Human Trafficking Paper Essay

Thesis: Because human trafficking is worse than ever and also the fastest increasing criminal industry in today’s world, society needs to address the problem in serious ways. I. Traffickers A. Child slavery B. Exploitation II. Lifestyle A. Treatment B. Living conditions III. Results A. Injuries B. Health Howell 1 Human Trafficking Every year roughly 100,000 children are kidnapped and brought into human trafficking. This creates them to be opened up to the streets, diseases, and sexual abuse at an extremely young age. Most are used until they have passed from drug overdose or sexual disease. Some get away but most don’t escape because of the danger it will cause or they’ve been in it for so long they  believe it is normal. Because human trafficking is worse than ever and also the fastest increasing criminal industry in today’s world, society needs to address the problem in serious ways. Every year thousands of men, women, and children are abducted in violation of human rights. â€Å"Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer and harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat and use of force or other forms of coercion.† Human trafficking has three whole elements which are; The Act (what us done), The Means (how it is done), and The Purpose (why it is done). 1,082 cases of sex trafficking and 1,615 of them were child cases, only 361 kids were returned home. If these abductions rise as they are now by 2020 we will have an estimate of 10,000 child abduction cases related to sex trafficking. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 is helping out in preventing child abduction in sex trafficking. It is one of the most effective so far.

Prioritizing Projects at Dd Williamson

Introduction Case Analysis D. D. Williamson created a list of 78 projects which needed to be prioritized, organized, and selected. The company used a four step method to rate each project: 1) Establish criteria for prioritizing projects. 2) Weigh each criterion. 3) Refine the list of projects. 4) Rate each project on each criterion and total ratings. To give team members control over the ranking of projects, each member was asked to write three different criteria on three Post-it Notes. These Post-it Notes were divided into similar item groups and each group was named. This process established the important criteria for selection. The criteria were used to determine how well each project would fit into the strategy of the company (Kloppenborg, 2009, p. 35). To weigh each criteria group, the team members assigned each group a score. More important groups were given a score of 10, less important groups a score of 6 to 9, the least important groups a score of 5 or less. Criteria that were scored at 6 or higher were used to assess each project and criteria of 5 or lower were reserved for further ranking later in the process. Criteria are weighted in order to help place the projects in order of importance as they are aligned with the goals of the company (Kloppenborg, 2009, p. 36). After the criteria were established and weighted, the list of projects was refined. Projects that were listed out as individual projects but were really one project happening concurrently in different locations were discovered and the list was changed to reflect this, reducing the number of projects on the list. There were also projects added to the list that had not been formally identified as projects earlier. The criteria helped to determine which projects could initially be considered projects and which projects could be removed from the list. The projects on the list were reviewed to discover which were considered most important and rank the rest. The projects considered most important were immediately placed on the top of the importance list, and the rest went through the scoring process to be ranked in order from most to least important. The projects were than rated according to the criteria that had been established earlier. Each project was rated to see how well it fit into each individual criterion, one at a time. All team members participated in the scoring, and agreement needed to be reached on how to score each project before scores were recorded. If project scoring required a lengthy decision, that was set aside for a different time so that team members could get through this process fairly quickly (Kloppenborg, 2009, p. 36-37). This entire process was recorded into a spreadsheet. How the projects were ranked, how each project was scored on each criterion and the calculation of the weighted scores were all recorded on the spreadsheet. The team had prioritized 62 projects total throughout this process. Since the projects had already been ranked in order of importance, it would be easy for the team to hold a future meeting to assign resources and timelines to the projects at the top of the list (Kloppenborg, 2009. P. 44-45). The prioritization of the projects was a very important task for D. D. Williamson’s global operating team to complete. Although the task seems time consuming, it will save the team time in the long run because projects are rated in importance long before they are scheduled to begin. The weighting process allowed the team to discover where each project would fit into the SWOT analysis, and how each project would further the strategic objectives or otherwise benefit the company. The company uses a database to identify their potential projects. The database is used to keep track of daily work and project work. This tracking helps to highlight things that need to be improved during daily processes. The very large list of 62 potential projects gives the company a wide range of choices in selecting which projects to complete. This helps to ensure that the most important issues that need to be worked on will be addressed in the timeliest fashion (Kloppenborg, 2009, p. 32-33). D. D. Williamson chooses to use a scoring model in project selection. This seems to be the most efficient way for the company to prioritize and select projects. Major problems arising with this process would be the potential for lengthy discussions revolving around project selection and prioritization. The rating process helps to eliminate much of the discussion, but there may be some sticking points where additional criteria will have to be used to decide on issues. Recommended Actions In addition to the continuing use of the database and prioritization and selection process, it is recommended that D. D. Williamson use the lower weighted criteria to help make decisions when a stalemate has been reached when discussing potential projects. The additional criteria can help team members to quickly address concerns about potential projects. If the potential projects are ranked well in the highly weighted criteria, the lower weighted criteria can be used to further break down the project and determine if it is a good fit. The last recommendation is creating mandatory criteria. In addition to moving the most highly scored projects to the top of the list, mandatory criteria can ensure that necessary projects are not overlooked. These mandatory criteria can include issues like government regulation, safety issues, and security issues (Kloppenborg, 2009, p. 36). The mandatory criteria will fast-track projects that must be completed. Conclusion D. D. Williamson has a great project selection process in place. While many other companies use personal preference or whims to make project decisions, D. D. Williamson carefully considers which projects fit best into the company’s strategies and which will best help further the interests of the company. With a few minor additions to the process, D. D. Williamson can continue to make great project selections and maintain a competitive advantage in their market. References Kloppenborg, T. J. (2009). Contemporary project management (pp. 27-45). Mason: South- Western Cengage Learning.

Historically, attitudes toward alcohol cannot be separated from Essay

Historically, attitudes toward alcohol cannot be separated from ideologies and attitudes toward other social issues. To wh - Essay Example For instance, the role or significance of alcohol has changed extensively while the ways in which it is made have remained relatively rigid. This paper outlines that attitudes towards the consumption of alcohol are linked to specific attitudes and ideologies in the society. Alcohol consumption has been taken to imply other social perspectives in different cultures and eras. This will be expounded upon in the paper to identify what influenced these perspectives and what the consequences were to the consumption of liquor. The perspectives that some may have held towards alcohol may differ to those of other in another culture or within the same culture but with different views. Alcohol and Social Occasions Many Christians or those knowledgeable about the bible may be aware of an occasion where Jesus turned water into wine. The occasion was a wedding and the people had run out of wine. This had the potency to ruin the party. In history, alcohol has been associated with celebrations parti cularly those fully endorsed by the society such as weddings or the birth of a baby. The society would come together during such occasions and drink together, an action that had a deeper meaning that many would apprehend today. It was a way of bringing the community closer, in a way that it would bond and become more united towards achieving tasks. In those times, the community worked as one towards performing specific roles which may be equated to the family set up today. Consumption of alcohol was not as straight forward as it is today. It had to be consented by the â€Å"form of leadership† in the community and done in public by all those permitted to drink. This usually took place during occasions that had the theme of celebration such as after a hefty harvest or during a union between a man and a woman. It was hence impossible to separate such occasions and alcohol, particularly so because it was preserved for such occasions. People would be waiting for them to come and would not miss. It also performed pivotal roles in bringing together the community, this one of the most important unit that determined prosperity or failure. A community that would not come together to drink and rejoice after a favorable occasion was feeble and would not accomplish much. Alcohol and Social Status As stated earlier, the decision to brew beer (one of the most common form of alcohol at the time along with grape wine) was made by the community. This is not to say that the entire community would deliberate over the matter, rather the select few with the obligation to made decisions for the community as a whole. This meant that these individuals had a higher power (status) as compared to the ordinary civilians. This community set up is mutual to many cultures, which means that this group of was given different names and obligations. What is common in almost all cases is that social gatherings such as the one that would require the provision of alcohol were deliberated by these individuals. It is factual to assert that alcohol was largely linked to social class. Decisions on whether to drink, even on an individual level were dependent on whether those of a higher social status agreed to the idea. As this form of community slowly disintegrated and alcohol was incessantly availed to everyone at a cost, only those of the upper social class that could afford it continued to control it. In some way, it may be viewed that much did not change. Alcohol continued to be

