Medal of Honor

When President Ronald Reagan presented Roy Perez Benavidez with his Medal of Honor in 1981, the President told the media that if someone had written a fictional story with a hero like Benavidez, nobody would have believed it. And, in fact, in his autobiography Medal of Honor: One Man’s Journey from Poverty and Prejudice, the story Benavidez tells is the stuff that movies are made of. Benavidez was an orphan in south Texas, a half-breed Indian and Hispanic in an era when neither was acceptable.He dropped out of school before even making it to high school, but as a staff sergeant in the Army during the conflict in Vietnam; he saved eight other men and prevented classified documents from falling into the hands of the enemy. (â€Å"Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipient†) In essence, Benavidez is a true American success story. He was born to migrant farm workers and received the highest commendation that the United States offers for bravery in conflict. However, it may have b een Benavidez never say die attitude that did more to establish his positive contributions to American society than his war record.As the medevac chopper landed the wounded were examined one by one. Staff Sergeant Benavidez could only hear what was going on around him. He had over thirty seven puncture wounds. His intestines were exposed. He could not see as his eyes were caked in blood and unable to open. Neither could he speak, his jaw broken, clubbed by a North Vietnamese rifle. But he knew what was happening, and it was the scariest moment of his life, even more so than the earlier events of the day. He lay in a body bag, bathed in his own blood. Jerry Cottingham, a friend screamed â€Å"That's Benavidez. Get a doc†.When the doctor arrived he placed his hand on Roy's chest to feel for a heartbeat. He pronounced him dead. The physician shook his head. â€Å"There's nothing I can do for him. † As the doctor bent over to zip up the body bag. Benavidez did the only thi ng he could think of to let the doctor know that he was alive. He spit in the doctor's face. The surprised doctor reversed Roy's condition from dead to â€Å"He won't make it, but we'll try†. (Rouse) These were the wounds that Benavidez received the day he save eight men and won a Medal of Honor, but the reality is this was not the first time he had been gravely wounded in Vietnam.Four years earlier, in 1964, Benavidez was hit with shrapnel from a land mind and doctors said he would not recover. They said he would never walk again. They were wrong. In an exerpt from his book, Benavidez explains, Night after night, I bailed out of bed, crawled for the wall at the head of my bed and pulled myself up. I pushed the nightstands ahead with my arms, pressed my feet against the cold tile floor, and dragged my dead body along until my arms were under me again. Then I'd start all over again. Finally, I was moving about two tiles at a time. . .I had learned that if I got knocked down, I had to get up and keep fighting until I knocked my opponent down, and he didn't get up. Every night I got knocked down. Every night I got back up again. . . The pain was like nothing I could have ever dreamed about. Every night it would suck the sweat and tears from my body and my soul. Every day I would go back to that little chapel and sit alone and restore my soul. I went through all the stages of blaming God, accusing, doubting, and arguing, but he never deserted me. He'd never let me leave that chapel until I was ready to try again.After chapel, I went to physical therapy to try to restore the rest of my body for my nightly battle. In therapy I'd sit with the guys with no legs, or the true paraplegics, and learn how to live in the chair. I was not a good student. I wouldn't give in to the chair. At night I was beginning to win my battle, and I wasn't going to let the therapists convince me that it was a lost cause. (â€Å"Vietnam Medal of Honor†) That strength of spirit is perhaps the most lasting contribution Benavidez made to his country. Years later, as he lay dying, Benavidez had the same attitude.With two pieces of shrapnel still in his heart and a collapsed lung and diabetes, he reportedly said â€Å"quitters never win and winners never quit,† in his last interview, saying that he wanted to recover so he could continue working as a motivational speaker. (Mishalov) Another of Benavidez’s lasting contributions to the country came in the form of his activism after winning the Medal of Honor. During the Reagan Administration, Social Security attempted to cut his disability benefits, saying that the disabled war hero should find work.Though he regretted using his Medal for political purposes, he wore it as he testified to a Congressional committee regarding the unfairness of their Social Security budget cuts (Mishalov). Benavidez’s contribution are numerous, based mostly around his attitude of try, try again. He has an elemen tary school named for him and the U. S. Navy named a ship in his honor, a rare occurrence for the Navy to honor a member of another branch of the service. But Benavidez set all the honors and praise aside, saying that he did not consider himself a hero for his actions the day he won the Medal of Honor.The heroes, he said, were the men who lost their lives for their country. His actions were simply â€Å"his duty. † (Mishalov). Benavidez died of diabetes-related complications in November, 1998. Works Cited Mishalov, Neil. â€Å"Medal of Honor: Roy P. Benavidez† June 14, 2007. Rouse, Ed. â€Å"Roy P. Benavidez† , June 14, 2007. â€Å"Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipient† http://www. medalofhonor. com/RoyBenavidez. htm>, June 14, 2007.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Phrenology Essay

After fMRI was first introduced, it has been under criticism that it is not hard science. The most common technique, the BOLD (blood oxygen level-dependent) fMRI, measures the increase in regional cerebral blood flow in response to increased metabolism, which is to be caused from heightened activity of neuron firing (Menon & Kim, 1999). Some neurologists believe that this is an indirect way of measuring brain activity, and is not sufficient to support any idea. By many scientists fMRI is often compared to phrenology, a study that once gained popularity in the 19th century. Phrenology is based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific functions or modules (Fodor, 1983). This is similar to fMRI practitioners’ attempts to localize brain structure, matching the divided parts of the brain with certain functions. Judging whether fMRI is a new form of phrenology concerns two points: fMRI’s similarities to phrenology, and fMRI’s significance to be admitted as the ‘new form’. This will also lead to the question of whether fMRI scan is meaningful to be presented as evidence in court. The logic of fMRI is straight-forward. Brain parts that light up to a certain stimulus, is related to the function provoked by the stimulus. The fMRI machine measures increase in blood flow in brain regions. The regions with increased blood flow appear in brighter colors, in red or yellow (Dobbs, 2005). fMRI’s logic of relating higher blood flow and function is similar to that of phrenology, which relates size of lump to function. From this analogy we can say that fMRI can be considered some form of ‘phrenology. ’ Another reason that fMRI is compared to phrenology is for its limitations (Menon & Kim, 1999). MRI’s problem rise from the fact that it does not show interactions between parts. It takes a univariate approach to the brain, implying that only one factor is considered as variable. The current fMRI shows voxels’ activity as one sum, meaning that it cannot collect relational or sequential information of brain parts (Dobbs, 2005). Many neurologists believe that brain parts’ interaction is an important aspect, and fMRI’s lack of capacity to do so results in criticism. Compared with the old phrenology, fMRI shares the same view that brains have localized functions. However, fMRI takes a more scientific approach than the old phrenology. Although it has its limitation in presenting spatial information, it does contribute in relating brains structure and the mind’s function. Although the ‘old’ phrenology is labeled ‘pseudoscience’ and no longer acknowledged in the field of science anymore, it has had its contributions. It sparked the idea that mind can be localized, such as language and memory. In the same context fMRI can contribute, only much more than the ‘old’ phrenology. Although fMRI’s blood flow measurement and the actual neural activity do not perfectly correspond with each other (Dobbs, 2005), significant correlation can be drawn from the fMRI scanning. As for the usage as court evidence, I see fMRI scan valuable as evidence, for fMRI does show some level of correlation of parts of brains and certain activity. fMRI should not be criticized and banned from court just because of its possibility of erroneous conclusion (Hughes, 2010). Even witnesses’ testimonies are bound to be wrong, but their testimonies are accepted as evidence. Thus fMRI should be allowed to be presented as evidence in court. However, the juries should be made aware that fMRI scan is an arbitrarily interpreted output, and contain risks of erroneous conclusions. I believe fMRI will gain stronger grounds in the court later in the future though, with the advance of technology as mentioned above. Some compare neurologists with fMRI to molecular biologists with light microscopes (Jaffe, 2004), for the reason that the capacity of fMRI is not sufficient for neurological study. It must be taken into account that later light microscopes evolved to electron microscopes, meaning that also fMRI will offer improved spatial and temporal information in the future. Its potential must be acknowledged, and in the meantime there should be efforts to find complementary analysis methods (Hubbard, 2003).

