Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Risk Management - Essay Example Often, an infrastructural construction project involves a number of phases before final completion and transfer to the contract awarding authority. The phases include the appraisal phase, the design phase, the construction phase, and the operation phase. Although there are some cross-cutting risks across the phases, some are unique to each phase and hence it’s often important to independently review the risks in each phase. This paper addresses the risks likely to be encountered in each phase of an infrastructure construction project. However, before doing this, it is important to highlight the key steps involved in risk control process including risk identification, risk management, and risk response. Risk identification Risk identification involves determination of the risks are likely to impact on the project as well as documentation of the characteristics associated with the risks identified. This is not a one-time environment, rather it should be performed regularly and m ore especially through the whole project cycle. This is due to the fact that risks themselves are dynamic and change with time. Risk identification must be able to address internal as well as external risks. Internal risks are often within the projects control and as such can be eliminated or minimized through internal mechanisms. On the other hand, external risks are often beyond the project’s influence. Generally, there are a whole range of tools which can be utilized in risk identification including brainstorming, interviews, feedback from past projects, specialists use, and workshops, among others. Risk management This is a part as crucial as the risk identification itself. Often failures at this point can cost the organization lots of money and time. Risk management involves determination of the appropriate control tools as well as the appropriate responses towards dealing with the emerging or risks or their impact whenever they occur. Risk management involves risk quant ification where there is an evaluation of risks as well as the risk’s interactions as a means of assessing range of possible project outcomes. This is mainly aimed at determination of the risk events which warrant response. The process is often complicated due to a number of factors although not limited to how opportunities as well as threats can interact in unpredictable ways or a single risk event which constitutes multiple effects. Often it goes beyond simple mathematical expressions in order to attain precision and reliability. Risk response Determination of Appropriate Risk response techniques is crucial to successful control of the risks. A combination of management techniques are often employed in evaluation of the best methods suited the risk faced by infrastructure projects. These include risk reduction, retention of risk, and transfer of risk (Richardson, 2010, p. 23). Identifying appropriate risk management techniques therefore requires assessing of the interaction effects touching on a range of factors including safety, construction procedures and operations, financial decisions and strategic decision making. Risk reduction takes a two dimensional perspective. This includes reducing the likelihood or frequency of events occurrence and reduction of the consequences that an event is expected to have in case it takes place (Richardson, 2010). Risk transfer

Mayella Violet Ewell Essay Example for Free

Mayella Violet Ewell Essay Mayella Violet Ewell is Tom Robinsons 19-and-a-half-year-old accuser and the eldest daughter of Bob Ewell; she has to take care of her siblings (such as Burris Ewell) due to Bob Ewells alcoholism. Before the trial, Mayella is noted for growing red geraniums outside her otherwise dirty home. Due to her familys living situation, Mayella has no opportunity for human contact or love, and she eventually gets so desperate that she attempts to seduce a black man, Tom Robinson. Her father sees this through a window, and in punishment he beats her. Ewell then finds the sheriff, Heck Tate, and tells him that his daughter has been raped and beaten by Tom. At the trial, Atticus proves that it was her father who beat her by pointing out that the bruises are on the right side of her face only. This is important because Toms left hand is mangled and useless, while Bob Ewell is left handed. When Atticus Finch asks her if she has any friends, she becomes confused because she does not know what a friend is. During her testimony, she is confused by Atticus polite speech and thinks that his use of Miss Mayella is meant to mock her.  By testifying against Tom Robinson, Mayella is trying to destroy the evidence suggesting that she had attempted to seduce him, and to do what her father wants her to do so that he wont hurt her — to eliminate her own guilt and fear of breaking a rigid and time-honored code. Mayella is played by Collin Wilcox in the movie.

History of and Development of Apple

History of and Development of Apple History of Apples success Apple was founded in 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniack and Ronald Wayne. These three young men at this time, decided to produce and sell a computer. As Apple was growing continuously, the company searched for some managers to help with the expansion. During the next couple of years, Apple hired new people for the most important positions, such as CEO. In 1984, the moment was finally there, Apple introduced there first computer to the world, the Macintosh. This computer was very special, because it was the first small computer with a graphical user interface. At the end of 1984, there was a big decrease in sales for Apple and deterioration in Jobs working relationship with the CEO of Apple. In May 1985, there followed a lot of struggles within company of Apple and Sculley relieved Steve Jobs of his duties as head of the Macintosh division. The founder of Apple was fired of his own company. Steve Jobs moved on and founded another computer company, called NeXT Computer. The NeXT Company was known of its technical strengths and their development system. All years Steve Jobs was working at NeXT with the philosophy of perfection, as showed by things like the NeXTcube interpersonal computer. In 1993, Jobs introduced a new development in software, with the release of NeXTSTEP Intel. During the period of NeXT computers, Jobs bought Pixar, a company focused on the high-end graphics. After a few years of struggling with sales, NeXT decided to contract with Disney. During their period with Disney, they started to produce numerous of computer-animated movies and Disney co-financed and distributed it. At the end of the 20th century, Apple decided to buy NeXT. This means that Steve Jobs returned to Apple. In the next couple of years, Steve Jobs changed a lot within the company, because there were too many employees working and introduced new projects. Steve Jobs was back in business for Apple. From this point, the success of Apple started with the introduction of Mac OS X and the iMac. (Guha, 2005) The last ten years Over the last ten years, Apple is doing something different than most IT companies in the world. Apple keeps it simple with its product line. If you are going to compare the products Apple offers and the products Microsoft or Sony are offering, you will notice that Apple only has 4 iPods, one cell phone, three notebooks and three desktop computers. If you take a look at Sony, you will see that they offer us a wide variety of the same kind of products. The same is happening with many other companies, such as HP, TomTom, Garmin and Dell. Within those last ten years, you can see that Apple is finding niche markets and try to fill the gabs in these markets. Since Steve Jobs returned to Apple, it has changed a lot. Steve reviewed all product lines and changed it into distinct segments. Every Apple product has a different destination, because an iMac is available for all-in-one solutions and the Mac Pro is for the professional buyer. These are just examples of two of Apples products, but it is exactly the same with the other products, such as the iPod or Notebooks. If you go into more detail about the simple product lines Apple uses, we will find that the company Garmin produces approximately 82 GPS systems that can be used in a car or carried in your hand. From all those 82 designs, there are no big differences between all models, but the price different is huge. Compare this with the Apple strategy; you can conclude that Apple will make only one or two different GPS systems, because Apple will use all their technology they have into one or two models, instead of 82. This strategy counts for a higher profit, because Apple does not waste a lot of money on all kind of different designs with slightly different specifications. If we have a look at the cell phone industry and we have a look at Samsung, we will discover that Samsung offers plenty of different models on their website. Apple produces only one cell phone and upgrades this phone every year with better technology, instead of making 20 different models. To conclude this, customers hate to choose between many different products with the same specifications. Imagine that you are at a random TV store and see all the different LCD or Plasma TVs. Many people will say they like to have many choices, but on the other hand they hate it. That is something Apple took into account and only produces one or two models of the same product of top-notch quality that are easily available. Furthermore, everybody knows Apple for more than five years now and Apple is known as the company with fantastic quality and easy accessibility. All the advertising and promotions Apple did in the last ten years worked, because the iPhone which you can buy at Best Buy, does not require a salesman to sell this phone. The brand sells itself. (Asay, 2010) Over the last five to ten years, Apple had an enormous growth explosion. As you can see in Figure 3, Apple had a slow growth up to 2005, but after that they started introducing new technology, which gave Apple its growth explosion. The findings of this explosion are shown in Figure 3. Product differences between Apple and other companies Apple is a company that started with computers; this is still their main market. If we have a look at the differences between Apple computers and other PCs, we can conclude that there are big differences. The biggest difference between the two is the way both parties think about processes and philosophies. According to many people, after using a Mac, they say: Macs think like I do and PCs dont. Although the operating systems of PC and Mac are kind of similar to each other, the Mac requires less clicking, less menus and it is working as smooth as people expect them to. If we move on to the other products Apple offers, the iPhones, we will notice a lot of differences compared to other mobile phones. If we are going to compare the iPhone with other mobile phones, you need to compare it with the Androids in first place, because these phones are Apples competition at the moment. The first thing we will notice is the operating systems within the phone, because Apple uses iOS Mac systems and Androids is mostly based on Google. If you are using the iPhone with all the features Apple gives you, you will never notice the differences, but Apple does not support Adobe Flash, which allows you to view Flash Videos and Flash Games. Androids have a better open system, because if you want to download an application and this application is not in Googles official Android Market, you can still download it and run it properly. If we have a look at the Apple applications, you can only use the applications giving to you via the AppStore. This brings us to our next poin t, because security is really important using these expensive phones. The problem with Android is that one in five applications have security holes, which makes the phone less safe and changes of viruses or any other inconvenient error. That is what makes the iPhone the safest phone around at the moment, because they have a closed system, which allows you only to download within the AppStore. Furthermore, we can compare the interfaces of both phones. Apple is doing a great job using a very easy but fantastic interface. If you like to use the iOS interface, life is great, because it works smooth and quick. On the other hand, if you prefer to use widgets and see what other interfaces look like, the Androids are the way to go. (Dotree, 2010)