Rural Idyll and Social Exclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rural Idyll and Social Exclusion - Essay Example The images in the rural places provide the revelation of the kind of lifestyles by the people, cultures, the products and the entire environment of the rural places. The Link between Rural Idyll and Geographical Imagery The geographical imagery in the rural areas depict much about the rural people to include their productivity, economic activities, the climatic condition, weather and culture. The nature of the rural areas and the belief of being the related to poverty which consequently lead to the migration of the people t the cities intensifies social exclusion in the region. These define the bad image of the rural areas and the factor of de-motivation to involve the villagers, the poor people in the planning process of the country. The negative perception and the belief of incapability of the villages lead to social exclusion (Yarwood 12). The Concept of Rural Idyll and Social Exclusion Social exclusion involves the contemporary neglect of the rural people from the benefits and ex posing the people to disadvantages in the rural areas. This is as a result of the social class differences between the rural people and the city dwellers. The rural people are systematically blocked from rights, freedoms, opportunities and resources and these should present in order to enhance social integration between the people and the entire society. The geographical images in the rural; areas give them the classification of poor lifestyles by the urban dwellers. The exclusion of the rural people from the budgetary processes of the country will deny the society the opportunity to access the basic human wants in life (Philip and Mark 468). Rural Idyll and Low Income The negative point of view and belief leads to discrimination of the rural people. The urban elites, who are the planners and the directors of the major economic projects in the countries, look down upon the rural people with view of incapability and incompetence. The escalating rate of poverty is due to the relative low levels of affluence in the rural places, which ids contributed by the rural disadvantage posed by the development pilots in the regions. In the contemporary societies, the low levels of income in the rural areas are intensified with the need to own a car and meet the standards of the other people. This means that the rates of income are affected by the high living standards in the societies. The image of the rural areas put the villagers at the verge of poverty as their fate to access the full means of development are justified based on such measures (Carpenter, Belinda & Stuart 109). Poor or lack of services The neglect of the rural areas leads to discrimination that influences the supply of services to the people. Services to the people are determined majorly by the level of income that is usually low in these areas and therefore the services delivered are poor and of lower quality if not limited. The decline of services affects the poor and the elderly in the communities but in the rural areas it affects everybody. Poor services are directly linked with the poor access to channels and links to access these core servicers to the people. The lack of roads in the rural areas is linked with the focus to develop the urban areas neglecting the villages. The urban areas are given first priorities in everything to deal with the provision of development services and infrastructure (Yarwood 34). Rural Idyll Influences the Rate of

Course Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Course Design - Essay Example According to Iwasiw, Goldenberg & Andrusyszyn (2009), curriculum development in nursing education is characterized by ‘interaction, cooperation, change, and possibility conflict, †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..and values of stakeholders’ (Chapter 1, n.p). Wound care management is a hot topic which requires special attention in nurses training. So a program in this would be very useful. Foot care management is providing education and training on proper foot care like foot massaging, trimming toe nails, identifying circulatory disorders etc. All these require expertise. So a course on foot care management is essential. These three areas are in need of experienced man power. So training courses in the above said departments is a necessity. I. SANE Course A. Course Design A course on Sexual assault nursing examination is important as the trauma of a victim is so intense. A four weeks long SANE course should follow a student centered approach with maximum interaction from the part of the st udent. In addition to the interactive class room sessions the learner should get active clinical practice making the learner competent in sexual assault practice. The learner should be trained in psychological principles to deal with the emotional state of the patient. The class size of 8 students and well trained faculty members makes the course interactive and interesting. Clinical practice sessions and visits to crime lab and crisis centers give the students enough practical exposure. 1. Course Description. This four-week course offers didactic and clinical training for Registered Nurses to conduct a comprehensive sexual assault medical forensic examination and to testify in court on that exam if called. This course should train the nurse in advanced physical assessment skills like emergency care, critical care and maternal child health care. The training they require should meet the requirement of the community they serve as each community varies in the mode of SANE practice. It varies according to the type of patient they handle like adult, adolescent and pediatric. A SANE is trained to work with a multidisciplinary population of professionals like advocates, law enforcement, forensic experts and legal professionals. So training in a collaborative learning environment is a criterion in SANE training. This course provides further knowledge in topics such as forensic code of ethics, extensive forensic examination, and documentation of injuries, collection of forensic samples and its management, testifying legal proceedings, giving emotional support to the victims. 2. Goal. The goal of this course is to mold a registered nurse to a professional trained in clinical preparation and forensic care of a patient who has experienced sexual assault. 3. Objectives. After four weeks of the course; 3.1. The participants will be able to discuss medical forensic history and dynamics of sexual assault 3.2. The participants will be able to describe and give examples of wha t to document, how to document and management of forensic samples 3.3 The participants will be able to demonstrate or show how to testify in a mock trial and do the GYN exam 3.4. The participants will be able to compare and contrast/ analyze different assault situations. 3.5. The participants will be able to explain/summarize forensic code of ethics 3.6. The participant develops skill in physical examination of the person who has undergone sexual assault 3.7. The

( Ontological Arguments ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

( Ontological Arguments ) - Essay Example The conceptual analysis of the cause of the universe based on cosmological argument helps in establishing the important facts about the existence of the universe and its being. The argument starts from three premises; Premise (1) is notably true since something cannot come out of nothing. According to metaphysical intuition there has to be some cause for the existence of something. It is thus very reasonable to argue that there is a requirement of a causal explanation for the existence of the universe even for the atheists. This is because if they believe that the universe began at the Bing Bang, then the universe must have had the potentiality to exist in the first place. And since there is nothing that had existed prior to the Bing Bang, then the potentiality of the universe’s existence rested in the power of God who made it possible. As such, this premise is true as we can confirm it in our realities and also the scientist naturalists can sense in it. Premise (2) holds that an actual infinite cannot exist. This is because as infinite temporal regress of events causes intolerable absurdities and therefore it cannot exist. History is made of events leading up to each other sequentially and, therefore it is very possible to add to history making its existence potentially infinite. However, it can only be potentially infinite as opposed to being actually infinite. This argument is frequently objected on the basis of the second premise which is deemed problematic both scientifically and philosophically. This is because opponents state that if the universe has an infinitely distant starting point, then one should be able to transverse from the starting point to the present. The common logic is that if there is a finite distance which connects sequential events in the past, then it can be easily transversed, which is not the case here. This objection is further worsened by the fact that the cosmological argument presupposes

Analysis of Personal and Organizational Ethics and Values between Research Paper

Analysis of Personal and Organizational Ethics and Values between For-Profit and Not-for-Profit Organizations - Research Paper Example Various companies claim to have the best corporate environment in their respective cultures but there are several discrepancies and deviations in them. Abolishment of organizational ethics can be observed in companies and yet they claim to be the best in market. The purpose of this paper is to examine such circumstances in a profit organization- Apple Inc. and a nonprofit organization- International Red Crescent. What sort of organizational ethics play into action in these firms and how are they following the code of ethics is the essence of the paper. What kind of culture is prevailing in the decision making process- authoritative or democratic etc. Examining the current status of employees, management practices and their relationship with the ethical management theories will be illustrated. What processes the companies have applied to remain competitive in the industry and are the mission & vision matching with their respective actions etc or not. In depth analysis of both these co mpanies will be done to acquire concrete knowledge. Part 1: International Red Cross: Company Profile The International Red Cross movement is a world renowned nonprofit humanitarian movement for the welfare of human race. It has the legacy to help out human beings irrespective of any race, color or religion. The motto of this movement is to protect human lives, cure them from diseases and prevent their sufferings. This movement has been working globally having stations in almost every country of the world. The Red Cross movement has its subsidiaries working in countries by the name of National Red Cross; however the mother organization remains as International Red Cross. Red Cross joined hands with the Red Crescent movement so that humanitarian services would be expanded and an overall impact all over the globe could be made. The efforts of the merger of both these organizations gave a powerful message that humanity first. The establishment of International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement was essential as they got immense aid and their humanitarian services also spread out. This movement is highly acknowledged by the governments of the world and in the time of war, floods, earthquakes or any unpleasant circumstances; International Red Cross & Red Crescent are the front row saviors of human lives. They have well qualified doctors, physicians, rescue team and technology. Due to their enormous fame and great services, government and people whole heartedly aid this organization. The efforts laid by Red Cross are verily outstanding and commendable. Ethical Dilemma at Red Cross Every organization faces tough and hard circumstances through which it has to pass victorious. Red Cross has faced several ethical dilemmas and it occurred due to numerous reasons. The biggest issue which Red Cross has been facing is the logistics problem. Logistics and Supply chain management is a big setback in the serving efforts of the organization. The proper management and allocation process still needs to be examined. There is no doubt about the services provided by Red Cross but most of them it is observed that there process is slowed down due to delay in supplies. The supply chain management department of Red Crescent has not been so active in the years and their service has not been up to the mark (Van Wassenhove, 2005). Delays in facilitating the affected masses have been due to shortage of supplies in which the negligence of supply chain department and

The Group Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Group Conflict - Essay Example The author of the essay "The Group Conflict" makes an interesting conclusion and gives his recommendations. He answers the question: "How to manage bullying in the workplace"? Develop and implement a plan to reduce the risk of workplace bullying, which should include the following steps: 1. Develop a culture of support for employees by: †¢ Improving the quality of performance feedback, including informal development oriented feedback as well as corrective feedback †¢ Improving the availability of flexible working arrangements, and ensuring fair and reasonable treatment of staff †¢ Communicating openly at all levels, fostering a more engaging work environment through involvement of staff in decision-making processes that impact on their work †¢ Increasing accountability of management by setting targets/goals and ensuring effective reporting structures. 2. Write a policy or code of conduct, in consultation with employees 3. Provide training on the organization’s policies and procedures, and ensure that supervisors and managers have the skills to recognize and deal with inappropriate behavior. Create awareness about what bullying is, the warning signals and effects, why it is not tolerated and include this information during induction of new employees. 4. Develop complaint handling and investigation procedures and treat all complaints seriously. 5. Appoint a contact person for informal inquiries, concerns or complaints, so that actions can be taken early in the process to avoid unacceptable behavior escalating into workplace bullying.