Anais Nin Biography

Anais Nin Biography Essay Anais Nin was a passionate woman, not only in her works but also in her life. The fact that she lived life to the fullest is what made her books so intriguing. Although her diaries were a chronicle of her experience, her fiction showed the reader sides of her while displaying everyones innermost desires. In her own words Nin says, the role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say Rollins, and she does exactly that. For this reason her works take one on a journey through ones soul and allows the pondering which may never have been considered. This feeling of self discovery is quite powerful and erotic; the enpowerment supplies a feeling of utter enjoyment. This is why Anais Nins books are ageless, and they are impossible to parallel or surpass. Though many authors draw their story ideas from life experiences. Anais takes most directly in order to make them pure and unclouded by the imagination. This is why her favorite method of writing was the use of her actual diaries. She wrote of her many love affairs and personal traumas in order to educate the reader as well as to examine her true self. For it is known that one person could not experience all that is possible, and therefore one must learn from others mistakes as well as their own. Nin is greatly renown for her diaries, especially for her famous letters of her affair with Henry Miller . This later amounted to a movie based on the relationship Henry and June in 1986 site 1. Yet her fiction, although quite intellectual and harder to grasp than her diaries, also reveals a lot about the writer and open views on all aspects of living. She is creative enough to allow all to draw something personal from her writings, and this makes reading her novels an experience that one could associate with some aspect of their own life. Nins heightened sensitivity and perception site 1 are derived from her fiery lifestyle which started when she was very young. She was born in France, a country of vast influence, and she traveled throughout Europe for most of her childhood. When She was twelve years old she was relocated to New York, where the culture and diversity is unparalleled. She experience d so many lifestyles as various occupations: a dancer, a teacher, and later on even a psychoanalyst Scholar 5. She lived a very free life style for the time period, and she enjoyed this liberation to the fullest. She had many affairs, but she also had many great relationships that helped her improve and most of all experience. Through all of this she never lost the ability to appreciate her solitude. As her fictitious novels are analyzed it will be shown that a large part of Anais Nin resides in every one of her works, but she made sure to leave enough to allow a little piece of every reader to fit.! In this way the reader may be alone but in good company. Anais creates this aura by using the literary device known as negative capability, which is basically concurrence with the philosophy of saying less is saying more Walsh. She writes in such a way that allows one to see a general idea that does not cheapen a complicated idea by trying to isolate and define it. The theories which she attempts to explain are often too complicated for words, so Nin often turns to surrealism when she can think of no other way to address them. READ: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson EssayHuman emotion and existence is not something that can be black or white, and Nin describes it as somewhere in the gray area Knapp 39-68. The use of poetic and stream-of-conscientiousness phrasing allows the reader to find there own relative truth, since absolute truth in these situations are impossible. Her metaphors are powerful and shocking, but Nin was not an extreme surrealist. She believed in the fusing of the conscious and unconscious minds to allow one to see the total picture, instead of only looking from one point of view. Negative capability is best displayed in The House of Incest since this book was based largely upon Nin own dreams. She embarks upon a journey of self-discovery in this novel and starts out in a very logical place, the womb. The idea of a sense of peace and structure are seen through liquid and fuzziness which seem to make one want to remain there forever. Yet one does not attempt to live then one may be punished for this passive approach. Intellectual and social growth is a human need and must be met or else despair is inevitable. Therefore Nin traces the paths of human emotions and stances through many different people, who in actuality are all parts of a whole. She also explores the themes of lesbian love and incest by detailing how they allow the whole to feel safe and nurtured. Nin feels that one can not become too comfortable in one position or stuck in a rut that can cause on to die emotionally. Therefore her incestual character Isolina is sent to a horrible place, the house of incest, because she has tried to hide behind her brothers protection. Isolina never escapes or repents for her sins unlike her counterpart the dancer who recovers from selfishly cling to the ones she loved Nin House of Incest. Therefore she escaped her torment: And she danced, she danced with the music and with rhythm of earths circles, she turned with the earth turning, like a disk, turning all faces to light and to darkness evenly, dancing towards daylight DISCovering Authors. In these vague identifications and character references Anais presents, she suggests to the reader that man is a sum of many parts that will never equal the ideal self. Consequently one can not ignore any of their personalities or demand perfection without falling into decay or someplace equal to the dreadful house of incest DISCovering Authors. The prose style of the work lends to the subject matter extremely well and makes the insinuations appear simpler than they actually are. The Four-Chambered Heart investigates the complications of love, which will be contemplated by humans until no more exist. The relationship of Djuna and her musician lover, Rango, is again set in the fluctuating water on a house boat. She uses this to show the reader more than what is said; the relationship has the potential to sail, but instead it stays moored an increasingly in need of repair. This whole boat acts as a microcosm for their relationship throughout the novel. Rango is a married man which is attached to the shore by his hypochondriac wife who is comparable to Zeena in Edith Whartons Ethan Frome. She uses her manipulative powers to connect them all in a chain of mutual parasitism. They eventually come to resent each another, and they become parts of heart that are unable to communicate but able to work together to nearly emit life. This dependence eventually becomes unbearable. Nin relates this feeling to the reader by using the metaphor of a rag doll who has committed suicide. Djuna feels that by entering this relationship she has given up her life, which is very true. She eventually obtains release but feels as if her heart has stopped. This writing device allows the reader to identify with her dejected situation and the destruction of her dreams and the pain of her being. READ: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens EssayNin The Four-Chambered Heart. This tale was taken from an actual point in Nins life in which she had an affair on a house boat on the Seine Knapp 122-130. She used this story to analyze her situation and let others grow from her disheartening experience. This novel was a therapeutic device for Nin in which she could review her life objectively from different perspectives. Similarly, the diaries helped sort her feelings, and The House of Incest allowed her to delve into her surrealistic side. Nins flowing style and intangible ideals allow her novels to grow and influence the individual reader on many different levels, both of the subconscious and conscious mind. She was a writer who transferred her passion for life into the written word by the closest resemblance to actual thought. The more one tries to explain the greater the meaning is lost in translation. Nin had a passion like no other author I have read, as she states: If what Proust says is true, that happiness is the absence of fever, then I will never know happiness. For I am possessed my a fever for knowledge, experience, and creation. site 1. This fever is found in every page of the authors works, especially her erotic novels which are blunt and an education of experience that remains unparalleled. Yet with more subtlety she displays this burning in her tamer fiction, if one can read between the lines and fuse their beliefs with those that Nin wishes to convey. Her tales ignite the fire burning in the curious soul who has not yet to live or imagine half of what the author has experienced. Consequently she is an influential author on many young minds because she feels that her books are an emulation of her morale. The major themes found in The Four Chambered Heart and The House of Incest are presented in a way that allow everyone to be satisfied because Nin believed that We dont see things as they are, we see things as we are site 2. In conclusion, the use of negative capability permits the reader to see things as we are. This warrants the endurance of her writings through the passage of the decades for they still remain relevant to all of society.

Income inequality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Income inequality - Essay Example The rich tend to earn more income than the poor, and so more wealth seems to fall majorly in the hands of a few rich people while the majority earn very little. One’s earnings depend on several factors such as the demand and supply for the person’s skills. As the factors influence wages, they end up affecting the distribution of a country’s income. With income inequality, the rich tend to earn higher income while the poor earn low incomes. That differentiates the poor from the rich. Such inequality has several impacts on the economy and the population. To measure inequality, economists use some measures. Through one such measure, they compare household incomes through surveys. The process involves a comparison of the sources of income and the consumption patterns of the households that participate in the survey. To rank individuals in accordance to per capita income for each household, economists subtract direct taxes from the total income for the household. They then divide the amount by the number of individuals in the household. The calculation and the ranking give the Gini coefficient. The Gini coefficient is a method applicable to the measurement of inequality. The Gini coefficient has a range of 0 to 100 whereby 0 represents a period when everyone has the same income (Milanovic, 2011 p.7). The income inequality in a country would generally range between 25 and 60 in the Gini range. In the assessment of income inequality, household surveys come out as the best instruments. However, they have some drawbacks. At times, the rich may refuse to participate in interviews or at times they may understate their incomes. Another useful measure of income inequality is the Lorenz curve. With this measure, economists seek to determine how cumulative percentage of households links to cumulative percentage of income (Mankiw and Taylor, 2014 p.386). By plotting the cumulative percentage of income against

Irish bar and restaurant accessibility Assignment

Irish bar and restaurant accessibility - Assignment Example The doors of the entrance are designed in a way that it is light to open and slow to close. This may prevent injuries like crashing your fingers accidentally when closing the door or using a lot of effort to pull the door open. There is sufficient space on the entrance that a large group of people can walk comfortably together without rubbing shoulders. Also on the sides there are beautiful and well trimmed flowers which provide a nice visual site for the visitors. The flowers also provide a nice fragrance which escorts one along the entrance. One thing that I did not like about the entrance is the alternative steps which didn’t have the handrail. The handrail is used to provide support or prevent one from falling on the other side accidentally. Although the stairs are wide, they should have the hand rails which will support the people who are tired. Inside the restaurant there is sufficient space for wheelchair or walking aid for the users to move comfortably between the tabl es and chairs so that they may access all areas of the restaurant. Staffs offer prior arrangement for those requiring additional space at a well-situated location. All goods and services provided at the bar and restaurant follows the principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity. Customers are served equally to their satisfaction. There are a lot of assistive devices and people within the hotel. The restaurant has employed enough waiters and bar maids who provide quality services to customers.

ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION SYSTEM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION SYSTEM - Assignment Example There are interconnections undersea through to the Republic of Ireland (EirGrid), Isle of Man (Isle of Man to England Interconnector), Northern Ireland (HVDC Moyle), the Netherlands (BritNed), and northern France (HVDC Cross-Channel). The paper will start with the different types of grid interfaces, protection issues and short circuit change levels. Then the paper will discuss the electrical power design of the components involved in generation of the electricity. In most cases, the low scale generators are indirectly connected to the grid. The characteristics of operation and the technology of generation need the incorporation of some interfaces in between the grid of distribution and the generator. For instance, photovoltaic panel of solar produce direct current electricity and thus, converter based on the power electronics is needed in between the generator and the grid. In technologies like induction generator using wind or hydro, this generator is directly connected to the Alternating Current grid. In the interconnection of the distributed generation, protection is essential. Distribution network is configured in the radial form. In this radial form, the network has over current schemes of time graded protection. The connection of the Distribution Grid may change the present schemes of protection coordination. In case, this is ignored, the protection system may fail to work. The major issues with relation to the Distribution Grid interconnection are as follows: This is the major measure useful in coordinating between over current relays and the selection of current transformers, fuses, reclosers, circuit breaker. The characteristic of short circuit is the equivalence system impendence at the points of and in this way, shows the fault current level that is expected. The variation in the time of this faulty current is affected by the rotating machinery characteristics (Cete, 2010). The majority of

