Monday, September 30, 2019

Working in the Shadows Ch 4

Justin Falcone October 19,2012 Homework # 5 Chapter # 4 Journal In reading chapter 4 in working in the shadows we have seen that Gabriele is on his last week of training. Gabriele is giving the job to cut the four rows of lettuce that are in the path of the machine where the lettuce is stored in the boxes. Gabriele is realizing that 4 rows is a lot and his has to get them done. In this chapter you as the reader really realize all the courage, ambition and strength that Gabriel has. Gabriele has started cutting the lettuce the first day Gabriele couldn’t cut 25 heads before having to stand straight up and relax and stretch his back.Gabriele stayed strong and kept up with his cutting and as the days went up Gabriele has cut thousands of lettuce and was on his way to finish up his rows. In this chapter it tells us that Gabriele starts working with the rest of the group and tells us all the struggles that Gabriel is going threw. Between the aches and pains and the soreness, Gabrie l needs to stay strong, it really allows us as the reader to wonder how hard these immigrants are working. As Gabriele goes on with his workdays no matter how hard he is working he is getting yelled out to work harder even though he believes that he is keeping up with the rest of the workers.Something that caught my eye that I feel this chapter was manly about was the immigrant worker towards the American workers in the United States. On a Sunday morning Gabriel went to visit Mateo, and the comments Mateo where making for me as an American worker in the United States take it personal. Basically trying to say that Mexican and immigrant workers work much harder where they work in there country, and that us Americans only sit in offices and work on computers all day.Something that was left out in this chapter could have answered these comments for me and for Mateo that we as Americans work harder then these immigrants think we do. Gabriele could have given stories or even experiences h e had with working to back up us Americans. At least explain that the reason why immigrants get into the United States and take the labor jobs from many American workers is because immigrants allow the low pay and the extra hours of work, because it isn’t anything new for them.As seen in lettuce picking with the extra hours and the low pay, these immigrants don’t have a choice they need to take these jobs. Towards the end of the chapter Gabriele is explaining how hard this job is for him, one of the hardest and Gabriel has taking 2 days off to relax his body. This job I making Gabriele dream about it that how much he thinks about it and worries about going to work every day. After all in my eyes Gabriel realizes that this job is putting a number to him, but he will not quite, he will work threw pain and suffer no matter what.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Forming habits to prevent obesity