Distinct varieties of masculinity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Distinct varieties of masculinity - Essay Example ne, by concurring or differing with different scholars; the conclusion, entailing a summery outline of the main points discussed and a stand on the things discussed and how masculinity manifest. In gender studies, feminist theories concern the discrimination of women by men because of womanhood feminists opine that men suit themselves by controlling sex; women get denied personal choice and exploited on labor issues. The feminists believe that the discrimination curtails women rights and seek to see the situation changed. (Piper 2009) Masculinity refers to masculine which denote something related to a male who include men and boys. (Piper 2011) defines masculinity as an expression to serve and not to be served expressing a sacrifice for the woman, which requires giving direction and having a final say. While looking at the distinct values of masculinity arises from the comparison of feminist and masculinity where feminist seek for equality between men and women, but some things constitute for womanhood and others manhood. The essay below discusses the comparison of the two in regard to distinct variety of masculinity. Distinct varieties of masculinity To begin with thoughts and experiences of men, they help in understanding gender in terms of the masculine variables, as opposed to feminist. (Rotundo, p. 106) argues that women beauty lured men from their known pleasure and secure culture to following women. Therefore, opining that gender gets socially construed with masculine thoughts and behaviors arising from social and cultural processes. The scholar opines that the new complex culture, give rise to the conception of self made manhood. (Rotundo, p. 80 ) Explains the boy’s culture, which prepared boys, for rough and competitive world of politics and business, also the youth culture characterized by debating clubs, where they learned new skills and how to compete in socially acceptable ways. Similarly, (Rotundo, p 86) expresses the idea of masculinity by

Emiratisation For Economic Prosperity Essay Example for Free

Emiratisation For Economic Prosperity Essay Emiratization is a strategy that the UAE has adopted and it entails the recruitment as many professionals as possible, such as human resources managers and secretaries in the private and public sectors. The country has decided to pick this strategy because it is one of the countries that have limited competitiveness the world. This is simply because it is a country that faces economic, political, and environmental issues. The government has initiated the Emiratization plan which does not concentrate on the economic or trade factors of the global world. The agreement of the implementation of the Emiratization strategy is based on political, social and economic factors but the government is also concerned with localization of employment and organizational efficiency. Most of the government contributors have made the Emiratization program a success since they given so much into the development of employment opportunities locally. The government of UAE has made an allegiance to promote work power in the local workforce. One of the advantages of Emiratization is that workers are able to assess networks that exist within the organizational structure. With these networks workers are able to corporate with the rest of the organization in the country and even the globe in general. The strategy has also initiated more educational programs to the citizens of the UAE since the plan is to have more professionals in the private and public sectors. Innovation is also growing due to Emiratization since the government has been heavy investing into research projects. Many private sectors are greatly contributing by carrying out surveys that give results or forecast into the future of the UAE nationals. Since the program advocates for more educational programs, this means that when people graduate from school they are able to acquire jobs. This means that the element of unemployment is eliminated through Emiratization. Although Emiratization is meant to be a positive impact into the UAE, it is also facing some challenges. There is a shortage of the required skills such as leadership, languages and technical skills. These skills are required if the UAE is to get on top of the global economy. The Emiratization program does not have enough public awareness and it has also been receiving a bad image since its initiation and therefore this is a bad aspect since most people will not support it and therefore it might not produce the desired outcomes. Although the government has introduced this strategy to the public and private sectors, there is a significant high salary gap and this might pose as a bad image among the sectors. The government has not given a clear definition of the requirements needed for the jobs emphasized on so the citizens do not have enough clarity on what to do to get a certain job. Some social activities such as religion are a posing as a negative impact on the Emiratization strategy since people may have restrictions or conservative opinions on the implementation of the plan. In order for the local citizens of a nation to understand the concept of international trade, the following program would be the best plan in support international business managing. Long-term Plans 1. Allocation of resources into the educational and training programs in international business 2. Enforcement of local business which may in the end lead to acquiring of skills for international business 3. Developing policies that ensure that there is adequate supply of college graduates into the international business activities 4. Development of strong ties with international education partners Mid-term Plans 1. Giving rewards to those employees who perform well in international business activities 2. Provision of training to those people who have interest in higher positions than the current ones 3. Establishment of a committee that deals with the recruitment of people into the international business Short-term Plans 1. Creations of a specialized academic institution for international business 2. Having promotional campaigns that advocate for the importance of international business 3. Providing subsidies that will attract the people into the international business plan 4. Having career guidance sessions to citizens of a nation and clarifying to them all the benefits of international business With the above plan, it will be possible for people to understand the importance of international business to themselves and also to their nation. References Janardhan, M. (2003). Foreigners going for low-paid jobs: UAE’s ‘Emiratization’ drive, retrieved 9 May 2010 from: http://www. dawn. com/2003/08/27/int13. htm Chilton, J. B. (2005). Viability of ‘Emiratization’ stirs debate. Retrieved 9 May 2010 from: http://emirateseconomist. blogspot. com/2005/02/viability-of-emiratization-stirs. html â€Å"du boosts Emiratization drive at senior management level with two appointments†. (2008). Retrieved 9 May 2010 from: http://www. ameinfo. com/170756. html â€Å"Have your say: Emiratization move†. (2009). Gulf News Web Report. Retrieved 9 May 2010 from: http://gulfnews. com/opinions/your-say/have-your-say-emiratisation-move-1. 242277 Nagraj, A. (2009). Where do the Emiratis want to work? Retrieved 9 May 2010 from: http://www. kippreport. com/2009/03/where-do-the-emiratis-want-to-work/ Pech, B. (2009). â€Å"Emiratization: aligning education with future needs in the United Arab