Business Email Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Email - Essay Example Following are the primary positive aspects of this alignment for any form of business organization: 1. Source of competitive edge – Any corporation that implements the latest technology in its business processes such as marketing, production, sales, operations and etc. has more chances of enhancing its performance in the respective market. When both IT and business strategies move in the same direction, there is high probability that the top most IT components are used in the business operations. Every stakeholder from employees to end-consumer is satisfied with the company and its operations. 2. Value-added offerings – When IT strategy is considered as an integral part of the business plan, the core competence of the company can be strategically developed. The businesses can reap the benefits of availing the opportunities of employing the up-to-date technology for boosting their performance in the long-run. It ensures that the business plan is well-integrated and synchronized by efficiently managing the company’s resources. 3. Communication enhancement and synergy – When there is harmonization in IT and business strategies, everyone has clarity about the course of action that has to be pursued for successful attainment of the vision. There is even precision about the plan that has to be followed and everyone can make a better and well-informed decision after assessment of available resources. IT can help a business in availing the opportunities that are unexploited in the market and deliver unlimited business benefits. For instance, IT system such as SAP or Oracle can help an organization in keeping track of its business operations every second; these systems ensure that every aspect of the company is properly covered and monitored so that its performance becomes efficient and progresses at an accelerating

Mentoring and Enabling Learning in the Practice Setting Essay

Mentoring and Enabling Learning in the Practice Setting - Essay Example Every profession including health care can be wide and vast and in order for one to understand and gain experience, they need more than what is learnt in the class. In practicing health care, there is need to have a mentor who will guide the prospecting practitioner with vast experience. NMC defines a mentor as an individual who is registered and has completed the NMC approved mentor preparation programme and has acquired the skills, knowledge and competence needed to meet the defined outcomes. As a mentor, an individual has a key role to play in ensuring that they guide new and potential practitioners as they go through transition. Their roles include; Mentorship in nursing is very crucial considering the profession deals with lives. This calls for high standards and strictness in carrying out the duties. For that reason, there is need to have proper training, and guidance for new practitioners. This is what has necessitated the need for a mentor. Mentorship programme ensure that new practitioners and students gain the much needed orientation and training in a real life situation other than theory as it is done in schools. According to Bosher and Pharris (2009) mentorship in nursing plays a key role in growing careers as well as develops the social aspect of the individual. The Nursing and Midwifery Council the NMC official regulator of nurses and the main purpose of the council are to protect the public. This is done by keeping a register of all practicing nurses and by developing and setting standards that will guide their education, training, performance, conduct and ethics. The council came up with standards that will help and support learning and assessment in practice in the health care. The standards have been set in form of development frameworks and are put in 4 stages. These include, Registrants, Mentors, practice teachers and teachers. In addition to these four,

Comparing and contrast efficiency of on job training and e-learning in Research Proposal

Comparing and contrast efficiency of on job training and e-learning in the petrochemical plants - Research Proposal Example The research study will identify how valuable training is for employees at the petrochemical plants and for employees working at the petrochemical industry. Training techniques will also be analyzed and compared, and the effectiveness of these training methods will be discussed. Petrochemical industry is an important industry for the economy and employees working in the industry need to be efficient and trained (Harris, 2012). This research study will be helpful for the employees, managers, researchers, economists and other concerned person as it will help in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of employees as well as in enhancing safety measures at the workplace particularly of the organizations in the petrochemical industry. The research study will include different sub-topics as well. For instance, the research will also analyze different training methods that are helpful in the industry. The research will analyze how on-job training and e-learning method can be effective. The research will also suggest and recommend different strategies to further enhance the existing system and training methods used. Training is used to develop the skills and capabilities of the employees. Training is helpful in managing the workforce and their productivity. Training is also helpful in making sure that the employees are safe from any kind of chemicals used or present at the plant (Cogent, n.d.). training helps in enhancing the productivity level of the employees. It is considered as an investment and the returns of this investment are reported in the form of higher productivity, enhancement of skills of employees, ability to better manage the tasks and several other benefits (Bartel, 2000). Training is an important aspect of motivating the human resource. Human resource is considered as the main asset that gives the organization competitive advantage. Thus,

Cultural Competence with Gay and Lesbian Essay Example for Free

Cultural Competence with Gay and Lesbian Essay Being gay or lesbian has several implications notable of which are the manifestations of discrimination. Such effect is aggravated by a condition wherein the homosexuals are part of a diversified culture. This paper aims to make a presentation on â€Å"Cultural Competence with Gays and Lesbians† as discussed in the textbook written by Doman Lum. In doing so, it is the ultimate objective of this paper to make the public realize the important functions of social work professionals particularly their cultural capabilities in handling issues such as discrimination concerning homosexuals. Cultural Competence with Gay and Lesbian Introduction There is a joke about four people who are about to be fired because their company is facing profit loss. The manager failed to fire the initial three employees composed of black man, Mexican and woman. This is because the three threaten to sue the company for discriminating people based from their race, ethnic or culture and gender. The manager then was bent in firing the fourth employee noting there will be no problem at all because he is a male white American. Hence, to avoid dismissal, the fourth employee simply says â€Å"Well, I guess I could be gay† (â€Å"Gay joke – positive discrimination,† 2007). The said joke and its implication manifest that the concept of homosexuality has long been of undeniable significance to humans’ existence and the reality of being in different cultures where they belong. Hence, it is of equal relevance that being homosexual and the idea of cultural competence with gay and lesbian are effectively presented. This is because of the notable relationship which exists between homosexuality and racial or cultural color. Most importantly, it is also empirical to talk about that being gays and lesbians in a diversified culture results into the very damaging practice of discrimination. It is, therefore, of ultimate concern and objective that the value of having understandable presentation about being homosexual in varied culture is realized. This is possibly achieved if people with expertise will discuss the subject matter. This is due to the need for clear presentation of all the details which paves the way for being culturally capable with homosexual persons and eventually resolving the issue of discrimination. Of Gays and Lesbians In today’s modern society, the commonality of being and lesbian has sets ground. In fact, social recognition and work practice have advanced due to the fact that significant number of gays and lesbians from various cultures already came forward. Gone are the days that homosexuality is perceived as a social ill which requires change. Thus, concerned field professionals realize nowadays the existing personal and cultural identities of homosexuals by exerting earnest efforts at upholding their distinct nature of being gays and lesbians. This condition was what Walters, Longres, Han and Icard (2006) stated when they discussed the concept of â€Å"cultural competence with gay and lesbian persons of color† (Walters, Longres, Han Icard, 2006). In presenting further the issue, Walters and company explained that while homosexuality is now openly talked about, it is significantly worthy to consider and focus on the conditions affecting gays and lesbians of color or what they called GALOCs. This is because through a clear and mind-opening discussion about the negative or harmful situations that homosexuals of diversified cultures are experiencing, the society is aimed at realizing the important contributions and roles of social work professionals. In doing so, addressing, if not resolving concerns and the various forms of discrimination against GALOCs are easily achieved (Walters, Longres, Han Icard, 2006). Cultural Competence with Gays and Lesbians It is necessary for social workers or professionals to exemplify cultural competence in dealing with homosexuals of various ethnic roots. This is in order to identify the nature and eventually come up with possible solutions to the experiences of discrimination against gays and lesbians. Prejudice due to being homosexual is itself not in accordance with human nature thus aggravating the situation by subjecting gays and lesbians to unfairness due to their respective or varying cultures causes more alarm (Walters, Longres, Han Icard, 2006). Walters and company emphasized the principle of cultural ability and proficiency of social workers or professionals in handling issues concerning gays and lesbians. They stated that the effective development of a well and cultural characteristics among GALOCs calls for the social professionals’ competence to talk and resolve issues such as discrimination against gays and lesbians of different race. This is where the clear link between racial personality and sexual distinctiveness of gays and lesbians definitely matters. This is because once recognized, social professionals are able to respond and resolve the condition of bias inflicted among homosexuals of various colors (Walters, Longres, Han Icard, 2006). This is particularly realized based from the manifestations of discrimination made to several homosexuals from racial groups composed of â€Å"First Nations Peoples, African Americans, Asian Americans and Latino/s Americans† (Walters, Longres, Han Icard, 2006). In doing so, Walters and company learned that there is indeed a need for cultural competence among social professionals in order to underline the harmful effects of social injustices which the gays and lesbians inevitably suffer (Walters, Longres, Han Icard, 2006). Supporting the above-mentioned principles, it can be said that cultural capability, particularly as regard the social professionals’ service and practice towards GALOCs, requires the critical assessment of numerous social and private characteristics. It also needs the recognition of inconsistent duties as well as several factors that relate with discrimination of gays and lesbians coming from different cultures. Social fairness orientation, as far as social work service and practice towards homosexuals is concern, makes us wary that oppression and discrimination should cease to exist. If it is otherwise tolerated to happen in the areas of culture and gender or sexual preference, then nobody, not even the gays and lesbians are really free (Walters, Longres, Han Icard, 2006). Conclusion Cultural competence with gays and lesbians is attributed to the abilities of social professionals. This means that culturally-capable social work service and its professionals need liberating pedagogy which respects the value of the fight for cultural and gender impartiality for homosexuals. And this ultimately includes the fight against discrimination. References In my mind’s eye. (2007, December 19). Gay joke – positive discrimination. Message posted to http://pure-eyecontact. blogspot. com/2007/12/gay-joke-positive-discrimination. html Walters, K. L. , Longres, J. F. , Han, C. Icard, L. D. (2006). Cultural Competence with Gay and Lesbian Persons of Color. In Doman Lum (Ed. ), Culturally Competent Practice: A Framework for Understanding Diverse Groups and Justice Issues (389-423). Kentucky: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