Forming habits to prevent obesity â€Å"Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with at least 2. 8 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese† (10 Facts). They have tried to classify obesity as disease for a long time. The American Medical Association recently declared and classified obesity as a disease. Obesity puts you at a high risk for many diseases. Bad habits are the main cause of obesity. You have to improve your nutritional and physical habits to prevent obesity.You are more likely to live a healthy adulthood if you eat right and stay in shape. Obesity is an issue that our society faces. Developing healthy habits as children, teenagers, or even in our early adulthood could help us prevent obesity. Not being involved in physical activities and not eating right causes obesity. The conclusion from a research made by The World Health Organization was â€Å"The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in Canadian youth are high.Th e results suggest that physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors are strongly related to obesity in Canadian adolescents† Oanssen). If we don't take care of our bodies this could be harmful, as we get older. Depression is a mental disorder that could be lethal, â€Å"More han 90 percent of people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder – most commonly a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder. † (Depression). The statistics of suicides caused by obesity are alarming; this makes obesity a major issue that we need to take care of.Depressed people tend to eat more too making it hard for them to stay healthy. Depression can also make you feel isolated by society. These kinds of thoughts are very common among obese teenagers. Being active can help with depression and also fghts obesity, this is why developing active habits is important. Parents play big role in helping their children to develop these habits. A healthy environment at home wher e the kids are able to get the right nutrition and where they can practice physical activities constantly helps to prevent obesity.A study conducted by the Centre for Community Child Health (CCCH) at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, concluded that † A large cross section of Australian preschoolers has, for the first time, suggested that fathers could be at the frontline in preventing early childhood obesity. Mothers are ften blamed for their children's obesity, but this study suggests that for more effective prevention, perhaps we should focus on the whole family. (Preidt) It makes a significant difference if the parents take care of their child's nutrition. Most of the time we can find food ads on television or the Internet and we see different kinds of unhealthy foods such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Dominos Pizza. These ads make us want to eat these kinds of foods. Kids like fast food and if their parents prevent th em from eating a lot of fast food this will help them develop a habit of eating in a healthier way.Parents are responsible for feeding their children correctly. Research conducted by the Institute for Global Health and The Sydney University concluded that. â€Å"An environment that bombards us trom dawn until d with recommendations to eat and drink unhealthy foods is what makes us obese†. (Neal) Parents should embrace physical activities for their children. Television viewing time appears to be an important indicator of a range of lifestyle behaviors likely to promote obesity over time.A study that was conducted on whether television affects obesity or not concluded this; â€Å"The results of this randomized, controlled trial provide vidence that television viewing is a cause of increased body fatness and that reducing television viewing is a promising strategy for preventing obesity' (Robinson). Based on this information we could say that television is a bad habit, because decreasing television in your routine is beneficial for you and it helps you prevent obesity. A high level of physical activity helps you to lose calories and if you do so regularly you can prevent obesity.Some people argue that parents are really not important to obesity. They think that even if the parents embrace a healthy lifestyle, that in some cases obesity is a enetic problem and you cannot prevent it. Genetics play a big role in obesity but even the people that are genetically most likely to become obese, when they have the right habits, do not become obese. The easiest way to form and change these habits is when we are children and that is why our parents are so influential. The physical habits that we create help us fght obesity and stay in shape; people normally develop these habits when are kids or when they are teenagers.Katherine Tallmadge talks in her book â€Å"Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations Simple† about how small changes have been responsible for amazing mprovement in the health of children. Just adding fruits or vegetables at each meal or 1 5 extra minutes of daily exercise helps to avoid obesity. (Tallmadge) Schools have implemented some nutritional programs that have successfully formed healthy habits in their participants; this helps to prevent obesity. Schools give healthy choices during lunch and breaks so kids have the chance to eat healthy and stay in shape. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommends 1 50 minutes a week of PE for elementary school children and 225 minutes a week for middle and secondary-school children† (Story). These programs have been successful in the schools that have implemented them. Extracurricular activities such as sports are also very effective in helping to develop these habits that we need to stay fit. Interscholastic sports programs, intramural activities, and physical activity clubs also keep children active in school.Intramural sports and clubs offer students with a wide range of opportunities to engage in physical activity. It is proven that children who engage in these activities are more likely to be active adults and stay in shape. The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends hat children and adolescents should engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily. A 2009 survey found that only 18 percent of high school students adhered to this recommendation, while only 33 percent attended physical education class each day. (2008 Physical) For adults it is harder to create new habits and change old ones.I strongly recommend that adults seek professional help. There are nutritionists and professional trainers who can help you improve your lifestyle, helping you tight obesity They know the way that the body works so they can advise you in what to do. Besides fghting obesity they can also help you by encouraging you to get in the shape that you desire. After this process you will have this knowledge that you can continue to implement in your lifestyle. Some people argue that they don't exercise or that they know people who do not exercise and are still not obese.People that have a fast metabolism find it really hard to gain weight but even if they are not obese they are still unhealthy if they do not exercise and if they eat poorly. Looking back we see some clear points about how we need and how could prevent obesity. We need to prevent obesity because it could cause some other high-risk isease and eventually death. By having a good plan of nutrition and a good exercise plan we are going to develop good habits that are going to help us prevent obesity; is even better if we develop them when we are very young.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Safe State vs. Swing State