Major Ingredient Groups, Specifications Supplier Review

Major Ingredient Groups, Specifications Supplier Review Karl Chamberlain Introduction The quality, consistency and safety of ingredients are a key factor in the success of any food manufacturing business. Due to this, it is vital that the ingredients and suppliers used by the business are carefully chosen and any problems with raw materials are addressed promptly. The major ingredient groups utilised within the UK Food Manufacturing sector There a seven ingredient groups which are utilised within the food manufacturing sector in the United Kingdom. The first of these groups is vegetables. Vegetables are foods that have originated from a plant and are eaten in savoury dish. While most vegetables can be eaten raw, they are often cooked prior to eating to make them softer and more edible. Some common examples of vegetables are potatoes, carrots and lettuce. Another ingredient group used within the UK food-manufacturing sector is fruits. A fruit is a part of a flower, specifically the matured or enlarged ovary of the flower and any parts or seeds that are attached to it. There are hundreds of edible fruits, with thousands of different varieties of each one, and each fruit has its own distinct taste. Some examples of fruits are apples, pears, oranges and strawberries. A further ingredient group that is used is cereal crops. Cereals are the grain or seeds from grasses, they have a high nutrient content as they are made to store nutrients for the grass that would have grown from the seed. Common examples of cereal crops are wheat, oats, maize, rye, barley and rice. Meats are another ingredient group that is used within food manufacture within the U.K. Lea meats are the flesh or muscular tissue of animals. Meats are a protein rich food and will generally be cooked prior to eating. Offal is another type of meat that is the internal organs of the animal such as the kidneys or liver. Often meat is processed, particularly parts of the animal that cannot be sold as lean meat, and made into other products such as sausages and burgers. Fish is also recognised as being a part of the meat ingredient group. Moreover, another ingredient group is the dairy group. Dairy products are any products that are made from the milk of animals, traditionally from cows or goats. The dairy ingredient group includes milk, cream, yoghurt and cheese. Milk products contain most of the essential nutrients needed for humans, although they typically contain high levels of fat. Herbs and spices are often regarded as being part of the same ingredient group although they are actually two separate groups. A herb is a plant which stem is not made from woody tissue. In food, often the fresh or dried leaves of the plant are used to flavour the food, with common examples being thyme and rosemary. Spices are also used to add flavour to a food product but they are made from parts of ‘dry’ plants such as the seeds, fruit or bark. Common examples of spices include mustard and cinnamon. Spices and herbs generally do not add any nutritional content to the product. The appropriate content of ingredient specifications Ingredient specifications are essential as they ensure that the products manufacturers receive from their suppliers are consistent the same and as a reference should any issues be found with the ingredient. A good ingredient specification will include a variety of information including supplier information, product information, ingredient details, packaging details, quality assurance standards and microbiological standards. The supplier information included in the specification should include contact details (including emergency contact details) for the supplier (and from the manufacturer if the supplier has not manufactured the product). The specification should also include the sites EEC number for meat, poultry and fish. The product information should include a description of the product, including individual and unit size, labelling and coding details, details of traceability information used (such as batch number or job number), correct storage conditions and details of product shelf life. It should also include details of any allergens that the ingredient contains. The ingredient information included in the specification should include information about any ingredients used in the product including quantities, supplier, county of origin and specification. This is to ensure that should any issues be found with the product, it can be traced back to the supplier of each ingredient used in it. Packaging standards are a further thing that should be included on a good ingredient specification. This should include both initial packaging as well as any secondary packaging such as baskets, pallet containers etc. Details of the type, size, material, type of seal and colour should be included. This ensures that the ingredient is consistently supplied in the same type of packaging which prevents any issues further down the line such as an ingredient coming in on a pallet without pallet layers on a site that does not allow this. The raw material specification should also include information about the quality assurance standards for the ingredient. This will include targets and what is and is not acceptable on things such as flavour, texture, visual, defects, foreign bodies and chemical analysis. It should also include details of the HACCP system in place at the supplier. Should any issues be found with the ingredient, having information on the quality assurance standards for the ingredient will provide something to refer to when checking if the suppliers tolerances are being met. A final thing which should be included in an ingredient specification are details of microbiological standards for the product including details of types of analysis carried out, frequency, what it is tested for and what the targets and limits for the ingredient are. The processes and practices typically involved in a Food Manufacturing operation with regard to â€Å"Ingredient Supplier Approval† Supplier approval is vital to any food business in order to ensure that any new ingredients used in their products are safe and of consistently good quality. The supplier approval process will begin with a development chef, or possibly a member of purchasing if the new ingredient is replacing a previous one, sourcing a new ingredient. Once the ingredient has been sourced, a risk assessment must be carried out for it. This should focus on the physical properties and nutritional aspects of the ingredient and any issues that may be caused by these, such as trapped foreign bodies inside lettuce heads. For many ingredients, particularly ones that have been processed, it is advisable to look at a full HACCP based assessment to determine any further risks that the particular ingredient may pose. This will allow the buyer to decide whether the product is safe to use or if any acceptable limits need to be set on contamination. Next, the supplier of the ingredient must be evaluated. This often starts with a questionnaire that is sent to a supplier. Ideally, this should ask if the company has a HACCP system in place, external accreditation such as BRC, what the GMP procedures are, internal auditing systems used and traceability systems in place. The supplier will then be scored against the answers given. While completing this questionnaire with a high score is not always enough to approve the supplier, a supplier with a particularly low score, especially the food safety questions, should not be approved. The next stage in the supplier approval process is to send a member of the technical or quality assurance team to the supplier to verify the processes and documentation discussed in the questionnaire. This stage may be unnecessary for some suppliers that are already audited by recognised external auditors or if the supplier already supplies the company with another product. The above stages should give the purchasing and technical teams enough information on the ingredient and supplier to decide whether to accept or reject them. Once all of the stages of the process have been carried out the supplier and purchasing company should sign off on the supplier’s status as an approved supplier. The company should keep a database of current approved suppliers, including details of any audits carried out and any issues that have occurred with the suppliers ingredients. Techniques used by Food Manufacturers for the ongoing assessment of ingredient supply Once a supplier is approved, both the supplier and its ingredients must be assessed from time to time to ensure that the ingredients they supply are of a consistently good safe standard. There are a number of techniques that can be used to do this. Firstly, the incoming ingredients should be inspected on delivery. A certificate of analysis should be sent along with the incoming product. These certificates should be checked to ensure that the product meets the required standards. The ingredients themselves should be checked by intake staff to ensure that they are visually acceptable, at the correct temperature and no signs of foreign body or pest contamination are present. Samples of the raw material should also be taken and sent for laboratory testing to â€Å"determine the presence or amounts of chemical, biological or physical contaminants†. A further technique used for the ongoing assessment of ingredient supply is regular supplier audits. A supplier audit involves a member of the company, usually from the technical team, going to visit the site at set intervals. There are a number of things that the supplier audit should check for. Firstly, it should confirm that the site has a written food safety system in place that includes procedures and a preventative system such as a HACCP system. Foreign body and allergen controls should also be looked at, as well as the results of any third party audits. The audit of the supplier should also check the basics of the operation are being done correctly. This could include a well maintained site and equipment which allows for proper cleaning, effective pest control, effective chemical control and a good standard of staff training (especially in food safety). The supplier’s quality program should be checked during a suppler audit to ensure that there are systems in place to test the quality of finished products; this could be done by microbiological sampling, taste panels or a variety of other methods. Furthermore the supplier audit should also be used to check that the suppliers management structure encourage food safety, as a site whose management does not promote food safety will likely cause problems for its customers. A further technique that can be used to assess the ongoing quality of ingredient supply is to raise a non-conformance or corrective action request should an ingredient not meet the specifications set out. When an ingredient deviates from the spec information should be sent to the supplier with a request for an investigation to be carried out, along with details of corrective actions put in place to stop the issue reoccurring. Each time a supplier is given a non-conformance it should be recorded in a log so that it is possible to track any reoccurring issues or problem suppliers.

Essay --

Most people thing that being an electrical engineer means that you spend your day going to people’s house and fixing their electrical problems. In reality there is more to this career than meets the eye. What they don’t know is that being an electrical engineering is a very advanced field that requires you to invent, design, and construct electrical and electronic devices as well as be able to adapt to different roles when the opportunity arises. For a career in this field you are required a minimum of a bachelors degree of science in engineering and a good computer skills. Electrical engineering has nine divisions, each with its own specialty but even though their field is a bit different they all go through the same steps. The only difference is the product. It could be a computer, a generator or even a robot. According to what can you do second edition, electrical engineers first have to invent and design the device they want to build. This phase is mostly done with computers so computer skills are very necessary for this job. After this phase is complete they begin their construction phase. In this phase they build and test the new built devices. This is the phase where you apply your understanding of electrical components. For this job you are required to work eight hours a day, and make business trips once in a while but this is mostly an office job. For a carrier in the field of electrical engineering, a minimum of a bachelor’s degree of science in engineering is required. To get this degree, you will have to take 4 years of college. I am planning on attending University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The reason I am planning to go there is because they teach this field up to PhD. Therefore, if I e... ...ddition this carrier is found at about anywhere in the world, wherever you are at you have a good chance of getting a carrier in this field. But that is not the only reason that I choose to pursue this carrier. The other reason is that you gain a wide range of knowledge during studies. Even with the basic lessons you improve your knowledge and that knowledge can be applied to many of your daily activities. Another reason is for a better is for a better understanding of computers. Now days computers are becoming a big part of our life, lots tasks are performed by computers and for that good computer skills are necessary. Electrical engineers are challenged with computer problems on every step of their study, field and their everyday life. For electrical engineers, computer play a very important role in their job and without them there will be no modern engineering.

Essay Comparing Eliot’s Parody and Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra

Comparing Eliot’s  Parody and Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra The first major difference between Eliot’s Parody and Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra comes with the very first simile. In Shakespeare’s original the barge in which Cleopatra sits is compared to a burnished throne burning on the water, whereas in Eliot’s parody it is only a chair that she fills like a throne, glowing on the marble. Eliot’s character comes across, therefore, as far less ‘enormous’ and larger than life than Shakespeare portrays Cleopatra who seems very great, even in comparison with her barge, which she fills as if it were a throne - her majesty makes the barge seem tiny in comparison; Eliot’s character only makes a chair look like a chair. Again, with the water on which Cleopatra’s barge floats burning, and the marble on which the chair stands glowing, Shakespeare’s image if far greater than the one Eliot creates, being strange and somewhat mystical, as opposed to Eliot’s chair’s ent irely possible glow. Cleopatra, in the same way, has ‘pretty dimpled boys’ fanning her, ‘like smiling cupids’, whereas in the passage from The Wasteland, there are merely golden Cupidons, observing the scene, one peeping out at her, another hiding his eyes behind his wing - instead of serving an immediate, yet subtle purpose, as Cleopatra’s are, fanning her. Other images of Eliot’s, in contrast, are much larger than Shakespeare, but again succeed in making Eliot’s character look small and insignificant in comparison. Eliot describes the enormous amount of adornments around the room, including her ‘vials of ivory and coloured glass’, which contain many perfumes, which are described as ‘drowning the sense in odours’ and again it is the lack of subtlety t... ...speare tends to prefer the use of metaphor to that of simile - whilst Homer often used extended simile to illustrate his point, and often went off on very distinct tangents, Shakespeare tends to prefer the more modern construction of metaphor, rather than having to protect himself as an author with words like ‘like’ or ‘as’. Eliot may well have chosen this passage for its eccentricities, and it succeeds in creating a powerful and provoking parody, as well as being a very good contrast to other parts of The Wasteland, poetically, including the very next part, which is more modern, and simple. It is also interesting that Eliot chose to almost blend the Shakespeare in with other more ordinary bits of literature - the passage begins with only slight changes to the words of Enobarbus’ speech, but soon becomes considerably different to the original Shakespeare.   

