Walden University Writing Center - the Temple of Writing Research Paper

Walden University Writing Center - the Temple of Writing - Research Paper Example In addition to these, the centre provides a grammar check facility, and to maintain academic integrity, there is a plagiarism detection tool integrated called Turnitin. Above all, the website gives a detailed description about writing in APA style. Walden University Writing Center: The Temple of Writing The online writing center of the Walden University introduces a student to what is known as the scientific way of writing. It offers the possibility of exploring APA style and formatting, taking up writing courses to improve one’s writing skills, participation in webinars, tutoring from professionals in the field of writing and expressing their views in the blogs of the writing center. The webpage is equally useful for a beginner as well as an experienced author. It caters to the individual needs of each student. One of the most attractive features of the writing centre is getting individual feedback from the Walden staff on the works the students upload on the site. A Step by Step Guide to Writing For an undergraduate student Walden University writing centre is a step by step guide unfolding the solutions to various problems he/she may come across while preparing his/her assignments. It provides an orientation to what exactly the assignment is about, the keywords to be searched, common writing terms in an assignment, thereby making the student develop a clear understanding about his/her assignment. The site provides training in preparing discussion posts. Though they are mini-essays they require ultimate attention and alertness as in preparing a research paper. There are options for preparing collaborative assignments which can improve a student’s ability in communication, time management, and delegation. As a beginner in writing, an undergraduate student definitely finds the writing guidelines very appropriate and useful as he/she progresses through the course. In addition to these services, the Walden University provides services like one to one tutoring and live webinars. Students are permitted to access Knowledge Area modules and work on it. In addition to these services, the student gets an opportunity to deal with capstone studies that give extensive help in improving one’s research paper. Individualized Learning The most interesting feature of Walden writing centre is one on one tutoring. Here the student makes an appointment with the tutor of his choice; then uploads his work for the review along with the instructions on areas to be focused on. Within 2 days the student will receive a feedback from the tutor. The feedback will include resources and suggestions on grammar, APA style adherence, basic formatting and regarding the flow of writing. The students are requested to submit their papers before 5 am EST on that day. The aim of this service is not to fix the errors in a paper but to improve the writing skills of the students. So the students should make sure to incorporate these suggestions in the next pap er they work on. Another very useful and vibrant service is the live webinars the centre provides. These are discussions on subjects relevant to perfecting one’s writing skills. There is a webinar archive which provides the details of past webinars. Making an Appointment To make an appointment with the tutor of your choice the student is requested to log on to ‘my Walden portal’. Click on the Academics tab, click on schedule an appointment and then tutor tab.        Ã‚  

Environmental- Economics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental- Economics - Case Study Example The solution to the problem was found in china through the creation and implementation of the energy laws that were created by the Central goverment. This is because the government of China has been aware of the environmental problems. There were several policies that were introduced in the effort to find a solution for the energy environment problems. One of these was the Environmental Protection Law for trial Implementation, which was created in 1979. Provisions to protect the environment were also made within the constitution in 1982 in addition to the Article 26 of the constitution which requires that the state provides protection and improvement of the environment where people and other ecological organisms live through the reduction of pollution. These laws and policies were also established to make it possible to practically apply the governmental environmental policies. In addition, this kind of depletion and exhaustion of resources called for the reduction in the used of ene rgy in the production and consumption areas. There was also a need to save the energy and use methods that were friendly to the environment and to promote technological innovations that would reduce the intensity of energy while at the same time increasing its efficiency as illustrated in Shanghai (Fig. 1). This was enabled by the enactment of the conservation laws and the application of economic incentives whereby the used of energy would be regulated and the emission of pollutants limited (Economy & Lieberthal, 2007). At this point, the main people who were affected by the particular policy included the producers and manufacturers who were required to use energy efficient means of production. The consumers would also be affected as either the prices of goods would go up or the number of products made available would reduce (Wheeler, Susmita & Hua, 2003). For the successful

Foucaults Analysis Of Power

Foucaults Analysis Of Power For Foucault, knowledge ceases to be about liberation and becomes a mode of surveillance, regulation and discipline. Examine this statement in relation to Foucaults analysis of power. The issue of power is a topic which has perplexed not only many Sociologists, but certainly many scholars within the field of Philosophy, Psychology and indeed many others. The Sociologist most noted with this theory is Michel Foucault. Foucault gave a comprehensive and in depth analysis of power, which we will discuss later. However, before we do, we must look at the life of Foucault, as to gain a better understanding of his works. Paul-Michel Foucault, a French Philosopher, Historian and Sociologist lived from October 1926- June 1984. He held the title History of Systems of thought at the notably prestigious College de France, as well as lecturing at the University of Buffalo and the University of Berkley, one of Americas most famous institutions. He refused time and time again to call himself a post-modernist, although he was highly influenced by post-modernist thought. He is most publically recognised for his critical studies of Social Institutions, with particular emphasis on medicine, psychiatry and the human sciences. His work on Power, Knowledge and Discourse has become the topic of much discussion, and has been taken up by many other key thinkers. During the 1960s, Foucault was associated with the structural movement, however he tried to distance himself from this. He preferred to think of himself as a pupil forwarding the Enlightenment views of Kant, trying to show that a side about individual liberty could be applied to improve the Enlightenment theory. According to Giddens, The study of power- how individuals and groups achieve their ends as against those of others- is of fundamental importance in Sociology. Classical thinkers, such as Karl Marx and Max Weber, placed importance on this theory, with Foucault building upon their foundations of theory. Unlike many before him, Foucault saw power as not being concentrated in the hands of the few in one place. Foucault showed in his complex writings that power could be found in all social relationships and not just in the hands of States. However, much of his work is spent showing the ways in which the States exercise their power over the populations. For Foucault, power is ultimately linked with knowledge; they exist because of one another. Therefore, the States power then extends from the development of new types of Knowledge. With the emergence of these, society is able to collect more information about the population and thus control it better. Power, however, whilst restricting people, can also enable them to do things. Power can also only operate if society has a certain amount of freedom, as society tries to restrict, people often try, and succeed, in slipping from its grasp. Foucaults early work on Madness and Civilisation (1967) described how, by the Eighteenth Century, unemployment, poverty and madness started to be seen as social problems by the States. Before this, the mad were free from state intervention, and were allowed to wander as they liked in rural areas; or they were put to sea in ships of fools. However, these became replaced with areas of confinement, such as madhouses, where they became isolated and separated from the rest of civilisation. According to Foucault, this was due to the European culture with a sense of responsibility for these social problems. A duty of responsibility was formed for the mad. However, by the 19th Century, these methods of separating groups was seen as being a mistake. New methods were developed to separate the different groups. Psychiatry began to take off, and became a new means by which to categorise people, for example, as being mad or suffering from some form of illness. As this happened, the discourse of the social sciences came to be involved in power relationships. Maden Sarup (1988) argued that the term discourse as used by Foucault, meant practices that systematically form the object of which they speak. According to this then, the development of psychiatric theories created mental illness. It was a discourse used to control certain groups within the population. This technique became crucial in the States gradual development of administration. The term administration allowed monitoring and possible control over people and their behaviour. However, according to Foucault, it was not just a straight forward power held by the state. Rather, it allowe d power relationships on an individual level, for example, between a psychiatrist and a patient. In Foucaults later work, Discipline and Punish (1975), he explored these themes in much more depth. Foucault begins with a very gruesome account of the public execution of Damiens in Paris, 1757. He was, in todays terms, tortured. However, Foucault makes the point that by the late 18th Century the use of public punishment began to dwindle. Punishment became private, rather than public, with the use of better, more efficient methods, for example, hanging. This also saw the implementation of more prison sentences. They obey a strict regime of work, sleep and education. According to Foucault, these changes involved a shift in the practices of punishment. Before the use of prisons, the main focus of punishment was on the pain inflicted to the body. However, the use of prisons focused on punishing the soul. It was to do with a loss of rights now, for example the right to freedom. The almost guarantee of being caught was meant to deter people, rather than the fear of public humiliation whi ch thus had failed. This new method was intended to offer reformation rather than to make the offender suffer. There was, as Foucault made clear no absolute shift in punishment methods, as capital punishment was, as is, still practiced. However, there was a definite shift to the latter method from the former. A change in what exactly was being judged also occurred. Before, it was the act being judged, whereas now it was the type of person they were. Extenuating circumstances were now taken into account. The level of punishment now focused on the motivation behind the crime. As Foucault stated, The question is no longer has the act been established and is it punishable? But also: What is this act, what is this act of violence or this murder? To what level or what field of reality does it belong? These questions could only be answered by a range of specialists, for example, psychiatrists and psychologists. Control became fragmented in this specialist knowledge. Foucault claims A corpus of knowledge, techn iques, and scientific discourses is formed and becomes entangled with the practice of the power to punish. Even as the state developed methods to control people, it gave power to the experts who had the knowledge, thus again proving the link between knowledge and power. However, with the exercise of power and knowledge relationships, Foucault makes the important point that they are not entirely negative. There also exist positive responses to them. It can allow certain things to be achieved. The example Foucault uses is the motivation of workers to become better and improve the labour power that societies may require. Moreover, power is not something possessed by individuals, power is exercised rather than possessed. Also, power can only be used when people have a choice about what to do; and Foucault makes the point that there are extremely few occasions when people will have no choice. Someone would be able to resist by possibly committing suicide, or killing the other, (Foucault 1988). Therefore, it is always possible to resist those exercising power, the result, however, produces an element of uncertainty. Power has the ability to be reversed. He argues à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the fact that I am older and that at first you were intimidated can, in the co urse of the conversation, turn about and it is I who can become intimidated before someone, precisely because he is younger, (Hindess, 1996). In his work on discipline, Foucault again states that power and knowledge are inseparable, We should admit that power produces knowledgeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ that power and knowledge directly imply one another; that there is now power relation without correlative constitutions of a field of knowledge, now any knowledge that does not presuppose and constitute at the same time power relations. Thus, it becomes possible to resist the exertion of power by challenging the knowledge on which it was based. For example, a patient may question a doctors diagnosis, thus challenging the knowledge and overcoming the power of the doctors expertise. Because each implies the other, power relationships can be seen in all aspects of society. They are not just seen between State and citizen relations, or between classes. Therefore, for Foucault, Marxism is too limited as it only focuses on the power relationships between classes. As the same, Pluralism only focuses on state exerted power. They are inadequat e as they are too narrow, and fail to look at the everyday interactions of people and the commonly used discourses involved therein. Foucault does not believe that power and knowledge is not exercised by the state alone; however that does not imply that he feels they are absent from the state either. Attempts are continually made by Governments and other bodies to control and manipulate behaviours. Sophisticated techniques can be developed to do this, although they are never entirely successful. In his text, Foucault enters into extreme detail about the ways in which states oversee activities involving power and knowledge. He discussed the English philosopher Jeremy Benthams prison design, the Panopticon. It was never fully used, although pieces of the design were incorporated into prison construction. The main feature of this design was a central tower. It allowed the guards to see into any cell at any given time. Back lighting would mean they could observe without the prisoners knowledge; thus forcing them to never misbehave, as they would never know if a guard was looking at them. They would have discipline enforced upon them. For Foucault, discipline was an important feature for modern societies. Surveillance techniques, such as Closed Circuit Television, or CCTV, were used to observe peoples behaviour in public places, thus encouraging a strong regime of self-discipline. People then began to grow accustomed to control their actions, whether being observed or not, the fear was enough. Discipline therefore gives people the power to regulate their own behaviour. This is based on Foucaults notion that we all have a soul, and this can be manipulated. However, what Foucault calls a soul being manipulated, some may argue that it is, in fact, a psychological technique, thus taking the power away from the state and back to the expert psychologist. This notion is more effective, however, than simply inflicting pain. You do not punish the body; rather you produce docile bodies which pose no threat as they are self-disciplined. Discipline plays an important in Governance, however it is also found in many other organisations, and is never truly successful. According to Hindess (1996), the suggestion is, then, that we live in a world of disciplinary projects, all of which suffer from more or less successful attempts at resistance and evasion. The result is a disciplinary, but hardly disciplined society. For Foucault, government goes beyond the activities of state. The pupil who misbehaves or the patient who denies the diagnosis are as much a feature of modern societies as the docile body of a disciplined citizen. In conclusion, Foucaults work provides significant insight into the nature of power. He succeeds in showing how power and knowledge are connected closely. He also shows how power is found in other social relationships other than what involves the government, and demonstrates how power is never likely to be absolute. Furthermore, he successfully shows how people will try to evade any exertion of power onto them. His work is much more subtly done than the theory of some Marxists and Pluralists. However, it can be said that he fails to take into account the importance of some of these theories in relation to power. He neglects the view that power can be exercised in the field of economics, and also neglects the power that the military can exercise. Moreover, Foucault at times seems to contradict himself. He claims that the Governments have an increased ability to surveil and regulate the citizens. However, he then says that power can be exercised when we have some freedom, and that resistance is impossible. These statements would seem to be at opposite ends of the pole. Furthermore, Foucaults definition is much different than that of, for example, the sociologist Max Weber, who asserts that power is exercised because we do not have freedom to act as we chose to do rather than as we are told to do. However, Foucault does certainly offer an alternative idea which is provocative in the field of research. He uses a very intriguing analysis of how States develop techniques of social control.