Fading Light Experiment on Arduino Kit

Fading Light Experiment on Arduino Kit Introduction Arduino is an open source prototyping platform enabling users to create interactive electronic objects. [1] Here, we performed Fading Light one of the basic activities on this Arduino kit. This activity demonstrates the use of analog output in the code (Pulse Width Modulation) to fade the LED light. You can fade out and fade in the light of LED automatically using Arduino with a simple code that is installed in Arduino. Materials with Description Arduino Board Arduino Uno SMD SR3 is used. The main material needed to hold the materials, and execute the code from computer. Prototyping Shield It is a prototype extension board for Arduino Board Resistor 220R 220 ohms resistors will be used on this experiment. It is use to reduce the current flow for the LED output. Bread Board Used for the connections of materials together. LED light (Light emitting diode) will be used for verification if the code and plotting of materials is correct. USB cable A-B USB 2.0 cable which is the common A to B M/M type peripheral cable to connect the Arduino board from computer. Jumper Cable M/M Used to connect Arduino Board from breadboard. Procedure (self-explained) 1.Prepare the materials needed. 5MM -LED x1 Jumper Cable M/M x2 220R Resistor x1 USB cable Arduino Board Prototyping shield Breadboard 2. Place the prototyping shield on the top of Arduino Board. 3. Place LED light 1st the last row of the breadboard. 4. Place the Resistor on the Positive terminal of LED light and connect the opposite side of resistor on 10th pin using jumper wire. 5. Place the jumper wire on the Ground and the opposite side on Negative terminal of LED light. 6. Connect the Arduino Board to your desktop or laptop. 7. Now using desktop or laptop execute and install the appropriate code for Fading Light activity on your Arduino Board. Circuit Diagram Code Code Analysis This is the code for Fading Light Activity. As you can see, the ledPin variable has a value of 10, 10th is the pin that the LED is attached on Arduino. On setup() function this declared pin 10 to be an output. The Serial.begin(9600); this code is the speed communication. Arduino will send data at 9600 bits per second which is 9600 is the default bit. Executing the loop() function which make the LED light Fade on off with a time of 1 seconds and given value of full 5. Theres a method for fadeOn which is getting the time with 1000/ 1 sec and an increment of 5 which is called as parameters. This values are being process on for-loop which is changing the luminance of LED lights. As you can see in for-loop (byte value = 0 ; value Comparison of Code vs. Hardware Output The given code says that LED light will fade on off 19 times with a luminance of 5 which is the maximum luminance of it and decreases the luminance by 5. The given code output is accurate from the expected output of the hardware. It fades on off 19 times with 5 additional luminance in every fadeOn and decreases 5 luminance in every fadeOff, the code is accurate from the output of hardware. No errors and run successfully. Recommendation/Enhancement I recommend that procedures, guides, or instruction are given on each group members to perform those activities successfully. Readable and reliable codes that are easy to understand. Have a review on those codes that is used. References: [1]Arduino:An Open Electoring Prototyping Perform

Climate Change and The Rise in Sea Level Essay -- Environment Environ

"On a recent afternoon, Scott McKenzie watched torrential rains and a murky tide swallow the street outside his dog-grooming salon. Within minutes, much of this stretch of chic South Beach was flooded ankle-deep in a fetid mix of rain and sea. â€Å"Welcome to the new Venice,† McKenzie joked as salt water surged from the sewers." ----- Michael J. Mishak, Associated Press June 7, 2014 at 4:24 PM EDT According to the World Bank Development Report 2013 there has been an increase in global surface temperature of 0.4 to 0.9 Celsius (C) in the past 100 years. This change in temperature largely caused, according to the IPCC, by the release of GHGs through human activities. There are several effects associated to the change in global temperature, mainly affecting ecosystems and populations worldwide. Among these effects or consequences are sea-level rise, drought, floods, loss of mangroves, and the intensification of storms and climate processes such as El Nino and La Nina. Recent studies have focused on sea-level rise and the global effects. Over the past 100 years, sea levels have increased by 10 to 20 centimeters (World Bank, 2003). Moreover, arctic sea-ice has continued to shrink up to 10 percent or more of its total mass and by 40 percent of its thickness. Glaciers and small ice caps are rapidly melting, causing several changes in the flows of rivers and ecosystems, as well as adding to the increase of sea levels. Sea level rise will most likely severely affect unprepared, developing countries and their populations. Concomitantly, developed industrial countries with higher levels of GDP are likely to cope more efficiently with the effects of sea level rise. This paper will focus on the prognosticated socio-economic costs of s... ... Policymakers Wembley, United Kingdom, 24-29 September 2001.    World Development Report 2013. Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World. Trnasforming institutions, growth, and quality of life. A copublication of the World Bank and Oxford University Press. New York, NY 2013.    Entering the 21st. Century – World Development Report 1999/2000. World Bank 2000. Oxford University Press. New York, NY 2000.    1998-1999 World Resources: A Guide to the Global Environment. Environmental Change and Human Health. A Joint Publication by the World Resources Institute, the World Bank, the United Nations Environmental Programme, and the United Nations Development Programme. Oxford University Press, New York, NY 1998. IPCC Report 2003 – Overview of Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability to Climate Change. 1 page 365 – IPCC report 2003 1[1] page 365 – IPCC report 2003

MTV Affecting The Youth :: essays research papers

The Pop Culture Assault Music TV channels, broadcasting variety of programs ranging from ordinary music videos through charts, various shows to cartoons are the symptom of our times. No matter if it's MTV or VIVA, they sell very similar stuff, often cheap and shallow. The pop culture and consumption grasped the most powerful device that is television. It is used as a tool for spreading out information, ideas and appeals. Oftentimes they are silly and ridiculous; nevertheless they have enormous influence on people who watch it. Image has become the most widespread form of expressing ideas and for communication. Colorful and quickly changing pictures surely affect human personality; it influences the way we behave, dress and exist. Young people tend do be and look like their VJ's from the TV screen. They wear in certain way; they cut their hair, pierce or tattoo their bodies, just because of their TV idols doing that. TV hosts become the role models to follow; they are gurus and authorities on almost every field of human life from fashion to ethics and morality. They sell some patterns of behavior that other people can consider weird or outrageous. Their ideas can be good and honorable as well as freak and dumb. TV creates an ideal of a 'perfect' woman and man with all the paraphernalia and pressure connected with it. Many young women (as they appear to be more susceptible to that tension) put themselves on diet; wear strange clothes etc. just to fit in the 'official' picture. People buy 'proper' brands of outfit, cosmetics and even food, they become the slaves of fashion, fashion that often is nothing but garbage glittering and shining on the surface but empty and dull inside. Tracks from the top of the charts, however stupid or unmusical-like they are, can be safe to be sold in millions of copies all over the world. Here comes another phenomena, music that used to be of an artistic and cultural value, tends to be no longer so.

My Personal Philosophy of Education Essay examples -- Educational Educ

Philosophy of Education Becoming a teacher is going to be one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. Teaching was never a childhood dream for me like it was with others. Some people have always known that they wanted to become some type of teacher, but I never decided to until I entered college. I’ve always loved being around children and it makes me feel great to be able to help someone, so becoming a teacher is the perfect career choice for me. I believe that the true nature of most students is that they like school and they want to learn. I also believe that the school and the teachers greatly influence their nature over the course of their schooling. I believe that this true nature changes for a lot of students because at some point they go to a school that they don’t like or they have a teacher who is mean to them and expects them to do everything on their own without any guidance or help. I’ve had teachers like his and they made me dislike school very quickly. Hopefully, if this is the case, they will eventually have a great teacher that inspires them to do well and to like school once again. I want to be that teacher. In my opinion, the nature of knowledge is relative or constructed. Every person has their own set of opinions and beliefs that determine what that person perceives as the truth. Most people believe that their ideas, opinions, and beliefs of something are the truth to them. It’s my belief that the overall purpose of education is to improve society as a whole. Everyone should be given an equal opportunity to learn as they mature. I believe that the more educated a person is then the more likely they can become successful. A society full of successful people will be a successful society. Educat... ...ts will quickly lose interest. My professional development plan is to begin my career by substitute teaching after graduation. I do not want to relocate far from my current residence but I’m not completely opposed to it if the right opportunity presents itself. I will continue to substitute until I can find a full-time position. I do want to return to school to get a master’s degree after I have received some experience in the field or I am able to secure a full-time teaching position. There are a lot of different professional groups to join in the fields of physical education, health education, and teacher education. At this time I have not decided on which groups I will join in the future but I do plan to be active in a few of them. I also plan to be very active in the community that I will be teaching in. I feel that this is very important for all teachers.

