Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology Essay

The book Mythology by Edith Hamilton is a novel devoted to the legends of Greek Mythology. Such legends tell stories of mighty heroes, ghastly creatures, and Gods and Goddesses with amazing powers. In order to fully understand these myths, a reader must examine each of these Gods or Goddesses individually and identify the unique Characteristics they have. The first humanoid Gods that appeared in Greek Mythology were the Titans, or the Elder Gods. They were the children of Mother Earth and Father Heaven, and due to their enormous size and strength, they ruled over the universe for eons. Some of the most famous Titans were: Atlas, who carried the world on his shoulders; Prometheus, who brought fire to mankind and then was famously chained to a mountain; and Cronus, the king of the Titans. The Titans were in complete control of the heavens and earth, and it would have stayed that way if it weren’t for their own children. The children of the Titans were the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus, or also known as the twelve great Olympians. The king of the Gods, and the God who overthrew Cronus to take his power, was Zeus. Zeus was the supreme ruler after the fall of Cronus, as well as the Lord of the Sky, the Rain-god, the Cloud-gatherer, and the wielder of the awful thunderbolt. His power was greater than all of the other Gods combined. Zeus was also a lover of many mortal women, and had many demigod (half-god half-mortal) children. Zeus’s bird was the Eagle, his symbols of power the thunderbolt and his breastplate Aegis. Hera was Zeus’s wife and sister. She was the Goddess of Marriage. She was always venerated in the home, and it was she married women turned to with their problems. Ironically enough, Hera was also well known for her hatred of the women who Zeus had affairs with, punishing them for mercilessly in blind anger. Poseidon was the God of the Sea, and was the most powerful God besides Zeus. He could calm the waters with his golden chariot, or create mighty storms. He carried beside him a three pronged trident that could cause earthquakes. Besides being honored for the lord of the water, he also created the first horse and gave it to man. Hades was the God of the Dead. Not to be confused with the God of Death itself, who was Thanatos; Hades ruled the underworld. His kingdom was under the surface of the earth, so all the precious metals under the ground belonged to him; therefore, he was also the God of Wealth. He did not often leave his dark realm, and he was not a welcome visitor when he did. Athena was often recognized as a ruthless war Goddess. She was born from Zeus’s head fully grown and clothed in battle gear. She has been called gray-eyed and the protector of civilized life. She was a symbol of wisdom, purity, and reason. The city of Athens was her special city, honorably named after her; the olive invented by her was her tree. Apollo has been known as the Archer and God of Truth. He was also the Healer, who first taught men the healing art. He was the master musician at Olympus, and delighted the Gods with his beautiful golden lyre. The Laurel was his sacred tree, and the Dolphin and Crow his most sacred animals. Artemis was a Lady of Wild Things, huntsman in chief to the Gods. She was known as the Moon Goddesses, and carried silver arrows that could pierce an animal as harmlessly and quickly as moonlight. Notably, all animals were sacred to her, especially the deer. Aphrodite was the Goddess of Love and Beauty. She was said to be born of the foam of the sea near the islands of Cythera and Cyprus. Where ever she goes, beauty follows and men succumb to her love. Her husband was the disfigured God Hephaestus; however she was often portrayed as in a love affair with Ares. Hephaestus was the God of Fire; also known as the Master of the Forge. He was the only ugly and lame Olympian. He built furnishings and weapons for the Gods, and it was said his forge was under a volcano. He was a kindly, peace-loving, and popular on earth and on Mount Olympus. Hestia was the God of the home and hearth. Though she had no distinct personality, when a baby was born it was always carried around her shrine, and every meal started and ended with an offering to her. Every city had a hearth dedicated to her that was never allowed to go out. Hermes was a messenger, trickster, trader, and thief. Before he was even a day old, he stole Apollo’s herds; then, as recompense, he invented Apollo’s lyre for him out of a tortoise shell. He was a God to all traders and merchants, and was Zeus’s personal messenger. He was the most cunning and shrewd out of all the Gods. The God of War was Ares. He was a fierce cruel son of Zeus and Hera, both who detested him. He delighted in bloodstained battles and the fury of fighting, yet was also described as a coward, who ran away moaning when he was wounded. His bird was naturally the vulture. The twelve great Olympians listed above were not the only Gods in Greek Mythology. In addition to these Olympians, the Greeks also had many minor Gods that they worshiped as well. They lived on the Earth rather than on Mount Olympus. The two most important minor Gods were Demeter and Dionysus. Demeter was originally the Goddess of Corn, though she grew to represent the Goddess of all harvests. She was the one who brought summer and spring to the earth, and who brought every fall and winter when sorrowed for her daughter. She was very important to Greek culture had many mortal like qualities, such as grief and sadness. Dionysus was the God of Wine and drunken revelry. He had a strong dual personality, where he could make men ecstatic and oblivious to their troubles, but then also make them hostile and insane. He traveled the world, hardly staying on Mount Olympus, discovering the secrets to winemaking. He was a welcome visitor at any party, and Greek Culture loved him. Another minor God that was well known was Pan. He was the shepherd and goat herder’s God. He was not divine, glorious, or radiant, but rather ugly because of his goat hooves and horns. He was an excellent musician and famous for the sweet nature melodies he played on his reed pipes. In addition to Gods and Goddesses, the magical creatures of Greek Mythology are also important to know. Satyrs were half-goat half-man dwellers of the forest. Centaurs were a half-horse half-man creature; The Gorgons were three dragon-like creatures who turned men to stone; The Sirens lured seamen to their deaths with enchanting songs. The Gods, Goddesses, and creatures of Greek Mythology were fascinating. The unique characteristics of each god and goddess are what supported entire cultures, as well as made the timeless tales of so remarkable. With help from Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, a person really can understand who the Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology were, and gain knowledge about how each of them was different but important individually.

Alcohol and substance abuse Essay

Introduction There are many challenges facing the world today raging from political conflicts (wars), natural disasters, famine, diseases, economic and social problems among others. Every continent on this earth and for that matter every country have encountered one or more of such problems. However some countries have been able to eradicate or minimize the occurrence and effect of some these problems such as famine, economic issues, political conflicts etc. Usually, developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America are the most vulnerable to all these problems. Apart from natural disasters which its occurrence can hit any country, developed countries encounter minimal problems of famine , political or economic problems but are often challenged with especially social problems including substance abuse mainly alcohol usage. What is Substance Abuse Substance abuse have been one of mankind oldest weakness as we have as human beings, in one way or the other either consciously or unconsciously have abuse some sort of substances at a particular point in time of our life. In ancient Greece, were a group of people called â€Å"lotus eaters† where they used lotus fruits and flowers as form of food which put them in some form of hallucinogenic state. Substance abuse is the use of illegal drugs or the excessive use of legal substance so as to produce physical, psychological or social harm. The World Health Organization refers to substance abuse as harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances including alcohol and illicit drugs. Substance abuse which is commonly referred to as drug abuse is therefore the use of illegal or in appropriate use of a legal substance that alter the normal functioning of the brain or nervous system and are harmful to the general health of the user. (Levin et al 2000, WHO 2010) Substance Abuse in the Context of Alcohol Alcohol is a form of liquid known as ethanol and used as an ingredient or a constituent of intoxicating beverages such as beer, spirits, wine and other drinks. Alcohol is the most prevalent psychoactive substance used by many people. It is often used as a form of depressant which as a result slow the effective performance or operation of the central nervous system. Substance abuse drugs are categorized as stimulants (caffeine, nicotine), depressant (alcohol, valium), hallucinogens (ecstasy, LSD), cannabis (hashish, marijuana) and steroids (Macionis 2005, WHO 2010). Why people use alcohol There are number of reasons why people use alcohol. Curiosity among other reasons such as for recreational, spiritual, psychological, social conformity etc. are often the explanation given. Some of these reasons are not obvious and most people use different forms of excuses like, I have had a stressful day or week, I have friends coming around, I have to get in the mood to socialize etc. Recreational and Spiritual People see alcohol consumption as a form of leisure. Example, some people may drinking a glass of wine or beer before, after or with a meal to increase their appetite, make the food taste better or make them more relaxed. Many cultures around the world use alcohol in their spiritual practices and believes. In Ghana and other African countries, often alcohol is used as a form of offering in pouring libation to the gods. Psychological and Social Conformity Due to the psychoactive effect of alcohol, it is seen as a way of alleviating stress, mental and emotional problems. Some people use alcohol due to a particular society, group, affiliation etc. that they belong to in other to fit in. During social events, alcohol are usually served and many people believe by consuming alcohol will instill a sense of confidence when in the company of others. Example is among college students and young adolescent where due to peer pressure find themselves drinking alcohol. People living in isolation with poor network support and decrease mobility may often turn to alcohol especially among senior citizens. Alcohol and other substance abuse as a problem In most societies, people have different opinions and mixed feelings about alcohol and other forms of substance abuse. Some people may consider its use as beneficial while others may disagree. However, the problems created by alcohol and other substance abuse are staggering than the benefits derived. The most commonly problems we often witness are public drunkenness, disorderly behavior, traffic and industrial accidents, broken families, crime, poor social functioning and worsening of existing conditions such as poverty, mental and physical illness. (Kornblum and Julian 1974). Key findings indicated that more people suffer from alcohol use disorders compare to drug use and both types are common in men than in women. In every year 35 out of 100,000 people are killed by alcohol where as in 2012 3. 3 million deaths were attributed to alcohol consumption globally. 5. 4% of world’s annual disease burden is caused by alcohol and illicit drug use, whereas tobacco accounted for 3. 7%. Globally 46% of all men and 73% of women abstain from alcohol. This means 54% of men and 27% of women of the total global population have at some point in their life consumed alcohol before. Therefore 81% of the total worldwide population have consumed alcohol at some point in time. 6. 2 liters of pure alcohol were consumed per person aged 15 years or older in 2010 worldwide. Developed countries have the highest consumption rate with Europe having the highest level of alcohol consumption while the lowest is found in the South East Asia region (WHO 2014). Effect of Alcohol Alcohol consumption has several negative effect on the user which as a result affect the society, country and the globe. The annual death rate related to alcohol consumption is about 3. 3 million globally. The individual also becomes very vulnerable of contracting other diseases like cirrhosis of the liver, anemia, heart attack etc. Alcohol and other substance users are more exposed to social related harm like rape, accidents, injury or even death. Governments in various countries spend huge sums of money to treat and rehabilitate substance abuser, such individuals sometimes lose earnings, become unemployable or lose their family. The money, time and health care facilities used to rehabilitate these individuals put lot of economic strain on the government budget and even the economical contributions of such individual is even severe if the person is a professional example a medical doctor, teacher, IT technician etc. Such monies could be used to do other social economic developments to improve the overall wellbeing of the society and the globe. The Finnish government spend about 1. 3 billion euros annually for managing alcohol related problems according to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (Yle News 2013, WHO 2014). Conclusion Alcohol and other substance abuse is not an individualistic problem but a worldwide issue where all governments must work together to combat, reduce, if not eradicate the total consumption of it. Good policies on better health care systems, improved economic policies and strong but encouraged social living programs should be implemented. Efficient advocacy programs, effective regulatory strategies and the involvement of community base action programs to care, support and prevent the sale and consumption of alcohol and other substance abuse materials should be implemented and encourage. Reference Dowd Thomas E, Rugle L. Substance Abuse, A Practitioner’s Guide to Comparative Treatments. New York: Springer Publishing Company 2006. Julian J, Kornblum W. Social Problems. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Publishing 1974. Levin et al. Social Problems. California: Roxbury publishing company 2000. Macionis John J. Social Problems. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Publishing 2005. Alcohol: Definition. World Health Organization (Accessed 13. 09. 2014) http://www. who. int/substance_abuse/activities/msbatlaschone. pdf? ua=1 Alcohol and Health: Factors and Effects. World Health Organization (Accessed 13. 09. 2014) http://www. who. int/substance_abuse/publications/global_alcohol_report/msb_gsr_2014_1. pdf? ua=1 Alcohol: Cost. National Institute for Health and Welfare THL. (Accessed 14. 09. 2014) http://yle. fi/uutiset/huge_costs_caused_by_alcohol_ause/6639487.