Hunger and Poverty Essay -- essays research papers

Hunger and Poverty Hunger and Poverty During the course of this particular essay, I will prove to you many points. Maybe not to the extreme that it will change one’s thought processes on the subject of hunger and world poverty, but enough to form a distinction between moral obligation and moral capacity. What I will not mention is the fact that Peter Singer’s outdated material (1971), though thorough in the sense of supporting his view on hunger and world poverty as well as examining this school of thought, is unconvincing to say the least. As our recent past has shown us, using Somalia and Rwanda as models, no amount of money or time on earth can come between a civil war. Terrible things happen, innocent people are slain in the names of either freedom or captivity, and land is destroyed, burned by the flames of either righteousness or wrath. But placing the burden of attempting to heal these wounds on the â€Å"well off† is not only immoral in itself, it is crazy. To consider an a ct a moral obligation, it must have an end that fits within the realm of reason. If someone is obligated to do something, then the purpose of that action holds meaning, therefore making the act a meaningful act. A characteristic of a meaningful act is a justifiably important end, that is, an end that which holds a higher purpose than the action against the obligated act. One can argue, using history as an example, that ending world poverty and hunger is not a reasonable goal. Singer uses the term â€Å"mora... Hunger and Poverty Essay -- essays research papers Hunger and Poverty Hunger and Poverty During the course of this particular essay, I will prove to you many points. Maybe not to the extreme that it will change one’s thought processes on the subject of hunger and world poverty, but enough to form a distinction between moral obligation and moral capacity. What I will not mention is the fact that Peter Singer’s outdated material (1971), though thorough in the sense of supporting his view on hunger and world poverty as well as examining this school of thought, is unconvincing to say the least. As our recent past has shown us, using Somalia and Rwanda as models, no amount of money or time on earth can come between a civil war. Terrible things happen, innocent people are slain in the names of either freedom or captivity, and land is destroyed, burned by the flames of either righteousness or wrath. But placing the burden of attempting to heal these wounds on the â€Å"well off† is not only immoral in itself, it is crazy. To consider an a ct a moral obligation, it must have an end that fits within the realm of reason. If someone is obligated to do something, then the purpose of that action holds meaning, therefore making the act a meaningful act. A characteristic of a meaningful act is a justifiably important end, that is, an end that which holds a higher purpose than the action against the obligated act. One can argue, using history as an example, that ending world poverty and hunger is not a reasonable goal. Singer uses the term â€Å"mora...

Jenna’s Kitchen Essay

Low moral/ low productivity. †¢ Didn’t listen to Judi’s recommendation of not listening. Main Problem: †¢ top managements push to save money by moving from there downtown location to a warehouse, lowered status of employees -made job less prestigious -no longer a better company to work for than their competitors. †¢ Low conceptual skills from management -they didn’t see the big picture to foresee how the move would effect the corporate culture of employees/ morale. Solutions: Top management needs to weigh as well as see value of motivation plus jod satisfaction high productivity and attaining loyalty of employee’s/ low turnover. Tried to solve the low moral with pay increase which leads to less money saved from move plus little change in moral: â€Å"pay increase only provides short term change and not true motivation. † (Introduction into Business pg 284 half way down. ) †¢ What does provide motivation: pay increase according to performance not general increase. Effective ways to motivate and increase morale: increased responsibility, recognition, new more prestigious job title, reoccurring meetings to hear what employees need. †¢ Hear issues †¢ involve employees in creating objectives. †¢ Incentives, gift cards to downtown restaurants, weekly monthly lunches, using flex times to make jobs more appealing. †¢ Cons- incentives will cost company in the short term †¢ more time in team equals less time for working. Managers will have to be trained to give more recognition to work with employee’s †¢ might loose employee’s end up saving money from move. Solutions: †¢ higher level of conceptual skills for top management ie. Learn from mistakes. †¢ Self manage work teams, job enrichment, incentives at the new location. †¢ Implement meetings for top management to reevaluate direction company is headed and to understand the consequences of not listening to regional management and cost cutting. †¢ First line manager training to boost moral/motivation of the workers and increase productivity

Free Essays on Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia Have you ever been walking through your backyard and all the sudden your leg was blown off by a landmine? Well 1 in every 236 people in Cambodia has had that happen. That’s why many people have fled their homes in Southeast Asia because they don’t want to put them selves or their family in danger of getting blown up by a landmine. Many people have begun to return back to their homes after many years away from them, because they think that they can deal with the landmines and that maybe some of mines are gone. There are over 40 million refugees in the world that have left their homes because of the threat of death or injury from landmines. â€Å"One study†¦ shows that during a six month period in 1992, 85 percent of those that where injured in mine explosions were engaged in nonmilitary activities such as farming, traveling between villages, and just tending their cattle.† So there are a lot of innocent people getting hurt for nothing. Most mines are located primarily in the developing world along roads, paths, and fields. This is causing many people the right to have a good free life, because many of the people don’t want to work on farms or heard cattle because they never know when they might step on a mine. This causes them to go poor and then they can’t support their family. In Cambodia, one lady was out letting her cattle eat and as she was walking around looking after her cattle she happened to step on a mine. This injured both of her legs, causing her family to sell all their cattle to pay off the hospital bill and now they have no money. Landmines are primarily used in wars for blowing-up soldiers; this puts a fear among the enemy. They are also used to protect things that are located on the ground, like bases, land missiles, or even boundaries. But once the war is over what happens to the land mines that have not been detonated? Well, they just sit and sit, waiting to do their job, and t... Free Essays on Southeast Asia Free Essays on Southeast Asia Southeast Asia Have you ever been walking through your backyard and all the sudden your leg was blown off by a landmine? Well 1 in every 236 people in Cambodia has had that happen. That’s why many people have fled their homes in Southeast Asia because they don’t want to put them selves or their family in danger of getting blown up by a landmine. Many people have begun to return back to their homes after many years away from them, because they think that they can deal with the landmines and that maybe some of mines are gone. There are over 40 million refugees in the world that have left their homes because of the threat of death or injury from landmines. â€Å"One study†¦ shows that during a six month period in 1992, 85 percent of those that where injured in mine explosions were engaged in nonmilitary activities such as farming, traveling between villages, and just tending their cattle.† So there are a lot of innocent people getting hurt for nothing. Most mines are located primarily in the developing world along roads, paths, and fields. This is causing many people the right to have a good free life, because many of the people don’t want to work on farms or heard cattle because they never know when they might step on a mine. This causes them to go poor and then they can’t support their family. In Cambodia, one lady was out letting her cattle eat and as she was walking around looking after her cattle she happened to step on a mine. This injured both of her legs, causing her family to sell all their cattle to pay off the hospital bill and now they have no money. Landmines are primarily used in wars for blowing-up soldiers; this puts a fear among the enemy. They are also used to protect things that are located on the ground, like bases, land missiles, or even boundaries. But once the war is over what happens to the land mines that have not been detonated? Well, they just sit and sit, waiting to do their job, and t...

