Crash, Boom, Bang

Crash, Boom, Bang Janie Bunce Abstract The movie â€Å"Crash† was voted the best movie of 2005 for good reason, it deals with subjects that others were probably afraid to tackle. As the name implies it starts with a car crash, but in doing so reveals only one of the metaphors used in the movie. Other metaphors used in the movie allow us to view the culture shock that many people see on a daily basis, especially when dealing with different ethnicities, religions and races.Los Angeles is shown in its true colors where people live in a fast paced city where more than the cars move at a faster pace. These characters speed through their lives without notice of other people around them. It is as if some of them have blinders on that only allow them to see what they want to see. Until they â€Å"crash† into one each other. Crash is the kind of movie that makes you think twice about your actions, asking yourself tough questions, not just of yourself, but of those that are aroun d you; could I have said that differently?Was I acting racist? Do I discriminate against those I do not understand? This is the sort of movie that has us looking deep into ourselves to do some much needed soul-searching. Crash, Boom, Bang Paul Haggis directed â€Å"Crash† with an idea that it not only exposes multi-social, but multicultural differences in order to give us a small window into a few of the interactions and how these interactions, good or bad, affect behaviors and lives, in a relatively small group of individuals.We are allowed to see how this group deals with situations that may be considered to be racially stereotyped and outright prejudiced. Voted the best movie of 2005, by the Academy Awards, â€Å"Crash† as the title implies starts with a crash, but that is only one metaphor for the culture shock that many people have when they ‘crash’ into people from different races, religions, and ethnicities. The city of Los Angeles is shown as a fas t paced place where everything from the people involved in the first interaction to very last gasp of the movie, move faster.The characters seem to speed through their lives, almost unaware and certainly most times without considering the connections and consequences of their daily actions. This is a candid film it clearly shows how a diverse group of individuals when pushed into one another’s lives can leave painful scars in their wake. When you watch Crash you begin to see just how much of what one feels, says, and does can impact so many others around them. There were those however that were shocked by the material covered in it.It can be denied as much as anyone wants to deny it, but the movie is meant to be racist. It was made to make us think about our actions before we open our mouths and insert a foot into it. Some of the aspects in this movie are intended to remind us that no matter how we would like to think that America is a post-discrimination country, the sad tru th is that discrimination and prejudice are far from gone in America. Although this movie opened in 2005, we still have the same problems today.Young Black men are still being stereotyped, as are those of Islam and Latino heritage. Prejudice and discrimination are but two subjects that are covered in this movie. We see from the social stereotyping to the outright racism how painful it must have been for the actors to reach down into themselves and find the emotion needed to do their scenes and do them well enough to make us believe that they were real. Paul Haggis, allows us to see the different layers of the characters as if peeling an onion.Many of us may have pre-assumptions about people from different cultures and how we interact with those people, often under stressful situations. The movie for me was a re-affirmation that all people must be treated with respect at all times. After all it is not their fault that you may be having a bad day, or vice versa. Crash had and has the ability to draw large audiences of different ethnicities, bring them together in one room without fear of arguments. This is partly due to the undercurrents of unacknowledged racism that occurs in American life on an everyday basis.It is the kind of movie that can lead to some soul-searching from its lingering emotional potency. It remains one of the best movies I have even seen. I have always believed that the two most powerful characters in the movie are portrayed by Matt Dillon (Officer John Ryan) and Ryan Phillippe (Officer Tom Hansen). Officer Ryan is not only jaded and abusive, but a racist as well, this is later shown to be because of an ordinance passed by the city of Los Angeles. Officer John Ryan's father loses his business, because most of his employees were working minorities.From that one action we can determine the reason why John becomes a racist individual. This may also be the reason he blames minorities for the closure of his father’s business, thus influenc ing him to mistreat people of other races. This comes to light as Officers Ryan and Hansen pull over a vehicle that is only vaguely similar to the carjacked vehicle that the police are looking for. Officer Ryan mistakenly believes that it is a mixed couple, with the beautiful woman being white; he soon learns that the beautiful woman is in fact a light skinned black woman.The young couple in the vehicle can only wonder what is happening as they see the lights flashing signaling them to pull over. Their confusion turns to fear as Officer Ryan begins to harass them. Instead of speaking up and doing the right thing, Officer Tom Hansen looks on, says nothing to stop it and becomes more dismayed by his partner’s actions by the minute. Officer Ryan, realizing he is in control and that no one is going to stop him; he begins to enjoy his power trip as he roughly handles the slightly tipsy woman.As things progress he does almost everything to Mrs. Thayer except have sex with her as he checks her for weapons as her angered husband can only stand by and watch. Mrs. Thayer’s eyes beg her husband to do something, she sees the anger in his eyes but she also sees fear in his eyes as well. He feels helpless as he sees the fear in hers. These are two white men, two white police men that are in control, however badly, of the situation. He understands the consequences if he makes a move to assist his wife, at best he could be arrested, at worst killed.Another powerful example of poor judgment on Officer Ryan’s part is to never get into a relationship at work is shown when Officer Ryan goes to see Shaniqua Johnson in her office, and has an ulterior motive for seeing her, he wants to enter into a relationship but only to help himself and to possibly get a favor or two later on down the line. From what we have seen so far, we can safely say that Officer Ryan is used to getting his way, becoming angry when he does not, and having his way when it comes to the hav ing the balance of power.However, here we find Officer Ryan in a predicament where, a powerful woman, a powerful black woman, has the upper hand over Officer Ryan. He knows she welds the power as well as she knows who is in control of this situation. She likes being able to give orders and withhold what she knows he wants. It is her choice to make and he does not like it, he can see in her eyes and hear in her tone that this is a futile situation. When she tells him that she will not be able to help his father, he begins his other strategy.Pleading his father’s case and outlining what her actions might cost her in the end; she takes him by surprise and throws him out of her office without helping him. The last time we see Mrs. Thayer she is upside down in a car, having just had an accident and has found herself to be trapped in a vehicle that if she cannot get out of is going to explode and more than likely kill her. Officer Ryan comes upon the accident and calls in for help; meantime he has to get this woman out of the car. Mrs. Thayer recognizes him but the recognition is not mutual. Why this man? She wonders.Is he here just to molest me again? Will he even try to help me out or will he only taunt me as I die? As she begins to weigh the costs and possible benefits of this exchange and what is about to happen she is at once adamantly opposed, and rightly so, to being rescued by a person who, twenty-four hours earlier, had molested her smiling as he did it in from of her husband and not caring who he is as long as he helps her get out of that car. As we look further into this we can see that at first Ryan does not immediately understand why she is so reluctant for him to help her.Slowly recognition kicks in as he recognizes the woman. He does his best to calmly reassure her that he is here to help her that he is the only one here to help her, and the he will not harm her. Again he reassures her that he is only there to help save her and he does finally pull her from the wreckage. We then see as he holds her gently as he calms her that he is not entirely a bad man and that it is possible that his frustrations over not being able to help his father overcame him and turned him into a racist at least up until this point in his life.The most powerful scene that I felt was shown, happened between Officer Hansen and Peter Waters, for me it clearly showed that the balance of power was ambiguous for them both. In this scene we see Officer Hansen, a cop, although an off duty cop, and he feels he holds the balance of power. However Peter Waters does not know that the man he is speaking to is an officer of the law. He believes that he has been picked up by a regular Joe, not a member of the LAPD. It is made clear that Officer Hansen has sized up Peter and made his own observations based on the manner of dress or lack thereof considering the current weather conditions.Officer Hansen’s assessment allows him to correctly assume that this man was up to no good. However, what Officer Hansen does not correctly assess is that Peter is of no threat to his safety. Thinking that he is about to be threatened affects Officer Hansen’s judgment and he mistakenly assumes that Peter is pulling a gun, a tragic mistake that will affect Tom Hansen for the rest of his life. The action also affects Peter’s family as well, they have lost him forever and, in doing so the effect was that Peter, unarmed, was shot and killed.Officer Hansen’s decision was to shoot. But, why would he do that? Police officers are trained to observe minute situations, determine from those observations what their actions and reactions should be. Tom felt that this guy was a bad guy from his observations. If Peter Waters had been pulling a gun out of his pocket, as Officer Hansen mistakenly assumed, then he would definitely benefit the most by acting first. The cost of not acting first could mean death, or at the very least being injured.Re gardless, of the outcome, Officer Hansen correctly identified Peter as a criminal, but his misinterpretation of the situation cost him everything. Although the movie does not tell us what eventually happens to Officer Hansen, we can use our imagination, and assume that his life would have been be changed forever. References: http://academic. udayton. edu/race/01race/whiteness19. htm Crash, DVD, Catalog #17938, Lions Gate Entertainment, 2004, ApolloProScreen GmbH ; Co. http://www. crashfilm. com/ http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Crash_(2004_film) http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0375679/fullcredits#cast