Group Polarization And Competition In Political Behavior Essay

On Tuesday, November 14, 1995, in what has been perceived as the years biggest non-event, the federal government shut down all "non-essential" services due to what was, for all intents and purposes, a game of national "chicken" between the House Speaker and the President. And, at an estimated cost of 200 million dollars a day, this dubious battle of dueling egos did not come cheap (Bradsher, 1995, p.16). Why do politicians find it almost congenitally impossible to cooperate? What is it about politics and power that seem to always put them at odds with good government? Indeed, is an effective, well run government even possible given the current adversarial relationship between our two main political parties? It would seem that the exercise of power for its own sake, and a competitive situation in which one side must always oppose the other on any issue, is incompatible with the cooperation and compromise necessary for the government to function. As the United States becomes more extreme in its beliefs in general, group polarization and competition, which requires a mutual exclusivity of goal attainment, will lead to more "showdown" situations in which the goal of good government gives way to political posturing and power-mongering. In this paper I will analyze recent political behavior in terms of two factors: Group behavior with an emphasis on polarization, and competition. However, one should keep in mind that these two factors are interrelated. Group polarization tends to exacerbate inter-group competition by driving any two groups who initially disagree farther apart in their respective views. In turn, a competitive situation in which one side must lose in order for the other to win (and political situations are nearly always competitive), will codify the differences between groups - leading to further extremism by those seeking power within the group - and thus, to further group polarization. In the above example, the two main combatants, Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, were virtually forced to take uncompromising, disparate views because of the very nature of authority within their respective political groups. Group polarization refers to the tendency of groups to gravitate to the extreme of whatever opinion the group shares (Baron & Graziano, 1991, p.498-99). Therefore, if the extreme is seen as a desirable characteri... ...roup of extreme, right wing, "constitutionalists" who were apparently trying to turn frustration with the federal government into open revolution. I do not think these examples are aberrations or flukes, but are, instead, indicative of structural defects in our political system. If we are not aware of the dangers of extremism and competition, we may, in the end, be destroyed by them. References Baron, B.M., & Graziano, W.G. (1991). Social Psychology. Fort Worth, TX. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Bradsher, K. (1995, November 18). Country may be losing money with government closed. The New York Times, pp.16 Kohn, A. (1986). No Contest: The Case Against Competition. Boston, Houghton Mifflin. No Author. (1995, March 24). [internet] What Wilson has said about entering race. San Jose Mercury News Online. Address:http://www.sjmercury.com/wilson/wil324s.htm Thurm, S. (1995, August 29). [internet] Wilson's 'announcement' more of an ad: California governor kicks off drive for GOP presidential nomination. San Jose Mercury News Online. Address:http://www.sjmercury.com/wilson/wil829.htm Turgue, B., & Thomas, E. (1995, November 27). Missing the moment. Newsweek, pp.26-29.

Administrative Role of Management

Managers are often tasked to lead segments of the organization. In certain cases, the manager serves as the overall leader of the organization. Usually, managers are tasked to take on certain administrative functions.The administrative role of managers usually refers to functions that will contribute to the best way by which the organization may be organized from an overall perspective. Such functions may include monitoring the other functions in the institution as well as coordination with other members of the organization.These are done in order to ensure that all tasks are directed towards achieving the goals of the organization. Administrative functions of managers make them more hands on. They are required to participate more in order to ensure that all actions taken are for the success of the organization.  In the case of Far Horizon, there are three administrative issues that need to be addressed.Issue 1: HiringPhase 3 of Far Horizon’s plan involves the opening and fu ll-operation of the convention center. This requires the manager of the organization to recruit people suitable of the position. Various job openings will be created by the convention center.The manager must ensure that the right and best people are placed in positions where they are most suited for and where the can perform their duties successfully.Issue 2: Monitoring of Management TeamsAs stated in Far Horizon’s business plan, its management team is composed of only 3 members. Such team is composed of the owner, the bar and restaurant manager, as well as a consultant who has been hired to give advice on certain issues pertaining to the different aspects of the firm’s management.There is no clear outline of which manager is in charge of what area. It was stated in the business plan that operations, marketing, and finance management teams have already been established. However, it is quite evident that the 3 members of Far Horizon’s management team have not div ided the leadership of such areas among themselves.This may lead to a case wherein no one among the three members can properly monitor the actions of the said management teams. Without proper monitoring by the heads of the management, the actions of the management teams may not be inline with the goals of the company.Issue 3: Delegation of TasksWith the expansion of Far Horizon’s services, more tasks are required out of the current employees as well as those that are to be hired. Because of this, the managers must ensure that all tasks, duties, and responsibilities are covered and assigned.This requires proper delegation to personnel suited for the task. Moreover, it must be ensured that when an employee is assigned certain tasks, that employee is fully capable of fulfilling the said assignments. Too many assignments may cause the employee to give a sub-par performance while too little tasks will mean that the said employee is under-utilized.Basically, the management must ens ure that an adequate number of tasks are assigned to each employee in such a way that his services are maximized.Organizational Role of ManagementThe organization role of management basically refers to the function of managers wherein they design the organization in such a way that the whole organization is properly directed towards the achievement of the common goals of the organization.Managers need to be able to define the key areas of the organization and strategy by which these key areas will supplement each other in order to achieve the objectives of the whole organization. Various activities are related to the organizational role of managers. In the case of Far Horizon, there are a number of issues that the management needs to address in order to successfully lead the organization.Issue 1: StructureThe design of the organizational structure is one of the key activities of the management. Since Far Horizon provides various services to its customers and it has plans to expand i ts range of services, the management must consider a structure that will allow its personnel to attend to the key activities of the organization.Moreover, Far Horizon must be structured in such a way that it leaves room for expansion. This means that the structure must be flexible and dynamic because Far Horizon has yet to establish itself fully.Issue 2: Organizational DevelopmentOrganizational development refers to, â€Å"Organizational development is an effort, planned, organization-wide, and managed from the top, to increase organization effectiveness and health through planned interventions in the organization's processes, using behavioral-science knowledge.† (Beckhard, 1969)This is one of the key organizational functions of managers. The management must continuously seek out strategies by which the effectiveness of all areas of Far Horizon may be maintained and improved continuously. This must be done so that the company will remain competitive from a long-term perspecti ve.Issue 3: TechnologyTechnology is constantly changing. The managers of Far Horizon must ensure that they employ the latest technology not just in the services offered to their clients but within the organization has well. Moreover, they must determine where technology will be most useful within the organizations. The use of technology can make organizational process simpler. Inevitably, it can help the managers lead and take control of Far Horizon better.Reference:Beckhard, R. (1969). Organizational Development: Strategies and Models. Addison-Wesley.

