How writing has influenced my life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How writing has influenced my life - Essay Example When I engage in writing frequently either for academic or leisure reasons, I am always amazed at how better and quickly my writing, reading, and verbal communication skills have improved. I have realized that when one engages in writing, it becomes easier for him or her to share experiences, make him or herself understood, and to describe feelings. Secondly, writing makes me a better and critical thinker. Since writing involves efforts to create content that is clear and succinct, as well as revealing new ways of looking at common things, it has helped me to become a better and critical thinker. It has improved how I think about certain things and how I perceive other people’s views and perspectives. I now think of social, political, and economic issues much differently due to my writing. In addition, writing has made me a better listener; when I engage in conversations, listen to interviews and watch people speak, I listen with a writer’s ear. Before starting being a writer, I was a relatively poor listener and I did not pay attention to details. However, that has changed since I became a writer as I have become a better listener who pays attention to details and often find my head filling up with ideas as other people speak or while engaging in a conversation. Related to the benefit of becoming a better listener, is the benefit of becoming a better speaker. Writing on various topics has helped me to produce some of the best presentation materials. I speak like I speak and often I speak to sell an idea that I have written about. I find it much easier to state my ideas clearly; writing has improved my ability to articulate ideas quickly in any setting. The habit of writing has shaped my ability to create meaningful sentences and to express my thoughts. It has helped me to transform how I approach public and even individual-based speaking settings. The practice of writing on a frequent basis has turned me into a better person in many other ways. I t has kept me focused on learning; writing requires a high-level of discipline in creating interesting content in a way that needs one to research and study a lot. Considering that one cannot write haphazardly, writing has kept me focused to learn more, particularly on what needs to be written and what does not need to be written. I have applied this approach in my life as well by focusing largely on what I consider beneficial in my life and trying as much as possible to avoid what I do not consider as necessary. It has also given me a sense of urgency in figuring out what is important at a particular time and place in life. It keeps my forward progress on course as it prevents me from starting down the slippery slope of procrastination. More importantly, writing has influenced my life by allowing me to create bigger ideas. The habit of creating and producing content affords one an opportunity to create bigger ideas that can be repurposed and reshaped for other settings. In conclusi on, the above explanation clearly indicates that writing has positively influenced my life. Engaging in writing on a frequent basis has positively shaped my feelings, memories, feelings, and brought enormous benefits in my life. Through writing, I have gained experience that is of great benefit to my personal potential and growth. As has been noted, writing has played a critical role in improving my communication skills; both verbal and written skills. In addition,

Strategy of international business pressures

Strategy of international business pressures The strategy of international business involves analysing the progression of globalization in the worlds economy and how a company responds and what measures it takes, strategy-wise to compete effectively beyond national borders. It involves business transactions crossing national borders at any stage of the transaction; it also involves dealing with many different cultures and extensive field experience. 2.1 GLOBAL EXPANSION There are many advantages for firms who expand globally which include increasing their profitability and higher growth of profits. Most basically it creates a larger market size. It allows firms to reduce their costs through differentiation. Global expansion helps realize location economies, recognize higher cost economies and earn a higher return by exploiting any valuable skills from foreign actions. 2.2 COMPETITIVE PRESSURES. The competition in the market place is not easy for the firms. Firms in the market place usually face two types of pressures. 2.2.1 PRESSURES FROM COST REDUCTION. One type of pressure is the one they receive due to pressures for cost reductions. In response to this companies try to lower the costs of their value production. Ways a firm may do this could include mass producing standardized products in a location where it is most optimal to do so and realize economies of scale and location and/or outsourcing certain functions of the job to foreign suppliers that cost less so as to reduce costs. Most companies face difficulties distinguishing commodities since differentiating non-price factors is complex. 2.2.2 PRESSURES FROM LOCAL RESPONSIVENESS. The second pressure they face is that from local responsiveness. Such pressures arise from varying differences in traditional practices, infrastructure and customers preferences and tastes. To respond to this, firms need to differentiate their products in each country to take into account all these factors. 2.3 CHOOSING A STRATEGY. Differences in the strength of pressures for cost reductions versus those for local responsiveness affect the firms choice of strategy. Firms typical choose among four main strategic positions when competing internationally. These can be characterized as a global standardization strategy, a localization strategy, a transnational strategy, and an international strategy. The appropriateness of each strategy varies given the extent of pressures for cost reductions and local responsiveness. 2.4 PROCTER GAMBLE. Procter Gamble was founded in 1837. It is one of the worlds most international companies. PG sells over 300 brands including tide pampers, Crisco and IAM pet food. Nowadays PG is a large global consumer product business that has sales of over $50 billion. Most of these sales are generated outside the United States in Canada, Britain, Western Europe, Japan and other Asian nations. These expansions led to growth opportunities, created value by transferring its business model to foreign countries and preempted other retailers that were also starting to expand globally. However the company started facing some issues and had to rethink their strategies of expanding globally. 4.0 PG REORGANIZATION. Procter Gamble, as observed were initially following an international strategy, which was possible since they had low pressures to reducing costs and low pressures on local responsiveness. However their costs were rising and in 1993, in response to the increase of costs, they initiated a major reorganization. During this they closed down thirty manufacturing plants worldwide and fired about 13000 employees. In addition to this they focused their production on lesser plants so that they could reach regional markets and achieve better economies of scale. It is apparent that PG are moving towards a global standardization strategy from their previous international strategy. 4.1 GLOBAL STANDARDIZATION STRATEGY. This strategy is appropriate if the cost reduction pressures are high but the pressure on local responsiveness stays low. Under this strategy the products are standardized worldwide. They undertake a low cost approach on an international basis. They rarely try to differentiate their product offering because often their costs increase when customization is undertaken. As a result of this strategy, PG reduced their costs by about $600 million but it still was not enough. Their profits were still not favorable and sales were slow as ever. 4.2 ORGANIZATION 2005. In 1998, PG tried yet again to control these increased pressures and embarked on its second reorganization. They named it Organization 2005. The company hoped to change the ways in which their products were being innovated, manufactured and marketed. The strategy consisted of modifying the structure of the organization, culture and work processes comprehensively. It including laying off 17000 employees within the next 3 years and it changed its organizations structure by breaking up their four geographic business units and focusing it on 7 global business units (GBUs). These units were derived according to product categories ranging from food products to baby care. Each unit was completely in charge for generating profits from their products and also their own marketing, production and product development. Their focus shifted to only few large plants, trying to build global brands where possible so as to remove differences in marketing among countries. It also intended to speed up th e developing and launching of new products. It is evident that PG is now moving towards a transnational strategy because they are faced with high pressures to cost reduction as well as high pressures to local responsiveness. The international and global standardization strategies failed to be effective since PG didnt take into account the falling barriers to trade and customers abilities to trade internationally and therefore increase in demand for variety of goods. 4.3 TRANSNATIONAL STRATEGY. A transnational strategy is one where companies try to keep their costs low while simultaneously differentiating the products they offer across national borders and fostering a flow of skills across different subsidiaries in their operations network worldwide. This strategy is difficult and involves the company in balancing the local markets demands for consumer products whilst concurrently aiming to save their costs. PGs seven units are called global business units, but function on a very decentralized way. They develop their strategies locally or regionally and implement them. In other words their product development, delivery and marketing are conducted locally whereas the background functions of finance, payroll and human resource management is carried out on a worldwide basis. 4.3.1 BENEFITS AND RISKS. There are many benefits for pursuing a transnational strategy. It enables firms to gain scale economies as well as location due to the increase in sales in global volume. It also helps transfer distinguishing competences and skills. The home country may hold many different competences and it is only right to share it with other countries as well. In addition it simultaneously lowers pressures on local responsiveness. However one risk they face is trying to differentiate the product to respond to local demands in different geographic markets raises costs, which run counter to the goal of reducing costs.

Essay --

Research Scholar: Supervisor: S.Muthusundari Dr. R.M.Suresh, M.Tech.,Ph.D Register No: 2008791105 Principal, Sathyabama University, Sri Muthukumaran Institute of Technology,Chennai Chennai The research work entitled â€Å"A Novel D-Shuffle sorting Technique & its Performance Measurement†, is a new sorting algorithm based on Divide and Conquer technique. Sorting takes a vital role in the computer applications. This is a very interesting problem in computer science. Nowadays, there are many sorting algorithms that are being used in practical life as well as in computation. Sorting problem has enticed a great deal of research, because efficient sorting is important to optimize the use of other algorithms. Sorting algorithms are prevalent in introductory computer science class, where the abundance of algorithm for the problem provides a gentle introduction to a variety of core algorithm concepts such as big O Notation, Divide and Conquer technique algorithms,best,worst and average can analysis and time space trade off. Generally, Divide and Conquer is a powerful tool for solving conceptually difficult problems. This leads to enter of research in to the introduction of new sorting algorithm using Divide and Conquer technique with better performance. Sorting makes the problem much simpler and easier. This idea leads our research to the application of sorting in different data structures like Binary search tree, Balanced search tree, Hashing data structure and in the area of Cryptography. In our research, we achieved the better result with divide and conquer technique to the introduction of novel D-Shuffle sorting technique, and its applications in different areas on BST,AVL tree, Hashing concept and encry... ...ty, Chennai Respected Madam, Sub: Requisite for Synopsis Meeting – Reg. My Candidate S.Muthusundari (Reg.No: 2008791105) has successfully completed her papers published in the International and National Journals and Conferences. The Publications of the Research Scholar includes Anna University Annexure – I and Annexure –II Journals. Her performance is satisfactory. The particulars about her research work and brief write up on original contribution is also enclosed in the report. For her Research no Data base is required. For generating the random number data set, SAS and Random.org data set tool is used and the data set is also verified. So, kindly accord her permission to submit the synopsis. Necessary arrangements may kindly to be made at your end. Thanking you, Yours Trully, ( Dr. R. M. Suresh)

