Biovail Case Essay

In the case when ownership changes hands upon receipt of the product at the distributor’s facility (FOB destination), the second condition for revenue recognition under SAB101 has not been met. In this case the company would not recognize revenue because delivery did not occur. Part 3: The shipment left Biovail on September 30, 2003, which is in the 3rd quarter. Under FOB shipping point guidelines it would be correct to recognize revenue for the shipment in the Q3 report. Assuming revenue associated with this shipment was included in Q3 earnings as originally stated, no further impact. Under the FOB destination guidelines it would be incorrect to recognize revenue. In that scenario the truck does not reach it’s destination in the 3rd quarter and thus no shipment is made and revenue should not be recorded. Assuming that this shipment would take longer than 1 day to reach the distributor, based on the fact that it is in Chicago on 10/1, this shipment shouldn’t have been planned as revenue in quarter three anyway. The accident will have an impact on Q4 revenue. Part 4: Biovail’s treatment of analysts who cover their stock is concerning. It is still unclear whether Treppel was correct or too harsh, but Biovail’s fierce retaliation against Treppel highlights their willingness to go to great lengths to suppress any negative analyst reports. This combined with, the lack of clarity around their accounting practices and conflicting arguments from their distributor lends us to question their integrity. This would create a difficult environment for an analyst to create a unbiased report and significantly discourages us to be an analyst covering this company.

