and it projects old-fashioned love. There are many differences between the two. Naturally Sappho’s lines are ancient and Eliot’s modern. Apart from this, Sappho has written in passionate fervour of love, whereas Eliot shows the most unromantic side of it. Sappho is bristling with the romance, passion and sexual desire, while Eliot’s love is dreary and without imagination. Her poetry brims with imagination and she even uses the limbs as external think tanks. On the contrary, Eliot does not show much imagination or creativity in this song. It is a dry, matter-of-fact kind of song showing a very ordinary life, devoid of all sophistication. Sappho creates a world full of love, peopled by lovers with imaginative and creative dreams and desires. In this song, T.S. Eliot shows the bare modernity with the basest things in life and here love does not create an aura, but an ordinary, drudgery like living together and going around together. In a way both these poets reflect the ancient approach and modern approach to love. In ancient days, love is considered to be an ethereal feeling, reserved only for the lucky few. Physical desires did exist, but they were clothed in decency and fascinating, yet erotic love. Even though Sappho’s poetry was extremely feminine, she does not vulgarise it. In the modern approach, love is shown more as sex and the mental involvement comes as an afterthought and the poets represent this basic difference in their

The Black Hawk War in Utah Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Black Hawk War in Utah - Essay Example Lyman states that the relationship between the Indians and the white settlers who were mostly Mormons was quite rough (12). Some of the southern Paiutes even converted to Mormonism. However, the Ute Indians had general hostilities with the Mormons and the settlers. During the Black Hawk War, Navajo Indians increased the hostilities by attacking Dixie ranches. Many Mormons and white settlers were killed in inhumane manner. The Indians were ruthless in their attacks. Winkler states that most of the white settlers armed themselves against the Indians and carried out revenge attacks without involving the US government. Indian villages were raided and razed down by church militias. The farms belonging to the Ute Indians were razed down leading to many deaths due to famine between 1866 and 1869. Winkler states that on 18 July 1865, Mormon militias killed tens of Native Americans including women and children (13). Furthermore, the Indians that were captured during cattle raids were exposed to extreme torture methods in order to reveal the place where other tribes were hiding. Lyman further states that Indian warriors captured white traders en route to parts of southern Utah killing them (7). The major causes of the black hawk war were pressure on Indian settlement populations, destruction of ecosystem and Indian subsistence leading to starvation. This was due to white Settlement expansion and latter day saints in open war with Native Americans. Peterson asserts that the major cause of the war was the pressure on Indian tribes in Utah (14). Since 1837, white settlers had been pushing native Indians from their homeland in the native reserve. South Utah was one of the major areas that were affected. The Ute and Navajo who used to plant corn for food were hugely affected as they lost their land to Mormon ranches. The Ute led by a young chief called black Hawk started to carry out attacks on the Mormon settlements in order to steal cattle for their food. Lyman, on the othe r hand states that Mormon militia due to suspicion attacked some Indian tribes that were seen to be friendly to the Mormons in central Utah (19). These include the Koosharen who were commonly known as the horseless Ute. During the black hawk war, there was an emergence of what was commonly referred to as the Frontier justice for those who were thought to have committed crimes, witch-hunts. Lack of federal soldier’s aid to help end the war was due to the inability to differentiate between friendly and enemy Indians. Reeve states that the system of justice in Utah was crucial as a cause of war. Reeve states that the white’s had formed a militia in order to protect their interests and deal with conduct amongst themselves administered the system. The justice system during the black hawk war led to white settlers to engage in excess in legal constraints. Indian women and children were also killed after being caught as captives. In addition to this, the legal authority was a ccused of excesses. However, the legal system would let these blatant forms of murder and human rights abuses unpunished. Winkler states that Indians chiefs had their own system of justice. In the case of Joseph and Robert Perry’s murder, Indian chiefs prosecuted the Navajos who had participated in the murder by punishing them (6). However, Winkler states th

Documentary for CNN Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Documentary for CNN - Assignment Example Its supporters fight back with the notion that stem cell research can have an extremely positive effect on future medical treatments, as embryonic stem cells can grow into anybody's cell and thus be used to treat diseases like muscular dystrophy, in which the patient experiences a gradual and eventually fatal loss of muscular tissues. As the scientific community is gradually pursuing research activities towards stem cell researches, the voices of opposition are also becoming stronger. Differing positions being taken by politicians and governments also widens the differences. Therefore, it provides a perfect base for producing a relevant documentary. The format of documentary will be somewhat like the steps being explained below; Step-2: An interview would be undertaken with Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till, the first scientists involved in this research. This will help in demonstrating the benefits of stem cell activities and how we human beings can benefit from such researches. Step-4: Political parties and respective governments have a deciding role towards encouraging or discouraging the stem cell research activities.

Leading and managing teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leading and managing teams - Essay Example it will focus on factors boosting effective teams as well as setbacks for the same and impact of organization culture and technology on teams in modern business environment. Teamwork helps pool knowledge of different workers together, which help anticipate for current situation or prospected issue at work place. According to Beblin, individuals with high role performance are said to fit naturally to team role while those that are above average have the ability to assume and work on the team roles, but those below average should avoid team role (Senior 1998, p.58). Therefore, it is notable that individual role is considerable in formulating team role in order to try combine individuals with a uniform competencies that will enable have a functional team role which suits ability of every team member. Nevertheless, management of teamwork faces some difficulties; team role balance usually affects teamwork a great deal resulting to undesired results (Senaratne& Gunawardane 2015, p.13). Hence, it is important to consider individual role before setting up teamwork in order to match those with similar personality. Conversely, modern enterprises should address th e issue of poor performance to enhance high profitability. Poor performance can be addressed by appraising workers individually and recognizing their efforts through rewards and promotions. Furthermore, conflicts are obvious in a group set up, modern business organizations ought to set up conflict solving committees to enhance smooth working environment where workers reconcile after wronging each other. Empowerment pushes teamwork performance a notch higher especially when members are delegated authority to make decision on their own depending on their position. A study conducted in Jordanian glass and ceramic industry indicated that empowerment and allowing employees in contributing towards effective teamwork resulted to high performance (Judeh 2011, p 205). However, the results showed that gender or marital

The effects of the US 1965 Immigration Act Introduction and Annotated Essay

The effects of the US 1965 Immigration Act Introduction and Annotated bibliography - Essay Example To accomplish this it restricted immigration on the basis of how many existing proportions of the population there already were. The 1965 Act, however, set an annual limit to no more than twenty thousand from each country, regardless of how many peoples from that country already occupied the United States. By 1968 the annual limitation to any country from the Western Hemisphere was set to one hundred and twenty thousand immigrants, and visas were given on a first come-first serve basis. The equalization of immigration policies resulted in a shift in immigration from European-Asian immigrants, to Central-South American immigrants. Immigration also doubled from 1965-1970 and then again from 1970-1990. This flux of immigrants not only changed the ethnic makeup of the United States, but with the introduction of so many to the U.S workforce it also shifted the male earnings inequalities. This prompted congress to pass the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) and the 1990 Immigra tion Act, in an attempt to stabilize the influx and the economy.