Television Is Bad for Children

It has been suggested that watching television may do more harm than good to a child's developmental skills. But a new study says that it all depends on what children watch — some educational programs on TV can actually enhance children's intellectual development. Until now, television viewing has been blamed consistently for having a negative effect on children's developmental skills. But the authors of a new study, which was published in the September/October issue of Child Development, argue that not all television programs are created equal. All TV is not alike,† says co-author Aletha Huston, PhD, professor of child development at the University of Texas at Austin. â€Å"Educational television can have a very positive impact on young children. † For the study, researchers recruited more than 200 children in the Kansas City area who were from low- to moderate-income families. About 40% of the children were African-Americans, and the rest were Hispanic and Cauca sian Americans. During the 3-year study, which followed children from ages 2 to 4 years, researchers tested the children and visited their homes every year.The tests included reading, vocabulary, math, and school readiness. â€Å"Children who watched educational programming — particularly at age 2 and 3 — performed better on tests of school-related skills than children who did not watch educational television,† says Huston. â€Å"Watching a lot of general audience programming was related to poor skills. † After controlling for the family environment, which included parents' education and family income, researchers found that watching educational programs on television may indeed translate to better skills.Daniel Anderson, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, says that the findings highlight the importance of the type of content that is viewed. â€Å"What children watch on television is the key,† says Anderson. â€Å"When the television programs are designed to teach, children learn good things. If they are not designed to teach, and especially if they include violence, children learn things that end up being bad for their behavior. Anderson points out that for children from low- to moderate-income families, such educational programming is filling in parts of their childhood experience that they might not otherwise get. â€Å"These children very often don't have other educational resources available in their homes, such as age-appropriate books, and parents often don't understand the importance of reading to their children and encouraging their children to read,† says Anderson. Researchers say that it is heartening to see that educational programming has become a regular, if small, part of broadcast offerings.Children can learn cognitive and social skills from such programs if parents supervise what they watch. â€Å"Television is a powerful tool to teach things good or bad,† says John Murray, PhD, professor in the school of family studies and human services at Kansas State University. null But he cautions that too much television for school-aged children may have the opposite effect. â€Å"The rule of thumb is two hours per day,† says Murray. â€Å"Watching too much television takes away time children spend on exercise and other school-related activities. A related study, released this week in the September issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics, found that easy access to television, such as having a TV in a child's room, leads to more time spent in front of the tube. The study author, Jean Wiecha, PhD, says her study backs up that 2-hour rule. â€Å"Parents should limit the time children spend watching television,† says Wiecha, deputy director of the prevention research center on nutrition and physical activity at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. â€Å"More than 2 hours of viewing time may have health consequences for children, such as obesity. Technology runs in the veins of society. It is the fuel that drives our lives. It is an integral part of daily life. It has definitely benefited society. It has brought luxury in the life of every common man. Automation brought about by technology has saved human effort and time to a large extent. It has brought distant places closer and simplified information access. It has made the world a smaller place to live in. Let us look at some of the important areas, where technology has brought a positive change.Automation of Processes in the Industry and the Household: Technology has automated many of the critical processes in the industry as well as the household. Imagine the amount of labor that must have been involved in industrial processes when the concept of automation did not exist. Electronic gadgets have entered homes of the common man to rescue him from the boredom of daily chores. Imagine the amount of time people must be spending doing household chores durin g the time there were no machines and household appliances. It's better not imagined.Today's is the age of robotics. Machines can learn, adopt new things and perform tasks with near-human efficiency. Changed Modes of Transport: The automobile industry and technology are interwoven. Time has witnessed this industry evolve from mechanical scooters to automated aircraft. Animals were the only modes of transport in the olden days. Technology was the driving force behind the creation and design of the modern-day automobiles. Bicycles evolved into scooters and sports bikes. The idea of having four-wheeled modes of transport gave rise to the creation of cars.Modes of air and water transport came up, thanks to technology. Reduced Risk to Human Life: Machines have automated many crucial industrial processes. Machines are now taking up mundane jobs that were once done by human workers. Technology has evolved to an extent where machines can perform tasks that are not feasible for man, either b ecause they are risky or life-threatening or because they are beyond human capacity. The use of advanced technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence has proven to be helpful in life-risking endeavors like mining and space exploration.Data Management and Information Retrieval: Computer technology, needless to say, has changed the face of the world. Computers can store, organize and manage huge amounts of data. They can process large amounts of information. Computers have given rise to the software industry, one of the most progressive industries of the world. The Internet that seeded from computer networking concepts is the most effective communication platform and the largest information base existing today. Impact on the Entertainment and Advertising Industries: The Internet has brought a positive change to the entertainment and advertising industries.Over the Internet, advertisements can reach the masses within seconds. Internet advertisements have changed equations of the advertising industry. Branding on the Internet is much more effective that other forms of product promotion. The entertainment media has progressed because of advancements in technology. Movies, songs, games are a few clicks away. People have begun using the Internet to watch and download movies, listen to music, play games and entertain themselves. Thanks to handy, mobile and user-friendly devices, all this has become really easy.Onset of the Digital Age: There's hardly anything analog now, we live in a digital world, a digital age. Talk pixels and bytes. The digitization of information has made it possible for us to store it in a compact form. Ever wondered how gigabytes of data can be stored on a small chip? Digitization it is! Also, digitization enriches the quality of data storage. Digital voice and digital images are of a higher quality. Digital cameras and digital TVs provide users with an enriched picture quality, thus bettering user experience with technology.Communicat ion Redefined: Cellular communication has revolutionized the communication industry. The conventional telephone, also a piece of technology, was one of the earliest technological developments in communication. Mobile phones have broadened the horizons of communication by enabling convenient long-distance calling and mobile use. Letters have taken a backseat and emails and cell phone messages have become the easiest means to connect. Owing to developments in technology, communication is wireless.Social networking is another defining factor here. It has given an all new dimension to communication, entertainment and recreation. Satellite Technology: Satellite communication is an important facet of technology. Satellite TV and satellite radio have eased the broadcasting of events across the globe. How else do you think could matches and concerts be broadcasted live? Not just TV and radio, even communication to ships and airplanes wouldn't have been possible if not for satellite communic ation.Even your hand-held devices wouldn't be of use, if not for radio communication. These were still a few fields influenced by technology. It is almost impossible to enlist all the positive effects of technology on society. The fast-advancing technology on the whole, has given impetus to developments in various fields and improved the quality of human life. There's less risk, less effort, less mess. There's more leisure, more ease and more speed – all because of that ten-letter word – not a word, a phenomenon – technology.

Classification

Bryce Langdon Professor Joliffe English 1301 17 October 2010 Smokers Smoking tobacco has been around for many thousands of years and cigarettes specifically have been around for a few thousand as well. Smoking can be split up into several classifications with three of the primary ones being those people who smoke to reduce tension, people who socially smoke and habit smokers. Regardless of the type of smoker a person is, smoking is an addiction and harmful not only to the smoker but to family members, coworkers and any other person who comes into contact with the second-hand smoke.Social Smokers. Casual smokers are those who typically do not inhale the cigarette smoke. They are not addicted to the nicotine. Some may think they are safe from the harm of a cigarette by â€Å"pretending† to smoke, but do not let this kind of smoking fool you. A person is still getting some of the affects of the smoke on top of other environmental toxins and second-hand smoke. Many times the casua l smoker is only compensating for something being in their hands and often times will turn into a regular smoker. Casual smokers often times smoke a lot more than he or she will publicly admit.Many regular smokers envy the casual smoker because they believe that they have better control over their addiction and can stop on a dime but the fact of the matter is that most casual smokers end up smoking for false pleasures, trying to feel like they did when they were non-smokers (QuitSmokinGuide. com, 2009). Smokes to Reduce Tension. A person who smokes to reduce tension uses the cigarette to manage negative effects, stressful situations and feelings of anger, fear, and anxiety. These type of smokers are often considered â€Å"light smokers† because life is full of stressful situations , hence the tension.Light smokers typically smoke between half a pack to one pack a day. Casual smokers easily slip into this smokes to reduce tension classification and often have been smokers, qui t, and taken up smoking once again, several times. Many light smokers could still benefit from products aimed at reducing nicotine addiction, like nicotine gum or counseling, however changing priorities and lifestyle often help these type of smokers kick their habit (Painter, 2009). Habit Smokers. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1. 3 billion people are smokers worldwide and smokers die an average fifteen years sooner than nonsmokers (Hawkins).For most habit smokers, smoking is not even enjoyable any more. People often have developed a behavioral pattern that causes them to light up as a response to a cue, for example a cup of coffee or getting into the car. Habit smokers can fall into the category of heavy to chain smokers who consume anywhere from two to more than three packs a day. When the habit smoker takes the steps necessary to quit smoking the possible withdrawal symptoms can be ugly but one must remember these are results from the person smoking not because they decided to stop.Such symptoms could include tingling or numbness in the arms and legs, severe headaches, diarrhea or constipation, and a overall uncomfortable feeling. CONCLUSION With several classifications of smokers, they are have similar characteristics for example they are cause lung damage. However, depending on the degree of smoker that a person is depends on how difficult it is going to be for the person to quit once they actually put their mind to it. No matter the classification, any person who quits smoking will be making a difference right away.A person’s taste and smell will get better, along with breathe smelling better, decrease in nasty cough, and more importantly add years onto the end of their life.Works Cited â€Å"Casual Smokers. † QuitSmokingGuide. com. 2009. Web. 19 Oct 2010. . Painter, K. â€Å"Your Health: Light smokers could need help quitting, too. † USA Today 16 November 2009: n. pag. Web. 19 Oct 2010. . â€Å"Smoking Cla ssification. † Projects for Students by Students. Oracle ThinkQuest, n. d.. Web. 19 Oct 2010. . â€Å"Types of Smokers (by Cigarette Consumption). † Nursing Research (n. d. ): n. pag. Web. 19 Oct 2010. .