Slavery And Plantation In Trinidad And Tobago History Essay

Bondage and Plantations have ever been linked, driven by economic aims ( Williams 1994 ) , from the earliest period of sugarcane cultivation in the Caribbean. Despite the complexness of the events and fortunes that created this relationship, sugar growing and slavery both were dining during the comparatively peaceable early old ages of the eighteenth century. The European demand for sugar had been increasing, and England ‘s sugar demands led the battalion. The British islands like T & A ; T were a mono-crop society, with few colonists turning anything but sugar caneThe Business of SlaveryThe Triangular Trade is a term normally used in treatments of the slave trade. Slaves would be brought from Africa to the plantations, which would direct sugar and other local goods to Europe, who would in turn send goods to Africa. The goods normally sent to Africa were guns and other manufactured points because there was no industry in Africa. In the West Indian islands like T & A ; T, nevert heless, the merchandising of slaves was an of import portion of the economic system. The demand for more slaves was ever greater than the market could supply, and the West Indian companies were opened up in the 1700s to outside trade to assist supply extra slaves to settlements that produced sugar. The Gallic encouraged this trade on their islands by relieving slaves from most import and export revenue enhancements.Life on PlantationsWorking Conditionss: Slave Labour in Plantations ‘aˆÂ ¦the toughest season, a season of labor from dawn to twilight, bare mortise joints and calves stung by cowitch, knotted musculuss slashed by cane foliages that cut like consecutive razors, dorsums split unfastened by the whipaˆÂ ¦ ‘ The plantation land consisted of cane-fields, proviso evidences, forest and grazing land. Each plantation owner preferred to hold more than 200 estates of cane land. Provision evidences were used by the slaves to cultivate root harvests, plantains and veggies for nutrient. The forest provided timber and firewood and the grazing land was used for croping cowss ( Handler 1965 ) . The cane Fieldss had either freshly planted canes or ratoons. The ratoons were new shoots turning from old cane roots which were left in the land after a old harvest of cane was harvested. Normally a ratoon field was less productive. A typical sugar estate had factory edifices such as the factory, boiling house and hardening house. Around these mill edifices there were other smaller edifices and sheds in which, blacksmiths, wheelers, carpenters, Masons, Coopers and other artisan slaves worked. There would besides be a little â€Å" infirmary † for ill slaves, and a little â€Å" gaol † which kept slaves who were being punished. There were storage suites for tools and supplies and sheds which sheltered farm animal or stored cane rubbish or bagasse which was used as fuel. Not far from the mill edifices were little houses in which the European directors and supervisors lived. They were by and large superintendents, book-keepers, skilled craftsmen and office staff. In the biggest house lived the estate proprietor. The slave quarters were some distance off from the places of the directors. A work twenty-four hours consisted of 15-16 hours a twenty-four hours, during harvest clip and, could travel on during crop and milling for 16-18 per hebdomad 7 yearss a hebdomad and harmonizing to Stampp ( 1956 ) the slaves were given the undertaking to fix the land for seting. Their normal on the job twenty-four hours began before dawn and ended after sunset. They cleared the grass and shrubs by weeding and combustion ( kids between the ages of six and ten might be active as H2O bearers while kids between the ages of 10 and 12 were organized into packs and set to weeding ) . Cane holes were dug and into these cane tops were planted. As the cane grew, packs of slaves manured the field and weeded shrubs that sprang up around the cane workss. Female slaves did much of the weeding and the manuring. After 12 to 15 months the cane was now mature. The field was set afire to fire off the foliages from the cane chaffs and at the same clip to acquire rid of serpents which lived at that place . The field slaves, utilizing cutlasses, so cut the cane chaffs, packed them in packages and loaded them on to ox-drawn carts which transported them to the factory. At the factory, the cane was crushed and the juice flowed through troughs to big metal containers. The cane rubbish was removed and stored for usage as fuel for the boilers. The juice in the big containers was clarified by heating and the add-on of a little measure of calcium hydroxide. This clarified juice was so ladled into a Cu boiler in which it was boiled. After a piece, the juice from this Cu boiler was ladled into a smaller boiler and was boiled once more and so still further in a yet smaller boiler. By so, it had changed into gluey sirup which was allowed to chill, and so poured into wooden hogsheads standing on beams in the hardening house. Through little holes at the underside of the hogsheads, molasses seeped out and was collected in containers set below the beams. After about three hebdomads, the staying siru p in the hogsheads crystallised to organize sugar. The sugar remained in the hogsheads which were subsequently packed into ships for export to Europe. Some estates besides manufactured rum by fermenting juice from the first boiling and about the same measure of molasses. Almost all of this specialized work carried out in the industry of sugar and rum was done by skilled artisan slaves who were extremely valued by their proprietors. During the milling season, slaves worked in displacements throughout the twenty-four hours and dark. Even after the harvest season was over, the estate proprietor did non let his slaves to be idle. The Fieldss had to be prepared for the new harvest, weeding and manuring of the ratoons had to be done, and fixs to drainage and irrigation canals, fencings and edifices had to transport out. Work was even found for kids from the age of six old ages old. They collected firewood, cut grass to feed farm animate beings and fetched imbibing H2O to slaves working in the Fieldss. The plantation proprietors did non desire their slaves to affect themselves in idle conversation since they felt that the discontented slaves may utilize the juncture to plot rebellion.PunishmentsWhile each plantation had its ain set of societal, spiritual, and labour codifications, all had the basic format for an instilled hierarchy in which the slave maestro reigned as generalized anxiety disorder. He maintained the component of slave wretchedness, by commanding the grade of hurting ( Starobin 1974 ) . Treatments wer e given such as mutilation, stigmatization, chaining, and slaying which were purportedly regulated or prohibited by jurisprudence. Whippings, whippings, drownings, and hangings were every bit unpredictable as they were gruesome. It was clear to plantation proprietors that bondage could non last without the whip ( even though proprietors were out to intentionally kill or maliciously mangle a slave ) . Males and females were whipped randomly. The badness of floging depended on the figure of shots to the type of whip. Fifteen to twenty ciliums were by and large sufficient, but they could run much higher. Other points used for penalties included stocks, ironss, neckbands, and chainss. It was besides platitude that adult females could be raped by the proprietor of the plantation, his boies or, any white male.Methods of ControlThe White plantation proprietors in T & A ; T used assorted methods to keep complete control over their slaves. Their chief method was that of â€Å" divide and regulation † . Members of the same folk were separated on different plantations to forestall communicating between them. The purpose behind this was to forestall any programs to arise if they were together. This separation, ne vertheless, created a job of communicating, since the plantation would hold different groups of slaves talking different linguistic communications. Therefore, the plantation owners had to happen a manner to pass on with their slaves. Soon a new linguistic communication, known as Creole, developed and this became a common lingua among the slaves. When the British took control of the twin islands in the 19th century, English words were injected into the linguistic communication and it became the footing of the Creolised linguistic communication. Slaves were besides prevented from rehearsing their faiths. Quite a few slaves were Muslims while many others had their ain tribal beliefs. But since the Christian plantation owners saw non-Christians as heathens, they made sure that the slaves could non garner to idolize in the manner they were accustomed when they lived in Africa. Subsequently Christian missionaries were permitted on the plantations and they were allowed to prophesy to the slaves on Sundays. In clip, many of them were converted to Christianity ; it was the general feeling that the born-again slaves became docile and was non willing to back up rebellion on the plantations. Another means of control was the creative activity of a category system among the slaves. Field slaves formed the lowest group, even though some of them had particular accomplishments. The lowest ranking slaves, the anchor of the plantation economic system, were the field slaves. The field slaves were divided into ‘gangs ‘ harmonizing to their physical strength and ability, with the strongest and fittest males and females in the first pack. The inducement used to promote difficult work, was ciliums of the cart whip, which were freely administered by the drivers, who were ‘privileged ‘ slaves under the superintendent ‘s supervising. Higher up the slave hierarchy were the artisan slaves such as blacksmiths, carpenters and Masons, who were frequently hired out by the plantation owners. These slaves besides had chances to gain money for themselves on assorted occasions. Still higher up in this category system were the drivers who were specially selected by the White plantation owners to command the other slaves. The domestic or house slave had a particular topographic point in this agreement, and because they worked in the maestro ‘s house and sometimes having particular favors from the maestro, they held other slaves in disdain. Normally, the slaves in the lowest round of this societal ladder were the 1s who rebelled and frequently domestic slaves were the 1s who betrayed them by describing the secret plans to their maestro. Then there were divisions based on coloring material. In the early yearss, it was comparatively easy for a pure African to lift to the degree of a driver. But mixtures occurred through the birth of kids as a consequence of brotherhoods between White work forces and black adult females ( mulatto ) , White work forces and mulatto adult females ( mestee ) and mulatto work forces and black adult females ( sambo ) . Some slaves of wining coevalss therefore had lighter skin colors, and the White plantation owners discriminated in favor of them. These slaves with White male parents or White relations were placed in places above those of the field slaves. This was the beginning of color favoritism in the Guyanese society. Of class, in all of this, the Europeans – the Whites – occupied the highest round of the societal ladder and they found willing Alliess among the assorted or colored population who occupied the intermediate degrees. The pure Africans remained at the lowest deg ree Womans and Slavery in the Plantations Harmonizing to Bush ( 1990 ; 33 ) the primary ground for the presence of adult females in T & A ; T during the clip of bondage was due to their labour value. In the early yearss of bondage, plantation proprietors attempted to bring forth healthy forms of reproduction and encourage matrimony, but found it was economically unlogical to make so. Alternatively, it was more profitable to buy new slaves from Africa ( until the continued supply of female slaves being delivered from across the Atlantic was threatened by abolitionist force per unit area in the 18th century ) . Girls worked on estates from the early age of four. Occupations for misss between the ages of 12-19 varied from field work, to stock work, to domestic work, to rinsing e.g. vesture, dishes, etc. ( Reddock 1985 pg. 64 ) , . Other signifiers of work for mature adult females included accoucheuse, doctoress, and housekeeper. European plantation proprietors by and large regarded most slave adult females as suited for field w ork, which consisted of occupations such as delving holes for canes, weeding, and hoeing. In Jamaica, the bulk of adult females between the ages of 19 and 54 were working in the Fieldss. By the late eighteenth and early 19th century, there were more adult females working in the field than work forces due to their lower mortality rates. Despite the common stereotype whereby work forces are stronger and more physically capable than adult females, it can be argued that adult females were as of import, if non more of import, to field work during the period of bondage in T & A ; T. The importance of adult females in the plantation economic system is reflected in the monetary value of female slaves between 1790 and the terminal of the slave trade. The monetary value for a â€Å" new † male slave was about ?50-?70, while the monetary value for a new female slave was about ?50-?60. ( Bush, 1996:33 ) Apart from businesss such as doctoress, accoucheuse, and housekeeper, which were considered to be higher employment places for slave adult females during the clip, the slave elite was about wholly made up of work forces. Womans were confined to contending for lower places in the socio-economic hierarchy and were ever excluded from the more esteemed and skilled occupations ( i.e. woodworking ) . Among the limited sum of businesss available to Trinbagonian slave adult females, the most esteemed occupation was found to be nursing. One manner in which adult females slaves would on occasion accumulate income and resources for themselves was through sex trade ( Morrissey 1989 pg. 69 ) . This was a common manner for adult females slaves to salvage money for freedom, peculiarly in the eighteenth and 19th centuries in T & A ; T. The bulk of enslaved domestic workers in towns were expected to back up themselves through harlotry.Culture of Slavery and Plantation lifeHomePlantation slaves were housed in slave ‘s cabins. Small, impolitely built of logs with clapboard turnouts, with clay tinkling. Floors were packed soil. They were leaky and draughty and the combination of moisture, soil, and cold made them diseased environments. On the plantation, the slaves were housed in edifices which were some distance off from the maestro ‘s house. Most of these slave houses had thatched roofs and walls of old boards or of wattle and clay. The floor was the Earth itself and there were no furniture except some fundamenta l pieces that the slaves managed to do.ClothingSlaves were non well-clothed ; they had unequal vesture for people engaged in heavy labor all twelvemonth. Children would dress in long shirts. Men possessed small besides with two shirts and two cotton bloomerss. Womans were provided with an deficient sum of fabric and made their ain apparels. The fabric was inexpensive stuff, produced in England that was dubbed â€Å" Negro fabric † . The slaves besides obtained a vesture allowance approximately every twelvemonth. The work forces received a harsh woolen jacket, a chapeau, about six paces of cotton, and a piece of canvas to do a brace or two of pants. Womans received the same allowance as the work forces, but kids received none. The kids remained bare until they were approximately nine old ages old, or were given cast-off vesture that their parents managed to happen or were able to buy.FoodThe nutrient was by and large equal in majority, but imbalanced and humdrum. Typical nutri ent allowance was a batch of maize repast and three to four lbs of salt porc or bacon per hebdomad per individual. This diet could be supplemented by veggies from their gardens, by fish or wild game, and molasses ( non normally ) . The slaves prepared their ain nutrient and carried it out to the field in pails. While the slaves were provided with certain groceries by the maestro, they raised their ain subsistence harvests of veggies, plantains and root harvests on little garden secret plans that the maestro allowed them to utilize. However, they could merely make their personal agriculture on Lord's daies when they had no work on the plantation. They besides took the chance to angle on Lord's daies in the nearby canals, the rivers or the ocean. Each grownup slave was given one lb of salt-cured pod fish every Sunday by the plantation proprietor. The salt-cured pod fish was imported from North America. A kid slave was given a smaller allotment. On particular Christian vacation, there was an extra allowance of about a lb of beef or porc, some sugar and a measure of rum.ReligionThe general position held by the plantation proprietors was that the African slaves did non keep to a system of beliefs that could be described as a faith ( Mbiti 1969 ) . At best – so the members of the plantocracy and the church that served them felt – their beliefs amounted to nil more than pagan superstitious notion. Not a few of them, possibly, felt that the Africans were incapable of spiritual sentiment. But the Africans held spiritual beliefs derived from their fatherland. It may be utile to observe that some of the slaves, peculiarly these who came from the Fula-speaking country of Senegambia, were Muslims. The pattern of the plantation owners of dividing tribesmen from one another, and of detering the collection of slaves for any purpose whatsoever, was non calculated to let Islam to last. Again, the little figure of African Muslims that came to plantations in T & A ; T lacked the leading of Imams and the ownership of the Qur'an. Then, excessively, the plantation life did non impart itself for long supplications at fixed times, worship on a set twenty-four hours, fasting at prescribed periods, or banqueting on vacations which did non co-occur with those observed by the plantocracy. On the other manus, autochthonal African spiritual beliefs, which became labelled as â€Å" obi † , survived the troubles of estate life. But these beliefs underwent important alterations although they remained clearly â€Å" African † in construction ( Saraceni 1996 ) . Three factors were chiefly responsible for these alterations. In the first topographic point, African spiritual thoughts were capable of alteration in response to the new circumstance of estate life. Second, the pattern of African faith was frowned upon by estate governments. This meant that the faith could merely be practised in secret and irregularly. The consequence has been that some facets of African spiritual patterns withered off while others lost their nationality and linguistic communication and became garbled. Third, the exposure to Christianity led non merely to the transition of Blacks to that faith, but besides to the imbrication of African and Christian beliefs.Free TimeExcept for net inco mes enjoyed by the artisan slaves, most of the slaves depended on obtaining money by selling excess green goodss from their proviso evidences and besides the sale of farm animal that they reared. On Sundays, small town markets were held and the slaves seized the chance to barter or sell their green goods. On these occasions the slaves made purchases of a few pieces of vesture and other points for their places. The Sunday markets were besides occasions when slaves from different plantations were able to socialize and to interchange intelligence and pieces of chitchat. There were besides times of diversion. These were normally at the terminal of the â€Å" harvest † and at Christmas and on public vacations when the slaves were allowed to keep dances which had to stop by midnight.

Technology In The Workplace Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technology In The Workplace - Research Paper Example These discussions on novel information technology called IT is what most of the people link with the use of personal computers and conventionally assume that its rate of diffusion and adoption is accelerating and rapid leading in considerable implications for firms, workers, and the overall economy. Obviously, the technology seems to have completely transformed the Canadian industry significantly. This essay analyzes the changes in computer literacy, workers adaptation, and growth of computer use in the workplace over a course of time. It also takes into account the effects of this technological advancement on security and job content ( Bravo E & Statham A, 1990).  The GSS Statistic of Canada gave a comprehensive review of workplace computerization since the year 1984, filing in mainly the positive replies to questions about job content and job security (Lowe, 1991 and 1992).the workers who believed that their job had been massively or somehow affected by the advent of computers or the automated technology in five years before GSS was held, sixty-eight percent said that their necessary job skills had enhanced by the year 1989 and this rose to approximately seventy-one percent in 1994. In the year 1989, seventy percent people said that there has been no effect on their job security and the figure was reduced to sixty-seven percent in 1994. In both of these years, over sixty percent people said that their work has become more exciting due to the innovation of automated technology or computers in their workplace environment. Only 2% people in both the years were persistent that there was no or little change which was rather negative in their skill needs of jobs. Likewise, only four percent people in both the years said that this technological revolution has made their job monotonous and boring. This is a significant change in general work pattern over the decade.  