Ben Mason Eng. 1001 sect. 38 9/26/12 The Voting Playground: Play it safe? Or swing? This is a concern that arises for presidential candidates every four years as we approach presidential elections. First, there are two terms to be recognized: â€Å"safe state† and â€Å"swing state†. In a â€Å"safe state† the presidential candidate of a particular party has the vast majority of support of that state's voters, regularly, so that he/she can safely assume the favorable outcome of the state's electoral college votes. Some ell-known safe states are California for democrats, and Texas for republicans. On the contrary, there are states that are not like safe states and no single candidate or party has overwhelming support of the votes. These are called â€Å"swing states† or â€Å"battleground states†. Some examples of swing states of this election are Florida, Iowa, Colorado, and others. In the voting world, the president is decided through representativ e votes by the states. This is called the electoral college. A presidential candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the election. For 48 states, it is a inner-takes-all election which means that whichever candidate receives a majority of the popular vote, or a plurality of the popular vote (less than 50 percent but more than any other candidate), takes all of the state's electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska are the only states that use a proportional vote system. In these states, there could be a split of electoral votes among candidates. (Dugan) The electoral college plays a huge role on the topic of safe states and swing states by effecting the behaviors of presidential candidates. For instance, safe states that re known to vote a certain way will not receive near as much attention or campaigning as swing states during the times close to elections. This is why candidates fight over swing states that may only have as little as 4 electoral votes, instead of fighting for states wit h a lot more. (Dugan) An example of this would be Romney and Obama spending large amounts of money campaigning in a swing state such as Iowa with 7 electoral votes and very little in a safe state like California with 55 electoral votes. (Politico) Candidates do not put a lot of effort into afe states because it is unlikely that he/she can change the minds of the people there. Also, one will not spend time and money campaigning in safe states because he/she may already have the support of the people in those states. As you can see, the electoral college is key to understanding how safe states and swing states work. There is a kind of two party dictatorship in today's American politics and the vast majority of voters fall into these two categories or parties: Republican or Democratic. Every election period there are two candidates unning for these parties. In order for the candidate to get the vote of a particular state he/she must run a campaign. The aggressiveness and frequency of t he campaigns might vary due to the status of a party's influence over certain states. Sometimes the candidates have to modify there stance or ideals on certain issues to fit to that particular state. An example would be that some candidates may want to position themselves to appeal to a certain ethnic group of that area. Obama has tried to appeal to the Hispanic vote in Colorado due to the growing umber of Hispanic immigrants. (Larcinese) This may be a smart move because he is usually popular among minority groups. In return, Romney has tried to address people in rural areas. Recent polls show that he is 14 percent more popular with people in rural areas than Obama is. (Gruber) Also, issues that are a big concern in an area may be emphasized. Things like restoring the health of a declining ecosystem may be brought up in an area that is suffering from deforestation or pollution to secure the votes of people concerned about that subject.Other factors play into campaigning in swing sta tes as well. Many times instead of stretching the truth, a candidate will just neglect to bring up the matter, whatever it may be. The sensitive issues of a certain state might be avoided in order to sound better on a vague level. Slogans are made short and vague for this reason to get anyone to jump on the band wagon. Making the issues fit the political views of the people in a certain area or background is imperative to getting favorable votes. Candidates do whatever it takes to look good or appeal to people.This sometimes means mud-slinging or making the opposing candidate look bad. This has been going on since the beginning of presidential runoffs. A great example of this would be â€Å"Romney's war on women† as said by Obama because of Mitt Romney's stance on issues for women. This gives the allusion that Romney doesn't care about women's health issues so that Obama would be favorable to women. (Politico) In return, Mitt Romney has attacked Obama's healthcare plan saying that Obama wont cover people with preexisting conditions. This is an ongoing thing that will never stop.There will always be differences in views that candidates will trash each other with. There are a vast array of ways to advertise to capture the hearts and minds of would-be voters. The key to it all is appealing to the people that have the most stake in the situation and convincing them to vote a certain way to decide the victor of the presidential race. As you can see, the role of swing states and safe state are crucial to how things are done and the way that American politics play out. Works Cited Larcinese, Valentino. â€Å"Allocating the U. S. Federal Budget to the States. The Journal of Politics. Wiley Library. , 27 Apr 2006. Web. Vol. 68 May 2006 Gruber, Jonathan. â€Å"Rural Favor and Polls† Hastings Center Report. Wiley Library. , 8 Feb 2012. , Sep,Oct 2006 Politico. org. , â€Å"News, Analysis, Candidates, and Polls. † Real Clear Polls. Swing state view. , Sep 26 2012 archive. fairvote. org/e_college. htm. , â€Å"Maine and Nebraska. † â€Å"Center for voting and Democracy. †, copyright 2002. , Dec 10 2009 Dugan, Andrew. Gallup. com/poll/swingstate. htm. , â€Å"Swing State Voters. † Washington D. C. , â€Å"Race Track 2012† Sep 9 2012

Friday, September 27, 2019

Entrepreneurship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Entrepreneurship - Assignment Example Individual or group communication among the customers increases sharing of experiences and further requirements. Personal communication networks of ‘The Gathering Goddess’ are mainly the medium or channels that the management uses to interact with the customers. In the current study, critical evaluation of personal communication network (PCN) is made on the basis of small vintage apparel boutique based in London (Thegatheringgoddess.com, 2015). ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is developing new online stores to reach to more customers in the global market. Therefore, the organization must modify the personal networking policies as per the new platforms. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is a small vintage apparel boutique based in the London area. The organization is producing female products for the Europe and USA clients. Initially, they started with sole physical store in the North Kensington area of London during the year 2002 (Thegatheringgoddess.com, 2015). The organization is facing huge challenge both nationally and internationally. ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is increasing their online presence for meeting challenges from competitors and increase market share and profitability. New partnership developed with the E-commerce firms like Fab.com and eBay helped the firms to meet global customers. Therefore, ‘The Gathering Goddess’ is modifying their Personal Communication Networks (Thegatheringgoddess.com, 2015). Initially, ‘The Gathering Goddess’ was using the personal communication networks to make direct influence on the customers. The firm was able to share information of the products and the services they were offering to the clients. They were using different types of communication channels and tools for communicating with the customers or other organizational stakeholders. Since 2002, the firm has used the several techniques to maintain communication networks among the customers (Thegatheringgoddess.com, 2015). The