Wriston Manufacturing-Detroit plant

Wriston Manufacturing-Detroit plant Free Online Research Papers Detroit’s production is unique when compared to other Wriston plants. Runs are typically low volume, involve significant set-up time, and vary significantly due to the sheer volume of different products lines, families and models. It is notable that the Detroit plant is the only plant manufacturing all three product lines: brakes, off-highway and on-highway axles; all other plants produce only a single product line. Manufacturing in Detroit is significantly more complex than other plant. Capital investment has lagged in Detroit and the equipment is out-dated and inefficient. The general work environment is poor, with leaking pipes and old fixtures. The layout of the Detroit plant is piecemeal; production typically requires complex flows through dedicated machining areas scattered about various buildings. Both the environment and other factors seem to contribute to a poorly motivated workforce. Wriston accounts for the revenue of each plant on a standalone basis. This is not an accurate method of cost accounting since Detroit contributes to the other plants revenues. Recommendations Wriston’s Detroit plant is no longer a viable operation due to long-term capital underinvestment and product-process mismatch. It is recommended that the plant be phased out of operations over a 3-year period with production and staff gradually shifted to a new plant to be built in the Detroit area. Further, it is also recommended that division accounting procedures and evaluation mechanisms be modified to allocate revenues/costs allowing for the synergistic benefits of Detroit’s products, and to recognize inherent manufacturing complexities, respectively. Analysis Several alternatives are presented to the divisions management: Alternative 1 Close the Plant and Distribute the Production of the Parts Amongst other Plants: When considering shutting down the Detroit plant, the impact on the receiving plants must be considered. Detroit’s parts are noted as being mostly low volume, high-setup time parts, and include service parts. The plants identified for receiving the Detroit parts are not set up for this type of operation. Lima, Lancaster and Maysville are identified as high-volume parts plants, while Fremont is identified as a high tech plant specializing in gear machining. The study team’s suggestion to move the parts to these plants do not consider the manufacturing model consciously incorporated into the setup of those plants. Variability, coupled with low volume, suggests the need for a flexible manufacturing system (FMS); the Detroit shop is instead closer to a flow shop configuration. This represents a product process mismatch. As the majority of the division’s plants are also flow shops, it seems at best uncertain whether any of Detroit’s products could be better-produced at other plants; any product transfers would almost certainly inflate the receiving plant’s burden rates. Although this option yields the highest NPV(Table 1), it does not adequately recognize the negative impact on production resulting from the introduction of these parts. Alternative 2 – Keep the Plant Open (5-10 years) and Invest in Tools and Maintenance This alternative provides the worst NPV and would be a last resort solution. The company would continue to have a negative ROA. Alternative 3 – Close the Plant, Invest in New Plant While this alternative returns a negative NPV, given the discussion of Alternative 1 with regards to the other plants abilities to take on the parts from Detroit and the need to continue the plants products, this alternative needs to be considered. While it does not meet the hurdle rate for new product investment, it will continue to provide a measure of positive cash flow and profit to the company, while meeting the needs of Wristons customers, effectively maintaining good customer relations. In regards to the new plant, the process and the work force should gradually transfer to the new plant in 3-year period instead of shifting immediately. The new plant should be built around flexible manufacturing processes. This represents a radical departure from current processes and older members of the workforce may be challenged to adapt; retraining will likely be unpopular and ineffective for these workers. While running two plants in parallel certainly incurs some overhead, it would allow the older workforce to continue the successful manufacture of some Detroit products while naturally retiring from the organization over a five-year period, and younger workers to learn the new processes and takeover products in a controlled, timely manner. In regards to the study group recommendation of dropping the Group 3 products, the financial analysis prepared by the study group for the three groups produced at Detroit incorrectly attributes fixed manufacturing overhead to the three groups in a proportional manner. Reviewing the financials, Group 3 is profitable based on its variable manufacturing costs only. Using the model presented by the study group, if Wriston were to drop group 3, the fixed manufacturing costs would have to be redistributed over the remaining two groups, resulting in an even greater net loss to the Detroit operation. Group 3 is marginally profitable and contributes to the plant’s bottom line. Conclusion In light of the above analysis, (Table 1 represent key features of each alternative) Wriston should invest in building a new plant to produce the three products lines around a flexible manufacturing system and shift the process and the staff to the new plant in a 3-year span. This phasing process allows training the new employees and gives the older ones the option to retire or continue in the new working environment. In addition, it will prevent any production stoppage and ensure satisfied customers. Moreover, the current revenue accounting policy does not properly allocate revenues to Detroit, even though Detroit provides the initial investment and helps generate revenues to other plants. Further, Detroit bears the responsibility of providing maintenance and repairs and these costs are not allocated to other plants. Accounting should recognize these contributions, by allocating a portion of the revenues to the Detroit plant and by sharing their costs among the other plants. Option 1: close the plant, transfer production Option 2: Re-tool plant (5-10 year bridge) Option 3: Build new plant NPV (10% discount rate) 29 Million -13 Million -12 Million Operational Aspects Destination plants are primarily high-volume flow shop configurations Maintenance investments do not address underlying productprocess mismatch; no expected improvement Introduction of flexible manufacturing should significantly improve performance. Research Papers on Wriston Manufacturing-Detroit plantBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfTwilight of the UAWGenetic EngineeringIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalDefinition of Export QuotasOpen Architechture a white paperMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThe Project Managment Office SystemResearch Process Part One

Tecumsehs Quest for Indian Leadership essays

Tecumseh's Quest for Indian Leadership essays In this biography, David Edmunds examines the life of legendary Shawnee leader Tecumseh and his pivotal role in defending the Native American way of life. Edmunds is the Anne and Chester Watson Chair in History Professor at UT Dallas. Edmunds area of specialization at UT Dallas is History of Native American People and History of the American West. Edmunds has written other Native American books, Pocahontas, the Shawnee Prophet. Tecumseh and Quest for Indian Leadership is an informative bibliography of the life of the great Shawnee chief Tecumseh. Tecumseh was born to Puckshinwa and his wife Methotaske in March, 1768, in what many historians think was Chillicothe, Ohio. Tecumseh had many siblings, Chiksika, Tecumapease they were his oldest brother and sister. Next came Sauwaseekau who was brother to Tecumseh and another sister named Menewaulakoosee, after her Tecumseh was born, after that two more sons were born and after that the set of triplets that included Tenskwatawa, the Shawnee Prophet. The book Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership written by R. David Edmunds is very well written. I recommend that every history class be assigned to read this book, or sections from this book. The writing puts the oppression of Indians into a perspective that most Americans wouldnt normally view it from. This book places the reader on the side of the Shawnee Indians in the time period just before the revolution and up to the middle of the War of 1812. Through this book, you realize the unjust actions taken toward the Shawnee Indians of the Ohio Valley. Edmunds begins the book by introducing a Shawnee warrior, Cornstalk, and then travels back in time to the first humans in the Ohio Valley area. Edmunds uses great detail in describing the Fort Ancient people and their culture and lifestyle. They were the predecessors and ancient relatives of the Shawnee, and they were a skilled people. In 1774, Cornstalk knew t...

Toxicology and terrorism (the threat of chemical wepons and there Essay

Toxicology and terrorism (the threat of chemical wepons and there effects) - Essay Example This essay will therefore, explore the health impacts of the September 11 attack on the US in relation to toxic exposure. Dust that resulted from the collapse of the two buildings was heavily toxic according to experts. After the collapse of the two buildings, hundreds of tons of debris were introduced into the atmosphere through dust and smoke. Of the toxic substances resulting from the site, more than 50% consisted of non-fibrous material, 40% consisted of glass fibers that are known to be highly toxic. In addition, large quantities of heavy metals such as mercury and lead were also produced from the site of explosion. The toxic dust emanating from the site also contained high asbestos, polycyclic, aromatic hydrocarbons and cadmium. All the toxic materials produced from the site have diverse and long-lasting health effects on the victims. Majority of the people affected by the toxic materials are the rescue workers and security personnel who stayed around the explosion site for a long time. The toxic substances also affected people who were rescued from the site after being trapped in the rabbles for long time. Toxic materials such as crystalline silica, asbestos, and lead are believed to cause cancer due to their carcinogenic effects. Some of these materials can also cause terminal illness such as heart disease and kidney failure (Timbrell, 2002). Studies carried out on rescue and recovery officers at ground zero indicate a strong correlation between their level of exposure to the toxic debris and their health. Of all rescue officers who in action at ground zero, 75 have been diagnosed with different types of cancer including blood cancer. Respiratory diseases are also common among people who were exposed to t oxic debris (Gupta, 2009). Following these attacks, and the knowledge I have acquired from studying toxicology, I feel adequately prepared to manage toxicological threats. The September 11

(5 paragraph illustration) Birthday party at the beach with a cook out Essay

(5 paragraph illustration) Birthday party at the beach with a cook out - Essay Example Having found my perfect destination, I sent out invitation letters to the family and some of Brittany’s friends she had not seen in a while even though they had gone to college together. This would be a perfect surprise. The day finally arrived; the cloudless sky was a clear sign of perfect weather. I started the morning preparations by setting up the venue. The party theme was white and sexy to blend in with the white sands of Boca Grande Beach. Therefore, for the furniture, I arranged for light comfortable chairs and tables. For the centerpiece, I put yellow scented vanilla candles – Brittany’s favorite scent. I arranged for toys, plastic tools like shovels, for the kids to play with on the beach. I set up jumping castles for the children too. I had invited Brittany’s favorite rock band – a surprise, too. I had a small but authentic gazebo set up for them, with deep black mahogany planks as the platform. This blended in nicely with my white theme. After finishing on the venue, I had to check on the catering. The party started at three in the afternoon. I did not want the guests to arrive and find me unprepared. I set off to collect the food, which included champagne, wine and beer; I also had some energy drinks and snacks for the kids. I also got biting for the adults: hot dogs, buns, potato crisps in apple sauce. I had to collect the birthday cake made especially for her. Brittany wanted a chocolate cake with a little bit of vanilla. I sprinkled the cake with blue berries. By half past 3, most of the guests had arrived and sat. The children were busy playing on the beach. My well-trained stuff began serving guests my homemade chilled cocktails, accompanied by sliced lemon. I offered kids some sunscreen and let them enjoy the sand. I had the hot dogs grilled and, within no time, they were ready to eat. The hot dogs placed in a fish shaped bowl served with

Going for growth by investing in people, products and plant 2 Essay

Going for growth by investing in people, products and plant 2 - Essay Example Question 1 Before making an investment, it is prudent that one possesses an effective understanding of the market of operation. This is important in making an informed investment move. The process of studying the market and developing an understanding of the same is collectively referred to as investment appraisal. It involves a series of market evaluation through a number of mechanisms which result in the comparison of the business’ key objectives which are profitability under the existent market forces (Willey, 2012). There are a number of investment appraisal methodologies including net present value which investigates the ability of the market to repay the investment given the numerous present market factors such as inflation. One of the most preferred of these methods is the direct payback method in which the investor calculates the number of years it may take the business to return the initial investment. Some other investment appraisal method is the accounting rate of r eturn which bases its assessment of the market on its ability to earn profit to the investment. Despite their different approaches to the appraisal, the methods safeguard the interest of the business by trying to determine its profitability and above all its longevity. The life of a business is of great importance to the investor since the longer a business stays viable, the more the investor earns. The company makes an extensive capital investment with the sole aim of achieving the business objective. Capital investment is the amount of money that the enterprise invests in fixed assets which are directly used before implementing its investment plan. In this case, the Hazelwood Sandwiches Company carries out an extensive market research and investment appraisal thereby ensuring that their company stays relevant in the evidently dynamic market (Tabbush, 2011). This includes enhancing the production process such as the machinery and the production plant. The company does this after st aying in operation for some time; it therefore has an understanding of the market. Its decision to make such an expansive capital investment arises from the understanding that it has for the market. The company, just as any other desires, to stay active in the industry for as long as it takes. It therefore collects adequate information about the market and has its market facts right (Thomas & Michael, 2001). After determining the market size, the company determines its market share which is indeed the largest. The subsequent investment therefore arises from the desire to retain the position thus safeguarding both the profitability and the longevity of the company. The company has therefore mapped out its capital investment plan in phases to ensure that it does not become bankrupt in the process since such as scenario might have stifled the production process thereby either incurring debts or resulting in the eventual closure of the company. While purchasing fixed assets and improvin g the scale of production, the company also increases its working capital which is also part of capital investment. Question 2 The investment decision technique is synonymous to the investment appraisal method. The three discussed in the article are the playback method, the net present value, and the account rate of return (Alexander, 2010). Despite the fact that they all lead to an appropriate investment decision, they are different in their provisions and therefore possess unique advantages and disadvantages. The net