Build a Bear, Build a Memory

Universidad Latinoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnologia San Jose, Costa Rica Facultad de Ciencias Empresariales January, 2010 Bilingual Business Administration Principles of Marketing Cesar Eduardo Gonzalez Company Case Build-A-Bear, Build-A-Memory Examples of needs, wants, and demands that Build-A-Bear customers demonstrate, differentiating each of these concepts. What are the implications of each on Build-A-Bear actions. Needs: Understanding needs as states of felt deprivation, not created by marketers but basic parts of the human makeup, we can say that Build-A-Bear customers demonstrate the individual need of self-expression, authenticity, creativity, empowerment, choice, individuality, freedom. They also demonstrate the underlying need that people have to entertain themselves. Wants: Although Build-A-Bear clients need to find a way to self-express and entertain themselves, they want to â€Å"step into a (†¦ genuine fantasy world organized around a child-friendly assembly line comprised of clearly labeled work stations†, where they can choose unstuffed animals from a bin, stuff them, include voice boxes, stitch them, dress them, name them, and even receive a birth certificate for their creation. This example is aligned with the idea that wants are the form human needs take as shaped by culture and individual personality. Demands: Giving their wants and resources, Build-A-Bear customers demand specific products that add up to the most valuable and satisfaction. Among the most relevant examples we can mention are both new store locations and accessories. â€Å"Mini-scooters, Hello Kitty bears, mascot bears at professional sport venues, and sequined purses† are also specific ideas that were interpreted as customers? demands by the company. Implication of each (needs, wants, and demands) on Build-A- Bear actions Needs, wants and demands have huge implications on Build-A-Bear actions. Not only by walking where customers walk, periodically checking its stores and assessing its customer service, but also by employing a mix of low-tech and high tech communication methods to interact with customers, Build-A-Bear demonstrates it is a truly customer-centric organization. This allows the company to fulfill their customers? needs, wants, and demands through successful market offerings, orchestrating several products and services to create brand experiences for customers. In detail, describe all facets of Build-A-Bear? product. What is being exchanged in a Build-A-Bear transaction? In my opinion, Build-A-Bear? s product has two different facets. There is a main facet formed by the intangible â€Å"experience of participating in the creation of personalized entertainment† and there is also a second facet formed by a tangible bear that â€Å"children clutch as they leave the store†. The main facet begins when children step into a â€Å"cartoon land† and interact with the different stations of the â€Å"child-friendly assembly line†. The second one, in turn, has the distinctive sign of being unlike any they other object Build-A-Bear customers have ever bought or receive, â€Å"they have a product that they have created†. Identifying these two facets helps us determine what is being exchanged in a Build-A-Bear transaction. Base on the idea that an exchange is the act of obtaining a desired object from someone by offering something in return, we can say that Build-A-Bear presents both an experience and a tangible object to fulfill its customers? needs, wants, and demands. In return, the company receives an average of 25$ per built bear. However, it goes beyond simply attracting new customers and creating transactions. It truly builds and maintains desirable exchange relationships with its target audiences, retaining customers while growing their business. Which of the five marketing management concept best describes Build-A-Bear workshops? In my opinion, The Marketing Concept is the one that best describes Build-A-Bear workshops. By looking for innovative ways to interact with customers and using both low-tech and high-tech methods, Build-A-Bear? s demonstrate that knowing its customers? eeds, wants and demands and then delivering the desired satisfaction are key activities within the organization. As stated before, Build-A-Bear is a truly customer-centric organization. Discuss in detail the value that Build-A-Bear creates for its customers. Because customer-perceived value is the customer? s evaluation of the differences between all the benefits and all the costs of a marketing offer relative to those competing off ers, we will use the marketing offer of Vermont Teddy Bear Company to discuss the value that Build-A-Bear creates for its customers. On the one hand, Vermont Teddy Bear Company promotes its product as the only hand-made bear in America that is guaranteed for life. Thus, it is safe to assume that high quality is an important element of their market offer. On the other hand, Build-A-Bear value for customers comes not only from the tangible object, the bear, but also from â€Å"the experience of participating in the creation of personalized entertainment†, which led us to the following conclusion: Although bears are final outcomes for both companies, Build-A-Bear is giving more at a lower price. And that is why an average of 25$ for a customized product and for the experience of participating in the creation of personalized entertainment is perceived as a marketing offer that gives more value to the customer compared with to the 50$ to 100$ that customers of Vermont Teddy Bear Company have to pay for a high quality bear. Is Build-A-Bear likely to be successful in continuing to build customers relationships? Why or why not? In my opinion, Build-A-Bear is indeed likely to be successful in continuing to build customers relationships. Why? Because behind the actions the company? is taking to: (i) further expand the Build-A-Bear experience beyond the retail stores using its new website, and (ii) entering into new markets by opening at least 350 stores in the US, 120 stores in Europe, and 300 stores in other parts of the world, are two underlying efforts: build a personal connection with customers, and at the same time understand is clients needs, wants, and demands. Universidad L atinoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnologia San Jose, Costa Rica Facultad de Ciencias Empresariales January, 2010 Bilingual Business Administration Principles of Marketing Cesar Eduardo Gonzalez My needs, wants and demands. As the title suggests, the purpose of this paper is to set forth my needs, wants, and demands. Because a common conceptual framework is very useful in every analysis, the first thing I? m going to do is refer to a brief definition of those terms. I will then explain what my needs are, dividing them into three categories: Physical needs, individual needs, and social needs just to make it easy for my readers. Right after, I will take a look at my wants. And I will finish with my demands. Common conceptual framework: Throughout this paper, I will understand needs as â€Å"states of felt depravation† and stick to the idea that they are not â€Å"created by marketers† but â€Å"a basic part of the human make up†. Wants, in turn, will be treated as â€Å"the form human needs take as they are shaped by culture and individual personality†. They will also be described in terms of objects that will satisfy them, focusing only on those objects I can`t afford. I will do this to distinguish my wants from my demands. This means that I will understand demands as those wants that are actually backed by my purchasing power. My needs: Let? s start with the physical ones. Definitively, food and water are on the top of the list. As every human being, I need food to provide my body with the energy it will use each day. I need also to provide it with water to hydrate it properly. But there is a key point here. I? m just referring to limited portions of food and water or let`s say those that are essential for the human body to work. Thus, a 5. 000-calories-per-day diet seems either as a want or as a demand for average people but not as a need. Maybe not behind but next to food and water I would put air and sunlight. Definitively, those two are also among the essential physical needs every human has; and because I? m not the exception, I thought it was important to include them in my list of needs. I understand, though, that in the world not everyone is satisfying this need at a 100%-rate. Good examples of that can be found just by thinking of really air-polluted cities, such as Mexico DF, or thinking of those countries that receive little or no sunlight during several month every, such as Russia or Canada. But let`s thank we are not in any of those groups and move forward. After food, water, air, and sunlight, I would put cloth and shelter. As I mentioned before, I am just talking about basic stuff. Some examples could be a couple of pants, shirts, and sweaters to protect me from the weather and to cover the cloth section. A small house or flat, in turn, will be sufficient to cover the need of shelter. Thus, design cloth and luxury properties would be definitively in people? s wants or demand section, depending on his or her purchasing power. To finish with my physical-needs section, I would mention not only rest but movement and exercise. As every human being, I need to safe hours every day to sleep and rest. I understand the number of hours needed vary from one person to another, but in my case, 7 to 8 hours work perfectly well. Movement and exercise are important needs too. And although it seems that there are a lot of people out there that are not really aware of that, for me, 4 to 6 hours of exercise per week also work for me. Looking now at my individual needs, I would say that freedom and independence along with creativity and self expression are among the top of this list. As most human beings, I need to feel I can express my ideas and take my own decisions without having someone else telling me what to do or how. Here, I am not talking about homework or other duties at work; I am talking about more deep things, such as having someone telling you what to buy, sell, study, or work, where to live, with whom, or how. Sadly, if we look at political extremists, such as communist, not only in history but around us, we could find good examples of that. I consider that having the possibility of learning new things is also an important need, and as such, I included in my list. Here I am not talking about schools or universities, because, in my opinion, those would be wants or needs depending on everyone`s purchasing power. I am talking about learning in general terms. Last but not least, I