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Sociology - Essay Example He calls for a concerted effort to restore their pride and lead a quality life. On the contrary, Mr. Alvin Poussaint breathes some optimism into how African-Americans should see the future and how they should fit themselves into the society. He sees the victory of Obama in the recent Presidential elections as a huge stepping stone in this direction. He expects black people to now walk with a sense of pride and heads held high. Children can take now look up to him as a source of inspiration and the future may witness many more blacks rising up the ranks. Family values and bonds will grow stronger among the blacks and many black men and women may come closer to each other. But he also has a word of caution in his statements, saying all these changes will not occur in a fortnight or so. He states that the American economy has been severely dented by the recent market crisis and things won’t be all that rosy for the new President. A mammoth responsibility has been placed on Obamaà ¢â‚¬â„¢s shoulders and he must embrace himself to fight the woes of the society like unemployment, poverty etc. He believes that the fight against these evils is still very much on, and more so, especially in the case of blacks, who are among the worst affected. Racial discrimination is still prevalent in many parts of the country but he firmly believes that developing a â€Å"victor’s† attitude is crucial in fighting the battle against racial injustice. Blacks have been struggling for their freedom for years now and he exudes confidence that the election of Obama is an important step towards achieving that

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 25

Business law - Essay Example bject matter is legal and Price’s act of concealing information when he contracted the different parties for prescription and multiple purchase of the drug amounts to fraud and illegality of the purchases. Similarly, Price contributed to the effects of the drug by concealing information on previous usage, and failing to inform practitioners of previous purchases of the drug reverts responsibility to him (Miller, 2014). Invalidity of the contract and contributory negligence, should validity be upheld, would inform a decision against Price. A ruling in favour of Price would induce legal liability, into payment of damages or restrictions on the parties’ professional operations, due to negligence. These would further change the parties’ guidelines to prescription and delivery of controlled medicines, by increasing strictness, and would reduce number of operations on the drugs. The ruling would also impose a negative image on the parties. Ruling in favour of the doctors and the company would however preserve operational environment, in which they prescribe and deliver controlled drugs, and earn the parties damages for tainted reputation by Price’s

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Great depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The Great depression - Essay Example People were still withdrawing money from banks which compelled other banks to close. This resulted in closing industry because capital was either with stock exchange or banks. Closure of business and industry left many people jobless. These homes were made of newspaper and cardboards (Watkins 46). Dust storm was named dust bawl that affected farmers and they were unable to feed themselves. Drought eliminated grass from the planes. Depression affected millions of people in America and they could not find jobs. Shantytown was housing made for people who could not afford house. It was free so many people moved to shantytown (McElvaine 34). Depression occurred during rule of president Hoover and he was made responsible by people for great depression in America. Roosevelt won the presidential elections of 1932 and became president of America. He brought major shift in policies to get the country out of immense crisis (Watkins 69). People had many expectations from Roosevelt and he introduced certain reforms to overcome depression. Banks were asked to reopen once they overcome the financial crisis. The policies and programs introduced by Roosevelt were known as the â€Å"New Deal†. These programs helped farmers including other programs like Agricultural Adjustment Administration and Works Progress Administration. People were hired for different projects for reducing unemployment (Watkins 73). After success of these programs, Roosevelt became hero and got fame in the masses. Roosevelt considered his efforts very important for ending great depression. However, it is still not clear that how much New Deal contributed towards ending great depression in America. Some ease was brought by the â€Å"New Deal† but economy was still struggling for revival by end of 1930s. Second World War was a turning point for American economy (McElvaine 51). Especially, the attack on Pearl Harbor and entering of country in World

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The benefits and costs of increased trade integration between Essay