Impact of Technology on Sales Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Impact of Technology on Sales - Essay Example W. Pergault. The company spent $20 million upgrading its website but this change did not have a great impact on sales and profitability. Managers are not interested in website and online sales because they "don't earn any commission". On the other hand, customer did not like the new website because of "distracting graphics", "the bells and whistles" (Spiro et al 2004). Resistance comes from the customer since they are not the beneficiary of organizational changes. Some of the reasons for resistance to change are; excessive focus on cost, failure to recognize benefits, lack of organizational synchronization, and individual uncertainty denial and fear of loss. In order to improve the e-commerce plan, Celia Fiorni, the company president, should restructure current compensation system and reward those managers who use the website and sell products through the Internet. Also, Celia Fiorni should encourage and motivate sales representatives to use the Internet and sell products through the Internet. Training programs will help to improve skills and knowledge of employees and reduce resistance to change. Salespeople will accept the new initiative ensured in fair compensation and computer skills. Technology can create new design options for various processes because it can be used to challenge longstanding as assumptions about work arrangements that used to inhibit organizations. Good understanding of end-user needs by system developers is another important factor, as are mechanisms for communication with the business users of the system. Senior management sponsorship and commitment is another success factor, but dependent also on the existence of a champion. Technically, the requirements of the system change to include reliability and its delivery to users in a suitable form. This process of continual selection and rejection of potential projects contrasts strongly with the tendency in many companies towards early formal approval of information technology projects whose costs and benefits are assumed to be certain. The results from the research broadly confirm that the factors identified for technical innovation also apply to information systems projects. For G. W. Pergault, CRM plays a crucial role helping to improve customer service and meet customers' needs and expectations. "G. W. Pergault offers more than 500,000 different products, which can be overwhelming to sort through. Sutton believes that some of his reps may have trouble finding specific products on the website" (Spiro et al 2004). An established information technology infrastructure obviously helps provide a base for delivery as well as making it clearer when new hardware and system software will be needed. Personnel should be connected directly to the concept of CRM, an approach that stresses the importance of developing long-term partnerships with customers. In developing personal and relationship strategies on an international level, the representative is wise to take a step back and understand how CRM strategies will likely fit in the environment. CRM requires an organization to first develop a transformation system that

Self-strengthening movernment in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Self-strengthening movernment in China - Essay Example Modern scholars of Chinese national security questions would do well to give attention to a hundred-year period that marked a truly pivotal moment within that 4000-year span. The turning point in the Chinese history came in the nineteenth century, requiring as it does careful attention to the administration’s dealings with the great powers of Europe, the United States, and Japan. The Qing Dynasty which was in control more or less of the Empire since 1644, found itself at mid-century unable to ignore dealing with the foreign barbarians, and this required extensive review of its economic, diplomatic and military policies and procedures. The power to create change to these areas and modernize Chinese armed forces in particular can be remembered as the Self-Strengthening Movement1. The Self-Strengthening Movement, as the name indicates, advocated by a group of Qing officials who wanted to strengthen the weak leadership by learning technology from the western countries. The Self-St rengthening Movement was also a period of institutional reforms introduced during the late Qing Dynasty following a number of military defeats and concessions to western powers. Unfortunately, this movement can be considered as a failure because China did not be able to defend itself during the Sino-French and Sino-Japanese wars. The failure of the Self –Strengthening Movement can be connected to a number of reasons one being the limited number of skilled man power, which led to the collapse of the self-strengthening movement. Transmission of technology was small in 1881 when the project of sending boys to western countries like United States of America to study stopped. China did not realize that one of the real reasons was its corrupt system and government. There was wide spread corruption in the government of China which can be seen as a factor to the collapse of self-strengthening movement in China. An example is the Dowager Empress which spent over 30 million Taels of fu nds meant for the naval to constructing the Summer Palace for her own â€Å"amusement during retirement† as Hsu stated. The 30 million Taels meant to fund and support the navy of china. Hsu also noted that Li Hongzhang can be â€Å"not noted for high morals and character†. Apparently, Li left behind an estate estimated to be worth over 40 million Taels that the people close to him â€Å"milked and squeezed the factories and enterprises under their charge mercilessly.† Many more events led to the collapse of the self-strengthening movement in china one of them being the western merchants withdrawing their capital in China and ceasing to trade. The coastal merchants all became bankrupt and their original strength became extremely drained. The populace in turn, moved away and became vagrants. In some day, they may be frightened several times without being able to protect their own lives. The Chinese merchants even suffered more. In the self-strengthening movement w hich involved more wars, the Chinese merchants, merely caused trouble to themselves2. The Self-strengthening movement had a limited scope of activities to carry out. According to Hsu, the self-strengthening movement only went as far as improving â€Å"machines, ships, firearms, mining, light industry and communications. No efforts existed to integrate Western organizations, culture, arts, and philosophy.†

Military Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Military Action - Essay Example There was a universal outcry of the acts and deeds of warlord Mohamad Farrah Aidid that needed immediate intervention. Acting on United Nations sanctioned mission therefore a group of United States soldiers invaded the city of Mogadishu. Eventually also, some positive results were recorded when the military action resulted in the prevention of Islamist terrorists from taking root: despite the fact that that was not the original humanitarian mission (Nasaw, 2009). The Black Hawk Down battle in Somalia also had its own negative results. Analysts have judged the outcome of that particular military action as one of the worse to have ever hit the United States army. Within a period of 17 hours, as many as 18 United States soldiers and 500 Somalis had fallen as victims of death in the battle. To a very large extent, much blame is put on more intelligence gathering and more strategic approach as the cause of the problem (WGBH educational foundation, 2012).there are many who hold the view that the United States army reacted rather to quickly to the call to go on that battle. By and large, leadership misappropriations may be cited as the cause of the failures that were associated with the military action in Somalia in

Nobel Prize in Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nobel Prize in Medicine - Essay Example He is considered to be the one of the pioneers and the key figures in the development of human immunology. The seven years, which Jules Bordet spent working at the Pasteur Institute became the turning point in the development of his career and paved the way for his scientific triumph. He was able to discover that â€Å"bacteriolytic effect of acquired antibody  is considerably increased  in vivo  by the existence of natural serum components† (FAQs). Soon after joining the Institute, Jules Bordet began exploring the basic problems of human immunology in order to find the ways to defend human organism form different infections. (FAQs). In 1894, one of Bordet’s colleagues discovered that a guinea pig immunized against cholera rapidly died when injected cholera bacteria (FAQs). The discovery of Bordet was outstanding: as he later found out, such problems did occur to guinea pigs only when the bacteria came from a non-immunized pig (FAQs). Moreover, the bacteriolysis did not take place when the antiserum and the bacteria were mixed in a test tube (FAQs). Finally, when Bordet heated the antiserum it immediately lost its power to kill the cholera bacteria (FAQs). In the series of the blood experiments that followed Jules Bordet by injecting red blood cells from one animal species into another species caused the rapid destruction of red cells of the first species by the serum of the second species (FAQs). Later on, Jules Bordet was able to systematize his knowledge of bacteriolysis and to create a general picture of how animal bodies defended themselves against foreign infections (FAQs). On the basis of his discoveries, Bordet created the first complement fixation test, which could determine the presence of various bacteria in an individual’s blood serum (FAQs). The discovery of the test itself and related discoveries in immunology led Bordet to the best reward: in 1919, Jules Bordet was awarded the

Ikea Case Summary Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ikea Summary - Case Study Example IKEA is known to conduct business in 38 countries with 325 stores spread across the world (IKEA Group, 2013b). In 1984, IKEA had made its first attempt to penetrate the market of the U.S. In order to enter the U.S. retailing industry, the company implemented the global strategy in business. It should be noted that the global strategy was based on the principles of standardization, but not differentiation (Jonsson, 2008). Through this strategy, IKEA manufactured and sold standardized products in both the European and U.S. marketplaces. However, the company was quick to realize that the taste and preference pattern of potential buyers in the U.S. are greatly different from that of the Europeans. Hence, in order to enhance utility levels of the U.S. customers, IKEA had implemented the transnational or differentiated strategy of internationalization therein. Under this process, the organization started to design and manufacture furniture according to local taste and preference patterns i n the U.S. (Jonsson, 2008). IKEA also entered in other emerging markets such as China, with its transnational internationalization strategy. It entered into the market of China in 1998, through a legalized venture business agreement. The transnational operational strategy of IKEA was highly successful, which helped to tap a wide base of potential customers for its products worldwide. Nevertheless, it was noted that local Chinese companies recruited inexpensive laborers and procured cheaper raw materials than that of IKEA.