would include having fun in my individual-need list. I think this is important in people`s life, and for me is not the exception either. I understand of course that for some people more than for others, this could be tough. But even under the worst circumstances people should try. Now, I will proceed with my social needs. In this category I would include affection, sense of belonging and friendship. For me and for every person I know all of them are very important needs that must be somehow satisfied. I would add to this point that satisfying them is not a matter of quantity of friends or people sharing your thoughts and ideas but a matter of quality and how strong are the bounds that you can create with others. Right after I would add respect. For me, this element plays a key role; and just as others, I need to be treated with respect. Acceptance, communication and understanding are also social need. My wants As everybody else, I have different wants. What interested me the most about them is that, apparently, they have no limits; or at least, that seems to be the consensus among most of the economist, especially when they give a look at the principles of the economic problem. Starting with food, and thinking about it not only in terms of tangible products but also in terms of services that would satisfy my wants, I would say that (at least for weekdays) a varied, healthy, home-style menu of food delivered right to my office would be great would probably satisfy my wants. For weekends in turn, I would say that Gourmet restaurants would also be on the list. In terms of cloth and shelter, my wants are also relatively big and considered as a group, they are also unaffordable, at least at this point. I can start by mentioning some tailored suits, long-sleeve shirts and a couple of pair of Italian shoes that match them would also be included. I would also add several ties, made of silk could be included to finish with the formal outfit. Then, for a more casual look, I would by tens of Hollyster & Co. hirts. The reason why I want them is because they have a special fabric that makes it VERY easy to iron them, which safe me a lot of time. Some expensive, and durable black, beige, blue, and brown cotton pants, and jeans could be also on the list. This way I would leave Zara? s cloth behind, which is nice made to last just for a few months. Moving to the sport section, I would include special tennis for runners and several sport outfits. At this point Addidas or new balance will be on the top of the list. Why? Again, is a matter of the perceived quality of fabrics, those brands (and of course others) have invested huge amounts of money to create high-tech cloth that regulate your internal temperature while you are performing any physical activity. Taking about shelter-related wants, I would put a 3 bedroom flat with a nice view, pool, and a tennis court. I can be here in Costa Rica or anywhere else, for example, at Vancouver, Toronto, London, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, etc. At the end it will depend on where job opportunities are. But now, a flat with this description will fit perfectly well with my wants because I would have a room for me and my girlfriend, a room to use as a private office/library, and finally a guest room for family living overseas. Talking about the possibility of learning new things, I want to start a master program in a European university, especially if it is located in the UK or in the Netherlands. Why? Because I really like those countries and their universities are ranked among the top of the list. I would also add many books to my wants list, and here I? talking about really expensive ones. And finally looking forward to satisfy my both social needs of communication and individual needs of creativity, I would definitively add a Mac book air to my list of wants. The reason I choose this product is because it will give me not only the built-in camera and microphone that I use to call them through the internet (because today almost every computer include this feature) but because it wi ll give me the mobility and flexibility I need due to its light weight. Carrying my laptop at the airports won’t be a nightmare. And finally I will be more efficient at one of my hobbies, which is creating graphic material using Macromedia `s programs, because I will not have to wait for my slow PC. My demands: Sticking here to the idea that demands are the type of needs backed to my purchasing power, I have to admit that my list of demands has been self-limited almost to the basics. This means I have voluntarily decreased my level of consumption because I am a point where the act savings became a necessary step to achieve some of the goals I have set. For example, I would definitively include access to sport facilities to train between 3 to 4 times per week (or even more in those weird cases that I have the time and the will) to my list of demands. A gym membership, for example, could work perfectly well. Products and services that give me more useful time and increase my efficiency are also on my demand list. Here I`m talking about a Smartphone and the Voice & Data packages that are offered by the phone company, which gives me exactly what I? looking for: High-speed internet access, interconnected email accounts, access to overseas radio stations, maps, calendar, address book, alarms, cameras, videos, the etc. Even though it is absolutely not among my favorite demands, gas is also on this list. I understand that public transport represent an alternative. But sadly it is slow and time-consuming, so to my regret public transportation services do not work for me. I also demand ingredients to prepare easy-to-cook, home-style food. Let`s say, fruits, frozen vegetables, chicken breasts, meat, milk, cereal, bread, cheese, juice, etc. Thinking about my individual need of learning new things, I demand related products and services that help me to satisfy it. Among the products, books usually play a central role. When it comes about services, in turn, high-speed internet access and being enrolled in university studies are crucial for me. To finish with my demand list, I would include my apartment, which is rented, and all the related public services. Water, light, land phone, is what I? m talking about here.

The Power behind the Prime Minister Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Power behind the Prime Minister - Essay Example Today, most of the constitutional monarchies are prime ministerial by nature and structure. It is alleged that the Prime Minister’s office does not have many legal roots, but is open to speculation and calculation of historians and political scientists3. In recent years, perhaps the most accused Prime Minister as a dictator is Margaret Thatcher4. Not having properly written powers has not prevented the Prime Minister’s office from being in control of most of the situations5. The nature of the Prime Minister’s work is all-pervasive. He is the national leader, chief policymaker, Parliament leader, leader of the ruling party and the most powerful point in the whole of United Kingdom and all information and power are at his disposal6. UK Prime Ministers are also charged with sometimes behaving like the United States President. Â  The Prime Minister, even though appointed by the British Monarch, is bound by the constitutional convention and if happens to lose the majority in House of Commons, is bound to resign or request for a general election. To some extent, Prime Minister’s office is still a de facto shade in it; it is governed more by custom than by the law of the land. British Monarch is bound by Prime Minister’s advice and this gives the Prime Minister a more powerful position. He also can use certain royal prerogatives directly7. Â  Even though Prime Ministers are never prevented from running the country in their own individual style, the fact remains that his position remains ambiguous as he is not empowered by any statutory authority.

Humn Resourse Mngement 'The World is Flt' Essay

Humn Resourse Mngement 'The World is Flt' - Essay Example Minford & Riley (2005) suggested that the supply side reforms of the 1990s and 2000s have transformed the way in which the UK labour market operates. The latest date retrieved from statistical analytical repot show that in the last year, the UK has experienced crashing share prices and other economic uncertainties brought on by the threat of war with Iraq. These economic adversities, however, have not been reflected in the overall performance of the UK labour market which shows that the employment rate has been rising and unemployment decreasing in the last year. In fact, for the three months ending in June 2005, the employment level was estimated to be 27.92 million, the highest level since records began in 1984 (Minford, Riley, 2005:12) . In view of above, extensive research is needed in the area of labour market in search for the ways of mazimizing its efficiency and productivity. One of the ways that has actually been least reviewed in the literature is outsourcing and its effects on the labour market. Three key questions re ddressed. First, wht is the extent of outsourcing nd re there differences between firms in the use of such prctices Second, why do firms outsource Finlly, wht is the impct of outsourcing mintennce work on firm performnce In mny cses the move to outsourcing is prt of wider drive for flexibility, so the rticle begins by reviewing the literture on lbour flexibility nd outsourcing. fter brief section deling with methodologicl issues, the rticle reports the extent nd rtionle for outsourcing mongst smple of ustrlin firms. These findings re then benchmrked ginst the prctices of Jpnese firms operting in ustrli. The pper concludes by ssessing the impct of outsourcing on enterprise performnce.I. Literture Review 2. Lbour flexibility nd outsourcing The theme running through mny of the new pproches to mngement is the development of more flexible workforce. The serch for improved flexibility hs becomes employers' new frontier in the mngement of lbour. Flexibility cn hve vriety of menings (Brunhes, 2000), but fundmentlly three forms of the concept cn be distinguished (Hrrison nd Kelley, 2004, pp. 213-214). Functionl flexibility is the bility of the enterprise to redeploy lbour to cover new work tsks or new production methods. The second form is wge flexibility, in which the enterprise ttempts to link wge pyments to productivity nd product demnd. Finlly, numericl flexibility is the bility to djust lbour inputs to product demnd. These forms of lbour flexibility hve been well documented in industrilized ntions (see Hrrison nd Kelley, 2004, p. 214). In UK, for exmple, the introduction of enterprise