Leading and managing teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leading and managing teams - Essay Example it will focus on factors boosting effective teams as well as setbacks for the same and impact of organization culture and technology on teams in modern business environment. Teamwork helps pool knowledge of different workers together, which help anticipate for current situation or prospected issue at work place. According to Beblin, individuals with high role performance are said to fit naturally to team role while those that are above average have the ability to assume and work on the team roles, but those below average should avoid team role (Senior 1998, p.58). Therefore, it is notable that individual role is considerable in formulating team role in order to try combine individuals with a uniform competencies that will enable have a functional team role which suits ability of every team member. Nevertheless, management of teamwork faces some difficulties; team role balance usually affects teamwork a great deal resulting to undesired results (Senaratne& Gunawardane 2015, p.13). Hence, it is important to consider individual role before setting up teamwork in order to match those with similar personality. Conversely, modern enterprises should address th e issue of poor performance to enhance high profitability. Poor performance can be addressed by appraising workers individually and recognizing their efforts through rewards and promotions. Furthermore, conflicts are obvious in a group set up, modern business organizations ought to set up conflict solving committees to enhance smooth working environment where workers reconcile after wronging each other. Empowerment pushes teamwork performance a notch higher especially when members are delegated authority to make decision on their own depending on their position. A study conducted in Jordanian glass and ceramic industry indicated that empowerment and allowing employees in contributing towards effective teamwork resulted to high performance (Judeh 2011, p 205). However, the results showed that gender or marital

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

History - Essay Example (http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/roosevelt/rrwh2.htm). 2. Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, November 18, 1903 is an agreement between the United States of America and the Republic of Panama to insure the construction of a ship canal across the Isthmus of Panama to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It entails the authorization for the U.S. through the president to acquire within a reasonable time the control of the necessary territory of the Republic of Colombia. This is made possible through the powers vested in the Republic of Panama to have sovereignty over Colombia. This is one of the self-protective efforts of the U.S. against likely invasion or opposition from other rising powers like China. (http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/roosevelt/rrwh2.htm). covers his declarations and adherence to the U.S. Foreign Policy. He stressed out the importance of the Army and the Navy in its foreign policy. He talked about the peace of justice and the positive and negative factors regarding the concept of peace. It entails both rights and responsibilities to the home country in relation to the other countries and the world at large.

Racism and Kathryn Hess English Essay Example for Free

Racism and Kathryn Hess English Essay In the beginning of the movie Freedom Writers, the students initially only trust their peers from their racial groups. This is because they only trust the people in their gangs. Almost all the kids were in racially segregated gangs. At first, Ms. Gruwell has difficulty getting anything accomplished. Many of these students have never been shown any respect in the past. Eva and some of the other students tell Ms. Gruwell that they will not just hand her their respect, she must earn it. Ms. Gruwell begins to earn the respect of her students when she moves the students around, out of their racial divisions. She attempts to show the students that they are united by playing the â€Å"Line Game† with them. She puts a line of thick red tape across the classroom and tells the students to move forward when a statement she makes applies to them. Her most effective form of reaching out, however, comes in the form of a composition notebook. Trust is an important component of a teacher-student relationship because if a student doesnt trust the teacher, nothing the teachers teaches is affective. Ms. Gruwell eventually managed to get her students to show tolerance for one another. She teaches them about the Holocaust and that despite the students’ ethnic backgrounds, they aren’t all that different from each other. For example, she takes them to the Museum of Tolerance. This shows that the students aren’t realistically the different despite the color of their skin or their ethnic background. This is important because Ms. Gruwell could not effectively teach the class until they could get along. As a result, the students begin to build up a tolerance for one another. Part of Ms. Gruwell’s outlook on racism was affected by her father. For example, growing up, her father was a civil rights worker. This shows that his work most likely influenced her views on racism as she grew up. This is important because it taught her not to discriminate against others. As a result, she is able to change the views of her students for the better. At one point, Ms. Gruwell confiscates a racial caricature that was circulating the class. For example, the drawing was of a black student drawn with thick, exaggerated lips. Ms. Gruwell then compared the sketch of the caricatures that the Nazis used to draw of the Jews during the Holocaust. This showed that none of the students even knew what the Holocaust was. This is important because it allowed Ms. Gruwell to teach her students how serious racism really was. As a result, the students became more tolerant. Ms. Gruwell knew that all the students were suffering from physical violence, emotional abuse, substance abuse, poverty, homelessness, gang violence, and deaths of family and friends. She felt sorry about them and wanted to help them sincerely. She did it, and as a result, the class was getting better and better, and the classes grades turned up quickly. Others teacher didn’t believe Ms. Gruwell despite she did a great job. They thought she was a new teacher and had no idea about teaching. But the main point was, they had serious racial prejudice in their minds, they disliked the students in Room 203. For example, one of the teachers refused to lend books to Ms. Gruwell. This shows the racial discrimination was really serious. Hence, Ms. Gruwell had to do everything by herself. Even when Ms. Gruwells husband left her, the students made her life better. Problems still came up, she was denied to teach Room 203 in junior and senior year. But after the tough fight with other teachers, she was allowed to stay with them till the end of high school time.