Depreciation Aspects in Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Depreciation Aspects in Accounting - Essay Example et, the market value of the asset in the future, the rate at which the technology and the hardware becomes obsolete in the segment and in some cases the opportunity costs involved in purchasing the asset. The innovations in Information Technology segments and the accelerated release of upgrades in the computer segment play an important role in analyzing the value of the asset at a particular time period (Samuels et al, 2000). All these factors have to be considered in deciding the appropriate depreciation methodology for the computer server. The depreciation method followed has a great impact on the financial performance of the company. In other terms, the method applied and the values entered in the accounts have a significant effect on the three key financial statements, namely the balance sheet, income statement and the cash flows statement. The income statement includes the depreciation values incurred in the particular time period and will have a significant effect on the operating profit and the taxes levied. In case the depreciation values are lesser than what was actually incurred, it will give a wrong impression about the company’s performance and can lead to dire circumstances in the later stages. The fixed assets are represented in the balance sheet. The original cost, accumulated depreciation and the current book values are included so that a clear picture of the usability of the assets is presented. It is imperative to include the appropriate depreciation values so that the book values are close to the market values as possible. In this case, the replacement cost of the assets can be reasonable and will not have any extreme consequences in the performance if the assets are to be replaced. The depreciation values should also clearly indicate the amount of usage that they have been put into, so that the age and usefulness of the fixed assets are clearly depicted (Samuels et al, 2000). In the case of the new computer server, it has been estimated

Uses Of Laboratory Information Management Systems Essay Example for Free

Uses Of Laboratory Information Management Systems Essay An a scientific workplace many pieces of important data are being based around. The use of computers can now help by using specialist software called Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS). A LIMS system is like an electronic filing cabinet with advanced security. It can allow data in any form to be inputted and shared with company’s customisation. Depending on the LIMS it can be accessed via a personal or company handheld drive (smartphone/tablet). There are various types of software available for storing scientific data but the most commonly used ones in modern laboratories are the following: WinLIMS is Laboratory Information Management System. WinLims creates LIMS a realistic option for even the smallest of laboratories. The following screenshot below is of WinLIMS, where it is showing the implementation of the data. http://www. lims-software. com/images/1/16/WinLIMS. ASP-from-QSI. jpg Picture 1 * Labsoft LabSoft is well designed laboratory information management system (LIMS) that boasts built-in tools and the ability to collaborate with other digitised business systems (e. g. Order Processing, Data Historians). LabSoft is a comprehensive feature set empowers to build an integrated solution that fully exploits laboratory data yielding higher quality. The following screenshot below is of LabSoft, where it is showing the graphs after the implementation of the data. In a scientific workplace it is vital and necessary to be able to safely store (meaning people inside and out of company don’t get hold off information they shouldn’t know)and then retrieve scientific data generated by that workplace and also data from other sources (scientific literature, for example). Heads of department, deputies, and those working in the laboratories. Scientific apparatus Data such as date of purchase (for warranty and sell by dates), maintenance data (when a product was repaired of tested and the results of such test) and schedules for maintenance. Heads of department, deputies and those involved in the schedules. Waste disposal To show what and how much waste is produced and how it is disposed of. This can be used for health and safety reasons so that there aware were the staff are putting it making sure it can’t fall into the wrong hands or damaging the environment. Stores technicians and those involved in disposal; heads of department may need to authorise costs of disposal. Health safety checks To show that health and safety is being monitored and to hold accident reports if necessary. This protects the company so no false allegations can be made and if they are proof can be found to prove innocence. Heads of department, health and safety officers and possibly others who have special responsibility. Training records To know the level of training or qualification of members of staff, and to keep and maintain a record of training required and completed by staff. This allows outside members to check to see the level that employers are trained as well as allowing employees to check for them self’s. Training officer, heads of department, supervisors, human resource department and individual members of staff. Quality assurance To be able to show that quality procedures are being carried out (for audit purposes). This protects the company so no false allegations can be made and if they are proof can be found to prove it meet the standard. Head of department, quality officers and those with special responsibility. Report records Reports following tests for GPs or hospital records, or for use in developing new medicines, etc. This also allows you to search for past similar symptoms and treatment. Office support personnel will usually be responsible for recording results, with access needed by clinical staff (in a clinical environment); report records in this setting wouldn’t usually be subject to change by anyone.

The Use Of Cctv Criminology Essay

The Use Of Cctv Criminology Essay The use of CCTV (Closed Circuit Television Technology) in public place has aroused the concern of public against the privacy issue and stimulated intense debate across the globe. This research aim to discuss the societys ethical stance on the use of CCTV in public place through an investigative and comparative analysis. The report will provide a variety of discussion based on objective analysis of available publications throughout the world. It addresses the main debates surrounding effectiveness and utility and further evaluates the protection of individual rights. Introduction CCTV or Closed Circuit Television is a video surveillance technology. It is described by several sociologist and criminologist like Clive Norris and Gary Armstrong (1999) as a form of power that views and controls the activities and actions of people. CCTV can be set up and used by public authorities in public or private areas in aiding crime prevention and crime prosecution. It is a multi-purpose kind of technology, where previous years it was supposed to be used to manage risk cases of traffic jams, fire and crime. CCTV sometimes helps and also creates some problems to the general public. In some ways it limits the freedom of other people. Meaning that you know people are watching you and there are some things which you cant do when people are watching. Like example, I have and itch on my butt and I cant scratch it in public since CCTVs are watching. CCTV when put in public places they record and display whatever that happens in that area. People therefore have lost their right to privacy once they leave their homes and into public places. Freedom is the right for everyone. People have the right to do and live their lives in peace without having others watching them. Literature Review Usage of CCTV The lack of clear outline and a standard on the employ of CCTV and the targeted population is a major setback of CCTV technology. Clarifications on the uses of CCTV have been made by Muller and Boos (2004). They found that CCTV is generally used for registering evidence, conduct control, flow control, access control and the planning of deployment based on their study. Targeted Individuals or groups of CCTV Norris and Armstrong (1999) created eight categories of suspicion targeted by video surveillance operators in terms of selection of targeted individuals or groups. Categories of suspicion that included are protection, which infers monitoring a vulnerable person (single women, children); category, which is a suspicion based on personal characteristics; location, that is based on persons location; behavior suspicion, which is based on recognizing abnormal behavior; personalized, which suggests prior knowledge of the person; transmitted, that refers to a suspicion based on an outside source; routine, which is based on a set surveillance path; and voyeuristic or for entertainment purposes. CCTV as effective safety tool for crime solving/prevention CCTV monitors individuals and crowds, provide warning signs of potential criminal offences, respond to threats and thus notifies the operator(s) of harmful actions and behavior, during and after the occurrence of an event (McCahill . Norris 2002a). For instance, in Barcelona, video surveillance cameras allowed authorities to find a young Spanish man who aggressively attacked a Latino American man in the metro (Cambon 2007). Such events have spread awareness on the effectiveness of the system as safety tool. This CCTV technology can conduct and inform both helpers and others on the situation in case there is an incident like fire. Besides, CCTV technology is deemed as a successful and efficient tool for reducing crime rates within targeted areas for certain social science researchers, government agencies, and institutions. There are many studies devoted to proving this stance and asserting the claim that CCTV systems are useful. These studies proposed that CCTV system have reactive an d preventative measures, increase the efficiency of police force, revive business in desolate or poor areas, build social cohesion, protect the private environment of citizens and ensure feelings of safety. Opponents of CCTV technology claim there is too much focus on the ability of CCTV to reduce crime. They said that such focus produces misleading studies and draws away from a proper assessment and evaluation of the impact of CCTV on solving crime. Nacro, the UK-Based organization conducted a review of CCTV and found that property crimes reduced in areas covered by video surveillance, especially in car parks, for example car theft. However, the same Nacro review revealed that public video surveillance had no impact on personal crimes such as assault or drunkenness. Therefore, some people critic the use of CCTV is a quick-fix solution and fails to tackle the real problems. CCTV as effective safety tool for building feelings of security Ann RudinowSÃ ¦tnan et al. (2004) claim that CCTV is an effective tool to reducing crime and establishes relations in a unsafe area. The use of CCTV increase made citizen feel safer and encourages broad participation and interaction in public spaces, which is effective in improving a communitys image and attract more investment. However, there are several research disagree with the above statement. They claim that CCTV does not reduce the feelings of unsafe or insecurity, therefore it is ineffective to use as a tools to preventing or solving crime. Jason Ditton (2000) claim that CCTV does not make people feel secure but create a false fear. Futhermore, the camera targets the innocent citizen rather than the criminal, imposing a constant fear in public spaces. Several research result have shown that citizen feel discomfort and fear in the presence of video surveillance was significantly higher among women, who are commonly labeled as the most vulnerable group to criminal events. CCTV as effective management tool CCTV video surveillance technology have been adopted by several countries as a management tools to administrate and monitor transport system, rationalize the maintenance of building infrastructure, fire prevention and for management of social spaces. Several studies demonstrate that CCTV are an effective management tools since it is less expensive than police officers and more efficient in detecting or preventing criminal offences. Don Babwin (2007) asserts that unlike security personnel, cameras are not subject to fatigue or loss of concentration and therefore provide uninterrupted and consistent effort. Therefore, the financial burden of the initial expense of purchasing and installing the system is thwarted by its long-term efficiency over employing additional police officers who may be less valuable. Ethical Challenges According to the 2006 Privacy International Report, governments policy initiatives on security aredestabilizing core elements of personal privacy there must be an understanding on how changes in privacy laws, technologies implemented affect legal and constitutional protections, individual rights, freedoms and autonomy, democratic institutions. The use of CCTV technology has stirred ethical concerns. These concerns refer to the lack of privacy protection, the repression of individual liberties for the greater good and mounting fears of insecurity. Innocent people will feel that video surveillance cameras in public places would invade peoples privacy at every turn and it would make going out in public feel like being in a bank. CCTV helps but at the cost of infringing on the rights of low-abiding citizens, their action in public space is being recorded. Therefore, they have stimulated the rise of rules and regulations which aim to protect individuals rights and freedoms as well as regu late the use and output of information captured by such systems. Politicians who abide by CCTV as an effective and successful method in the field of crime prevention, suggest that the presence of CCTV systems in public spaces act as a deterrence to criminals or potential offenders. Therefore, innocent individuals should not be bothered by its presence. The cameras target offenders and thus offer no harm to the general public. This mentality is widely used to convince the public that CCTV systems are used for a specific reason and do not impinge on issues of privacy or civil liberties. This mentality in fact poses an ethical concern, which assumes that in general individuals are innocent and must give up some liberties for the greater good. Conclusion There exists a variety of frameworks, local, national and international, which aim to protect and secure privacy and safety rights of individuals in society. Besides, there is also a clear lack of codes of practice and a fear that commercial interests override individuals freedoms and rights. Therefore, government officials and policy makers use it as a reference guide for assessing the main issues and addressing effective solutions.