Pategonia’s Expansion Strategy Essay

1. Patagonia’s Current Strategy: Key Processes and Customer Perception In the context of our business model our number one key process is our Rules and Norms (a complete breakdown of Patagonia’s current business model and a to-be-proposed business model are available for review in Exhibit I). This ethos that started with the founding of Chouinard Equipment continued through the creation of Lost Arrow and indeed Patagonia. Our self-proclaimed â€Å"dirtbag† culture has resulted in some unorthodox business practices over the years. We pride ourselves on our efforts to reduce the social and environmental impact of the lifetime of the goods and services we produce. This is something that our competitors recognize but do not focus efforts on; for us it is of the utmost importance. I took this liberty to draft a Customer Value Proposition (CVP) for our current model: â€Å"We provide high quality, durable outdoor athletic clothing and accessories that are produced with a high standard for environmental and social impact. We make the products that we want to use.† To extrapolate on the latter portion of our CVP, we expect our employees to not only share in the environmental and social consciousness that Mr Chouinard has weaved into the culture of Patagonia but we expect employees to be users of our products as well. This gives us an incredible insight into the functionality and durability of our products. This is exemplified in our generous sabbaticals and midday surfing breaks at our corporate headquarters. Additional insight in this regard is provided by our investment in brand ambassadors, who also provide us with the core of our visual marketing in our catalogs, our website, and social media. In order of volume we move our products through three main channels: wholesale, retail, catalog/internet. In order of profitability the channels are arranged as such retail, catalog/internet[1], and wholesale. There is an additional product repair arm of Patagonia’s structure that at the moment is not profitable. Our commitment to the ethical fiber that binds the core of what Patagonia as a brand stands for results in a product that comes at a premium price, however we believe that the money you spend on Patagonia products is a contribution to our commitment for care when it comes to the environments and social spheres within which we operate. So far we have seen success as shown below. 2. Financial Review of Current Business Model The competition analysis in Exhibit III outlines our industries averages for financial health. It would seem that our â€Å"dirtbag† approach to business has boded well for us over the last ten years. While our total market share (annual sales) is far below the industry average over all the company is making money. Our gross profit margin is over 6% higher than the industry average and our pre-tax profit margin is right in line with the industry average. While Patagonia’s ROE and ROA are below the industry average it is not my much and our debt to equity ratio is far below the industry average. So while we holds more equity and assets on hand than our competitors we has enough liquid cash flow to finance operations without having to incur much debt. Our 12 month revenue growth is trending along with the industry however our 12 month net growth income is nearly 13% higher than our competitors. Thus while we are experiencing growth that is on par with the industry we are experiencing a downward turn in our operating and/or material costs. It should be noted that the information here is of companies who compete in our industry but not exclusively. Columbia is the competitor that competes most directly with our niche in the industry and on every account except for debt/equity our numbers are favorable and even in the case of debt/equity the difference is negligible. The standards for philanthropy and an ethical purview for production and material sourcing at Patagonia are much higher than the industry average. We donate 1% of gross sales to environmental initiatives and causes, and our COGS are higher than competitors as a result of our ethical stance. However, once again (as shown in Lost Arrow: Financials, Exhibit III) we have been operating in the black for the last decade. This may also be explained by our company ethic. We focus on a curbing of consumption and that focus has limited how much we are willing to spend on advertizing. Conversely our competition holds advertisement as a high priority when establishing sales and brand. This observation is not trivial and could more than account for the balance between our costs and those of our competitors. 3. Moving Forward As discussed the current model for Patagonia works. You can be a â€Å"dirtbag† and make make money. The question is how do we continue on with the goal of 10% growth per year for the next five years? Whatever we choose we must operate within that moral fiber that helped us to achieve who we are today. Following are two suggestions for how to move forward, one uses our current business model, the other proposes a change. Please reference Exhibit I for business model analysis and Exhibit II for strategy. Strategy: Current Business Model Tactic One: A Focus on Retail – Our best margins are derived from retail sales however this accounts for just one third of our sales volume. The best type of marketing asset we have are our retail employees. Our Dirtbag Ambassadors are out there skiing, snowboarding, climbing, camping, bouldering, and living the life that Patagonia wants to be an integral part of. We must expand our retail channel and focus on those areas where dirtbags convene. A quick review of the 26 stores in the United States can be found in Exhibit V. Portland, Seattle, St. Paul, Chicago, Atlanta, DC. Sure dirtbags live in cities but where are our stores in Telluride, Tahoe, Bend, Cheyenne, or Buffalo? An expansion of our retail stream increases profitability as well as the reach of our marketing, the Patagonia way. These are the places our competitors don’t wants stores for lack of traffic, but our stores are more than commerce they are community centers for dirtbags. Tactic Two: Research and Development – Our industry ethic has produced one of the best research and development laboratories in the industry. We can leverage this in two ways. First and foremost we must fund research to produce material with the ethical and physical integrity that also helps lower our gross margins. We have pioneered ethical durable material in the industry, now we must find a way to do so cheaper. Doing so would open up the market for those dirtbags who dont have as much money and would normally go to a competitor based on price point. Second we hold patents for these materials we could offer to sell material to other outdoor companies, or begin a joint venture. In either of these cases we must make sure that the material we produced is being utilized in an end product that is up to the standards of Patagonia. Strategy Two: A New Business Model There comes a time in a business’ life when you have to ask: While what we are doing has worked, how long will it work? To achieve the goal of 10% growth per year we may have to think outside of our wheelhouse and think about how committed we are to our ethical and social standards. As long as we continue to produce more clothing people will buy it. As it stands our customer base has expendable income. How can we convince them to only buy what we need? Through an expansion of our clothing repair services and clothing swap market. A case is made for the business model change in Exhibit I. Tactic One: Expansion of Repair and Retail – It is not our goal to abandon what has made Patagonia the company it is today, thus once again we will need to expand retail stores however we do so in a way that will facilitate clothing repair. Each store should have a mending workshop staffed and equipped to repair what comes their way. To really take advantage of this service we must willing to mend non-Patagonia clothing. This will do two things: it will reduce the overall number of unnecessary purchases in our market and it will introduce people to the Patagonia lifestyle through our retail store. These store can also facilitate a recycling program for those articles of gear that are beyond repair. Something as simple as an in store credit can get people who would otherwise go to Nike experience Patagonia C&A. Additionally the expanded retail presence will be an opportunity to create a network for clothing swaps Tactic Two: Expansion of Internal Repair – Expand the repair infrastructure behind retail presence. That is to say, as opposed to expanding retail and having repair work centers in-store, invest in larger repair facilities that stores can send garments to. In our current business model we are reaching critical mass with regard to how much clothing repair we can handle. If we strategically place lager facilities near our exiting stores we can handle this work load our selves. This also ensures that the materials and process of clothing repair is within the ethical conduct of our company without having to do audits of our outsourced partners. The clothing repair infrastructure for our market is basically nonexistent at this point and with research and development focused on this new business model we can create and dominate this market. This will once again involve repairing more than just Patagonia products but in the end that’s what this business model is about. To survive and grow into the next decade we must not just reduce the consumption of our customer base but we must reduce the consumption of our competitors as well. When a dirtbag holds on to a coat for another year he helps reduce Patagonia’s impact on the earth and its inhabitants. When Patagonia repairs a Columbia or North Face coat and it lasts for another year we have slowed the consumption of unethically produced clothes and possibly created another dirtbag. Exhibit I: Four Components of Business Model Framework (Johnson, Christensen, Kagerman) Customer value proposition (CVP): Current: Providing high quality durable outdoor athletic clothing and accessories (C&A) produced with a high standard for environmental and social impact. Proposed: In addition to production, engage the consumer in the environmental and social impact of their outdoor athletic C&A by involving them in the maintenance/repair/swap of C&A. Profit formula: Revenue model: Current: Standard industry mark up on goods sold. Proposed: Lower the price of goods sold and charge a small fee for repairs or continue with current price structure charge cost for repairs of Patagonia clothing/accessories, charge premium repair rates for non-Patagonia clothing and accessory repair. Cost structure: Current: COGS = 80% materials 20% parts with a wholesale margin of 45% and a retail margin of 65% Proposed: A modified cost structure that emphasizes retail sales and profits off of repairs Margin model: Current: Largest channel of sales in wholesale 44%, second retail 33%, and finally Catalog/internet 23% Proposed: Shift focus from wholesale to retail/catalog/internet sales, add additional emphasis on repair cost structure for maximum profitability Resource velocity: Current: In general keeping inventory exhausts resources, something which Patagonia wants to minimize. Thus production should match as close to demand as possible. Assets should be available, although they do not need to be incredibly liquid. Proposed: Same as current model. Key resources. Current: People: There is a certain type of person who works for Patagonia. Ideally a person who works at Patagonia is the ideal consumer of their goods. Brand: With a strong brand associated with high environmental and social standards combined with a strong dislike of standard advertising channels for the industry the reputation Patagonia’s brand has gained is remarkable (this is achieved through the people they employ as well). Technology: Their ethical commitment to responsible sourcing and production has resulted in some profitable patents of great C&A material. Proposed: The current Key Resources should not be lost but the Technology will shift to the new business model – a focus on materials , threads, and substances for repair. Additionally there would be a re-purposing of Facilities to reflect this model change as well. Key processes. Current: Rules and Norms: Patagonia’s Rules and Norms inform every aspect of their business and it is no different when it comes to their Key Processes. So while manufacturing, service, and training are all important, it all comes down to the Rules and Norms. Propsed: This would not change. When a new business model is needed. 1. The opportunity to address through disruptive innovation the needs of large groups of potential customers who are shut out of a market entirely because existing solutions are too expensive or complicated for them. The product repair market is just this. As it stands now such jackets tend to be luxury purchases as they hobbies they are designed for are not generally cheap ones to keep. 2. The opportunity to capitalize on a brand new technology by wrapping a new business model around it or the opportunity to leverage a tested technology by bringing it to a whole new market Patagonia isn’t capitalizing on a new technology when it comes to C&A per se but the market could motivate their R&D department to develop a technology that could be incorporated into the repair model. 3. The opportunity to bring a job-to-be done focus where one does not yet exist The expansion of clothing repair for Patagonia and other non-Patagonia C&A provides a real opportunity for an existing market that consumers may not know they need. It creates a job to be done (clothing repair as opposed to replacement). 4. The need to fend off low-end disrupters. Patagonia would be a low end disrupter in the repair market; repair is cheaper than replacement. 5. The need to respond to a shifting basis of competition. Patagonia would be shifting the basis of competition.