Reviews Related To Readmission To The Hospital Nursing Essay

Reviews Related To Readmission To The Hospital Nursing Essay This chapter deals with the related literature review which aids to generate a picture of what is known and not known about a particular situation. Geri LoBiondo-Wood et al (2011), stated that Review of literature is an organized critique of important scholarly literature which supports a study and a key step in research process. Jahn P et al (2010) conducted a cluster randomized multicenter trial among 24 patient who were diagnosed with malignancy and having pain more than 3 days in California. A trans institutional multi modular nursing intervention protocol was administered to the patients. The study result revealed that the patients who received multi modular structured intervention had less patient related barrier and a better self management for cancer pain. Bonnema (2009) conducted a cohort study to assess the impact of different adherence levels to the Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Protocol (ERAS) and the effect of various enhanced recovery after surgery elements on outcomes following major surgery in France. 953 patients with colorectal cancer were selected. It was found that following an increase in preoperative, perioperative adherence to the ERAS protocol both postoperative complication (

Stress Among College Students Essays -- College Students Education Str

Stress Among College Students Leaving home for the first time and going away for school can be very difficult for some people. In many cases for college freshmen this is their first time being away from their home and parents. Many times they get home sick and want to isolate themselves. They have to get into a new routine of going to school, and change can be very difficult. It is definitely hard to get into the swing of college. They have to navigate through classes in a new format while living away from all the comforts of parents. A college student’s life usually consists of attending classes, long hours of studying, working at a job (sometimes), and having a social life. Some students work at a job or study harder than others, but they are all trying to get degrees so maybe one day they will have meaningful and significant lives. It is a constant struggle for everyone who is trying desperately to make him or herself into a success. And every college student wants to be involved with something in order to further their education, or just have fun. There are lots of new opportunities out there. The struggle consists of demands on time, financial pressures, parental pressure and conflicts, interpersonal conflicts, managing freedom, peer and academic pressure and the transitional period to a new academic environment (Stanford University 4). All of these factors combined can cause emotional disturbances and one of the most common is stress. Stress is what you feel when you are worried or uncomfortable about something. This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry, frustrated, scared, or afraid. These feeling can also lead to you having a stomachache or a headache. When you're stressed you may not feel like sleeping or eating. You also may feel cranky or have trouble paying attention at school and remembering things. Having a little stress can be good sometimes, but when you’re in college that is defiantly something you want to keep under control. Another reason for stress is the financial strain a person can experience when trying to progress in school. Learning to budget money is one of the most realistic lessons of attending college. This is one more way a student may feel vulnerable. Financial pressure is the number one reason why students drop out. A college student may become distracted with work in order to live comfo... ... distress is providing students with a feeling of control over their education, information about what to expect, and feedback regarding what can be done to improve their performance. Students who do not feel helpless will adopt their own coping strategies. Students shouldn’t let their college years distress you. Recognize situations that may cause stress, develop effective ways to manage stress and seek help if you need it. Works Citied Alcohol and other drug abuse. 30 Nov. 2004. American Medical Association. 6 Dec. 2004 . Hudd, Suzanne S. â€Å"Stress at College Effects on Health Habits, Health Status and Self-Esteem.† College Student Journal. June (2000). Vol. 34, Issue 2 Ross, Shannon E. â€Å"Sources of Stress Among College Students.† College Student Journal June (1999). Vol. 33, Issue 2 Stanford University. â€Å"Coping With Stress.† http://www.Ieland.Standford.edu/group/cawell/srticles/stressarticle.html Struthers, C. Ward. â€Å"An Examination of the Relationship Among Academic Stress, Coping, Motivation, and Performance in College.† Research in Higher Education. Oct (2000). Vol. 41 Issue 5, p581.

The Ultimate Rifle Essay -- Technological Innovations, Advancements

In today’s world technology is constantly changing and evolving, at the forefront of technological innovation is the United States Military. The US military has lead major break troughs with satellites, GPS, aerospace engineering, marine exploration, and of course weaponry. In recent years a major weapons manufacturer named Heckler and Koch began designing and testing a new rifle that would retire the military’s standard issued M4. The proposed weapon is the H&K XM8. This rifle is more versatile, more reliable, and designed to better suit the soldiers carrying it than the military’s standard issued M4 and because of this the XM8 will help save lives. The XM8 is one of the most versatile weapons ever created. The XM8 is capable of exchanging interchangeable assembly groups consisting of the barrel, lower receiver, hand guard, butt stock modules, and sighting system ("XM8 Lightweight Carbine." xx). That’s not all, the XM8 is also capable of under barrel attachments such as the XM320 40mm grenade launcher and the XM26 modular lightweight shotgun system which can be added in the field without tools. The XM8 allows for the exchange of these butt stocks; the standard collapsible multi-positional version, an optional butt cap for portability, or a sniper butt stock with and adjustable cheek piece (Military Gear Spotlight: XM-8 Rifle). By allowing for different stocks the XM8 is capable of maximum comfort and performance for various situations. Being uncomfortable in a stressful situation is distracting, much like having a rock stuck in your shoe or a piece of food stuck between your teeth, only now the weapon that is your first line of protection is what is distracting you and putting your life in jeopardy. The XM8 essentially ensures t... ...tp://ezproxy.wnc.edu:2312/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=e8a16477-59f6-4978- 98b2-f7773ede5fcb%40sessionmgr113&vid=7&hid=112>. "LEAVE TRIGGER ASSEMBLY ALONE." PS: Preventive Maintenance Monthly. Oct. 2005: 18. Web. 14 May 14. . "Military." XM8 Lightweight Carbine. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2014. . "Military Gear Spotlight: XM-8 Rifle." Military Gear Spotlight: XM-8 Rifle. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2014. . "US Army Reviews OICW Programme." N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2014. .

Domestic Violence Speech Essay

Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. The CDC reports that 15 million children are abused every year. Recently, the NFL has been under a lot of scrutiny for their domestic violence policy. There are as many opinions as there are teams on how they should react. To me, that is the problem. See, reaction means to have an action performed in response to a situation. However, action stands for the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim. The NFL, NBA, MLB and all other pro sport leagues need to band together and set the example. Say they will no longer tolerate violence against women. After all, pro athletes are role models for our youth. How they behave on and off the field can make a difference. However, domestic violence is much bigger than pro sports. We just seem to talk about it more when a pro athlete is involved. Statics show that men who as children witnessed their parents’ domestic violence were twice more likely to abuse their own wives than sons of nonviolent parents and girls who witnessed domestic violence were 50% more likely to be abused as women. The most common reaction people have on domestic violence is to ask â€Å"why does they stay? They do not believe they are abused. They are made to believe they caused it. They are too afraid. Yet you still ask, why do they stay? It is extremely dangerous to leave an abuser, because the final step in a domestic violence pattern is to kill her. Over 70% of domestic violence murders happen after the victim as ended the relationship, after she has gotten out. Because then the abuser has nothing left to lose. Other outcomes include long term stalking, even after the abuser remarries. Denial of financial resources, and manipulation of the family court systems to terrify the victim and her children, who are regularly forced by family court judges to spend unsupervised time with the man who beat their mother. And still we ask, why doesn’t she just leave? We tend to stereotype victims as self-destructive women, or damaged goods. The question, why does she stay is code for some people for, it’s her fault for staying. As if victims intentionally chose to fall in love with men who are intent on destroying them. Maybe the better question is â€Å"why does the abuser do it?† rather than â€Å"why does she stay?† Instead of blaming the victim of the abuse, let’s turn our attention towards the person who is causing the harm. As a society, we can no longer stand by and let these victims continue the cycle. We have to find a way to break it. I would love to say it starts at home, but that is where the abuse is, so the schools have to take a larger role in this problem. We teach our children math, reading and science, but how about relationship skills. Our schools need to help educate our children that violence will not be tolerated. If we want to attack this problem, we need to teach how to be respectful in relationships. We need to do more to decrease the abuse that happens not just the physical abuse, but all abuse. Maybe you are thinking, wow this is fascinating, but this whole time I have been talking to you about it there have been 24 victims a minute beaten. A woman or child has died. I promise you, there are several of you listening to me right now who are currently being abused or know someone who is being abused, or maybe were abused as children, or are the abusers. Abuse could be affecting your sister, cousin, or friend right now. So what are you going to do? Conclusion Domestic violence thrives when we are silent. But if we take a stand and work together, we can end domestic violence. We can end it by telling our friends and family that we will not tolerate domestic violence and by asking them to take a stand with us. We can end it by supporting the programs and shelters that provide refuge and safety for hundreds of thousands of survivors every year. We can end it by ensuring that our communities hold abusers accountable for their actions. Join the National Network to End Domestic Violence and help raise awareness. Together, we can make a difference. Say NO MORE!!

