Saturday, August 31, 2019

Advantage and disadvantage of globalization Essay

Innovation ideas, which are suitable to adapt changeable customers’ preferences. With the development of technology, customers preferences are always updated due to global information transmit. Global Managers are capable to create more inventive products to keep and expand global markets. 2. Localization, which can avoid cultural conflict between local customers and global company, avoid future failure of investment of subsidiary of local company. Global managers must consider customizing products to comply with local national traits and policies. On-time follow-up, which is necessary to find and solve customers’ problems, renovate and meet their requirements, to update and improve the level of global marketing. Global managers are responsible for timely feedback to customizing products. Market segment, which is flexible for global manages to make differential marketing strategy for different products in different markets. Some products with lower price and higher frequency usage can be adapted standardization strategy, which some products with high price and lower frequency usage can be adapted customization strategy. High manufacturing costs. In order to adapt different customers preferences in different markets, global companies must put their products into different manufacturing process, or different testing system, or different package operation, etc. so that the products can be customized to sale in the global market. Unavoidable national barriers. Almost every country set national trade barriers or policies to protect local companies business. And some of countries have their own cultural and religious, own living habits, global companies are difficult to enter inside without any risks or discourages. Redundant market researches. Global companies have to contribute themselves into lots of market surveys and researches, because it can influence decisions among subsidiary market. However, without local questionnaires or face meeting, data collect and calculation, case study and comparison, etc. , global managers cannot finalize a new investment program carelessly.

Friday, August 30, 2019

How to Solve Youth Unemployment Essay

One in five young adults in Britain is unemployed, more than twice the rate for the workforce as a whole. And (temporarily, I hope) I am one of them. Yet I am convinced there has never been a better time to be young. The world is bursting with opportunity; every day, new inventions answer questions we had never thought to ask. It’s time to tackle youth unemployment in that spirit; as Einstein said, â€Å"we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.† Generation Y should stop asking â€Å"why me?† and start asking â€Å"why not?† First, we must adopt the right mindset: positive in outlook and global in ambition. For optimism stems, not from denying change, but from recognizing the possibilities it presents. The job-for-life has gone – but so has the tedium of career monogamy. International competition has intensified – but also opened up new opportunities abroad. Woolworths, Borders and Comet won’t be hiring again – but if Amazon brought them down, simultaneously it is enabling sole traders and aspiring authors to reach a wider audience than ever before. So let’s forget misplaced nostalgia and address the heart of the problem. Youth unemployment has been rising for a decade; the financial crisis can’t take all the blame, but it can teach us to challenge easy assumptions. â€Å"Education is getting better† – but by indiscriminately awarding top grades, aren’t exam boards just aping credit ratings agencies? â€Å"Everyone must go to university† – but since housing crashed when supply exceeded demand, are we surprised the same happened with graduates? â€Å"Studying is always a good investment† – yet if excessive leverage can bring down banks and even governments, should students continue amassing record debts with only wishful thinking as collateral? Education reform should be a priority. At university level, online courses potentially enable students to better align their programme with their interests and circumstances. They provide welcome competition to established institutions; let’s support them. A â€Å"DIY† approach to study is both increasingly possible and often necessary; indeed, many of the best coders are self-taught. We should sponsor entrepreneurship as PayPal co-founder, Peter Thiel, has done with his â€Å"20 Under 20† initiative, encouraging smart youngsters to believe in themselves and not to fear failure. And we should drop the snobbery; real-world experience such as travel or volunteering can yield greater benefits than the narrow, rigid and costly undergraduate degree to which we mistakenly still attach totemic significance. The school curriculum, too, needs to offer courses with real business value to help school leavers find work. It is hardly â€Å"dumbing down† if it engages pupils and better equips them for adulthood. Employers have a far greater role to play. They now expect to train and re-train people continuously – there were no Android developers 10 years ago – so why not start younger? Instead of complaining that new hires arrive ill-prepared, companies should connect with them earlier by providing mentors and apprenticeships, building on the concept of the â€Å"talent incubator†. It will improve their business and give young people a sense of responsibility and purpose – not to mention more routes into the workplace. Third, let’s encourage mentoring more widely. A few years ago I worked with a Prince’s Trust pilot programme which stationed mentors in some of the country’s most deprived areas. We reached out to young people who often had no one else to help them write a CV, apply for training or prepare for an interview. I saw how reassurance and motivation can do wonders for their mindset and morale, and hence their employability. Companies, community groups, Service veterans, and individual volunteers (that’s you and me) should all get involved. For underprivileged youngsters in particular, a good mentor represents both an anchor and a sail. Fourth, we should focus our energies where the problem is most acute, in the communities where the rising tide that typically â€Å"lifts all boats† merely hides the wrecks. No one is more desperate than children of workless families: without someone to look up to, their odds of finding gainful employment are far worse than four-in-five. Where we can reform the benefits system to further incentivize work, where we can more constructively help people re-train, we should do so – but it requires human input too. We who have been fortunate – good job, good education, loving family – should return the favour. It is not enough to say, â€Å"I pay my taxes†. Civic society cannot flourish on gold alone; it needs love. An introduction, a reference, a receptive ear: it needn’t take much to give someone a leg up in life. It has become contentious to say, â€Å"we are in it together†. But we are certainly stronger together. Finally, we should remove barriers to job creation. Employers’ National Insurance increases the cost of employing someone; if we want to boost employment, there mustbe smarter ways to raise revenue than by taxing jobs. We should also look again at well-intentioned labour laws that protect incumbent workers but often hinder businesses from responding to change and hiring new talent. It is not clear that this makes staff any safer – not at General Motors, Hostess Brands or Scandinavian Airlines – but it does help to explain why joblessness remains highest among the young. Youth unemployment has deep roots. Combating it requires us to challenge conventional wisdom: by removing, where possible, disincentives to hire and to work; by reforming schools and universities; by ramping up apprenticeships and mentoring. Teachers and parents, business leaders and policy makers all have a crucial part to play. It will not be easy; the march of progress – â€Å"creative destruction†, in Schumpeter’s phrase – is not without its casualties. Yet creativity is what we youngsters do best. Our fresh, radical and positive minds must seize the initiative, continually re-imagining the future amid the whirlwind of the present. We need leaders. There’s a job for the young, right away.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Central America Essays - Nicaraguan Revolution, Free Essays

Central America Central America, just south of Mexico and North of Panama, consists of just six countries; Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Of those six, all share a distinct common history except for Belize. Belize for one is incredibly small, and while Spanish is the official language of other Central American countries, in Belize English is spoken. So throughout this paper as I carelessly say 'Central American' I am not including Belize whose history and development was far different than the others. Although Central America is located close to the United States in relation to the Eastern Hemisphere, our ways of life are indescribably different. When we discuss Poverty in the United States many of us, including myself, don't really know what 'poverty' is. It seems like only a select few are afflicted by it here and programs like Welfare and Food Stamps (with varying degrees of success) seem to lessen the effects. In Central America when one speaks about 'poverty' he/she is including a large proportion of the population. One measure of poverty is the earning power of an individual. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is a measure of income is around $12,000 in the United States. In Central America on the other hand, the wealthiest Country, Costa Rica, came in at just under $2000. Distortion plays a role on the $2000 also, due to the fact the the elite-rich have an enormous concentration of wealth and land ownership, the real GDP of the poorer half of the population is around $200-$400 a year (Pg 10, Booth and Walker). Accompanying poverty or as a result is poor or unavailable education, health care, and an extremely bad job market. Government 'for the people and by the people is not present is Central America'. What is present is a corrupt military- big business conglomerate which cares little or none for the common people. The military is responsible for enforcement, which includes death squads, torture, and public execution. The big businesses who are able to extract an endless supply of 'minimum wage' labor, amass great wealth but instead of reinvesting it locally, most invest overseas or in capital intensive labor whereby local jobs are eliminated. Taking all this into effect and the fact that social classes and living conditions of many Central Americans are deteriorating rapidly leads some to rebellion. Some have taken a path of Passive rebellion. This can be seen in literature and popular music which questions the government. Others exercise their right to vote (even if it doesn't really matter because the results are fraudulently attained). For example, "the 1974, 1978, and 1982 presidential elections in Guatemala were all fraudulently manipulated by military regimes "(Pg 109, Booth and Walker). Others take a more active stance. During times of increased repression by the government many coalitions and reform-aimed organizations were formed. Many were actively involved in large-scale marches, labor strikes, and transportation boycotts. A little more on the radical side are the Guerilla groups. Composed mostly of peasants fed up with the government who see no other way than violence. This guerilla groups have special ties to the community. Many times they visit villages explaining their cause hoping to recruit new guerrillas. The typical guerilla varies from young to old, male to female. The Guerillas are a most important part of rebellions but they are not effective alone. Their effectiveness is increased greatly when they develop formal links with outside organizations and have strong popular support. An example of popular support occurred in Guatemala where peasants would fight alongside the guerillas, greatly increasing their number. The Catholic Church was activity involved in rebellion also. They helped to organize community and labor groups for the people (Christian base communities). These groups gave people the inspiration and mass power to combat the government. Although the Catholic clergy did not fight violently alongside the guerillas, their lives were at risk, and some were taken. A situation that combines all these ideas happened not too long ago in Nicaragua. All the hardships discussed earlier were present : extreme poverty, corrupt government, and worsening of conditions, driving many to rebellion. The early 70's was a time where, unions were repressed, wages were set by the military regime, inflation was 10%, and 13% of the working class was un/under employed (compared to 5-6% in the United States). This set the stage for the 1973-1975 'revitalization of labor movement' which included strikes, stoppages, and organization of labor unions. Christian Base Communities began to spring up, whose goal was better urban services and housing. This

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Answering Job Interview Questions for Opening Job at Chevron Co Essay

Answering Job Interview Questions for Opening Job at Chevron Co - Essay Example I have identified, developed and technically. I have Teaching and training capabilities as well. 2. Why did you choose your current university and major? What did you find most fulfilling and most difficult about your major? I had identified my aptitude for Engineering as I endeavored in many activities which were connected with the principles of engineering. Many of my hobbies were also closely associated with Engineering. I had participated in a number of co-curricular activities including science exhibitions which helped me develop my attitude towards Engineering. By the time I had to join for graduation I had decided to major in the current subject. My search for a cause effective engineering program ended up in †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦University as its commitment to action-based-learning attracted me the most. The †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ is really an exciting program which can offer me great opportunities to work closely with my classmates and practically learn to face real challenges. I admire the †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ learning style which heavily emphasizes on practices and systematic learning cycle. The experience will empower me to be effective ‘in the team’ and ‘in leading the team’. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦also holds the legacy of a strong alumni network and the collaborative culture will ensure guidance throughout the career. The most challenging experience about the subject was the vastness of its applicability. This forced me to read and research extensively on the subject. 3. Describe a situation, either professional or personal, where you faced a particular difficulty. What was the outcome, what did you learn from the experience and what would you do differently if faced with a similar situation again? One if the most difficult situations that I had faced were taking forward the voluntary work as the Work Instructor during my high school days. All through my of my High School days, my leadersh ip abilities and my affinity towards the society were proven as I enthusiastically led the show to arrange tutorials and allied events as a part of the voluntary work.  