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

Play report - Essay Example Attending this show made for an unforgettable experience because it helped me acknowledge the Filipino Americans’ experience in the US. The play mainly illustrates â€Å"the difficulties of assimilation† (Valois). It is impossible to remain oblivious to the highly significant cultural idea behind the play. I really liked how watching the performance caused me to reminisce about my own coming of age experience. I am sure every audience member must have reflected on their coming of age celebrations during the show. This was one of the most powerful aspects of the play because it made every viewer relate with the show regardless of sociocultural differences. Since each family is different and has its own way of celebrating things, I realized how different my coming of age celebration was from what I saw in The Debutante’s Ball. One good thing that came out of this realization was that it opened my eyes to many cultural differences around me which I did not notice be fore. The merge of Filipino and American cultures is not a very common thing to see in theatre in the American culture. It is claimed that the play captures highly â€Å"interesting details of the Filipino-American community in which the tale is set† (Valois). During the play, I found myself significantly influenced by the way this melting-pot aspect of the US culture was demonstrated. The actors played this aspect quite intelligently which helped to immerse all audience members in the show. This feature of the play is very influential given the way my mind reacted to it. I could not remain unaffected by the way the girl who played Ana demonstrated her frustration when trying to fit in the US culture while being under the pressure to hold on to her original roots as well. I can now easily relate with such cultural struggles which form an important part of the play I watched. It can be

Corporate governance and audit Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Corporate governance and audit - Coursework Example Therefore the government decides to reduce this theory for minimizing the problem of principal agent and also reducing the direct and indirect cost involved for ensuring that the agents behave in accordance with the principles. The report that has been established by the UK committees of corporate governance includes the stakeholder theory that not only generates the wealth of the shareholders but also takes into consideration a wide group of stakeholders. The transaction cost theory that not only emphasizes on the wealth of the shareholders but effective accomplishment of the transactions. a) The scandals of the corporate governance in the light of UK regulatory development can be explained as it facilitates innovation in which it allows the companies to implement new ideas, avoiding of box ticking in which the companies are allowed to complying with the principles and proportionality and long term learning for adopting cultural change in the companies for fulfilling the objectives and principles of corporate governance. b) The main objectives of OECD code of the corporate governance are to improve the institutional, legal and national framework required for the corporate governance. It focuses on improving the growth and development of the companies. The underlying principles of the OECD code of corporate governance are that it serves on the basis of the OECD and non OECD countries of the world. The principles mainly focus on the stock market listed companies that will contribute towards improving the corporate governance of the private companies. The principles deal with the transparent market, efficient market and also well regulated market. The main objective of the shareholder theory is maximization of wealth of the shareholders. The shareholder theory is subjected to minimum regulatory and government intervention in the business operation.

Racism in the NHS against BME nurses Research Paper

Racism in the NHS against BME nurses - Research Paper Example urses not born within the UK but the lack of historical awareness has led to the failure to address the discrimination this population faces (Snow & Jones 1). By 1949, nurses were being recruited from the Caribbean to fill the void created by WWII. The BME’s working lives have been structured by discrimination that includes racism and public and institutionalised stereotyping that has largely affected their relations with their managers and colleagues and resulted in their exclusion in training programmes and promotions yet they are equally qualified as their White counterparts (Dhaliwal & McKay 59). Historically, nurses from the BME group have not been offered equal opportunities as White nurses to enhance their individual leadership skills and be able to define their long-term career objectives. This has kept their numbers in senior posts at a questionable minimum. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has also shown that BME nurses have typically been working longer to achieve higher grades such as senior ward sister and also go through more harassment and bullying than White nurses. BME nurses are subjected to systematic discrimination that includes working hours that entail long working days and complex shift patterns as well as discriminatory pay and grading especially affecting those who have managed to rise within the hierarchy to senior posts essentially making their careers incompatible with their lives (Dhaliwal & McKay 4). Such discrimination has been made possible by the existence of unscrupulous ways of circumventing antidiscrimination Labour Laws. Further, since the discrimination hinders the potential of BME nurses, effective change can be implemented at the societal rather than regulatory level. It is therefore recommended that BME nurses strengthen their own networks and at the same time have confidence that they can be proportionately represented in the industry. As early as 1949, trade unionists made up of White nurses imposed a quota system

Develop the skills of sustainability in the design of buildings in Essay

Develop the skills of sustainability in the design of buildings in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example his paper reveals the great benefits and the actual need for this type of construction to maintain the natural resources and to make our future cities friendly to the environment. Furthermore, this paper seeks to review the regulations of sustainability and design of green buildings in more than one country and organizations involved. Also under review are the plans that have been successful for the transition to sustainable construction, and the solutions that have been used for the development of sustainability in the cities both scientifically and practically. In 2012, at the third session of the Forum of Green Buildings, which was held in the city of Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah, King of the country adopted an initiative for green buildings and he set many recommendations to facilitate the business for those interested in this type of project which is friendly to both the humans and the environment as a whole. Also, he recommended for shifts to the practices and foundations of professional cognitive, and highlighted the business and investment opportunities in engineering creativity and innovation fields within the Kingdom. After this initiative, action plans have been processed by the Green Buildings Chapter of Saudi Council of Engineers, where the Green Buildings Chapter has got financial support to achieve the recommendations in regards to the Kings initiative. In this literature paper, there is an attempt to develop the sustainability skills in the design of the buildings by Architects and Engineers who work in Saudi Arabia. According to the Secretary-General of the King Abdullah’s Initiative for green buildings, Faisal A., (Alarabiya.net.2013) the total investments in sustainable buildings (green building) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which amounts to 100 billion riyals, was pumped in 76 projects. Out of the 76, 43 were in the city of Riyadh, which won the lions share, most notably due to the SABIC mining project. Also, he pointed

What was the most important cause of European imperial expansion in Essay

What was the most important cause of European imperial expansion in the 19th century- was it economics,culture, or politics pick one and write about - Essay Example It was created at an opportune time for British imperialists. The world was opening up, explorers were gaining ground, and the British crown was claiming more and more land. Not only did this new territory have to be mapped and surveyed and its inhabitants interviewed and learned about, but the new borders to be imposed would have to help Britain maintain and defend this new territory. An organization that could do all of this would be an organization that would and could become increasingly powerful. While some of the work done by the RGS was in good faith and showed a high level of accuracy and ability, much of it was politically influenced and done at the service of political and business interests that were more concerned with profit than geography. Indeed, when a person looks at a map of the globe today and the borders of countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, one often wonders, â€Å"Why a border there? There is no physical or ethnic reason for it to exist there . . . † Many of these borders actually fly in the face of any practical consideration and were created solely for the benefit of others. As such they continue to this day to create conflict and strife around the world. The RGS contributed to the British imperial ethos of the day. By the mid-19th century lots of places in the world, considered for many years as terra incognito were opening up for the first time. Explorers such as Stanley and Livingstone were for the first time making inroads into the interior of Africa. British citizens were present in India and had substantial roles in the various courts there. Britain had significant interests in the Middle East. Britain’s economy, more than ever before was linked to the world’s. Britain relied on its colonies and the new lands being discovered for a great deal of its wealth—and as such it wanted to keep control not only of these

Organizational Responsibility and Ethics Paper Essay

Organizational Responsibility and Ethics Paper - Essay Example This could happen due to many reasons like, lack of vision, lack of cooperation among the different agencies involved in health care, or due to the lack of sincerity and honesty within such agencies. The health care system in the United States is no different in the sense that it is one with many paradoxes. The country is a leader in the development of medical research and has a national health care policy on which government spending is the highest in the world. But the health care system is considered to be quite inefficient because of fragmentation, lack of uniformity, and the existence of a large number of people who are not covered by health insurance. The system is also overburdened due to an ageing population and lack of qualified personnel. Any organization, whether it is formed for the purpose of social care or for profit has a responsibility towards the society and individuals in which it operates. This is true for a health care system also. This paper is an attempt to stud y the concept of organizational responsibility issues that exists within the health care system in the United States. In the process, it will look into issues like the ageing population of the country, the unhealthy habits of its citizens, absence of health insurance, increasing number of illegal immigrants and the ethical dilemmas that may exist in the overstretched health system. As mentioned earlier, the health care system in the country is full of paradoxes and contradictions. â€Å"At one extreme are those who argue that Americans have the â€Å"best health care system in the world†, pointing to the freely available medical technology and state-of-the-art facilities that have become so highly symbolic of the system.† (Chua, 2006, p.1). At the other extreme, the system is accused of massive lack of health insurance, fragmentation, difference in health policies of individual states, waste of resources,