History and Memory: The Fiftieth Gate Essay

History and memory are both needed to uncover human experiences. We are already aware, from ourselves, that memory can be defined as recalling or recognising ones past and previous experiences and events; however memory is dependent on one’s involvement and personal perception of their past. History is the meaning of documented records of past events, usually written as a chronological account. Both history and memory share a deep relation to the truth, however, also give separate meanings. History relies on memory as it cannot be created without one’s records of facts on past events. At the same time, memory can be influenced by history as one cannot keep recollections of their past life without having experienced it. Humans can come to a state of realisation through the fact that memory can be something that is possible to be flaw. An individual’s current emotions, opinions or understanding on their past experienced event can influence them to change their memory of that event, thus re-writing the history of their personal lives. This same fault can also coincide with the flaws that occur in the documentary evidence of history, which influences memory. Doctor Mark Raphael Baker’s narrative text, ‘The Fiftieth Gate’, reveals the nature of history and memory through his attempts to record his parents’ stories and experiences, as Holocaust survivors, in order to allow a better understanding of his identity and experience in human history. His particular profession as an historian, lecturing in modern Jewish history at the University of Melbourne, was responsible for his desire to explore the past of his parents, Yossl and Genia. It is also through this profession that allows us to see the connection between history and memory, as well as the tension and conflict that may arise as a consequence of this connection. Baker’s study, of history and memory, in hope to enter his parent’s recollections becomes a confrontation with the terror of his parents’ childhood. ‘The Fiftieth Gate’ uses a range of textual forms that allows us to gain an understanding between the rich connection of history and memory, in which Baker takes to provoke his parents’ experiences, both past and present; providing us with an insight of its complex link. Yossl’s and Genia’s stories are told in both their own words and evidently proven through the use of documented records, that Baker finds, in the Yad Vashem archives in Jerusalem. Yossl Bekiermaszyn, born in 1927 before, recalls his childhood town of Wierzbnik as having green fields, forests, snow, rivers – a normal life in a normal town. Baker believes that Yossl has a very accurate memory of his past; this is evident from Yossl’s clothing business as he has an outstanding ability to recite everything about his clothing; whether it is its fabric, size, weight, structure, price, colour, etc. Yossl’s explains that during his childhood before the Second World War, his family owned a shop in the local area and were financially stable. His parents would help out friends and family when they were in desperate needs during The Great Depression. Yossl’s family members died between 1940 and 1945. His father, Leibush, and mother, Hinda, both died in death camps.

What are the pros and cons of company's IPO Should company be floated Essay

What are the pros and cons of company's IPO Should company be floated at all - Essay Example Although the aim of growth is to bring benefits to the company, there exist both pros and cons that can arise from this process of going public (Helwege 2004, p.541). Pros and cons of Initial Public Offer (IPO) There are several advantages that accrue to a company by going public. As mentioned above, the principal advantage is the financial benefit through raising capital. An IPO adds a value on the company's stock. In addition, those insiders retaining stock are able to sell their shares or even use them as collateral (Datta 2000, p.715). Going public also creates a currency type in the form of its stock, which can be used in making acquisitions. In addition, there is a possibility that the company can access the capital markets for its future financing needs. Overall, a company's debt-to-equity ratio improves considerably after an initial public offering, which indicates that the business is likely to earn more favorable loan terms from its lenders (Datta 2000, p. 716). Another adv antage is the increase of public awareness of the company. IPOs normally produce more publicity by increasing the awareness of their products to a new group of potential customers. Subsequently this is expected to increase the company’s market share. The founders can also use the IPO as an exit strategy. Many venture capitalists have tried this in an attempt to open up successful companies (Hao 2007, p.112). For others, the prestige associated with the public companies or a post of a director or officer of any public company has a certain allure. Furthermore, going public puts the company ahead for promotion. The publicly traded companies are mostly better known than non-publicly traded ones. The company can gain publicity and a stable image by trading publicly. This makes the public companies offer a wide variety of stock, which has a considerable potential of significant appreciation in value. Those companies will trade publicly and portray a positive image hence attracting highly qualified personnel at all levels of management. It is possible to view such companies as growth-oriented hence their duty is to answer to a board of directors and shareholders who in turn demand increased profitability as frequent as possible, and also act quickly to solve managerial problems and also replace those senior executives who are performing poorly (Benninga 2005, p.117). Although the benefits of an IPO are many, there are certain challenges. One outstanding challenge is the disclosure of information to investors. There is a high cost of complying with the regulatory requirements. Other costs that will also arise include the generation of financial reporting documents and audit fees (Hao 2007, p.112). This will subject the public companies to added pressure of the market. This may force them to focus mainly on short-term results rather than their long-term growth. Since the investor is keen on profits, management will be under scrutiny. This may trigger the manage ment to engage in questionable practices in order to increase earnings. Another setback of going public is that these public companies operate under precise scrutiny. There is disclosure of confidential information touching on the company including those transactions with management; the prospectus divulges prior violation of security law and executive compensation. This may be confidential information belonging to the company that it may be reluctant to reveal. Furthermore, formalisation of the decision-making process follows and with less flexibility when the shareholders are also there. This may bring complexities to these companies. Previously, decision making was quite flexible due to the presence of few people. The company is also subject to