Public Health Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Public Health - Research Paper Example In the following discussion, the researcher shall enumerate on the concept of public and community health by tracing its historical development, and comparing it to each other. The objective is to identify the differences and similarities between public and community nursing, and its impact on acute care setting. Health, according to the World Health Organization can be defined as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity" (Stanhope and Lancaster 322). This definition has evolved over the centuries due to several historical health events which shall be discussed as follows: Historically, health care can be traced to the Greeks. They initiated the concept of self-care as the basis for developing a system of health care for the public. They believed that if individuals were free of disease, practice hygiene and care for themselves, then the community would be healthy. Based on this concept in the United States active promotion of health care developed during the 19th century when concern for the spread of epidemic and diseases due to poverty, dirty environment, and lack of awareness among the people led to the first public policies (Scutchfield, Mays and Keck 11). At the time public health organizations developed by political entities were defined as institutions for policing epidemics through quarantine, and keeping diseases at bay. The first American Public Health Association was formed on an entirely different platform as compared to today. The purpose of the Association was to practice public sanitation, and worked in conjunction with medical practit ioners, lawyers, engineers, lay reformers and on. This was more community focus rather than policy based holistically. Yet, it was different from community health, and operated based on national economic and social reforms, and was political in

Strategic Management and International Business at Starbucks Case Study - 46

Strategic Management and International Business at Starbucks - Case Study Example Starbucks should create winning strategies by coming up with a cohesive, energized and happy team, which will create a strong bond with the customers and ensure growth (Enz, 2010; Godin, 2006). It is undoubtedly that corporate success is not a guarantee and the probability of a firm having a long-term success heightens when strategic leaders continue to evaluate the appropriateness of the strategies developed as well as actions that are taken in an effort to implement them. It is obvious that the McDonald’s is a major competitive threat since its coffee drinks are meant to create value to the consumers by giving them high-quality experience at a lower price than that of Starbucks. Therefore, one of the ways in which Starbucks can ensure a competitive advantage is by developing a sound mechanism by which it can combine authority, relative value, and quality. It should have an ideal pricing strategy whereby consumers feel that they are getting a great deal for their money. It also needs to maintain strict and solid quality controls with regard to its coffee sourcing. Starbucks should also spend more time differentiating from its rivals and be up to date with the latest technology to outwit its competitors. It should also continue positioning itself as an authoritative figure, allowing premium prices where necessary. It should aim at improving on its brand and reputation by carrying out a survey on what the customers think of the corporation and ways it can improve (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2010). The decision to fire Donald was appropriate considering that Starbucks was performing poorly against the Nasdaq index for the quarterly financials that preceded his ouster. During his reign, the coffee stock plummeted by 50%; hence, needed a leader who can drive changes such as encouraging international expansion and streamlining the management of the firm.  

Luxury Marketing. Chanel case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Luxury Marketing. Chanel case - Essay Example The French product Chanel is the luxury brand established by Gabrielle Chanel in 1909 (Chanel, 2013). Chanel’s success is credited because the attention that it gives to various segments of customer, its use of luxury brand components in advertising and video promoting in publications of luxury brand which it was likewise broadcasted by Luxury Daily as Luxury Marketer in the year of 2013. Chanel targets ladies with high salaries between 23 and 80 age. The most simple strategy to talk to more young buyers was to incorporate VIP underwriting with on-screen Kristin Stewart actress in advertising promotion (Abbing, 2010). Other technique to speak its young customers is via digital media, which includes the versatile procedure, commercials on online buyer interaction and on Hulu. As far as this current, Chanel's luxury brand picture in consumer minds exceedingly takes up with its center products, premium evaluating procedure, quality and feel (Chanel, 2013). Chanel is the luxury br and for mold accessories, watches, jewelry, cosmetics product, scents and healthy skin. Because of the reality, it is still one of only a valuable few luxury brands that don't offer its products on the media, which, despite, does not change its performance, as it remains the best promoter in this portion.

Botswana and a Dutch Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Botswana and a Dutch Disease - Essay Example Cherunilam (2008, p. 166) defined Dutch disease as â€Å"the deindustrialization of a sector caused by the boom in another traded good sector†. Basically, a Dutch disease is present when there is an excessive utilization of its available natural resources. As a result, excessive use of natural resources can trigger a significant decrease in the overall production of goods among the local manufacturing companies. The rationale behind this particular economic situation is that the selling of these natural resources could make the country’s monetary currency stronger. Therefore, the exportation of finish products coming from the tradable sectors becomes less attractive in the world market (Pegg 2010). The overvaluation of a currency can cause long-term harm over the economic performance of each country. The presence of trade shocks can lead to serious market failures. Aside from causing market failures in less developed countries, Rodrick and Rosenzweig (2010) explained th at a strong monetary currency can make the local manufacturers become less competitive in the world market. For this reason, a significant decrease in the demand for goods and services would mean a higher unemployment rate in the long-run. The real GDP growth rate in Botswana as of 2010 was 7.5% (U.S. Department of State 2011). However, this particular economic indicator alone is not sufficient to determine whether or not Botswana is suffering from the negative economic consequences of a Dutch disease. With regards to this matter, this report aims to carefully examine the economic variables which may suggest whether or not Botswana is currently experiencing a Dutch disease. In order to perform a full analysis of Botswana economy, this report will focus on observing historical changes in the value of Botswana’s currency (Botswana Pula or BWP), changes in the exportation growth, potential sources of capital inflows (i.e. exportation of natural resources, foreign direct investme nt, remittances from overseas workers or incoming of foreign aids), and high levels of unemployment rate. Economic Variables Suggesting whether or not Botswana is Experiencing a Dutch Disease A Dutch disease is often associated with the presence of abundant oil supply. In the case of Botswana, its natural resources are not dependent on oil but more on the presence of abundant supply of diamonds, copper, and nickel (U.S. Department of State 2011). Even though Botswana is highly dependent on mining, this particular industry only employs 8,000 workers (Pegg 2010). Within this context, we cannot clearly say that the mining industry in Botswana is booming since this particular industry does not literally extract resources from away from the manufacturing or agricultural sectors. The trend and value of Botswana’s currency is one of the main economic variables that one should carefully examine to determine whether or not Botswana is currently experiencing a Dutch disease. Even thoug h the currency of Botswana Pulas is not pegged to a specific foreign exchange value, Botswana managed to maintain the exchange rate at the average of 7.3507 Botswana Pulas to 1 US dollar between the periods of September 2011 to March 2012 (Exchange-Rates.org 2012). In case Dutch disease is present, economists believe that a strong exportation of na

Is Bigger Government Better Government, based from the arguments of Research Paper

Is Bigger Government Better Government, based from the arguments of Jim demint and Jeff Madrick - Research Paper Example Perhaps the most important of these are: making laws that are fair and just for all citizens, organizing and policing society, providing infrastructure such as healthcare, education, transport and financial systems, and representing the country’s interests in the wider world. It must also, of course, provide for elections and engage in dialogue with the public over policies in order to ensure that it reflects in a broad sense the will of the majority of the people, and considers the interests of minorities and those who are not in agreement with the ruling faction. In each of these areas there are arguments for more or less government involvement, and consequently bigger or smaller investment in government offices and budgets to undertake these tasks. This paper will explore first the ideas of Jeff Madrick, who favors the big government approach and then the ideas of Jim DeMint, who is a supporter of the smaller government approach. Finally these opposing views will be compare d in order to establish which of the two is better. Jeff Madrick in his book The Case for Big Government argues that people in modern America cling to a myth about the early stages of American History. This myth suggests that in the days before modern cities arose and mass industrialization became the norm, people had less government, and were able to live as they want to. The age of the pioneers and settlers is one which people like to idealize, praising the virtues of self-reliance and freedom from an interfering state which only wants to create unnecessary rules. Madrick cites a letter which Jefferson wrote, saying that a good government must be a â€Å"wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.† (Madrick, 2009, p. 33) The letter was written when Jefferson was not in charge , and Madrick points out that in practice, when he had responsibility for managing the expansion of the territory to include Louisiana, Jefferson did not follow through on this ideal view of government. He realized that land ownership of the vast new territories was the crucial factor which would determine the prosperity of individuals and organizations alike and he did not trust market forces to ensure that the new land would be distributed fairly: â€Å"The broad distribution of land he thought ideal could be accomplished only through government control and regulation.† (Madrick, 2009, p. 33) Throughout America’s history, from this time onwards, critical investments such as railroads, canals, and schools were supervised and regulated by state and local government officials. The benefits of this involvement can still be seen today: standardized gauges for the wagons, a transport network which serves both local and national needs and a fundamental and ever-increasing c ommitment to high quality education for all children and young people. While commitment to the free market economy has been an important factor in America’s economic success in the twentieth century, it has also seen several disastrous depressions and crashes, with cycles of boom and bust that have a serious impact on large sections of the population. In Madrick’