5 Types of Parallel-Structure Problems

5 Types of Parallel-Structure Problems 5 Types of Parallel-Structure Problems 5 Types of Parallel-Structure Problems By Mark Nichol There are many ways to botch the logical organization of a sentence. Here are examples of five variations, along with discussion and revision of each. 1. You can help not only position your organization for success when audited, but you can focus on protecting the sensitive information of your patients. Probably the the most common of problems with parallel structure is the mangling of â€Å"not only . . . but also† comparisons. When a verb sets up both the â€Å"not only† point and the â€Å"but also† counterpoint, it must precede â€Å"not only† so that it is not bound up with the first point and the â€Å"but also† phrase can therefore share it. Conversely, when each phrase contains its own verb, as here, one verb must follow â€Å"not only† and the other verb must follow â€Å"but also†: â€Å"You can not only help position your organization for success when audited, but you can also focus on protecting the sensitive information of your patients.† 2. She is as foolish, if not more foolish than, her fans. When a parenthetical phrase appears in a sentence, be sure that the sentence remains grammatically valid without it. When the interjection â€Å"if not more foolish than† is omitted from this sentence, what remains â€Å"She is as foolish her fans.† Because that sentence requires a second as to be inserted, after foolish, it belongs there when the parenthetical is included as well: â€Å"She is as foolish as, if not more foolish than, her fans.† 3. Employers can better communicate with this rapidly growing generation to increase their interest and retention of health, safety and loss-prevention training. Another common error in parallel structure is to assume that two nouns can share a preposition, when each requires its own. Here, â€Å"retention of† is a correct prepositional phrase, but interest does not combine with of; it requires its own idiomatic partner: â€Å"Employers can better communicate with this rapidly growing generation to increase their interest in and retention of health and safety loss-prevention training.† (The second prepositional phrase, bundled with and, can be parenthesized with commas, but the punctuation is not necessary.) 4. They called him sexist, racist, and highlighted his contentious relationship with the industry. This sentence makes three points: The person is sexist, the person is racist, and the person has a contentious relationship with the industry; observers are said to have labeled him with the first two negative qualities and emphasized a third factor. Just as the statement preceding the sentence you are reading right now has three verbs in the first clause, the original sentence requires a verb for each point. Better yet, the first two can be joined with a conjunction, rather than divided by a comma, so that they can share called: â€Å"They called him sexist and racist and highlighted his contentious relationship with the industry.† 5. Enforcement actions by regulators in the United Kingdom are usually less severe in comparison to the United States. Sometimes, the absence of a word or phrase renders a comparison incomplete. Here, enforcement actions are being faultily compared to a nation. For enforcement actions in one nation to be compared to enforcement actions in another nation, the detail, or a paraphrase of it (in this case, â€Å"those of†) must be reiterated: â€Å"Enforcement actions by regulators in the United Kingdom are usually less severe in comparison to those in the United States.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:25 Subordinating Conjunctions15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their SynonymsQuiet or Quite?

GUISEPPE MAZZINI essays

GUISEPPE MAZZINI essays The Italian nationalist Guiseppe Mazzini was considered not only a patron saint for his revolutionary actions, but a main character for laying the foundation for the unification of Italy. Guiseppes background, accomplishments, and his problems all contributed to his success as one of the most famous revolutionaries of Italy. Mazzini was born in 1805 in Genoa and died at the age of 67 in 1872. His teenage years were spent studying literary and philosophical studies. His literary style was remarkably fine. He wrote on politics, social science, philosophy, and literature. He was enrolled in the University of Genoa at the age of 14. He soon joined the Carboni. This group was a secret society that flourished in Italy, who originated in the kingdom of Naples in 1808. He was temporarily held in prison for revolutionary actions when he was a member of the Carboni, but he fled into exile. His accomplishments started at a very young age. He first developed a name for himself by becoming the founder of the revolutionary secret society Young Italy, which led a strong campaign for Italian unity under a republican government. Through his many ideas and writings he became a model of national sentiments. One of his most successful published books was The Duties of Man. This book explained that there was a hierarchy of duty, which showed God as first priority, Nation, and your family. During Mazzinis exile he had been condemned to death in Absentia. During the uprising States of Milan, the Papal States, and the Two Sicilies, Mazzini returned to Italy secretly to avoid death and took a position as a revolutionary leader of the Roman Empire. Mazzini had also advocated a mass revolt to force the Austrians and the papacy out of power. Many lost their lives, but were still inspired by his teachings and writings. Although Guiseppe had many victories, he also had many problems. He his impor ...

The Battle of Pichincha

The Battle of Pichincha On May 24, 1822, South American rebel forces under the command of General Antonio Josà © de Sucre and Spanish forces led by Melchor Aymerich clashed on the slopes of Pichincha Volcano, within sight of the city of Quito, Ecuador. The battle was a huge victory for the rebels, destroying once and for all Spanish power in the former Royal Audience of Quito. Background By 1822, Spanish forces in South America were on the run. To the north, Simà ³n Bolà ­var had liberated the Viceroyalty of New Granada (Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, part of Ecuador) in 1819, and to the south, Josà © de San Martà ­n had liberated Argentina and Chile and was moving on Peru. The last major strongholds for royalist forces on the continent were in Peru and around Quito. Meanwhile, on the coast, the important port city of Guayaquil had declared itself independent and there were not enough Spanish forces to re-take it: instead, they decided to fortify Quito in hopes of holding out until reinforcements could arrive. First Two Attempts In late 1820, the leaders of the independence movement in Guayaquil organized a small, poorly-organized army and set out to capture Quito. Although they captured the strategic city of Cuenca on the way, they were defeated by Spanish forces at the Battle of Huachi. In 1821, Bolà ­var sent his most trusted military commander, Antonio Josà © de Sucre, to Guayaquil to organize a second attempt. Sucre raised an army and marched on Quito in July 1821, but he, too, was defeated, this time at the Second Battle of Huachi. The survivors retreated to Guayaquil to regroup. March on Quito By January 1822, Sucre was ready to try again. His new army took a different tactic, swinging through the southern highlands on its way to Quito. Cuenca was captured again, preventing communication between Quito and Lima. Sucre’s rag-tag army of approximately 1,700 consisted of a number of Ecuadorians, Colombians sent by Bolà ­var, a troop of British (mainly Scots and Irish), Spanish who had switched sides, and even some French. In February, they were reinforced by 1,300 Peruvians, Chileans and Argentines sent by San Martà ­n. By May, they had reached the city of Latacunga, less than 100 kilometers south of Quito. Slopes of the Volcano Aymerich was well aware of the army bearing down on him, and he placed his strongest forces in defensive positions along the approach to Quito. Sucre did not want to lead his men straight into the teeth of well-fortified enemy positions, so he decided to go around them and attack from the rear. This involved marching his men partway up Cotopaxi volcano and around Spanish positions. It worked: he was able to get into the valleys behind Quito. The Battle of Pichincha On the night of May 23, Sucre ordered his men to move on Quito. He wanted them to take the high ground of Pichincha volcano, which overlooks the city. A position on Pichincha would have been difficult to assault, and Aymerich sent his royal army out to meet him. Around 9:30 in the morning, the armies clashed on the steep, muddy slopes of the volcano. Sucre’s forces had become spread out during their march, and the Spanish were able to decimate their leading battalions before the rear guard caught up. When the rebel Scots-Irish Albià ³n Battalion wiped out a Spanish elite force, the royalists were forced to retreat. Aftermath of the Battle of Pichincha The Spanish had been defeated. On May 25, Sucre entered Quito and formally accepted the surrender of all Spanish forces. Bolà ­var arrived in mid-June to joyous crowds. The battle of Pichincha would be the final warm-up for rebel forces before tackling the strongest bastion of royalists left on the continent: Peru. Although Sucre was already considered a very able commander, the Battle of Pichincha solidified his reputation as one of the top rebel military officers. One of the heroes of the battle was teenage Lieutenant Abdà ³n Calderà ³n. A native of Cuenca, Calderà ³n was wounded several times during the battle but refused to leave, fighting on despite his wounds. He died the next day and was posthumously promoted to Captain. Sucre himself singled out Calderà ³n for special mention, and today the Abdà ³n Calderà ³n star is one of the most prestigious awards given in the Ecuadorian military. There is also a park in his honor in Cuenca featuring a statue of Calderà ³n bravely fighting. The Battle of Pichincha also marks the military appearance of a most remarkable woman: Manuela Senz. Manuela was a native quiteà ±a who had lived in Lima for a time and had been involved in the independence movement there. She joined Sucre’s forces, fighting in the battle and spending her own money on food and medicine for the troops. She was awarded the rank of lieutenant and would go on to become an important cavalry commander in subsequent battles, eventually reaching the rank of Colonel. She is better known today for what happened shortly after the war: she met Simà ³n Bolà ­var and the two fell in love. She would spend the next eight years as the Liberator’s devoted mistress until his death in 1830.