Supply Chain Management Essay Example for Free

Supply Chain Management Essay All supply chain management shares one common, and central, objective – to satisfy the end customer. All stages in a chain must eventually include consideration of the final customer, no matter how far an individual operation is from the end-customer. Each operation in the chain should be satisfying its own customer, but also making sure that eventually the end-customer is also satisfied. Supply chain objectives Meeting the requirements of end-customers requires the supply chain to achieve appropriate levels of the five operations performance objectives: quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost. Quality – the quality of a product or service when it reaches the customer is a function of the quality performance of every operation in the chain that supplied it. Errors in each stage of the chain can multiply in their effect on end-customer service. Speed has two meanings in a supply chain context. The first is how fast customers can be served, an important element in any business’s ability to compete. However, fast customer response can be achieved simply by over-resourcing or over-stocking within the supply chain. Dependability – like speed, one can almost guarantee ‘on-time’ delivery by keeping excessive resources, such as inventory, within the chain. However, dependability of throughput time is a much more desirable aim because it reduces uncertainty within the chain. Flexibility – in a supply chain context is usually taken to mean the chain’s ability to cope with changes and disturbances. Very often this is referred to as supply chain agility. The concept of agility includes previously discussed issues such as focusing on the end-customer and ensuring fast throughput and responsiveness to customer needs. But, in addition, agile supply chains are sufficiently flexible to cope with changes, either in the nature of customer demand or in the supply capabilities of operations within the chain. Cost – in addition to the costs incurred within each operation, the supply chain as a whole incurs additional costs that derive from each operation in a chain doing business with each other. These may include such things as the costs of finding appropriate suppliers, setting up contractual agreements, monitoring supply performance, transporting products between operations, holding inventories, and so on. 5 factors for rating alternative suppliers Short-term ability to supply Range of products or services provided Quality of products or services Responsiveness Dependability of supply Delivery and volume flexibility Total cost of being supplied Ability to supply in the required quantity Long-term ability to supply Potential for innovation Ease of doing business Willingness to share risk Long-term commitment to supply Ability to transfer knowledge as well as products and services Technical capability Operation capability Financial capability Managerial capability Choosing suppliers should involve evaluating the relative importance of all these factors. 6 supply chain relationship business-to-business (B2B) relationships are by far the most common in a supply chain context and include some of the e-procurement exchange networks discussed earlier. Business-to-consumer (B2C) relationships include both ‘bricks and mortar’ retailers and online retailers. Consumer-to-business (C2B) relationships involve consumers posting their needs on the web (sometimes stating the price they are willing to pay), companies then deciding whether to offer. Customer-to-customer (C2C) or peer-to-peer (P2P) relationships include the online exchange and auction services and file sharing services. 7 types of supply chain relationship The very opposite of performing an operation in-house is to purchase goods and services from outside in a ‘pure’ market fashion, often seeking the ‘best’ supplier every time it is necessary to purchase. Each transaction effectively becomes a separate decision. The relationship between buyer and seller, therefore, can be very short-term. Once the goods or services are delivered and payment is made, there may be no further trading between the parties. The advantages of traditional market supplier relationships are usually seen as follows: ââ€"  They maintain competition between alternative suppliers. This promotes a constant drive between suppliers to provide best value. ââ€"  A supplier specializing in a small number of products or services  (or perhaps just one), but supplying them to many customers, can gain natural economies of scale. This enables the supplier to offer the products and services at a lower price than would be obtained if customers per formed the activities themselves on a smaller scale. ââ€"  There is inherent flexibility in outsourced supplies. If demand changes, customers can simply change the number and type of suppliers. This is a far faster and simpler alternative to having to redirect their internal activities. ââ€"  Innovations can be exploited no matter where they originate. Specialist suppliers are more likely to come up with innovative products and services which can be bought in faster and cheaper than would be the case if the company were itself trying to innovate. ââ€"  They help operations to concentrate on their core activities. One business cannot be good at everything. It is sensible therefore to concentrate on the important activities and outsource the rest. There are, however, disadvantages in buying in a totally ‘free market’ manner: ââ€"  There may be supply uncertainties. Once an order has been placed, it is difficult to maintain control over how that order is fulfilled. ââ€"  Choosing who to buy from takes time and effort. Gathering sufficient information and making decisions continually are, in themselves, activities which need to be resourced ââ€"  There are strategic risks in subcontracting activities to other businesses. An over-reliance on outsourcing can ‘hollow out’ the company, leaving it with no internal capabilities which it can exploit in its markets. Short-term relationships may be used on a trial basis when new companies are being considered as more regular suppliers. Also, many purchases which are made by operations are one-off or very irregular. For example, the replacement of all the windows in a company’s office block would typically involve this type of competitive-tendering market relationship. In some public-sector operations, purchasing is still based on short-term contracts. This is mainly because of the need to prove that public money is being spent as judiciously as possible. However, this short-term, price-oriented type of relationship can have a downside in terms of ongoing support and reliability. This may mean that a short-term ‘least-cost’ purchase decision will lead to long-term high cost. Virtual operations An extreme form of outsourcing operational activities is that of the virtual  operation. Virtual operations do relatively little themselves, but rely on a network of suppliers that can provide products and services on demand. A network may be formed for only one project and then disbanded once that project ends. The advantage of virtual operations is their flexibility and the fact that the risks of investing in production facilities are far lower than in a conventional operation. However, without any solid base of resources, a company may find it difficult to hold onto and develop a unique core of technical expertise. The resources used by virtual companies will almost certainly be available to competitors. In effect, the core competence of a virtual operation can only lie in the way it is able to manage its supply network. ‘Partnership’ supply relationships Partnership relationships in supply chains are sometimes seen as a compromise between vertical integration on the one hand (owning the resources which supply you) and pure market relationships on the other (having only a transactional relationship with those who supply you). Although to some extent this is true, partnership relationships are not only a simple mixture of vertical integration and market trading, although they do attempt to achieve some of the closeness and coordination efficiencies of vertical integration, but at the same time attempt to achieve a relationship that has a constant incentive to improve. Partnership relationships are defined as: ‘relatively enduring inter-firm cooperative agreements, involving flows and linkages that use resources and/or governance structures from autonomous organizations, for the joint accomplishment of individual goals linked to the corporate mission of each sponsoring firm’.11 What this means is that suppliers and customer s are expected to cooperate, even to the extent of sharing skills and resources, to achieve joint benefits beyond those they ould have achieved by acting alone. At the heart of the concept of partnership lies the issue of the closeness of the relationship. Partnerships are close relationships, the degree of which is influenced by a number of factors, as follows: ââ€"  Sharing success. An attitude of shared success means that both partners work together in order to increase the total amount of joint benefit they receive, rather than manoeuvring to maximize their own individual contribution. ââ€"  Long-term expectations. Partnership relationships imply relatively long-term commitments, but not  necessarily permanent ones. ââ€"  Multiple points of contact. Communication between partners is not only through formal channels, but may take place between many individuals in both organizations. ââ€"  Joint learning. Partners in a relationship are committed to learn from each other’s experience and perceptions of the other operations in the chain. ââ€"  Few relationships. Although partnership relationships do not necessarily imply single sourcing by customers, they do imply a commitment on the part of both parties to limit the number of customers or suppliers with whom they do business. It is difficult to maintain close relationships with many different trading partners. ââ€"  Joint coordination of activities. Because there are fewer relationships, it becomes possible jointly to coordinate activities such as the flow of materials or service, payment, and so on. ââ€"  Information transparency. An open and efficient information exchange is seen as a key element in partnerships because it helps to build confidence between the partners. ââ€"  Joint problem-solving. Although partnerships do not always run smoothly, jointly approaching problems can increase closeness over time. ââ€"  Trust. This is probably the key element in partnership relationships. In this context, trust means the willingness of one party to relate to the other on the understanding that the relationship will be beneficial to both, even though that cannot be guaranteed. Trust is widely held to be both the key issue in successful partnerships, but also, by far, the most difficult element to develop and maintain. 8 Matching the supply chain with market requirements. The supply chain policies which are seen to be appropriate for functional products and innovative products are termed by Fisher efficient supply chain policies and responsive supply chain policies, respectively. Efficient supply chain policies include keeping inventories low, especially in the downstream parts of the network, so as to maintain fast throughput and reduce the amount of working capital tied up in the inventory. What inventory there is in the network is concentrated mainly in the manufacturing operation, where it can keep utilization high and therefore manufacturing costs low. Information must flow quickly up and down the chain from retail outlets back up to the manufacturer so that schedules can be given the maximum amount of time to adjust efficiently. The chain is then managed to make sure that products  flow as quickly as possible down the chain to replenish what few stocks are kept downstream. By contrast, responsive supply chain policy stresses high service levels and responsive supply to the end-customer. The inventory in the network will be deployed as closely as possible to the customer. In this way, the chain can still supply even when dramatic changes occur in customer demand. Fast throughput from the upstream parts of the chain will still be needed to replenish downstream stocks. But those downstream stocks are needed to ensure high levels of availability to end-customers. 9 The bullwhip effect The ‘bullwhip effect’, is used to describe how a small disturbance at the downstream end of a supply chain causes increasingly large disturbances, errors, inaccuracies and volatility as it works its way upstream. Its main cause is an understandable desire by the different links in the supply chain to manage their production rates and inventory levels sensibly. Miscommunication in the supply chain Whenever two operations in a supply chain arrange for one to provide products or services to the other, there is the potential for misunderstanding and miscommunication. This may be caused simply by not being sufficiently clear about what a customer expects or what a supplier is capable of delivering. There may also be more subtle reasons stemming from differences in perception of seemingly clear agreements. The effect is analogous to the children’s game of ‘Chinese whispers’. The first child whispers a message to the next child who, whether he or she has heard it clearly or not, whispers an interpretation to the next child, and so on. The more children the message passes between, the more distorted it tends to become. The last child says out loud what the message is, and the children are amused by the distortion of the original message. Reducing bullwhip effect Reduce lead time Information sharing One of the reasons for the fluctuations in output described in the example earlier was that each operation in the chain reacted to the orders placed by  its immediate customer. None of the operations had an overview of what was happening throughout the chain. If information had been available and shared throughout the chain, it is unlikely that such wild fluctuations would have occurred. It is sensible therefore to try to transmit information throughout the chain so that all the operations can monitor true demand, free of these distortions. An obvious improvement is to make information on end-customer demand available to upstream operations. Inventory pooling Stable prices 10 time compression One of the most important approaches to improving the operational efficiency of supply chains is known as time compression. This means speeding up the flow of materials down the chain and the flow of information back up the chain. The supply chain dynamics effect was due partly to the slowness of information moving back up the chain.