The Business, Its Mission and Its Strategy Term Paper

The Business, Its Mission and Its Strategy - Term Paper Example The organization has continued to experience an explosive growth, which is demonstrated by its annual revenues moving from $250,000 in 2009 to over $2 million in 2010 (Samasource, 2011). Samasource’s core business is outsourcing of digital work from large or small organizations. The organization offers outsourcing services under five broad categories: data services, research and archival services, machine learning, customer support services, and online content services (Samasource, 2012). This is mainly done on the Internet. The organization operates as follows. First it sources for work from other organizations. It then uses a proprietary technology platform to divide the digital work it has received into smaller tasks which are then distributed through the Internet to its various processing centers or partner sites. At these processing centers Samasource specifically recruits and trains women and youth from poverty-stricken areas who then perform the small tasks. Upon co mpletion, each of these small tasks is taken through a rigorous quality-assurance process on the proprietary platform before they are aggregated back into complete projects and delivered to the clients. The proprietary technology platform is known as SamaHub and the small tasks are referred to as microwork – a term first coined by the Samasource founder. ... This industry has numerous buyers and suppliers, which makes the bargaining power of both parties relatively weak. The three forces that Samasource would need to be wary of are competitive rivalry, threat of entry and threat of substitutes. The intensity of rivalry here is currently moderate because of the contrasting characteristics. On the one hand, there are numerous competitors, which should warrant a fight for market share. On the other hand, industry growth is high, and this somewhat negates the need for fighting over market share. Also, exit barriers in this industry are low, which means that companies that are earning low or negative returns can easily opt to leave the market rather than struggle. This eliminates excess capacity from the market (Porter, 2008). Nevertheless, we single out competitive rivalry because of the potential for rivals to converge and compete on the same dimensions. The nearly identical services of rivals coupled with low buyer switching costs could lead to price competition and, consequently, destructive rivalry. Barriers to entry for this industry are low for the following reasons. Firstly, the primary infrastructure for this industry is the Internet, which weakens the incumbents’ ability to harness supply-side economies of scale. Secondly, buyers face low switching costs in changing suppliers. Thirdly, capital requirements are modest. Fourth, the Internet gives new entrants equal access to the distribution channel. These low entry barriers make the threat of entry industry force to be very high. Substitutes to Samasource’s offerings are Odesk, Elance, Freelancer and other online outsourcing sites as well as the traditional BPOs found in the developing countries. We have

I wore a mask, and my face grew to fit it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

I wore a mask, and my face grew to fit it - Essay Example I was lucky because I have very supporting parents. However, reflecting back on those experiences, I could say that those were the times when I wore a mask. Wearing a mask means not showing my real feelings but feigning them just to please my parents. Every good child wishes for his/her parents to be happy. In order to make them happy, one would normally do things that would please one’s parents and make them proud. For example, a child would study hard, aim for good marks, or aspire for the most valuable player award. To please my parents, I wore a mask to be what my parents expected me to be. During times I felt weak and afraid, I wore that mask of courage and aggressiveness. When I felt longing to hide at my father’s back on the first day of school, I wore a mask of confidence to avoid disappointing him. When I felt like sinking in my mother’s lap, I wore a mask of strength to perform an oratorical speech in school. In fact, I have worn many masks in many places just to make my parents feel proud. The mask allowed me to be the person my parents wanted me to be and to bring out the best in me. At first, the mask felt rather unfit and too tight, but as I wore it, it felt comfortable to use, it was as if my f ace grew to fit it. Using the mask that my parents caused me to wear has made me the person that I am right now, full of courage, strength and goals. The mask allowed me to discover my capabilities and talents. If I did not wear it in grade school, I would have been ostracized. If I do not wear it today, I will not gain acceptance in the university, and will not have the means to achieve my dreams. The mask has allowed me to exist in the present world, where other mask wearers like me exist (Shadowmat.org). It has gained me appreciation and respect not only from my parents but also from other people around me: my teachers, classmates, friends, and neighbors. The

Policy Alternatives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Policy Alternatives - Essay Example Due to the financial effects that are projected in the future, the current administration came up with a suggestion that the retirees of the defense department should cater for health care services instead of being provided for free. The government gave a proposal of the retirees paying about $200 per annum towards their health care. As per the calculation of the administration, the country will save approximately $6.7 billion. The other proposal that was also given said that soldiers are supposed to pay into a retirement plan instead of a pension plan (NPR.org, 2011). This shift of perspective will contribute in cutting down the expenses of the defense department. The impacts of this cut are, for instance, the impact of retirees paying $200 per year towards their medical care will save around $6.7 billion for the state. On the other hand, these proposals were not received with acceptance by the defense department. For instance, the protection of military benefits should not in any case undercut the military’s capability to fight and win the war. Despite the impacts, the cuts of the military benefits are seen to be very effective in achieving the goals of the administration. For example, the cutting of health care benefits seems to be effective in that the country will save around $6.7 billion per year (NPR.org, 2011). The paying of soldiers towards their retirement plan instead of the pension plan, will contribute a lot to the reduction of military benefits. The reduction of the military retirement benefits is very effective in the fact that it will assist the country to reduce the expenses towards the defense department (Washington Post, 2015). It will reduce the risk of the country becoming unable to pay the troops in the near future. From the text, it is evident that military retirement benefits cost the Pentagon around $50 billion per year. The expense is more than the

The Business, Its Mission and Its Strategy Term Paper

The Business, Its Mission and Its Strategy - Term Paper Example The organization has continued to experience an explosive growth, which is demonstrated by its annual revenues moving from $250,000 in 2009 to over $2 million in 2010 (Samasource, 2011). Samasource’s core business is outsourcing of digital work from large or small organizations. The organization offers outsourcing services under five broad categories: data services, research and archival services, machine learning, customer support services, and online content services (Samasource, 2012). This is mainly done on the Internet. The organization operates as follows. First it sources for work from other organizations. It then uses a proprietary technology platform to divide the digital work it has received into smaller tasks which are then distributed through the Internet to its various processing centers or partner sites. At these processing centers Samasource specifically recruits and trains women and youth from poverty-stricken areas who then perform the small tasks. Upon co mpletion, each of these small tasks is taken through a rigorous quality-assurance process on the proprietary platform before they are aggregated back into complete projects and delivered to the clients. The proprietary technology platform is known as SamaHub and the small tasks are referred to as microwork – a term first coined by the Samasource founder. ... This industry has numerous buyers and suppliers, which makes the bargaining power of both parties relatively weak. The three forces that Samasource would need to be wary of are competitive rivalry, threat of entry and threat of substitutes. The intensity of rivalry here is currently moderate because of the contrasting characteristics. On the one hand, there are numerous competitors, which should warrant a fight for market share. On the other hand, industry growth is high, and this somewhat negates the need for fighting over market share. Also, exit barriers in this industry are low, which means that companies that are earning low or negative returns can easily opt to leave the market rather than struggle. This eliminates excess capacity from the market (Porter, 2008). Nevertheless, we single out competitive rivalry because of the potential for rivals to converge and compete on the same dimensions. The nearly identical services of rivals coupled with low buyer switching costs could lead to price competition and, consequently, destructive rivalry. Barriers to entry for this industry are low for the following reasons. Firstly, the primary infrastructure for this industry is the Internet, which weakens the incumbents’ ability to harness supply-side economies of scale. Secondly, buyers face low switching costs in changing suppliers. Thirdly, capital requirements are modest. Fourth, the Internet gives new entrants equal access to the distribution channel. These low entry barriers make the threat of entry industry force to be very high. Substitutes to Samasource’s offerings are Odesk, Elance, Freelancer and other online outsourcing sites as well as the traditional BPOs found in the developing countries. We have

Policy Alternatives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Policy Alternatives - Essay Example Due to the financial effects that are projected in the future, the current administration came up with a suggestion that the retirees of the defense department should cater for health care services instead of being provided for free. The government gave a proposal of the retirees paying about $200 per annum towards their health care. As per the calculation of the administration, the country will save approximately $6.7 billion. The other proposal that was also given said that soldiers are supposed to pay into a retirement plan instead of a pension plan (NPR.org, 2011). This shift of perspective will contribute in cutting down the expenses of the defense department. The impacts of this cut are, for instance, the impact of retirees paying $200 per year towards their medical care will save around $6.7 billion for the state. On the other hand, these proposals were not received with acceptance by the defense department. For instance, the protection of military benefits should not in any case undercut the military’s capability to fight and win the war. Despite the impacts, the cuts of the military benefits are seen to be very effective in achieving the goals of the administration. For example, the cutting of health care benefits seems to be effective in that the country will save around $6.7 billion per year (NPR.org, 2011). The paying of soldiers towards their retirement plan instead of the pension plan, will contribute a lot to the reduction of military benefits. The reduction of the military retirement benefits is very effective in the fact that it will assist the country to reduce the expenses towards the defense department (Washington Post, 2015). It will reduce the risk of the country becoming unable to pay the troops in the near future. From the text, it is evident that military retirement benefits cost the Pentagon around $50 billion per year. The expense is more than the