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a processes improvement Essay

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a processes improvement - Essay Example Lean encompasses the various just-in-time approaches. (Bryan, 2002) These two methodologies are the best practice because they fit this framework: For many managers, lean manufacturing is something that looks great on paper and sounds wonderful in theory, but they want proof that it really works in their ever-changing manufacturing environment. ( Lau, 1996). Now two years into its lean journey, the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Cascade Engineering (www.cascadeng.com), is trying to avoid the common mistake of just implementing lean on the shop floor. The 1,200-employee plastic components provider in the automotive, home and office, and container industries is implementing lean throughout its enterprise. One thing that becomes clear after you tour Cascade's facilities is that the company is striving to adopt lean as a way of life for the whole company, rather than just in the manufacturing plants. The company's leaders recognize that to reduce waste and create customer value, everyone has to actively take part in the process. Cascade's founder, chairman and CEO Fred P. Keller, sent a message about how important lean was for the c ompany as a whole when he hired G.L. Brown as the company's director of lean manufacturing. Keller is making sure all of the necessary resources are available to make the gains of lean stick. "If this company wants to remain an active leader in the upcoming century, it is crucial that we eliminate waste and dedicate ourselves to becoming a lean enterprise," says Keller. (Klier, 1994, 18). To further demonstrate his dedication to the employees, Keller stressed that some job responsibilities may change but no employees will be laid off as a result of the company's lean initiatives. Their dedication to employees and their superior performance have not gone unnoticed. Cascade has been recognized nationwide for their commitment to people, most notably by recently winning a Ron Brown award and the Michigan Manufacturers Company of the year award. G. L. Brown knew that one of the hardest parts of lean was going to be creating the right environment for Cascade employees. (Lin, 1999) To ease the transition, Brown started a series of training and support sessions. With many years in operations management during his 34-year tenure at General Motors, Brown understood that the employees must have a firm grip on three crucial aspects before initiating the conversion to a lean enterprise: - everyone must understand why the company is dedicated to the lean philosophy and what's in it for them; - the employees must understand the system; - they must understand that there are a number of techniques in the toolbox to implement the system. Cascade's training consists of lean manufacturing orientation, eyes for waste and eyes for flow, takt time, standard worksheets, the 5-S processes, natural work groups, and value stream mapping as well as other aspects of the "lean enterprise system." Cascade also invites customers and suppliers to training events and kaizen events as they relate to their products. This

Monday, August 26, 2019

History Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History - Coursework Example ent nations were motivated to dominate other nations by the need to enlarge and control foreign trade which would serve their insatiable appetite for luxuries, such as silks and spice and they were also trying to obtain raw materials and supplementary sources of labor, passages for extra capital and markets for surplus goods. Another explanation suggests the political determinants of imperialism, according to which the nations of Europe in the 1500s were motivated to expand chiefly due to the desire to gain power, defense, and diplomatic advantages, and their desire to implement military force and compete with other European nations was served by imperialism and conquests. â€Å"Reversing causation, trade could precipitate the extension of European empire. However, European power politics (together with European technological advantages) gave a stronger impetus to imperialism.† (Aldcroft and Sutcliffe, 121) Therefore, economic and political explanations of European imperialism in the 1500s are highlighted in the analysis of the factors that drove European civilization to get involved in imperialism and conquest. However, there are other important explanations such as the explanations based on the ideological or moral motives of European imperialism in the 1500s, according to which imperialism as a missionary activity was caused by cultural or religious beliefs. Similarly, the religious explanations of European imperialism in the 1500s emphasize the desire to spread

Electronic and Mobile Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Electronic and Mobile Commerce - Essay Example Today, managing an online business is much easier than managing conventional businesses because various legal and economic factors affect the progress of conventional businesses. The shift towards online businesses is based on multiple factors some of which include complex legal requirements in starting conventional type businesses, decreased rate of employment, and rapidly progressing economy. The rate of unemployment is increasing in every part of the world these days and the salaries are also not big enough to meet daily expenses of life. Therefore, along with the move of established companies towards mobile commerce, more and more individuals are also focusing towards internet businesses in order to earn a respectable income. Considering these benefits of online businesses, almost every big or small company aims to make an online presence. Let us now discuss what established companies need to do more to make a shift towards mobile commerce. ... earching the functional cope of required initiatives, they need to work out the sustainability features of all benefits that they may get from shifting towards online business. The last step is to prioritize the initiatives in order to develop a proper mobile commerce strategy regarding what to be done and in which sequence. Technology, service, market, and brand are four key positional factors that companies need to analyze while developing a successful mobile commerce strategy (Watson, Berthon, Pitt, & Zinkhan, 2008). Having discussed the plan for established companies to shift towards mobile commerce, let us now discuss some main components that play the most significant and primary role in running an online business successfully. 1. Internet Internet is the main component of mobile commerce without which the aim of running a business online cannot be achieved. Internet helps companies in reaching international markets, as well as in introducing products to a broad range of local and foreign customers. At present, internet has become one of the extensively used technologies that companies use to reach success in a very short span of time. Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, eBay, and Groupon are some of the main examples of companies that have achieved a reputable name in online business sector. 2. Website Website is another main component of mobile commerce. A company aiming to go online needs to develop a well-organized and fully functional website to make people aware of its products and services. A good website plays the role of a stepping-stone towards the success of a company because it is the only way people can view the business and products of the company. A website not only makes customer aware of a company’s business but also serves as a key marketing agent for

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Statement of Cash Flow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Statement of Cash Flow - Essay Example The statement of cash flow has been in use since November 1987 when the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued a statement of financial accounting standards requiring businesses to use a statement of cash flow instead of a statement of changes in financial position. There are two methods for preparing and presenting a statement of cash flow; the direct method and the indirect method, the main difference lies in the presentation of the operating section. The sections of investing and financing are the same in both methods. In the direct method, cash flows from operating activities encompass amounts such as cash from customers and cash paid to suppliers. On the contrary, the indirect method shows the net income, followed by the adjustments required to convert the total net income to the total cash from operating activities (Brahmasrene, Strupeck & Whitten, 2004). In addition, the direct method must provide a reconciliation of net income and the cash provided by operating ac tivities, a process which is achieved automatically in the indirect method of cash flow statement. The indirect method is found to be more effective in relaying cash flow information. Thus, it is preferred to the direct method in most corporations (Brahmasrene, Strupeck & Whitten, 2004). Whereas the direct method or the income statement method reports the main categories of operating cash receipts and payments, the indirect method places emphasis on net income and the net cash flow from operations (Taulli, 2004).

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Philosophy essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophy - Essay Example For instance, in the case of drug possession, long prison sentences are justified by deterrence theory to the extent that such sentences actually do prevent people from using drugs who otherwise would not use those drugs. That last part is important because deterrence is undermined unless it prevents what would happen if the deterrence was not implemented. Deterrence is, by definition, the removal of a cause to prevent an effect. So, considering these long prison sentences for drug possession, it is certainly possible some people are deterred simply because of the potential cost of being caught with illegal substances. In most cases, however, when someone refuses to take illegal drugs, it is not because they were deterred by drug laws and long prison sentences. Rather, it is because of other reasons not related to being caught. Being caught is not necessarily a big concern for most users of illegal drugs anyway. Therefore, it seems it is once again up to the utilitarian to decide whe ther US drug laws and long prison sentences are justified by their effects (the results of strict controls on drugs) in reality. 2. John Rawls’ so-called end-state (or distributive justice) theory of justice stands in contrast to Robert Nozick’s entitlement (or process) theory of justice. The former proposes that all persons in the â€Å"original position† (the state of nature) should agree that all social primary goods, like opportunity and income, are to be distributed equally unless an unequal distribution of any or all these goods is to the advantage of the least favored. For Rawls and the end-state theory, justice is â€Å"fairness†, especially when the proposed redistribution would improve social inequality. Nozick’s entitlement theory proposes that a distribution is just if it comes about by ethical acquisition from the state of nature or through fair allocation.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Protein Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Protein Research - Essay Example they protect the body against bacteria and viruses by immobilizing antibodies that are immediately destroyed by the white blood cells(Whitford, 2005). Contractile proteins such as actin and myosin are responsible for the movement of the body cells through muscle contraction and movement. Enzymes are another category of proteins, and they are responsible for the facilitation of biochemical reactions whereby they speed up the reactions. Proteins of this kind are mainly involved in the digestive system, e.g., the lactase for sugar breakdown and the pepsin for protein breakdown. Another category of proteins is the hormonal proteins which are messenger proteins that help in the coordination of bodily activities(Creighton, 2010). The most common hormonal protein is insulin that controls the blood sugar levels in the body(Creighton, 2010). Other hormonal proteins are oxytocin and somatotropin which stimulate childbirth and protein production in muscle cells respectively. Structural proteins are fibrous and stingy in nature, and they play the role of provision of support to the body cells. An example of structural proteins is the keratins that give strength to protective covering such as hair. Proteins involved in the storage of amino acids such as ovalbumin and casein are categorized as storage proteins(Whitford, 2005). Some proteins such as the hemoglobin and the cytochromes are involved in transportation of molecules around the body, and they fall in the category of transport protein. Proteins are formed by combination of organic compounds called amino acids and they are the building blocks of life. Whereas proteins are digested, amino acids left and the body utilizes them to break down food, grow, produce energy and repair body tissues. Amino acids are classified into three groups namely the essential amino acids, non-essential amino acids and conditional amino acids(Creighton, 2010). The body contains nine essential amino acids, and they are unique since the body