John Stuart Mill Essay

In the ethical simulation Aaron Web an employee in the IT department of the company we worked for wrote a blog about some confidential information within in our company. It is against company policy for employees to release confidential information about our company. In this company it is my duty not to reward employees who violate the code of conduct or break the law, to honor employees’ right to free expression even when they are critical of the company, and to ensure that privileged information about the company is not made public. After some investigation and an anonymous tip from another employee that hacked into Aaron’s home computer I decided that it would be best for our company to let Aaron go, because I felt that simply letting him off with a warning would not send a strong enough message to him and other employees about the seriousness of breaking company policy. Although Jamal Moore who I was told is a good employee and was diligent in investigating the situation to prove that our company network is not secure enough I thought it was best to let him go as well, because hacking into another employee’s personal computer is also against company policy and two wrongs do not make a right, nor did I think it would be ethical to fire one person for breaking company policy and not another. Personally I would have preferred to let Jamal off with a warning, because his supervisor did tell me that he is a good employee, and without the information he provided it would have been hard to catch Aaron, but to protect the company from a law suit I thought it was best to let him go as well. It was more important for me to think of what would be best for the company as a whole using Utilitarian ethics which focuses on the greater good for the greatest number of people in the company as well as Consequentialist Ethics which focuses on the consequences of a decision or action. I had to think about how other employee’s would react if this situation was taken lightly, as well as the reputation of our company. I didn’t want the situation to be taken lightly, because I wanted to send a message to any employee working for our company that it is not ok to break company policy for any reason, and I wanted our shareholders to feel that their investment is being protected at all costs. It does personally bother me that I had to make such a drastic decision that may negatively affect the lives of 2 people, but I felt the need to make that decision to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again. At my job at the West Palm Beach Veteran’s Hospital my supervisor has a no nonsense approach to employees being late, because in the past she has seen that if one person gets away with it there is usually someone one else that might try it, and not only does it make the company look bad, but it effects productivity. Doing this ethics simulation showed me how hard it can be to make ethical decisions in the work place, because they don’t always agree with your personal ethical values. One personal experience where my personal ethical belief did not agree with the policy at my job is when a patient in a wheel chair had to be at another appointment within in the hospital, and needed assistance getting there so that he would not be late. As a medical support assistant it is my job to call aid and assistance to come pick the patient up to take him to is next appointment. It is against company policy to assist in moving a patient unless you are a part of the clinical staff. I know that the people that work in aid and assistant are usually late to pick patients up for their next appointment, and didn’t want te patient to be late, because in many cases when a patient is more than 15 minute their appointment is cancelled. I would have liked to help him get to his appointment, but I did not want disciplinary action taken against me if my supervisory discovered that I had left my desk without consent. Although I was not able to physically help the patient I was able to call the clinic where his next appointment was located and let them know that he might be running a little late. Although I felt it was not ethical for me to not be able to help the patient get to his next appointment I understood why it was company policy, and I followed the rules, but still found a way to help the best I could. I think that there are a lot of things we have to take into account when making ethical decisions, and doing the ethics simulation showed me how to evaluate situation in more depth to reach a decision that is best for everyone involved.

Electoral college Essay

Who’s voting for the president? Not you. We live in a society where your vote doesn’t directly count during a presidential election. This is due to an antiquated system called the electoral college. The electoral college (EC) was founded in 1787. The founding fathers set up the system so that the president is chosen indirectly. This was done so that â€Å"popular passion,† wouldn’t factor in as much. Basically they didn’t want presidential campaigns to become purely advertisement campaigns. (third party times) But there are a few serious flaws in the electoral college that need to be dealt with. For example, the well known Democratic motto â€Å"one man, one vote,† (which means every vote counts) doesn’t apply to presidential elections because of the EC. The electoral college makes it possible for a candidate who wins the popular vote of the people to lose the presidency. (electoral college) This has happened exactly 3 times in the pas t. Once in 1876, and once in 1888, and most recently during the 2000 elections. President Bush lost the popular vote to candidate Al Gore by over 500,000 votes. Bush still won the presidency because Florida (a key state in elections) had a last minute change in the electoral votes. This threw the entire state into a republican vote. â€Å"On two other occasions (1800 and 1824), the House of Representatives 2 picked the president when nobody won an electoral-college majority. Thomas Jefferson once described this circumstance as ‘the most dangerous blot on our Constitution.’ † (electoral college) Lawrence P. Longley and Neal R. Pierce, two experts on the electoral college and Harvard teachers, agree wholeheartedly with Jefferson’s statement. They know full well the weaknesses of the EC. They did some calculations to illustrate this point further. Californians have over two times as much voting power as do people in Montana because of the population differences. Even worse than that is, if even a few votes change in some key states it can change the whole outcome of an election. e.g. the 2000 Florida elections. There have been 22 razor close elections in our history one of which was † the 1960 race between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon–if 8,971 votes in Illinois and Missouri had switched from Kennedy to Nixon that year, the result would have been an electoral college deadlock.† (electoral college) Longley and Peirce argue that â€Å"it’s only a matter of time before it breaks down completely. The President of the United States is elected indirectly by the electoral college — an archaic and quirky system that threatens every four years to overturn popular will.† (electoral college) To top it all off, the people we choose to vote for the president aren’t even required to keep their pledges. â€Å"In 24 states and the district of Columbia, electors are 3 not bound by any state law or regulation that they vote for the states popular vote winner.† (civic values) For example in 1988 an elector pledged to Michael Dukakis changed his pledge to Lloyd Bentsen. Also it happened in 1976 when an elector pledged to Gerald Ford voted for Ronald Reagan instead. These are just a few of the instances involving â€Å"faithless electors† a term used for electors who change their pledge. The question is what do we do about these problems? The answer is simple, we change the EC. (civic values) There are three basic plans for changing the way the EC works. The first is called the proportional method. This particular option hasn’t been researched as much as the others. Basically if a candidate receives 58 percent of the popular vote then they also receive 58 percent of the electoral vote. This reflects popular will and lets the electors keep their jobs. The problem with this method is that it would require support from every state. (election reform) The second is the plan to abolish the electoral college completely. This is a very simple plan which is becoming increasingly popular. If you were to eliminate the EC it would better reflect th e popular vote, get rid of the possibility of â€Å"faithless electors,† and it might increase voter turnout. (election reform) In order to get rid of the EC entirely you would need two thirds of the house of Representatives and the Senate and 38 states to agree that it needs to be changed. 4 and though abolishing the EC is fast becoming a popular idea (especially since the 2000 elections) there is still not enough support for the idea. The harsh reality is that there probably will never be enough support. This is because the very people who’s jobs depend on the existence of the electoral college are the ones making a substantial amount of the decision whether or not to keep it. (civic values) Luckily there’s a solution. Instead of getting rid of the electoral college just alter it a little bit. The third plan is called the District Method. This could be a good option, because instead of having the entire state swing towards one political party for the electoral vote, now a state could be divided into smaller parts . This would better represent the popular vote and therefore the people. Another reason that the District Method may work is that you don’t need a constitutional amendment. Even if only a few states adopted this method it would be effective. Also it’s a good compromise . The electoral college is still in play, so supporters of it wouldn’t protest. In addition the people would have more of a say in who their president is . And that’s what really matters. (election reform) Now you can see that the popular vote, which our country was founded on as a democracy , can be thwarted to fit the whims of the electoral college. Our basic rights of choosing the people who govern us do not apply in the case of presidential elections which are the most important elections. This cannot stand. When our forefathers wrote the constitution, the United States was much 5 smaller and the people were better represented because they were in smaller groups. That isn’t the case today. Things have changed and we as a society must change with the times. If not, any self appointed dictator could pay or persuade him or herself into power with potentially detrimental results. Make your vote count. Petition to change the electoral college. 6 Work Cited Page â€Å"Electoral College.† Web News: Product reviews. 11/9/2003. Harvard Electoral College Experts. Dec. 2000 http://www.webdesk.com/electoral-college/ Third Party Times. The Electoral College System. 1992, League of Womens Voters of California Education fund. http://www.ksg.harvard.edu./case/3pt/electoral.html Electionreform.org. 2001. Election Reform. http://www.electionreform.org.ERMain/priorities/ec/reform.htm Civic-Values State Lawmakers Mull Electoral College. Nov.2000. http://civic.net/civic-values.archive/200011/msg00181.html