Democratic candidate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Democratic candidate - Essay Example John Kerry raised in 2004 combined. No doubt, Obama is a contender. But what is it about him that will make voters want to vote for Obama come November 4th? First of all, people who have voted strictly Democratic will probably tend to vote for Obama. Obama also seems to be gaining ground with independents because of his inclusive message. Unfortunately, John McCain’s vice-presidential running mate’s message at the Republican National Convention was divisive and alluded to the culture wars—something that has slowly but surely made its way into McCain-Palin campaign rallies, where cries of â€Å"Terrorist† and other nasty verbal threats have been heard, referring to Sen. Obama. All the serious ones have been investigated. Obama will surely appeal to people who definitely want change, as well as leadership for the economic crisis. When the economic crisis hit, Obama outlined a four-point plan and appeared very presidential, calm, cool, and collected, with a clear idea of what to do. This may appeal to voters who may vote the ir pocketbooks this election, and want to see someone in office who will end a costly war in Iraq which is currently bringing our country into debt by an extra $10 billion dollars per month, when that money could be spent on health care for every man, woman, and child, and better the country’s infrastructure, schools, and other programs. Obama may also appeal to the middle-class voter, as he is the only candidate allowing for a tax cut for 95% of working families. Obama also offers a health care plan for universal coverage with the government. That is the bulk of the Obama program. It is a solid program, as he sharply contrasts himself with Bush-McCain politics, and offers a change from four more years of the same failed policies. John McCain will probably appeal to voters who are more socially and

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - Essay Example In earlier times it was considered that the business is only responsible for the shareholders’ interest and other investors who have invested in the business but later on it was realized that business is not only responsible for its shareholders but each and every stake holder who is affected by the activities of the company (Sacconi, 2004, p.6). Corporate social responsibility is a broader concept as per which the corporate organizations has some responsibilities towards the society as a whole and therefore should practice ethical behavior and should also work towards the development of the society. This is a way of paying back to the society for the resources it has used and the environment in which it operates (Murthy, 2007, p.13). Thus Corporate Social responsibility can be described managing business responsibly (The world business organization, n.d, p.4). As per the OECD guidelines CSR activities should be such which through which the MNCs can contribute in economies and promote social welfare and sustainable environmental development in the countries in which they are operating such type of activities in turn will reduce the obstacles faced by the companies like agency problems in those areas (Heal, 2004, p.12). The corporate social responsibility helps the company in a number of ways. For example by following the CSR activities the company can reduce the risk at the same time it can reduce the wastage of scarce resources as the CSR guidelines will lay down the principles which will be followed to while working. CSR activities also helps the company to gain the brand equity as the companies who contributes towards the society are favored more and are respected everywhere. CSR also helps in increasing employees’ productivity and performance by promoting staff welfare (Heal, 2004, p.13-19). Thus by ensuring corporate social responsibility the companies can also improve their own performance. As per Mr. Gerald

Case analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case analysis - Essay Example This tool permits a systematic and disciplined evaluation of internal and external factors. Equally appropriate for the present case is the PESTEL tool using which, one can analyze the political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal angles, in order to test strategy options. PESTEL factors substantially deal with the external situation within which a company has to operate. De Beers’ strengths lie in its knowledge of the industry in all its facets – from mining to retail marketing of jewels – and the controlling interests it had created through subsidiaries, cross holdings and trading practices. However, this very breadth of monopolistic operations has drawn adverse public attention. Discovery and development Political situation in Africa where De Beers has its major mining interests has been undergoing significant change since dismantling of apartheid. Socio-economic factors like poor pay and working conditions, child labor and inadequate welfare measures are issues of concern for public. While it is in the forefront of exploiting technology in operations, degradation of natural environment, particularly in opencast mining operations, puts additional responsibility on the company. Anti-trust laws and ban on child labor practices add to its cup of PESTEL woes. De Beers are in the company of other global companies like Microsoft, MacDonald and Wal-Mart in terms of sweep of operations and breadth of controversies. Microsoft is accused of suffocating competition, MacDonald of unsustainable use of packing materials and Wal-Mart of exploiting cheap labor in China and other Asian countries in its bid to offer lowest cost products. Leveraging its knowledge and technology, the company has to enhance efficiency of operations, both vertically and horizontally. Acquiring rights for mines in new areas

Assignment com 008 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assignment com 008 - Essay Example Euphemistic language is commonly used to manipulate others. In involves using a smoother, less objectionable manner of presenting something, rather than a blunt or frank way of saying it. For instance, death can be referred to in a more polite manner such as departure from life or passing away. Euphemism can be used to make the rough edges of life smoother and make what is actually unbearable to be more bearable. Another aim of using euphemism is to make individuals sound more learned and to enhance their self-worthiness. On the other hand, if used to create misconceptions, euphemism can be a risky technique, for both the user and the recipient. For example, euphemism may lead to problem denial, which may hinder an individual from getting a solution. Other people may find it difficult to realize an issue, thus may go unresolved. The most dreadful of all euphemism is that used politically, since all positives and negatives are made either appropriate or inappropriate, depending on the issue at

UK public finances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UK public finances - Essay Example According to forecasts published by the HM Treasury for the month of June -July 2010 and June - July 2011, it is evident that GDP during the same period will increase from 1.2% to 2.1% respectively (HM Treasury Report July, 2010) The detailed overview of the public finances databank available from the government, it is revealed that the current budget surplus is -105.6 billion and net borrowing of 154.6 billion with overall net debt of 53.8% for the year 2009-10. It is further evident from the data below that the trend in net borrowing is decreasing thereby promoting the growth of GDP. The table below shows that current budget surplus has come down to zero resulting in healthy GDP of 67.4% by 2014-15. (Table 1) The data furnished above should motivate the executives and decision makers to invest in the country eyeing the long term objective of making profit. However the following diagram shows that most of expenditure is targeted towards social protection which aggregates to 28%, which is understood in the present circumstances of continuous threat of terror attacks. Health and Education is also one of the important areas where the government is spending huge money. According to following diagram, it is suggested that company executives may invest in other areas like housing loans and insurances as the government spending in those areas is very minimal. It is forecasted that the government would receive majority of its income from tax deductions, which means good income to the public, followed by National Insurance (17%). Figure 1 Figure 2 (Source: Public Sector Finances Data Bank - HM Treasury http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk) The government received 153.5 billion as Income Tax in the year 2008-09, 96.9 billion from National Insurance, 78.4 billion from VAT and also from tobacco duty, fuel duty, spirits, wine, beer and cider duties, air passenger duty. As mentioned above, company executives may focus on providing products and fix prices keeping in view the predicted spending and generated income by the government. As the diagram (Figure 1) shows that government spending is huge in social protection but least in housing and environment, it is assumed that opportunity persists for the businesses in realty and banking sector. It is assumed that banking sector will flourish during the next few years as financial assistance could be provided to the people from agricultural sector as well as in realty sector. (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk) It is important to mention that economics uses theories and methods to study the behavior of people involved with allocating resources and aiming to reach some optimum situation (Elliott and Payne, 2005:1). As the government is

Fundamentals of Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fundamentals of Economics - Essay Example Aside from prices, there are a host of factors that may either push for an upward or downward effect on the volume of demand or supply exerted towards the market. Among the determinants for demand include taste and preference of consumers, income level of consumers, availability of substitute products, and population. For supply, the determinants include, but are not limited to, production cost, taxes and subsidies, number of producers or suppliers, available technology, and prices of substitutes. Applying some principles in marketing, demand can further be described or categorized as latent demand, and effective demand. While consumers may want to have a number of units of a particular commodity constituting the latent demand for that commodity, only consumers who have the capacity to pay for that commodity at a price level producers are willing to supply will constitute the effective demand. Elasticity, on the other hand, can be simply defined as the degree of change on the volume of demand or supply of a particular product in relation to changes in the behavior of its determinants. For example, a product that has an elastic demand is a product whose volume or quantity being demanded in the market has increased tremendously due to a lower tag price offer in the market. At the same time, such product with elastic demand would have a tremendous decrease in volume of quantity demanded should its price suddenly becomes a bit more than what it previously offered to the market. In other words, elasticity can be described or defined as the degree of changes in the volume of quantity demanded or supplied given the degree of changes in its determinants. Elasticity determined by changes in prices has been referred to as price elasticity, as shown in the example that has been mentioned above. Demand or supply behavior that

UK public finances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UK public finances - Essay Example According to forecasts published by the HM Treasury for the month of June -July 2010 and June - July 2011, it is evident that GDP during the same period will increase from 1.2% to 2.1% respectively (HM Treasury Report July, 2010) The detailed overview of the public finances databank available from the government, it is revealed that the current budget surplus is -105.6 billion and net borrowing of 154.6 billion with overall net debt of 53.8% for the year 2009-10. It is further evident from the data below that the trend in net borrowing is decreasing thereby promoting the growth of GDP. The table below shows that current budget surplus has come down to zero resulting in healthy GDP of 67.4% by 2014-15. (Table 1) The data furnished above should motivate the executives and decision makers to invest in the country eyeing the long term objective of making profit. However the following diagram shows that most of expenditure is targeted towards social protection which aggregates to 28%, which is understood in the present circumstances of continuous threat of terror attacks. Health and Education is also one of the important areas where the government is spending huge money. According to following diagram, it is suggested that company executives may invest in other areas like housing loans and insurances as the government spending in those areas is very minimal. It is forecasted that the government would receive majority of its income from tax deductions, which means good income to the public, followed by National Insurance (17%). Figure 1 Figure 2 (Source: Public Sector Finances Data Bank - HM Treasury http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk) The government received 153.5 billion as Income Tax in the year 2008-09, 96.9 billion from National Insurance, 78.4 billion from VAT and also from tobacco duty, fuel duty, spirits, wine, beer and cider duties, air passenger duty. As mentioned above, company executives may focus on providing products and fix prices keeping in view the predicted spending and generated income by the government. As the diagram (Figure 1) shows that government spending is huge in social protection but least in housing and environment, it is assumed that opportunity persists for the businesses in realty and banking sector. It is assumed that banking sector will flourish during the next few years as financial assistance could be provided to the people from agricultural sector as well as in realty sector. (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk) It is important to mention that economics uses theories and methods to study the behavior of people involved with allocating resources and aiming to reach some optimum situation (Elliott and Payne, 2005:1). As the government is