Pretty Babies, Child Beauty Pageants Essay Example for Free

Pretty Babies, Child Beauty Pageants Essay Many of us first learned about the world of child beauty pageants when a 5  ½ year old beauty queen named JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered the day after Christmas in 1996. The child was murdered in her Boulder Colorado home and found in the basement with her hands tied, her mouth duct taped, and her throat garroted. Her death was ruled strangulation but there was also blunt force trauma to her head as well as vaginal injury (Auge, Karen, par. 13-15). Her death brought these pageants into our minds, conversations and living rooms and many people were shocked to see a child of that age made up like an adult woman, some even said like a prostitute and accused the pageants of sexualizing her and the other children. Images and videos of JonBenet with her hair curled, teased, and sprayed, wearing heavy make-up and glamorous outfits were splattered across the newsstands and she pranced across our televisions winking, flirting and dancing. Any link of her death to the pageants is speculative since the murder remains unsolved, but many people could not help but wonder how safe it was for a child to be made a spectacle of in such a fashion. This past Monday would have been JonBenets 22nd birthday. Perhaps it is time that we as a society take a good look at child beauty pageants and decide what place if any they have in the future for our daughters. JonBenet was the daughter of a wealthy businessman named John Ramsey and his wife, a former Miss West Virginia 1977, Patsy. Patsy has since passed away but John Ramsey has written a book titled â€Å"The Other Side of Suffering† and in an interview with Nightline, John has expressed his regret that JonBenet participated in the pageants. He states in the interview â€Å"Only because- that possibly (the pageants) might have drawn attention to us. † â€Å"I don’t know. But- I think for- for advice to parents is just recognize that- regardless of where you live, there could be evil around you. And don’t be naive about it. And keep your kids protected† (Chang, par. 0). He wonders now about some of the public appearances JonBenet made and if the murderer was maybe in the audience. He says â€Å"Patsy had her sitting atop a friend’s convertible in the Christmas parade waving at people lining the streets. † â€Å"Patsy’s mother later told me that a strange man approached the car during the parade and it made her uncomfortable. I think about these things now and it makes me cringe. We were so naive. I now believe with all my heart that it is not a good idea to put your child on public display. (Chang, par. 7). His words give weight to the issue at hand and initially, it seems, many people felt the same way as child pageants took a financial hit as less people wanted to be associated with the â€Å"publicly tainted industry† (Friedman, par. 5). Fifteen years after the tragic death of JonBenet the pageants have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity (Friedman, par. 6) thanks in large part to the hit show on The Learning Channel, Toddlers Tiaras. The show is immensely popular and is now in its fourth season (IMDB, 2012). Understanding, of course that this is a television show and not a documentary, that it has been edited for drama and to create what is commonly called â€Å"good television†, the show nonetheless gives a viewer a look inside this somewhat alien world. In his interview John Ramsey stated that he had never watched the show but had caught snippets that he finds disturbing. â€Å"It is very bizarre† he states â€Å"And, it certainly- Patsy and JonBenet didn’t approach it that way. We-they just did it for fun. †(Chang, par. 5). Will the parents or the pageant officials take heed? Or will the allure of glamour and profit make them justify their actions? Watching the television show you are immediately struck by one fact; this is a southern thing. To the people who do this, none of it is strange. In fact many of the parents were overjoyed to learn they were pregnant with girls and began to buy gowns before their babies were even born. One mother who has a boy and a girl stated that she had been very upset when she found out that she was pregnant with the boy until she found out that boys could participate in pageants as well. She even stated, on television, that she had only had children so she could put them in pageants. This would seem very strange to many people, but if you watch the show you will hear statements like this over and over, often in front of the children and always on camera (Toddlers Tiaras, 2009-2012). What is apparent is that this is truly a culture. They call themselves â€Å"Pageant People† (Toddlers Tiaras, 2009-2012) and this encompasses not only the contestants and their families but also the judges, pageant directors and announcers and the many, many service people used by the contestants from dress designers to make-up artists and hairstylists to spray tanners and waxers and many of the girls even get facials before a pageants even though their skin cannot possibly look much younger. The popularity of this television show is evident, anyone using a search engine that types in the name of the show will be directed to literally thousands of articles, opinion pieces and fan based websites as well as many spoofs of the show starring big names like Ashley Tisdale and Tom Hanks and has enjoyed the pinnacle of success in the eyes of many, satire on Saturday Night Live. But what about the tiny stars of the show? How safe are they? Is all of this good for them? Watching the show you will see a few kids and moms that seem almost normal, of course these people never get to be the stars. The stars are the children who are bratty, who throw temper tantrums, hit their parents, try to bite other kids and just generally misbehave. The mothers who get the most airtime are of course the ones who say the meanest and most bizarre things. Who treat their children like performing monkeys and seemingly will do anything to get their small progeny to perform on stage. It is remarkable to watch a child transform in just moments from a sparkling banshee into a sweetly smiling and composed young lady, or gentleman on stage. The majority of the children featured on Toddlers Tiaras are little girls but there are a few boys featured as well. It seems unfortunate that the more poorly behaved the people on the show are the more they are rewarded with fame. One strange family has even got their own spin-off show called, Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo (IMDB, 2012). The children often throw fits because they are being forced to do something they do not want to do. Over and over, in almost every episode the children state that they hate doing the beauty portion of the competition. For those unfamiliar with how things work it important to know that the beauty portion is the most important piece of the pageant where girls are judged on their poise, their attire, hair and make-up, and most of all their facial beauty. They are not really expected to perform at this stage of the pageant but only to walk slowly from mark to mark on the stage stopping briefly at each mark to spin and smile sweetly at the judges and the audience and slowly turn from side to side so that all spectators can take in their appearance. One little girl who was seven was criticized by a female judge for â€Å"having too much personality for beauty† although of the same girl a male judge stated that he â€Å"could not take my eyes off her†( Toddlers Tiaras, season 4, 2012). The girl went on to win the biggest crown in the pageant and a contract with an agent. The judges of the pageants can often seem harsh and mark the children down for seemingly acceptable things for the contestants to do, given that most of the girls featured on the show are only between the ages of four and nine. A six year old was marked down because her ankle rolled. She was wearing high heels. A four year old was marked down because her fake teeth or â€Å"flipper† fell out during the beauty portion. Another girl was marked down for being too â€Å"fake†(?! ). And in one episode the little girls were competing for ten thousand dollars and some former contestants came out of retirement to compete. They were as old as twenty-one and some were doing very sexy dances; the male judge was obviously captivated and would not stop talking about the older contestants. A 20 year old won. Against little girls. (Toddlers Tiaras, 2009-2012) You will see some moments on the show where the parents are caring and the children seem to be keeping the whole thing in perspective. One of the fathers, who has 3 children in the pageants does not allow his kids to be tanned or wear fake teeth and lashes and says some of it is â€Å"too far†. He also keeps the bills for the pageants a little lower by renting the dresses and says he preferred the natural pageants. Another one of the parents, this one a mother, laughed when her nine year old daughter’s hair fell down during the pageant, she told her she did â€Å"so good† and reassured her when she began to cry that it was okay. Then said she was just glad she got a crown (in many of the pageants every contestant gets some type of crown) and that she did not need to win the ultimate title and the little girl stated after she calmed down â€Å"win graciously, lose humbly†. Another little girl who won a high title stated that the title she had gotten was really good because â€Å"There’s a lot of girls here†¦ and they tried hard too†. One mother who had seemed very extreme during the beginning of the pageant seemed to have an epiphany at some point during the pageant and said that this would be her seven year old daughter’s last pageant and that her daughter was â€Å"beautiful on her own†. (Toddlers Tiaras, 2009-2012). In one touching episode, a mother had only boys and it seemed that her six year old son and her had a very special relationship based on the pageants. The father, in spite of being supportive, was done with his son being in the pageants and wanted this to be his last one. The boy seemed happy to do the pageants and seemed to have a very special relationship with his mother. At the end of the show they were crying and hugging each other and it was actually hard not to be sad for them (Toddlers Tiaras, 2009-2012) Most of the other parents are not like those ones and the majority of the scenes shown depict these women as bitter and jealous. The way they speak of the other children is disgraceful. They say mean things in front of their own kids about the other children, especially if the other children win and their daughter did not, like that the girl who won did not deserve it and often say that the pageant was unfair or rigged. One mom on the sidelines said about a girl on the stage â€Å"If she wins, she better go get some cellulite treatment done†(Toddlers Tiaras, 2009-2012). The little girls definitely pick up this cattiness from their mothers. Many times over these children say that they are better or prettier than the other girls. One six year old girl knew from her mother that one of the other girls was her biggest competition at the pageant. The other girl was well known for her continuing pacifier dependency and first girl said that she had a secret weapon for her opponent so she could beat her and held up a gag pacifier that had funny looking teeth on the front of it and then snickered. In one sad scene there were sister aged ten and eight who were competing in the same pageant, the eight year old stated that she was going to beat her sister and if her sister started crying she would â€Å"beat her to he ground†. When the older sister started to cry and said that it was because she was being mean the younger one told her to â€Å"Stop crying, you’re embarrassing me! † (Toddlers Tiaras, 2009-2012). If you think the â€Å"tiger moms† would be less cruel to their own offspring you would learn that often that is not the case. Over and over when the children cry because they are hungry, tired, something being done to them hurts or they lost they are told not to cry because they are on camera or that the pageant is not over and their make-up will be ruined. One mom talking about her daughter said that she, the mom, had been better at cheerleading and that her daughter just can’t â€Å"get it† like her. Her daughter was nine. One child was forced to stop doing gymnastics because it was making her muscles too big for her costumes and her mother told her â€Å"that was sucky† when she came off stage. Over and over the children are cruelly disregarded or ignored when they state that they are in pain, feeling sick, hungry or tired. In a heart stopping scene a nine year old girl went missing in full hair and make-up and was no longer in the hotel. In every scene shown by the television show the mom was worried about her being late for her age line up and not concerned for her safety. Luckily, she was found in time, and her standing in the pageant was unaffected. That the girls often cry when they lose is no surprise when you take in that the mothers often cry or state they are going to throw up and berate their daughters for blowing on stage by forgetting to smile at the judges or forgetting part of their routine. The moms let their daughters know that they lost too if their crown is not big enough and does not come with a high title attached to it. The moms will tell their daughters who are smiling and holding a crown that they lost and the crown they have is for losers. One mom while sitting in the audience was â€Å"pissed† and going to cry and listed what the other little girls got and that her daughter didn’t get anything. No wonder the little girl had a tantrum and screamed that she wanted a crown (Toddlers Tiaras, 2009-2012) Many of these mothers are, like Patsy Ramsey, former beauty queens themselves and will stop and nothing to ensure their daughters success in the pageant world. Sometimes it becomes so extreme that it makes the news. In 2011 ABC News did a story on a mom who gave her 8 year old daughter Botox injections because she had wrinkles (Hagan, Kunin and Ghebremedhin, par. 5). The mother was not a doctor but an esthetician, which is basically a beautician for the skin. She claims her daughter wanted to try it herself because her wrinkles bothered her. This is hopefully a rare case but more commonly these young children have their eyebrows waxed, they receive spray tans, even if they are African American or bi-racial. They have acrylic nails put on, they are fitted for fake teeth to go over their own teeth called flippers, they have hair extensions put in because often their baby fine hair either is not thick enough for the large hair-dos or not strong enough to take the heat and styling. Some of the girls have their hair bleached before a pageant. Sometimes these things hurt or are uncomfortable and the children complain. There seems to be a particular hatred amongst the little girls for the false eyelashes. Many of the girls scream and cry and beg to not have to wear them to no avail. These are typically services reserved for very high maintenance women and many adult women would not have the patience for them. The FDA has not done studies on the safety of these chemicals for use on children either. How does it feel to sit in make-up and hair for two hours for a child of say four? On pageant day the real magic begins. The girls are up early in the morning in their hotel rooms. They are fed breakfast and then the beauty regime begins. The pageants last all day and usually include several outfit changes and the performance of practiced routines. The girls, some very young, are not allowed to eat or nap so their hair and make-up do not become ruined. To make up for this, the moms have found some magic. On pageant day the girls have sugar cubes and Pixie Stix poured into their mouths all day long and are fed through a straw high caffeine and sugar drinks like Mountain Dew and some†¦ Red Bull energy drinks. There is some serious concern over the safety of these drinks (Ostrow, 2011). One mother asked her daughter before the pageant if she wanted to quit doing them. The girl nodded yes and the mom said â€Å" Let’s look at your crowns! Doesn’t that make you feel better? † (Toddlers Tiaras, 2009-2012). One of the reasons many of the parents say they do it is often for the prizes, money, bonds and scholarships. Indeed, some of the pageants featured on the television show do boast some large prizes. But most of the parents admit that they have spent many times over what their child has received. Several of the moms admit to lying to their husbands about how much they spend and one single mom has moved in with her parents so they could continue to pay for pageants and it is common for the mothers to take a â€Å"pageant job† (Toddlers Tiaras, 2009-2012) to cover some of the expenses. Some of the parents spend lavishly on the pageants. Many of the pageants have a top prize of only several hundred dollars yet the girls will show up in 2500$ dresses. In one episode two sisters have their very own trailer for pageant accessories that have their pictures emblazoned on the sides. One very enterprising mother has published a pageant book about her daughter, recorded a song and had a doll made in her daughters image. In an episode where they went to the Tonight Show she was saying how she was planning to get her daughter and agent and a two million dollar contract so she could quit her job and move to Hollywood. It seems as if the parents either have delusions about some pay off that will eventually come if they keep plugging away or they really have just found a very expensive habit that they justify for other reasons.