Support Worker Project Worker Social Work Essay

Support Worker Project Worker Social Work Essay I am a support worker/project worker in a supported housing unit in Nottingham for thirteen female young people between the ages of 16 -25 years who are usually referred from Housing Aid. The service users are homeless, some with a background of domestic breakdown and some have come out of the care system. The basic needs of the service users were addressed in an interview. After referral from Housing Aid an initial assessment of need is undertaken, which covers several needs: physical and wellbeing, such as any medication or health concerns? The young person may smoke or even have drug or alcohol issues and these will be on the referral form. The young persons mental health will then be examined and occasionally there may be additional reports from social workers or schools. High risk service users such as ex-offenders can be referred and these cases may involve probation workers. Mary is 18 years old with Portuguese parents who are separated. Marys father lives in the West Midlands and her mother lives in Nottingham. Mary lived with her mother and father for a while and then decided to live with her father. On school holidays Mary stayed with her mother. Mary was assaulted by her father at the early age of 10 years old; he hit her with a belt and with a metal bar, which resulted in Mary being placed in care after police and social services involvement. Her friend who lives in Wales is her closest contact but does not see her regularly. She does have other friends; however she avoids them because of their criminal behaviour (Appendix 1). The needs of young women arriving at the project are further assessed through another informal interview and young women are welcomed. The care package offered to young women who arrive at the hostel involves signing a tenancy agreement giving them their accommodation in the project. Each young woman has a self-contained flat within the project with a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Most accommodation costs are met through housing benefits. If the young person is working they pay part of the service after assessment. Mary came to the UK with her family when she was young. They applied for British citizenship but did not pass it over to Mary. As she is an EU citizen, be able to be eligible for housing (Appendix1) The educational needs of the young person are examined. Basic needs in numeracy and literacy are assessed. Personal, social development and health are also taken into account and the young persons ability to budget their money. QUOTE .Without project intervention, many young people would be homeless and at great risk of exploitation and/or bad health. An important skill for this type of intervention is listening or active listening Verbal and non-verbal skills are needed in order to establish a rapport and good relationship between worker and service user. A person centred approach using listening skills and asking questions helps the service users clarify own thoughts, avoiding authoritarian language, and treating people as equal encourages them to think and act for themselves. The importance of engaging young people is to build relationships of trust and developing strategies to work towards change. It is also important to be empathic when engaging with the young person to encourage conversation. All personal feelings are left outside the workplace in order to be professional and maintain boundaries. QUOTE Rogers here Values are used in everyday language to refer to religion, moral, political or ideological principles, beliefs or attitudes (Banks, 2001). Harrison et al (2010) states youth work is informed by a set of beliefs and helps young people to develop their own set of values. Anti-oppressive The NAOMIE framework is used to identify the needs of the young people Ingram et al, 2001). This tool is used to identify the young peoples need and works well. This has identified some of the barriers in anti -discriminatory practice on working together on issues of inequality, discrimination and oppression (Thompson, 1994). Mary attended weekly support sessions, however, at the time of the first key session, Mary had missed four appointments with Access College which raised concern about her behaviour. I learnt Mary had doubts about being able to apply herself to her educational needs, which affected her Job seekers allowance (JSA). Her service charges were paid by direct deductions from her benefits. Mary will need support in budgeting and has agreed to set up a budgeting plan with her next payment. I agreed to meet with her for a one to one session. In order to probe further into the reasons for not attending I identified motivational interviewing as the best method for Mary (Appendix 2). As a support worker I identified links within the project to refer to external agencies, such as social services and welfare agencies. I was informed from staff that her Keyworker had contact the department of working pensions (DWP) about her JSA payment s has stopped. This was due to poor attendances in college she has missed a couple of appointments. In terms of theory I used communication skills with empathy by getting to know Marys situation at using listening skills about what is say I engaged in the conversation How is your day? which I offer refreshments which is an informal way to build a rapport relationship(Egan,2002). I used listening skills I do to develop the relationship with Mary? Why did I choose a particular intervention wit Mary? Cooking activity What is the effect of this on practice? The interventions application in practice is confidentiality Equal opportunity The theoretical underpinning of the intervention I used the PCS Model by Thompson (0000) demonstrates on how oppression looks at society through institutions are supported by cultural norms and personal beliefs. Being a support worker supporting her with learning tools that challenge oppression. By engaging using wider policy objectives it is a person centred base; will openly discuss within a safe environment amongst their peers and focus on building ones confidence; reassurance within a group, as well as maintaining the learners concentration. In terms of Personal: Young person 18years old was placed in care after police and social services involvement. Mary came to the UK with her family when she was young. There was no communication between her families and she has left school with low attainment s and poor attendances. In terms of Cultural: Being homeless within the community she is sharing her thoughts and feelings with different groups. Mary has friends whom she avoids now as they are getting into criminal behaviour and friends who are not into trouble. In relations of Structural: a network of divisions such as Connexions, Social Services, Health, and Local Authority. Barriers relates to ethical practice to identify form to anti-discriminatory practice to work together on issues of inequality, discrimination and oppression (Thompson, 1994). Mary is referred to floating support has continuing support from social services. Mary has a leaving care worker, called Susie who visits her from time to time (Appendix1). In terms of social policy, the housing project, as an intervention, is in some ways effective Current social policy is underpinned by legislation to protect and uphold rights and responsibilities around the vulnerable service users at the project. Acts like Welfare Reform Act DATE, Housing/Homelessness Act DATE, Equal Opps legislation, Race Relations Act DATE, Disability Discrimination Act DATE. This legislation which forms social policy is outworked through the projects policies and procedures. In terms of Marys experience at the project she has been mainly served well. She was homeless and had experienced sexual assault by a close male relative. This caused her to be brought under the care of the local authority and list how ANY OTHER THEORISTS THAT NEED MENTIONING HERE? In terms of anti-oppressive practise Mary has had a positive experience by going through the project. I have identified List how In reflecting on the experiences Mary had at the project, I believe her experiences have been largely positive and effective for her on her cultural background Explain how Be Critical explains the limitations to the intervention and the positive aspects to the intervention. What worked? What didnt? What should be changed? In terms of practice in relation to risk, resilience, Social and cultural aspects and government policyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The environment has an impactà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Young people engaging with their communities are important aspect of resilience and keeping young people safe. Future action

Compare and Contrast Death of a Naturalist, An Advancement of Learning

Compare and Contrast Death of a Naturalist, An Advancement of Learning and The Early Purges. In this essay I am going to discuss ‘Death of a Naturalist’, ‘An Advancement of Learning’ and ‘The Early Purges’ by Seamus Heaney. I will focus on the similarities and differences between these poems in terms of what they are about, their language and themes. The first out of the three poems by Heaney that I have studied is ‘Death of a Naturalist’. This poem is about Heaney as a young child, exploring a field. He comes across frogspawn and remembers when his teacher would tell him about how the â€Å"Daddy frog was called a bull frog†, â€Å"and how the mammy frog laid hundreds of little eggs and this was frogspawn†. Heaney then writes about when he used to steal the frog spawn and put it into a jam jar for school, and how he would watch them grow into tadpoles. When he finishes describing what he did, Heaney starts a new stanza. The mood changes in stanza in this stanza. Heaney describes the frogs as angry, and that they were croaking in a way he had never heard; â€Å"The air was thick with a bass chorus.† Heaney claims in the poem, that the frogs were angry at him for stealing the frogspawn when he was younger. Heaney â€Å"sickened, turned and ran.† The second poem entitled â€Å"An Advancement of Learning†. This poem is about Heaney taking a walk along an embankment and coming across a rat that was crawling out of the river. Heaney writes â€Å"I turned down the path in cold sweat†. However he comes across another rat. Heaney claims that the rat was staring at him, â€Å"insidiously listening†. He describes the rat having â€Å"raindrop† eyes. Heaney stares back at the rat – â€Å"forgetting how he used to panic† when he lived on a farm. The rat â€Å"... ... In conclusion, the main similarities between the three poems are in the language used. By this I mean that of particular phrases such as war words and the usage of similes and alliteration and the fact that they are all about animals and fear. The main differences are that â€Å"The Early Purges† is a different structure to the other two poems. I have learnt about parts of Seamus Heaney’s childhood and his coping with fear. I have also learnt different techniques to use in poems, for example alliteration. I have enjoyed the excitement Heaney builds up in each poem. My favourite poem is â€Å"An Advancement of Learning† because I can understand and picture everything Heaney describes. Also it is my most preferred poem due to the fact I can relate to confronting a fear and not having a path to turn to and then the fear swam away from me, so I can relate to the story.