Basic Electrical Components Essay Example for Free

Basic Electrical Components Essay Electrical and What it is The work of an Automotive Service Technician also known as a Mechanic has changed from normal mechanical repair to a high knowledge and very technical job. Today, integrated electronic systems and complex computers run and maintain vehicles. They also measure their performance while on the road and can adjust to certain conditions. Technicians must have a good base of knowledge about how vehicles components work and interact, as well as the capability to work with electronic diagnostic equipment and computer based vehicles. The most important system of your vehicle would definitely be the electrical system; the electrical system maintains almost everything in you car; from climate control to just adjusting your seat. There are many components to an electrical circuit that many people don’t know of. There are tons of different switching devices, protection devices, moving devices and plain old ingenious devices that seem to not even be possible. The car industry has really turned to upgrading there vehicles with more electrical devices to make the driver more comfortable when operating this brilliant machine. The most updated electrical device on a vehicle that I can think of is the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), which actually measures a wireless sensor that is installed in your tire to let you know if your tire pressures are off. The first thing that I would like to do is explain what electricity is in an automobile. Electricity is the worlds most widely used source if energy. Electricity is the flow of electrons through a conductor to eventually be used to supply a load of some sort. The electrons flow from positive to negative. In order to understand how an electric charge moves from one atom to another, you need to learn a little about atoms. Everything that surrounds us is made of atoms; every piece of grass, every plant, every animal. The human body is made up of a great amount of atoms. Air and water are made if atoms too. Atoms are the building block of the universe and without them there would be nothing. Atoms are so small that millions of them would fit on the head of a pin. Atoms are created by even smaller elements. The center of an atom is called the nucleus. The nucleus is made of particles called protons and neutrons. The protons and neutrons are extremely tiny, but electrons are much smaller. Electrons also rotate around the nucleus in there orbit a good distance from the nucleus. The proton is the positive charge and the electrons have the negative charge. These protons and electrons are rotating around the neutron in there orbit. These electrons can be bumped and moved out of their orbits. Applying a force can make the electrons move from one atom to another. These moving electrons are electricity. There are a few types of measurements to electricity that you will have to know. The first measurement that almost everyone has heard of is voltage. Voltage is the amount of pressure applied to push the electrons in the circuit. The second measurement is amperes also known as amps. Amps are the amount of current flowing through the circuit. For example; think of a regular neighborhood street. It is just a small street that is normally a low speed for vehicles, if we were to measure the speed in witch the cars are going we would get a small ampere reading maybe even milliamps. Now if we were to look at a sky view of a fast speed highway with more lanes you can see the amount of cars passing through is faster. That would be a high amount of amps. The last measurement of electricity that we use on cars today is resistance. Resistance is a property that slows the electrons. It is measured in Ohms the thing that resists a circuit is the load like a light bulb. The light bulb slows the electrons in the filament witch then creates heat, once heat is created then the gas inside the bulb glows. There is a part that is used inside cars called a resistor in a electrical circuit and what it does is slows the current flow in the circuit to make whatever load you have move slower. For example a variable resistor is used for the dash lights, you can control how much current is flowing through that circuit to dim the lights. So how does a battery work? A battery doesn’t make electrons; it holds them like a storage tank. A battery is made of two different metals that are opposite of each other and a chemical solution (Battery acid) that lets electrons flow through it. Electrons inside the battery are stationary at the negative terminal until a circuit is completed on the outside of the terminals. Once the circuit is completed the electrons pass from the negative plate to the positive plate and out the positive terminal. Once the electrons are at the positive terminal they pass through the circuit, used up by the load (for example a light bulb) and completed at the negative terminal which then goes to the negative plate. Once the circuit is opened the electrons are stationary at the plates until the circuit starts again. A battery is measured by amps; how fast current can flow through it and how much load it can take

The Major Environmental Issues In Bhutan Environmental Sciences Essay

The Major Environmental Issues In Bhutan Environmental Sciences Essay Bhutan is developing very rapidly and has experienced enormous transformation with these positive transformations, Bhutan face numerous challenges amongst which environmental issues are one of the major. Environmental issue includes waste management issue, pollution, population growth and deforestation. As an environmental student, it is important to know environmental issues and the way to tackle these issues. In this assignment, I have mentioned the major environmental issues and different ways in which these issues can be tackled. I would like to request our lecturer to kindly correct me and as are student myself, I admit there will be numerous mistakes. With great enthusiasm I did assignment and have learned a lot from this assignment. Some of major environmental issues in Bhutan Waste Management: Although the majority of Bhutanese people are being aware of waste management ¿Ã‚ ½s as they use the waste properly by dumping in the pit or in proper places. The main problem of waste management arises or took places in remote places and especially in labour camps, where waste is thrown carelessly. Thus there is a need to carry out waste management campaigns on a regular basis for different target groups. In order to help environmental conservation target specific problem areas, remote places and data has been further analyzed into gewogs wise. The remote gewogs were having highest waste management problems as they are uneducated, illiterate and they never think for their future sustainable. Waste management problem was reported as highest by students, followed by farmers, teachers and travelers as when travelers are going for tour they throw waste out of the car or buses. Thus waste management camping need to be organized on a regular basis targeting also transp ort owners and travelers as well. On the waste disposal practice 88 percent disposed there waste in proper places followed by one person each who dispose waste in the river, forest and also buried the waste and 9 percent did not respond. Although majority of the target groups seems to dump their waste in the pit but it is also a concern that some do not dump their waste improperly. thus there is need to train people and educate on proper waste management methods based on the three principles of reduce, reuse and recycle is possible and also to segregate waste into degradable and non -biodegradable and train people make fertilizer out of degradable or organic waste. Pollution is contamination of the environment by a chemical other agent such as noise or heat that is harmful to human health and survival. Polluting chemicals can affect the environment directly such as from volcanic eruptions or through human activities such as burning coals and gases. Dumping of chemical into river and other ocean will also lead to polluting the environment negatively. Pollution can be categorized as water, soil, noise, thermal and nuclear pollution. This is all due to short-term economic gain made by human. So it can be solved by charging external cost high on those goods which have high pollution on environment. According to the census of 2003 the population of Bhutan is 6,34,982 and its growth rate is 2 percent per year.(CAPSED,BHSEC XII text) When the population is growing at a rapid rate it will lead to affect on environment as they need more land for cultivation and even for construction of houses for survival. When there is more population it leads to the usage of more resources, even for their own benefits and as a result there will be no proper sustainable developing for future and even poor people they can start doing fishing, attacking animals and species for their survival and it will lead to development of a countries economy as if there is more people there will be more labor force and country will achieve more trading it is very harmful to the environment as there is chances of wasting resources and no proper sustainable in the country. But when a country is going high on economic growth it will help in making the proper use of the resources and they will use high skilled labor force to utilize properly and think for the future purpose. Precious plant and trees are becoming extinct as a result of clearing of the forest. The requirement of land for big open cast projects or plans is quite large. Many of the forest areas, many a times, are converted to fields. There for large forest areas are deforested to make a way for large open cast factories or industries. For that reason we have to organize some methods to preserve our environment such as planting trees in prone areas, practice of aforestation methods. Consumer is the one who have right to stop worldwide deforestation. Being a part of consumer we have right to charge high on those companies who have high environmental effect. By buying recycled or certified wood products, only supporting brands with zero deforestation policies, and getting others to do the same by sending a message to companies to embrace zero deforestation policies. So many trees are cut down and burned in rural areas. The only reason to do so is to practice temporary agriculture such as Tseri culture or shifting cultivation. Those lands are used till its productivity declines. As the productively, people has the tendency to select new plot of land and produce the same method. Such agricultural methods have resulted in environmental problem. Environment conservation policy and strategy of Bhutan Environmental conservation is not a new concept to Bhutanese. It has always been at the center of national development thinking and policy making. Over a year government set up a strong conservation policies and law has evolved to ensure protection, management and sustainable use of biodiversity resources. Bhutan conservation policies and laws are contributing to the overarching national development objective of GNH. This is based on sustainable development as one of its four pillars. According to the constitution of the kingdom of Bhutan, which enshrines environmental conservation as a constitutional mandate.(Consituation,2008) Renewable natural Resources sector policy. The RNR sector policy give importance on attaining greater national food security, conserving and managing natural resources, enhancing rural income, and generating farm based employment opportunities. Objectives: To encourage economic development that has respect for long term sustainable development on the countrys resources, comparative advantages, and community based self help institutions. To pursue balance and equitable development of the country renewable natural resources, distributions of benefits among their society and regions. To be sensitive and responsive to the rich culture heritage of the country and its preservation. Community forest management It was introduced in the country in the 1980s. Its main objective was to improve local forest conditions through community management Enhancing socio-economic benefits to the local communities in terms of increased access to forest products such as timber, fuel wood, fodder and non-wood forest products. It is responsible for all the communities ¿Ã‚ ½ member such as chair person. Resub which means responsible for taking care of forest and looking after the person whether they are doing harm on forest or not. Not only the community member but it is also responsible for all the citizen of Bhutan to take care of our rich environment. Until 2001, there was only one community forest unit, which was established with the community of Dozam village in Dramatis gewog, Mongar in 1997. Since 2001, a total of 117 community forest units collectively covering 15,489 ha of forest land have been established across the country and lastly landmark year for the community forest management program were in 2008. (UNDP, MOA, DOF, 2009). Environmental Protection Act, 2007: Bhutan has a long tradition of living in harmony with nature, which is firmly by the resolution of the parliament to maintain a minimum of sixty percent of countrys land under forest cover in perpetuity.( Environmental Protection Act, 2007.)Objectives: This act organizes mainly to provide for the establishment of an effective system to conserve and protect environment through the National Environment Commission or its successor, designation of competent authorities and constitution of other advisor competitive, so as to independently regulate and promote sustainable development in an equitable manner and also the people and government in succession shall consider and adopt it developmental policies, plans and programs in harmony with the environment principles. (Environmental act, 2008) MINES AND MINERALS MANGEMENT ACT, 1995: The mineral management and mines Act was introduced in 1995. Its main objectives are preservation, protection, sitting of environmental standards and conservation of natural resources constant with the provision of the Act and other environmental legislation as a critical feature of mining practice. It is responsible for both business firm and government sector to restoration of areas that are mined is carried out in a proper manner with the objective of creating sustainable and acceptable environment as approved by the national environment commission. In exercise of the powers conferred by article 50 of the mines and minerals management Act of 1995, the ministry of trade, industry mines and minerals management regulations 2002. They kept records of mining operation including environmental protection quality standards adopted by the national environment commission. (MINES AND MINERALS MANGEMENT ACT, 1995) ENVIRONMENTAL CONESRVATION POLICY IN BHUTAN: Bhutans development philosophy is most well enunciates in the statement of His Majesty the King Jigme Singye Wangchuk said that, Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product.(Majhi, 2005 p228) From the concept of GNH it changed the mind of Bhutanese people and they are having concern to our rich biodiversity and environment in accordance with international standards may have unwillingly contributed to a hardening of traditional attitudes and values. And also Bhutanese people are organizing some organization which is related to environment preserve and promote environment for sustainable development. They realizes that main source of their income is from environment and gained some sense of respect to environment and doing work on reforestation. For example, if they are cutting down if two trees for construction purpose, in return they are planting doubled environment. They are giving more important to rules and regulations passed by the government which is r elated to environment. The success of environmental conservation is community forest management as government is giving full responsible to each and every gewogs in Bhutan for the conservation purpose and it is responsible for all the gewog chairpersons to take care of it. And chairperson has full power of royalties. He/she has to submit records to government agency as how many trees are lost in previous year and for what purpose. For the shortcoming natural disaster, it is responsible for all the Bhutanese people to plant trees in prone areas. The chairperson is responsible to report to government about any consequences on environment. They are responsible to take care of the forest and protect the forest. The budgets generated are divided among members charging small rate of interest. Members are allowed to enjoy the products of the forest legally. In this industrialized world where technologies have the revolution of human worlds environmental disasters are very much prompt and delicate. Modern technologist has far reaching affects such as air pollution, water pollution, and even the eco-system is disturbed. Human habitation with implementation of advanced technologies has caused immense destruction to the environment and perhaps this would eventually lead to unbalancing in eco-system. As every nation in the world faces unavoidable environmental issues, Bhutan too shares its own severe consequences. However, with the emerged of National Environmental Commission and other agencies, Bhutan particularly adopted and implements different environmental policies and strategies to minimize the destruction causes to the environment. In spite of the effort from the government, environment issues are still irresistible. REERECNCE Bharuch,E.(2005).Text book of Environmental studies for under graduate courses.University press. India. Gyeltshen.k (2008),Evaluation report on environmental education program in Thimshingla national park. kuensel corporation limited, Thimphu. Gurung.T(2009), Biodiversity action plan 2009.KMT printing press, Thimphu. Majhi,C.P.(2005), Economics class 12 BHSEC .Megah publication, Thimphu By: Dawa Penjor E.no: 101308 Eco and Evs