History of the World in 6 Glasses Essay

Chapter 2: Civilized Beer 1. The â€Å"Land between 2 rivers† is the Tigris and Euphrates rivers located in Mesopotamia (in the Fertile Crescent). â€Å"The World’s first cities arose in Mesopotamia, ‘the land between the streams,’ the name given to the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers†¦ (24, Standage)†, which meant that around this area most of the people were hardworking. The problem about these two rivers though is that they had unexpected flooding and there was little rain. This is why at the time, goods, instead of being offerings to gods were, â€Å"compulsory taxes that were consumed by the temple bureaucracy or traded for other goods and services (40, Standage).† This only arose though because of the unpredictable weather and nature of the Mesopotamian environment. 2. Mesopotamia and Egypt had many differences,, but they were both similar in one thing, â€Å"Both cultures were made possible by an agricultural surplus, in particular an access of grain (25, Standage).† It funded many a vast amount of public works/constructions to be possible such as canals, temples and pyramids and also freed a small elite of administrators and craftsmen from the need to produce their own food. Grain was the main national diet in both Mesopotamia and Egypt, refereed to as â€Å"edible money† because it was consumed in both liquid and solid form. 3. â€Å"†¦ Grain was the basis of the national diet in both Egypt and Mesopotamia (26, Standage)†, it was consumed as not only beer, but bread too. Many people supplemented themselves with bread, beer, dates and onions (sometimes with meat and of course additional vegetables); Dates provided vitamin A, beer provided vitamin B and everything else added up to 3,5000 to 4,000 calories. They both had different ways of seeing how beer should actually be used sometimes but they both used it in the same way most of the time, for pleasure and to satisfy. 4. Gilgamesh was a Sumerian kind who ruled around 2700 BCE and tells s story that includes a wild man that becomes human by being introduced to beer and food by a woman, â€Å"He drank the veer-seven jugs! – and became expansive and sang with joy†¦ He was elated and his face glowed†¦ he splashed his shaggy body with water†¦ and turned into human (27, Standage).† Sumerian myths affected people by depicting the gods as very  fallible, human characters who enjoy eating and drinking, usually drinking too much; Sumerian writing might have also inspired how Egyptians starting writing. 5. â€Å"As in Mesopotamia, beer was thought to have ancient and mythological origins, and it appears in prayers, myths, and legends (28, Standage),† not only in Mesopotamia did they find beer to be â€Å"sacred† but in Egypt too, one tale even gives credits to beer with saving humankind from destruction, â€Å"Mesopotamians and Egyptians alike saw beer as an ancient, god given drink that underpinned their existence, formed part of their cultural and religious identity, and had great social importance (29, Standage).† In both cultures, without beer, the meal wouldn’t be complete. Beer is one of the reasons that led to the the arising of civilizations, mainly because it combined different social groups from high class to low class, from adults to children; it let people have something in common, something they could share, no matter how much money you had or even your age. 6. Originally, writing was invented to record the collection and distribution of grain, beer and other goods; it arose as a continuation of the Neolithic custom of, â€Å"using tokens to account for contributions to a communal storehouse (30, Standage).† Since there was s surplus of food, Sumerian cities collected it usually as offerings to gods, but in practice were consumed by the temple to help maintain public structures such as irrigation systems because of the unpredictable â€Å"Mesopotamian environment.† Later though, tokens were abandoned and pictograms came to represent numbers and even gods too, â€Å"Having started out as a means of recording tax receipts and ration payments, writing soon evolved into a more flexible, expressive, and abstract medium (34, Standage).† 7. Our modern Latin alphabet can be traced back to the Mesopotamians and Egyptians. After tokens were abandoned, pictograms came to place depicting gods and numbers. By around 3000 BCE writing had evolved a little bit more, â€Å"The end result was the first general-purpose form of writing, based on wedge-shaped, or â€Å"cuneiform†, indentations made in clay tablets using reeds (24, Standage).† 8. â€Å"Both civilizations barley and wheat, and their processed solid and liquid forms, bread and beer, became more than just staple foodstuffs; they were convenient and widespread forms or payments and currency (25, Standage)†, people were paid for their work in loaves of bread and jars of beer; even women and children were paid by this. The use of bread and beer as wages or  currency mean that they became associated with prosperity and well-being, â€Å"The ancient Egyptians identified them so closely with the necessities of life that the phrase ‘bread and beer’ meant sustenance in general; their combined hieroglyphics formed the symbol for food (37, Standage).† Beer was also used medically for both Egyptians and Mesopotamians. 9. Since beer, being boiled, was less likely to be contaminated than water, it had the advantage of having ingredients dissolve easily in it. A cuneiform tablet from the Sumerian city of Nippur, contains a list of medical recipes based on beer, â€Å"In Egypt, beer’s use as a mild sedative was recognized, and it was also the bass for several medical concoctions of herbs and spices†¦ Half an onion mixed with frothy beer was said to cure constipation, for example, while powdered olives mixed with beer cured indigestion; a mixture of saffron and beer massaged into a woman’s abdomen was prescribed for labor pains (38, Standage).† 10. Egyptians believed that their well-being in the afterlife depended on having a â€Å"satisfying† supply of breed and beer. A normal funerary offering consisted of bread, beer, oxen, geese, cloth, and natron, a purification agent, â€Å"Scenes and models of brewing and baking have been found in Egyptian tombs, along with jars of beer (long since evaporated) and beer-making equipment (38, Standage).† From emperors to ordinary citizens, they were all buried with a small or large jar of beer.

Having a New Member in a Family

When a child is used to being the baby of the family its hard to let go of that position. So for me finding out that a new baby was on its way it was very exciting, but than when the baby arrived it wasn’t very exciting after all. Everything change. As a result, I decided to built a fence that kept me separated from my family. I enjoyed being the baby of the house. I would always gets everything I wanted or asked for. I would think that basically the whole world revolved around me and only me. Everyone one always called me daddy’s little princess and that made me even more spoiled. I would love to be around my family play games with them do mostly everything. But, everything started to change once my mom made an announcement that she was pregnant. That moment was very important and surprising to everyone. I was happy that I was going to have a little sister or brother. After a while, everyone started paying attention to my mom and her tummy and that I wouldn’t get any. One day my uncle said to me that after the baby arrived he or she was going to be the new baby of the family, that it was going to take my spot. After I heard that I got sad, since I was used of having everyone spoiled me. From that moment on I was starting to drift away from my family. Months later my mom was ready to give birth one morning and I couldn’t go since I had school. Later that morning my dad told me and my brother we had a new baby sister. All throughout school I was thinking how my life was going to change. Lots of ideas popped into my head. I even thought of my parents forgetting about me. After school my dad came to pick me up so I could go to the hospital and visit. Once I entered the room I saw my mom holding a small human being. I was happy to see my new baby sister. I walked towards the bed and carried the baby. She was so small and her face was red with little white dots on her cheekbones, and she had a look of confusion. As I held my new baby sister I realized that she was going to need all the attention in the world even mine. I than also realized that I wasn’t a baby anymore that I didn’t need all the attention I always had that now it was going to be the baby’s turn to be daddy’s little princess. After that day I stopped acting like the world revolved about me because it never did. I gave my full attention to my baby sister. Everyone told me they thought I was going to get jealous and my respond was that I was at first but I than realized that she need it more than me. One day my dad told me that I was always going to be his little girl. I was glad he told me that. The fence I had built was just to damage the beautiful relationship I had with my family. It started to fall little by little as I started to become conscious that attention was nothing compared to having a family that cared about you. My family helped me tare down the fence because they showed me that just cause your growing doesn’t mean people are going to stop caring about you or not give you attention that there will always be a time where you have the spotlight.