Customer Service-Techniques for Building Relationships Coursework

Customer Service-Techniques for Building Relationships - Coursework Example Marketing personnel are equipped to provide business entities with a type of customer support which creates customer relationships. This can be achieved through the use of social media podiums such as Facebook and Twitter. Marketers can also provide information, news, insight, advice, and even technical aid to customers (Peppers & Rogers, 2011). Those actions establish a long lasting customer relationship as it makes customers feel needed and valued by the business. The second technique that can be applied is through communicating effectively and openly. Communication is vital in any business relations. There is a huge range of means to keep in good contact with your customers. They vary from emails to social media, or even phone calls. One should make themselves available to clients so that they can always get back to them for any assistance and also reply politely and promptly to any enquiries. This ensures smooth development of the business and helps sort out any issues as soon as they occur (Burke, 2007). Lastly, a business should listen to its customers. The more the business listens to its customers and demonstrate that it truly values their opinions, the stronger there will be the relationship of the customers and the business. This will ensure that clients support the business and its mission. The business should consistently communicate that it values the customers feedback and appreciates their contribution (Peppers & Rogers, 2011). Because of the severe competition that exist in the markets, firms are constantly searching for new means to differentiate themselves from their competitors. A company’s most valuable asset is the customers, and that is the reason behind maintaining a good long lasting customer relation for the future growth of the

Development and Advancement of Science Research Paper

Development and Advancement of Science - Research Paper Example Cloning is a form of asexual reproduction which involves creating genetically identical genes or cells, plants or animals. The procedure of cloning is done by taking a gene from the animal or human and then putting that gene in another animal or human organisms. Scientists found out that cloning can also make identical twins by using a method called embryo splitting. In July 1996, a team of Scottish scientists had the first cloning success. Dolly was the first ever cloned sheep. Therapeutic cloning is practised to clone things such as organs and tissues for patients in need of them. Reproductive cloning is practised for the purpose of actually producing a human that is genetically identical to somebody else. Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of an existing, or previously existing human, by growing cloned tissues from that individual. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning; human clones in the form of identical twins are commonplace . Human cloning is amongst the most controversial forms of practice. One of the most ethically questionable problems with human cloning is the farming of organs from clones. 1) Cloning has not been perfect yet. The cloning of sheep Dolly had 276 failures before successfully cloning a sheep. With these kinds of figures, we should not even go near trying to demonstrate cloning on humans. 2) Aldous Huxley in his book the â€Å"Brave New World† illustrates the future with people having a total loss of individuality, creativity, and freedom. This is because if humans are cloned then there would be a lot of the same people in the future.  Ã‚  

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH PAPER - Essay Example Free trade was also established and its target was to prevent currency competition. For the next 30 years, it managed to be successful for the attainment of common goals but collapsed in 1971. United Kingdom's economy is currently the fourth largest in the world. Over the first half of the twentieth century, it had a peace making and policing role in the world economy. The world wars had brought about a contraction in the world international trade and investment and UK held a prominent position. But over the years, as globalization occurred, the prominence of UK saw a decline as the foothold of US in the world economy grew stronger after the world wars. In the years of 1920 and 1930s, UK maintained a fluctuating exchange rate regime but it created economic instability and created friction between countries. So at the end of the first half of the twentieth century, a fixed exchange rate system was followed to resolve balance of trade problems. However, in the agreement between US and UK in 1942, UK played a key role assisting US attain the aims of free trade and payments. In 1950, however, other European countries became stronger than the UK economy through economic integr ation. The Breton Woods agreement was also made on the outline plan proposed by the UK and US. In 1945, the world economy faced a challenge when a shortage for the American currency occurred. The US gave loan to the UK in exchange for the lifting of exchange rate controls from sterling. However, this did not turn out well as others started to save UK's currency and cashed it in US dollars. 8. Critically examine the view that the years 1948-73 represented a 'golden age' for the international economy. In 1948, Ludwig Erhard, a German politician, eliminated price fixing and controls on productions that had been enacted by the military rulers and advocated trade liberalization which recovered Germany from the after effects of the Second World War. The International Trade Charter was also agreed in the UN Conference but was not approved in the US. In 1951, the European Coal and Steel Community attempted to establish free trade for certain materials in European countries. In 1960, European Free Trade Association was formed and it also aimed at the liberalization of trade between member countries. In 1973, OPEC, an oil cartel restricted the supply of oil to the world market and raised the crude oil price. As a result of this restriction, exporters in Saudi Arab became rich overnight. The years of 1948-73 were certainly the Golden Age for international economy as the years were characterized by increased trading, due to reduced barriers and abandonment of protectionist policies. This be ttered the relationships between countries, increased the emphasis on specialization, raised productivity and thus, brought about economic growth in many countries 9. Why did the Asian 'Tigers' achieve such

Assignment 1 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment 1 - Coursework Example 3). However, agricultural and food practices have a significant impact on the environment and contribute to water, air and land pollution (Turk and Bensel, 2011, ch. 3). Nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer runoff into rivers and lakes lead to eutrophication and suffocation of fish, and pesticide residues in water pose a human health risk if consumed. Soil erosion gives way to dust storms, and methane gas produced by livestock contributes to global warming. Overirrigation of fields leads to waterlogging and loss of arable land, as has happened in Punjab, India. Deforestation is carried out to clear land for farming, eventually resulting in increased soil runoff, decreased rainfall and loss of soil fertility. Overfishing has led to a decline in the number of many fish species, such as the shark, to dangerously low levels. Natural disasters, attributed to global warming, have also had a significant impact on global food production. Among recent examples, a severe drought in China in winter 2011 severely damaged the wheat crop (Bradsher, 2011), and a flood crisis in Australia has followed a decade of water shortage, exacerbating the hardships faced by farmers (Belford, 2011).