Procurement Routes in Construction

Procurement Routes in Construction The main purpose of this report is to evaluate key procurement issues that the client has to consider in selecting an appropriate procurement route for the rapid reconstruct of three hotel building project. We have analysed four kinds of procurement routes such as traditional procurement route, design and build procurement route, management contracting procurement route and construction management procurement route. After the analysis, we have chosen a most suitable method to meet our objective, in terms of cost certainty, construction within the planned period and quality of the building. Also, creating a sparkling and luring environment for hotel guests in the near future. We too have considered the economic benefits as such if the hotel re-opened on time within the budgeted cost, we can also recover the investment costs as soon as possible. Therefore we have recommended the design and build procurement route for this project. Introduction In construction industry, many factors cause the results of the project. The right procurement route is one of the factors to achieve project successfully. In order to select best procurement route, we need to analyse clients background, objective, project requirements, technical complexity of the project, construction risk (cost, time and design/quality) and etc. Analysis Client Background Cinnamon Grand is a privately owned large hotel chain in the UK. They offer comfortable accommodation across the UK and are committed to preserving their rich heritage. They are very passionate about the outlook of their hotel buildings and they are experienced at renovation of buildings. But they have lack of in-house executive who is either experienced enough or enable to devote sufficient time in advising the reconstruction of their properties. Project Requirements As the hotel has planned to reopen on the 1st April 2015, we have started planning for the project on August 2012 and construction will be started on 1st March 2014. Lastly, the hotel will be handed over to the owner latest by 28th February 2015. Reconstruct in two phases Phase 1 Rapid reconstruction for the main areas of the hotels such as swimming pools, roofs, restaurant and guest rooms, which allows the hotel to be re-opened for business within a period of 12 months (from 1st March 2014 to 28th February 2015). Phase 2 Newly construction of some facilities such as health and fitness centre, conference and meeting, rooms dance studios. High technology multimedia facilities with air conditioning shall also be provided for conference and meeting rooms. During construction, good service will also be provided to hotel guests. Quality of the buildings is also important. The new constructed hotel must create sparkling and luring environment that can be enjoyed by all hotel guests. It has to match the existing hotel or even better which allows the former magnificent look to be brought back. Design requirements Design quality should at least match the existing hotel or even better. The tender document submitted by the tender contractor should include scope of works, construction methods, programming, management methods, availability of resources and costing. The material application will submit through template or sample and requires strict inspection and approval by client. Contractors typical design proposals require approval by client, due to client experienced in the renovation of buildings. Client requires retaining the ancient architectural style- rich heritage for the external features of the hotel Using green materials in order to lower impact to the environment. For example: using green roof. Demolitions works will minimize the damage to the building when using suitable method. Maintenance proposals should be done during the preparation time (from August 2012 to 1st March 2014). Good construction planning and planning should include safety, environmental and health issues and solution. Especially during the phase 2 constructions, the normal business of the hotel will not be affected by the construction. Hotel guests will also not be subjected to the influence of the construction. Client Objectives To complete project within the budget of  £120 million by choosing the best possible procurement route. To complete the building within the planned schedule. To enhance the quality of building and facilities provided, creating a sparkling and luring environment after renovation of the building During phase 2 constructions, good service must be provided to the customer. Analysis of the Procurement Route There are three generally accepted standard approaches to construction procurement in the UK construction industry: traditional procurement; design and build procurement and management procurement (management contracting and construction management). Different procurement route has different approach. Hence, we will analysis the traditional procurement, design and build procurement, construction management and management contracting. 3.4.1 Analysis of traditional procurement route The clients consultants will complete fully the design before contractors tender. Then the tender will be usually awarded to the contractor with the lowest price. Advantages Good design quality due to design completed by clients consultants. Client will choose the lowest tender price as contractors will tender based on the same information given. Procedures well known by both party Disadvantages Long preparation time, due to design fully completed by clients consultants before tender. Construction will only start on site upon the completion of the design. Client is fully responsible for the design risk Risks Lump sum contract will bring the cost risk to low risk as same information given by client. As for fixed contract date, the contractor might have the right to claim for extensions due to design or contraction issues, therefore it is medium time risk. As design quality control by clients consultant based on clients requirement, therefore it reduces design risk to low design quality risk. In conclusion, traditional approach is suitable for inexperienced clients or occasional construction clients and project without critical time requirements. It is not suitable for some large and complex project which requires advanced management systems, structures and skills. 3.4.2 Analysis of design and build procurement route The design and construction is undertaken by a single contractor for a lump sum contract, which allows overlapping. Design is not fully develop by contractor before the contract is awarded. Advantages Single contact point due to contractor is responsible on design and construction. Early start and shorter project duration due to design and construction is overlapping. Client can control project cost due to lump sum basis. Disadvantages Tender need to be awarded before design fully complete. Client has the difficulty to prepare the adequate brief. After the tender has been awarded, changing of design can be expensive for the client. Risks Lump sum contract will reduce the cost risk to low risk. Design and construction can be overlapping; therefore it is a low time risk. Design and build contractor is responsible for the design, if clients design requirement is not clearly indicated, then maybe it is a high risk for design quality. Therefore Design and build approach is suitable for all clients including inexperienced or client requiring cost certainty and fast track projects. Not suitable for complex or high quality buildings. 3.4.3 Analysis of construction management procurement route Construction Management, in which the design is developed by the Employers consultants and construction commences before the design is complete. A fee-earning consulting Construction Manager works for the Employer to define and manage several Works Packages, each representing a specialised or functional aspect of the project. Advantages Shorter overall project duration Clarity of roles, risks and relationships for all participants Client requires late design change easily due to contact awarded by different package Disadvantages Client doesnt have control on cost. Need a good quality project team to manage the project. Needs effective control of time and information. Risks Actual cost will only be known until the last package is awarded, so cost risk is medium. Because job is awarded by individual package, so does not has the main organisation to overall control the construction time. Therefore time risk is considering as medium risk. Project done by individual specialist contractors to reduce the design risk to low risk. Construction Management approach is suitable for experienced clients, fast track projects, complex building and not suitable for project requiring cost certainty. 3.4.4 Analysis of management contracting procurement route Management Contracting, in which the design is developed by the Employers consultants and construction commences before the design is complete. A Management Contractor is appointed early to let elements of work progressively as a series of trade or package contracts (called works packages). As with Construction Management, the final cost can only be determined when the last packaged has been let. Advantages Overall project duration shorter Client requires late design change easily due to contact awarded by different package Work packages let competitively Disadvantages Poor cost certainty, client will only know the final price till the last package been awarded. Need a good quality project team to manage the project Need a good quality brief to every works contractor, if not the case, contractor may not make client requirement. Risks Actual cost will only be known till the last package is awarded, so cost risk is medium. The total construction duration is a consequence of package selection. Therefore time risk is considering as medium risk. Project done by individual specialist contractors to reduce the design risk to low risk. Management contracting approach is suitable for experienced clients, fast track projects, complex building, and fairly large project. It is not suitable for project requiring cost certainty. Conclusion No procurement route is best suited in all circumstances. We can only base on the key elements and to select a most suitable procurement route. Time within planned schedule, cost certainty and quality of the building are the key elements we need to consider in this project. Both traditional and design and build can achieve clients objective of cost certainty. Management contracting, construction management and design and build can achieve clients objective of time within planned schedule. Management contracting, construction management and traditional can achieve clients objective of quality of building. Based on above analysis, out of 3 key elements we only can choose two most important elements as following:- Cost is the first consideration. Both management contracting and construction management procurement routes, the cost can only be known till the last package is awarded. But due to client concerns for cost overrun, they want to know the cost before project start. So both routes are not recommended. Time is the second consideration. Hotel must be re-opened on 1st April 2015. As only 12 months is given for phase 1 construction and the opening before the tourist season has a great impact on the hotel business, therefore traditional is not suitable for fast track construction. Design and build is well suited to warrant maximum price contracts and design and construction overlapping. This will involve considering return on capital investment, the likely benefits to operational efficiency or income flow. So we are not considering using traditional in this project. Quality of the building is the third consideration. It is generally felt in the construction industry that quality is the first thing to suffer in design and build contracts. However, the evidence does not support this. Quality of the building is the result of how we management the construction process. There is no correlation between procurement method and perceived quality of the product. After consideration, we will recommend design and build procurement route for this project. The appointed contractor is responsible for the design, documentation and construction of the project, based on the client project brief and requirements through lump sum cost. So the speed of construction is faster and the client will know the costs of the project earlier. Whether the quality of building can be achieved, it is depending on how well our project requirements have been defined and delivered. Project manager will be responsible for co-ordinated design and construction programme. This may considerably reduce revisions after contract award and minimise possible interferences. All team members must build up well communication channels, to solve the problem as soon as possible when construction is going on. Referencing John Murdoch and Will Hughes (2008), Construction Contract Law and Management, Fourth edition School of the Built Environment  © Herriot Watt University (2012), Procurement Contracts Task 2 Option A Discuss the liability of Alexander Contractors to the Employer for the additional costs that the Employer had to incur as a consequence of being required to employ a more expensive tenderer to carry out the construction project. Discuss the Clerk of Works power to issue a Direction as detailed in the given scenario and its implications on the loss and expenses incurred by the Contractor. Detail the possible claims with respect to the given scenario, the main facts that can be included in the claims and the contractual provisions available to substantiate the claims according to the JCT Standard Building Contract With Quantities 2005 Edition (JCT SBC05) Revision 2 2009. If you were the Contract Administrator prepare a report outlining your assessment of the Contractors claim including the process you have followed, the pertinent issues of the dispute and the contractual provisions relevant.