C-Direct Insurance Company

201KM GROUP PROJECT CASE STUDY 3 Case Study 3 The C-Direct- Insurance Company Developed by Peter Race, Henley Management College Call centres have fast become one of the most important channels for organizations and their customers to interact. There are around 4,000 call centres in the UK today,employing over 400,000 people. The direct sell insurance industry is increasingly using call centres to access and service its market. The C-Direct -Insurance Company has its call centre in Newcastle, England. The company itself is just 6 years old and specialises in selling automobile insurance policies direct to customers. The processAdvertising and promotion initiatives attract customers’ interest and generate enquiries to the CD Call Centre. These lead to the provision of quotations for personal car insurance. In order to provide the quotation, CD operators need to collect the customer’s personal and vehicle related data (in total 17 items) and input them to the computer. Th e process is as follows: Customers call the CDCall Centre (the focus of this case) by a freephone telephone number and submit the required information. This is entered directly into a computer terminal during the call, their questions answered, and quotation provided within 12 minutes.Customers can pay by credit card and receive immediate insurance cover. Customers receive their personal insurance offer confirmed in writing by mail, about 23 days after initial contact. Mr Small, the Operations Manager, is responsible for all operations in the Call Centre. The Call Centre employs 105 people in three shifts over a core day between the hours of 0800 and 2000. The resources for the Call Centre are:  · its facilities – for example the buildings and the staff’s workspace/workstations  · the equipment – for example, computers/systems the People who use them. Car insurance is compulsory in the UK, so customers are price sensitive and tend to shop around to compare t he company’s offer with those of competitors. Only about 17% of CD’s offers are converted into policies. The operations management strategies of scheduling, capacity and quality management were reactive rather than proactive; for example, poor forecasting of demand resulted in excess manpower being under utilised. Staffs were inflexible and showed little sympathy or understanding to frustrated and angry customers.The interfaces with support functions such as Marketing or Information Systems Department tended to be confrontational rather than supportive. Fortunately, in the early days, competition was not very tough and Mr Small had no special performance targets or formal control mechanisms – he was literally his own boss. The policy change After five years of high growth, over the last twelve months sales have only grown by 3% and the company is beginning to struggle with diminishing profits. The main reasons for the slowdown have been identified:  · New Entr ants: 15 companies in the last 2 years, producing a wave of ‘direct insurance startups’.These companies have targeted the same customer segment as CD, the market for which has remained stagnant.  · Customers are more price sensitive and new entrants offer extremely low prices.  · Substitute Products are unchanged – customers still require car insurance. The new situation has forced management to review business policy options to provide a competitive advantage. Research has shown that for direct selling insurance products, the key market drivers are to:  · Offer a wider range of insurance products, so minimising the need for customers to deal with many suppliers. Offer low prices  · Provide excellent service. A recent internal report showed that the CD Call Centre still had potential to improve service levels and cost efficiency. The decision was therefore taken to extend the product range and improve service by addressing: Product flexibility CD will res pond to customer’s demand by launching a new product – household insurance – and deliver it via the Call Centre, alongside car insurance. Household insurance is often requested by customers and they have been in the past disappointed not to source it from CD.Furthermore, the product margin for household insurance is high, thanks to low average claims. Since only a few competitors currently offer household insurance, management believed they could generate an above average profit margin in the first year after launch. Responsiveness In order to make the new product successful, it will also be necessary to fulfill customer expectations for ‘time’ response. Consequently, operations management will need to ensure quick access to the Cal Centre and efficient treatment of customers for both products.Quality Improve customer service – at least to match competitors’ standards. Internal analysis has shown that the auto insurance ‘lapse ra te’ (customers not renewing their policies) – which is an indicator of customer satisfaction – was above the market average. To avoid this trap with the new product, significant improvements in service delivery of all CD’s activities is needed (including settlement of claims, which is not part of the Call Centre’s responsibilities). Cost Ensure price decrease of insurance premiums by reducing internal costs.All possibilities for further cost reduction must be exploited to permit a price level lower than the top five price leaders. By launching this policy change, senior management believe a successful implementation will lead to higher customer satisfaction and consequently to profitable growth. Influences on the operations The change in business policy will have an impact on M. Small’s current operations strategies. The policy change has been developed at corporate level but the benefits will have to be delivered by Mr Small, the Operations Manager, in the future.Therefore, Mr Small will need to address the changes to operating systems structures and operations management objectives. The determination of the tradeoff between customer service and resource utilisation will be a key factor for sustainable operation, especially in this competitive environment. The new business policy decision will affect Mr Small’s current practice in two ways. First, he will have to interface with the project setup to manage the launch of the new product and modifications to the delivery processes.Second, Small will have to establish operations management strategies to allow the business to meet the objectives of the policy change. The Project phase Workforce The existing staff will be responsible for the new product, alongside the existing offering. Therefore an intensive training programme on Information Technology (IT); enhancements and new product features will be required. To improve the overall quality and service provision, customer acquisition techniques and friendly handling of difficult customers will be covered during the training.Mr Small will work with the training department to develop a training plan which will take at least four days per group to deliver (each group has about 10 employees). Therefore, he will have to schedule the training so that the normal business will not be hampered by too few staff in the Call Centre. The new training approach will also have a long term influence, because training updates for employees will be held at least once a year. One of the aims of the training is to reshape corporate culture so as to engender a commitment to high efficiency and excellent ervice. This will demand empowering the workforce to focus on customer service, together with better collaboration between staff, by using more teamwork, to raise the overall efficiency levels of the operation. Mr Small will also have to install a feedback process to evaluate the satisfaction level of the staff, to help identify continuous improvement areas. Better motivation will be achieved by introducing a new incentive system, using positive customer feedback as a measure for rewards. Facilities & equipmentThe current workspace/workstation for a Call Centre staff member is a small, open ‘boxlike’ area (less than one square metre), containing a terminal, keyboard and telephone. The boxes are very close together and do not have a proper noise protection. Staff complains about the workstations, because with the background noise of five or more colleagues, concentration is difficult, and the number of data input errors are high. Staff have little space to write notes, so for example, noting down a telephone number to return a call to a customer is very difficult.After looking at the staff’s workspace, Small realised they would have to modify the building in order to create more space and provide noise protection. He thought that only by providing a convenient and ergonom ic workspace would he be able to ensure his staff’s full commitment to performance improvements. A careful forecast of future demand will be necessary in order to install the right number of new workstations and avoid under/over utilisation of resources. Technology A new terminal mask (template or standard screen) for the Call Centre needs to be developed by the Information Systems Department (ISD).This mask must contain all questions that need to be answered by the customer. To ensure service quality, ISD would have to create a flexible IT system, which would enable the Call Centre staff to quickly switch from one screen to another, according to customer’s demand. The competitor benchmark for ‘time to switch’ screens is less than 3 seconds. Furthermore, high IT reliability is vital, because breakdowns in the past have stopped all activities of the Call Centre, (since they depend on online access to the mainframe) and customers could not be served during t hat time. Mr.Small wonders if an ISD/Call Centre staff taskforce should be setup to explore the main historical problems for poor reliability, define development areas and try to find the best possible solution. Organisation Experience in the past has shown that the first few months after a product launch to be critical. Therefore, a new role of a ‘first alert support person’ needs to be established. The ‘first alert’ person will help improve service by patrolling the Call Centre and helping the staff during busy times, in cases of difficult customer questions or with technical problems.Furthermore, they would have a coaching role for new employees and also support staff training. The Human Resource Department (HRD) will need to develop the job description, provide a career plan for that role, manage the necessary recruiting and training process and determine how this new position fits into the organisation. Questions 1. Prepare the Project Definition Repor t for implementation of the policy change. This report should cover: vision; purpose (including a stakeholder analysis); objectives; scope; strategy; project phases; and project organisation. 2. What are the risks for the project and how should they be managed?

Ban the Box Argumentative Essay

With America being the land of opportunity, the U. S has presented quite a few disadvantaged Americans’ with not so many opportunities. Especially those people of who have been arrested for a criminal crime. This also includes freshly released from prison, probation and/or parole. A study in 2012 shows with one in four Americans in the United States today, have been arrested. (Solomon). That same study shows most Americans being arrested at the age of twenty three. This poses dilemmas as for employment breaks. Another disadvantage that comes to play is the initiative filling out the form of employment (The application).On that application for employment; reads a box that states criminal history, arrests previous to applying, also asks you to report any form convictions and the natures of the crimes. That little box tends to be not only discouraging to an applicant trying to better ones selves, but it also prevents reestablishing, and rehabilitating. From whatever it is they un dergo. From whatever might lead up to that background. Whether it is drugs addictions or reasons they performed those crimes, such as a way of survival.Thank fully enough that’s where Ban the Box Act comes into play. This is an act, which removes those horrible anxieties and pressures when applying for employment opportunities. Ban the box should be a federal law because it enables people to find recovery in the job market and not return to crime, and it also puts income back into America that could be used for more imperative issues to this country; also disables employers from discriminating against the job seeker; by seeing that box checked on a form of application for employment.Originally originated in California; Ban the box yet is involved in over 43 cities in America as of 2012 reports NELP (National Employment Law Project)(see NELP). Minnesota was the first state to apply this bill. It also narrows employers’ liability for criminal records (NELP). Incentives a re now being offered, and insurances to prevent as much liability for employers taking the risk of employing offenders, such as a tax break/credit.Delaware for example is trying to allow a grace period of time hired, and if performance is not acceptable then they may use the criminal history as a termination of employment. Although recently denied by congress in July 2012(BJS. Gov), it should be a federal law nationwide. With prison and or jails being the most highly funded besides Medicare in the country (Katel), it’d definitely lead to less recidivism to institutions which would put the funds to more imperative things; such as children’s education amongst many more federally applicable prospects.With incarceration rates in the United States higher than any other country in the world, and it’s one of those most funded as well (Katel). Besides Medicare the prison system alone in 2008 showed that it sucks up the most state funded money. An astonishing state cover age of $22,000 yearly (Katel). With the United States almost exceeding count of 22 million of Americans’ institutionalized in some kind of jail and/or prison system. As of 2011, (Solomon) each year over 12 million people are admitted to local jails, and more than 700,000 are admitted to state and federal facilities.The United States has less than 5% of the world’s population but almost a quarter of its population is prisoners! (Solomon) About three fourths of a million of those prisoners or inmates will be released from the institution that they are in. Within a three year period, almost more than half of them will return to jail or prison due to committing either new or relevant crimes (Kamel) for ways of survival or violating the community corrections program they were obligated to.These include not just parole, also probation or drug court. The easiest way of violating one of the community programs above is employment. It is not just a suggestion; it’s a requ irement to remain to one’s freedom. Which is uncovered challenging, and in this day and time nearly unrealistic! Not only due to today’s economy; also due to that bad choice(s) or a criminal history can make finding employment difficult. NIJ (National Institute of Justice) found that a criminal record reduces the likelihood of a job or offer by over 50%! Solomon) With another study showing that 92% of employers use some sort of background check. With any kind of simple arrest or criminal history (even if it didn’t lead to a conviction. ) that shows quite a problem. So being on a community corrections program and the conditions of the job employment is very discouraging to more than half of those sentenced to these programs. Recidivism is bound to occur for most unfortunately.