Creative Writing - Belonging Essay Example for Free

Creative Writing Belonging Essay The clear, bright and enlightening blue skies greet my face as I ponder through my thoughts in my head. The sun blossoms it’s radiating sunlight, which glisten and reflect off the tranquil, wavy sea to reveal elements of a mystifying, inexplicable, yet convivial world. My heart beat pulsates through my ears†¦ so silent and blissful this world of beggaring-description, words could not hope to utter moments like these. It was the idea of confronting, change and experience which led me to this endeavouring challenge of discovery. In preceding life, â€Å"discovery† was but a mere artwork to me; its extravagant detail painted an image which took me to a new world of the unknown. Its colours merged and intertwined, creating infinite pathways for life to take me far beyond the norm. But, it was just a painting. Vibrant as the sky could ever be, inhabitants of birds and seagulls cluster amongst the sky’s surface to shadow various regions of radiation. Numerous shades of varying size, shape and darkness swam steadfast past my eyes, stimulating diverse light shades across the sea surface. I travel along a path to encounter countless fish as their scales unleash myriad hexagonal-structured reflections, capturing every single colour of the rainbow. I touch the water and an instant sensation crawled through my fingertips, as the water almost desiccated back down my finger, revealing wondrous ripples. The constant expansion and flow of ripples developed into motions of diffracting sunlight which followed a distinct pattern of iridescent white light. The sea so pure, its reflections illuminated my face with the pattern of the undulating water flow. A flash before my eyes re-writes the memoirs of my past life solitary and confined to the one passageway of safety and security. Ironic is it not? That such an introverted life could lead to the feeling of belonging to something ordinarily worthwhile, or to conduct a life of normality. I still hear a screech suddenly exerted from the fancy convertible making an unceremonious turn, piercing the dusk, still fog of night. The periodic fear of tomorrow, dreading what society had in stall for me. A vision of â€Å"my world† was painted bit by bit, colour by colour and section by section; a world of drifting into the crystalline sea far beyond human sight. It shimmered into this blazing, crimson sunset that protrudes colours of red, white and tinted blue clashing and smashing, latticing over and over again, against one other only to produce an amalgamation of beautified hope and warmth, resulting in this augmentation of sanctity, safety and assurance. A world I longed to belong†¦ I always questioned myself, repeatedly over and over and over again about my identity, destiny and independence. Was it really necessary to do what I did? To precariously determine my own destiny, where life was to be lived unknowingly? To see my father tremulous and mother on her knees, with her hands drenched in tears. A sudden emotion of fear and regret struck my heart in its centre, but also a sigh of relief. I was suddenly brought back to reality by the roar of the motor. The consistency of ripples flowing causes my reflection to distort with the scaly and incandescent rays from the schools of fish and the sun’s protruding rays of warmth and somewhat, hope. I closed my eyes for a few seconds to relax and enjoy this free moment†¦ 1|Page Jason Chan Year 12 Ms. Sake However, I felt a drop of water plummet on the right side of my cheek. My heart froze for a micro -second, dreading to open my eyes as I assumed for the worst. I hear the deafening silence of the waves, on the brink of a complete halt in their tranquil motion. No longer did the extravagant light shower the crystal sea, nor did the birds flourish over the sky. Foul-coloured fluffs of clouds conquered the remaining essence of light the sky had to offer. Cataclysmic roars of thunder clashed in every direction, ringing my ear drums heavily like lava and debris suffocating the mountain sides. â€Å"My world† I belonged to flashed for one second and I saw the usual back gate with a pathway leading my innate mind to the cataleptic regret. It was then I compelled myself up knowing it was and is finality. I remember clearly tilting my head to the side, seeing the sun’s arms reaching through the minute openings of my curtains, greeting my face and mind, pondered with thoughts and feelings of beggaring description. My face heated up, my hands trembled, my fingers shook hysterically as I held the key to freedom, and a drop of water plummeted from the right side of my cheek onto the pure, hue labelled, â€Å"Father and Mother†. That final tear symbolised the very last essence of me, only to distribute out and smudge the ink. Nevertheless, I told myself my world is and always will be created by me, so I relieved myself of intense emotion and wiped my tears away, got my bag and strode with pride to my new world. The sight flashed again, bringing me to a world of catastrophe, as lightning collapsed from the sky as if Zeus had deliberately done so. My fear multiplied as fast as the rain drops fell. I felt a gush of aggravated wind fly past my hair at a ghastly speed. A continuation of heaviness impeded my stability as the turbulent sea rocked like an exacerbated avalanche. It was as if the glistening, crystal sea has become the enemy, the hardship, a hurdle to overcome – my world had become my enemy. I grasp the sides of my capsule with my sweat-bear hands, clenching in fear for my life. Spontaneously, words of my cataleptic regret begin surging in and out, left, right and centre of my mind†¦