Gertrude as an Innocent Victim or a Sexually and Morally Corrupt Woman

Gertrude as an Innocent Victim or a Sexually and Morally Corrupt Woman in Hamlet Shakespeare’s character Gertrude is one of much mystery; in relation to this there are many questions that need to be answered to establish Gertrude’s innocence through out the play. Some examples of these questions are, was Gertrude in some kind of relationship with Claudius before the murder of her late Husband and did she know about the murder before or after it was committed? Does she love Claudius or is it just her status that she is protecting? And did she ever love the late King Hamlet? At the beginning of the play when we learn about the late King Hamlet’s death and Gertrude’s hasty marriage to his brother Claudius, we are faced with a question on the audience’s awareness. It can be assumed that the marriage to her brother- in-law is purely because of Gertrude’s weak personality, resulting in a dependency on men and the means of protecting her status and her power. We also question the love between the Gertrude and Claudius; this is because there is no suggestion of a resemblance between the late King and his brother. The description that we are given about late King Hamlet maybe slightly distorted, as it is Hamlet who tells us this, and he is noticeably loyal to his father. It is also possible to argue that the love that the late King and Gertrude shared was not that strong as the only evidence to suggest this has been told to us by Hamlet and he maybe slightly bias. First we notice that Gertrude does not display her grief for her dead husband, and suspicions mount when she also tells Hamlet that he should stop his mourning as well.... ...unishment upon death. She does not show any untoward hatred towards Claudius showing that she may not be aware of his cruel deed. In the end Gertrude drinks the poison which can suggest many things; that she has no knowledge of the poison or that she feels guilty of her late husband’s death, and cannot carry on with the corrupt behaviour between her husband and her son, or that she is protecting her son and saving his life. When she attempts to consume the drink she is stopped suddenly by Claudius, but she replies â€Å"I will my lord, I pray you pardon me†, is this the request of someone who is guilty, someone who is tired of the fighting between her two dearest or of someone with no awareness of what was going to happen? This for many readers is the critical part of the play in determining her innocence or guilt.

Movie Essays - Loncraines Film Production of Shakespeares Richard III :: Movie Film comparison compare contrast

Loncraine's Film Production of Shakespeare's Richard III Loncraine's film brilliantly furthers Richard III's role as the diabolical genius. His use of economy and symbolism in portraying Richard gives completeness to the character that the text in some ways lacks. The short but intriguing stable scene in the film makes this clear. The first thing I noticed about the stable scene in the film was the monochromatic color scheme. As Donaldson noted, the muted browns, grays, and beiges are reminiscent of the several death scenes. The colors befit the place where Richard meets Tyrrel, Clarence's murderer, and receives Tyrrel's vow of loyalty. Both characters' connections to the following death scene are foreshadowed by Loncraine's choice of color palate: Tyrrel as the murderer-for-hire, Richard as the instigator. Richard's reaction toward the animals in the stable gives glimpses of insight into his character. For instance, seeing the boar in the pen initially amuses Richard. He sees Tyrrel feeding the boar, looking on approvingly. As Richard moves away from the boar's pen, Tyrrel tosses an apple to the man accompanying Richard in a quick gesture of recognition and camaraderie. Richard proceeds to gently feed the apple to a horse; this is a direct prediction of Richard's need for a horse in the final battle: "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" (V.iv.). Richard is feeding a useful and important animal, showing more sympathy and care than he does for the rest of the humans in the film. Conversely, Richard throws his apple at the boar after discerning Tyrrel's loyalty. The boar serves two purposes in the scene; it is both more useful when it is not alive (as food), and a symbol of Richard's family (Richard's crest contains the image of a boar, and Richard himself is often referred to as a boar in the text). Richard obviously has more use for the horse than he does the boar, alluding to his value of a creature or character based on its usefulness-he is quick to kill anything or anyone he finds opposing or challenging him. This includes his family, which is the boar's symbolic purpose. The boar, though penned and harmless, becomes the target of Richard's sadistic desire to bring harm to those around him. In the same way, Richard designs schemes to injure his family members for the more useful goal of gaining kingship. His family is no good to him while they are alive; they are more useful when they are dead and out of his way.

High School Expectations Essay

Middle School isn’t over; the end is here at last. The parts of my life that seemed never ending are gone for good. I thought I could not wait until high school, but now I wish that it wasn’t here so soon, ending my year as an eight grader. I feel lost as my eight grade year comes to a close. The anticipation I once felt about high school has been replaced with not only fear but also the never ending question of what to expect when I get there. High school will definitely be different. I find myself often wondering what it will be like. Not knowing what to expect is what scares me the most. I have gone through school always being the little kid. Finally for one year I get to be the big kid and then after all of the wonderful things that have happened this year it is all taken away. Starting high school I will once again be the little kid; the one who doesn’t know how things work. I do not look forward to another three years like that. Read more: Example of persuasive speech about life essay What I look forward to is a new challenge. High school is a new challenge waiting for me. There will be so many new and exiting things to try once I get there. I also look forward to reunite with all of my old friends and to be able to drive soon!! I’m also looking forward to only have four classes a day too!! Though there are things I look forward to, I am afraid of some things too. I really worry that my friends will change and become completely different people than who they are today. I don’t want us to drift apart because I don’t know what I would do without them. Fortunately, I’m confident that all of them will stay true to whom they are and that I will as well. Aside from all of my doubts and fears I think high school will be a good thing. It will open my eyes to new experiences and provide me with new knowledge. I hope high school will take me places. I never knew I would make it this far in life. Ten years from now, with the help of a good high school education, I see myself as a successful 23 year old. I think high school will prepare me for my future and whatever it may bring. No matter where I go after high school I hope I am happy and doing something I love.