Histroy 101 Western Civ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Histroy 101 Western Civ - Essay Example Athens as a democratic state was much emphasized during the 4th century BC although many historical documents have shown that democracy as a way of life was very much practiced as early as 5 B.C. The word Demos connotes two important things for Athenians- â€Å"village† and â€Å"people†. Village was the smallest unit of government at that time. People belonged to a certain village; in fact, men who are at least 18 years of age could participate in the Assembly. The Assembly was attended by anyone from the village that wants to have their voice heard. This included Demosthenes who tirelessly rebukes citizens to recall certain events since the people were always present in such Assembly (Blackwell, 2003, p6). It was of grave importance to always attend to the concerns being discussed during the said meeting. The characteristics of such a meeting showed the democratic ideals of Athens. First, anyone can speak regardless of trade or position in society, especially if the i ssue at hand is about governance. For other concerns that needed specialized knowledge, a craftsman is called forth to shed opinion on such matters (Blackwell, p7). These rules during an assembly imply that democracy was highly-valued and actively practiced. Democracy is not just a lofty ideal since it was practiced by the citizens. The assembly just shows how wealth is considered inferior to the democratic rights of its citizens (Lewis and Lewis,p.219). The practice of democracy was further heightened by Pericles during 460 B.C. Previously, public officials were appointed based on wealth or birth status. Such criteria for public office were promulgated by Solon or Cleisthenes. Pericles made the selection more democratic by allowing patrons to represent slaves and resident aliens, which is referred to as equality of opportunity. Although such practice earned criticism of historians since they believed it promoted â€Å"aristocracy†, the important to consider was the fact that representatives were chosen based on merit. Merit does not include wealth nor birth status which allowed men from all walks of life to have a say in matters of the state. This philosophy of Pericles is again an example of how democratic ideals permeated the political structure and governance of Athens. Interestingly, art became a willing medium of democratic ideals for this civilization. The assembly provided enough fodder for playwrights to create plays that can be considered political satire. In the same manner, the epic Iliad which is a gory depiction of battles is also said to have an underlying tone of political satire. According to Stewart, The Battle Between Frogs and The Mice is actually a satire with a pacifist theme. Again, the relevance of political satire when it comes to democratic ideals is that such art forms express how vigilant Athenians are over issues that concern their homeland. Pacifism is a philosophy adhered to by Athenians for they were not men of war like S partans. Although critics may disagree with such stand, this emphasizes to students of history that this society respected the opinion of its citizens. Lastly, the choir setting in Greek plays also demonstrates the ideals of democracy in Athens. Studies relating performing arts assert that â€Å"Performance reflects, encodes cultural models† (Goldhill and Osborne, 27). Democracy is expressed by the choir’

Human Resource Management- Hilton Hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Human Resource Management- Hilton Hotel - Essay Example Recruitment and Retention of the workforce 20 b. Well being and Happiness at work 21 Introduction Managing humans has always been at the centre of a number of real-life management issues within an organization. The concept ‘human resource management’ has been introduced allowing enough debate to emerge in this arena. According to Storey, â€Å"the concept is shrouded in the managerial hype and its underlying philosophy and character is highly controversial because it lacks precise formulation and agreement as to its significance† (Bratton & Gold, 2001,p.1). The management of human resource has been significant for the success of any organization. Human resource management emphasizes that the employees are key factors driving sustainable growth of the organization given them the competitive advantage over its competitors. In theory, the human resource management is not pretty different from the management of other resources. However, what establishes the different is the type of resource, the people in the organization. Human beings can be seemed as the creative as well as complex resource whose behavior can be influenced by a number of different factors merging either from the internal as well as surrounding environment. Human resource management has various areas like recruitment and selection, training, employee welfare and retention. Each of these segments is important to make the human resources as a competitive advantage for an organization. Moreover, it cannot be denied that in hospitality industry the most crucial resource is the people who are responsible for the service and interact with the guests on a regular basis. So the topic is pretty significant as hotel industry is one of those industries in which human resources are thought to be most crucial for survival. This report is an effort to discuss and analyze the human resource management in Hilton hotel. This report will start off with the brief overview of the organization. In the later segments, the discussion and analysis would be carried out regarding the people management approaches, policies, practices, issues in the human resource management in Hilton hotel. The focus has been kept in two chosen areas including recruitment and retention of the workforce and well being and happiness at work. The research methodology has been discussed in the next chapters with an introduction to the data collection and analysis. In this chapter, an analysis has been done to have an insight into the emerging issues in the arena of human resource management in Hilton hotel. Effort has been put not only to discuss the techniques and tactics used in the human resource management, but also the issue and the way to resolve the same. A conclusion has been inferred from the analysis part with mention of the recommendations which are expected to enhance the human resource management further to increase the effectiveness of the critical resource in Hilton hotel. Brief Overview of Hilton Hotel Hilton Hotel has earned a huge amount of popularity in the hotel industry segment taken in an international context. The hotel company has successfully been able to internationalize its operations through extending its network to around 76 countries spread around the world. Hilton Hotel by operating through a network of six continents has been able to address the needs of its international customers through the creation of around 530 hotel outlets. The hotel and resort properties of

Current home to your dream home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current home to your dream home - Essay Example This paper basically offers distinctions between my current home and dream home. I currently live in the sunny Florida, and this place does not fit the credentials of my dream home. The house is not big enough. The whole property is fit on a 2500 square fit piece of land which seems to be very congested. The house is not well furnished, cooled or heated. The living room according to me is too small. It is difficult for all people in the house to get along in this single room.It is also hard to do anything because the dining area and the kitchen a put as part of this space. My current kitchen does not help the situation; it has an in-built refrigerator, gas range, wall oven and dishwasher. This does not fall in my hallucinations about my dream kitchen. The number of bedrooms in this house is not enough, we are even afraid to have guest over because we cannot comfortably fit and squeeze in a guest this literally frustrates me. My outdoor is â€Å"pathetic† having only a small place to lounge beneath a palm tree by the pool is all I can say about it. This ho me is basically below my dream expectations. My dream home should be in Winter Park, Colorado, a skiing town that just mesmerizes me. The house should be big, perfectly fit on at least 7000 square feet, well furnished, cooled and heated. My dream living space is composed of a great room and other important areas such as the gaming or media room and the living room itself. A dream house must have a great kitchen and my dream kitchen should have every appliance imaginable, double ovens, dishwashers, a refrigerator and all the necessary utilizable machines should be at my disposal. The bedrooms should be big and spacious with the master bedroom fit with its own bathroom. The house should be able to accommodate comfortably around ten people and have extra space to squeeze in a couple more people. I would also prefer if the house had a separate guest

The evolution of writing and reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The evolution of writing and reading - Essay Example The earliest form it was developed out of pictographic symbols of objects, which we call pictographic writing. These Egyptians and Mesopotamians pictograms were just mere representations of the objects drawn, reading these symbols was only recognizing the representations of the objects. However, pictographic writing was independently developed in China during 1500 B.C. Later on, this form of writing slowly developed into ideograms (Gaur 16). Ideographic writing system is more of an abstract representation rather than a clear picture of objects. Unlike the earlier system, pictogram, ideograms represented images that had conventional meanings (Daniels and Bright 12). For instance, with the pictographic system, a picture of a star meant a star in the sky while in the ideographic system, a picture of a starry sky meant darkness because stars were normally seen at night. This development in the history of writing could be taken as an improvement in the development of the human intellect. When our ancestors invented writing, it was only a mere representation of objects but since the emergence of the ideographic writing system, they began thinking beyond what they saw. The earliest development of ideograms was in the East during the Bronze Age between 2500 B.C. and the first century B.C. During this development, experts found out that unlike the earlier form pictogram when our ancestors used their hands to draw symbols, they began using a wedged-shaped object in imprinting their writings in soft clay tablets (Daniels and Bright 15). In regards to the development of the human intellect that was shown through the emergence of ideographic writing that housed objects' abstract meaning, the use of a stylus was another notch higher than the earlier â€Å"handprint† style. This innovation showed progress in terms of how our ancestors before wanted to leave a more concrete proof of development in writing. â€Å"Sacred writing† or better known as the Egyptian hie roglyphic was the combination of the two earlier writing systems plus their sounds. Looking at in from today, the chronological order of our progress in writing seemed to be a systematic process of the development in the human brain. We may ask the reason behind it being not in a different order. Is this a natural way of development, considering that we, of course, learned sounds first before images? According to archeologists, anthropologists and other scientists, images were easier to express in writing than sounds even if oral communication was a natural instinct (Stuart 33). Another development in writing is logogram, which is the further progress towards figures. This form's graphemes represented words and was best known from the Japanese and Chinese systems. If we notice, this system is more complex than the other earlier forms of writing, which means that the human intellect again, indeed progressed. The emergence of the logogram can be seen as the basis of the modern alphabe t that we use today. How it has Changed? The emergence of technology surely made a big difference in our ways. Machines, automobiles, washing machines, computers, and the likes, seriously made a big impact in changing the lives of the people enslaved to them. The electronic mail or better known as email for instance, sends mails to other people across the globe in a snap. Unlike before, after the alphabet was invented, we used to write in scrolls and

Bible Dictionary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bible Dictionary - Essay Example The key themes that the letter embraces is the criticism of following the Jewish law, significance of faith that unites both Gentiles and Jews, the need to keep strong in faith as it is the only way to salvation. One would make not mistake suggesting that the purpose of the letter is to make a clear distinction between Christianity as a new religious tradition and Judaism or Judeo-Christianity that was popular at the time. In addition to that, the epistle in question shares some details about the past of Paul: he talks about his conversion, the acquaintance with Peter, his apostolic mission. Other then Peter, the author also mentions some other Christian communities in Europe as well as other nations that he encountered during his journey. Philemon was one of the early Christians who dwelled in Asia Minor. He was born in the first decade of the first century of Common Era and died when he was sixty eight. There are no detailed dates of his life. It is thought that Philemon was born in the city of Colossae. When Paul the Apostle was on his mission Philemon was able to meet the saint and the latter converted him into Christianity. One should note that Philemon was a rather wealthy Christian which allowed him to give shelter other Christians. That is why the latter were always welcome in his house which served as a church too. However, in the end of his life he and his wife Apphia were killed by the Gentiles which made them glorious martyrs. Being a hospitable Christian, Philemon was able to meet not only Paul the Apostle, but also other less known Christians. In addition to that, it was not only his wife, but also Archippus and Onesimus who were killed by the Gentiles. That is why all these four individuals are thought be martyrs as they suffered a horrible death for Jesus Christ. Speaking of the legacy, one should note that Philemon was a prominent Christian, as Paul the Apostle