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Interest in Rainwater Essay Example for Free

Interest in Rainwater Essay The article entitled â€Å"Interest in Rainwater Harvesting Grows in Colorado† written by Paul Day was about a proposal of Brad Lancaster, a rainwater virtuoso and initiator. His entire idea according to the news was that he wanted to use the rainwater for needs of the people and environment just like in Arizona and New Mexico. But the Executive Director of Colorado Waterwise, Paul Lander, prohibited his willingness to pursue this project because according to him it might result in breaking the rights of the people to that water. Lancaster insisted and he even showed two concrete project proposals for this. First, it would legalize the conception in countrysides that were not served by municipal water supplies. Lastly, it would instruct for conducting projects to study whether rainwater harvesting can be used without harming water rights. It interests me a lot because if we’re going to use the water from the sky in some ways, we can get lot of benefits out of it. I consider this as a biological issue because it discusses the precipitation process. This is very important because this is an exact example of learning how to utilize the nature for our advantage. The steps of scientific process: a. The usage of the rainwater purposefully though Colorado water law forbids it? b. Other places like Arizona and New Mexico can do it, why can’t we. c. They show the proposals using diagrams of storage tanks for collecting rainwater that runs off the rooftops home homes and businesses. d. The people who witness the presentation of the project agree that we can get a lot out of it. Scientific Terms: rainwater – water that comes form the sky project proposals – the entire flow or plan of the project and the things that they wanted to do precipitation process – the continuous cycle of water â€Å"Does Diabetes Make the Mind Go to Pieces† written by Mary Brophy Marcus is the second article. It imparted us about the risk of having Alzheimer’s disease and the effects of it are as follows: a. more prone to cognitive decline b. the mind’s ability to evaluate problems and the speed of processing information might suffer because of high rate of insulin or abnormal blood glucose. The experimentation by the researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada verified the people with diabetes and non diabetic were prone to mental decline according to the American Psychological Associations January issue of Neuropsychology but the executive function – complex, analytical thinking and speed processing were directed to the diabetic ones. In the journal Neuron published in December found out that if the brain didn’t get enough sugar it produced Alzheimer’s plaques but improving the brain’s blood flow might prevent or cured Alzheimer’s according to Robert Vassar, a professor of cell and molecular biology at Northwestern Universitys Feinberg School of Medicine and he recommended that doing some exercise, minimizing cholesterol intake and taking care of the hypertension could help a lot. On the contrary, according to Nir Barzilai, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York that insulin worked in the nerves that went to the liver and it declared stoppage glucose production and healed diabetes but not in the blood. I found it fascinating because it conveyed awareness on how to take good care of our body. I considered this biological issue because it dealt with the health of an individual. The steps of the scientific process: a: Treating Alzheimer’s disease? b. the insulin is a great help c. they observe people with diabetes and non – diabetic individuals d. proper maintenance of insulin/glucose in our body and the habitual exercise and taking care of the body will prevent diseases. Scientific Terms: glucose – a crystalline sugar insulin – secreted by islets of Langerhans for carbohydrate’s metabolism and glucose regulation in the blood and produced diabetes mellitus when insufficient. Alzheimer’s disease progressive memory loss, impaired thinking, and changes in mood. The last article entitled â€Å"The Big Green Giveaway† by Tony Milney wanted to share about Mr. Miliband’s willingess to save the planet and our benefit out of it. The objective of putting up the household carbon emissions close to zero by 2050, the government decided to plan an environmental makeover. Establishing ground or air-source heat pumps, solar heating, solid wall insulation, or to join a community heating scheme are the suggested ways to lessen the average ? 300 a year of the wasted energy that needed an action or prevention. Based from the principles of this proposal, all the privileges were given to the homeowners to be able to fulfill the energy saving measures in our home. Not only this, but also the 90,000 solar water-heating systems in Britain. Another offer was the installation wind turbines, wood-pellet stoves, ground-source heat pumps and other eco kit by the Energy Saving Trust. And it even mentioned here the different gadgets used to save energy at home. This article caught my attention because it gave us information and ideas on how to save energy and at the same having advantage of it. I considered this as a biological issue because it discussed the environment that we had and the energy that we consumed. It is important because it helped the people saved energy without damaging the ecosystem. The steps of the scientific process: a. How can we avoid wasted energy? b. the misused of the energy and environment can cause this kind of problem c. they mentioned the different ways on how to save energy and the invented gadgets that could be of great help to the people d. there will be no wasted energy if the people would learn how to save energy wisely. Scientific Terms: energy dynamic exertion of power carbon a nonmetallic primarily tetravalent element found native gadgets an often small automatic or electronic device with a sensible use but often thought of as a novelty. Works Cited Day, Paul. â€Å"Interest in Rainwater Harvesting Grows in Colorado. † CBS4Denver. com (Feb 12, 2009): http://cbs4denver. com/local/Rainwater. Harvesting. illegal. 2. 934360. html Marcus, Mary Brophy. â€Å"Does Diabetes Make the Mind Go to Pieces? † USA TODAY (Jan. 28, 2009): http://www. usatoday. com/news/health/2009-01-28-diabetes-alzheimers_n. htm Milne, Tony â€Å"The Big Green Giveaway. † The Sunday Times (February 15, 2009): http://www. timesonline. co. uk/tol/news/environment/article5732920. ece

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Fast Food and Childhood Obesity Essay Example for Free

Fast Food and Childhood Obesity Essay In the past decade there has been a rise of obesity in children. I believe along with many credible sources that a lot of the reoccurring obesity problems we face with children have to do with fast food. You could almost say that fast food is kind of like a drug for kids. It is always fun to go out to eat as well as take in food that is high in calories and saturated fat. Although fast food may be a large factor in childhood obesity, it is also safe to say that it’s not the only factor. Are we placing too much blame on the fast food industry for making our kids obese, or is it our fault as parents and caregivers? Fast Food Then and Now Compared to how fast food chains functioned when they first opened and how they operate now you will see a huge difference; not only in their food selection but also in the portion sizes. For example, when McDonald’s first opened in 1955 their cheeseburger was only 1. 6 ounces and now you can get a cheeseburger for almost 8 ounces (Monte, 2008). The sizes are almost a 400 calorie increase—400 calories could be more than one whole meal for a child. Every year portion sizes are essentially getting larger and larger. A small now would have been a medium just five years ago (White, n. d. ). Not only have the portion sizes gotten larger but so has the menu. Fast food chains now have been offering smoothies, sundaes, pie slices, and even cinnamon rolls. They offer more menu options that offer more calories and saturated fats. Along with these they have also gotten better with offering some healthy options too like apples and low fat milk, but who goes to a fast food restaurant to get apples and milk? There are 3,039 possible kids’ meal combinations and out of that only 12 combinations meet the nutrition criteria for preschooler’s and 15 for all other children (Oren Dodson, 2010). The only kind of company who would essentially poison children like that is ones who are trying to make a fast buck and that is the goal for all of these fast food companies. They don’t realize or they do and just don’t care that they are poisoning our youth and even adults. Advertisements For the past ten years or so fast food chains have been advertising to children. Kids spend more time watching TV than any other activity they do besides sleeping (Nestle, 2006). Fast food chains have taken advantage of this by placing most of their ads on programs like Nickelodeon, Disney, and even PBS. They know that if they spend millions on advertising on children networks that they will get their return on investing in them. Children see more than 32% more fast food ads on TV now than in 2003 (Oren Dodson, 2010). In 2009, McDonald’s spent the most out of all the fast food companies on advertising to children. They spent almost 900 million dollars targeting ages 6-11. Subways was in a very far out second spending a little over 400 million dollars targeting 12-17 year olds (Harris, Schwartz Brownell, 2010). Studies have also shown that Hispanics and African American children see more than 50% more fast food ads than white children (Oren Dodson, 2010). With this there are more fast food chains in African American and Hispanic dominated neighborhoods. Family Statistics You can probably assume that every family in the U. S. goes to fast food restaurants on occasion but some go more than others. Studies have shown that families with lesser income are more exposed to fast food than other families who have a higher income (Block Scribner, 2004). With the economy the way it is, much more people are making much less and this is causing more and more families to visit fast food places rather than eating at home. You can go to a fast food joint and spend ten dollars for the whole family to eat rather than spending hundreds of dollars at a grocery store. In an article I just read, less than one third of Americans are eating their meals from scratch; meaning actually cooking and serving them to their families (Voigts, 2005). This was published seven years ago—just think of where we are now! I conducted an interview with my sister, Morgan Dutton, who is an extreme fitness guru, health nut, and she also has children. I asked her what she thought about this obesity epidemic in our youth and she said, â€Å"I cannot believe all of the staggering statistics regarding kids and fast food. I am not sure why parents wouldn’t want their kids eating the healthiest food option rather than the fastest. Kids are starting to get diabetes earlier and it reduces their life span by years. Fast food is essentially killing our kids, it may be slowly but it is happening (personal communication, October 15th, 2012). † Drawing the Line So whose fault is it that our children’s generation is getting more and more obese? Should we blame it on fast food—when can we blame ourselves? As a parent I want my child to live the longest healthiest life they can live and when I take them to places like McDonald’s and Burger King I am basically poisoning their body. It may be fast food that is making them obese but isn’t it our fault for taking them there in the first place? Exposing them to that kind of food especially early on in their life is only going to make it harder for them when they get older and can make their own decisions. Conclusion Rather than placing blame for the obesity problem with our children maybe we should be taking action. You could blame fast food chains for making your kid obese or you could even blame yourself because you took them there. Parent’s need to start making better decisions on what they are putting in their kids bodies because they may outlive their own child. There are so many chemicals and toxins in fast food that people are not aware of. Fast food may be cheap and it may be fast but in the long scheme of things, it is killing our kids.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Pros and Cons of Charter School Environment