Where Whales Have Hair and How Its Used

Where Whales Have Hair and How It's Used Whales are mammals, and one of the characteristics common to all mammals is the presence of hair. We all know that whales arent furry creatures, so where do whales have hair? Whales Do Have Hair While its not immediately obvious, whales do have hair.  There are over 80 species of whales, and hair is only visible in some of these species. In some adult whales, you cant see hair at all, as some species only have hair when they are fetuses in the womb. Where Is Hair in Whales? First, lets look at baleen whales. Most of the baleen  whales have hair follicles if not visible hair. The location of the hair follicles is similar to the whiskers in terrestrial mammals. They are found along the jawline on the upper and lower jaw, on the chin, along the midline on top of the head, and sometimes along the blowhole. Baleen whales known to have hair follicles as adults include  humpback, fin, sei,  right,  and  bowhead  whales. Depending on the species, the whale may have 30 to 100 hairs, and there are usually more on the upper jaw than the lower jaw.   Of these species, the hair follicles are probably most visible in the humpback whale, which  has golf ball-sized bumps on its head, called tubercles, which house the hairs. Within each of these bumps, called tubercles, there is a hair follicle. The toothed whales, or odontocetes, are a different story. Most of these whales lose their hair shortly after birth. Before theyre born, they have some hairs on the sides of their rostrum or snout. One species, though, has visible hairs as an adult. This is the  Amazon river dolphin or boto, which has stiff hairs on its beak. These hairs are thought to add to the botos ability to find food on muddy lake and river bottoms. If you want to get technical, this whale doesnt quite count as marine life, as it lives in fresh water. Hairlike Baleen Baleen whales  also have hairlike structures in their mouth called baleen, which is made of keratin, a protein that is also found in hair and nails. How Is the Hair Used? Whales have blubber to keep them warm, so they dont need fur coats. Having hairless bodies also helps whales release heat more easily into the water when they need to. So, why do they need hair? Scientists have several theories on the purpose of the hair. Since there are lots of nerves in and around the hair follicles, they are likely used to sense something. What that is, we dont know. Perhaps they can use them to sense prey - some scientists have suggested that prey may brush against the hairs, and allow the whale to determine when it has found a high enough prey density to begin feeding (if enough fish bump against the hairs it must be time to open up and eat). Some think that the hairs may be used to detect changes in water currents or turbulence. It is also thought that the hairs may have a social function, perhaps being used in social situations, by calves communicating a need to nurse, or perhaps in sexual situations. Sources Goldbogen, J.A., Calambokidis, J., Croll, D.A., Harvey, J.T., Newton, K.M., Oleson, E.M., Schorr, G., and R.E. Shadwick. 2008. Foraging behavior of humpback whales: kinematic and respiratory patterns suggest a high cost for a lunge. J Exp Biol 211, 3712-3719.Mead, J.G. and J.P. Gold. 2002. Whales and Dolphins in Question. Smithsonian Institution Press. 200pp.Mercado, E. 2014. Tubercles: What Sense Is There? Aquatic Mammals (Online).Reidenberg, J.S. and J.T. Laitman. 2002. Prenatal Development in Cetaceans.  In Perrin, W.F., Wursig, B. and J.G.M. Thewissen. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press. 1414pp.Yochem, P.K. and B.S. Stewart. 2002. Hair and Fur.  In  Perrin, W.F., Wursig, B. and J.G.M. Thewissen. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press. 1414pp.

Technology Global Issues Essay Example

Technology Global Issues Essay Example Technology Global Issues Essay Technology Global Issues Essay Essay Topic: Global Issues Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Technology Global Issues A stem cell is an undeveloped cell that possesses the potential to become specialized into various types of cells throughout the body. Stem cell technology refers to the acquisition and development of undistinguished human cells into any or most of the 220 ranges of cells that occupy the human body. It is a rapidly emergent field that merges the attempts of cell biologists, clinicians and geneticists and provides hope of valuable treatment for various malignant and non-malignant maladies (Panno, 25).Stem cell procedures and processes are usually applied in the provision of treatments for patients with life threatening illnesses such as lymphoma, blood disorders, and solid tumors and leukemia. The stem cell technology has been considerably applied in three main areas. One of the foremost areas to encounter the use of stem cell technology is the Adult Stem Cell Transplant. In this type of transplant, stem cells have been used in bone marrow transplants, whereby the stem cells in a pati ent’s bone marrow are substituted with healthy stem cells from a matching and healthy donor. The transplant becomes successful when the stem cells migrate into the bone marrow of the patient and start producing novel and healthy leukocytes to substitute the abnormal cells. Another area involves the use of Peripheral Blood Stem Cells (PBSC). Despite a considerable number of blood stem cells residing in the bone marrow, a few of them are also in the bloodstream. Thus, PBSCs can be acquired from blood making it simpler to collect than stem cells in the bone marrow. Stem cells have also been applied in Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant. Conventionally, umbilical cords have been deemed unnecessary. Presently, blood drawn from the umbilical cord has been utilized in the treatment of similar health defects that require PBSCs and bone marrow stem cells (Panno, 67). Stem cell research also holds future possibilities in treatments. For instance, stem cells can be utilized in the testing of new medicines. For instance, new medications can be tested for safety on differentiate cells produced from cell lines such as cancer cell lines which can be used to test latent anti-tumor medicines. Stem cells can also be used in the generation of tissues and cells, which can be utilized for therapies that are cell based. Presently, donated tissues and organs are usually utilized to substitute destroyed or ailing tissue, but the need for organs and tissues that are transplantable offsets the accessible supply. Stem cells intended for differentiation into particular cell types avail the possibility of a restorable supply of substituting tissues and cells to treat ailments such as spinal cord injury, strokes, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, burns and osteoarthritis. For instance, it would be possible to produce healthy c ells in the heart muscle in the laboratory and subsequently transplant the cells in patients suffering from chronic heart disease. Stem cells can also lead to the treatment of baldness. This is because there are stem cells present in the hair follicles. It is believed that the stem cells in the follicles can help treat baldness by activating the progenitor cells and the stem cells existing in the scalp (Panno, 89). Regardless of the innovative and aiding treatments that arise from use of stem cells, ethical problems encompass the mode of treatment. The ethical problems are partly based on the derivation of the stem cells from the body. Usually, adult stem cells are derived or removed from tissues that possess less harmful effects on the person whereas embryonic stem cells are developed from embryos cultured in the laboratory. One of the ethical problems associate with stem cell treatment is its destruction of a fetus or an embryo. Ethically, this portrays the obliteration of a latent human being and clashes with the moral and religious views held in the society. Another chief and important ethical problem that encompasses the stem cell treatment is the combination of cloning technology and embryonic stem cells. This combination leads to the production of an embryo that is a hereditary double of the nucleus’ donor. The ethical problem is primarily based on the creation of an embryo for th erapeutic or research purposes and not for potential life. Moreover, the purpose of cloning is ethically problematic since it is mainly based on the production of tissues for transplantation while the generated embryo is permitted to continue developing leading to the potential birth of a human (Panno, 156-167). A biologically plausible mechanism portrays the relationship between a supposed cause and a result. The mechanism establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between the biological aspect and a specific disease or an unfavorable event. Generally, it is asserted that for a relationship to be deemed causal, the association between the biological aspect and the disease should be biologically consistent (United States, 21). For surely new advances, however, the biological plausibility may be unclear. Irrespective of this, biological plausibility remains relevant in the establishment of causality. Based on the cause-and-effect relationship, disease is assumed as a result generated from the interaction of the environment, the physical and genetic structure of the individual and the disease agent. Diseases resulting from sole causes are habitually so by definition. For instance, the reality that tuberculosis results from the Tubercle Bacillus is a matter of description. The causal basis of the association requires judgment in the case where there is biological implausibility. For instance, biological plausibility is unclear where smoking is asserted to be a direct cause of lung cancer. Hence, it is important to judge causality of lung cancer. Foremost, the supposed cause, smoking, precedes the disease, lung cancer. The incidence of the disease is raised when the person there is exposure to as much as 20 to 30 fold in smokers of 20 or more cigarettes each day. Moreover, varying exposure to smoking alternately leads to varying disease because of the clear relationship between smoking and lung cancer. This is because of the act of smoking which can lead to the introduction of numerous other diseases that are related apart fro smoking. However, there is association with the disease by smoking as indicated by the one of the major cause agents of lung cancer, smoking (United States, 78). Originally, smoking as a causal factor for lung cancer was bitterly contested. However, it has come to be accepted as a causal factor for the disease. Concerning lung cancer, the association is provable across social groups as well as men and women. The effect, lung cancer by smoking is partly understood since the tar in the cigarettes comprises vital carcinogens. Manipulating the exposure level does affect experience of the disease because lessening cigarette consumption reduces risk of the effect. Coaxing and encouraging individuals to take part in smoking is unethical since it increases the susceptibility to gaining lung cancer. Additionally, tobacco, which is one of the main ingredients in animals, is carcinogenic and can therefore affect human beings as well as animals negatively. Panno, Joseph. Stem Cell Research: Medical Applications and Ethical Controversy. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2005. Print. United States. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease: a Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General, 2010. Print.