The benefits and costs of increased trade integration between countries depends on the relative importance of trade creation ver - Essay Example Most countries, both developed and developing countries have opened their economies with a view to take advantage of the existing opportunities. However, it is not clear whether the benefits and costs of increased trade integration between these countries depends on the relative importance of trade creation versus trade diversion, plus the dynamic gains from integration. The focus of this paper is to ascertain whether in light of the countries involved, the above connotation is true. Trade creation and trade diversion are two important components in increasing the rate of growth of world trade. They are also important components which help increase the benefits and costs of increased trade integration. Viner (2009) was the first researcher to introduce the terms â€Å"trade creation versus trade diversion† which became useful in analyzing custom unions and other trade related economics issues. Trade creation as envisaged by Viner (2009) refers to a situation in which two count ries operating within customs union start trading with each other whereas they formerly produced products in questions for themselves. In international economics terms, it implies that these countries move from autarky to trading with no tariffs on these goods while they both benefit. In trade creation the cost of goods in consideration decreases upon the economic union formation leading to increased efficiency of economic integration. This means that the essence of trade creation is to eliminate custom tariffs on the unifying state’s inner borders causing further decrease in the prices of goods (El-Agraa, 1981). On the other hand, trade diversion, occur whenever two countries start trading within the union (Institute for the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2004). But formerly, these two countries imported the product or from outside the union. In this case, importing country had previously had same tariffs on other countries, but had opted to buy from outside the union because that was somewhat lower (Institute for the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2004). The country then switches its purchases from its initial lowest price to the higher price country after the union. This eventually has a negative efficiency effect. Basically what this means is that trade diversion involves diverting trade flows from the actual cost-efficient partner countries to less efficient partner countries, which became an economic union member and made its products cheaper within the union but somewhat higher when compared to the other place in the world. Worth nothing is the fact that both trade diversion and trade creation effects occur because of formation of economic union. Currently, efficiency of economic integration of unions is assessed as the final outcome between trade diversion and trade creation effects (Irwin, 2006). Trade diversions as discussed involves creating free-trade areas, and is important in creating larger markets, which provide more completion as it creates increased access to raw materials (Institute for the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2004). The happy ending will be the lower unit costs because firms can now gain economies of scale in this arrangement. From the point of view of consumers, greater choices and lower prices makes them happy too. On the other hand, in trade creation two countries involved reduce tariffs on their goods. It can also imply simplifying export or

Monday, September 23, 2019

Critical thinking paper Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical thinking paper - Case Study Example This is also aggravated by some situations in which consumers and managed care organizations have less understanding on the role played by APNs. This only implies that aside from its full obligation to patients for remarkable health care, there is also a need for APNs to understand prevailing policies coming from the government and other health care providers such as insurance company. This is to ensure that everything will be properly understood by APNs so as they can explain and elaborate well everything to their patients regarding financial considerations. At the bottom line, this would ensure continuation of a good relationship with the patients. This only implies that APNs must not only focus on providing actual and quality health care, but other substantial information that will substantially influence the standard of their service. Ethical issues are those that conform to standards which are accepted and thus it is consistent with agreed principles of correct moral conduct. Part of the moral considerations among advanced practice nurses (APNs) is to consider care as central to maintaining nurse-patient relationship (Cox and Hill, 119). The established relation between the nurse and patients is a primary way in which the later can participate fully in the care program. APNs are always facing dilemmas when it comes to issues concerning about health care financing. At some point, this has affected the nurse-patient relationship. Considering that APNs have moral obligation and that is to provide quality care, it is undeniably true that they faced ethical dilemmas. However, this can only be understood by giving proper information to patient and his family. Patients and family deserve significant information other than the actual health care service itself. This can be successfully implemented if APNs must also focus on other social concerns especially when it comes to financial considerations. The whole thing must be essentially

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Beryls Chocolate Essay Example for Free