Anabolic Steroids :: essays research papers fc

In today’s modern age muscle supplements have become the answer for many young people to develop the body which they want to achieve. Younger users are taking supplements without thinking about the consequences that go along with taking them. Young athletes are choosing to buy muscle substances that they know nothing about. To get to the solutions on how to fix the supplement problem among young athletes, it is most important that we educate both the athletes, and their parents about the risks involved with taking muscle supplements. It is vitally important to understand what the supplements are and why athletes take them. Creatine is an amino acid that is produced in the liver, pancreas, and kidneys, and it helps muscles replenish adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which fuels muscle contraction (Balsom). Creatine was made famous by the Major League Baseball player Mark Maguire, who openly shared with the public his daily use of Creatine. Mark Maguire broke the record for homeruns hit in a season, and since then Creatine has become the most widely used supplement out on the market. No one is sure about the long term side effects of Creatine. Some scientists believe that when being used by young athletes it may stunt the growth of the adolescent. Some of the short term side effects include cramps, especially in the legs, and upset stomach. I used Creatine when I was 16 years old, and built up an extra 15 pounds of muscle while on the supplement. My main sport was soccer, and the extra muscle was great and helped me tremendously at first. Then problems started occurring in the lower half of my body. My legs would cramp while I was in the middle of a game, which had never happened to me before. It was then that I realized that Creatine was causing the cramps. Soccer requires a large amount of running, and with constant leg cramps I was unable to perform at the level I needed, so I stopped using the supplement. Within two weeks I had lost the extra 15 pounds, which was disappointing, but I was cramp free in the legs, which was a relief. Several of my friends who played football were also using Creatine, but the sport they played required less running, and more muscle. Therefore the supplement aided them in becoming better football players. The key to using supplements lies in the results you want to achieve, and the risks you are willing to take.

How the PisoNet Became Successful Essay

Piso Net has been making quite a buzz in the metro since early 2010, but it’s not only until recently that the enterprise got the attention of business-minded folks. So what is Piso Net and how are things from a business standpoint? Is it really a viable source of extra income? Piso Net is basically a merge of PC rental and Arcade rental services wherein customers can pay the services by inserting coins to the machine. The rate is typically 4mins/peso which also amounts to the typical Internet Cafe at of Php15/hr. This rate can be tweaked higher or lower either to be more competitive and entice customers or gain more income by decreasing the minutes/peso So if there’s not much difference in pricing, what is the advantage of Piso Net over traditional Internet Cafes? Well some internet cafes have a fixed rates and minimum minutes of usage, this makes for not-so ideal scenario for budget-conscious Pinoys. And although the rate is the same, Piso Net offers a much flexible alternative that most internet cafes done, and that is to have more control on how much time and money a customer is willing to spend at a given time. The setup is rather simple with the bare PC parts are inside a wooden box similar to that of an Arcade machine or Videoke machine. Much like the Arcade machine, it is activated by inserting coin/s which triggers the machine. Once the time is consumed, the machine cuts off the display and will resume when a coin is inserted. The bottom wooden part inside the machine has a carved hole to collect the coins. What are the advantages compare to traditional inter cafà ©? There are also other providers who offer the same configuration for a cheaper price. Depending on your market, which is most of the time your neighbors, you can choose a configuration that suits your market’s needs (internet, gaming and/or document editing). Needless to say that gauging your market and choosing the right configuration is crucial to the success of the business and the amount of time to spend to return the investment. We did some research on how things are going on a revenue standpoint. We interviewed a housewife married to an OFW who runs a 3 Piso Net units business for little over six months now. She got it for Php20,000 apiece and placed it in small space inside their house. According to her the monthly revenue averages at Php17,000/mo. If we break down on a per week and per day, the revenues averages at Php4,265 and Php610 respectively. So a Piso Net unit generates more or less Php5,600/month, Php1,410/week and Php200 a day. This revenue is based on 16Ãâ€"7 operation on a not-so developed are In terms of cost of operation, she said that the 3 unitsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ electricity consumption amounts to Php2,700/month and Php1,000 for the internet service. Since she’s not paying for the location, the total cost of operation only sums to Php3,700/month. So if we deduct the TCO from the monthly average revenue (17,000 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 3,700), youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d have an average net revenue of Php13,300/month. At this pace, the turnaround for the return of investment is only 5 months. Another benefit of Piso Net is that it requires less effort to maintain unlike with Internet Cafes. All the personnel need to do is to make sure that he/she has more than enough stock of 1 peso coins and units are pretty much on auto-pilot. I only wish that the future iteration of the machine supports coin amounts bigger than a Peso because it can be a pain in the neck to drop a coin every now and then.

Men vs. Men Women: Nature or Nurture Essay

It’s amazing how men ad women can be considered the same but yet be so very different. On the outside they may look alike- two eyes, two ears, a nose, mouth, hands, and so on, but they could not be more different. So the saying goes, â€Å"men are from Mars and women are from Venus†. The question is why though? Is it because of nature or because of nurture? One difference is that men are extremely more aggressive than women due to higher testosterone levels. It was believed that how your raise the child and the role of society were the main factors that determined the outcome as male or female. However, with the case of David Reimer this proved to not be true. David was going through a routine circumcision when he was eight months old that went terribly wrong. Doctors decided to turn him into a girl as an experiment, to prove that reassigning a sex was easy because nurture determined their psychological make-up. However, today being thirty-seven years old, the angry David is proof of how wrong they were. He had a tortured childhood, and has had to go through many surgeries to try to gain back his manhood. The biological sex of a child will always prevail, now matter how they are raised. Though aggression is due to testosterone in men, it is not the only reason. The aggression in men is further implied in he way they are raised and how society teaches them to act. From childhood, boys are taught to be tough- to â€Å"be a big boy† and not cry. They are taught that boys should play sports like football, wrestling, and other violent sports. Men relate to each other through physical interaction. For men, words are less important in developing relationships; they are all about taking action. Our society teaches men to think that â€Å"actions speak louder than words†. On the other hand, women do relate with words. One of the most important things to a woman in a relationship is being able to talk about problems. Women care more about the thoughts and feelings behind the action. Emotional intimacy, and closeness, is the most important goal. Being honest and open is what shows love. Though the case with David Reimer shows that you can’t change the biological sex of a child, a child could pick up some characteristics of the opposite  sex. For example, if a girl, with multiple brothers, is raised by her father with no mother figure around, things such as football and fighting would be of more interest to her, and she would be considered a ‘tomboy’. She would want to be one of the guys. Men and women are different in many more ways than the obvious physical ones. I believe that the differences are both nature and nurture, and that you can’t have one without the other. However, I do believe that a majority of the difference depends on nurture, due to the fact that society today has set so many standards as how men and women should act. â€Å"ED and Intimacy† http://www.allabouted.com/english/relationships/intimacy.html â€Å"Boys Will Be Boys: Nature vs. Nurture†. Ninemsn, 60 minutes. Copyright 1997-2003 http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/60/stories/2000_05_07/story_158.asp

History in the Making Essay

History†¦it’s who we are and where we come from. From cave men to cars that run on compost, history happens every day. Everything that has happened in history is absolutely fundamental in our current day existence. From the Revolutionary Era to the Cold War, America has come so far, and through the War on Terror, we continue to march on†¦ making every action history. The Revolutionary Era: After the British spent an extreme amount of money defending the Colonies against the French, they decided to shift some of the expenditures to the colonists. The result led to the Boston Tea Party in 1773 (Lib. Of Congress, p. 1), when the colonists rebelled against the British and their absurd tax on tea in order to re-coop defense expenditures. Reactions such as this led to the necessitation of order, which led to the Declaration of Independence, and the Revolutionary Era. The Constitution: As a result of deciding not to amend the current Articles of Confederation, a new frame of government was born. 55 delegates from age 26 to age 81 debated, redrafted and created what is now known as the Constitution of the United States. These articles clarified many topics such as how much control the government should have in certain areas, how representatives should be elected, and many other issues we still live by today. Since it’s publishing in 1787, there have been 27 amendments to the original version. Jeffersonianism: Derived from the term Jeffersonian, and named for its discoverer, the Jeffersonianism philosophy held that each man had a right to have a say-so in government, believed in the expansion of human freedom, and believed that every person had a right to be educated. It also supported reliance on the farmer and agriculture, instead of relying solely on History in the Making 3 industry to boost the economy. Hamiltonism, which followed Jeffersonianism, was believed to be an evil stigma to Jeffersonianism by Jeffersonians. Civil War: Brother against brother, the revolutionized nation could not decide whether or not the government should have control over the states, industrialization, and most importantly, slavery. The southern states, or the Confederate States of America, decided to take matters into their own hands and individualized themselves to make their own rules. This led to the Civil War, where one nation quarreled with its counterpart. Although the North won, losing over half a million soldiers did not make the impact any easier for anyone to handle. Reconstruction: After the period of the Civil War, a period of Reconstruction began. Attempts were made to solve differences between the Union and the 11 Confederate states that had seceded from the Union. Though opposition from the Radical Republicans was evident, the Reconstruction Act of 1867 was passed, and military districts in the South were re-established. The South had no choice but to accept the 14th and 15th amendments of the Constitution (39th Congress, p. 1). The New South: Although the days of slavery had ended, the Southern states continued to retain control over their civilization. With the abolition of slavery came anger from loss of control, which led to the birth of the Black Codes. The Black Codes allowed whites to control the newly freed slaves by regulating the type of work black people could do, the hours they worked, and prevented blacks from raising their own crops. Freedom was not freedom after all. Foreign Affairs: Lack of support from the European economies post Civil War distressed the cotton crops, as the producers became overstocked. The North added some restriction to the History in the Making 4 Southern ports, and our foreign allies soon found other sources to fulfill their needs, which hurt the South tremendously. Industrialization: As America advanced, so did the way work was performed. Not only did industrialization bring forth machinery, it also was the birth of transportation and communication. Andrew Carnegie’s steel industry revolutionized transportation. The rails made from refined steel created necessary use of the railroad system, as did communication with the use of the telegraphs and telephone systems (Feldmeth, p. 1). Progressive Era: Along with industrialization came those who felt that anything old was inefficient and useless. These reformers brought forth the Efficiency Movement, which argued that the economy, society and government were inefficient. Frederick Winslow Taylor coined the term â€Å"one best way† with the idea that there was one best way to fix everything. He, along with several other engineers improved industrial efficiency. World Wars: Taking place mostly in Europe, the First World War between the Allied Powers (France, the Russian Empire, the British Empire, Italy and the U. S) and the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, the German Empire, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire) was a result of the assassination of the Austrian throne heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. This event soon led to a full fledged war. The Treaty of Versailles would end the first war, and stake victory for the Allied Powers, but controversy over its contents would soon lead to World War II. The second war between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the Empire of Japan) would be the deadliest war to date, killing over 60 million people. This war resulted in victory for the Allied Powers. History in the Making 5 The Depression: In 1929 our nation suffered the worst market plunge to date. The stock market crash, in conjunction with the outrageous cost of WWII, led to great losses for many people. Soon, supply exceeded demand. Cities based heavy in industry-type operations, including those outside of the U. S. were hit especially hard. Farmers were also a target, as the price for crops fell between 40 and 50 percent. The New Deal, or restructuring of the economy, enforced by President Roosevelt, would help lead the nation to recovery. The Cold War: The Cold War, as dubbed by Bernard Baruch and Walter Lippmann, is a term used to describe the growing tensions between the US and the Soviet Union. It would be the longest war to date, lasting from the mid 1940’s to the early 1990’s. Post WWII, the two nations could not agree on how to reconstruct the post war world. Wars including the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crises, and the Vietnam War were possible threats to lead into a third world war. The Cold War came to an end when Gorbachev launched his reform programs, Perestroika (reconstruction of the Soviet economy) and Glastnost (introduction of publicity and openness) (Wikipedia Staff, p. 1). It is almost impossible to summarize our nation’s history. So many events, far too many to place in a single composition of words, played key roles in the structure of how we live today. Needless to say, history continues to ensue every day. From our nation’s birth to the Cold War to the hanging of Saddam, America will continue to write a story we all should be so eager to read. References 1. Library of Congress (1998). Revolutionary Period. Retrieved in January 2007 from www. americaslibrary. gov/cgi. bin/page. cgiljb/revolt. 2. 39th Congress (1866). 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. Retrieved in January 2007 from www. nps. gov/archive/malu/documents/amend14. htm. 3. G. Feldmeth (2000). American Industrialization. Retrieved in January 2007 from www. home. earthlink. net/~gfeldmeth/lec. indust. html. 4. Wikipedia Staff (2001). Definitions for Perestroika and Glastnost. Retrieved in January 2007 from www. en. wikipedia. org.