The Pros and Cons of Charter School Environment Alternative Education is emerging from being a small community to becoming the standard of offering educational classes. The No Child Left Behind implemented by President Bush has given students the opportunity to acquire their high school diploma. By this statement I mean to say that the students do not have to fall between the cracks, they can afford to go to an alternative school and get their diploma since alternative schools offer their services to students up until the age of 21. Alternative Education also known as Charter Schools are becoming the norm for parents to enroll their children in. Most of the charter schools were developed by parents, teachers, students, community members and government entities to restructure the educational standard. Many of the parents felt that their children were not getting the proper education for their children. Others felt that the educational setting was not a safe one. Some parents felt that their children were being discriminated upon by teachers not taking the time to teach the students that were falling behind. Others had no patience what so ever to teach the students that were slow learners or were considered a nuisance. Peer pressure, gangs and other parable caused concerned for parents and community members to petition for charter schools. The main goal of charter schools is to provide the students with the education they deserve. According to TEA rules and regulations, Charter schools purposes are to provide a free learning environment, an opportunity to finish high school and a choice they want to attend a Charter school; unlike public school that they must attend the district that is in their jurisdiction. What is the requirement for admission? According to the rules and regulations under TEA charter school must allowed all students regardless of learning skills, social economics, demographics and or family matters to apply to charter school. Since charter school face a magnitude of problems concerning space. Many of the students are on a waiting list for the following year until space is available. Under any other circumstances charter schools cannot deny services to a student. All charter schools must adhere to the curriculum regulations that school districts must follow. Charter schools also follow the Texas Essential Knowledge Skill or TAKS, that public school are accountable for. Students are accepted regardless of their educational level as long as they follow the rules they sign at the beginning of orientation. Many environmental factors that charter schools face is the size of the schools. Many of the charter schools are held in small buildings that cannot accommodate a population of 300 at a time. In order for the school to accommodate 300 students some charters schools offer a.m. or p.m. classes. A.M. classes are held from 7:55 until 12:05. P.M. classes are held from 1:00 till 5:05 in the afternoon. Some charter schools offer tutorial afterschool or super Saturday to help students with the passing of the TAKS. Furthermore another factor that some charter schools face are that most of the students are considered at risk or drop outs. (Terry) The motto of our school is that all students are capable of learning as long as they use self discipline and are meticulous in attending classes. The teachers and staff are willing to go beyond their call of duty to help the student accomplish their dreams of getting a high school diploma. In the process of helping the students educators must learn to handle their emotions to deal with conflict. (Moore) Having teachers work in collaboration instead of isolation from one another is also a great way of getting the students to learn from one class to another. Teachers offer tutorials for students that do not pass the TAKS. During the summer the school offers day care services while the mothers and fathers are having tutorials at the school. Many of the applicants are not able to receive service because the lack of space and the limit were required to service. Some of the contextual factors the school faces are a lack of text books. The school uses research based methods of keeping track on the objective the students need help on. The school uses DMAC. DMAC is web-based software program designed to calculate the percentages of the students progress. Teachers and staff can have the developmental and assessment data available for each of the individual student in the school. The school also has available PLATO, America Preparatory Instruction (API) and C-SCOPE all of these program help students recover credits and or work on a self pace curriculum. The math department hires a consultant to help the teachers learn strategies to help the students pass the TAKS. The Language Arts department has the literature available. The school does not have a library on the premises, but the students have access to computers with internet availability. The social studies classes have an abundance of documentations of the Wars, Civil rights movement and other educational and anti gang documentation. The science department has labs available that student use to have actual hands on knowledge of the content. The students use the TEKS based curriculum. The school also offers a different approach to learning. The school does not have traditional setting implementation. Teachers are at their discretion to use whatever setting they wish to use. Teachers The curriculum being used is student-centered and competency based. The classrooms have a small group student-teacher ratio with individualized assistance. The school hours are flexible. Students can either go in at 9:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. if they are not lacking that many credits. The environment of the school is safe and respectful, the school has three security guards available and all the classes have cameras. Depending on the enrollment year seniors need a minimum credits, or recommended to receive a high school diploma; once all state requirements have been met. The students have an opportunity to learn from teacher directed instruction, and since the classes are small the students have a more interactive opportunity with the teachers. The school where Im at, four counselors are available for all students. Community in Schools program is also offered at the school, they provide bus tickets, monies to help pay for prescription glasses, and or help the family with rent. According to TEA and the accountability report card from TEA about, 50% to 90% of the students enrolled in an educational programs administered by SAPI are defined as at-risk and/or of dropping out of school as defined in TEC Section 29.081(d) (1). Most of the students we provide services to are students with poor self-concept, family difficulties, social misconduct, and poor decision-making, below grade level reading and verbal skills, the in availability to adjust to traditional method of classroom instruction at the middle and high school levels. (SAPI) Poor academic accomplishment can generate a magnitude of problems for the students behavior towards school-related areas, such as indifference from extracurricular activities; tardiness and truancy; inappropriate school conduct resulting in frequent absences via suspension, the loss of academic credit; apathy; and poor peer/adult relationships. In conclusion charter district offered an opportunity for all high school students to attend a school of their choice. Many students enjoy the interaction they get at a charter school. At a charter each student is treated equally and with respect. The teachers believe in the students; that they can succeed and charter schools have the capability to offer many services not offered in a public school setting. The teaching philosophy at charter schools is that the students are given the benefit of the doubt that they can achieve their full potential as successful, productive and caring members of the world. Students are teacher understand that regardless of their problem the student will persevere in achieving their goals of getting a diploma. One of the perks that charter school face is that if they get unacceptable performance for two consecutive years it can and will be shut down. Whereas, a traditional public schools are allowed to have five consecutive years of unacceptable perform ance before being shut down.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Romeo And Juliet Essay :: essays research papers

Romeo and Juliet Essay There was action and there was tragedy, but put it all together to make the perfect comedy and a perfect tragic story. William Shakespeare wrote the play Romeo and Juliet, said to be the finest written play in history, for its originality and it's many plots. This story will take you through a lot of mixed emotion and will show you what a true feud is. This story is laid out perfectly because of its true holding and both family's passion for their children. William Shakespeare wrote the story to show how Romeo and Juliet's love for each other will show their youth and immaturity. Their over reacting cost them their life. At such a young age they thought they could never love another being again, and so, " A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life."(Act one scene one) The Capulet's and the Montague were the " Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Varona".(Act one scene one) They were what separated Romeo and Juliet for their love for each other. Due to the fact that the two households were in this feud, Romeo's family would not allow him to be with Juliet because she was a Capulet, and he was a Montague. Juliet's family also would not let her be with Romeo because he was a Montague. Romeo and Juliet get married without the consent of their parent, and without them knowing. The only way Juliet could be with Romeo is to either die or run away. Unfortunately things backfire when Juliet is forced to be married to man of her fathers choice, when Romeo was banished for killing Tybalt. After that point things get tough for Juliet and she makes a plan to be with Rome and she takes a sleeping drug. When Romeo doesn't get the message that it is just a sleeping drug he goes to Varona and gets a deadly drug and drinks it next to Juliet 's death bed, knowing that it will soon be his to. As he is drinking it he said "O you the two doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss a dateless bargain to engrossing death"(Act five scene three), he drinks the drug as Juliet is waking up, she finds him dead next to her and kills herself to be with Romeo once again, forever this time. Age was not a real big deal back then so when they were to get married or made to reproduce they did it under their parents authority.

Loyalty of Antony and Brutus in Julius Caesar :: William Shakespeare

The Loyalties of Antony and Brutus Antony and Brutus are both loyal, noble men and their loyalties shape their characters, drives their actions, and decides the very future of Rome. Brutus loves Caesar, but he loves Rome more. Antony has no need to choose between his country and best friend. Before Caesar's death both men are guarded and somewhat a secret to the reader. After Caesar's murder, however, their true personalities emerge. Antony and Brutus may seem the same, and that was they are in theory, from their positions, character traits, to the very friend's they keep they are alike almost to a point of absurdity. In practice, though, you will find them rather different due to the mistakes and decisions made by both parties. Was Julius Caesar truly ambitious? For if he wasn?t, then Brutus betrayed a man he loved in vain. He held that he was saving Rome form a tyrant when he plunged the knife into Caesar?s back, literally. It must be by his death: and for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, But for the general. He would be crown'd: How that might change his nature, there's the question. ???????????????.. And then, I grant, we put a sting in him, That at his will he may do danger with. The abuse of greatness is, when it disjoins Remorse from power: and, to speak truth of Caesar, I have not known when his affections sway'd More than his reason (II.i.10-21). Brutus used his knowledge of Caesar to convince himself that it was the right choice he was making. He knew that the power would go to his friend?s head eclipsing his reason and putting his beloved Rome into the hands of a tyrant. Brutus had a choice to make, Rome or Caesar? In the end, his loyalty to Rome exceeded his faithfulness to his close friend. Which poses the question, if Antony truly believed that Caesar would be a horrible dictator, would he have joined the conspirators? From his actions and behavior in the play, he probably would have stood by his friend. When he says, "I shall remember. When Caesar says, ?do this,? it is performed" (I. i. 10-11 ). This sentence proves his devotion to Caesar, for if he did not love him he would not do his bidding with such enthusiasm. It is not inaccurate to say he most definitely would not join the conspirators. Another question is, if Brutus did not truly believe that Caesar was ambitious, would he have joined in plotting his death?