Beryls Chocolate Essay Chocolate is a key ingredient in many foods such as milk shakes, candy bars, cookies and cereals. Chocolate is a processed delicacy made from the beans of the cocoa tree. The cocoa tree, native to the tropical Amazonian forests, is an evergreen tree of the cola family. Chocolate is a mixture of roasted cocoa, cocoa butter, and very fine sugar. Unsweetened or called bitter chocolate is available in squares and is the natural rich chocolate ground from the cocoa beans. It has a full-bodied flavor and is ideal for baking and cooking. Sweetened chocolate and chocolate with various other ingredients are also increasingly available. As we know, the type of chocolate refers to three types which is milk chocolate, plain chocolate and white chocolate. History Of Chocolate The Timeline 2000 BC, Amazon: Cocoa, from which chocolate was created, was said to have originated in the Amazon at least 4,000 years ago. Sixth Century AD: Chocolate, derived from the seed of the cocoa tree, was used by the Maya Culture. Maya called the cocoa tree cacahuaquchtl †¦ ‘tree’, and the word chocolate came from the Maya word xocoatl which means bitter water. 1200, Aztec Culture: The Aztecs attributed the creation of the cocoa plant to their god. In both the Mayan and Aztec cultures cocoa was the basis for a thick, cold, unsweetened drink called xocoatl†¦ believed to be a health elixir. Since sugar was unknown to the Aztecs, different spices were used to add flavor, even hot chili peppers and corn meal were used! Aztecs believed that wisdom and power came from eating the fruit of the cocoa tree, and it had nourishing, fortifying, and even aphrodisiac qualities. The Aztec emperor, Montezuma drank thick chocolate dyed red. The drink was so prestigious that it was served in golden goblets that were thrown away after only one use. 1502, Columbus landed in Nicaragua: On his fourth voyage to America, Columbus landed in what is now called Nicaragua. He was the first European to discover cocoa beans being used as currency, and to make a drink, as in the Aztec culture. 1513, A slave was bought for Beans: Hernando de Oviedo y Valdez reported that he bought a slave for 100 cocoa beans. It was at this time, the name of the drink changed to chocolatl from the Mayan word xocoatl and the Aztec word for water, or warm liquid. 1519, Hernando Cortez began a Plantation: Hernando Cortez conquered part of Mexico had a vision of converting the beans to golden doubloons. While he was fascinated with Aztecs bitter, spicy beverage [he didn’t like the cocoa drink], he was much intrigued by the beans’ value as currency. Later, Cortez established a cocoa plantation in the name of Spain. 1528, Chocolate Arrived in Spain: Cortes presented the Spanish King, Charles V with cocoa beans from the New World and the necessary tools for its preparation. And no doubt Cortes taught him how to make Chocolate. 1544, Dominican Friars Got into the Swing: Dominican friars brought a delegation of Mayans to meet Philip. Spanish monks, who had been consigned to process the cocoa beans, finally let the secret out. It did not take long before chocolate was acclaimed throughout Europe as a delicious, health-giving food. The beans were still used as currency. 200 beans bought a turkey cock. 100 beans was the daily wage of porter, and would buy a hen turkey or a rabbit. 3 beans could be traded for a turkey egg, a new avocado, or a fish wrapped in maize husks. 1 bean bought a ripe avocado or tomato. 1657, even London succumbs: Londons first chocolate shop was opened by a Frenchman. London Chocolate Houses became the trendy meeting places where the elite London society savored their new luxury. The first chocolate house opened in London advertising this excellent West India drink. 1674, Eating solid Chocolate was introduced in the form of chocolate rolls and cakes, served in chocolate emporiums. 1704, The Germans imposed a Tax on Chocolate: Chocolate made its appearance in Germany, and Frederick I of Prussia reacted by imposing a tax. Anyone wishing to pay homage to its pleasures had to pay two thalers for a permit. 1765, First Chocolate factory in the USA: The production of chocolate proceeded at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. It was in pre-revolutionary New England. 1800, Chocolate was an Industry: Antoine Brutus Menier built the first industrial manufacturing facility for chocolate. 1819, the pioneer of Swiss chocolate-making, Francois Louis Callier, opened the first Swiss chocolate factory. 1828, The Cocoa Press was invented by Conrad Van Houten: The Press helped to improve the quality of the beverage by squeezing out part of the cocoa butter. Drinking chocolate had a smooth consistency and a more pleasing taste. 1830, The Drink Became a Confection: Solid eating chocolate was developed by J. S. Fry and Sons, a British chocolate maker. 1849, Cadbury Brothers Exhibited Chocolate: The exhibition was at Bingley Hall at Birmingham, England. 1851, Marked a First for Americans: Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert orchestrated The Exposition in London. It was the first time citizens of the United States were introduced to bonbons, chocolate creams, hard candies (called boiled sweets), and caramels. 1875, Milk Chocolate Came of Age: After eight years of experimentation, Daniel Peter from Switzerland put the first milk chocolate on the market. 1879, Chocolate Literally Melts in Your Mouth: Rodolphe Lindt of Berne, Switzerland, invented conching, a means of heating and rolling chocolate to refine it. After chocolate has been conched for 72 hours and more cocoa butter added to it, chocolate became fondant and melted in mouth! 1913, A new Star is Born: Jules Sechaud of Montreux of Switzerland introduced the process for filling chocolates. 1923, The CMA was established: The Chocolate Manufacturers Association of the United States of America (CMA) was organized. 1925, Cocoa is Big Business: The New York Cocoa Exchange, located at the World Trade Center, was begun so that buyers and sellers could get together for transactions. 1938, World War II: The U. S. government recognized chocolates role in the Allied Armed Forces. It allocated valuable shipping space for the importation of cocoa beans which would give many weary soldiers the strength to carry. Today, the U. S. Army D-rations include three 4-ounce chocolate bars. Chocolate has even been taken into space as part of the diet of U. S. astronauts.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Missionary Journeys And Strategy Of Paul Religion Essay