How to Return Multiple Values From a Delphi Function

How to Return Multiple Values From a Delphi Function A most common construct in a Delphi application would be a procedure or a function. Known as routines, procedures or functions are statement blocks you call from different locations in a program. Simply put a procedure is a routine not returning a value while a function returns a value. A return value from a function is defined by the return type. In most cases you would write a function to return a single value that would be an integer, string, boolean or some other simple type, also return types could be an array, a string list, an instance of a custom object or alike. Note that even if your function returns a string list (a collection of strings) it still returns a single value: one instance of the string list. Further, Delphi routines can really have many faces: Routine, Method, Method Pointer, Event Delegate, Anonymous method... Can a Function Return Multiple Values? The first answer that comes to mind is no, simply because when we think of a function, we think of a single return value. Certainly, the answer to the above question is, however, yes. A function can return several values. Lets see how. Var Parameters How many values can the following function return, one or two? function PositiveReciprocal(const valueIn : integer; var valueOut : real): boolean; The function obviously returns a boolean value (true or false). How about the second parameter valueOut declared as a VAR (variable) parameter? Var parameters are passed to the function by reference meaning that if the function changes the value of the parameter- a variable in the calling block of code- the function will change the value of the variable used for the parameter. To see how the above works, heres the implementation: function PositiveReciprocal(const valueIn: integer; var valueOut: real): boolean;begin result : valueIn 0; if result then valueOut : 1 / valueIn;end; The valueIn is passed as a constant parameter- function cannot alter it, and it is treated as read-only. If valueIn or greater than zero, the valueOut parameter is assigned the reciprocal value of valueIn and the result of the function is true. If valueIn is 0 then the function returns false and valueOut is not altered in any way. Heres the usage: var b : boolean; r : real;begin r : 5; b : PositiveReciprocal(1, r); //here: // b true (since 1 0) // r 0.2 (1/5) r : 5; b : PositiveReciprocal(-1, r); //here: // b false (since -1 end; Therefore, the PositiveReciprocal actually can return 2 values! Using var parameters you can have a routine return more than one value. Out Parameters Theres another way to specify a by-reference parameter- using the out keyword, as in: function PositiveReciprocalOut(const valueIn: integer; out valueOut: real): boolean;begin result : valueIn 0; if result then valueOut : 1 / valueIn;end; The implementation of PositiveReciprocalOut is the same as in PositiveReciprocal, theres only one difference: the valueOut is an OUT parameter. With parameters declared as out, the initial value of the referenced variable valueOut is discarded. Heres the usage and the results: var b : boolean; r : real;begin r : 5; b : PositiveReciprocalOut(1, r); //here: // b true (since 1 0) // r 0.2 (1/5) r : 5; b : PositiveReciprocalOut(-1, r); //here: // b false (since -1 end; Note how in the second call the value of the local variable r is set to 0. The value of r was set to 5 before the function call but since the parameter in declared as out, when r reached the function the value was discarded and the default empty value was set for the parameter (0 for real type). As a result, you can safely send uninitialized variables for out parameters- something that you should not do with var parameters. Parameters are used to send something to the routine, except here with out parameters :), and therefore uninitialized variables (used for VAR parameters) could have weird values. Returning Records? The above implementations where a function would return more than one value are not nice. The function actually returns a single value, but also returns, better to say alters, the values of the var/out parameters. Because of this, you may very rarely want to use by-reference parameters. If more results from a function are required, you can have a function return a record type variable. Consider the following: type TLatitudeLongitude record Latitude: real; Longitude: real; end; and a hypothetical function: function WhereAmI(const townName : string) : TLatitudeLongitude; The function WhereAmI would return the Latitude and Longitude for a given town (city, area, ...). The implementation would be: function WhereAmI(const townName: string): TLatitudeLongitude;begin//use some service to locate townName, then assign function result: result.Latitude : 45.54; result.Longitude : 18.71;end; And here we have a function returning 2 real values. Ok, it does return 1 record, but this record has 2 fields. Note that you can have a very complex record mixing various types to be returned as a result of a function. Thats it. Therefore, yes, Delphi functions can return multiple values.

Disscusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Disscusion - Essay Example Moreover, today cooking is not reserved for women only; all family members participate and enjoy doing the activity when it comes to special occasions. One flaw in the picture that I notice is that none of the family members except the grandfather is looking at the grandmother or the turkey. Everybody is looking at one another as if there are things more important elsewhere around rather than grandmother or the turkey; which I think is not fine because the grandmother does deserve immense appreciation and honor for doing the family this service. The best part of the picture is the grandfather who has indeed stood up to express his thanks to the grandmother. This was a very wonderful exercise that let me think critically for a while and both appreciate and criticize the various elements of the picture. I liked the concept as a whole. I must say that the picture has preserved the norms and values of the old American family. The concept of family is so integral and fundamental to the cultivation of norms and values in the society that I am amazed how, as a society, could we compromise upon the sustenance of family the way it appears in the picture! Our attempt to be modern has deprived us of the blessings we had in the past including the togetherness, the union, the love and affection among the family members, and most importantly the mesmerizing smell of roasted turkey wafting through the home on Christmas. Even the hairstyles looked so decent and elegant; it seemed like everybody has applied a little oil in the hair to manage that better. Women looked so elegant with hair tied up in a bun. These days, people have gone wild in the name o f fashion. Hairs have gone pink and blue and spiky. I wish at least one of the family members in addition to the grandfather was looking at the turkey or the

Hitler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hitler - Essay Example f races (including the Jews), he ran away to Munich where he stayed until the outbreak of World War 1 where he voluntarily enrolled to become a soldier. He therefore joined World War 1 as a soldier with the Germany Army and fought in several wars. Other than receiving awards at the war (he was awarded two iron crosses which was a mark of bravery (Haugen 103)), he also received injuries including serious one on the thigh which led him to be admitted for two months and this was followed by the first bout of blindness as a result of a mustard gas (both bouts of blindness were temporary however). His heart hardened in the military and he gained confidence which was useful later on when he decided to join politics. His road to politics was built from the defeat of the Germany army in the way and also the exploitation of the detrimental economic, social and political conditions in that nation. Hitler is renowned for his excellent oratorical skills and it is this skill that enabled him to j oin politics and rise through the different leadership positions (Haugen 54). His good oratorical skills combined with his anti-Semitism nature and the quest for a strong government is what made him be discharged from the army and he started working for the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) gathering audiences and crowds to defer with and criticize the government and give speeches against the Jews and Marxist (which he both detested). It is his popularity and courage that led to him receiving financial backing from the rich citizens who were supporting him. He was known for his blackmail nature and he used this method to get what he wanted and even rise in positions in many occasions. One of these occasions was the rise to become the party chairman of National Socialist German... Hitler is renowned for his excellent oratorical skills and it is this skill that enabled him to join politics and rise through the different leadership positions (Haugen 54). His good oratorical skills combined with his anti-Semitism nature and the quest for a strong government is what made him be discharged from the army and he started working for the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) gathering audiences and crowds to defer with and criticize the government and give speeches against the Jews and Marxist (which he both detested). It is his popularity and courage that led to him receiving financial backing from the rich citizens who were supporting him. He was known for his blackmail nature and he used this method to get what he wanted and even rise in positions in many occasions. One of these occasions was the rise to become the party chairman of National Socialist German Workers Party replacing Dexter who was the very same person who introduced him to the party in the first place. His quest for power is what made him organize a coup (a fact that is not known to many people). Hitler served a prison term in Landsberg prison after attempting a coup (Beer Hall Putsch) to overthrow the German government but which failed. The prison term was supposed to be for five years but later he was released only after nine months (after the Supreme Court of Bavaria pardoned him) and he then decided to take over the government legally. It is while in prison that Hitler wrote a book about his struggles while in prison and they were published in a book called Mein Kampf.

Construction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Construction - Essay Example 2. b) Majority of the pitched roofs used in modern day construction use concrete tiles or fibre cement slates. For the use of tiles, they can be laid either in single lap fashion or double lap. Single lap tiles are made such that each tile overlaps the edge of its adjacent tile and is fixed with one nail per tile. They are fixed at pitches of 45 degrees. Double lap tiles are fixed with two nails per tile at pitches over 60 degrees. The following figure shows single and double lap tile fixing. 2. c) In context of pitched roofs, eaves is the term used to describe the lowest level tiles and also the timber used for supporting them. The eaves can be open or closed depending upon requirements or choice. Open eaves are those where the underside of rafters is exposed whereas for closed eaves edge rafters are made to project out in order to cover the underside of it. This is done by putting boards. Both kinds of roofs can be seen in the diagram below: left is open eaves and right is closed eaves. 3.a) For fixing a timer window frame into a cavity wall, we need to make sure the timber is hardened and dried so as to fix on both sides of a cavity wall. The general structure of a timber window frame is illustrated below. The number of rails shown here are not mandatory. It depends on the desired design of the window. However, the fitting and grip on the wall can be seen in the figure. Since the frame is made of timber, precaution needs to be taken that wood is not loose so that the fixing is permanent. Due to the cavity, the sill of the frame has to be made broader. The outside look of a timber frame when fitted to a cavity wall can be seen in the figure on the right. On the other hand, PVC window frames are made of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) which is a synthetic plastic made of oil or gas. The fitting of PVC frame is more expensive. A PVC frame can be seen in the picture below: The advantages of double glazing window

LEGAL SKILLS CASE ANALYSIS COURSEWORK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