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Balances Of Values And Academiic Freedom Of Inquiry Essay -- essays re

Balances of Values and Academiic Freedom of Inquiry Dear Mr. R. Kirby Godsey,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the process of life we face many challenges and many crossroads. We have many choices and many decisions to make. In making these decisions we must keep in mind the moral values our parents have taught us since we were born. Those Christian values should guide our lives and the choices we make. These same values should also guide at school as well. In our pursuit of knowledge, we should keep these values in mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our never-ending road of learning, we are granted with many academic freedoms. We have the freedom to question and try to learn new ideas. We also have the freedom to disagree with the material presented to us. We can disagree and voice our opinions, but in an orderly fashion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In exercising those freedoms, we should do so with maturity and responsibility. As students, we are responsible for learning all the content of any course we study. We are free to take exception to the views or information presented to us, and we are free to reserve judgment about matters of opinions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sometimes, in our quest for knowledge, there becomes a conflict between our beliefs we are accustomed to and the material presented to us. When there is a difference, we should not ignore the idea or block it out. We should feel free to learn and question new ideas. Just because we learn somet...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Unhealthy America

American is supposed to be the strongest nation in the world however we have managed to grasp the largest and most unhealthy nation trophy along with it. Americans care more about how quickly they can grab a meal rather than what that meals consists of and how bad the food is for the body. Americans are becoming increasingly unhealthy with every meal they consume. My aunt went on a trip to Greece recently where she says the food was exquisite and utterly delicious. While she was crashing a Greek wedding she got to experience some of the traditional food. She said the meats were fall off the bone tender with more explosive tastes than her taste buds could handle. She said the salad was a rainbow of green lettuce with mixed with reds of all colors for tomatoes. She produced a tiny bottle that once was full of homemade Greek salad dressing that the mother of the bride had made especially for her daughter’s perfect day. She recalled how immaculate the food was saying specifically she had never seen such amazing foods in America and wished she could bring the cooks back with her. She later told me that when she got back to the states, she realized just how bad she ate before she went on her trip and she sees more clearly now just how unhealthy Americans really are. Her story prompted me to step back and look closer at how we as a nation choses what we are eating. I took my son to the grocery store to get food for the next couple weeks. I made all of his food myself instead of buying processed baby food because I know it is much healthier for him and it makes me think about what I eat. While we were in the fruits and vegetables isle, I noticed we were one of three people shopping in this area while the rest of the market place was packed with people. With the previous conversation stuck in my head, I decided to look around at what others were purchasing around me. I spotted a woman with a shopping cart mounding over with food. The looks of her cart reminded me of a contest I watched on TV where the mom got 5 minutes to get as much stuff as she could and by the end of her 5 minutes her cart was overflowing with stuff. As I watch her carefully choose what she was placing in her cart I realized we were in the frozen foods section. She was staring at a glass door intensely. Behind that glass door sat probably 20 different variations of ice cream. While this stranger and her overweight daughter discussed the options together, I watched her pick up two different one gallon containers of ice cream. One container had chocolate swirls throughout the off white vanilla ice cream and the other had the same chocolate swirls accompanied by pink strawberry swirls. I could hear her daughter asking for one kind and her mother saying she wanted the other kind. So instead of having to choose between the two different gallons of ice cream, she placed both containers in her already overflowing cart. I could sense both of their insulin levels increasing as they began to walk away with their prized frozen treats. While I was standing in the isle with this mother-daughter duo, I was able to get a good look at what they had stuffed in to their cart. I saw several blue boxes of Mac-N-Cheese paired with packages of processed animal intestines otherwise known as hotdogs. I could count six boxes of Hamburger Helper and each one a different variation but all boxes had the detail in bold of being doubly cheesy. I would think that a box of processed food that only needs to have water added to it is not the healthiest meal a mother could make for her child. I also spotted a couple 12 packs of various types of soda. I saw short green soda containers of individual bottles of Mountain Dew placed neatly on the side wall of her cart. Thinking to myself I remembered something I read saying that Mountain Dew has the most sodium per bottle than any other soda drink in the business. I came to the conclusion that my aunt was right. We as a nation are not only eating unhealthy but teaching our children to do the same as well. After leaving the grocery store with our fruit and veggies in hand, I decide to stop at fast food restaurant to grab a salad for lunch. While in line the person ahead of me places his order. The young lady taking his order is a very short woman with a very wide stance. As he gives his order I recount the experience that I had just had, watching this stranger and her daughter purchase mass quantities of food that were processed and extremely unhealthy. The gentleman tells the cashier he would like a Quarter Pounder with cheese. He asks for an extra slice of cheese, extra pickles and no lettuce or tomato. While the young lady quickly punches thing in to her computer screen to detail the order to his specific wants, he also adds that he would like to supersize his meal and requests a fresh batch of French fries. In my head, still reeling from my conversation with my aunt, I thought about how much grease this man is going to eat in just his lunch sitting. The woman waddled over to the fryers that were full of what looked like grease that had not been changed in a week, pulled out a new bag of frozen French fries, filled the container full of them and slid them in to the hot, boiling grease to cook. With his order being made, I couldn’t help but to think of all of the calories in his meal that he was getting ready to devour. He stepped aside waiting on his food and I placed my order for a grilled salmon salad with no dressing. I quickly realized our two orders couldn’t be more on the opposite sides of the nutrition chart as his meal was nothing but fat and grease and mine containing lettuce, fish, cheese and tomatoes. Another stranger opting to eat absolutely nothing good for them. As I sit down to enjoy my salad I look around and see the meals of others in the restaurant. I take out a package of already cut up bite size pieces of peaches for my son to each since he is only 7 months old. Trying to be inconspicuous, I look at the table next to me. A mother and her two young children are sitting, enjoying their lunches. The mother had a cheeseburger with so much ketchup running out of the sides you would think there was more ketchup that meat. Her youngest son had a 10 piece chicken nugget meal. The nuggets were obviously fried but the meat inside was a strange color of grey leading me to believe it was imitation meat. The little boy devoured each nugget only after carefully dipping each one of the nuggets in to a tub of barbeque sauce, making sure to lather each inch of the nugget to his desired amount. The oldest boy had the same fried, strangely grey food but was dipping his nuggets in to ketchup. In my head I couldn’t help but to sum up their lunch as to being fried fat and fried imitation meat, all lathered in a sodium filled dipping sauce. I quickly finished my meal and headed for the door. I had set my mind that I would not be like that mother, teaching her sons that eating unhealthy was acceptable. As I started putting away my groceries, I also started riding my cupboards and refrigerator from anything processed. It was clear to me that the word unhealthy was quickly becoming our nation’s primary adjective. As I reflect on my conversation with my aunt and the experiences I had with the unknowing strangers I watched purposely chose fatty, processed, fried and ultimately the most unhealthy foods possible, I realized obesity is not just a term used to define a plus size individual but a growing epidemic that is quickly spreading across our great nation. Unhealthy Americans are more prominent in society today and the growing trend does not look to be slowing down any time soon.

Friday, August 16, 2019

International Foods Essay

The International Food Group (IFG) was the largest purveyor of food products in the world. Since IFG went public in the 1980s they continued to grow while acquiring companies by the dozen each year. Some of the companies were competition that needed to be eliminated while others had good ideas which IFG liked. Josh’s company, Glow-Foods, fortunately had some ideas that attracted IFG. Josh, while not very important himself was asked to meet with John Ahern and Tonya James, manager if IT marketing. John and Tonya were impressed with Josh’s work at Glow-Foods using social networking and other multimedia to market Glow-Foods. His ability to reach the under-thirty demographic is what really impressed management at IFG. Tonya explained how IFG wanted Josh to help them reach the youth and young adult market with IT. Josh would get a team and whatever resources he needed to accomplish this. Weeks later Josh met his team to begin work. He first met with Tonya, who expressed her excitement in having Josh onboard. Tonya would be responsible for helping Josh work through the many obstacles she knew would lay ahead. The obstacles were within IT as well with the larger company as a whole. Tonya introduced Josh to Rick Visser, the chief technology officer. Rick was in charge of architecture, security, risk management and the technology roadmap. Rick quickly reminded him there are procedures must be followed. It did not take long for Josh to realize there might be a bit more obstacles than he would like. Moving from a smaller company like Glow-Foods to IFG meant drastic changes in the process. Initially issues began to surface slowly, starting with a polite email from Visser reminding the team that access to instant messaging and Facebook required prior approval from his group. Next a request to outline proposed work, with costs and benefits for the next fiscal year, beginning six months from now. Josh and his team were understandably frustrated since they had to be innovative and think outside the box while following a very restrictive process. Josh and his team  worked through the obstacles and come up with a three pronged marketing plan. First, using an interactive web site with real time responses from internal staff the company c ould connect directly to customers about new product development ideas. Second, reach out to different communities to gain insight into their needs to help guide future marketing plans and third, implement all these ideas on the cloud. This would allow for easy scalability while linking with the company databases. Several obstacles where mentioned immediately. What are the business values and initiatives? What if these customers don’t like our company or our products and say bad things about us? How do we handle these situations? There was also great concern about the cloud. IFG did not have the cloud in its architecture and there was a fear of having too much company information vulnerable to anyone on cyberspace. They also mentioned the cloud idea was tried a few years back and it did not go well. Josh needed to win support for his three-point plan to use technology to reach its customers. There are several avenues Josh can take. For the first item, I believe Josh can do several things to help alleviate fear of an interactive web site. One would be to reach out to others who may be doing something similar and get their feedback. Another would be to just lay out some basic procedures for getting negative fe edback. Chances are there will obviously be some for one reason or another; maybe the idea of coupons or refund programs could be looked into, although outside the IT realm, there could be others in the company who could help with this idea. The second talking point of reaching out to different communities did not appear to get a lot of push back. It may be that this idea can proceed with little resistance. The third and the most controversial talking point is the cloud. Josh would definitely have to work closely with Rick and come up with a cost effective plan that works for the company, at the same time will alleviate their fears of the â€Å"cloud†. A well laid out plan explaining the process, the risk management and the benefits of the cloud will help win support for this final point of his plan. In conclusion, in Josh’s own words he has hit the big time. While the company policies require a much more strict business process each of them needs and can be worked through. IT appears there was an initial conversation with John, where Tonya mentioned the enormous roadblocks that are present because of all the procedures in place. The team needed room to be creative while  still working within the system. John appeared to be receptive to further meetings to allow this to happen. Until then, while working within the system, Josh needs to adapt to the new business process, since resisting it will only hurt his cause for new IT marketing ideas. All of his talking points in his three pronged IT marketing attack were very good, Josh and his team need to be a bit more thorough and try their best to have answers to every possible situation. References McKeenm, James D., Smith, Heather A. IT Strategy: Issues and Practices. Upper Saddle River, NJ