Balance sheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Balance sheet - Essay Example Balance sheets are generally prepared by a company at the end of its financial year. The balance sheets are presented in either horizontal or in vertical form. All the items present in the balance sheet of a company are discussed in details in this study. The dual aspect of balance sheet and the application of balance sheet have also been mentioned in this study. The users of balance sheets include the company managers to help them in analysing the financial conditions of the company, the investors and shareholders to help them in their decision making process regarding investment in the organisation and all other stakeholders of the company. With the increasing trend of globalisation most of the companies are trying to explore business opportunities in different parts of the world. As a result of this they need to comply with the regulatory requirements of different nations of the world. However with the advent of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Accounting Standards (IAS), the accounting practices followed in different nations are converging to make the financial statements including balance sheets more comparable in nature. A comparison between the balance sheet formats followed by companies in US and UK has been discussed in this study. 2. Balance Sheet Items All the items of a balance sheet fall under two broad headings, namely â€Å"Assets† and â€Å"Liabilities†. The items falling under the categories of assets and liabilities have been discussed below: 2.1 Assets Assets which are possessed by a business concern are categorised into two types, namely, current assets and fixed assets. Fixed assets are considered to be the long term assets of the company and current assets are considered to be the short term assets of the company. All these assets of the company are valued and represented in the balance sheet of the company at its book value or historical costs of those assets that is the costs of the asset s when it was first bought by the company. This is known as the historic cost convention (Horner, 2012, p. 42). However, as an exception to this convention or rule, some of the assets like the buildings possessed by the company are re-valued at its market price and then represented in its balance sheet. Sometimes, assets like goodwill generated internally by the company, including the values o different kinds of brands acquired by the company over a period of time are not included in its balance sheet. It is so because of the difficulty in accurately measuring the value of these kinds of assets. Let us now discuss in details about the assets of a company. 2.1.1 Fixed Assets Long term assets or fixed assets possessed by a company are sometimes referred to as non-current assets of the company. Fixed assets generally comprises of those assets of the company which are utilized by it for conducting its various business activities and are there with the company for a long period of time. They are not meant for resale by the organisation. The fixed assets of the company help it to generate sales or revenues through its business processes over a long period of time. Generally the fixed assets are required to be depreciated along its lifetime (Stittle, & Wearing, 2008, p. 60). Fixed assets of an organisation can further be grouped together into three different categories. They are: a) Tangible

Public Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Administration - Essay Example Public Administration is a branch of political science which deals with those agencies that perform functions related to the government. It is related to the management of public programs and those who work in it communicate with the residents of their country or community. Public Administration can be divided into two categories: direct and indirect. The direct administration is the provision of services like electricity, insurance, delivery of emails etc. Indirect administration includes the contracts that government makes with private organizations of people in order to provide goods and services to citizens. Public Administration is the implementation of a public law. It also includes regulation, telling people and organizations what they could or could not do. It is the responsibility of the government to manage different functions like taxation, public spending like provision of street lights, unemployment benefits etc. The majority tasks of the government are performed by bure aucrats who have to think of solutions to the challenges faced by the society. A public administrator also performs duties like creating government policies, advising officials and setting budgets etc. Public administration works on how government decisions are made and even how to implement those decisions. An example of the tasks performed by public administration officials includes coming up with efficient solutions to different problems or issues prevalent in a society like introducing rehabilitation programs for criminals etc.

American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American History - Essay Example atural resources to initiate industrial revolution, the entire process did not receive much success mainly due to problems of transportation, in the second half, diversification among laborers, their respective demands, socio-cultural factors of their existence and presence of abundant population, willing to give labor, did not provide sufficient scope to labor movements and evolve of socialism in the American context. Stanley L. Engerman and Robert E. Gallman while genealogically discussing the history of industrialization in the United States has attempted to reflect upon the reasons that prevented industrial revolution from taking a flourish in the early 19th century: â€Å"The future of the American economy in the years of the revolutionary war and the achievement of independence was †¦ uncertain †¦.There was some reasonable degree of prosperity in most states, and if transportation problems could be overcome †¦ the economy had possibilities for growth and development. The economy of 1800 was †¦ primarily agricultural, dependent upon the British economy for many manufactured goods, and affected negatively by the British Navigation Act† (Engerman and Gallman 127). This observation becomes important in the context of the discussion because within this scope it discusses the constraints of commencing industrial revolution and the aspiration to initiate the same in an organized way so that dependence on the British can be reduced, consequently leading to strengthening the American economy. However, till 1860, despite certain shifts from the agricultural dependency to industrialization, no radical changes were observed in the total labor force of the nation and by 1960 only one-sixth of the entire U.S labor force opted for industrialization (Engerman and Gallman 127-28). Since 1860 onwards, the situation gradually started undergoing a transformation as it was becoming evident that individualize measured output in the manufacturing and service sector is

Transparency In Government Essay Example for Free

Transparency In Government Essay Introduction. Government organs and state owned enterprises are major buyers and sellers having a great impact on international trade. According to an OECD estimates, the total government procurement worldwide was estimated to be roughly equivalent to 82.3% of world merchandise and commercial services exports in 1998 alone[1]. Such public spending is essential in running government welfare programs such as, health, education, and pension and managing the infrastructure for future development. In order to obtain cost effective prices for contracting the services to run these projects, an efficient public procurement policy that incorporates elements of transparency and competition needs to be established to ensure that the tendering process is open to all interested parties. Besides, knowledge about a country’s contestable shares is important not only for investors, but also governments and trade negotiators. The Chairman of the WTO Working Group on Transparency in Government Procurement Practices, established after the 1996 WTO Ministerial Conference in Singapore, identified Transparency in Government Procurement as one of the twelve issues around which discussions on procurement matters at the WTO have been organized. This paper analyses in depth this issue with a view to improving market access and national welfare. For this purpose, we present the following structure. (SECTION II) The relationship between public procurement, market access and national welfare: Traditionally, public procurement is viewed as a sovereign domain of governments except when it is relinquished in favour of international trade agreements such as the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. Though it’s easy to agree on a policy for ensuring transparency in Public Procurements, the implementation of such a policy depends on, among other factors, whether such an agreement will improve market access for suppliers at the same time cater for the county’s national welfare. Hence the main objective of this paper is to answer the question on whether transparency in Public Procurement can achieve both objectives. Here, we confirm that lack of transparency in PP reduces market access and national welfare only in the short run where the government’s demand is initially more than the total domestic supply but does not affect prices in the long run under perfect market conditions. {Baldwin and Richardson (1972)} at the same time, we examine the trade impact of transparent procurement policy and support the view that non-preferential procurement policy results in huge gains in national welfare. {Lowinger (1976) and Deardorff and Stern (1979)} (Section III) Actual data on the size of government procurement practices: Though the Data on government procurement markets are both scarce and non-standardized, we intend to measure the quantity of government procurements markets in the international trade. We shall also analyze the methodology used in collection and calculation of data from various countries with emphasis on SNA, WTO notifications, EC study based on EU official journal and the â€Å"bottom up approach[2]† The role of the OECD Trade Committee in respect of its analysis of government procurement practices shall also be examined.[3]. Section IV Rationale for discriminative practices: Cost effectiveness, geographical proximity especially for non-tradable goods[4] nationalism, corruption,[5] and protectionalism are some of the rationales that we shall discuss. We shall review the Keynesian theory associating procurement discrimination to macroeconomic development. Some projects that are prone to preferential treatment such as the aviation industry and defence contracts are also discussed. forms of discrimination such as the â€Å"outright exclusion† in which foreign bidders are excluded from tendering process, â€Å"preferential price margin† in which local bidders are preferred as long s the price difference doesn’t exceed specific margin and the concept of   â€Å"domestic content requirement† in which foreign suppliers are automatically disqualified from bidding unless they commit to purchase some components from domestic firms[6] have been reviewed. Section V Summary of the effect of preferential treatment: We present that procurement policies favouring domestic firms and products can impede international commerce especially when there is an outright ban for foreign suppliers. But at the same time local firms will greatly benefit thereby boosting national income. A liberalized policy on the other hand may achieve the WTO aim of market access, which in turn will positively affect national welfare, but transparency reform need not improve market access and welfare simultaneously[7]. We shall also highlight the importance of transparency in PP to global trade initiatives. Section VI Measures to improve transparency in procurement policies: We shall review reform initiatives and the factors aiding or hindering such reforms. International commitment in improving market access and national welfare shall also be discussed. We shall provide an overview of the achievements and failures of the following agreements in this regard. GATT 1947 The Tokyo round 1979 The Uruguay round 1994 The Singapore ministerial conference (1996) The Doha ministerial declaration (2001) Beyond the Cancun collapse The concluding remarks are given in section VII.   ACRONYMS OECD WTO World Trade Organisation SNA EC European Commission EU European Union PP Public Procurement GATT General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs. [1] OECD, The Size of Government Procurement Markets 11-Feb-2002, Available at http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/34/14/1845927.pdf [2] This is a method of gathering national data on procurement expenditure directly from the national procurement agencies of various countries. [3] Please study OECD Draft instrument on Government Purchasing Policies, Procidures and Practices forwarded to GATT in 1976 for better understanding. [4] Breton and Salmon, (1995) [5] Corrupt officials expand expenditures (Hines, 1997). For a detailed political economy rationale for reform see Hoekman (1998) [6] OECD, The Size of Government Procurement Markets 11-Feb-2002, Available at http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/34/14/1845927.pdf [7] Government procurement: market access, transparency, and multilateral trade rules Simon J. Evenett, Bernard M. Hoekman