LEGAL SKILLS CASE ANALYSIS COURSEWORK - Essay Example 18 14 Question 19 15 Question 20 16 References 18 Question 1 The filed case of Manslaughter (Unlawful Act Resulting in Death) was conducted in a petrol filling station. The situation led to the death of the attendant of the petrol filling station, who was being robbed by three masked men. Among the three men, two robbers, who were carrying deadly weapons, threatened the 60 year old attendant, being completely unaware that he was a patient of heart disease. In order to defend himself, the 60 year old attendant had no other choice but to press the alarm button. The alarm did manage to make the masked robbers run away from the spot, but the shock later caused the death of the attendant after the police arrived due to heart attack. After 11 months, the three masked robbers confessed that they had attempted to rob the attendant. Correspondingly, the original trial took place on June 20, 1983 in the Crown Court of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (University of South Pacific, 2002). Question 2 The actu al trial began in the year 1983 at Crown Court at the Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where the trial judge was Glidewell J. (University of South Pacific, 2002). Question 3 In the original trial, Nolan was convicted for offences, which encompassed robbery, attempted robbery and manslaughter among the prime. Accordingly, it was learnt that Nolan was sentenced to a six year imprisonment for offence of robbery, seven years for attempted robbery and nine years custody for manslaughter. Also, his sentence versed that all these penalties would be executed congruent to each other. Thus, altogether, Nolan was sent to nine years of imprisonment (University of South Pacific, 2006). Question 4 In this case, there were three appellants and all of them were sent to imprisonment for more than one felony. The appellants included Brian Dawson, Stephen Thomas Nolan and Ian Walmsley. On the other hand, it has been observed that Dr. Hasan, who was the consultant doctor of Mr. Black, was aware of his patient†™s health condition. Moreover, on the day when the incident actually took place, Dr. Hasan, after a through check-up, affirmed that the heart condition of Mr. Black to be stable. Hence owing to these aspects, he was a prime individual in this case and can be considered as the main respondent in the court of appeal (University of South Pacific, 2006). Question 5 As per the instances of the event, on 20th of June1983, the court of Appeal handed down its final decision, wherein the three convicts were penalised according to their contribution in the crime. Dawson was penalized with 9? years of imprisonment; Nolan was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment; and Walmsley was sent to 7? years of imprisonment (University of South Pacific, 2002). Question 6 As per the case, it was identified that F. J. Muller, Q. C., Helen Paling and J. Evans acted as counsel for the appellants since he had all the evidences of the actual medical condition of Mr. Black, who died because of heart attack. Accordingly, Lord Justice

Household Food Waste in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Household Food Waste in the UK - Essay Example It aimed at giving a statistical representation of samples across Wales and England to come up with a determination of cost and mass of food waste. From July 2007, 2,715 households that were in a questionnaire that asked for background data that is socio-demographical, home composting, waste collection habits, recycling experiences and some perceptions towards UK waste food. After four weeks, waste from the municipality from 2138 households was put together, sorted, weighed and put into 13 groups of food (check Appendix B) and the categories of food stage (see Figure 2) Annual food waste mass for all homes in the UK was calculated through average mass by the type of household. That is, households shared, of singles, related adults and that one that is related to children. The researchers allocated cost with mass in grams according to a set mean price for all identified food items. The analysis was focused on cost and mass of waste that is avoidable. 6.7 million tonnes, which are equivalent to 14.5 billion Pounds or (18.8 billion Euros2) of food are always disposed of in the UK every year. This stands as a 20% representation of all domestic waste that is generated in the UK. For the reason of WRAP’s report, it was divided into three major categories: Products that are discarded but still within their dates at the day of sorting analysis, add up to at least 8.3% of food waste that is avoidable under which drinks, condiments, and confectionaries have the greatest portions. The top three items on the list of food that is wasted in % of mass are: The main difference between avoidable and total food waste in the vegetable category is caused by inedible parts and peelings (see Figure 4). Despite, potatoes turn out to be the food items that mostly appear in the vegetable category, which is ranked second in food waste that is avoidable after bakery.

Integrated Marketing Communication Project Essay - 1

Integrated Marketing Communication Project - Essay Example Software packages like SIEBEL and others are being used by the organizations in this regard. The present section would analyse the customer relationship management techniques employed by Apple Inc to maintaining relationships with their existing customers and to increase their loyalty towards he brand. Loyalty Programs of Apple Customer loyalty programs at Apple largely focus upon creating a unique image of the product in the minds of the customers. In this regard Apple focuses upon its mass appeal and its immense brand image to foster a spirit of loyalty among the customers. The podcasts programs initiated by the company also is a step towards using the internet technology as a means of inculcating loyalty and a mutual and cordial relationship with the customers that helps induce repeat purchases. There are many value added offering with products like Mac that includes software packages for the repeat customers (Kotler, 2010, p.168, 169). Apple does not believe in a traditional rewa rd program in which organizations provide price rebates, discounts and other offers. However the company tries to gain loyalty of the customers by virtue of its positioning as an innovative and a ‘cool’ product that is perhaps unmatched by any of its competitors in the market. The company has however harnessed the benefits of the online channel to gain loyalty of the customers. The App store launched by the company is an important step towards maintaining a close and cordial relationship with the customers of the organizations in an attempt to ensure customer loyalty. The company hosts web forums and other discussions for the existing customers of the company. These also include rewards for repeat purchases including price discounts as well as add on services that tend to increase the value offering of the organizations and its products to the prospective customers of the organization (Franzen & Moriarty, 2008, p.335-336). Apple also uses CRM software packages like Heap CRM that have been developed by the company management itself. However the company does not rely heavily on aspects of data mining and most of its loyalty programs are based on its product strategy and integrated marketing communication rather than aspects of data mining. The company believes that by providing unique and innovative product design and attractive features would largely help it to retain its existing customers as the new products would always have a ‘wow’ factor that would automatically attract customers. In addition the company also believes that by using the media channels it can creates hype for its products before the launch that would automatically draw customers. This strategy has been very successful till date that can be reflected by the popularity of the products during the launch date. The launch of Apple’s product makes it resemble like an annual festival that draws the attraction of the customers worldwide (Apple, 2011). However the com pany lays strong emphasis in not only maintaining a cordial relationship with the customers but also goes about maintaining a cordial and a mutually beneficial relationship with the suppliers who also form a part of the core stakeholders of the organization. Apple lays strict quality standards for its suppliers and also accepts only those

Household Food Waste in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Household Food Waste in the UK - Essay Example It aimed at giving a statistical representation of samples across Wales and England to come up with a determination of cost and mass of food waste. From July 2007, 2,715 households that were in a questionnaire that asked for background data that is socio-demographical, home composting, waste collection habits, recycling experiences and some perceptions towards UK waste food. After four weeks, waste from the municipality from 2138 households was put together, sorted, weighed and put into 13 groups of food (check Appendix B) and the categories of food stage (see Figure 2) Annual food waste mass for all homes in the UK was calculated through average mass by the type of household. That is, households shared, of singles, related adults and that one that is related to children. The researchers allocated cost with mass in grams according to a set mean price for all identified food items. The analysis was focused on cost and mass of waste that is avoidable. 6.7 million tonnes, which are equivalent to 14.5 billion Pounds or (18.8 billion Euros2) of food are always disposed of in the UK every year. This stands as a 20% representation of all domestic waste that is generated in the UK. For the reason of WRAP’s report, it was divided into three major categories: Products that are discarded but still within their dates at the day of sorting analysis, add up to at least 8.3% of food waste that is avoidable under which drinks, condiments, and confectionaries have the greatest portions. The top three items on the list of food that is wasted in % of mass are: The main difference between avoidable and total food waste in the vegetable category is caused by inedible parts and peelings (see Figure 4). Despite, potatoes turn out to be the food items that mostly appear in the vegetable category, which is ranked second in food waste that is avoidable after bakery.

INDIVIDUAL SOLUTION OF AN ALLOCATED SCENARIO-BIG BROTHER BART Essay

INDIVIDUAL SOLUTION OF AN ALLOCATED SCENARIO-BIG BROTHER BART - Essay Example The case brings out the work of Bart and also brings into light the software used by him to keep a tab on the employee systems to ensure that the software is working fine. Bart uses this software to keep track of people who have issues with new software and he uses this log in to simply keep an eye on the working conditions of the software. Bart’s manager requests him to use this software to keep track of two specific employees who are under the suspicion of trading in drugs using the office computers. Bart is faced with an ethical dilemma here and is unsure of whether it is a good idea to keep a tab on an employee’s computer for this reason. In this case the question is to analyse whether it is ethical for Bart to keep a tab on the employee systems or not and to analyse the theories that relate to these. The two chosen theories here are Utilitarianism and Deontology. The following section provides a brief overview of these theories and helps set the base for analysis o f the case. Utilitarianism and Kantian Deontology share one thing in common, i.e. they are both aimed to provide solutions to moral dilemmas. Utilitarianism is more of morality of justice and it focuses more on maximising the utility or ensuring that most numbers of persons are satisfied and happy with the result that is taken up (Tavani, 2004: 234 - 244). This is relatively much better than the Kantian Deontology or any other deontology approach as this takes into consideration the importance of satisfying people and tries to build a foundation with complete justice (Rachels, 1998: 226 - 240). Here in the case of Utilitarianism, the main aim is to ensure that all parties involved are benefiting from the decision made and there is a high level of success for a number of people in the case. This method (utilitarianism) takes everybody to be equal and it looks for a solution which is for the benefit of more number of people (Held, 2006:

Requirements Of Managers In Contemporary Business Practices Management Essay

Requirements Of Managers In Contemporary Business Practices Management Essay Topic: Imagine there is a proposed merger between a Chinese company and a South-African company. You are appointed to lead a team consisting of managers from both countries to examine any cultural problems linked to the proposed merger. Applying the work of Hofstede and Trompenaars, how close would the cultural fit be; and how might you seek to improve cultural understanding between the two groups of managers? Introduction In todays business environment, possessing management skills alone is no longer sufficient to be successful. Contemporary business practices require that managers have knowledge and experience regarding the differences between management and leading as well, and how both activities must be integrated for business success. With the importance of International Business environment is raising, understanding the host countrys culture can give managers a competitive advantage. The objective of this assignment is to examine any cultural problems linked to the proposed merger between Chinese Company and a South-African Company, by using Hofstedes dimensions of National culture, and then explore solutions which can improve cultural understanding between the two groups of managers. This assignment mainly has two parts; the first part will give out the cultural problems from two companys side; and the second part is going to find the solutions for the issues. Part One-Cultural Problems China -South Africa team-work As we may realize that the globalization of the world economy, on one hand, has created tremendous opportunities for global collaboration among different countries; on the other hand, however, it has also created a unique set of problems and issues relating to the effective management of partnerships with different cultures. With the increasing importance of the China market in the world economy, many businessmen rushed to enter China to explore business opportunities. Predominantly motivated by the quest for material inputs (oil and other primary commodities) required for its infrastructural investments and booming manufacturing sector, Chinese presence in Africa is rapidly growing (Song Li, 2004). The rapid growth and significance of enhanced Chinese participation in Africa has important implications while talking about cultural aspects. Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions on China and South Africa By applying Geert Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions, the culture difference between China and South-Africa has been displayed in the below charts. Five factors have been discussed on Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions (Hofstede, 1997) Power Distance Index (PDI) that is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. Individualism (IDV), on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are inte-grated into groups. Masculinity (MAS), versus its opposite, femininity, refers to the distribution of roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) which deals with a societys tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to mans search for Truth. Long-Term Orientation (LTO) which versus short-term orientation. According to Hofstedes Value Dimensions on China (See below chart), it can be concluded that China has a comparatively high long-term orientation. This has a historical relationship with its economy. Commonly, most of Asian countries are belonging to the less developed / developing countries. Suffering bad times taught many Chinese people to think and act on a long-term basis. Prior to Chinas economic reform, the government ruled all strategies, supplies, and financial allocations. Leaders, under the contemporary definition, did not exist, because all organizations had to do was to make sure that the allocated quotas were fulfilled, and that the people assigned to them were cared for. The notion of leaders was fulfilled entirely by Confucian values, aligning allegiance to CEOs with allegiance to the government. However, in 1978, managers of state-owned companies were now responsible for corporate operations and profit-making. Example 1- China Source: Cultural Dimensions on China, 2009 Now looking at the figures of South Africa cultural dimensions, it is easy to find that the South Africa has a comparable high IDV and MAS, and its PDI and UAI are a little bit low. It means that people are tending to work individually and certain of social hierarchy exist which has much relation with its history. Example 2- South Africa Source: Cultural Dimensions on South Africa, 2009 Analysis on different cultural dimensions To clarify the differences between China and Africa, the student will focus on Hofstedes five cultural dimensions: power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, and uncertainty avoidance and long-term/short-term orientation also called Confucian Dynamism(Hofstede, 1997). China and Africa differ greatly with regard to their economic systems, political systems, social values, and laws, despite the substantial changes that have occurred in China during recent years(McCoy, 2005). Some differences can be found according to Hofstede studies on culture differences. Power Distance China is centralized (though it has shown some tendency toward decentralized power) while Africa is relatively decentralized. In high power distance cultures, authority is inherent in ones position within a hierarchy. There are strong dependency relationships between parents and children, bosses and subordinates and a significant social distance between superior and subordinate. In low power distance or power tolerance cultures, individuals assess authority in view of its perceived rightness. Individualism The student notices in both cases that contrary to western countries which have a strong individualism, China and Africa have a strong collectivism. Individualism-collectivism refers to the relative importance of the interests of the individual versus the interests of the group. In collectivistic societies, the interests of the group take precedence over individual interests. People see themselves as part of in-groups and the in-groups look after them in exchange for their loyalty. In individualistic cultures, the interest of the individual takes precedence over the groups interest. Masculinity Africa has higher value than China in masculinity, which indicates that Africa is medium masculinity while China is medium femininity. Masculinity-femininity or goal orientation pertains to the extent to which traditional male orientations of ambition and achievement are emphasized over traditional female orientations of nurturance and interpersonal harmony (Song Li, 2004). Cultures differ on what motivates people to achieve different goals. Cultures of the aggressive goal behaviour type (masculinity) value material possessions, money, and assertiveness whereas cultures of the passive goal behaviour type (femininity) value social relevance, quality of life and welfare of others. Uncertainty Avoidance China and Africa have higher values for uncertainty avoidance the West. This shows that in both sides, people are relatively risk-avoiding while western people are relatively risk-taking. Uncertainty avoidance captures the degree to which individuals in a culture feel threatened by ambiguous, uncertain, or new situations. Cultures are characterized as either high or low on uncertainty avoidance. Whereas low uncertainty avoidance cultures prefer positive response to change and new opportunities, high uncertainty avoidance cultures prefer structure and consistent routine. Long/Short-term Orientation Africa has a short-term orientation while China has a long-term orientation. Also called Confucian dynamism, this last dimension assesses a societys capacity for patience and delayed gratification. Long-term oriented cultures (China and Hong Kong) tend to save more money and exhibit more patience in reaping the results of their actions. Short-term oriented cultures (African countries) want to maximize the present rewards and are relatively less prone to saving or anticipating long term rewards. It has been widely accepted that cultural differences greatly affect human thinking and behaviour and thus business organizations in which people interact on the basis of shared values. Management is embedded in a wider societal setting, and is heavily influenced by local historical and cultural norms (DiMaggio and Powell, 2003). The significant differences between Africa and China seem to affect some aspects of their business management practice. Part two-Solutions Cultural Differences in business Strategies Because entrepreneurs mature within a societal context, their attitudes toward cooperation are likely to be influenced by the underlying values of their society (Weaver, 2000). As discussed above, Africa and China have a strong collectivism. People depend more on groups or institutions to determine what they should do and emphasize loyalty to the group. They are more likely to cooperate with others to avoid risks and reduce responsibilities. However due to the medium masculinity, Africans sometimes are reluctant to cooperate because their masculine culture view cooperation in general as a sign of weakness and place a high value on independence and control. In the process of cooperation, Chinese tend to pay more attention to relationships. The student has to mention the term Guanxi which in English means relation or connection is at the centre of businesses in China. In Weavers studies (2000), the student found that entrepreneurs from societies that are masculine and individualistic h ave a lower appreciation for cooperative strategies as compared to entrepreneurs from societies that are feminine and collectivist in nature. Cultural Differences in Conflict Management In order to solve conflicts, Chinese and Africans have different ways. For Chinese where harmony and personal relationship are very important, they dont like open conflict; therefore they use indirect ways to work out problems. Anytime there is conflict, they use the authority to end up with it or settle things in private. Negotiation and compromise are determinant for them in this case. Contrary to them, Africans managers like Europeans or Americans, will directly confront problems and bring them out in the open (Richmond and Gestrin, 2008). To resolve problems, everybody is involved in order to bring rational arguments and ideas to suggest solutions. We can notice that Chinese avoid this method because for them that will create disagreement which is very undesirable. African managers are reluctant to devote their time and efforts together in solving business conflicts. Other peoples help is needed. In contrast, according to Bond (2001), the strong collective orientation and uncerta inty avoidance values in China encourage Chinese managers to use indirect forms of influence that involve the assistance of a third party. Indirect forms are used by Chinese managers to deal with a difficult or controversial request. In this way, they avoid losing face or damaging guanxi. Cultural Differences in Decision-making Risk-taking/Risk-avoiding Chinese and African managers differ from in the attitudes toward risks when they make decisions for their different values in uncertainty avoidance. Chinese managers with a high uncertainty-avoidance have a lack adventurous spirit and the sense of risks. Immediate decisions which make them lose the opportunity to compete in a market are avoided in the case they feel the circumstance is uncertain. Most of the time, they want to be safe by taking less risky decisions. For African managers, it is almost the same. Middle and lower level supervisors are less willing to make decisions without deference to superiors. The result is that decision-making takes much longer than anticipated and requires more input from players at various social and professional levels. Uncertainty Avoidance measures for Africa indicate low risk taking and a resistance to change which can further delay projects which encounter problems mid-cycle. Levels of Participation in Decision-making The decision-making process involves making sense of ambiguity and taking risks (Jackson, 2003).The decision maker is working on the information available about what has already happened, what is assumed to have happened or is happening. The second aspect is future oriented (Brady, 2000). A risk is being taken because one is applying a perspective based on knowledge of the past, and projecting this to what might happen in the future if a certain course of action is followed. Chinese managers or African managers have different level of participation in decision- making. In China, decisions are participatory. Employees accept decisions handed down by their supervisors. Because of their unquestioning attitudes towards their supervisors, they resist participation in decision-making. In Africa, managers make individual decisions. They dont consult with others but can defer to their supervisors. They value personal equality. To summarize, the student can say that Chinese managers adopt the no participatory approach to decision-making. The decisions come from the higher superiors to the subordinates. However, since the reforms in China, things are changing. More and more, participatory decision-making is starting to be used in a certain number of companies. Cultural Differences in Work-group Characteristics The first difference about the work-group characteristics is the concept of brotherhood, network, family feeling which is at the heart of all Chinese interactions. In African business style which is quasi the western business style, managers focus on the deal, the possibilities, the risks and so on. There is less focus on the people they are doing business with. They may encourage their group members to learn from each other, to focus on task rather than on social and interpersonal relations, and to build the confidence required for superior performance. They make difference between personal relationship and work. In China, it is the opposite. Chinese managers may initially focus more effort on building social and interpersonal relations (Guanxi) before entering into business or contractual relationship. They would like to spend time developing and maintaining guanxi during the process of interaction and consider it as a prerequisite to do business. A good deal of time is spent exploring peoples characters. People want to know your background, your family situation, your likes and dislikes. A good deal of business is conducted in banqueting halls. Chinese believe a persons true character comes out during these moments. The only purpose during these meetings is to see a persons other side, the human side. If they are comfortable with you, and if they think they can trust you, that you can be invited to join the family, you and your business are made. Chinese managers are not interested in short term; they want long, life-long business relations. However, as the economy has become increasingly marketized, privatized and competitive, the value and effectiveness of the Guanxi system has greatly deteriorated. In industries that have been substantially deregulated or privatized, or where there is vigorous competition, business is business, and Guanxi has been neutralized or marginalized. Relationships or connections now resemble that which we find elsewhere. Cultural Differences in Motivation Systems In business contexts, the motivations of employees, partners, superiors, social associates, and members of a society spring from cultural values, or what people think is important. In order to understand how to do business with members of another culture, it is necessary to understand what motivates them, to know where to begin and what you need to cover all necessary bases. According to Aguinis (2002), employees can be rewarded according to their performance, equally, or based on their needs. In general, the equity principle is common in individualistic cultures while the equality principle is widely used in collectivistic cultures. Pay for performance and pay equity are the two main differences in motivation systems. From the 1950s until the 1980s, every aspect of Chinas economic activity was planned, controlled and operated by the government (Helen, D. 2008). There was no private ownership of any property or asset, and, consequently, no profit motive for individuals or enterprises. The government would allocate everyone a pre-defined slice of the big pie. If anyone wanted more than what was allocated to him/her, it meant circumventing that system and getting someone in that allocation chain to provide a special favour. People were obliged to sacrifice their individual interests for those of the society. Cooperation, interdependence, group goals that create group harmony are applied in China. The sense of belonging and devoting to the group are important for Chinese people. Focusing on the view that ones success is mainly based on group work; they believe that one cannot claim the reward just for oneself. Contrary to what some Chinese researchers argued on this part, the student can say while setting salaries Chinese managers will not pay more attention to the working experience and academic qualifications of employees. In that case, the equality principle is reflected in the motivation system. For African managers, individual achievement is important. They are expected to achieve success only by their individual efforts. Value competition, achievement and personal goals are their main motivations in order to have plans to recognize their individual contributions. Their success relies on their own efforts. Talents and work performance of the employees will be considered by their superiors for salary increases and promotion. Conclusion As a result, understanding other cultures is more important than ever. If we consider that people from the same economic, political, and cultural background have problems communicating effectively; we can appreciate the difficulties and challenges that people from diverse cultures face when trying to communicate. Misunderstandings will always be a part of cultural aspects. Companies need to think outside the proverbial box when formulating their business strategies and when collaborating and forming business partnerships. As sometimes companies move to do business in other countries, a greater sensitivity to culture will be required and an understanding of cultural realities should facilitate business transactions. Knowing another culture is a legitimate concern of businesses. More than that, it is essential. Those who make effort the effort to understand another culture gain knowledge about how to behave in that culture. Otherwise, if you know what people value and understand their attitudes, you wont unintentionally do something that offends and diminishes your chances for business success. In todays global businesses context, the winners are not those who study the markets they deal with even if its important but those who study people they deal with.