Events that Effected Slavery :: American America History

Introduction "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (Thomas Jefferson). The only problem with this passage from the Declaration of Independence is that it does not say, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and Negroes are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" Thomas Jefferson's words were not correct. Not all men were created equal and these men were slaves. Slavery has existed throughout the United States for centuries before the present day. This was the most inhumane treatment any man could go through. The following report will express the impact of slavery on the history of the united states of America. The Earliest Slaves in America In the summer of 1619 a 160-ton ship from the Port of Flushing in Holland sailed into the Chesapeake Bay. The Dutch ship was under the command of Captain Jope and piloted by an English man named Marmaduke Raynor. In exchange for supplies Jope sold more than 20 Negroes to the local authorities in the English colony of Virginia. These blacks came ashore 12 years after the founding of Jamestown. At first the Virginians liked white indentured persons who knew their language and their ways, compared to the newly arrived black slaves. Over time though, the black servants grew accustomed to the environment and were better than the white indentured servants. The colonists didn't approve, but because of the need for laborers for Tobacco the acceptance grew. Slavery grows from demand of cotton The Revolutionary War won for the Americans a large stretch of wilderness between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. After 1800 settlers began to clear and plant on the land. Many of these settlers brought slaves with them. One of the crops which they planted was cotton. When the slaves had to pick the cotton it would prick them and slow the picking down tremendously. Then a man named Eli Whitney invented a machine called the Cotton Gin. The Cotton Gin cleaned the short sticky fibers of the upland cotton. Metal teeth simply pulled the fibers from the seeds. The invention of this machine made the cotton economy soar. Events that Effected Slavery :: American America History Introduction "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (Thomas Jefferson). The only problem with this passage from the Declaration of Independence is that it does not say, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and Negroes are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" Thomas Jefferson's words were not correct. Not all men were created equal and these men were slaves. Slavery has existed throughout the United States for centuries before the present day. This was the most inhumane treatment any man could go through. The following report will express the impact of slavery on the history of the united states of America. The Earliest Slaves in America In the summer of 1619 a 160-ton ship from the Port of Flushing in Holland sailed into the Chesapeake Bay. The Dutch ship was under the command of Captain Jope and piloted by an English man named Marmaduke Raynor. In exchange for supplies Jope sold more than 20 Negroes to the local authorities in the English colony of Virginia. These blacks came ashore 12 years after the founding of Jamestown. At first the Virginians liked white indentured persons who knew their language and their ways, compared to the newly arrived black slaves. Over time though, the black servants grew accustomed to the environment and were better than the white indentured servants. The colonists didn't approve, but because of the need for laborers for Tobacco the acceptance grew. Slavery grows from demand of cotton The Revolutionary War won for the Americans a large stretch of wilderness between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. After 1800 settlers began to clear and plant on the land. Many of these settlers brought slaves with them. One of the crops which they planted was cotton. When the slaves had to pick the cotton it would prick them and slow the picking down tremendously. Then a man named Eli Whitney invented a machine called the Cotton Gin. The Cotton Gin cleaned the short sticky fibers of the upland cotton. Metal teeth simply pulled the fibers from the seeds. The invention of this machine made the cotton economy soar.

Jardi tancat Essay

Nacho Duato uses several motifs in Jardi Tancat to establish intent in his work. His work is based on Catalonian folk tales collected and sung by Maria Del Mar Bonet, to express the poor Catalonian people’s communal hardships, struggles and desperation as they cyclically farm the land. Duato has portrayed this intent through many motifs such as, curved lines and gestural action motifs. He has then manipulated these motifs through each section to unify the work as a whole. One motif frequently shown throughout the piece is the use of curved lines. This is shown in the opening silence section as all six dancers are waking from a low, hunched over crouch on their knees with hands rested out in front portraying their fatigue. Then in unison, they make a sudden jump with a forceful dynamic to a two-footed, curved stance with their hands clasped at the lower back to convey them supporting their back from the aches and pains. They then slide the hands down towards the back of the knees arching the spine in reference to stretching, as knees invert, they release their arms and curve upwards in a sustained motion repeating three times. The rounded and hunched movements portray the physical strain of their daily routines of cycling work has on their body and high releases reflecting the intent of faith and prayer in the work. A manipulation of this curved motif is shown later on in section one in unison with their arms resting on another to further establish the intent of communal connectedness. As they stand side by side in two parallel lines in the back corner facing upstage, by rolling and pulsating their spines they resemble the support they have for one another in the community throughout their hardships and sorrow. Gestural movements are incorporated throughout Jardi Tancat. One of the motifs include ‘sowing’ or seed planting action, which involves a low, curved line of the spine again to emphasize the straining work. Hunched over with a slumped dynamic determining the draining work, the dancers travel laterally across the space with heavy, limping ‘step-cross’ footwork. This pathway is performed in unison in the opening silent section, indicating planting endless rows of crops. As they travel diagonally, their sagged,  contracted back emphasizes the physical burden on the body. This is also evident through the angular-shaped arm bent above their head, supporting the back, whilst the other arm is stretched with fingertips skimming across the floor ‘planting the seeds’. This motif is later on manipulated and shown in the fourth section ‘Out of the Fields!’ Repeating the movement, however working in cannons with efficient shuffling dynamic. Neat, and smoothness of the rows is no longer required as speed is all that’s needed to get the tiring chore done. This motif is repeated and manipulated throughout Jardi Tancat to represent the cyclic nature of their daily lives. The curved lines and gestural motifs used within Nacho Duato’s work ‘Jardi Tancat’ implement the intent of his work. These motifs are then further manipulated using space, time and dynamics to further establish meaning and expand intent of his work. Nacho Duato is then able to successfully and clearly display the continuous communal hardships that Catalonian farmers endure everyday through these motifs.

The Interpretations of Guernica

It is certain to say that Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous and influential artist of the twentieth century. Many of his paintings have deep meaning to them, but the painting Guernica was one of his work that really stood out – to me, at least. The painting was inspired by the bombing of German and Italian forces on the Spanish Basque town called Guernica. The factors in it can symbolize many things and people will have different interpretations on it, but two factors that are boldly present in the artwork and that are controversial between many critics are the bull and the horse. These two elements of the painting have numerous perspectives from many different critics. Also, the absence of critical elements in the painting to the bombing of Guernica plays an important role of how people perceive this painting. An interesting perspective of this painting comes from an American professor of History of Art at the University of Virginia named Frederick Hartt. He relates the bull to a Minotaur: a creature that has a head of a bull and a body of a man. In the ancient Greek and ancient Roman cultures, this hybrid creature is a symbol of violence and rage. Hartt, however, relates the Minotaur to the view of the Surrealists as a symbol to man’s irrational side and contrasts this symbol with the symbol of the horse. Hartt says, â€Å"If the Minotaur symbolizes the irrationality of Fascism and man's mistreatment of man, the horse represents the anguish of Spanish citizens, and the end of civilization. † In contrast to Hartt’s belief of the symbolism in the bull, a poet and a friend of Picasso named Juan Larrea thought the complete opposite. He does not see the bull as a Minotaur that symbolizes irrationality and violence; instead, Larrea see the bull as the representation of the anger and fury of the Guernica people. He believes this because the bull is a â€Å"totem† of the Peninsula area. On another note, Larrea and Hartt have simular thoughts about the horse. Larrea says, â€Å"The horse is invariably full of ignoble and depressive features and there can be little doubt that it stands in the painter’s mind for nothing more nor less than the Nationalist Spain. † Another view on the bull is that the bull is â€Å"outside the catastrophe† and â€Å"unaffected. This perception of the painting is from a German Gestalt psychologist named Rudolf Arnheim. In his book, The Genesis of a Painting: Picasso's Guernica, Arnheim writes about the relationship between the bull and the suffering mother holding her baby. With the bull’s snout resting on the mother’s head like a roof, he believ es that the bull is trying to protect the mother, but fails in doing so. Even though its flaming tail shows its internal passion, the bull is unable to aid the mother and is absent, but still acknowledgeable of the scene. John Berger, a English art critic, novelist, painter, and author, mentions the horse and bull in his book The Success and failure of Picasso. He writes about the position and poses of both the bull and horse; the bull seems to be mimicking the horse as both their bodies and heads are posed the same position and facing the same direction. Berger also mentions contrast in these two animals: the horse looks as if it is freaking out and in pain, as opposed to the bull, which is motionless and has no emotion on its face besides a remote look of caution. It is obvious this painting is full of pain and distress, but there is something missing: the cause and protest of all it. The artwork consist of only a dead child, a bull, a horse, four women, an electric light, a lantern, and a bird; no soldiers, bombs, or explosions. As John Berger suggests, Picasso did not try to recreate the actual event in his painting; he had chosen not to represent the attack on Guernica literally. He did not need to show the attacks, but show the cost of conflict; this cost is shown in what has happened to the bodies. Berger says, â€Å"We are made to feel their pain with our eyes. And pain is the protest of the body. † Picasso’s images move the world from the specifics of the devastation of Guernica to the more universal and general suffering that is caused by war. The absence of the main elements of war in Guernica also makes the painting a general symbol of pain and horror, not just the pain and horror derived from war. It has been said that much of Picasso’s art was autobiographical. The fact that the images of death and destruction in Guernica are not clearly referring to the result of a bombing and the fact that it is not clear where the scene is at has led Mary Mathews Gedo, a clinical psychologist and art historian, to believe the painting Guernica not only represented the bombing of the town of Guernica, but also represented Picasso’s early memories from his life. The source of influence was both the historical event and â€Å"a source deep within him† says Gedo. Thus, as well as a work of political force, Guernica also holds an autobiographical element within its creation. From the bull symbolizing a Minotaur to protection, and the horse indicating the people of Guernica to the whole nation of Spain, critics discuss these factors and share the many different interpretations of what these two animals indicate. The act of Picasso not including any war-like elements, other than death and destruction, in the painting makes even more and deeper interpretations by critics. The meaning of Guernica is a broad subject and everyone is going to have different interpretations on it.