I am a Wimp :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

I am a Wimp I am sitting alone on the "N" train. I am in my usual spot: back car, second floor, first window seat. It is cold inside. It is wet outside. I'm tired. My thoughts are playing themselves out in-between the lyrics on my walk-man. For Friday, I am mellow. The two sides of my personality are trying to communicate, and I have decided to simply sit down and listen to the conversation. My weekday self goes to high school in Manhattan. I am often tired and try simply to get through the day. I usually do not have fun during the week. I like my friends, but there is no time to have a good time together. I feel inadequate at my high school. Many students do just as much work as I do and make it look easy. My "week" self is often frustrated. In comparison, my weekend self is rested and happy. I leisurely groom myself in the morning. My weekend friends are impressed that I travel so far to get to school. They are impressed that I get good grades. But overall they are impressed that I am allowed to leave for lunch and that I actually go back to classes. My weekend self buys into the hype, and is very proud. I realize part of the equation is location. My weekday self spends its days on Madison Avenue, while my weekend self spends its days in Queens. Even though I have lived my entire life in this neighborhood I have always felt a little out of place. It's a tough neighborhood and I'm not afraid to say I am a wimp. I enjoy the freedoms of the Upper East Side. The only attitude I receive is from rich women who wish teenagers would stop crowding their streets and talking too loudly. If I give someone a look, I am not afraid they are going to follow me or "jump" me. The kids in my neighborhood rarely finish school. Most go to an alternative high school or get their G.E.D. after dropping out. They eventually get decent jobs, but few receive college educations. In the end, few adults in my neighborhood enjoy their jobs. I fear this will happen to most of my weekend friends. Location also affects my identity in other ways. I am a Wimp :: Personal Narrative Essay Example I am a Wimp I am sitting alone on the "N" train. I am in my usual spot: back car, second floor, first window seat. It is cold inside. It is wet outside. I'm tired. My thoughts are playing themselves out in-between the lyrics on my walk-man. For Friday, I am mellow. The two sides of my personality are trying to communicate, and I have decided to simply sit down and listen to the conversation. My weekday self goes to high school in Manhattan. I am often tired and try simply to get through the day. I usually do not have fun during the week. I like my friends, but there is no time to have a good time together. I feel inadequate at my high school. Many students do just as much work as I do and make it look easy. My "week" self is often frustrated. In comparison, my weekend self is rested and happy. I leisurely groom myself in the morning. My weekend friends are impressed that I travel so far to get to school. They are impressed that I get good grades. But overall they are impressed that I am allowed to leave for lunch and that I actually go back to classes. My weekend self buys into the hype, and is very proud. I realize part of the equation is location. My weekday self spends its days on Madison Avenue, while my weekend self spends its days in Queens. Even though I have lived my entire life in this neighborhood I have always felt a little out of place. It's a tough neighborhood and I'm not afraid to say I am a wimp. I enjoy the freedoms of the Upper East Side. The only attitude I receive is from rich women who wish teenagers would stop crowding their streets and talking too loudly. If I give someone a look, I am not afraid they are going to follow me or "jump" me. The kids in my neighborhood rarely finish school. Most go to an alternative high school or get their G.E.D. after dropping out. They eventually get decent jobs, but few receive college educations. In the end, few adults in my neighborhood enjoy their jobs. I fear this will happen to most of my weekend friends. Location also affects my identity in other ways.

Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Falling Water’s plans all came about when the architect, Frank Lloyd Wright was born, Jun 8, 1867. Frank was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Wright designed Fallingwater in 1935. At his death in 1959, he had built more than 400 buildings. Wright’s most famous house was designed and built for the Pittsburgh Kaufman family, for a weekend retreat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The natural wonder Fallingwater is recognized as architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s most acclaimed and famous works. In 1991, a poll of members of the American Institute of Architects voted Wright’s Fallinwater the best all-time work of American Architecture. Fallingwater opened a new chapter in American architecture and Wright became the first and foremost architect of houses. Fallingwater is known for its simplicity. This is not a skyscraper, it is a home situated in a remote section of Western Pennsylvania, in Ohiopyle, (or called Bear Run). In a talk to the Tallies Fellowship Frank Lloyd Wright said of the house; â€Å"Fallingwater is a great blessing - one of the great blessings to be experienced here on earth. I think nothing yet ever equaled the coordination, sympathetic expression of the great principle of repose where forest and stream and rock and all the elements of structure are combined so quietly that really you listen not to any noise wha tsoever although the music of the stream is there. But you listen to Fallingwater the way you listen to the quiet country.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wright designed Fallingwater in 1935. The design of the house promotes a harmony between man and nature, so that the buildings, walls and structures within the house are extensions of the exterior world. Fallingwater was designed for the Edgar J. Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh; the founders of a prominent department store in the city called Kaufmann’s. Construction on the project began in 1936 and was completed in 1939. Wright concentrated in on the Bear Run location because he knew of a waterfall in the area that the family loved to go visit all the time. In designing the house, Wright mimicked the natural pattern of rock ledges over the waterfall and cantilevered the house over the falls in a series of concrete ledges, anchored to masonry walls made of the same sandstone as the rock ledges. This view just described, is perhaps the most famous of all. The house hovers right over the rushing mountain stream in perfect harmony. The house extends 30 feet in he ight above the ledges, although strong horizontal lines and low ceilings help maintain an overall sheltering feeling.

Learning importance and a example of essay in learning Essay

Learning is a major part of life. People tend to learn in every steps of their life. Learning does not necessarily involve complex terms, it can also be primitive things that keeps happening in day to day life of an individual. Everybody has different interest, likewise they have a different pattern of learning things. Some people learn faster through visual medium, some through audio, and some just writing down the things depending upon what the subject matter is. I believe that learning process does not start when one settles in a formal environment but it start right from the birth of an individual. Walking, talking, decision making etc. are some examples including every other primary things are the result of learning. Every time anyone has to acquire a new skills, they need to be focused and scrutinize the subject matter thoroughly, that is how learning happens. Learning affects the confidence of a person as well. If someone learn things quickly than they have higher confidence in doing things and learning new things as well. After going through the video couple of times I realized that one who puts hard work and devotion in learning new things can automatically adapt into the ways the things are done and will become successful. I myself am very much interested in music and vaguely inspired by the beauty of it. I think music can be the most influential thing in an individual life. Music can make a person relax after a hard day at work, cure the illness, provides maximum level of comfort to an individual. Being so much influenced on music I have managed to learn a very few instruments and it always gives me pleasure and comfort when I am playing them. But I do not want to stop here. I want to learn more about music. I want to be able to read the music and understand every keys and notation in it. I want to be a musician like David Gilmour from the greatest band ever, â€Å"Pink Floyd,† who is able to play any string musical instrument that exists in planet today. I am currently doing my major in Business with Information Technology however in order to fulfill my ambition in music I have also planned to take music as my minor subject and later on carry it as my profession along with my  Business major degree. It is very much important to me because of my vague interest in it, but mostly it makes me very happy. Finally, I am profoundly inspired from the video that I just watched and it helped me to boost up my morale. I do have much respect for the people attempting to make things happen and these people are just one of those few who dare to take the challenges and do something that makes difference to others.