the business model of Apples itunes

the business model of Apples itunes Evaluate the business model of Apples itunes. In particular you should address:- 1. To what extent can the itunes business model be described as an ecosystem and what is the role of IT in enabling the collaboration between Apple, its economic partners and consumers? 2. How does itunes compare with competitors? 3. What new technologies could disrupt the current market by enabling a new form of business model? Introduction Business model in a basic sense deals with the method of doing business in order to generate revenues by which a company sustains itself in the competitive market place ( (Rappa, 2009).According to (Amberg Manuela) analysis on music industries, there are lots of media websites and companies following different business models fallen prey to file sharing tools and peer-peer networks which allow consumers to illegally copy and share the content for free. As a consequence , companies like Apple iTunes and Sony Connect have come up with internet based business models based on pay-per-download and dependent on the technology of the supplier for whom long-term customer relations are very crucial and customers are allowed to use the digital media content particularly with regard to technology of the supplier thus getting advantage and benefitting from selling hardware components because the offer of digital media content advances it. These business models replace the traditional business m odels which are generally based on selling physical media.This paper shows the fair understanding of Apple iTunes business model for its dominance over the current music market and tries to describe the business model with respect to ecosystem and compares iTunes with its key competitors in the market. The biological term ecosystem in this paper refers to the IT ecosystem. (Iansiti Richards, 2005) describes IT ecosystem as network of organizations that drives the creation, innovation and delivery of Information Technology products and services. According to (Cusumano, 2008) the term ‘Platform, is defined as â€Å" Foundation product or key technology in a system like the PC or a web enabled cell phone and should have relatively open technical interfaces and easily licensing terms in order to encourage other firms to contribute complementary product and services. So this can be accounted to an ecosystem around the platform and the platform becomes more valuable when the exter nal entities creative more innovations around it. This should cause more users to adopt the platform and more complementors to join the network. iTunes as an ecosystem Online music hit a new milestone after Apple computer,Inc.(Apple) launched the iTunes application in January 2001 follwed by launch of 1st generation iPod and 2 years later online music store in April of 2003.The two businesses, the production of MP3 players and the online music shops were initially considered as different units and after the invention of new hardware iPod these two businesses were merged. iTunes is a software designed with an intuitive and user friendly interface and iPod is an hardware designed with an eye on fashion. These two together helped Apple to enter and succeed in the music player market infact actually cross promoting the iPod hardware device. Because of their service and innovation Apple retained to grow in the online music field in a better way when compared to its key competitors like Dell, Sony and Samsung( (Li Chang). According to (Schonfeld, 2009) statistics, iTunes have now sold 6 billion songs and 10 million different tracks are now available on iTunes. iTunes is software and iPod is hardware as said by (Li Chang) are two different business units and Apple conjucts these two different products into one new business model. Using ecology to analyze this model(iPod and iTunes) it has set a nice example for ecotone between two species to drive the music industry into new ecosystem. A strong platform is apparent from the combination of both the software and the hardware. The below shows the evolution of new ecosystem with combination of two stand-alone ecosystems. ‘Most companies today inhabit ecosystemsloose networks of suppliers, distributors, and outsourcers; makers of related products or services; providers of relevant technology; and other organizations that affect, and are affected by, the creation and delivery of a companys own offering†¦.. as said by (Iansiti Levien, 2004) shows how business industry can be closely compared to biological ecosystem. Like every individual in the biological ecosystem every organization in the business ecosystem shares the fate of the network as a whole regardless of that members apparent strengths. Comparing this with the Apple business, iPod is not really an innovative technology by itself but the company creates a new ecotone for digital music where all the hardware(iPods) and software(iTunes) are related to it enhances its platform. According to (Koster, 2007) There is a continuous decline in the traditional sale of music sources like retail music stores and the on-going music industries ar e restructuring themselves by merging with other partners to face the loss of revenues and to adopt with the new business strategies and models in the music industry to compete with the counterparts. Even in the digital music world today, legitimate music downloading is continuously changing. Initial music sites have very strong limitations on access catalogs of music, on what could be done with the downloaded music, number of copies, time limits, where to copy. Though Apple iTunes works on this model, it is successful in negotiating a very large music catalog from the four labels from its music site. He says that one large advantage and success for Apple is because of its hardware device iPod where normally music is stored and playback. The revenues from iPods sales continue to grow after the introduction of iTunes. Though Apple had gotten permission from four majors to store their music on its website for consumers to download by promising the copyright protection authority DRM, i t is now planning to get away with DRM because they make the downloaded or recorded music very cumbersome for the consumer. This is evident from (Johnson, 2009) article on web which says By the end of the quarter all 10 million songs will be DRM free in iTunes and iTunes plus, said Phil Schiller, Apples senior vice president of worldwide product marketing. The blog witten by (Vitalari, 2009) clearly examines at the 21st century business model adopted by Apple to become successful in the market. He believes that business platforms are the root cause for cumulative business performance. Apples competitive business platforms is the main drive for innovations like community formation, mass collaboration, social networking, ecosystems, real time analytics, transparency etc. The iPhone App store was launched in July 2008 and today iTunes store is a total set of all forms of the digital media including music, games, software application, podcasts and video assets . As his explanation, the driving factors for Apple success and points out that the effective business platforms have few key ingredients:  · iPods, iphones are not just products instead they represent individual business platforms and they create an ecosystem surrounding the product which means they create a common understanding for business transactions, technical specifications, interface standards and requirements. With the iPhone this includes all of the sub-contracted manufacturers, but more importantly it includes iTunes, the app store and app developers.This results in creating a transparency which enables and facilitates hundreds of participants to collaborate asynchronously and independently.  · This leads directly to the second point, which is that the business platform then helps to generate untold business analytics for the platforms owner.This is because of the elements of the business platform are networked and generates valuable information about the product, ecosystem and participants. Apple used this analytics to fix, improve and enhance the product and finally delighting the customers.  · This in turn creates a community of practice surrounding the business platform, as the collaborators learn how to make better things. IT in enabling collaboration with partners and consumers As a cofounder of Apple, Steve Jobss vision was to create new and different products to consumers and his notion of â€Å"one person-one computer became visionary responsible for Apples reputation for innovation and mission became changing the world by bringing the computers to masses (Richard D Vohr, 1998).Apple came back with reinvention of personal computer with Macintosh in 1980 after igniting the computer industry revolution with inventing Apple II and it is commited to bring the best computing experience to all the fields starting from students, educators, professionals and consumers all around the globe with its innovative software hardware and internet offerings. This Apples mission statements indicates it focuses on innovation and personal computing experience( (Pearlson Saunders, 2009). Apple From 1987-1997 the company suffered due to some major internal problems which affected the strategic leadership and its operations but after Steve Jobss second turn as CEO, company fixed operational problems and regains its innovative leadership dramatically. Few changes like manufacturing outsourcing and improving inventory became straight forward matching Dell, the industry leader.It moved to open industry standards rather than proprietary hardware interfaces that it had maintained for 15 years and thus in a minor way Apples product strategy became more open( (West Mace, 2007).As per ( (Apple Computer, 2006) Apple derives its competitive advantage again by its innovation giving iPod as an example. Apple entered the market with iPod in 2001and by end of fourth quarter of fiscal year 2005, iPods sales gained 33% of the total revenues. The factors which are accountable to their success and uniqueness are its computers based on its own operating system, which enabled further area of innovation.Its Mac OS operating system focuses on more simplicity and seen as graphically sophisticated. (West Mace, 2007)Recent trends have seen increasing strategy convergence be tween Apple and Microsoft .For its video game business, similar to its rivals Sony and Nintendo Microsoft buys the processor but designs its own hardware and software without licensing them to others.Meanwhile ‘Zune, Microsofts music players try to compete successfully to attain equality with Apples iPod. This shows Apple pursued a vertically integrated strategy in its music business. Vertical strategy is single firms