Speech About Vacation

Preparation outline for Persuasive Speech Specific purpose: To persuade my audience to support the legislation to provide everyone with four weeks paid vacation Central Idea: Adopted paid vacation legislation in the USA will help us to stay healthy, avoid stress and bond with our family. Introduction Attention: I. Do you know that more than 147 countries, including all developed countries, now have a law that guaranties paid vacation to every employee? But the United States is the only industrial country in the world which doesn’t have any legislation about it.What is more, from 1980 to present day we moved from 11th place in the world to 42nd based on vacation longevity, and we spend almost 2 months more at work each year than Western Europeans. II. I am personally also affected by absence of vacation legislation. I have two part time jobs, but unfortunately both my employers do not give me any paid vacation time. My story is not unique, because today in US around 60% of part -time workers don’t receive paid vacation benefits. III. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to encourage you to support the legislation to provide everyone with four weeks paid vacation.Transition: We’ll start by looking at necessity to adopt the paid vacation legislation. Body Need I. Today in the United Stated vacation became a luxury for many Americans, and it is unreasonably short and can only voluntarily be provided by employers as a benefit. A. According to a study commissioned by Expedia. com, 13 days is the average vacation time in the U. S. 1. Average vacation time among the other countries – chart. (Expedia. com and Ray) 2. The Bureau of Labor Statistics a. 1 in 4 workers – no paid vacation b. 40% of American women earning less than $40,000 a year – no paid annual leave . Low-wage and part time workers and employees of small businesses a. Rebecca Ray in her publication No-vacation nation only 35% of part-time workers in the U. S. h ave a paid vacation. B. Paid vacation in the U. S. is only voluntarily provided by organizations.1. Vacation formula is based on years of service. a. Society for Human Resources Management – employees in middle and large-sized companies – work for 25 years to get a 4 week (Ray). C. American work-life is out of balance and we are losing necessary vacation time to stay healthy, avoid stress and bond with our family. . The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: an average American works one month per year more today than in 1976. 2. Burnout and stress – lack of vacation time, timeday. com: it costs the U. S. economy over $300 billion a year. 3. Men who don’t take regular vacation are 32% more likely to die of a heart attack, and 21% more likely to die early of all causes. Women have 50% more risk of a heart attack. (www. timeday. org) 4. â€Å"Vacations are so important for family bonding†, said William Doherty, professor of Family Social Science at the Un iversity of Minnesota.The strong memories from childhood involve family vacations. And yet fewer families are taking them now (right2vacation. com). Transition: Now that you know the need of paid vacation legislation let’s look what can be done about it. Satisfaction: II. The lack of vacation time is a serious problem in the United States and the only way to solve this is to adopt a law guaranteeing 4 weeks paid vacation to every American. A. The adopted paid vacation law will provide a 4 week vacation to every person regardless of full-time or part-time status, company size, and years worked in the company.And this law would allow us to catch up to other nations. B. All developed countries and more than 70% of all countries in the world already have paid vacation laws, and every European worker gets a minimum of 4 weeks paid vacation, according to the New York Times C. More than two-thirds of Americans strongly support vacation law favoring 3 weeks of vacation and more, base d on the information from the poll results on Rifgt2Vacation. org D. And I know from my audience-analyst questionnaire that most of you also support such plan and would prefer to have 4 weeks of vacation or more.Transition: You can see that vacation time problem can be simply solved by passing such legislation. Now let’s look at effects of a government guaranteed vacation. Visualization: I. Such vacation legislation have worked in many countries, and in the United States it will improve health, family bonding and the life quality overall. A. You will work less and reduce time pressures, and it will give an opportunity to exercise, healthy eating habits and connection with family and friends. And you will likely to stay healthy with having less risk of stress or burnout. B. You would sleep better and your productivity and creativity will increase. C.You will have more time for stay connected with your family, and your future kids will enjoy family vacations and more time outsi de. Conclusion Action: The first paid vacation bill was introduced in the House of Representatives in May of 2009. You can help get it passed by signing the various online petitions. Here are the online sites where you can sign these petitions, and I also will pass you handouts, which provide this information. Here is another way how you can participate in the process: follow this link and print the poster, which you can distribute to your friends or place at work to encourage people to support this legislation. If we will all work together, we can get the paid vacation bill through the Senate and many of us will finally have a paid vacation.Worked cited: â€Å"2009 International Vacation Deprivationâ„ ¢ Survey Results. † . â€Å"Right 2 Vacation. † Take Back Your Time. Web. 15 May 2011. . Ray, Rebecca, John Schmitt . No-Vacation Nation. Washington: Center for Economic and Policy Research, 2007 Take Back Your Time Day. . Tugend, Alina. â€Å"Vacations Are Good for You, Medically Speaking†. New York Times 7 Jun. 2008 U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 15 May 2011. .

Nutrition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Nutrition - Essay Example For protein, the AMDR is 10 to 35% and the percent calories derived from my protein intake is found between the two limits. The AMDR for fat is 30 to 35% and the percent calories from my fat intake is again in between the two limits. Are there any nutrients from your diet that are above the recommended Tolerable Upper Limit (UL) – see front cover of the text for the table listing UL for various nutrients (please note that not all nutrients have an UL. Do you take a multivitamin? If so, after analyzing your diet, do you think you need to continue taking a multivitamin? If you do not take a multivitamin, do you think you need to take a multivitamin or do you think you can meet your needs by the foods you consume? According to the nutrition analysis that I have printed out, my intake of the following nutrients is 100% below the DRI: fiber (15.77%), calcium (41.76%), iron (81.3%), phosphorus (85.5%), ash (5.51%), vitamin A (74.87%), vitamin C (49.27%) and cholesterol (48.03%). Fiber is usually found in oats, seeds, beans, barley, peas, lentils, apples, citrus fruit, carrots, plums, and squash. Adding 3 apples, 2 potatoes with skin, 2 cups of lentil soup or 1 cup of bran in my diet would increase my intake of fiber. In order to address my calcium deficiency, I can add 2 cups of skim milk and 227 grams of yogurt in my daily diet. I should also add 10 cups of vegetables and two oranges a day in order to have more iron and vitamin C in my diet. With these additions to my diet, my lack of Vitamin A and cholesterol would also be addressed. The following nutrients, on the other hand, are above the 150% DRI: sodium (215.38%), thiamin (329.40%) and riboflavin (234.24%). Among these three, the quantity of sodium that I have consumed is the most alarming. For all three days, my consumption of sodium has gone over the tolerable upper limit of 2.3 grams per day. This excess can be a future cause of high blood pressure and kidney