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Four Key Attributes of Strategic Management

Strategic Management must firstly be directed towards a company’s goals and objectives. Typically the company will be organized with a mission and vision developed, stating a purpose and direction of the overall organization. The goals and objectives set by the manager’s act as stepping stones to maintain that vision. These goals need to be transparent throughout the organization to allow the key players to achieve buy-in as the team moves towards accomplishing these goals.Secondly, the strategic management of an organization must include multiple stakeholders in decision making . Typically stake holders have demands on different areas of the organization. Managers must consider the consequences of how certain decision will affect each stakeholder group. Stakeholders will include the owners, shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, and the community . Decisions that may benefit the owners such as taking short cuts in safety may have drastic effects on the employee s or a local community’s environment.Decisions to cut costs in quality control and employee training may benefit the bottom line of a company for a short time, but eventually will lead to a poorer product being produced and a lack of consumer confidence or higher warranty claims of the end user. Third, strategic management requires incorporating both short-term and long-term perspectives. Managers must maintain a vision for the future as well as focus on the present needs.Managers can be put in a position to be â€Å"short sited† to reach production numbers or sales goals by making decisions that don’t coincide with those long term goals of growth. Salesmen with quotas may always look for the quick sale without respect for building a long term relationship with the customer. This can cause long term reputation issues and cause a company to develop a culture of poor service and trust. Strategic managers must fourthly recognize the trade-off between effectiveness and efficiency. This is described as â€Å"doing the right thing† or â€Å"doing things right†.Managers must make decisions that guide the organization towards its overarching goals and perform actions which create cost savings, best practice’s, and build a culture of a positive corporation. Sometimes doing the right thing may cost the company more money to stay on focus of the mission. Companies may make organizational decisions that inhibit the success of the organization. In a recent news story, a company in West Virginia made a decision not to report a chemical spill from its holding tanks into the Elk River .This spill has now contaminated the drinking water supply of over 300,000 residents and sent some of them to the hospital. Freedom Industries made the decision not to report the spill until after the state Department of Environmental Protection had already traced it to one of their leaking tanks. Through this act of neglect and failure to report the lea k, the company now creates a reputation of untrustworthiness and may face legal action which will significantly affect the stakeholders (both stockholders and local community).A local company in my business area has been known as a poor company to work for and has a reputation of a sour culture. This company has had safety issues and difficult times finding quality employees. The company deals in supplies to major automakers and has recently seen great growth due to the surge in automotive sales over the last several years. Now the company has a need for expansion of its building and added equipment to produce the needed volume of parts to match the growth.Because they have had a short term perspective of the economy due to the downturn in 2008, the management has made decisions to pay the employees lower wages and fail to train them adequately which eventually have led to a 40% turnover rate. The company has recently spent millions of dollars on the expansion and can’t find employees that are willing to work for them due to the reputation they have. Poor cultures within a company can have long term effect on its continual growth and take many years to turn around even with the best strategic managers.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

An Essay on Beowulf

Beowulf is a warrior who takes pride in fighting for others and others. Beowulf exhibits multiple characteristics of an epic hero. Beowulf is capable of things that most are not capable of during his time.   Beowulf is capable of deeds of great strength and courage. Beowulf has the courage and strength to challenge the monster Grendel despite Grendel's history and tendency to slaughter many warriors. Grendel is a giant monster that is unharmed by human weapons, forcing Beowulf to use nothing but his bare hands. This battle boosts Beowulf's resume proving that he has great strength and courage since Beowulf took on the challenge that most of the warriors were afraid of. Beowulf's strength is displayed when he uses bare hands to rip off Grendel's arm. Beowulf goes underwater to battle with Grendel's mother with the courage to pass through multiple sea monsters. This demonstrates Beowulf's courage since he went through what the other warriors were afraid to, knowing that his life could be taken by Grendel's mother or the sea monsters. Beowulf returns from his home to put an end to the dragon that has been terrorizing the Danes. Beowulf is of old age at this time but arrays great strength and courage by going to the dragon's home, with the help of only one other warrior, aware that he may not make it out alive. Beowulf's strength and courage set him apart from the average warriors. Beowulf faces supernatural foes in his battles. Beowulf faces Grendel, but Grendel is unharmed by any ordinary weapons. Beowulf's approach to fighting Grendel must be different than human battles. Grendel's supernaturalism is emphasized by the warriors' swords inability to harm him. Beowulf battles with the supernatural dragon that was terrorizing Hrothgar's men. The average warriors are not able to tame the dragon. The dragon possessed flames and poison that naturals did not own. Beowulf goes to Grendel's mother underwater lair to defeat her. Beowulf's natural sword cannot penetrate her skin since she is a supernatural evil foe. The sword that Beowulf attempts to use would penetrate the skin of an average person, but human weapons fail against Grendel's mother since she is supernatural. Beowulf partakes in battles and victories against foes with immortal abilities that regular or ordinary warriors cannot handle. Beowulf owns the credibility of a great warrior. Beowulf boasts stating, â€Å"I drove Five great giants into chains, chased All of that race from the earth. I swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean and killing them one by one† (Lines 151-158). Beowulf has fought many sea monsters in the ocean giving him an accomplishment to support his boasting of ability. Not many, if any, of the warriors could overcome five great giants. Beowulf fought a swimming match with Brecca in the deepest and dangerous seas. Beowulf has the proof behind his boasting since no man could swim and fight off monsters in the seas like him. Beowulf is an established and accomplished warrior before he even fights his biggest battles for Hrothgar. Beowulf possesses characteristics and abilities that define him as an epic hero. Beowulf takes on tasks or challenges that the average warriors do not have the capability of doing. Beowulf solidifies his already impressive resume in his battles in Daneland.

Disclosing Officer Untruthfulness to the Defense in Court proceedings Research Paper

Disclosing Officer Untruthfulness to the Defense in Court proceedings - Research Paper Example An officer is just as a common citizen and should be charged, convicted and punished as any other person. But what if an officer is terminated? Is that punishment enough or more punishment is needed? These big questions have put law enforcement officers in to pressure since they are unable to produce answers to these questions. Many departments in the country have been influenced by the court orders and court decisions that have significant roles when it comes to decision making, serious debates and not forgetting long court wars with the labour organizations revolving around the issue of expectations in policy and disciplinary actions. Keywords: law enforcement officer, punishment, court orders, policy, disciplinary actions This paper has an equitable chance of disclosing the right decisions on law enforcement officers who have been untruthful in the workplace. Reasons for convicting the officer are given herein while reasons for termination only are also produced. The main article revolves around how an officer should be dealt with when he/she does a wrong thing at the work place. Should he/she be terminated only or should he be terminated and punished alongside other punishment? With this questions acting as the main research questions, the paper give satisfied points and decisions on an officer who is supposed to be judged because of his/her wrong doing. The officer is charged with allegations saying that he/she misused the office computers by accessing pornographic media while at work. First he denies such allegations but with further investigation, the same officer is charged with another allegation that his password was used to access unauthorised websites. This time the officer accepts the allegation put against him and begs for forgiveness. With this criminal activity in mind, the paper gives the right decision to be imposed on the officer alleged and also it gives the reasons why the officer was put under such punishment (Maryland, 1963, 83). The U.S justice department has produced necessary instructions on the conduct of the federal law enforcement case which may have local and state police employees involved. This local and state police may have records of untruthfulness in the workplace thus subjected to the instructions provided by the U.S justice department. Several publications including magazines such as the police chief magazine and others have published articles posing discussions on such matters of breaking law. This has led to a number of enforcement departments to provide instructive procedures and rules regarding such matters. Some of these procedures have been published and posted on notice boards and work places. Such publications may include: do not watch or download pornographic movies. But with these signs around the work places, the mission of stopping such criminal activities have not stopped nor reduced at all thus court orders are employed at such situations. If such incidences are to be stopped then some m ethods should be done. The following are the revolutionary methods for stopping such criminal activities. First credibility is essential in the working place. It is noticed that dilemmas in ethical issues have led to serious problems to many professionals over a long period of time. However, those who pay attention to such issues are very few than those who do involve law enforcement officers. Law enforcement