Determine how our society decides gender and what elements you believe Research Paper

Determine how our society decides gender and what elements you believe are the most influential in this construction - Research Paper Example er couple from Jayme Poisson’s article â€Å"Parents Keep Child’s Gender Secret† consider a social gender as a stereotypic and tyrannical issue, scholars of social science, particularly Thomas D. Steensma in â€Å"Gender Identity Development in Adolescence† and Curt Hoffman and Nancy Hurst in â€Å"Gender Stereotypes: Perception and Rationalization?† are looking for a scientific explanation of a social gender prejudice. Gender firstly should be given a correct definition, and Steensma describes gender in â€Å"Gender Identity Development in Adolescence† as a very complex issue. It’s different from sex, because sex is an inborn biological characteristic which usually matches with genitals differentiation, while gender can be revealed during life (Steensma 289). Gender constitutes of biological inborn characteristic and gender identity, which is a personal revelation of gender, and of a gender role, which is determined by social expectations on males and females (different behavior, social roles and different personal characteristics are expected) (Steensma 291). Thus, gender depends on biological (hormones, chromosomes and genitals) and psycho-sociological (nurturing) factors. It doesn’t seem possible to reveal gender without social interference in a process. Society affects a gender identity by imposing different natures of male and female nurturing: parents and a social environment both tend to raise male and female children with a view of their future social roles (Hoffman & Hurst 197). A nurturing starts early, already from a new born period, and society behaves differently towards babies of different sex, starting from a lexicon used when talking about a baby to different toys and activities imposing. It seems important for society to define gender from the very first days of life. Witterink and Stocker who raise a transgender child admits, â€Å"When baby comes out even the people who love you and are close to you firstly ask if it’s a boy or a girl†

Technology in the Learning Essay Example for Free

Technology in the Learning Essay The teacher knows how to use the materials. The students can relate and understand the lesson because the application or software of that particular topic is found in material. If the teacher did not know how to use material it can cause weakness. The volumes of computers are not sufficient. It helps to the teacher to introduce the lesson for better understanding. The lesson is easily absorbed because they perform activities to apply the lesson. It’s contains information to help them to understand well and instruction and procedure guide them for their activity. Note for reviewing if they will forget. Your Analysis What do you think prompted the teacher to choose the materials/learning resources that she/he used? Computers and hand outs are most appropriate materials for the lesson about MS Visio. Ms Visio is tool in designing charts and creating professional diagrams. Computer is use for their hands-on and to be seen the features of the MS Visio 2010 and for their practical evaluation to known if they understand the lesson. Hand-out is use for information about the topic and guide in doing their activity. Therefore, the instructional materials serve as a clear representation that was capable of giving clear information, through this the student will able understand the lesson and easy to absorb. What difficulties, if any, did the teacher experience? How can this be managed? There was no difficulty that the teacher experience because the students are participates in discussion and activity. They student was listened and performed the activity while the teachers makes sure that the student do the  tasks. Over-all, were the learning resources/materials used effectively? Why? Why not? Yes, the computers and hand outs are effective because teacher keep getting the attention of the students in listening in the discussion and performing the activities until the class end. They got positive result in quiz and practical evaluation so I conclude that the learning materials are appropriate. Your Reflection Put yourself in the place of the teacher. What would you do similarly and what would you do differently if you will teach the same lesson to the same group of students? Why? If I will teach the same lesson to the same group of students I also use computer and hand outs but I will also use PowerPoint presentation in introducing the functions and features of MS Visio 2010 to motivate the students to listen and to view the difference kinds of charts and diagram to understand the topic well. I will give them a more problem situation in creating chart and diagrams to enhance their knowledge in creating charts and diagrams in given scenario and to appreciate the importance of lesson. FS 3 Technology in the Learning Environment FIELD STUDY Give at least three benefits of doing a survey of available materials before making your own materials? Explain each 1. Less difficulty in introducing the lesson-Teaching aid materials are help to motivate students to listen and easily in the part of the teacher to discuss the topic and help the student to understand the lesson well. 2. Doing a survey of materials help me to discover materials that relevant to my topic. Give me a several option and choose materials that more effective and appropriate so that I will achieve the objectives my lesson. Also give me ideas to create new materials. 3. Surveying of available materials are can save time, effort and money. You will not spend time, effort and money because material is already available. You can choose topic that will use the available materials especially in cooking .When you think a menu to cook you should also consider the equipment or tools to use so that can save money to buying those equipments or you will focus on available materials. Your Reflections 1. Which of the materials did you like making the most? Why? Making power point presentation is the most I like because it develops my creativity in designing and animating my slide presentation because of putting pictures, videos, animated pictures and effects in slide and student also like it. It easier to get their attention and they also learned by pictures and videos. 2. What difficulties, if any, did you encounter in making the materials? How did you overcome them? I encounter difficulties in making hand outs and activity sheets. Hand outs should clear and informative so that the lesson will understand by student. And you should make sure that your activity sheet is challenging and have thrilled so that you will evaluate well your student if they absorb the lesson. I base my hand outs and activity sheet to my objectives through this it easier to me to create. 3. What tips can you give teachers regarding preparation of teaching materials In preparation of teaching materials you should consider the availability of materials to avoid creating and purchasing materials. The suitability of materials to the subject matter it also very important. You also consider the skill and knowledge of teacher in using the materials and also the student. FS 3 Technology in the Learning Environment FIELD STUDY PAPER WORKS! (Preparing Hand-outs) HAND-OUT PLAN Subject Matter: Technology and Livelihood Education (Baking and other Kitchen tools and Equipment ) Grade/Year Level: Fourth Year High School Outline: A. Definition of Matter B. Classification of Ovens and other Baking Tools and Equipment 1. Ovens Proportionately 2. Other Baking Equipment 3. Baking Tools and Utensils C. Baking Tools and Equipment and their Uses 1. Spatula 2. Flour Sifter 3. Wooden Spoon 4. Scraper 5. Measuring Cups 6. Measuring Spoons 7. Weighing Scale 8. Electric Mixer 9. Rotary Egg Beater 10. Grater and Shredder 11. Rolling Pin 12. Baking Pans Types of Graphic Organizer/flow chart/schema to use: References: 1. Your Analysis 1. What are the good features of a handout? A good handout must concise information and easy to follow. It’s brief but make sure that it contain important detail of your lesson. Choose simple and readable type of fonts that readers can read because difficult to read is will lose their interest immediately. Bullets, schema, diagram and flow art help your hand out to be organized to avoid confusion. Highlight and bold the important detail so that readers recognized the important information. 2. Which of these features are present in the handout I made? I summarize the topic and I write only important detail so that readers understand the point of my lesson. I use bullets and schema to gives guide to the readers. I use simple fonts in order that they understand the information well. I put also references for clarification or if they need more details. 3. Which features are not present in the handout I made? I present all feature I know even though I didn’t know how to do good handouts but I surely my handout is clear and understandable by the readers. Your Reflection 1. What difficulties, if any, did you encounter in making the handouts? How did you overcome them? The difficulty that I encountered while making my simple handouts is to make it shorten but explainable. I put only the important information should to remember and later I discuss some details for more understanding. I also find difficult in providing schema to my example so I did was explore in the internet and select the best example to my topic. 2. What tips can you give teacher regarding preparation of handouts? Teacher must be resourceful so that the handouts will be informative tools in students learning. Informative because students depend in handouts especially It tackled an ago. They also didn’t remember your explanation so handouts make them recall your lesson. More information is making your reader uninterested to your topic so make it short. FS 3 Technology in the Learning Environment FIELD STUDY Your Analysis 1. What are the features of a good slide presentation? A good slide presentation contains pictures and videos to help you to discuss the topic and to have more understanding in part of student. Pictures and videos let students know what I am talking about. It helps also to get the attention of the students. The slide should follow the 7x 7 rules. Seven words every sentence and seven sentences in every slide. You must remember that your text should Arial font’s style and 24 font’s size. The background color and foreground color are contrast. 2. Which of these features are present in the slide presentation you made? The features I mentioned about are presented in my slide and I follow the 7 x7 rules of power point so that it will make it easier for the audience to read. 3. Which features are not present in the slide presentation you made? I did not put sound effects and music because it will cause distraction to my discussion. I did not use video presentation because it consumes more time but it will depend to your topic if it will be useful to your discussion. Your Reflection 1. What difficulties, if any, did you encounter in making the slide presentation? How did you overcome them? Power point presentation is very interesting to do because it easy to create it. Background and effects are already available. You can put pictures, effects, music and videos that will found in the internet. So far, there were no difficulties that I have encountered. FS 3 Technology in the Learning Brief Description of the material in the Website This site present difference tools and equipment in baking and other tools in kitchen and their uses. Evaluation of Website Strength It is very informative. This site gave a lot of information in my topic. Weaknesses The weakness of this site is you need to become a member to their organization to can access their essays or term papers. Your Reflection This episode tells us the importance roles of internet were you can find a lots of information about in your topic. And also informs us to be aware to the reference of information because website leads to the false information.