Rewrite the first draft of the business plan Essay

Rewrite the first draft of the business plan - Essay Example Those who had dealing with us in the past need no more elaboration about us. That which is evident requires no introduction or appreciation. Our clothing selections and exclusive personal style services would make it an attainable reality to own a special dress for every woman. Beauty, to a great extent, is God-given. But we shall certainly make one more presentable and admirable. Our Style Assessment will be done by an experienced specialist, and we have specially designed a questionnaire aimed to reveal your projections as to the type of dress needed by you. We have a unique album that gives minute details/measurements of thousands of patterns, and an exclusive photo album. You will be shown an exclusive range of fabrics in different color/patterns, which is specially created for us by the experts and you won’t find this range in any other boutique during the season for which it is intended for. This is the guarantee and the entire range is copyrighted. Take our assurance to your exclusiveness. Women assess it better and men understand it well. Fashion is such a unique concept. I head the think tank (management) of our designers group consists of 4 women and 1 man. This is no ordinary paper partnership. Each one of us is an expert, and thinks much ahead than what is available in the fashion world today. Our sole concern is our customers are well and exclusively dressed. Step into a right company, and we look forward for a long and happy association with each of our client. People come to us with an enquiry and end up being our permanent clients. We have a purpose in everything we do—to work for the entire satisfaction of our customers. Patrick Lencioni writes, â€Å"An organization that has achieved clarity has a sense of unity around everything it does. It aligns its resources, especially the human ones, around common concepts, values, definitions, goals, and strategies’, thereby realizing the synergies that all great companies

Financial marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Financial marketing - Essay Example In relation to the situation of credit crunch, it is usually observed that lenders are unable to provide adequate credits to borrowers, resulting in lessening their purchasing power. The term ‘credit crunch’ is recognised as a sudden restriction in the availability of various elements linked with credits or loans that include credit cards, inter-bank lending along with mortgages due to lack of financial liquidity. Thus, credit crunch is a situation wherein the availability of loans reduces by a considerable extent and accordingly, results into the condition of depression or recession (Cava, 2013). The quotation ‘‘†¦ the 2007 credit crunch is generally considered to have been triggered by losses on subprime mortgages in the USA, but its impact was too wide and too deep to be explained by losses in that sector alone† imply shortage of credit in the US economy (Pilbeam, 2010, pp. 427). This particular concern or issue i.e. credit crunch was commenced in the United States (US) during the year 2007 due to certain factors that eventually led towards the aforesaid critical situation. In this regard, it has been identified that the lenders in the US economy have been facing adequate challenges in recovering their loans leading to bad debt mortgages. Additionally, credit rating failures in the economy caused massive fluctuations to the disposable income within the US economy, during the period 2007-2008. The fluctuation in the disposable income led to massive fluctuations in sub-prime lending, affecting the housing market of the US severely. The losses in relation to sub-prime mortgages also adversely affected the financial market as the financial institutions were unable to repay the increased debt in the housing sector of the US. The subprime mortgages have unfavourably affected the financial system of the US as the customers along with the investors lost confidence in their approaches due to lack of obtaining credits or loans in th e economy. It has been conceived that the credit crunch in the US economy mainly caused due to the structure of an inappropriate interest rate policy designed by Federal Reserve (Whalen, 2008). Therefore, based on the above discussion, it can be ascertained that the effect of credit crunch eventually led towards the development of crisis situation in the US and ultimately affected the global economy at large. A.2: Mechanics of the Crunch Credit crunch in the US has led to the development of global crisis, which adversely affected the financial markets of other countries and also impacted the world economy. It has been identified that the interest rates in the US were quite high for a longer time period i.e. during the period 2003-2006. In this context, a constant rise in the interest rates has led to the development of inflation condition in the US. The rise in the interest rates has unfavourably affected the prices in the housing market in the final quarter of the year 2006. Subseq uently, the combination of factors including increasing interest rates and declined value of the housing market

BUDGETING Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BUDGETING - Coursework Example Business planning, being one of the internal processes, can be made more successful if the business prevents any implications and problems in its projects and practices its being planning about. Budgeting helps these processes in the most effective way by managing the cash flow and helps you to decide when to invest in which project you have planned at the right time which will produce the best results. All during the business planning, a budget plans helps to control the finances, gives you assurance whether you can fulfill your ongoing commitments or not, helps you to decide the best financial decision which fulfills your objectives and last but not the least, it helps to plan and gives you estimation regarding the money you can spend on your future expansionary plans. Budgeting should not be mixed with the forecasting because unlike a forecast, budgeting is a ‘planned’ outcome which the business thrives to get to its achievement (Peterson and Fabozzi, 2002). When it c omes to business planning, it also includes one of the most technical business tasks which is decision making. Budgeting improves this decision making process because it gives you a clear cut idea that which plan is practical and which can be fulfilled with the finance in hand. With the help of effective budgeting skill, a business can never run out of cash or even some issues are detected in cash flow, they can be easily found out and fixed before time. This clearly gives a deep understanding about the relationship between budgeting and business planning (Peterson and Fabozzi, 2002). These two benefits the business if done effectively and efficiently together. Budgeting being the provider of control and accountability over the finances and revenues of the business, aid business planning and make it successful. The reasons behind a planning are fulfilled with the help of making a budget but it never helps the most when it comes to business control. This is an entirely different thin g and cannot be related with budgeting. The above explanation illustrates how budgeting can be a great help in planning and it’s actually doesn’t play any vital role in business control. With the help of Capital budgeting, evaluation of investment proposals can be done easily in the best possible way. Such type of budgeting actually helps a business to decide which proposal should be ranked first so that it can be undertaken and investment can be made on it. For any investment, a business needs a proper financial plan because it will be business’s finances and capital returns which will be invested and benefits in the future will be gained and as budgeting is a part of financial planning, so without it, an investment proposal cannot be evaluated (Wildavsky, 1996). When it comes to evaluation, the first thing to do is to come up with all the possible strengths and weaknesses of a specific proposal, and when it comes to investment, business has to be really carefu l and should dream of only fulfilling those proposals which can be undertaken and comes in the boundary of business’s finances. In capital budgeting, the speed of evaluation process gets geared up as by using this method; those proposals are top ranked which include no real choice for example replacing a leaking sewer line with an updated one, as this one will remove any

Strategic Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

Strategic Human Resource Management - Essay Example The discussion provides recommendations on how organizations should align their strategies to achieve excellence. Competitive advantage and Life cycle models explore the link between the set business strategy and the policies and practices within the human resource department. Comparing and contrasting lifecycle model and competitive advantage is essential in terms of their similarities and differences with respect to HRM. Competitive advantage model includes differentiation as a way of achieve unique feature that can be of valued to the buyers. The resources that give a firm a competitive advantage should have value. Life cycle model encompasses all the relevant stages demonstrate the growth or maturity stage of a firm. For the HRM to have a gain competitive advantage, the policies and practices must be in keeping with the development stage in the life cycle model (Rees and Smith, 2014). The viability of human resource depends on how well the differentiated products are in tandem with the industry demands (Johnson, Scholes, and Whittington, 2002). Therefore, competitive advantage and life-cycle models help to shape the HRM policies and practices in response to industry demands in different life cycle stages. Competitive advantage and life cycle models cannot be applied in isolation. A mature organization requires cost leadership and differentiation to survive in the industry. The viability of a firm to sustain competitive advantage stems from attaining maturity. Boxall and Purcell (2011) argue that a firm may set out to be the best in the industry by focusing on cost and product differentiation but it must have reached the maturity stage to position itself well in the market. The organization must be mindful of the lifecycle stages to initiate a change in the tactics used to approach the market. The HRM practices are geared towards reducing competition and offering products that are cost effective for all customers (Marchington and Wilkinson,

Value Innovation at Johnson and Johnson Case Study

Value Innovation at Johnson and Johnson - Case Study Example For a large international corporation this would include the ability to manage across multiple dimensions of the business and having open communication throughout the organization. Without strong communication and the ability of skills and creation to move through the organization the value innovation would fail in Tidd, Bessant, and Pavitt's explanation of value innovation. Davilla, Epstein and Shelton (2006 p 15) examine that value innovation is technological: "research and development (R&D), or new product development" and strategic: "defining the business model." The Davilla, Epstein and Shelton (2006) definition offers a linear explanation, where there are two roads to value innovation. However, unlike Tidd, Bessant, and Pavitt (2005), Davilla, Epstein and Shelton (2006) do not examine the need to mobilize across multiple dimensions. They treat value innovation as a bilateral necessity, where one sector of management would focus on innovation of research and development while another management team focuses on strategic value. As with Tidd, Bessant, and Pavitt (2005), communication between the two divergent management sectors would be vastly important to creating and implementing any value innovation. Without it, technology may take a separate road than strategy. This would create confusion for the organization and for the consumer in deciding whic h ideals are concrete and which are fluid throughout the company. In contrast, O'Brien compares business strategies and defines a value innovation strategy as "Finding new ways of doing business" (O'Brien 2004 p 43). According to O'Brien, value innovation includes "the development of unique products and services, or entry into unique markets or market niches [and] making radical changes to the business processes for producing or distributing products and services that are so different from the way a business has been conducted that they alter the fundamental structure of an industry" (O'Brien 2006 p 42). O'Brien's definition is yet again different, where the focus is on the business as a whole and not as a segmentation of skill sets, technology resources, or strategy. Synthesis and Evaluation Is the assumption that value innovation must rely on technology and strategy to maintain a competitive business presence correct Authors Kim and Mauborgne (1999 p 58) do not believe that value innovation should rely on technology and strategy innovation. In fact, they treat value innovation as a separate concept. Kim and Mauborgne (1999 p 58) focus on the need of consumer value, where the "Value innovation links innovation to what the mass of buyers value." Kim and Mauborgne offer a more encompassing definition of value innovation, stating: "Value innovation also differs from technology innovation [] technology innovation is not a requisite for value innovation; value innovation can occur with or without new technology" (Kim and Mauborgne 1999 p 57). This is further supported by Holme, Mangusson and McKelvey (2007 p 32) who state that "One shortcoming is the narrow focus on