Laocoon and His Sons

This essay is an attempt to address the marble sculpture commonly known as Laocoon and His Sons, and why exactly I believe it to be a work of high art, of great value and significance to the species. Laocoon and His Sons is a marble sculpture representing a scene that is a part of the tale of the siege and invasion of Troy. Laocoon was the protagonist in a play by Sophocles that is now lost. He was also written about by Virgil.The statue itself is one of the most famous sculptures of Greek and Roman antiquity, its subject is Laocoon, a Trojan high priest, who, along with his two sons, is – according to legend – attacked and killed by two snakes, or sea serpents. The tale is known as myth, but its content may have symbolic roots in actual historical happenstance. No one is quite sure as of yet how much of that myth may or not be so. The scene depicts Laocoon, the chosen priest of Neptune for the city of Troy, and his sons, in their death throws, overcome by an enormous s erpent. Cursed by the gods for either impiety – 3 ccording to Sophocles – or for warning the Trojans of the danger of the Trojan horse – according to Virgil, the serpents were dispatched to do away with Laocoon ‘I tell you there are Greeks hiding in here, shut up in all this wood, or else it is a siege engine designed for use against our walls, to spy on our homes and come down on the city from above, or else there is some other trick we cannot see. Do not trust the horse, Trojans. Whatever it is, I am afraid of Greeks, even when they bear gifts. ’ (Virgil, 2003, p. 26) The scene depicted is the wrath of the gods in action.The turmoil of the scene, the hopeless agony on the faces of the figures, is so charged with emotion that the forms seem truly alive. This is the first time this caliber of realism is reached in Greek art, in all known human sculpture up to this point in history; and many would submit that it has never been surpassed. The action a ddressed in this sculptural scene animates it to the point that one forgets that this is apparently an idealized figure born from myth. The despair and pain in Laocoon’s eyes seem to be a pleading to the very gods that doomed him – in his final moments, asking ‘Why have you forsaken me? Achieving this sort of beyond-human realism through the sculpting of marble is particularly remarkable, as marble is known as a notoriously difficult medium to deal with, especially considering the simple tools the artists would have at hand to form this creation. But, the medium, once utilized correctly by skilled hands, is like no other, and has a powerful tone to it. Marble is slightly radioactive, and with statues like Laocoon and His Sons, that radiation can truly be felt. This piece is indeed a testament to Greek craftsmanship, and to the classical Greek culture that is ensouled in this piece.In Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, Pliny describes the sculpture and rete lls of his experience of seeing it in Rome some time during the first century CE. However, Pliny doesn’t give an exact date for the creation of the statue – which is unknown. He mentions it was in the palace of the Emperor Titus, and 4 describes it as Laocoon and his children being strangled. From his point of view it was a far superior piece of art to anything else made; paint, bronze or stone. It may have been originally bronze and the marble version a copy, but this is unclear.Pliny states that it was carved from a single block of marble; by Agesander, Polydorus, and Athenodorus of Rhodes. But, it is pretty clear that the sculpture is not made from one single piece of marble. Does this sully Pliny’s account? Was there another version which he was referring to? History is hearsay. We can’t be sure. One of the pieces defining characteristics, what makes it such a marvel, is how the physique is anatomically perfect. This speaks of a highly developed cultu re, with an intricate understanding of anatomy and physiology. But, also of a culture that privileges physical strength and beauty.The Greeks of the time were either artists or warriors, or often both, so strength and beauty were central in their world. Laocoon and His Sons is a much more naturalistic piece than earlier Greek works; in which the figures were often idolized; lacking luster, life, emotion, humanity. Cleobis and Biton, a set of sculptures from the Archaic Period, exemplify this quite well; posing, rigid, golem like figures; lacking the humanity they are supposed to represent. The Hellenistic baroque style of Laocoon and His Sons gives us a much more true-to-life representation in comparison to earlier works.This work has inspired artists and regular humans alike down through the centuries, one of whom it is particularly well known to have influenced greatly was Michelangelo; as can be seen in some of his pieces; e. g: The rebellious Slave. I summation, I think this pie ce is truly of note to art historians. Above, I have highlighted some reasons I think this is the case. Bibliography: Virgil, (reprint) 2003. The Aeneid. London: Penguin Classics. Pollitt, J. J. 2006. Art in the Hellenistic Age. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 5 Pliny, Natural History XXXVI. iv. 37

The First Contact in Apocalypse Now

The First Contact in Apocalypse Now and Heart of DarknessIn Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola obviously modifies and embellishes the characters, scenes and dialogue of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. However, with only minor modification Coppola powerfully represents Charlie Marlow’s first contact with Kurtz’ camp. Marlow is greeted by a completely unexpected young Russian adventurer who had become a part of Kurtz’s family. Although Coppola has changed the Russian adventurer into an American photojournalist he has kept the characterizations and dialogue very close to Conrad’s original. In doing so, the impact, theme and message of the cinematic and textual versions of the same scene are virtually parallel. Nonetheless several elements missing from the screen version causes it to be less than helpful in understanding the text version.The young Russian was Charlie Marlow’s first sight when he reached Kurtz’ camp and he looked at hi m â€Å"in astonishment. There he was before me, in motley, as though he had absconded from a troupe of mimes, enthusiastic, fabulous. His very existence was improbable, inexplicable, and altogether bewildering† (p. 119). Although not English like Marlow, he made immediate note of his commonality as a â€Å"brother sailor† (p. 116). Rather impetuously he requests some of Marlow’s â€Å"excellent English tobacco† while pointing out â€Å"your pilot-house wants a clean up!† (p. 115). Aware of Marlow’s potential peril at the hands of the natives, he advises him to keep the boat’s whistle ready; â€Å"one good screech will do more for you than all your rifles† (p. 115).The Russian took it upon himself, and appeared literally compelled to tell Marlow as much as possible of Kurtz and his relationship with him. He was clearly in awe of Kurtz and yet casually mentioned Kurtz had threatened to kill him. He described the great intellectu al and emotional conversations they shared. He made no apologies for the obvious atrocities carried out under Kurtz’ command—human heads mounted on stakes. As an explanation he pleaded to Marlow â€Å"you don’t know how such a life tries a man like Kurtz† (p. 124).He denied Kurtz was mad; he protested â€Å"you can’t judge Mr. Kurtz as you would an ordinary man† (p. 121). In spite of it all—or perhaps because of it all—the Russian had nursed Kurtz through illnesses and tried to convince Kurtz to leave the jungle. But Kurtz remained: according to the Russian â€Å"this man suffered too much. He hated all this, and somehow he couldn’t get away† (p. 121). The Russian knew it was time to leave and perhaps time for Kurtz to leave as well, and Marlow gave him cartridges, tobacco and even shoes as he was leaving the camp. Upon leaving he exclaimed â€Å"you ought to have heard him recite poetry—his own, too†¦oh, he enlarged my mind!† (131).Coppola is very faithful to the original in his characterization of the American photojournalist who greets Willard on his arrival. The American, nameless as Conrad’s Russian, quickly establishes his commonality with Willard and the crew, crying out â€Å"American! I’m an American civilian!† Similarly he quickly boards the boat, stating happily â€Å"you got the cigarettes!† and exclaiming â€Å"This boat is a mess, man!† Willard is flabbergasted at his appearance, but just as grateful as Marlow when the American advises â€Å"just zap ‘em with your siren!† in reference to the hostile natives surrounding the boat.The American, like the Russian, is a â€Å"disciple† of Kurtz and takes it upon himself to tell Willard all he can about Kurtz and his relationship with him. He’s concerned Willard has â€Å"come to take him away† this â€Å"great man† who is â€Å"a poet warr ior in the classic sense.† Like the Russian, the American has also been threatened with death by Kurtz but is loyal nonetheless. Willard, like Marlow, sees the grotesque heads on pikes and the American responds â€Å"you’re looking at the heads—sometimes he goes too far† and fears â€Å"you’re gonna call him crazy.†The two scenes are virtually parallel in theme and message. The appearance of both characters is completely unexpected and adds the suspense of â€Å"what else can be expected in this other-worldly place?† The unexpectedness is combined with the theme of being caught off-guard by the appearance of someone â€Å"familiar† in an unfamiliar environment. Is it safe or dangerous to trust this person?Additionally the characters provide Marlow/Willard with â€Å"interpretations† and defense of Kurtz, which is equally frightening when the profound effect of Kurtz upon the characters is revealed. It is a very effective way of giving substance to a man who has yet to be seen. The characters are very appropriate gatekeepers to the â€Å"Heart of Darkness† Marlow/Willard are about to enter. The message is the power Kurtz can exert on a fellow European/American and both reader and viewer are left to wonder what effect Kurtz will have on Marlow/Willard.Unfortunately Coppola’s scene does little to assist in understanding the scene as written by Conrad for a very simple reason: despite the dramatic jolt the American gives, he is an â€Å"incomplete† if not â€Å"throwaway† character. Conrad’s Russian is a man of his own adventure who had nursed Kurtz and urged him to leave; he clearly recognizes the time to move on, which helps put Kurtz and his influence on the Russian in perspective.Coppola’s American, by contrast, has not been of any assistance to Kurtz nor urged him to leave, and is not heard from after bringing Willard into the camp. The Russian has survived and thrown off the influence of Kurtz; whether the American survives is left to the imagination. Despite this, Coppola has provided the viewer a powerful visual representation of the entry into the Heart of Darkness.ReferencesConrad, Joseph. (2003). Heart of Darkness. New York: Barnes & Noble.Coppola, Francis F. Apocalypse Now. 1979. Zoetrope Studios.