The Unethical Business Practices Of Shell Commerce Essay

The Unethical Business Practices Of Shell Commerce Essay Unethical practices by organizations are frequently increasing as the pressure to compete and succeed compels them to ignore the ethical and moral aspects of their practices and decision-making. In order to maximize value for its shareholders and gain profitability, Shell ended up bribing the Nigerian officials to  make it easier to import their goods and equipment, in order to avoid customs duties, extend contracts and lower tax etc. Therefore this report investigates and scrutinizes Shells unethical practices in context to its the moral code of ethics and recommends Shell to be more ethical in their practice. 1.3 Introduction As globalization increases many organizations indulge in unethical practices to achieve growth and profit maximization. Consequently, the examples of such companies include LOreal, Nike, Wal-Mart, Shell etc. Shell, is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies. They have their headquarters situated in Hague, the Netherlands.  The parent company of the Shell group is Royal Dutch Shell plc, which is incorporated in England and Wales. Shells operated in more than 90 countries and has an approximate of 93000 employees. Their production mainly consists of forty eight percent of natural gas and around 3.3million barrels of gas and oil is produced per day. Shell has established forty three service stations worldwide. According to a survey conducted in 2010, theyve sold an estimated 145 billion litres of fuel. The Company has two main streams, upstream which explores for and extracts crude oil and natural gas and Downstream which refines supplies, trades and ships crude worldwi de, manufactures and markets a range of products, and produces petrochemicals for industrial customers. According to their financial report of 2010, with the capital invested of $30.6 billion and $1 billion in Investment in research and development, they had an income of $20.5billion with revenue of $368.1 billion (Shell, 2010). 1.4 Historical Background Shell was born during days of the oil boom and started out in the shadow of John D. Rockefellers Standard oil monopoly. Royal Dutch/Shell was the result of a merger in 1907 between the British-based Shell Transport and Trading Company, which pioneered the use of seagoing oil tankers and the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company, which made its fortune developing new oil fields in Borneo and Sumatra. Marcus Samuel was an enterprising fellow who decided to greet ships returning to England from India, Japan, Africa, and the Middle East and offer to buy any trinkets and curious that sailors had collected abroad. In the 1890s, the French Rothchild family decided to go into business exploiting the oil fields opening up in Baku in Russia. Needing a partner to help them transport and sell the oil, they turned to Marcus Samuel the younger. After a brief trip to the Caucasus, Marcus Samuel decided that the only way to take on the near monopoly grip that Standard Oil held was to radically reduce oil tr ansportation costs. During that time kerosene was transported in crates of tin containers. Loading the fuel into these relatively small containers, crating them, and loading them onto ship as time consuming, expensive and inefficient, Samuel argued. It would be much preferable to just pipe the oil into a tanker ship. In 1907, Sir Marcus Samuel and Henri Deterding merged the Shell Transport and Trading Company with the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company to create Royal Dutch/Shell. The company is owned forty percent by the Shell Transport and Trading Company and sixty percent by the Royal Dutch Petroleum (History of Business, 2010). In the 1980s, Shell sought to grow through acquisition. It bought out the remaining 30% shareholding in Shell Oil in 1985 to consolidate its American operations. The 1980s saw the development of offshore exploration projects, which were in much more challenging conditions than had previously been attempted.  The 1990s Shell saw the technology of biomass fuels and Gas to Liquids make giant leaps forward.  Shell was criticized over the Brent Spar episode in 1995, which centered on its plans to dispose of the storage platform. The Group learned that public opinion had become much more sensitive to environmental issues. In the next decade, the Group worked much harder to open a dialogue with interested parties regarding its environmental impact and to develop good relations with the communities affected by its work. Another problem to hit the Group arose from its presence in the Nigerian region of Ogoniland. The tribal minority in the Ogoni were aggrieved with the Nigerian government because they felt denied a proper share of federal revenues from the oil, and what they saw as other fundamental human rights. Their champion was the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa. The oil companies were targeted as collaborators with the corrupt government. Shell was accused of environmental despoliation. The story achieved international notoriety when Saro-Wiwa and eight of his colleagues were sentenced to death by hanging for their activities. Shell has since strived to follow a policy of demonstrating its community of interests and reciprocal good feeling with both the governments and the local populaces it deals with. The 1990s were notable for Shell for the development of the LNG gas business. Improved transportation and rising demand made this area of the Groups activities increasingly important and are expected to continue to do so in the first decades of the twenty-first century (Shell, 2010). 1.5 Report Preview This report examines various unethical practices of Shell. Firstly, it investigates upon the historical background of Shell. Moreover, we have related Shells immoral issues to the ethical theories. Along with these principles we also suggest some recommendations which could be reasonably essential for Shell to operate in a better and efficient manner. Finally, the report concludes with importance on ethics, corporate social responsibility and with our suggestion on its unethical action. 2.0 Shells Unethical practices: In 2010, Shell was accused of bribery practice with Nigerian officials in order to gain profit. Shell bribed Nigerian officials to make it easier for them to import goods and equipment, get lower taxes and avoid the customs. Shell said that it paid 2 million U.S Dollars to its Nigerian Workers in its deep water Bonga Project. Shell actually knew that part of the money will go to Nigerian officials whom will make shell avoid the customs process. This will give shell an obvious competitive advantage in the market. Shell actually gained $14million profit from this bribery of the Bonga project. Shell will pay $48.1 million dollars in order to settle probes by the U.S Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission. In January 2004, fraudulent overstatement of proven hydrocarbon reserves by Shell in Form F20 returns filed with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission(John Donovan,2007). Shell has given misleading and wrong statements about its reserves. It paid a $120 million fine for this claims settlement. One of the famous unethical practices by Shell was causing the high levels of pollution in Nigeria.40% of shells oil spills worldwide was in Nigeria. The oil spill also caused water contamination. It caused oil pollution in the Ogoniland region for the past 40 years or so. The pipelines were built in front of the peoples houses and in their farmlands. They suffered oil leaks through the pipelines. This has totally destroyed the environment over there. It killed the aquatic life; killing many fishes. Also enveloped the land with oil. This has been really devastating for the Ogoni people, economically and healthy, since their economy depends mainly on fishing and farming. People suffered respiratory diseases such as bronchial asthma; and cancer. Lots of vegetation is dying, especially Mangrove swamps, due to wastes of oil in the Niger River. The reason Shell has been successful in doing these unethical practices in Nigeria is because they used to bribe the Nigerian officials frequently to ease the process. Royal Dutch Shell Blames oil spills on sabotage to its equipment ( Chima Williams,2009). This explains how rude and unethically they take responsibility for their awful actions. According to the Covalence ethical ranking in 2008, saw Shell in the 510 position out of 541 multinational companies. Covalence s ethical quotation system is a reputation index based on quantifying qualitative data and It is a barometer of how multinationals are perceived in the ethical field(John Donovan 2009). The covalence ethical ranking is based on important issues such as Human rights policy, Waste Management, Labor standards and product social utility. A research done by Management and Excellence in 2005 sees Shell as the number 1 most ethical oil company in the world. But by the end of 2011, Shells position is expected to deteriorate much due to the bribery scandal it suffered for the last few months. 2.1 Conoco Phillips: Conoco Phillips is a Non-government owned American oil and Gas Corporation. Its the 3rd largest of the oil majors worldwide. It works in all different aspects in oil and natural gas industry such as Midstream, Petrochemicals, and Refining and Marketing. The company was formed as a result of a merger between Conoco and Philips in 2002. Its major competitors are Shell, British Petroleum and Exxon Mobil. Conoco Philips is one of the few Oil companies that suffer unethical issues. According to Conoco Philips, Our mission is to do more than to deliver energy. It has a long term commitment to achieve the top ethical standards and create a culture that encourages honesty and responsibility in everything they do. Conoco Philips values the importance of corporate transparency and ethics as they are a major drive for consumers and stakeholders confidence. A proof of ConocoPhillipss environmental concern is that it spent $80 million dollars to develop new technologies for unconventional and alt ernative energy sources. ConocoPhillips is a member of the U.S Climate Action Partnership, which is a group of businesses, major corporations and environmental organization with a goal to pressure the U.S Government to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. ConocoPhillips spent around $150 million dollars 2007 on research and development of alternative energy sources and new technologies- which is almost a 50% increase compared to the $80 million dollar spent in 2006. 2.2 Shell vs. ConocoPhillips Shell is the 2nd biggest company in the world in terms of revenue, which makes it more profitable than ConocoPhillips (16th). Actually, after the recent bribery issues about Shell, its position will eventually drop in the next few years. They will suffer from employee turnover, loss of company reputation and lots of other disadvantages which will not enable them to be more profitable like before. Whilst for ConocoPhillips, its very predictable that this company will get closer to Shell in terms of revenue and why not surpass it, due to its ethical practices! Thats why Shell should have good ethical policies like that of ConocoPhillips and actually adapt this policy and not violate it. 3.0 Recommendations and Facts: 3.1 Recommendations First of all if Shell wants to get back its reputation after the Nigeria bribery incident, they have to change their vision, not the written vision statement, in fact they have to change their insight toward the business they are doing and try to change their practices in a way that help and satisfy people instead of hurting them. They should keep in mind that business is not about gaining profit from whatever way, rather it is about gaining profit from providing services in a way that satisfies customers and if they act ethically eventually they will gain enough profit as they have satisfied people behind their back who support the company (Tempo, 2005). Shell should be considered guilty in this case and be fined for their unethical business practice. Furthermore, Nigerian government should be accountable and responsible for their action as well. The amount of fine that usually determined by courts should be either used for research purposes or as financial aid to help people around the globe. If they do so, Shell will force to do something that they escaped from and try to improve their instruments and facilities by doing research and development instead of trying to gain profit without thinking about safety and effects of their action on stakeholders (Tempo, 2005). More strict rules and regulations regarding the bribery issue and control of governments over their companies can lead to termination of bribery in long term. If Shell maintains a strict No Bribe policy, in long term bribe takers wont ask for it anymore. Then even if they fail in their business they wont blame themselves for paying bribes and they will know that there was something wrong with their facilities and services. 3.2 Facts The main reason that shell wanted to bribe Nigerian government was that they wanted to pay less taxes and easier import of their needed equipment, which eventually leads to higher profit. Thus they only looked for profit and to reach that, they choose bribery as an unethical practice. They shouldnt do that because even if we dont consider bribery as an unethical practice it was illegal and against law in Nigeria, however we know that bribery is an unethical practice indeed. The next thing is that bribery encourages corruption, and this action hurts the poor the most as they have to pay for something which is free and they get into trouble for paying the amount, because they cannot afford it. When a large company like Shell practices, in this case bribery, which is defiantly unethical, this act will spread to the whole society and affect the society in large (Tempo, 2005). Moreover when you start paying bribe for the first time it leads to demand for more bribes and work as a kind of temptation. So it is better never start it. Aid agencies trying to provide free services for those who need help and it is not morally accepted and expected from officials to try to make money from those services that supposed to be free. We believe and agree that Shell did something which is morally wrong and ethical person wont advocate it, but there is a positive point in shells case. Shell accepted that they did and unethical and wrong action and admitted their mistake, they also agreed to pay $48m in criminal and civil fines. However shell had to admit their mistake but still we can consider it as a positive movement from shell and we can hope that Shell try to be an ethical company from now onwards, stop their unethical business practices and try to gain profit while following ethical business practices (Temp,2005). 4.0 Conclusion In conclusion, we all agree that bribery is an unethical business practice and it is not expected from large company such as Shell to practice such actions. It is not only the case that Shell paid bribe, the most important thing is that such actions, eventually leads to corruption of society which all of us believe to be destructive. Shell can follow Conoco Phillips and invest in research and development and try to improve its facilities, and by doing this they might earn less profit in the short term but they can be proud of themselves by being an ethical company and gaining more profit than their competitors in the long term as they will have new technologies and facilities in future because they invest in research and development today. Shell Should be accountable for what they did and be responsible for their unethical behavior and try to stop such acts in future if they want to build their reputation again as people and stakeholders wont trust Shell as long as they continue bein g unethical. However if Shell really wants to be changed and get back its reputation they can do it by clarifying their vision among themselves and act ethically.