Reflective Skills Essay

Reflective Skills Essay Reflective Skills Essay Do people develop professional skills only at their workplace? I would be writing about the skills and knowledge I have gained in the last 10 15 years. You dont have to work in an organization to gain skills and knowledge. Even while at home you can learn something that might help you at your workplace. Sometimes people dont realize that they have developed skills that can be used effectively in their workplace. In this essay I am going explain the skills and knowledge I have developed through work, education and other activities how this could help me in a workplace. First Im going to talk about the skills I have developed from my hobbies and day to day activities. Its actually surprising to know how much you can learn while having fun. After that Im going to talk about the skills I am developing academically at present. Playing cricket is one of my biggest hobbies and as a cricketer I am a wicket keeper. Being a wicket keeper, my role isnt just to collect missed deliveries and score runs but is also to motivate and inspire the team every minute so that my team members dont get sluggish in their respective roles and perform towards success. Once familiarized with the team I can act as a good motivator. This skill can not only help me to motivate other employees in my workplace but it also gives me the ability to work with little or no supervision as I can motivate myself to work towards achieving my goal. In todays workplace, team leaders have to encourage and motivate their teams in order to perform well. A strong motivator can act as the backbone of the team. This skill is one of the essentials required to be a good leader in any kind of workplace. Employers are also looking out for people with creative minds. By nature I am a very creative person. I look at things in a very different prospective. Usually I would take an original idea and expand upon it using my creativity, which can also sometimes lead to something else completely new. It has to do with thinking beyond the obvious. This is the secret to how the minds of creative people work. For instance, with music, the first type of genre was baroque music played during the 1600s and from that evolved a lot different genres. In todays date we have more than 400 music genres. This was possible only because of some creative minds who thought of doing things differently. Employers want their employees to have the ability to solve problems using their creativity and reasoning skills. An innovative problem solver can take an organization, irrespective from which industry, to the next level. One of my other favorite hobbies is travelling and I would often find myself in a situation of convincing some friends to come along. Usually I would succeed 9 out of 10 times, as they say I always manage to get things my way. This can also be called the art of diplomacy. Now having employees with the ability to persuade people can be very useful for an organization as they can face situations in which they might have to persuade a client or a trade union to reach an agreement. This skill can also be related to the sales ability of an employee. Travelling has also shown me that I can be a responsible person as I would make all the plans in detail, do the math for the expenses to be occurred, make sure every one is having a good trip and everything else is under control. One of the basic yet most important skills is to communicate effectively with other people. Everyone has been naturally practicing this skill since they were able to speak, listen or write, yet communication gap between the employers and employees still seems to be one of the major concerns in many organizations. In order to have a productive workplace, they should always be effective communication between the employee and employer. Successful communication is critical in business. I have developed good communication skills over the time. I can easily converse and make the other person understand and communicate with me either verbally or written. Along with this my listening skills are good as I listen to the other person patiently and then engage in communication with what that other person was speaking about. I can improve upon this skill by practicing more. A few other basic skills that I have acquired are computing and numeracy. Schools in India never allowed the use of calculators. I always wondered why we couldnt use calculators while schools across the world were allowed, but now when I look back, I realize why. Doing basic calculations mentally, without the use of a calculator has helped me sharpen my numeracy skill. Each day, people use simple math skills in their jobs and personal live in order to complete projects and other job duties. A recent large scale survey in the UK showed that people who have better literacy and numeracy skills tend to have better wages and come to work more often. One way of improving this skill is by avoiding the calculator when whenever a need of calculation arises. My interest in IT has enabled me to carry out all the basic computing tasks at ease. I always had an interest for it and I utilized everything taught at school like Web designing, HTML, QBASIC, SQL and a lot more. Almost every job now requires some basic understanding of computer hardware and software, especially word processing, spreadsheets, and email. Lack of IT knowledge can affect the performance and future prospects of an employee. While I did my schooling in India, our knowledge gained was always tested in the unseen exam format. After joining university I was exposed to new tasks like conducting presentations and writing report. When I was first assigned to conduct a presentation I was a bit nervous as I had never done this before in front of people I dint know. Later I was advised to practice in front of a mirror and it did work. My second presentation went better than the first. Being able to conduct a presentation with confidence is a very important skill to develop especially in the field of HR. One effective way by which I can improve upon this skill is by preparing my self well in advance so that I dont get nervous and referring to books and articles relating to improving presentation skills Another skill I developed while conducting presentations and writing reports in university is Teamwork. Working in teams is probably one of the most vital skills required to succeed in a workplace, especially with regard to how you communicate with the people you work with. 9 out of 10 jobs require you to work with teams. Working in teams with a diverse group of people has helped me understand how to communicate with my different co-workers and understand their views when solving a problem. Teamwork has a lot of benefits to offer, one of it being it helps to generate a lot of different ideas which leads to a creative solution and it definitely speeds up the process. Having more projects involving teamwork will surely prepare me once I start working at a professional level where my skill would be tested. Since Ive started an independent life after shifting to the UK I learnt how to be organized. Being organized has a lot of benefits attached to it. It has proven to be both cost and time effective. It also helps to boost confidence and give more energy to work. Employers would love to have all their employees being organized in their work.