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Investigation Tourism Marketing Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Investigation Tourism Marketing Report - Essay Example In 1976, the Tourism Society of England defined it as "Tourism is the temporary, short-term movement of people to destination outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during the stay at each destination. It includes movements for all purposes."2 some components such as hotel room or accommodation for their visitors, coach and the variety of meals, even sometimes banking services also provided to the customer from this industry. The main aim of this report is to conduct an audit of the business environment (based on P.E.S.T & Porter's five forces model analysis) on Royal Bengal Airlines and conduct an Opportunity & Threat analysis on the basis of environmental audit and defining its service provided to its consumer and its marketing (partially) area from the country (Bangladesh) perspective. "A collaboration of a group of professionals who shared the same vision decided to be proactive and form RBA in early 2006. The team has evolved quickly and continues to grow from strength to strength. The founding members are UK based and come from a wide range of backgrounds and bring with them vast experiences from the business, academic and aviation world. The visionaries and the founders of RBA have been working towards this project since 1991. Due to various restrictions and limitations in the early nineties it was not possible to move the project forward"3. The growth in the Asian economy, in particular the travel sector within Southeast Asia, has created an opportunity in the market for a new airline. RBA was born as a direct result of this, with the aim of utilizing the potential development of the Asian market and turning this into a profitable and successful airline venture. To analyze the environment of RBA, it's needed to conduct an audit (based on PEST analysis and Fiv e force model analysis). "The simple acronym PEST (stand for political, economical, social and technological) serves well as an aide-memoire when considering the array of environmental forces influencing business activity. Pest analysis assembles a logical and comprehensive picture of the environment"4. By conducting an analysis (PEST) on RBA's environment, it has seen that the organization is in an excellent situation such as the political allaince between both country UK and Bangladesh is good enough to do business. Economic and Technological relation between these countries is higher such as Bangladesh export garments products to UK and Uk export technological product such as machineries, computers and other engineering technologies. As a result company takes economical (in the side of currency sharing) and technological advantage here. The social bond between two countries is higher as there is a cultural sharing and accepting tendency and RBA performing their Corporate Social Responsibility program in B angladesh. Afterbevluation it can be said that the PEST analysis goes in faovor of RBA. The another analysis is "Five Force Model analysis". "The Porter's 5 Forces tool is a simple but powerful tool for understanding where power lies in a business situation. This is useful, because it helps to understand both the strength of your current competitive position, and the strength of a position." Five Forces Analysis assumes that there are five important forces that determine competitive power in a situation. These are thoroughly given below: Supplier Power: It assesses how easy it is for suppliers to drive up prices. This is driven by the number of suppliers of each key input, the

Monday, August 12, 2019

Causes behind the Arab Spring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Causes behind the Arab Spring - Essay Example In fact, nations like Iraq, Syria, and Iran were obstacles in the path of establishing a greater Israel which could control the whole Middle East. Thus, the best way to do so was to topple the ruling regime by working from within. In order to do so, it was necessary to create conflict between the various religious and ethnic groups by entering the nation in the name of protecting the minorities. A perfect example is Tunisia, which was once considered the best Economy in Africa. However, as Tunisian leader Ben Ali was in close contact with the West and NATO, it was easy for the West to manipulate the internal affairs. As Lalmi reports, soon, the corruption of Ben Ali was leaked through Wikileaks, and mass demonstrations hit the streets in no time. Soon, Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia. Very similar was the case of Egypt and Hosni Mubarak. Evidently, he was a man who was hated by most Arabs for his support of the West. Also, there were many more reasons ranging from his privatization of natural resources to foreign investors, supporting the attack on Iraq, and opposition to Hezbollah’s and Hamas’ armed fight against Israel. In order to promote uprisings, as Nixon reported in New York Times, various American groups including International Republican Institute, National Democratic Institute and Freedom House, and National Endowment for Democracy and Project on Middle East Democracy provided technical training in the use of social networking and mobile technology. In fact, the situation was very similar in Libya where Gaddafi was foolish enough to try to establish an African Union which would jeopardize the re-colonization plan and to develop a new currency to rival the American Dollar and the European Euro.

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Web technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Web technology - Essay Example Now search engines are working in this regards and comes with the solution of personalized search so as give its users search results based on the user demographic information and interests and taste. In addition, these days search history can be also maintained by search engines, which users can see on later days. Aim: The study of personalized web searching will provide an opportunity to learn how different personalized search engines works and make use of user specific information for assisting web-searching process. Implement a preliminary web searching system (prototype) based on the design and refine the searching mechanism and the system designed to further improve its effectiveness through comparison with other methods. In this section, initially a definition and benefits from the personalized search will be presented than after history and preliminary analysis of some personalized search engines (Google, Yahoo and MSN) will be presented. After that, various tools and technologies that are going to be used for this project will covered in methodology section. Personalized search is the fine-tuning of search results and advertising based on an individual’s preferences, demographic information and other factors. Presumably, the better a search engine understands a user’s interests and preferences, the better able it is to target search results, advertising, sponsored links, etc. [Johnson 2005] After definition now question arises, why these days so many big giants (companies) are interested in providing personalized search. The next few paragraphs will give answer to this question. The first benefit is financial. According to Johnson (2005), personalized search drives financial benefits both in short term and long term. In the short term, advertisers increase revenue by targeting ads and promotions at the users who

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Satellite Centers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Satellite Centers - Essay Example The initial paragraph of the agreement states, â€Å"This Satellite Center will be responsible for establishing a knowledge of and capacity for initiating and supporting accelerated schools for at-risk students in its local school district and to spread this capacity to schools in districts in surrounding areas. The Stanford staff will work with the Satellite Centers to build this capacity and all activities will be geared to that end† (Satellite Center Agreement, 1990). The Satellite Center approaches to Accelerated Schools for a number of reasons. Prominent among these was the desire to get leverage by establishing local capacity and advocacy that would be far more effective with school systems in a specific locality than would be a program operating out of a single national site, We also wanted to try to provide the conditions and incentives for teacher and administrator training programs to transform their activities in conjunction with the hands-on transformation of the schools they would be working with. The Satellite Center Project has a number of objectives (Satellite Center Agreement, 1990) which may be grouped together into three major goals. The first goal of the project is for the Satellite Centers to become the focus for Accelerated Schools training, evaluation and facilitation in their geographic area. They win serve as a vehicle for implementation for many different educational entities desiring to participate in the Accelerated Schools Project. They are expected to provide a forum for the promotion and understanding of accelerated schools through the sponsorship of and participation in conferences and the production of and contribution to publications. Accordingly, Satellite Centers are also expected to revise their teacher education programs to include the Accelerated Schools principles and processes in the curriculum in meaningful ways and to place student observers,

Friday, August 9, 2019

Approaches to management and leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Approaches to management and leadership - Essay Example Western notions of leadership and management are distinct as to say that these compel tasks to be done by hook or by crook. For that, Western approaches to management have always been strictly based upon certain principles. The primary objective that includes all those principles is the objective of economic gain. Financial stability or the policy called Laisez Faire has always been on the forefront of promoting business by any means. In achieving this purpose, the workers or the employees are considered to be a means towards an end. In the Marxist point of view, the employees are next to commodities that are extensively used to generate revenue (Kumar & Ghosh, pp. 2-4, 2003). Whether we talk about the 19th Century when agricultural society was transforming into an industrial society or we talk about the contemporary world, the Western approaches have always been alike. Earlier, in the Western society, employees were treated a little less than human and were merely considered as mean s. Western philosophers and theorists like Plato, Machiavelli, Karl Marx, John Adair and many others have proposed certain theories that are applied to the Western management approaches and concepts. The theories like situational, trait and contingency theories are inculcated in the leadership concepts and these advocate that leaders have the mandate to use power and control over the manipulation of circumstances or adapt certain traits that they think are required in the present situation and that enhance their skills. Experts suggest that the approach towards leadership in the Western parameter revolves around certain traits that are utterly distinctive and differentiate the Western writers from the Eastern concepts. These characteristics are goal orientation, at first. Western leadership approach tend to direct itself to a certain prescribed goal while having multiples of these, however, Eastern theorists do not tend to think that having one single goal in mind can work in the lo ng run but a leader is one who has to manage multiple tasks together. Secondly, the concept of leadership in the West also stresses upon the characteristic of one-on-one relations. As mentioned earlier, the leader has more than merely a cursory view of the work that the subordinates assume. Moreover, the individual concerns get individual and formal time rather than incorporating them in a socialized gathering. Thirdly, Western approach bases there results on a short-term level; they are indeed goal oriented but they tend to achieve a single goal at a certain point in time and attain there short-term prospective before moving forward. Rationalism and a logical attitude is the final characteristic that defines the Western arena of leadership. The Western leadership concept tries to base all its step, methods and procedures on appropriate reasoning rather than on emotional grounds. Marx argues that the people in the managerial position are in control of the means of production of the organization and thus are not liable to any one. He analyzed that they have the power and thus, they exploit the subordinates in order to make a task done and meet the goals of the organization. Moreover, the theorist also cites that these are the people who are in close contact with the owners who gratuitously rely upon them as making and breaking of policies for the organization since they are considered as the best skilled people for this job. Thus, the overall control comes in handy to the managers who try to perpetuate the school of thought, which they have already learned from their learning institutes (Kumar & Ghosh, pp. 73-74, 2003). One major thing that separates the Eastern concepts of management and leadership from those of the Western

Thursday, August 8, 2019

The Cause of Sept 11 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Cause of Sept 11 - Research Paper Example On September 11, 2001, two planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center building in New York City while another plane hit the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The iconic building collapsed in less than two hours causing a fatality of nearly 3,000 people. This tragedy is the most lethal form of terrorism to have been carried out in modern times and will probably never be forgotten in American history. Government agencies and security experts have immediately assessed the rationale for the attack. In this regard, the essay aims to proffer the causes of the September 11, 2011 incident that shocked the world and millions of Americans whose lives have been drastically changed by it. Causes of the 9/11 Attack In retrospect, contemporary generation asks the relevant question: what led to 9/11 in the first place? There have been diverse theories on the rationale for the attack. One traced the root cause from America being a superpower and the icon of Western world and was ther efore the best target for the Islamists to carry out their attack. Head (2011) agrees that probably America lacked a strong representative of Islam – of the order of say Malcolm X – who would have given the US a human face, making the American people much harder to be demonized by the likes of al-Qaeda. Auster (2003) cited various explanations, to wit: â€Å"some blamed America's rejection of the Kyoto accords (a favorite charge among globalists), some blamed our failure to help alleviate Third-World hunger (a favorite among Episcopalians), some blamed our friendship with Israel (a favorite in some precincts of the right as well as the left). The real explanation had been lurking in the background all this while, but had never, to my knowledge, been proffered before now: America was attacked because of its racism† (Auster, 2003, par. 1). On the contrary, Levingston (2010) disagrees with the common notion that Western interference was the cause of 9/11. He ar gues that 9/11 was the result of a clash of Arab civilizations that simply used America as one of its venues. Levingston (2010) argues that the Arab world’s political culture has no mechanism for either sharing power or transmitting political authority from one governing body to another except through inheritance, coup or conquest and that we just happened to be at that stage that different groups are fighting to take over the leadership in the Middle East. The official comprehensive report compiled and published by the National Commission on Terrorist Attack Upon the United States entitled The 9/11 Commission Report under the section The Foundation of the New Terrorism indicated that Usama Bin Laden, together with a fugitive Egyptian physician, Ayman al Zawahiri, proposed a Declaration of War against the United States: â€Å"claiming that America had declared war against God and his messenger, they called for the murder of any American, anywhere on earth, as the ‘in dividual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it’† (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 2004, p.47). There were even conspiracy theories that emerged stating that the cause of the 9/11 attack was actually â€Å"planned and executed by federal officials in order to provide the U.S. with a pretext for going to war in the Middle East and, by extension, as a means of consolidating and extending the power of