Essay --

The lava lamp was created in the 60’s by Edward Craven Walker (Kleinman). The lamp contained a colorful wax surrounded by clear liquid and was powered by a light source. When the wax was heated, it would rise to the top and when it was farther away from the light source, the wax would cool and fall back to the bottom of the lamp. Throughout the years, people have still been captivated by the colorful reaction and many have tried to make their own homemade version of the lamp. After researching this subject and investigating the different ways to approach this project, I too decided to try to recreate a lava lamp made from household items. Being the curious person that I am, which method would work best? Not being sure, I decided to do three different types of lava lamps. The first (A) will be made with table salt. The second (B) will use with vinegar and baking soda and the last (C) will be made using Alka-Seltzer. In Experiment A (Qwertas1243), you will need salt, vegetable oil, a clear plastic bottle, food coloring and water. You will need gloves, if you are not careful beca...

Communism :: Communism Essays

"Every line I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism," reads the preface to George Orwell’s satire, Animal Farm. The rest of that line, which reads "And for Democratic Socialism as I understand it," was omitted from the 1956 edition of the book. Orwell has been called a traitor to the socialists, while at the same time becoming a sort of hero to the right wing. Animal Farm is not only a parody of Stalinist Russia, it also demonstrates that Russia wasn’t truly a Social Democracy. Orwell criticizes Marx while maintaining his own beliefs in Democratic Socialism. These beliefs are apparent in what Old Major calls Animalism. Animalism originates in a speech by Old Major, Farmer Jones’ prize boar. Old Major is to Animalism what Marx and Lenin are to Communism. Old Major is able to gather the animals in the barn, to give his talk. Both Marx and Lenin would have thought this difficult because they believed that that the proletariat would always be more concerned with work and survival than revolution or radical change. Once the animals are gathered, Old Major recounts a dream he had the previous night. He tries to explain to the animals, their place in life and how they can get out of it. This is what Marx tried to do in his writing. In The Communist Manifesto and A Contribution to the Political Economy Marx wrote about the proletariats appreciation of social position and the corrupt ways of Capitalism. "It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, wrote Marx, "But on the contrary, the social being that determines their consciousness." Marx is saying that there is no inherent reason workers should be oppressed, and they don’t see the injustice in it, because it is all they know. This is what Old Major says to the animals in the barn: Why do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings. There comrades is the answer to all of our problems: It is summed up in a single word, man. Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He sets the animals to work, he gives them the bare minimum that will keep them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself. Only get rid of man, and the produce of our labour would be

A Continuous Decline In India, Without Modernization :: essays research papers fc

A Continuous Decline in India, Without Modernization Hypothesis: Modernization is the Key to economic growth for India. If modernization occurs, then the economic status of India will increase tremendously, even if the price India has to pay is a change in culture, and tradition. India has remained financially stagnant since its beginnings. One may argue that non-modernization has plagued this sub-continent in economic growth and development since early times. One may continue to argue that if modernization occurs, India will achieve in many different ways, including economically, socially, and nationally. In order for modernization to occur, India must move from small scale industrialization to large scale industrialization. If this occurs India will become much more financially sound and achieve a higher status in the world. Modernization will bring many positive change to India, but people may argue that "modernization" will bring destruction to the Indian civilization. By bringing modernization, many jobs will be taken over by machines. Unfortunately, this process will result in the elimination of jobs done by local peasants. There are many additional prices India will have to pay to be able to modernize, including: (1) a loss of culture and tradition; (2) probable religious conflicts; (3) loss of caste; (4) social divisions; and, of course (5) TAXES. With modernization, taxes will definitely increase for India to pay for the new advances in industry and technology. Taxes are the primary means for any government to raise money and support its programs. However, the overall price that India will have to pay will be relatively small compared to the positive changes modernization will bring. When India became independent its leaders recognized the urgency of strengthening the Indian economy. The leaders of new India were determined to raise the standard of living, which was among the lowest of the major nations in the world. Indian leaders agreed to establish a "mixed economy," which combines the use of private capital and public in he development of industry, mining and farming. If modernization occurs there will be change from traditional order. The model of change assumes: (1) a sharp dichotomy between the traditional and modern order, including the order of mutual exclusiveness, and (2) the change from one to another is predicted in terms of a historically deterministic pattern, that is, it must take place in a certain predetermined sequence. If this happens, India will have a better economy and a higher standard of living. Through greater economic prosperity, India will also obtain better health care. Also industry will promote a better education system by encouraging students to study for more technical and professional jobs. Finally modernization will foster a better sense of nationalism, as future generations

Professionalism Essay

Professionalism is the first thing that is being notice when you are in a workplace. Professionalism is defined as a set of characteristics and skills. Being in a medical health field, or in any business that requires interactions, professionalism is expected when working with clients. For me, aside from having a profession which is I define as a job, professionalism for me is having all the positive attributes and expertise that you can use when you are in a work environment. Clients often see your professionalism first before they open up to you, some of them will treat you the way you treat them. Being respectful and treating others equally will make client feels that they are not being put aside. Show warm and friendliness toward the client will also make them feel comfortable and at ease with this attitude clients will likely to open up to you and share their worries where you can address their worries and problems quickly. Appearance also play an important role in professionalism, having a great image will give the clients great impressions about you. When you say you work in a medical field, people will begin to think that it’s about cleanliness, with this in mind people will expect you to appear neat and clean. Your facial appearance and dress should reflect the professionalism it takes to do your job and be neat, and clean, and suitable for the workplace. Your appearances portray how professional you are, so wearing the right attire for a workplace is a must, this way clients will be more willing to work with you. Skills are also a big part of being professionals. Employee now days seek employers that have a lot of skills that can be contributed to a workplace and make the workplace works easier and workloads lesser. Aside from being able to speak English well to communicate, organizational skill is one of the skills that being look upon from one person. Having the ability to prioritize tasks, distinguishing tasks to be accomplished, and working excellently with co-worker to accomplished all the works in a work situation will reduce the work in a busy office and keeping the flow of work at a pace that is not chaos. Most work of an MOA in the office is being done in the computer. Computer skills, keyboarding skills, and having the knowledge of using the database that being used for billings and transcription will be your advantages when working in this field. Many hospitals and offices are now turning into computerized environment to reduce too much paper being put into a record. As a Medical office administrations professionals we should all have these characteristics and skills and most importantly we should do our job confidently. As long as we all have these things on us, our work as a Medical office administrator will be easier and we will be able to give our clients a better services and we can make our clients happier.