Physical activity levels among student nurses Essay -- Education, Hea

Introduction of the literature review. The literature review aims at developing the current and, existing knowledge regarding the physical activity in the area of nursing and student nurses, as well as analysing the omissions in the literature within the physical activity among nursing students . An online search was conducted using databases such as Medline, Cinahl, ASSIA, EBSCO, and Science Direct. The limitation of the literature time frame located from 2000 – 2010, using the key words: Physical activity- physical exercise –nursing students –physical activity levels-students .Various combinations of the key- words above were used to improve the analysis of collected and produced research papers and reports - related to the topic. The literature generated includes :clinical ,educational papers and policy document on physical activity. Moreover, the researcher papers published from international sources outside the United Kingdom (UK) ,were considered, because their findings could b e compared to the one in the United Kingdom. In addition ,the literature based on activities, diet and other lifestyle issues amongst general nurses were also included to develop the knowledge base in this area. The results of the search generated approximately 20 articles by which, the researcher decided to review .Most of the literature generated ,investigated the health promotion related behaviour and physical activity among nursing students and nurses. Although a few articles were explicitly based on physical activity in nursing students, the documentation generated combined health behaviours such as physical activity, healthy eating, and fitness, mainly because these three indicators are relevant to a healthy lifestyle. Ana... ...main concerns of student nurses. In conclusion, the studies reviewed recognised various studies that have analysed the PA and other health lifestyles within nursing students’. Many of these studies conclude that, it is even more vital that nursing students improve their health behaviours within areas of health promotion such as PA. This report has identified the gap in the literature about concerning the recommended amount of physical education within the female students’ nurse. Since, they are the future health care providers and role models to the public. Therefore, by conducting this study, the findings of this study will add knowledge to the literature and ,could help to close the gap in nurse student' participation in PA. This will justify the purpose of conducting this research. The following are the research aim, theme, and objectives of this study.

Postcolonial Indian Literature in English: Narayan, Jhabvala, Rushdie :: Essays Papers

Postcolonial Indian Literature in English: Narayan, Jhabvala, Rushdie Indian literature in English which is accessible to us in the West, still has its roots in colonial literature and the tensions between East and West. A European naturalism is often present; a concern to posit India as an arena within which Western readers can identify realities is inherent within much of this writing. The following are three examples of the progression of post-Independence literature. Twenty years after Independence, R.K.Narayan was still tackling issues of colonialism. The Vendor of Sweets (1967) takes us through the tensions integral to a family in which two generations belong to two different cultures. Ascetic Jagan belongs to an old India of family and history ;his son to an India increasingly subject to the foregrounding of the commodity and a dramatic industrialisation. Narayan explores the inevitable clash of what is, in many ways, both a colonial and a post-colonial encounter: Jagan, a follower of Gandhi and a veteran of the wars against British Imperialism, must attempt a negotiation of an ethos invasive to his own definitions of nationality; Mali, without this structure, must reconcile an American capitalism with India's own sense of what constitutes a modern nation. This theme is continued in Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's Heat and Dust (1975). Again two generations, this time British, must come to terms with an alien culture. Whilst Olivia's adventures are romanticised, Jhabvala attempts to explore in a more sophisticated manner the social outlay of Anglo-Indian relations with the higher Muslim classes and Olivia's step-grand-daughter is confronted with an India that remains hidden in the works of Kipling, Forster or Narayan. Leelavati the beggar-woman's life, if not her behaviour, demonstrates an unusual social awareness of the lowest castes. It is to be noted that the East-West dichotomy within the later generation has become less strained: modern Britain is expected now to accept India on its own terms. Salman Rushdie, whose work has been produced in the eighties and nineties, has removed himself from the sites of both nationality and naturalism but remains in an engagement with economic colonialism and its consequences.

A House of My Dream: Every Person Has His Own Idea of a Perfect House

Since the time immemorial people always wanted to make their dwelling a place, where one feels comfortable and cosy, where one always wants to come back to. A dwelling of my dream is not a flat but a two-storeyed mansion. And as a real hostess I’d like to arrange everything in the house according to my taste. Now, let me tell you about my house. When you come to me, you push a big wooden front door, wiping your feet on the door-mat, and enter the hall. The floor is covered with a fitted carpet, the wallpaper is light and has a small pattern. There’s a seat and a small table near the wall and a huge mirror above it. Then you enter the living-room. The bright full-length curtains are drawn back, and sunshine fills the room. The living-room suite, consisting of a sideboard, a bookcase, a sofa, an elegant coffee table and three armchairs, is arranged around three walls. There’s a video system near the window. On the ground floor there’s also a kitchen and a bathroom. The kitchen is a very large room with a big window. There is a gas cooker with a hood, two wall-cupboards and a sink unit there. Near the opposite wall there is a dishwasher, a refrigerator and a table. Let’s go upstairs and have a look at the bedroom. This is a very cosy and warm room. The bedroom suite consists of a bed, two bedside tables and a wardrobe. The window overlooks the back yard. In my house there is also a terrace, a garage and a garden and so many other things I’d like to have; at least, in my dream house.

Case Study on Charlotte Beers at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Essay

Being successful in change implementation, the change strategist should understanding the need to change, able to develop a direction that lead the crowd to move forward, obtain support from implementers and recipients and set up plans and structure that facilitate change and encourage continuously improvement. ! Able to understanding the need to changes Charlotte Beer as the change strategist successful understood the challenges facing by O&M externally and internally. Advertising industry was going globalized and customers demand â€Å"better service at lower cost†. Strong competitions in the market threatened O&M business by taking away their important clients. Internally, O&M was unable adapt to the changing demand. Operating cost and agency fee was high while quality of work diminished and cooperation was limited among staffs. Therefore, Charlotte Beer adopted â€Å"Re-creation†, change the Company values and strategy to tackle threats. ! Successfully set up a common vision and encourage moving forward Beers worked out a vision with a group of change leaders and set up a clear direction focusing on brand stewardship. The vision â€Å"To be the agency most valued by those who most value brands† imbed the belief of brand stewardship and visualize how excellent O&M should be in future. It is encouraging, easily remembered and it leads employees’ direction to brand-orientated. However, there should be more elaboration and it was good that Beers provided some ideas on how to achieve it as well as the culture and behavior the company appreciated. This made a good start for the change program. ! Implementation plan can hit the objective and remove O&M from urgent threats. Beers had set some objectives which help to tackle the most urgent problems. Besides setting up a new direction, she needed to gain back the clients by improving the output emphasizing value of brand as well as made better use of resources. No doubt, Beers and her appointed implementers had successfully worked out brand stewardship and gained back the support from multinational clients which not only secured O&M business but also brought encouragement to the Company. By setting up WCS, hoping centralization leads to better use of resources and provide better and standardize service. Structure and system hinder the practice of Brand Stewardship Beers’s plan able to release O&M from immediate threat, but in long-run the change was not fully implemented and substantive. Beers should urgently addressed the tensions between WCS and local agencies due to job allocation, resources distribution and reward system as it discouraged the change recipients to practice brand stewardship and perform well in their job. This would affect the efficiency, waste of resources as well as affect the clients. Beers should refine the structure and redesign the work process to encourage cooperation by better define of duties, enhance flexibility, and impose a compensation system that reward contribution on brand stewardship. Limited support from implementers and recipients One person cannot make the change happen. During vision set up stage, Beers  successfully created a change team and appointed some implementers to carry out her plan. However, Beers needed to go further in communicating and enhancing commitment of the change team so that they could fully understand brand stewardship and to cultivate this culture in O&M. Furthermore, brand stewardship was not fully translated to employees, as they don’t have a structure and policy to guide them and not enough role models they can look up to as executives are not fully committed in brand stewardship either. More training or promotion campaign should be organized. Reinforce brand stewardship To walk the talk is important. Beers could continuously reward and recognize the behaviors that demonstrated brand stewardship so that people mindset would change gradually. To conclude, Beer’s change implementation was successful in short-run but to sustain the change and correct the defect, she needed to institutionalize the change continuously. Reference Todd D. Jick & Maury A. Peiperl. (2011). Managing Change Cases and Concepts (3rd ed.).New York: McGraw-Hill Education

Impacts of the work conditions, job satisfaction, and retention Research Paper - 1