Dimensional Fund Advisors Case Analysis Essay

1)DFA’s investment strategy is based on their belief in the principle that stock market is efficient. They attempt to match a broad-based, value-weighted small-stock index and position themselves in the market as a passive fund manager that still claimed to add value by capturing specific dimensions of risks identified by financial science. DFA’s investment strategy incorporates elements of both passive and active management. It is passive in the sense that like many other index managers, it focuses on the importance of diversification, lower turnover and lower fees than actively managed portfolios. It is active in the sense that it develops its small-value stock focus based on academic research and uses certain techniques (such as its unique trading method in obtaining discounts and lower transaction cost) to contribute to a fund’s profits eve when the investment is inherently passive. 2)DFA’s clients are mainly major institutions (including corporate, government, union pension funds, college endowments and charities) and high-net-worth individuals. The main concern of their existing clients is potential high costs due to illiquid nature of many DFA holdings. DFA’s new product is a family of funds managed to reduce tax payments and the new clients it tries to serve are investors who are eventual taxpayers on any taxable flower received by a DFA fund they hold. To serve this new client base, DFA needs to continue its strength in keeping trading costs low and focus on reducing the taxes paid by clients. Some new issues that DFA will face include the complication of tax-optimization (such as handling the trade-off between putting more weight on non dividend-paying stocks and assuming more portfolio tracking error and volatility) as well as the possibility that tax management may lead to higher transactions costs. 3)Based on information given in the case, DFA accepts semi-form efficiency which indicates that stock prices fully reflect all past prices and all publicly available information. DFA’s trading strategies reflects that it felt that on average the market price correctly incorporated all public information, so it is only concerned about whether there is negative private information known to the seller of the block of stocks but not to the market. DFA’s trading strategy such as avoiding stocks if news  announcements are coming in the near future or if stock has recently reported sales by insiders reflect a belief that stock prices can potentially not reflect all private information. DFA also does not accept the weak-form efficient because if stock prices only reflect all information in past prices, they would see the value of performance fundamental analysis of the firm they are looking at (but the case indicates that DFA does not performance fundamental analysis). 4)Fama and French’s three factor model attempts to explain the variation of stock prices through a multifactor model that includes a size factor and BE/ME factor in addition to the beta risk factor. Fama-French model essentially extended the CAPM (which breaks up cause of variation of stock price into systematic risk which is non-diversifiable and idiosyncratic risk which is diversifiable) by introducing these two additional factors. Fama and French find that stocks with high beta didn’t have consistently higher returns than stocks with low beta and this indicates that beta was not a useful measure under their model. Their model is based on research findings that sensitivity of movements of the size and BE/ME factor constituted risk, and therefore risks associated with small companies and risks associated with high BE/ME companies in addition to beta risk explain a great deal of the variation of stock prices. The two factors in Fama-French model(company size and company BE/ME)are both firm specific risk and not market related risk, and it would appear that DFA (which base a lot of their strategies on this type of academic research) is not utilizing macroeconomic variables. However, as Fama and French argued, these factors explained so much of the common variation in stocks that they essentially capture sensitivity to risk factors related to macroeconomic variables. Therefore, not directly using macroeconomic variables (which is inherently hard to find or predict), but using the size and BE/ME factor may be a better way to represent certain types of market risk. In addition, because DFA is positioned as a passive manager that adds value, its goal then would not be to beat the market, but to follow it with the belief that in the long run indices will perform better than active strategies (which may focus on designing products that addresses macroeconomic variables such as market timing, etc ). 5)The efficient market enthusiasts believe that small stocks will outperform large  ones, and stocks with high BE/ME will generate higher returns than stocks with low BE/ME. On the other hand, behaviorists believe that the size and value premia is not always true, and there are several variable factors need to be considered. For example, in the early 1980s, when the US went into a recession, the small companies were particularly performed poorly, even when the economy and stock market rebounded after a decade, those small stocks still continued to lag.Also, by late 1990s, value stocks’ return was surpassed by the spectacular performance of growth stocks due to the high-tech stocks with very high market capitalization and relatively low assets. However, DFA believes in the efficient market theory, they prefer small stocks over large ones and value stocks over growth stocks. 6)DFA should justify its belief by stating that although the systematic risk would cause certain efficient market theories to bereversed during such times (large stocks outperform small stocks; growth stocks outperform value stocks), the market efficient theory will eventually prevailin the long-run based on the historical data done by Fama and French. Other than the market efficient theory, DFA also believes in two other principles: the value of sound academic research and the ability of skilled traders. Those two factors can contribute to fund’s profits. Because of DFA’s ability to excel in those two areas, they believe that they can provide more value even in efficient market environment. 7)Trading costs associated with small and value stocks include illiquidity and adverse selection problems. To be more specific, the illiquidity of small stocks may cause the stock price move substantially when a purchased is made. Also, the information asymmetry may also result in the adverse selection problem. DFA manages the small stocks illiquidity problems by using block trade to extract a discount on a stock purchase, thus creating value for the clients. In addition,to avoid the adverse selection problems, DFA’s traders follow several steps: 1) DFA will not buy a stock if the target company is going to make major announcement. 2) DFA will leverage the research system to avoid stocks that are more likely to have negative prices in the near future. 3) DFA avoids stocks that have recently reported sales by insiders. 4) DFA pays attention to its sellers and the nature of stock  block they traded. 8)It’s not an embarrassment for DFA when small stocks underperformed large stocks in the mid of 1980s. Because systematic events can’t be possibly avoided. In fact, DFA’s small stocks portfolio outperformed other small stocks investing competitors during the recession. This suggests that DFA’s focused principles in academic research and traders’ ability are adding value to its investors. Besides, this event alone doesn’t prove either rational or behavioral explanation is more likely since the recession is a one-off event. Therefore, DFA should not abandon its small stocks strategy because in the long run the trend is more likely to reverse itself. Even if small stocks were to continue to outperform large stocks for another decade, DFA could still provide value then other small stock investment fund. And as more fund are trading on large stock, the benefit of return on large stock may eventually goes away, making small stock.