Job Analysis Procedure

JOB ANALYSIS PROCEDURE 1. Develop preliminary job information a. Review existing documents b. Prepare a preliminary list of duties c. Make note of major items that are unclear 2. Conduct interviews a. It is recommended that the first interview be conducted with someone who can provide an overview of the job and how the major duties fit together b. The interviewers are considered subject matter experts c. The job incumbent to be interviewed should represent the typical employee who is knowledgeable about the job d.The interviewees should be selected with the view toward obtaining an appropriate race/sex mix 3. Consolidate job information a. The consolidated phase of the job study the involves piecing together the data obtained from several sources into one coherent and comprehensive job description b. A subject matter expert should be accessible as a resource person to the job analyst c. Check for initial preliminary lists of duties and questions. All must be answered or confirmed 4. Verify job description a. The verification phase involves bringing all the interviewees together b.The verification process is conducted in a group setting c. Line by line, the job analyst goes through the entire job description and makes notes of any omissions, ambiguities, or needed clarifications JOB CONTENT refers to the activities required of the job. One widely used method, FUNCTIONAL JOB ANALYSIS (FJA), described jobs in terms of: 1. What the worker does in relation to data, people, and jobs. 2. What methods and techniques the worker uses 3. What machines, tools, and equipment the worker uses 4. What materials, products, subject matter, or services the worker produce

Successful Leadership Leads to a Successful Business

Quality of leadership has become a major focus of almost every business in America today. Extensive research and analysis of this aspect of management has led to many insightful books on effective leadership. One such book is C. A. O†Conner†s Successful Leadership. O†Conner discusses this complicated subject by breaking it up into seven major areas. These areas are developing awareness, understanding people, power and authority, communication, decision making, creating a vision, and taking charge. Through these seven areas, O†Conner gives valuable skills in becoming an effective leader. Before an individual can begin incorporating the seven major areas of leadership he must first learn followership. Through following, he realizes not only the importance of a leader that looks after the needs of his supporters, but also the need for supporters that contribute to the leader†s success. In any group or team where leadership is present, these two aspects are complimentary. Like wise, the skills of leadership and followership are also complimentary. An individual cannot develop his leadership skills without having developed his followership skills first. Followers learn the importance that teamwork, cohesiveness, and subordination have in the accomplishment of goals. Additionally, when an individual does obtain a leadership position, the experience he gains in following provides a basis to make better decisions. The first major area of leadership is developing self-awareness. In developing self-awareness, one must first obtain the assessment of others. A major source of this assessment is feedback. Careful attention to attitudes, comments and performance of subordinates offer great insight into the effectiveness of a leader. Listening to thoughts and opinions of fellow leaders is another major source. Honesty is the key to both sources of information in that the individual must not disregard negative aspects of his own leadership qualities. He must realize his own faults and shortcomings. The second step in self-awareness is to create a features list. A features list is done by the leader himself and is made up of at least five good leadership traits and at least five bad ones. A leader†s inability to come up with five or more traits in either category means a severe lack of self-awareness. The purpose of the features list is to keep the leader aware of his own qualities. As the individual develops as a leader, he should continuously create new features lists to ensure his own self-awareness. Once the individual has accurately assessed his own qualities, it is then time to implement improvements. A plan of action is the basis of this implementation. The plan should include creating a list of goals that enhance good qualities and make changes to bad ones. The leader must then make strides in realizing these goals. Like the features list, the individual†s plan of action should change as he develops as a leader. The next area of leadership is understanding people. It is essential that a leader understand that each of his subordinates is different, with different drives, dreams, and ambitions. To â€Å"classify† subordinates into a particular group is to deprive them of their individuality and ignore their particular needs. Understanding each subordinate†s needs is the key to motivating them. In assessing the needs of subordinates, a leader must be able to recognize what level each individual is on in Maslow†s hierarchy of needs. The hierarchy of needs is divided into five levels: the need for food, clothing, and shelter; personal safety and a source of income; family, friends, and caring relationships; self-confidence, creativity and individual achievement; meaning and purpose. In determining the level at which an individual is on, the leader can then help that individual in ascending to the next. The outcome is improved performance on the part of the worker. While this is not the only form of motivating people, it is the most effective in long term motivation. Put more practically, a leader can motivate an individual†s performance not only by explaining the advantages to the company, but also the advantages to that individual†s job security and advancement. By nature, humans seek to attain a better quality of life. For this reason, another effective form of motivation is rewarding. Individuals pay attention to doing a job well when they have personal interests as a result of the outcome. The job becomes beneficial to their own profits and not just the company†s. Balancing the use of rewards is very important. Too many offers of rewards result in disappointment and lack of motivation when one is not offered. Leaders must realize that rewards are only temporary forms of motivation that are not successful in long term leadership. The difficult task of managing power and authority is the third area of successful leadership. While understanding the authority of his position, a leader must also be open to the thoughts and ideas of his subordinates. Disregard for opinions is a sign of a weak leader who is afraid of being undermined and therefor hides behind his power. Leaders express leadership through three basic leadership styles: democratic, autocratic, and permissive. The democratic style of leadership is based on a mutual respect and treating everyone equal, regardless of seniority or position. The leader still maintains authority, but others are able to be active participants in finding solutions to problems. Autocratic leadership provides a strong, undisputed style of leadership that is effective when dealing with controversial issues. While clearly defining goals and expectations, the autocratic style of leadership often results in a leader overpowering subordinates which leads to dissension. The permissive style of leadership is described as being a weak attempt at democratic leadership. Subordinates whose leaders have adopted this style of leadership end up with poor coordination, direction, and guidance. In delegating particular tasks, effective leaders will follow a basic format of assignment. Rather then just handing a subordinate a task with the words â€Å"do this† attached to it, a good leader will define the task, discussing in detail the aspects of it, show why it is important and clearly state any expectations. In doing this the worker has a personal commitment and clear understanding of the importance of the task. Finally, the leader will evaluate and discuss the results of the task with that worker, providing feedback for that worker to improve himself. One of the most vital areas in successful leadership is communication. The most basic form of communication is listening and speaking. This involves not only the exchange of spoken words, but also close attention to body language and tone. This attention allows good listeners to sort of â€Å"read between the words† and fully understand the speaker†s message. Effective speakers take time to prepare what they intend to say, giving careful thought to what it is they are attempting to convey. There are five main features to effective communication. These features are often referred to as social skills. The first involves having a purpose for communication. This aids in guiding the exchange of information and avoids useless or irrelevant communication. The next feature is a clear and logical exchange with directness and confidence. The third feature is appropriateness. The presentation of the information must match the needs of the situation. In other words, choosing the format of delivery (i. e. mail, telephone, person-to-person interaction, etc. that is appropriate to the nature of the information. The forth feature is control. The leader must be able to exhibit self-discipline and restrain from over communicating. An example of this is allowing subordinates to learn tasks without intervention, creating an effective learning environment for the worker and not a micro-managed one. The last feature of communication is the ability to learn. Even the best communicators have room for improvement. Leaders must never be satisfied in their communication skills and continuously make efforts to improve them. Decision making is the next area of successful leadership. Leaders can be forced to make several decisions at the same time, making them to prioritize these decisions based on two criteria: future importance and current urgency. Future importance refers to the long term decisions that may seem insignificant presently, but will greatly impact the company in the long run. Making future importance decisions usually requires a great deal of analysis and planning. Current urgency decisions may seem extremely important at the time, but in actuality are not terribly relevant to the success of the company. In either case, future importance or current urgent, an effective leader makes these decisions with confidence and concern for his subordinates. The complications of decision making can often be made easier through good goal setting. In setting a challenging yet attainable goal, the leader gives solid direction to his department and sets clear objectives. From there, many decisions can be based on whether or not the consequences will help in realizing these goals. These goals offer basic guidance, eliminating irrelevant options. Even with the establishment of goals to guide in decision making, tackling a major decision can be very difficult. It is best for the leader to approach these decisions methodically, using a systematic approach of dealing with it. First the leader must establish what the primary and secondary requirements of the decision are and prioritize them. From there, he begins to consider every possible solution and tries to find new ones. Finally, through assessment of the first two steps, the leader chooses the best alternative based what he has come up with. This process can be used by the individual leader or be opened up for use of the entire workgroup in a more democratic leadership environment. The next area in successful leadership is creating a vision. A vision is an ultimate goal, usually rather universal, that gives overall direction to the company and its employees. The result is unified action that steers generally in the same direction. It is the difficult task of a leader to create and maintain this vision as a guiding light in day to day decisions. He must be aware of the sometimes ever changing â€Å"big picture† as seen by the interests of the company and ensure that the vision is in line with that picture. The final area in successful leadership is taking charge. This involves utilizing all of the first six steps and fully applying them to personal leadership development. It also emphasizes the importance of taking charge of leadership qualities that are already there and maximizing their potential. The leader must draw on experience to guide in decisions on how to lead. People are not born leaders. They become leaders through implementing these seven areas into their lives. A good leader must be able to fail and bounce back, learn from experience, and admit their own limitations. This along with a desire to learn and a drive to complete goals create the leader.