Observational Abilities Test :: essays research papers

Observational Abilities Test INTRODUCTION What is true in the eyes of one, can be seen as a delusion in another. We, as a society, are made up of a dramatically diverse amalgam of cultures and abilities. Finding out what those differences are can help us reach a better understanding of each other, thus a more equitable relationship can be developed. Therefore, finding the observational abilities of a given group may help yield some interesting and valuable information. In the following study several groups were tested on their observational abilities. In order to develop such a test, it was necessary to devise a structured approach for gathering and interpreting the information. Therefore, the scope of the test was formulated based on hypothesis testing. The following hypothesis was established as the criterion for the test: Null hypothesis (Ho) : Males and females do not have different observational abilities Alternative Hypothesis (H1) : Males and females do have different observational abilities EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The study consisted of 3 groups of varying size and structure. During the initial phase, the members of the study were unaware that any test was being conducted. The locations of the test were Wilford Hall Medical Center : Primary Care Meeting, University of the Incarnate Word : World Literature Class, and University of Texas at San Antonio : Business Statistics Class. The sample sizes and constructs were as follows: Wilford Hall Medical Center : 30 people - 19 (F) 11 (M) University of the Incarnate Word : 19 people - 9 (F) 10 (M) University of Texas at San Antonio: 32 people - 11 (F) 21 (M) The test subjects were all presented with the same scenario, given the normal degree of variation. The procedure of the test was as follows: - The instructor/manager was advised that a test would be conducted sometime during the period. - A male messenger with black hair and wearing a blue shirt and slacks, would enter the room unannounced. - The messenger would hand an envelope to the instructor. - The messenger would then say, "This is from Debbie". - The messenger would then exit the room. The instructor/manager had been asked to wait 10 minutes, then the instructor/manager would pass out a form for the respondents to fill out (Results: Sample Form). All the data was compiled and corrected, then the data was inputted into the SPSS statistical program for analysis. Each correct answer on the form was given a value of 10 and each incorrect answer was given a value of 0. The male and female respondents were analyzed individually by sex and group (Results: Descriptives), Then the relevant scores and data of the groups were evaluated against each

Negotiating Ethics as a Two Level Debate :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Negotiating Ethics as a Two Level Debate ABSTRACT: As a form of moral debate, discourse ethic, according to Habermas, is based on regulated discussion. Participating moral agents share a common understanding in the ideal speech situation. Following procedures they try to reach consensus on questions of justice and rights. Critics of discourse ethic point to the bias of Western assumptions regarding agents and methods, the danger of elitism, and the optimism and the pacifism that run through the theory. After modification, Habermas distinguishes two types of discourse: the discourse of justification and the discourse of application. The second is inferior to the first. In the second, there is room for negotiating. There is another way of looking at negotiation, one that takes negotiating seriously as an important category of human behavior. This category shows an interesting overlap with moral behavior. Distinguishing four concepts of negotiating and using reciprocity and trust as the moral minimum, Negotiating Ethics is pre sented as a two level moral debate, close to Habermas but morally different in essential aspects. I. Discourse Ethics: Habermas Habermas establishes his moral theory by externalizing the Kantian dialogue interieur. The externalization takes place in three steps. The first step is to transfer the mental deliberation of the Kantian individual into an interactive public deliberation of all those concerned with the moral topic in question. The second step is to conflate rationality with reason. Rationality no longer is a deduction from Reason, but instead it is an underpinning of reasonableness. In discourse ethic rationality means giving good reasons for choices of reasonableness. The third step is to view justice, not according to the categorical imperative, but by concentrating on the following of procedures. Claims concerning the content of moral deliberation must be avoided. What results is an elaborated, interactive Kantianism, concentrating on procedures but still claiming universalism. Continuing the line of critical theory, Habermas avoids the classical standards of Nature, God and Reason and instead presents the ideal speech situation: an attempt to interpret rational consensus procedurally, with no regard for the content. The ideal speech situation serves to summarize the rules to be followed in moral argumentation: symmetry and reciprocity. Symmetry refers to speech acts: each participant must have an equal chance to initiate and to continue communication, and to make assertions, give explanations, and challenge justifications. Reciprocity refers to action contexts: participants must have an equal chance to express their wishes, feelings and intentions, and speakers must act as if each of them has the same capacity to order, to promise and to be accountable. Negotiating Ethics as a Two Level Debate :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers Negotiating Ethics as a Two Level Debate ABSTRACT: As a form of moral debate, discourse ethic, according to Habermas, is based on regulated discussion. Participating moral agents share a common understanding in the ideal speech situation. Following procedures they try to reach consensus on questions of justice and rights. Critics of discourse ethic point to the bias of Western assumptions regarding agents and methods, the danger of elitism, and the optimism and the pacifism that run through the theory. After modification, Habermas distinguishes two types of discourse: the discourse of justification and the discourse of application. The second is inferior to the first. In the second, there is room for negotiating. There is another way of looking at negotiation, one that takes negotiating seriously as an important category of human behavior. This category shows an interesting overlap with moral behavior. Distinguishing four concepts of negotiating and using reciprocity and trust as the moral minimum, Negotiating Ethics is pre sented as a two level moral debate, close to Habermas but morally different in essential aspects. I. Discourse Ethics: Habermas Habermas establishes his moral theory by externalizing the Kantian dialogue interieur. The externalization takes place in three steps. The first step is to transfer the mental deliberation of the Kantian individual into an interactive public deliberation of all those concerned with the moral topic in question. The second step is to conflate rationality with reason. Rationality no longer is a deduction from Reason, but instead it is an underpinning of reasonableness. In discourse ethic rationality means giving good reasons for choices of reasonableness. The third step is to view justice, not according to the categorical imperative, but by concentrating on the following of procedures. Claims concerning the content of moral deliberation must be avoided. What results is an elaborated, interactive Kantianism, concentrating on procedures but still claiming universalism. Continuing the line of critical theory, Habermas avoids the classical standards of Nature, God and Reason and instead presents the ideal speech situation: an attempt to interpret rational consensus procedurally, with no regard for the content. The ideal speech situation serves to summarize the rules to be followed in moral argumentation: symmetry and reciprocity. Symmetry refers to speech acts: each participant must have an equal chance to initiate and to continue communication, and to make assertions, give explanations, and challenge justifications. Reciprocity refers to action contexts: participants must have an equal chance to express their wishes, feelings and intentions, and speakers must act as if each of them has the same capacity to order, to promise and to be accountable.