A Civil Action/ Irac Style Format

A Civil Action FACTS: This movie, A Civil Action, is about a lawsuit that began with the death of twelve people, and eight of those twelve people were children. This all takes place in the little city of Woburn Wells, Massachusetts. This is a small city that has two companies that are located really close to the cities river. One company is called W. R. Grace Company and the other is Beatrice Foods. Jan Schlitnmann is the main attorney for the plaintiff’s side along with his partners; Conway, Gordon, and Crowley. The attorney for W. R. Grace was William Cheeseman, and the attorney for Beatrice foods was Jerome Fatcher. Anne Anderson initially told one of Jan’s partners her story and put many calls into their office. However, she never a response from them! So Anne put a call into Jan Schlitchmann while he was on a radio show. Jan and his partners discussed the case and Jan agreed to go and meet with Anne and the family member’s of the children who died from Leukemia. So he went to the city of Woburn Wells. Jan saw the companies W. R. Grace and Beatrice Foods and thought it would be a goldmine for the law office to take on the case. Anderson told Jan that she and the other families were not looking for money in this lawsuit. The families only wanted an apology from the companies and for someone to clean up the area and make sure it would not ever happen again. The drinking water that the town had been drinking was the problem. The water had somehow been contaminated with trichloroethylene and silicon (used to water proof leather). Jan was going to prove in court that W. R. Grace and Beatrice Foods knowingly contaminated the river that was located in Woburn Wells and by contaminating the river it caused twelve people to die from leukemia. ISSUES: Did the drinking water that was contaminated with Trichloroethylene and silicon, by W. R. Grace Company and Beatrice Foods, cause the leukemia deaths and other health problems in Woburn, Massachusetts? LAW: Negligence:   is a  legal  concept in the  common law  legal systems mostly applied in tort cases to achieve monetary compensation (damages) for physical and mental injuries Wrongful Death: is a claim in common law jurisdictions against a person who can be held liable for a death DISCUSSION: Big corporations generally only see things with dollar signs. The goal of any corporation is to make the maximum profit that they can while providing a good or service to the community. W. R. Grace and Beatrice Foods show this statement to be true throughout this whole movie. They are continuously trying to make this â€Å"issue† go away by throwing money at the family members, trying to make the suit go away and not fix the real problem. W. R. Grace Company decided that the best place to dump the T. C. E. was in the river behind the plant. This had major effects on everyone that was in close proximity to the river. It got into the drinking water, which was said to have caused 12 deaths, the reason of some miscarriages, and seizures among other health conditions, from what the claims are that is. The company tried to cover up this kind of thing as much as possible by buying people off. They think that if they give people money for their losses than everything will be alright. For huge corporations dealing with billions of dollars these payoffs are only a drop in the bucket for them. Even a million dollars to any family is an incredible amount of money and often the money becomes more important than the real issues behind the problem and can't be passed up by a family struggling to get by. The benefits of paying these people for their trouble are much cheaper than doing things the right way in the beginning and protecting their safety. Well, the families of Woburn Wells wanted no part of the money. They just wanted the problem fixed and an apology from the ones who caused this tragedy. Jan Schlichtmann initially didn't want to take the case because he doesn't think that there will be any money in it for him and his firm. Even though he goes and sees how much pain this company has caused to the people in Woburn Wells, he still doesn't care because of the money. Not until he realizes how big the companies are does he take the case. The firm took the case and went to work. The first hearing ruled that Beatrice Foods wasn’t to be held accountable, just W. R. Grace Company, There were many scientific and complex tests that had to be run in order to prove that the water was contaminated by W. R. Grace. This was all at the cost of Schlichtmann’s firm. As the case goes on he isn't able to achieve what he ultimately wanted to do because the Grace Company has so much money that they will almost always win. Schlichtmann’s firm goes into debt trying to win this case but ultimately has to settle because they can't go on. Schlichtmann ended up settling with W. R. Grace for 8 million dollars. After all debts are paid (all of the equipment that was rented, the Dr. ’s that ran the tests, the scientist’s, etc. and the fee for Schlichtmann’s firm, the families were awarded $357,000 per family! This made the families very upset. Not because of the amount of the money, but because when Anne Anderson initially spoke with Schlichtmann, she had told him that the families weren’t interested in the money. All the families ultimately wanted was were apologies, someone to take the blame for the cause of their loved ones deaths, and for the contaminated water and area to be cleaned up so this type of thing were to never happen again. After that final meeting with the families, Jan Schlichtmann and his partners all ended up all going their separate ways. Schlichtmann had a â€Å"come to† one day. He ended up questioning one of the workers of W. R. Grace once again, who told him the whole story regarding the disposal of the chemical waste. He told Schlichtmann how and where they got rid of everything, which was in the river behind the plant. This was negligent on the companies’ part. Schlichtmann didn’t have the money for the appeal process, so he sent everything he had to another lawyer. This case went on for years. In the end, the EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) filed a lawsuit against W. R. Grace and the companies agreed to share 69. 4 million for cleanup of the area. CONCLUSION: Did the drinking water that was contaminated with Trichloroethylene and silicon, by W. R. Grace Company and Beatrice Foods, cause the leukemia deaths and other health issues in Woburn, Massachusetts? Yes An employee of W. R. Grace was confronted by Jan after the trial was over with, who came clean about the whole cover up. He was told to â€Å"get rid† of the barrels that were filled with the toxins, which he did along with several others. They dumped the hundreds of barrels into the river which was one of the main sources of water in the city. There was an autopsy on one of the children’s bodies. The Dr. onfirmed that the child died from leukemia which was caused by Trichloroethylene. After many scientific tests and many years in the courtroom, both W. R. Grace and Beatrice Foods were found guilty for the contamination of the river in Woburn Wells, which was linked to the drinking water and the cause of the leukemia deaths. This toxin, T. C. E. , was found to be in the drinking water of the city, and was digested by the children on a regular basis. The wrongful deaths of the 12 individuals in the city lay in the hands of both W. R. Grace and Beatrice Foods. It was their duty of care to dispose of the chemicals in an appropriate manner.

Why I Choose a Career of Medical Transcripionist

There is a wide range of job opportunities available to practically anyone in the US. One particular occupation is a Medical Transcriptionist, a career I have been inspired to strive for. There are a number of reasons why I desire to become a Medical Transcriptionist. One reason is that I spend a large amount of time in front of the computer. I continue to maintain a 70-80 WPM typing, and I would honestly love to gain money from typing. I also would like to contribute to making sure medical processes go smoothly by creating concise, clear documents. My friend recommended medical transcription to me, and I began to research it. I wanted to pursue a Medical Transcription certificate or degree to increase my chances to get some sort of transcriptionist or clerical job. The most beneficial advantage for working as a MT is the flexible hours and availability to work anywhere, like at home. Although that may be the largest advantage to most, there is a reason for me to be able to work at home. As my spouse in IT job, most of the time we are travelling from one city to another. Due to this frequent travels and switching of places I am not able to concentrate on my job. Also I have my children to look after and concentrate and also I want to be a support for my husband so that we can take acre of the loans and other needs of the family in a more efficient way. Also we are living here in another country far away from ours and we are not able to frequently visit our family back there due to financial constraints. With this flexibility, I will be able to afford money and time to visit them. Penn Foster is a great MT course choice for many different reasons. I have searched long and wide for medical transcription schools and found many, including US Career Institute, Allied Medical School, and Career Step, all of which ranges from $1200-$1800! The cheap pricing (and high quality) of Penn Foster is a great motivation to consider this class over others. In addition, the courses will give me a great overview to how each medical practice works, allowing documents to be written smoothly. In addition, Penn Foster allows me to take the course at my own pace and also in the comfort of my home. This educational program also offers services to student. I feel like I have confidence that I can do my best with Penn Foster by my side. In the future, I hope to achieve the MT education needed to be granted a job as a transcriptionist. I believe taking this class will give me a much better understanding with medical disciplines and the works. Penn Foster really seems like the best opportunity I can pursue to achieve that job placement!

Diversity in Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Diversity in Organizations - Essay Example In the case of I.T. business relationship established between India and US companies the factors that need to be assessed are more specific. The ability to understand the difference in workforce demographics by all levels of management, categorisation of diversity, establishing necessary legal framework relating to diversity issues like employment discrimination and creation of equal employment opportunity are the few important factors that need careful attention. The initiatives for diversity management must precede proper understanding of the above mentioned factors. A brief analysis of the important factors that need to be considered in the US-India business relationship are given below. Both India and United States belong to the group of countries that have highly diverse societies. The business relationship between two nations also have different type of diversity challenges and priorities. The highly skewed pattern of access to professional education, socialization and career progression in India creates tremendous pressure on locating, retraining and moulding the newly recruits to the expected level of competence desired. Thus non-uniform distribution of talent is the major bottleneck faced by overseas IT enterprises trying to establish business relationship in Indian mainland (Schome, n.d.). The task of managing the diversity in India would also be a new experience for American managers as they have been exposed to totally different requirements when compared to their previous experience back home. The American society is more adaptable to the changes required due to the huge entry of immigrants and or those underrepresented segment of the population. These man agers have had an earlier experience of creating an environment of social bond inspite of the prevailing diversity. Perception on diversity The major difference in the perception of the diversity across two nations clearly conveys the true picture on the diversity perception. The religion, gender, birth place, caste etc are the major diversity issues encountering an Indian. While in US they also include disability, age, marital status, immigration / citizenship status and sexual orientation (Schome, n.d). Legal Framework US have a very strong legal framework to ensure more robust policies with proper legal action being enforced against the corporate offenders. And these action are often highlighted as the cases of the best corporate practices. While in India, the things are more weak and the system lack proper legal support for any discriminatory practices. All the government and public sector undertaking bodies in India have a system of reservation, where a specified percentage of positions are earmarked for the people representing different caste/religion/section. Management Plan The diversity initiatives at workplace must facilitate easy exchange of new ideas and perceptions among all the members of the working group. Further, it would also help wider participation among all by inviting suggestions and solutions to important issues and thus ensure a respectful and acceptable work environment in the organization (Reichenburg,