Missionary Journeys And Strategy Of Paul Religion Essay The purpose of this essay is to describe appropriate examples and strategy Paul used for his missionary journey that can be considered for 21st Century missions. The way I plan to structure my essay; I will explore theology books to find out what the authors say of Pauls missionary journeys. I will compare the authors opinions and then I will search the Bible scripture and give reference as evidence. I will begin my essay and describe from the book of Acts the call of God upon the Apostle Pauls life to the mission fields. The book of Acts describe how the Apostle Paul became a missionary (Acts 9) says Paul had a supernatural encounter with the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul was temporarily with out vision. A disciple named Ananias had a vision of the Lord that he should go and pray for Paul. Ananias prayed for Paul and his sight was restored. (Acts 9:20) Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and he went out to the Synagogue and preached the Gospel. The Bible says in (Acts 13:2-3) the Apostle Paul gave himself as an example to follow Jesus Christ, Paul fasted and prayed when Paul received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he preached in different parts of the world for Jesus Christ. (Acts 16:13) says when Paul went to Philippi he had a prayer meeting at the riverside. Paul prayed and miracles happened, the Holy Spirit used him. B. Paul used the name of Jesus. The authors give reference to scholars who write their opinion of the missionary work Paul did. J. Louis Martyn, refers to Wilckens and Vielhauer who says how extensively however, did he function as a teacher of the scriptures? Specifically, did he take it as one of his tasks regularly to offer lengthy and detailed exegetical discourses to his congregations? His letters suggest no such thing. . Geoffrey Harris wrote first, his methods of reaching out to the Gentile world by first creating a Jewish Christian community; then, identifying and training leaders for the nascent churches; third, by deepening understanding of and commitment to the gospel in order to strengthen the churches in maturity. . Joseph Plevnik gives reference to Fitzmyer, he says what the apostle inherited from his Hellenistic and Jewish backgrounds, what he borrowed from tradition, and what he arrived at through his missionary experience, is all uniquely transformed by his knowledge of Christ, which he received at Damascus. . I have studied the theories of J. Louis Martyn and Geoffrey Harris, and Joseph Plevnik; The following Bible scriptures say Paul was dependent on the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:13) and (1 Corinthians 2: 4) (Luke 4:16-20) The Bible scriptures say Paul taught from scripture, he preached the gospel in the synagogues. (Acts 17:1) says Paul preached at a synagogues at Thessalonica, (Acts 14: 9-10) says Paul prayed for a crippled man with faith and told him to stand up the man was healed. J. Louis Martyn, who referred to Wilckens and Vielhauer goes on to say, that Paul made verbal attacks against scriptural instructions. The book of (Acts 17:16) says Paul was angered when he saw Athens, because the city of Athens was given to idols. I have studied the Bible scriptures and compared the authors opinions and I dont share the same view as, Wilckens and Vielhauer, however I have found Geoffrey Harris and Joseph Plevniks, opinions to be scriptural I prefer their views. Geoffrey Harris describes the strategy, Paul used to establish the churches. Joseph Plevnik says Paul received his knowledge through the experience he had with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. The Bible says, Paul wrote letters to Churches in Rome, Ephesians Philippians and Philemon. Paul would start his letters with a greeting and he would end his letters with a farewell (Act 9:15) and (Acts 11:1) say Paul wanted to reach the Jews and the Gentiles with the salvation message of Jesus Christ. The authors Martin Dibelius he refers to critical scholars, Joseph A. Grassi and Bernard T. Smyth describe their opinion of Pauls missionary work in spreading the Gospel. Martin Dibelius, refers to critical scholars and says scholars have referred for instance to improbability of certain scenes, as for example, to the fact that Paul assumes towards the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem a yielding attitude which we cannot possibly believe he would have adopted. . Joseph A. Grassi wrote one of the great reasons why Christianity spread like wildfire through the world in the first three centuries was precisely this that it was a proclamation of freedom addressed to a world. . Bernard T. Smyth, says to get this matter of Paul and prayer into perspective, it is useful to recall how, before the advent of Paul, the young Christian community was already very much a community of prayer. I have studied the theories of Martin Dibelius and Joseph A. Grassi and Bernard T. Smyth. Martin Dibelius referred to critical scholars who said, they cannot possibly believe that Paul, adopted a yielding attitude. The book of (Acts Chapter 9) says after Paul had a supernatural encounter with the Lord Jesus on the Road to Damascus, Paul was supernaturally transformed when he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave Paul a yielding attitude that enabled him to carry out his missionary work. Joseph A. Grassi describes his beliefs why Christianity spread throughout the world and the announcement of freedom in Christ Jesus. Bernard T. Smyth says that the Early Church was a praying community. The book of (Acts 14:23) says the early Church fasted and prayed. I have compared the views of the critical scholars and Joseph A. Grassi and Bernard T. Smyth, and I prefer the opinions of Joseph A. Grassi and Bernard T. Smyth, in contrast to the critical scholars, they have referred to Biblical scripture. Therefore the balance of the agreement is in favor with the view of Joseph A. Grassi and Bernard T. Smyth. Tom Wright, says Paul urges, the many splendoured wisdom of God must be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. . Krister Stendahl, says, Paul tells the Church, Jews and Gentiles in Rome, that his call to the mission fields is the plan of God. . I have looked at the views of, Tom Wright, he says Gods word must be made known to the principalities and powers in heavenly places and Krister Stendahl says, Pauls call to the mission fields was Gods plan. The book of (Ephesians 6:12) says the battle is not against flesh or blood but against principalities and powers of darkness in high places. The book of (Acts 13:1-3) says The Holy Spirit selected Paul for his mission work. I have studied the views of the authors and have compared them with the Bible scriptures after analysing the scriptures. I prefer the view of both the authors Tom Wright and Krister Stendahl. C. The Early Church Fasted and Prayed. The book of Acts describes the strategies Paul used for his missionary work. Paul took the message of the Gospel to the Gentiles and taught of the authority of Jesus Christ and his power. The strategy Paul used he fasted and prayed and achieved his missionary journey through prayer. The Bible says Paul would minister to groups of people in the Synagogue; meeting with groups of Christians, in Church is a good way of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, today. Paul wrote letters to communicate to the Churches, at that time there was not the technology there is today, such as the Internet, a telephone Christian television, Christian radio, tapes, or CDs, and DVDs. Today there are Christian organizations, such as Christian training courses, and Bible colleges and Church buildings that can be considered appropriate examples for 21st Century missions.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Walking a Difficult Line: Taking a Look at Borderline Personality Disor