Ethics, Privacy in the Workplace Essay

Introduction The aim of this essay is to provide a supportive argument – â€Å"for† the notion that an individual’s privacy is more important than any other considerations in the workplace. Workplace scenarios will be outlined including job applications, storage of personal information, Internet and email, information technology effects on privacy, workplace policies and procedures and medical privacy. Differing ethical theories will be applied to both sides of the argument. The Individual’s Privacy in the workplace Getting the job. The story is often heard in Australia how easy it was for people to gain employment in the economically booming 1960’s and early 1970’s; of how people would walk into a workplace in the morning and get a job straight away or within a couple of days jobseeking. Resumes, application letters and application forms were unheard of unless you were applying for a professional level position. As competition for jobs increased in the mid 1970’s and early 1980’s more and more selection tools were required when hiring new staff. Resume’s detailing training, past employment and referees assisted in the selection or rejection of new staff. Applicants are not required to list information in their Resume such as marital status, gender, political leanings, religion, date of birth and number of children as part of equal employment opportunity legislation. In government based agencies in particular, merit based recruitment is stressed. Whilst in small privately owned businesses, employers still prefer to recruit new staff who are known to them or who are recommended friends of existing staff members. With current federal legislative requirements regarding unfair dismissal rules, employers must use care when employing new staff. A job seeker expects their private information to be handled with trust and discretion. The employer expects information to be relevant so they can make an accurate assessment of the job seeker. When it comes to ethics, both parties are acting in their own best interests. The seeker wants a job which is rewarding and lucrative in return for their effort. The employer wants the most skilled person for the least financial outlay possible so that business goals and healthy profits can be achieved. By applying the ethical consequential theory of Egoism regarding privacy, both parties are acting out of self-interest which best serves their own long term goals. According to psychological egoism, humans are by nature – selfish. The jobseeker will divulge only enough personal information which will enable them to get and keep the job. The employer seeks to find out as much information as possible about the jobseeker so that their business is not damaged in the long run by selecting an inappropriate candidate. Shaw (2009) Page 59 Stored Information Traditionally an employee’s basic personal information such as their resume, emergency contact details, and bank details would usually be kept on hard file in a locked personnel filing cabinet. Personal information shared amongst work colleagues was up to the discretion of the employee and staff encouraged to leave personal problems or beliefs at home. With the advent of information technology systems becoming more commonplace, communications though shared databases, email, intranet, internet and even social media have largely replaced paper files in storing company and personal information. Besides conducting simple one to one personal communication in the workplace, our personal and private information is shared in cyberspace with and without our express permission and may be accessed off site by internal staff or external IT support contractors with administrative access. Websites visited and programs/files accessed on work computers in work time can be logged and monitored . This database of information needs to be protected from improper use and access by unauthorised people. The employee expects that the privacy of their information is protected. Monitoring IT usage at work by the employer may be seen as an action in the interests of the business but it can also be seen as an erosion of trust in the employer/worker contract relationship. The Fair Work Australia Ombudsman recommends that employers â€Å"implement best practice when maintaining privacy in the workplace. Employers, employees and their representatives need to know what information may be collected and retained and if it can be passed on to others. This best practice creates certainty and security for both employers and employees.† Fair Work Australia(2010) Page 1 If the non-consequentialist ethical theory of Kantism is applied to this scenario, employers are expected to do the right thing as an act out of duty and by these moral principles the employee information is protected. Under Kantism if an employer was to mishandle this private information by for example selling it to third parties, this action would be morally wrong. Employers may justify their actions in logging internet and computer activity as a means to reduce â€Å"goldbricking† or â€Å"cyber-slacking† which is defined as employee’s using company internet accounts for personal / inappropriate use whilst giving the outward appearance of being busy with their work. Employees may see this as an invasion of privacy if they have not been informed or consented in their employment contract of this monitoring occurring. With Kant’s theory an employee’s actions of cyber-slacking would be considered morally wrong as they are not doing the right thing by their employer. By the same token the action of monitoring a workers use of the internet or email without their consent would also be considered immoral under Kant’s theory of ethics. Shaw (2009) Page 452 Fair Work Australia also says that â€Å"Password and login codes may give employees the impression that their email and web browsing activities during work hours are private and not aware that their activities can be scrutinised by their employer.† Fair Work Australia (2010) Page 3 Employers should provide clear workplace policies and procedures to ensure all parties understand the rights and responsibilities that apply to email and internet usage. Prescriptive guidance would detail the amount of appropriate personal email and internet usage within and outside the workplace that is allowable; prohibited activities and repercussions; legislation; how usage is logged and audited; and who has access to this information. Similar rules would apply to workplace landline and mobile phone usage. Fair Work Australia (2010) Page 4-5 By applying the consequentialist ethical theory of Utilitarianism to IT usage monitoring, the morally right action provides for the greatest happiness for all those affected, e.g., workload is shared evenly amongst staff; secret, divisive conversations are less likely to occur online and it is also a potential way to avoid potential conflicts in the workplace. Employers would use Utilitarianism to justify their actions in monitoring staff IT practices. An employee applying Egoism in this instance could argue that logging staff’s IT usage is an invasion of privacy and not in their interest, therefore mo rally wrong. Shaw (2009) Page 92 Privacy beyond the workplace Most people believe that what they do and the opinions they have in the privacy of their own home is private, however social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can sometimes be viewed by third parties depending on privacy settings. It is believed that employers have viewed the social media sites of potential new workers to assess their suitability to the job. In an article in the Daily Mail newspaper (UK) the story claims that one in five bosses have rejected job applicants after viewing their social media sites. According to a survey by public relations company Eurocom Worldwide, â€Å"’The 21st-century human is learning that every action leaves an indelible digital trail,’ said Mads Christensen, Network Director at Eurocom â€Å" Reynolds (2012) In Australia, Telstra conducted a business survey which resulted in similar figures of more than 12.5% of bosses checking job applicants Facebook pages and turning away potential employees based on things they have seen on Facebook. â€Å"Top social media behaviours cited by bosses as leading to a candidate being ruled out are: †¢Posting negative comments about their workplace with 44% saying this could rule out an applicant †¢Posts/comments which are discriminatory (37%) †¢Inappropriate pictures posted on their profile (32%) †¢Posts/comments which contain confidential information (32%)† and 10% of employers use Facebook and other social networking sites to keep an eye on employee’s productivity. Symons (2011) Page 1 Employers say the biggest mistakes their current employees make on social networking sites are: â€Å"1. Posting negative comments about their workplace, with 26% saying this is the biggest mistake. 2. Posting confidential information (16%) 3. They post or are tagged in inappropriate pictures on their profile (14%) 4. Posting discriminatory comments (11%) 5. Posting comments/photos/links during work hours (10%) â€Å" Symons (2011) Page 2 Part of the key argument regarding personal privacy is: Do employers have the right to make judgements about potential or current employees based on information in social media sites? Surely this is not an accurate indication of their work skills and loyalty to a business as these social media sites are (usually) created when staff are not at work. It is tantamount to spying on a person in their private hours where their opinions are not necessarily those of their employer. The bosses may also have dubious moral and ethical behaviours outside of work hours, however the employer’s position of authority and power gives an unfair advantage over the worker. David W. Ewing devised an employees’ bill of rights where â€Å"No employee shall be penalized for engaging in outside activities of his or her choice after working hours†¦nor for expressing views contrary to top management.† Shaw (2009) Page 488 The employer would argue that viewing the content on an employee’s social media site is indicative of that individual’s moral standards which may in turn be detrimental to the company’s reputation, e.g. a primary school teacher with sexually provocative images of themselves may be deemed inappropriate behaviour and detrimental to the reputation and public perception of the school. Employers could justify their actions of looking into the private lives of their employee’s with Egoism and Kantism. It is in the employer’s interest to monitor the integrity of their staff – on and off the job. And inappropriate behaviour even if it is outside the workplace is detrimental to the reputation of the organisation they work for. The employee could take the moral stance using Virtue Ethics of which they consider themselves to be a moral and virtuous person by their routine behaviour whilst working and that they shouldn’t be ju dge by the actions they take outside of work. Shaw (2009) Page 88 Employee Medical Privacy Most recently there has been a report that Employers have been going along with employees to medical appointments and in some cases asking for medical certificates to be altered so that their employees can return to work earlier. The ACTU (Australian Council of Trade Unions) assistant secretary Michael Borowick has revealed that â€Å"the privacy of ill workers has been eroded, Employers, insurers and employer representatives are increasingly attending actual medical appointments with injured workers and, in some cases, forcing workers to attend company doctors. We’ve also had reports of doctors being pressured to change medical certificates and return-to-work plans.† In May 2012, construction materials supplier Boral was warned by Fair Work Australia against allowing supervisors to accompany injured staff into doctors’ consulting rooms, with the workplace umpire saying it had the potential to operate unfairly. The Fair Work Ombudsman said that the â€Å"Fair Work Act does not contain express provisions regarding whether an employer can accompany an employee to a medical appointment or have a private conversation with a doctor regarding the employee’s medical condition.† Wilkins (2012) It is incredible to imagine that such an intrusion of intimate personal privacy is occurring in the workplace let alone that there is scant legislation to prevent it. An employer could argue that it is in the interest of the company to ensure that employees are acting honestly in relation to the true nature of their illness as sick days cost the company money in delays and decreased productivity. Marketplace competitiveness is affected and workers compensation costs may also increase. By applying Utilitarianism theory, an employer may justify this action as it promotes the general welfare of the company and is result orientated. Whereas the employee may argue that utilitarianism is focused on the results of the action not whether the action is morally right or wrong for the privacy of the individual worker. In conclusion – on balance the argument of the notion that an individual’s privacy is more important than any other consideration in the workplace is affirmed. We now live in a society where we think we are in control of our personal and private details when in reality our opinions, movements, interests and affiliations are being monitored constantly without our knowledge. An individual’s right to privacy is dependent largely on the amount of information they share face to face, in writing or on the internet. It seems unfair that personal privacy should be sacrificed for corporate gain. Bibliography Books Shaw, W., Barry, V., & Sansbury, G. (2009) Moral Issues in Business (1st Asia-Pacific ed.), Cengage Learning. Melbourne, Australia Journals Andrejevic, M. Commercial surveillance in the digital era, Living Ethics: issue 87 (autumn 2012) Heersmink, R., van den Hoven, J., Jan van Eck, N., van den Berg, J. Bibliometric mapping of computer and information ethics (2011) Springerlink.com Legislation Privacy Act (1988) Commonwealth of Australia Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act (1998) NSW Web Articles â€Å"A quarter of bosses head to Facebook to vet CV’s† http://www.news.com.au/technology/a-quarter-of-bosses-head-to-facebook-to-vet-cvs/story-e6frfro0-1226208260693 THE VECCI BLOG, â€Å"Bosses heading online to screen job candidates†, The Victorian Employer’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) 2011 http://blog.vecci.org.au/2011/11/30/bosses-heading-online-to-screen-job-candidates/ Fair Work Australia, 2010 www.fairwork.gov.au/BestPracticeGuides/08-Workplace-privacy.doc Symons, P., Telstra Corporation Australia 2011 http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/download/document/telstra-cyber-cv-fact-sheet.pdf Newspaper Articles Reynolds, E., The Daily Mirror (UK) 2012 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2115927/How-Facebook-cost-job-One-applicants-rejected-bosses-check-profiles-social-media-sites.html Wilkins, G., â€Å"Bosses intruding on workers’ doctor visits† Sydney Morning Herald, September 26, 2012 http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/bosses-intruding-on-workers-doctor-visits-20120925-26jh6.html?skin=text-only