Microsoft’s Diversification Strategy Essay

1. Why did Microsoft, the most successful computer software company, choose to remedy its strategic disarray? Microsoft is a multinational computer technology corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services related to computing. The company was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975. Microsoft is the world’s largest software maker measured by revenues. It is also one of the world’s most valuable companies. However, after a string of bad news seriously undermined the future growth of Microsoft, the bad impression was arisen. Microsoft tried to remedy its strategic disarray, because in the high-technology industry, standstill is equal to commit suicide. IT industry is really a highly competitive industry. Microsoft must to solve their problems as soon as possible. Microsoft was the most successful computer software company. However, if they ignore its strategic disarray, they may be defeated. I would like to use SWOT analysis to illustrate my views why Microsoft chose to remedy its strategic disarray. Strengths: Microsoft is the world’s largest software company with global name recognition and strong reputation for innovative products. Microsoft’s Software products have high name recognition, broad-based corporate and consumer acceptance (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access), and numerous powerful features that are in use worldwide, thereby promoting standardization and competitive advantage through their ease of integration and cost-effectiveness. Windows 95, 98, 2000 series are globally known as the PC desktop operating system with a market share of about 88%. What’s more, Microsoft has relatively rapid product development processes that allow for timely updating and release of new products. Weaknesses: Between1990-1995, Microsoft leadership failed to correctly anticipate the growth or popularity of the Internet. In addition, it perceived by many as a cut-throat competitor that uses its dominant market position to marginalize competition by stealing/destroying the competition’s products, stifling product innovation, and decreasing the availability of competitor products. Furthermore, Microsoft had its strategic disarray in the early 2000s. Opportunities: In the early 2000s, the demand for personal computers in American and global markets remains strong despite the growth and increasing popularity of personal handheld devices. Moreover, cheaper global telecommunication costs open new markets as people connect to the Internet. Threats: From the case study, basic office software had been challenged by a string of start-ups. Between 1993-1995, Sun Microsystems, Netscape, Oracle, IBM, AOL, and other companies moved into the Internet space and defined it while Microsoft failed to anticipate its growth or popularity. These new competitors were able to churn out popular programs such as e-mail, desktop search engines, and instant messaging over the Internet much faster than Microsoft. So Microsoft need reinvent itself. For instance, Red Hat, the one of key competitors of Microsoft, dominated the market for Linux, went public in 2000. Red Hat became famous. What’s more, in 2001, Red Hat expanded its software products and included database applications and an e-commerce software suite designed for average-sized businesses. Nevertheless, a string of bad news undermined the future growth of Microsoft since the early 2000s. If Microsoft didn’t remedy its strategic disarray, Red Hat or other competitors may surpass Microsoft in the future. Furthermore, from the case study, according to a study conducted by McKinseyï ¼â€ Co. in 2004 on IT spending trends, although IT spending had increased since 2003 after three years of decline. 2001 is the first annual decline since 1958. Customers would expect to get more out of their technology investments. Companies had been more concerned about the value of IT and enforced stringent rules and guidelines for IT spending. Therefore, Microsoft would have less opportunity to develop in the U.S. Moreover, Apple and Linux threaten Microsoft’s 88% market share of the desktop operating market. Linux influence growing from 7% in 1998 to 17% in 1999. In addition, Personal computers, mobile-phones, personal digit assistants, entertainment-oriented hand-held computers, and similar wireless products for Internet access do not require Window operating system products. And Software piracy of commercial and consumer applications software on a global scale threatens revenue streams. In general, the weaknesses and threats outweigh the strengths and opportunities in the early 2000s. At that time, Microsoft was threatened by a series of challenges, both external and internal. That why Microsoft choose to remedy its strategic disarray at that time. 2. How did Microsoft grasp market chances to diversify its operation beyond its comfort zone, fighting all the way with its major competitors? Microsoft chose to diversify its operation beyond its comfort zone since early 2000s. Diversification marketing strategy is a corporate strategy to increase sales volume from new products and new markets. Diversification can be expanding into a new segment of an industry that the business is already in, or investing in a promising business outside of the scope of the existing business. As what we have learned in the textbook, diversification strategy has many advantages. Diversification strategy can help Microsoft to limit risk. This is because a diversified portfolio is not overexposed to a single industry and therefore is somewhat insulated from downturns and volatility — or market fluctuations — in that industry. In addition, diversification limits an investor’s risk extending from an individual company or type of investments. In addition to limiting downside risk, diversification strategies also have the effect of maximizing portfolio returns. This is in part because risk is limited — by avoiding exposure to major losses, the portfolio can be more likely to make money. Microsoft was moving beyond the personal computer (PC) software business and expanded its product lines into enterprise software, consumer products, and services markets. It got into other devices such as mobile phones, television setup boxes, and game consoles. Microsoft had ventured into the services market through MSN in order to generate new revenue. MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. It was a Web portal that offered a wide range of online services including: news, information search, e-mail, instant messaging, online shopping and games, chat rooms, and message boards. Based on its success in MSN, Microsoft had hoped to leverage its experience to transform its Windows-based services for consumers and enterprises. Moreover, Microsoft also leveraged MSN to generate revenue through traditional advertising on its Web site, and also sold text-based advertisements to compete with Google’s AdWords and AdSense, and Yahoo! Search Marketing. In the enterprise software market, Microsoft deliberately chose not to compete with leading enterprise applications providers such as SAP and Oracle for large multinational companies. Instead, the software giant aggressively pursued opportunities with small and midsized enterprises. In 2001, Microsoft acquired Great Plains Software, a long-time partner and a specialist in accounting applications for small and midsized businesses. In 2002, Microsoft acquired Navision, a Denmark-based enterprise software maker. Therefore, Microsoft Business Solutions offered a wide range of software applications. This kind of strategy is really shrewd. If Microsoft competes with leading enterprise applications providers at beginning of the extending stage, it is impractical. Microsoft used acquisition method to enhance its strength in order to compete with leading companies in the future. Microsoft entered the video gaming business in 2001 compete with Sony. After the first launch of the video game console, Xbox, Microsoft is in the distant second place behind Sony’s Playstation 2. Microsoft tried to challenge Sony’s dominant position. First, the software giant’s Xbox 360 was launched several months ahead of its rivals’ products: Sony’s Playstation 3. Some believed that the success of Sony’s Playstation 2 had been partly due to its advantage in reaching the market earlier than its rival s. Hence, Microsoft copied this marketing trick by becoming the first game console in the new business cycle. It is called, dominating the market by striking first. We can learn from the Microsoft that capturing initiative is important in the business. Second, learning from the flop of the original Xbox in Japan, this time Microsoft worked closely with the producers of the Japanese games in the hope of neutralizing the traditional advantages of its two main rivals. I can learn from this case, we should learn from failure as Microsoft did. Avoiding backwards and developing merit. Third, Microsoft abandoned its previous approach of using off-the-shelf parts provided by Intel and Nvidia. Although efficient, that approach lacked the flexibility that Microsoft’s rivals enjoyed in reducing the consoles’ costs and increasing the profit margins during their lifetime. For example, Sony had gradually reduced the number of chips required by its Playstation 2 without sacrificing its performance. So Microsoft adopted a new design for Xbox 360, hoping to achieve a new degree of flexibility that could help integrate various components and profitability in the future. Microsoft also ventured into the mobile communications market. Microsoft went to the mobile operators because of the exclusion of the mobile handset manufacturers. At that time, many mobile operators, particularly in Europe, started to leverage original design manufacturers (ODM), mostly in Taiwan, to produce handsets that would bear their own brand names in order to create market differentiators. Meanwhile, Microsoft spotted this opportunity and persuaded the operators and handset manufacturers to develop phones based on its Windows Mobile operating system. In 2002, HTC launched the first Windows-based smart phone. HTC is a leading ODM in Taiwan. Other operators followed suit after that. In late 2005, Palm (Microsoft’s rival in handheld devices) decided to adopt the Windows Mobile software and replace is Palm OS with its Treo smart phone. This move further signaled Microsoft’s success in penetrating the mobile and handheld market segments. From this case, we can learn that the company should be sensitive to the business environment and grasp the chance in time. Microsoft spotted and grasped the opportunities to further establish itself in the industry. Microsoft had struggled for many years in the television market. At the beginning, many competitors were concerned that once Microsoft entered the market it would repeat its monopolistic practices of the PC business in the cable industry. In this situation, Microsoft had formed strategic partnerships, hoping to improve its position in the cable market. In this way, Microsoft established itself as a leading IPTV technology provider. Through this arrangement, a number of leading telecom operators adopted Microsoft’s software for their IPTV services. Hence, understanding how to cooperate with competitors is also important for doing business. In 2009, Microsoft created Bing as a search engine competed with Google. Microsoft grasped chances to be successful in the Chinese market to the best of its faculty. When entering the Chinese market, challenges remain for those looking to do business in the country. Intense competition, corruption, business etiquette and language are some of the barriers that can be faced. However, challenges are opportunities to some extent. Microsoft realized that when entering the Chinese market, the product may not sell like it does in the United States or Europe. In terms of Microsoft and China, the country has a strong censorship in place for its citizens, and Microsoft tried to come to an agreement to partner with a Chinese company to make the browser effective. Microsoft has signed a deal with Baidu, the biggest search engine in China, to provide English-language search results to improve its market share. In addition, Microsoft knew that Chinese government’s demands are significant. Microsoft Company censored the search results to relevant department to meet the Chinese government’s demands. The announcement of the deal is a boost to Microsoft, which has been struggling to boost the position of its Bing search engine against Google’s dominance in almost every country around the world. Sometimes, Bing trumps Google in touch-accessed services designed expressly to help iPhone and iPad die-hards have cooler experiences shopping and finding restaurants online. It will also be a boost for Baidu, which has ambitions internationally. In 2012, Microsoft launched panel computer, Surface. Ballmer redefined panel computer at Surface’s New Product Presentation in June, 2012. Surface is different from iPad. Surface is closer to the idea of ​​Bill Gates. This is a panel computer that can work in the company. This is in harmony with Bill Gates’ definition to the panel in the beginning. Apple thinks panel is a mobile terminal. Microsoft Surface is more inclined to think is personal computers. I can see this point at the choice of the operating system. Apple is using iOS system for iPad. On the contrary, Microsoft is using Win8 for Surface. Moreover, Surface’s design is directed against for the iPad’s weaknesses. Microsoft used differentiation strategy. iPad’s input system is inconvenient, but Surface has a detachable keyboard, which makes Surface use like a computer. Meanwhile, Surface’s design is directed against for iPad’s App Store. App Store’s application depth is not enough. Nevertheless, Surface Pro is using the X86’s Win8 operating system, it can use more compatible operating system. One of Microsoft’s largest competitors is Apple Corporation. At the first competition between Apple and Microsoft, the winner is Microsoft. Windows operating system has good compatibility. Different brands and types of the computers around the world are installed in the same system. Despite it has shortcomings, but it can not hide the plebification characteristics. In contrast, Apple is pursuit of perfection and strict exclusiveness. Only Apple can install Apple’s system, but also only be installed such systems. Although Apple produce a good product, but can not win the favor of consumers. What’s more, Microsoft faced the challenge actively. In 2011, Skype was purchased by Microsoft Corporation for over $8 billion, and now operates as a division of Microsoft. Skype is a proprietary Voice over IP service and software application. Skype has expanded into education, as numerous classrooms worldwide now use the service to video conference with instructors, other student, and even other institutions. This will allow Skype to have a leg up in the future, when they decide to push even further with their subscription plans. What’s more, with Microsoft’s efforts in 2010 like apps store, Bing search engine, Yahoo-deal for ad-sharing, Zune platf orm and Project Natal, will undoubtedly compete with Apple and others effectively. 3. What can you foresee or what suggestions can you think about its growth of new area in the future? As far as I’m concerned, the growth of Microsoft’s new products will increase smoothly. However, Microsoft will face some challenges. Xbox, Kinect and Xbox Live continue to emerge as a rich hub for games, sports, movies and TV shows that can be accessed via touch and voice controls. And these controls are being increasingly integrated into all manner of screens: HDTVs, smart phones and tablets. â€Å"Two years ago, very few services connected,† says Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft’s vice president for corporate communications. â€Å"Now if you have an Xbox, you can see Bing, access Sky Drive (cloud storage) and use your Windows Phone to have a better experience, because the services are shared.† They are all products of new area. Their marketing foreground will be rosy. In my opinion, in all new products, Microsoft should focus on Bing. The key competitors of Bing, Google and Yahoo!, had adopted the application-as-services model coupled with a new advertising-driven funding approach, which enabled them to develop open-source and free software products for the general public. In particular, in the case, Google and Yahoo! had formed partnerships with various telecommunication or cable service providers in order to position their respective portals as the default entrance to the Internet. Microsoft should find methods to provide Internet users a range of services from search to e-mail and discussion blogs to news in order to compete with competitors. In the entertainment and consumer markets, Microsoft’s Xbox Live had been a leader of online gaming. The system provided classic arcade games, game trailers, and upgrade packs that were downloadable. However, the Xbox game console and the ventures in mobiles and IPTV, these products should be more consumer-oriented. The big competitors, Apple and Sony, their products are much more consumer-oriented and media savvy. For instance, Apple’s iMac and iPod products, and iTunes services were designed to cater to the high-end media centric consumers. Sony’s video games and entertainment business remained one of the strongest in the industry, particularly in the consumer electronics segment. If Microsoft’s products be more consumer-oriented, in my views, the Xbox game console and the ventures in mobiles and IPTV will be the star products in the future. However, Microsoft should pay attention to its major area, that is, personal computer software business. The superiority and proprietary advantages will be diminished if Microsoft ignored its major area. Japan and South Korea joined China in 2012 on a project to jointly develop a new operating system based on Linux as an alternative to Microsoft’s Windows. Thailand and Malaysia have instigated programs to offer low-cost PCs to citizens with Linux operating systems. It is the Butterfly Effect on global pricing. They’re being helped along by Microsoft competitors such as Sun Microsystems, which has signed a deal with the Chinese government to supply its Linux desktop operating system and office program to as many as a million PCs there. In Apple Company, Steve Jobs wants to overwhelm Microsoft in the field of operating systems. It is worth noting that, Apple’s computer hardware performance has been unmatched. However, Apple chose to â€Å"kill† Microsoft in the field of software. It means Apple was warning Microsoft intentionally: Not only IBM can be a threat to Microsoft, but also Apple. Microsoft’s competitors are trying to improve their market share in China and all over the world. Microsoft should not relax vigilance. It is still a long way to go for Microsoft. In my view, Microsoft should forge its own product culture. Apple is pursuit of elegant products. Apple adheres to creativity and uniqueness. Eventually become a model for other companies to emulate. Microsoft should find its own development route and set up unique product culture. Only in this way can Microsoft have its own distinguishing features and lead the industry. Microsoft used diversification strategy and it had entered various new markets in which it had no proprietary advantages. Facing with a bunch of new challenges, Microsoft should not confront alone. It should have new partnerships. The impression of people to Microsoft is a little bit haughty. So Microsoft should form more strategic partnerships in the future and learn more from the competitors modestly to capture opportunities in these new markets.

Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 13

Terrorism - Essay Example Their most notorious operation has been the 9/11 attack on the US World Trade Towers and other strikes on the same day. Osama’s initial purpose in forming a terrorist outfit like the Al-Qaeda was to revolt against Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, which he considered as an intrusion by non-Muslims into the â€Å"sacred Muslim territory† and its citizens (2011:5). During this stage the US also has supported him on the hope that an alliance with his group will help them to expel the soviet from there. After the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan has ended in 1988, Bin Laden and his associates began pondering how the terrorist network they have created â€Å"could be utilized† (6). The invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990 and the US support for the former paved the way for Bin Laden’s antagonism against the US and Saudi Arabia’s also ignored his request to disallow US troops from basing in Iraq, which entailed in his â€Å"falling out† with the Saudi King (6). This is the background for Osama Bin Laden’s hatred for the West, especially countries like the US and UK. The Al-Qaeda’s main political ideology is to prevent the west from gaining power. On the other hand, this outfit embraces a religious philosophy that Muslims are sacred people. They consider people from other religions as non-believers or kafir and harbour the notion that killing non-believers through jihad (holy war) will earn them a place in heaven, which is their main motivation for indulging in terrorist activities. The unfulfilled promises of governments, failure of universities to stand up to the expectation of students and the advent of Marxist-Leninist philosophy as an answer to the social and economic problems, paved the way for â€Å"mass worker strike† in the late 60s and early 70s in Italy (Sundquist 2010:53). Thus, the â€Å"rising tensions† among union leaders, working class and the business owners coupled with the resentment

Insurance And Joint Law Commission Proposals Essay

Insurance And Joint Law Commission Proposals - Essay Example In order to uphold such contracts, insurance is guided by Insurance Contract Law that defines the relationship between an insured and insurer. Insurance contract law in the United Kingdom has for a long time been considered outdated (Netherway, 2012). For instance, the Marine Insurance Act (MIA) was created and passed in 1906 and has not been reviewed. Nevertheless, there are major developments in motor and aviation insurances, business globalization, development of the property, and the recent natural disasters have demanded serious and extensive reforms, especially within the insurance contract law. In order to appraise the Joint Law Commission proposals for the reform of the law relating to business insurance, considering further the case for differential treatment of Micro-businesses, the following discussion demonstrates solid understanding of the theory and practice of insurance. In addition, the discussion demonstrates sound understanding of key issues pertaining to the law of the insurance. Lastly, the paper provides a critical appraisal of Joint Law Commission proposals before winding up with a summary of the main points. Insurance is a contract where risk financing is attainable through pooling of risks. Insurance is a form of risk management practices within firms, entities, and amongst various individuals (Lawcommission.justice.gov.uk, 2012). Insurance services, though auxiliary, are aimed at reducing the adverse financial impact that firms, entities, and individuals meet in the event of an occurrence of risks (Smith, 2012). Therefore, insurance within the global arena is a vital element especially with respect to financial planning. UK insurance law that defines and regulates contracts between insured and insurers made several proposals (Hamilton, 1995).

Civil rights movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Civil rights movement - Essay Example This was the period that was closely associated with the rise of Black Nationalism. Therefore, in the late 60s, there were several organizations including SCLC, SNCC and NAACP which faced challenges from militant organizations such as the Blank Panther party. Black Nationalism was significantly influenced the pan-African leaders such as Muhammad and Malcolm X (Mcwhorter 17). The proponents of racial liberation usually viewed the African-American freedom struggle as a movement for human rights. The strategy of the Black Panther of picking up the gun revealed some of the sentiments of most of the individuals in the black society. Jackie Robinson was also one of the celebrated individuals in civil rights. This was after the Dodgers participated in the Civil Rights Game on Saturday. Most of the honest citizens were killed together with the black protestors. The civil rights activists used civil disobedience to implement change. For example, Emmett Till who was an African American boy was murdered brutally in Mississippi. He was 14 years old when he was murdered in Mississippi after he was reported to be flirting with a white woman. This brutal murder included torture before the actual killing of the innocent African-American boy. Therefore, the killing of the boy triggered the civil rights movement since; he was beaten and shot by two white men. On the other hand, it was evident that Emmett was disobedient to her mother after she discovered that he had an affair with the white woman (Mcwhorter 19). Additionally, Curt Flood who was a renowned baseball payer for the St. Louis Cardinals was a pivotal player in the team. During this epoch, he refused to accept a trade after the 1969 season. It was quite evident that the trade was closely associated with racism. However, he was unsuccessful after appealing to the Supreme Court in the United States though his legacy still remains alive even after his death (Mcwhorter 23). In 1962, most of the citizens staged a protest wh en the court ordered the University of Mississippi to register black students. The University is also known as Ole Miss. Martin Luther King Jr. was an active minister and a civil rights advocate who had established the nonviolent protest movement. He occasionally led several protests and boycotts regarding human rights in the black society. Martin Luther King Jr. was the most effective boycott leader since; he understood and used several tactics to defend the rights of the black people. This made Martin Luther King Jr. an essential and honored leader amongst the African Americans. In fact, the African Americans throughout the American nation were receiving immense attention when they were fighting for their rights. As stipulated above, the American society was at unease during the 1960s. This violence got worse when the blacks started fighting back violently (Mcwhorter 25). The most illustrious boycott during this era was the protest for jobs and freedom. Malcolm X was also another believer of black rights. According to Malcolm X, the blacks have a right to fight for their lives. Therefore, he was a considerable influence to the young black youths in the society based on the aspect of racism. However, he was not promoting violence as he was always accused by his critics. Before his death, he had published a book regarding black America. During this period, the African