Discuss an economics-, business- ,or finance-related book you have Essay

Discuss an economics-, business- ,or finance-related book you have read all the way through and its influence on your thinking - Essay Example This information is vital as it expands on the investment knowledge that I learnt in class. Apart from sharing the financial information with the three young people, Roy, the main character offers financial advices to his customers at the barber shop. Roy had a plan of becoming a lawyer when he was growing up, but he later changed his mind. He takes over the barber shop that belongs to his father and begins running it well after a visit to Mr. White, who was one of the wealthiest individuals in the town. The financial advice he gets from Mr. White opens up the way for the accumulation of wealth. After reading the book, I realized that I don’t need a lot of money before I can begin investing. Saving and investing ten percent of my monthly income for a long term can enable me to accumulate a lot of money (Chilton, 8). I was able to understand that it is better to pay off non-tax deductible debts rather using the same amount of money in other investments. The best investment begins with paying off loans and other debts. An individual should start paying off loans that have high-interest rates. I have realized that in order to be wealthy, I have to ensure that my money works for me. These is because, my salary is quite smaller compared to less amount of money invested over time. In order to keep track of finances, an individual needs to write down all the expenditure in a month. I was able to understand that the financial assessment can help identify areas of wastage and thus plan for the money effectively in future (Chilton, 10). Additionally, the book offers knowledge on how to save more tax money. Most people require assistance from a tax expert or an accountant so as to able to identify how to save on tax. Even though, the experts can be of help in offering advice, it is important for a people to fill the 1040 long forms by themselves so as to

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

My Mission Statement & Goal Plan Essay Example for Free

My Mission Statement Goal Plan Essay I may not convince the world that I can be the next Nobel Peace Prize winner. I may not persuade people to make me the next Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. Nor do I have any illusions of garnering millions of votes to become the next president of this country. But if I am to be given an opportunity to describe myself, all that I can honestly say is that, I am who I am. Thus, in an attempt to try and take a glimpse in defining the person I always see in front of the mirror, I have come to a resolution that the best thing to do is to find and understand my purpose in life. By doing so, I ponder to ask the question, why do I exist? In other words, my mission in life is quite an irony or for some, it may seem stupid or foolish. Simply put it, my mission in life is to find my mission life. Although many people may think that this statement is hilarious, I will respectfully beg to differ. There are millions of people living aimlessly spending every second of their time in confusion and uncertainty. And for me, this is a frightening reality and to a certain extent, it is a sad one as well. And I admit that I am afraid to be one of them. It is the fear of not knowing where I am, where am I going and what I want to do which has led me to set my life in constantly pursuing the truth behind my existence or purpose in this world. I believe that by doing so, can help me see even just an inch of the incomprehensible reality each person carries with him or her. In light of this, I have aimed to unravel my mission in life through a process of first understanding my short-term goals of knowing who I am and where I stand through the institution that I want to affect and influence my life. Then, I plan to venture into my long-term goals that reflect my dreams and ambitions not just a professional and a son but more importantly, as a person. Thus, in order to know and find one’s purpose in life, a person must first know and find who he is, where he is and where he wants to be. It has been said by Benjamin E. Mays that the tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching a person’s goal, the tragedy lies in having no goals to reach. To me, he makes perfect sense. Somehow, a person who has no goals, dreams or ambitions has nothing to hope for or to look forward to. I thus find it highly imperative to transfer to the University of Southern California as my primary short-goal. I know firsthand that life in this world is often measured by the amount of success, wealth and fame a person possesses. I am familiar with the University of Southern California. I believe that if I am to be given the opportunity to study in such a distinguished institution, such an achievement tells me that I will never find myself wanting to be more successful, wealthier and famous than I already am. Transferring to the University of Southern California reflects a bigger picture of my goal of constant growth and development. In this moment in my life, I know that the best thing to do is to further my knowledge and skills. Entering this institution is the wisest way of preparing myself for what the world will be showing and throwing at me. And I have to confess that I am afraid to take this step. Amidst all that have been happening in my life, I sometimes think that I have made a shadowy acquaintance, and its name is fear. But I have learned not to stand down anymore in the face of adversity. There is always the fear of not being good enough or failing. But I believe that my greatest fear is merely fear itself. And for me to overcome this, I have to keep walking and moving despite being afraid. People will constantly judge and criticize me. I know this and I have learned to live with it. I honestly get affected because I am a sincere person. I dedicate and commit myself to something I really believe in wholeheartedly. My friends and family will attest to this fact. I can guarantee that I am a person of principle with an unwavering confidence and an incomparable determination. I am absolutely confident that I can bring the person that I am to the University of Southern California. By transferring to this university, I have realized that I also have to achieve the goal of convincing other people that I want it and that I deserve it. If this is a business proposal then let me assure everyone that I am good investment. I believe in who I am and what I can do. All that I am asking for is for you to believe in me. In essence, my short-term goals are all about realigning my path not just on a good one, but more importantly, on the right one. My short-term goals can briefly show who I am based on what I have already been through. My short-term goals are the remaining few years before I venture into the real world. Furthermore, my short-term goals portray my desire to take a step and revolutionize who I am right now in becoming someone I hope to be. During the vast reign of the Roman Empire, a great man by the name of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus once said, â€Å"A man’s worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions. † I somehow feel that ambitions can thoroughly define a person but at the same time, it can also break the person. Somewhere in life’s journey, a person will have to face the â€Å"non-negotiable† realities in their lives. These are the things that tend to be so difficult and even impossible to change. I have thus made my long-term goals into something practical and achievable for me. I have envisioned myself in about less than ten years as someone who runs his own business while also helping my father run his. I find my long-term goals to be realistic and honest. I do not have grand dreams of eradicating poverty or creating some out-of-this-world idea that will save us from global warming. I want to keep my feet firmly on the ground. But this does not mean that my long-term goals are plain, simple and self-serving. As matter of fact, I expect them to be challenging, tricky and risky. Running and having my own business is no walk in the park. In this modern age, the competition is so tight and the stakes are roughly high that being good falls short by a mile. This does not even include the fact that I will also be greatly involved in my father’s business. But I want to take this risk. How can people discover new lands if they cannot lose sight of the shore? If I am to venture into this, I need to be cutting-edge and have an innovative mind. This is why the link between my short-term goals and my long-term goals is very significant. I want to take it step by step without any shortcuts. Each stage in my life is a learning process where I grow and develop myself for my future. Most people describe who they are but what they have. Still, others know who they are by how they are described by other people. I for one believe that what I have and how others perceive me are just parts of who I am as a whole. I believe that the person who best knows who I am is myself. People may see me in terms of things I have or from their own point-of-views. But I can never be half the person that they say I am if I do not know and accept what I think and see that I am. This is why my short-term and long-term goals are all starting points to initiate my true purpose in life. Through these goals, I may somehow find a semblance or clue of what I truly want out of my life. Through these goals, I can find who I am. As Lao Tzu has said, â€Å"Knowing others is wisdom, knowing the self is enlightenment. † Simply put it, through acting upon my goals, I intend to find something that will grab my attention and interest that will make me dedicate my life to it. Some will spend their entire lives looking and searching, while others may spend their lives staring at a distance unable to move and make a difference. In the greater scheme of things, I like to believe that it is not about reaching or achieving that which I have set for myself but rather, it is all about how I get there that really counts. How wonderful it is if I can do the things people say I cannot. This is largely founded on the inescapable reality that obstacles will appear every now and then. As for me, the greatest obstacle and weakness I will ever face are being idealistic and fear, respectively. As mentioned earlier, there is always the constant fear of not being good enough or failing. In addition, although being idealistic is not really a bad thing, it also comes with a heavy baggage. By being idealistic, I tend to ignore the reality presented. There is a fine line separating what is in theory and what is in practice. Somehow and some time, this reality will slap me in the face. There is the need to be practical which I fall short of a lot of times. I do believe that there are three types of people in this world: those who ask what happened, those who watch things happen and those who make things happen. I have stopped asking what happened being blind and deaf to the realities of life. I have stopped watching things happen from the sidelines being apathetic to the things happening right before my very eyes. I have thus decided to change and to make things happen. I try to stop making excuses. I do not need an excuse to live but rather, I need a reason to live. And dedicating my life in search for my purpose is something I believe is worthwhile. It is about time to go beyond myself and offer who I am not what I have. If there is one thing I have learned and will never forget from this class is that achieving my goals or aspirations in life is neither an overnight phenomenon nor a magical trick that can easily be pulled instantly out of the hat. Dedicating myself to something I hold dear is always a process. It is an on-going process of continuous learning, understanding and growth as a student, as a son and as a person. These goals may not happen today, tomorrow, next week or next year. The important thing is that it does not start next year, next month, next week or tomorrow but rather, it starts today.