Impacts of the work conditions, job satisfaction, and retention outcomes in Nursing - Research Paper Example Satisfied nursing professionals exhibit higher work productivity, less absenteeism, efficient patient care process and improvement in the quality of health care due to reduction of medication errors. Hospital managers should ensure that nurses exercise their autonomy and also health professionals collaborate in order to enhance the patient care outcomes. Nurses play a critical role in determining the effectiveness and sustainability of the health care provision (Bae, 2008). It is vital for nurses to have good working conditions in order to perform their duties effectively. However, it is crucial also to understand what motivates nurses to exert additional efforts in their work. Unsupportive work environment is associated with subjective stress, anxiety, and hostility towards work thus hindering effective patient care. High job satisfaction is exhibited by a willingness to exert more efforts in the provision of patient care. Poor working conditions de-motivate the nurses thus leading to higher turnover (Jernigan, 2008). In addition, higher turnover negatively affects the health care quality thus ultimately leading to more patient falls and high disease incidents (Daly, Speedy & Jackson, 2004). Job dissatisfaction has consistently been cited as one of the contributing factors to high nurse turnover in many health facilities. Other outcomes of job dissatisfaction in the nursing profession include high absenteeism, low worker productivity, increased patient accidents and medication errors in the health facility (Daly, Speedy & Jackson, 2004). All these outcomes of job dissatisfaction impede the efficiency and effectiveness of nursing care delivery thus threatening the health care of patients. Job satisfaction encompasses the attitudes and emotions of the nurse towards their work. Some causes of job dissatisfaction include huge workloads, long working hours, low

Reviewing the literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Reviewing the literature - Essay Example 5). The elderly, the malnourished, and those with acute illness are the most vulnerable (Moore and Cowman, 2010, p. 5). Pressure ulcers are a serious problem for older people because of pain, osteomyelitis, sepsis, and mortality that can be associated with the condition (Graumlich et al., 2003, p. 147). Up to 18% of the hospitalized can have pressure sores or ulcers (Moore and Cowman, 2010, p. 5). In nursing homes, a prevalence of 24% was reported (Graumlich et al., 2003, p. 147). Among surgical patients, the incidence of pressure ulcers can be as high as 12 to 45% (Armstrong et al., 2003, p. 647). Pressure sores or ulcers arise when pressure from lying or sitting on a particular body area result to tissue damage and oxygen deprivation to the affected area (Moore and Cowman, 2010, p. 5). Because of continuous pressure, tissues are depleted of blood flow, waste products are not removed from the wound and the wound fails to get oxygen and nutrient supply that are all necessary for heal ing (Moore and Cowman, 2010, p. 5). According to Graumlich et al. (2003, p. ... In the United States, Graumlich et al. (2001, p. 645) estimated that the cost of treatment for pressure ulcers exceeded US$1 billion annually. Heyneman et al. (2008, p. 1165) reported based on the study of Severens and others in 2002 that the cost of pressure ulcers is about 1% of the health care budget. Of course, prevention is the cornerstone of care for pressure ulcer (Heyneman et al., 2008, p. 1165). However, when pressure ulcers already took place, there are several modes of treatments available. One of them is repositioning (Moore and Cowman, 2010). Another mode of treatment involves the use of collagen (Graumlich et al., 2003). Still another treatment involves the use of phenytoin (Hollisaz et al., 2004). Finally, another way is through hydrocolloids (Hollisaz et al., 2004; Belmin et al., 2002; Heyneman et al., 2008; Graumlich et al., 2003; and Thomas, 2008). The modes of treatments enumerated do not exhaust the modes of treatments feasible or possible on pressure ulcers but w e focus on the use of hydrocolloids. Heyneman et al. (2008, p. 1165) reported that a wide range of treatment is available and the treatment methods can be subdivided into secondary prevention, topical products, surgical treatment and physiotherapy. The word â€Å"hydrocolloids† was coined in the 1960s in the development of mucoadhesives in the combination between carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with adhesives and tackifiers for treating mouth ulcers (Thomas, 2008, p. 602). Thomas (2008, p. 602) reported the term hydrocolloids was subsequently adopted to describe a new type of dressing based on the technology (Thomas, 2008, p. 602). The dressing technology identified as hydrocolloid, a hydrophilic gelable mass was applied in a

Motivation in a Multigenerational Radiologic Science Workplace Research Paper - 1

Motivation in a Multigenerational Radiologic Science Workplace - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that organizational behavior has changed tremendously since the industrial revolution, and so have the ways for employee motivation.   Since the inception of management-related studies, the area of employee motivation has been emphasized in various ways. This discourse presents a brief review of motivation factors for radiological sciences workforce based on a specific study conducted by Kalar. Earlier, classical management theories proposed employee motivation practices such as incentives and bonuses.   The pioneer of scientific management, Fredrick Taylor asserted that the main aim of management should be to secure maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity for the employee. Taylor believed that extra income will motivate employees to work extra and with greater efficiency, and hence incentives would be an effective way to motivate the employees. Later, the human relations movement led by Hawthorne experiments of Elton Mayo p roved that employee motivation can be enhanced through employee participation and involvement with the leadership teams. From a motivation perspective, numerous theories can be found, in the literature that describes various motivating factors and ways to motivate. A few of these theories include the Maslow’s needs theory, Alderfer’s ERG Theory, Herzberg’s two-factor theory or the motivation-hygiene theory, McClelland’s 3-needs Theory, Vroom’s expectancy theory etc.  

Dianmondz Corp report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dianmondz Corp report - Essay Example To Anoop and Meli, cash flow is very important as it translates the earnings reported in the company’s income statement which is subject to accounting decisions and reporting regulations- into a simple summary of how much cash has been generated by the company during the stated financial period (Porter and Norton 674). Cash flow statement also plays a huge role in facilitation of decision making by the provision of judgments on the financial condition, profitability and company’s financial management. The cash flow statement for Diamondz has a net decrease in cash of 25,000 which indicates that the financing and investing activities were more than the cash inflow during the year which may be an indication of a poor financial performance on the company. b. Issuing equity and issuing debt to finance the construction and purchase of equipment is both advantageous and disadvantageous. The advantages of issuing debt are it is better when the financing is a short term one, it provides a tax shield, and it acts as a signal of the strength of a company (Porter and Norton 674). The disadvantages of issuing debt are that it increases the risk level of the company, the assets of the company may be used as collateral, and the debt has to be paid and hence the need to have positive and stable cash flow. The advantages of issuing equity to purchase equipment include the fact that equity does not have any maturity date and the company does not have any obligation to redeem, equity also enhances creditworthiness of the company as it cushions the lenders and dividends from equity are exempted from tax (Porter and Norton 674). The cost of issuing equity is very high, and the sale of equity shares to outsiders usually dilutes the control enjoyed by the existing owners-this is some of the disadvantages of issuing equity. For Diamondz, there are other viable options available to them for example; a loan from the bank would be a viable option to help them in financing the construction and purchase of the equipment. Based on the 2012 financial statement, the company can acquire a bank loan to perform its operations. c. The debt to equity ratio for Diamondz Corp was 1.264 in 2011 and 1.863 in 2012. This indicates that there was an increase in the proportion of debts used by the company in financing its assets. The ratio for 2011 and 2012 also shows that the company was somehow aggressive in using debt to finance its growth. If the company issues debt, debt to equity ratio will increase since there will be an increase the total liabilities of the company which is more than the shareholders equity (Porter and Norton 674). Issuing equity by Diamondz Corp would lead to an increase in the shareholders equity more than the total liabilities which would then result into a reduction in debt to equity ratio. d. The fact that Anoop’

MGT 501 Mod 2 Case assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MGT 501 Mod 2 Case assignment - Essay Example The most notable of the report is that not even Facebook or Apple made it to the list. Google has committed human resource team whose only job is to work on keeping employees happy. Irrespective of such extreme attention on the retention policies, Google still loses their workforce to Facebook or other bigger companies. But, the employee turnover rate of Google is comparatively less than that of the rival companies. For an organization, it is not just important that they have clear mission and goals. It is also important that they reach at all levels of the organization. This is exactly what we will analyze with the case of Google’s ranking. The difference in Google compared to that of other companies is that the employees are equally aware about the mission and goals of the company while in many other companies it is just the top management that are aware about the mission. In Google, the employees strive towards achieving the organizational goals. The work and leisure enviro nment at Google is considered to be the best in the industry. The essay will begin by analyzing how the job satisfaction and motivation of people at Google are influenced by its corporate values and goals concerning employees, customers and business. The essay will finally conclude by suggesting whether this business model can be adopted by every organization or not. Corporate Values and Goals Values and Goals Concerning Employees: â€Å"A company with employees aligned on goals for the future is able to reach those accomplishments faster.† (Frost, 2013) The same is true in the case of Google. Google’s value and goals concerning the employees are one of the best in the industry. Google’s values consist of 10 things that the company charted in the initial years of formation of the company. The company still holds on to those 10 values. The one point that focuses on employee values is ‘You can be serious without a suit.’ (Google, 2013a) Google’ s approach to employees is unlike the traditional organizations. Google believes that work should be fun for the employees. Google’s work culture is employee friendly compared to many other organizations. In fact, Google believes that it is the proper work culture that brings out the best from an employee. Google values the ability of the employees over their experience. For proper employee motivation and job satisfaction, the freedom to share opinions and ideas is very much essential. In Google, each and every employee gets the opportunity to be a significant contributor to the objectives of the organization. They have good say in the objectives of the organization. At the weekly meetings, employees have the freedom to shoot questions even to Larry and Sergey. It is not just the monetary benefits that motivate an employee. Almost all theories related to motivation and job satisfaction says that participation of employees in decision making will lead to higher employee motiva tion. (Ezinearticles, 2013) Similarly, a good work culture is also essential in job satisfaction and improving employee morale. This theory holds true in the case of Google. Due to its extreme focus on enabling an employee friendly work culture, Google was able to be ranked as one of the best companies to work for. It also has one of the