Critical Appraisal of Life Cycle Assessment

Having an understanding of environmental sustainability of the complete life cycle of products and services Is becoming Imperative for organizations so they can comply with environmental standards and to meet the growing public expectation regarding the organization's role in managing their environmental impacts.But this is a complex matter and this essay critically appraises Life Cycle Assessment (LLC) as a tool to provide decision-making support in improving production processes in order to minimizes their environmental Impacts. The definition of LLC, a review of its application In Industry and advantages will be discussed first to form a basis for Its critical evaluation. The usefulness of this tool and Its potential Limitations and weaknesses in terms of applicability, standardization, cost, complexity and requirements of expertise will be considered.As an example, the role of LLC in improving the environmental impact of milk production system will be used. In literature LLC Is d efined as a systematic approach to analyses the environmental burden through the whole life cycle of a specific product or service that In turn helps o reduce that environmental burden by triggering areas of Improvement so that better technologies, product materials and process options can then be adopted (Roy et al. 2009; ISO 1997, AAA; The Finnish Environment Institute, 2010).To critically appraise LLC it is imperative to see its application in a specific sector so milk production Is considered. Milk production Involves live stock, agriculture, dairy farming, dairy packaging and distribution (Household et al. , 2003). These systems are highly inter-related and their combined effect is very complex for the LLC first phase of boundary allocation. Milk is not produced in isolation but production of cheese, court and butter is also uses the similar inventory and production system that make it difficult to identify the system boundaries (Hospice et al. 2003). Multi-product system and d ifficulty of LLC in allocation of system boundaries Is also discussed by Warden et al. (2012) that relates the outcomes of LLC with allocation. In studies, contribute to transportation, packaging waste and CA emissions respectively (Thomas et al. , 2008). Roy et al. (2009) declare LLC as useful tool for various food industries that helps to reduce environmental load by suggesting alternate reduction, processing, packaging, and distribution and consumption patterns.LLC also provides quantitative information that ultimately helps to provide stakeholders with information about company steps that have been practically taken to minimizes the environmental impacts of their production activities (Roy et al. , 2009). However there are various issues like generalization of LLC results, its cost and time intensiveness, the required expertise, difficulties in allocation of system boundaries and lack of standardization in its methodology that are imperative to resolve before adopting this metho dology (Reap et al, 2008).The complex interacting nature of the environment and highly different environmental scenarios in different industries and countries also affect the usefulness of LLC. For example, in a review by Rossi (2004) of the LLC of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic across its lifestyle found that LLC quantitative methodology is highly subjective to data collection which can mislead the outcomes and in toxic chemical determination LLC is cannot provide accurate measurement. This implies that pesticides, antibiotics and detergents should be carefully analyses as part of the farm impacts and should be considered as a ‘hot spot' in milk production (HogwashAide, 2002). Defining functional units is very important and errors can arise due to assigning functional units to multiple functions and when handling non-quantifiable functions (Cooper, 2003). However in milk production functional units are quantifiable but not standardized across various studies so that it is d ifficult to compare different results (Gao, 2012; Hogwash Aide, 2002). Similarly, boundary selection is subjective that could lead to less confidence in comparative studies of LLC (Such et al. , 2004).For example, in milk production if the packaging waste and the production of feed at the arm is ignored, that can generate highly different findings regarding environmental impacts. Omitting social and economic considerations in defining the goal and scope of LLC has also brought criticism that technical improvements cannot remove the need to make socially influenced decisions (Reap et al. , 2008). Therefore the lack of environmental and economic integration in LLC methodology can miss opportunities or limit the influence of LLC in decision making, especially in private sector (Norris, 2001).To conclude, despite the limitations and inability of LLC to incorporate social and economic factors in relation to product life cycle assessment, it is still a useful and highly established and ad opted methodology for the analysis of environmental impacts. However it is difficult to implement LLC in small scale firms due to its cost, time intensive nature and required expertise in executing LLC. Standardization of methodologies and generalization of results is also a natural flaw in this approach due to highly different environmental condition and technological use by organizations.However in milk production, LLC as been very successfully applied in any countries as it allows boundaries to be set and also the selection of functional widely used in the whole dairy industry and results are being used to minimizes the environmental impacts especially when selecting chemicals, packaging, transport and feeding. Finally, it is concluded that there are no other alternative highly established methods of finding a product or services environmental impacts than LLC but economic and social considerations should be involved in this process to make it more useful in improving environment al impacts.

Book Will Always Exist Essay

We are living in a century of technical progress. More and more new gadgets appear in our everyday lives. If I had been told ten years ago that I would be able to check e-mails, listen to the music and read electronic books with the use of only mobile phone, I wouldn’t have believed it. Nevertheless nowadays it’s as easy as abc to read a book through computer, mobile phone or a special e-books reader. Major IT corporations raise competition for the invention of the most modern and convenient devise helping people among other options to read e-books. One of the advantages of e-books is that you can download it to your mobile phone, for example. Consequently there’s no need to take a heavy thick book with you anymore. Additionally some internet sources give the possibility to download files for free. You don’t go shopping, just to click on an icon. Hence, you simultaneously save your money and time – the most vital things in life. With the appearance of I-Pads, thin and light, more people change from paper books to this new handy gadget. However in spite of the variety of technical devises for reading, in my opinion, books will always exist. There is a large group of people who prefer simple paper to any modern equipment. Some people like the feel and the smell of paper. From my point of view that’s because paper is a natural material, produced from wood. Megapolis citizens often suffer from the lack of nature in the world of electronics and technology. Likewise when I think of myself recharging my batteries after a hard working day I imagine myself lying on a cosy sofa reading a thrilling book, a real paper book. I’d hazard a guess that I’m not the only one for whom a book may be associated with comfort and relax. That’s why it’s so pleasant to hold a book, turn its pages and feel yourself enjoying the atmosphere.

Last Song

English 12 Summer Reading Book Review The Last Song is a 2009 novel written by Nicholas Sparks to influence and inspire teenagers with similar life experiences. Sparks sparked teenagers’ interest by taking reality from everyday teenage life, society and class. The Last Song portrays the life of a teenage girl with a hard past and tougher future. It consists of an excellent plot; wonderful, unique characters; and a great life lesson. This story is about a seventeen year old Veronica â€Å"Ronnie† Millers.Ronnie has not talked to her father since her parents divorced. The result of her parents’ separation put her into a deep hole of despair to the extent that she refused to play piano again. For the summer Ronnie and her brother, Jonah are sent to live with their father who lives in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina where she changes who she is completely because she finds herself in life or death, love or hate situations. Ronnie Millers had to survive different types of emotions with Will, her new found love, and her father Steve who she finds has stomach cancer and only so long to live.After realizing there was nothing more she could do to change her father’s fate, she finds the piano, her once love and passion; gets over her hate and makes her father happy and proud. She learned to forgive and built a relationship with her father while helping him to hang on to life a little longer. The novel is written from Ronnie’s pint of view which makes it powerful. We feel what Ronnie feels as well as experience her struggles. The tone of the story goes from being rebellious and hateful to loving and caring. Ronnie begins to change from being angry to happy and appreciative.Ronnie’s little brother serves as an example of acceptance and forgiveness. Jonah is open to spending time with his father and rebuilding the lost relationship which shows that he holds no rancor against his father. On the other hand, Ronnie is not open to r ebuilding the relationship and looks toward Jonah as a form of comfort. The story is very sad because Ronnie’s father is dying of cancer. Ronnie and Jonah do not know that he is dying, and that this is the last summer that they will get to spend with him, and to mend their relationships.Sparks connects life and death with sea turtle hatchlings and their father’s situation. He uses the hatchlings as a symbol of new life and as a way for Ronnie to appreciate life and the importance of relationships. Throughout the story, Ronnie’s father is writing a song on his piano, entitled â€Å"The Last Song†. He really wants this song to be shared between him and Ronnie. This song not only symbolizes the relationship between Ronnie and her father but also Ronnie’s final transformation as she finishes the song right after her father’s death.Her love for her father grows to a point where she realizes she has to finish the song for her father because he can not. At the end of the story, she plays the song at his funeral. The story is very emotional that makes even the strongest to cry. I cried when I read the book. Sparks captures the readers by getting them emotionally attached to the characters, the setting, and the plot of the story, and then destroys their world when Ronnie’s father dies. Sparks wrote such an amazing tale those readers of all ages could easily understand and relate to.