controlling the entire platform. Apple leveraging its Macintosh installed base to establish iTunes music store and building iPod business on top of that and now iPhone business shows its expansion into adjacent markets and this loyal installed base makes any company easier to branch into a related market and this becomes a lesson for the other companies and Apple aims at satisfying the costumer not just upgrading the costumers what they have today like the other companies do. When ATT decided to make offer to iTunes many other mobile industries criticized it for making too many concessions to Apple. Due to this offer ATT gets benefit from Apple in two ways , one is Apple increases the average monthly bills for the customers who switch from ATT to iPhone and the second one is it causes existing people to switch from existing carriers to ATT as its the exclusive carrier for iPhone( (The Apple iPhone:Successes and Challenges for the Mobile Industry, 2008). Digital Record Management systems are uses to encrypt the data does not allow illegal or non authorization download of music and currently there are two main formats used for protect downloading of music. One is fairplay and the other is WMA. Fairplay is Apples proprietary technology where it secure the data encrypted in AAC( Advanced Audi Coding) format. WMA is Microsofts Windows media audio video encoding platform. iPods can play only those stuff which are secured through fairplay format and Apple has refuse to lincense this fairplay to other retailers and so it is difficult for iPod users to download music from other retailers other than iTunes music store. But recently Realnetworks in US came up with a package which allows iPod users resident in US to play secures music from Realnetworkss music store Rhapsody. Apple got furious with this and accused Realnetworks of ‘Hacker tactics and Ethics and reported to investigating on that for violating the intellectual rights. If apple is capable of putting an end to such violations then the indispensability of fairplay could be established( (The iTunes music store: does competition law hold the key to closed shop?, 2004) According to insights into IDCs lifesciences by (Swenson Golden, 2005) Apple products are getting attracted by the life science researchers who actually migrated from linux and unix platforms because of the dual nature of Mac OS and its estimated historically that the life scientists have been twice or thrice more likely than the average computer user to Apples Mac platform as client computer thus representing attractive market for Apple. It has announced about its collaboration with airlines which includes Air France, Continental, Delta, United and KLM to integrate the in flight entertainment systems with iPod and taking the current entertainment provided in these airlines to a next level for better travel experience( (Apple_Partners_with_Airlines_for_iPod_Integration, 2006). Sets Apple as an interesting example for not being an open source model in its business strategies but is thought b of being a highly proprietary company from its earlier years. Now it has jumped into open sou rce and have started projects both inside and outside its corporate firewalls. Apples OS X was a open source because it was based on Darwin. Its developer website said that Apples open source projects let key developers to customize and enhance Apple software and through this open source models it allows Apple engineers to collaborate with open source community to come up with better and more reliable products (Goldman Gabriel, 2005). On September 2007, Apple and Starbucks announced their collaboration on Apple letting costumers at Starbucks wirelessly browsing, previewing, buying and downloading music from iTunes music stores at Starbucks on their iPods enhancing Starbucks retail coffee experience by helping customers with discovering new music instantly (Rothman, 2007). These examples shows how Apple is spreading the digital media revolution with its technologically profound products. Apple believes in fully integrated and completely digital learning environment which makes conte nts to move from from application to another and easy to collaborate and share ideas. Integration even reduces the burden of technology challenge. So Apples IT team rather than spending time and money on how to get things working feels it worthwhile to dedicate the same on providing capabilities, innovations and resources for its institution (Everything Apple means everything just works). iTunes and Competitors: The majors competitors for Apple are Google and Microsoft Corporation and other competitors include Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu, Samsung Electronics, Sony and Toshiba. Apple is designing software and hardware systems that delivers a greater user experience. Google is giving away operating systems to companies that license windows mobile today. Microsoft needs to think about their business models to compete in such a race where it probably has to decide whether it wants to compete in devices or operating systems and doing both is again at a risk which requires business models that are outside its core competencies( (The Apple iPhone:Successes and Challenges for the Mobile Industry, 2008). There is a partial collision between Apple and RIM in smartphone business in which Apples device is a entertainment centric whereas RIMs product is a communication centric.Though each company is growing into each others space Apple is got the advantage because infrastructure establishment would be too large for RIM and beside that RIMs image is all wrong for that instead it is much better to defend and grow its market by adding more features and types of business communications to Blackberry. Comparing it with Nokia, Nokias challenges are more about challenges. They sell hundred of millions handsets every year at low costs. But without it, Nokia will be really hard pressed to match with the iPhones user experiences. Competitors such as Diamond multimedia, with its Rio brand portable media players were successful in the market until Apple displaced them and all the credits for such a domination goes to the business model of the company by offerings users a seamless music experience by combining its iPod devices with iTunes and online iTunes store. Users were taken away by its value proposition and Apple had to negotiate deals with the major record companies to establish the worlds largest online music library, there giving the twist for the company to earn most of its revenue s by selling iPods while using the integration with the on online music store to protect itself from the competitors( (Osterwalder Yves, 2009).Smartphone users are going to increase in number in the next few years increasing in the PC functionalities supporting data services and voice and this is going to drive smartphone markets and Apple launching the iPhone which meets most of the required functionalities made it to third position in the global smartphone market in the third quarter of 2008. As there is rapid change in the technology there is introduction of new products with competitive prices, features and performance characteristics by all the competitors and out of all, mobile communication industry highly competitive with well funded and experienced competitors. For example in 2009, Nokia launched a new online media store in competition to Apple and this has resulted in price erosion which is now threatening to lessen the market share of the company( (DATAMONITOR, 2009). What new technologies could disrupt the current market by enabling a new form of business model. Apple has become the leader in the music world revolution and it justifies for its closed source system, keeping its digital music platform proprietary making it incompatible by other system by saying that it was the main reason in convincing its music labels and artists allowing them to sell their songs through iTunes assuring that those would not be pirated. But many analysts claim that that closed system was the reason for its previous failure in the computer business and Microsoft gained the masses with their open systems and now that is being seen as a gamble in this highly cometetive technology world (Williard, 2005). According to survey done by Rubicon Consulting Inc on the Apple iPhone users shows that about 43 percent of the iPhone users feels that the device would be more elegant if there is a physical change to the iPhone by adding adding a keyboard or a keypad either by making the device smaller or larger and about 40 percent of the users complain about the browser proble ms and the notably with those using Adobe flash and this shows that mobile data devices has always been segmented and its impossible for any single hardware design to please everyone. This could be an opportunity to Apple to increase its share by serving those customers by giving more importance to value propositions for their products which is again a part of business model and at the same time its an opportunity for its competitors to steal that share by addressing segments Apple failed in( (The Apple iPhone:Successes and Challenges for the Mobile Industry, 2008). Apple corporation itself has many problems but loss of competitive differentiation due to its Enterprise sytem is not counted in that because of its strong brand and its distinct operating system. For many of the other computer manufacturers cost and service are more vital for their differentiation than their products but for Apple this seems to be a unusual case says (Davenport, 1998). ‘Disruptive Business Models are emblematic of our generation. Yet they remain poorly understood, even as they transform competitive landscapes across industries (Osterwalder Yves, 2009). Conclusion: According to Sankar Dhinu, Apples senior manager of Emerging Technology, to be competitive in worlds high tech industry, one should make use of the facilities like available economic advantage of the manufacturing and distribution and Apple success goes with its interaction with dozens of trading partners , starting from resellers to distributors and OEM manufacturers which in turn helped it to form a global supply chain. Due to increased competition Apple is also facing many pressures and already working towards less limitation and freer access of digital music. Thus majors themselves are getting involved in those changes and Apples CEO Steve Jobs has called for an end to DRM because they make use of downloaded and recorded music very inconvenient and cumbersome for the consumer.( (Koster, 2007) Biblography: Amberg, M., Manuela, S. ANALYSIS OF E-BUSINESS MODELS FOR DIGITAL MEDIA . (2006). Apple Computer. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 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