Walking a Difficult Line: Taking a Look at Borderline Personality Disorder Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) live a difficult existence. These are people for whom maintaining normal interpersonal relationships, controlling anger, suffer from extreme self-doubt and drastic mood swings, among other symptoms. They comprise only 2% of the population, but have a disorder which the psychiatric and scientific communities have trouble acknowledging, and great difficulty treating. (4) Individuals suffering from BPD suffer a range of symptoms which include the following: dramatic mood changes, depression, irritability, uncontrollable anger, negative impulsiveness (which includes reckless sex, substance abuse, binging), suicidal feelings, self-mutilation, extreme self-doubt about one’s capabilities. (6)(3) They also experience a kind of heightened awareness of their environment and thus are overly stimulated by it. (1) In addition to these and other symptoms, individuals with BPD often suffer from other mental disorders – such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders – as well, making their BPD difficult to diagnose. (4) There is a great mystery surrounding the causes of all mental disorders, and this is also the case with BPD. Psychologists and scientists believe that it is both a biological and psychological disease, and that BPD as an illness is closely related to depression more than schizophrenia, which had been the previous thoug h. Experts have also believe that attention-deficit disorders could be a cause factor, as well as childhood abuse or neglect. (6) Many people suffering from BPD experience very strong feelings of abandonment by parents, family and friends, that can be triggered by an inci... ...lineresearch.org/ 4) National Institute of Mental Health, BPD article "Raising Questions, Finding Answers" http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/bpd.cfm 5) National Institute of Mental Health , BPD article "Concept for Borderline Personality Disorder Initiative in FY 2003" research initiative http://www.nimh.nih.gov/council/cncptcuthbert_901.cfm 6) National Alliance for the Mentally Ill site on BPD http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=54&ContentID=23040 7) Dr. Linehan’s DBT course of treatment ("A Promising Treatment...") http://www.mclean.harvard.edu/psychupdate/psyupI-3.htm More Information: 8) More basic information on BPD http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?id=476&type=doc&cn=Personality%20Disorders 9) More information on DBT (treatment) http://www.priory.com/dbt.htm

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Death of a Salesman: The Emptiness of the American Dream :: Death of a Salesman

Any way that you state it, an American dream is a never-ending cycle of idealism. In other words, the yearning to be better than the best and to achieve perfect governmental harmony throughout society. Think about it though, if this were a possibility, wouldn’t it have already occurred? The first character seen directly acknowledging the emptiness of the American dream was the overlooked Loman brother, Happy. Happy, although suffering from â€Å"younger-brother syndrome† and lack of fatherly attention, proved to be the only successful family member of all the Lomans. Still, any amount of success would never be enough for him. The American dream would never be enough to make Happy â€Å"happy†. All I can do now is wait for the merchandise manager to die. And suppose I get to be merchandise manager? He’s a good friend of mine, and he just built a terrific estate on Long Island. And he lived there about two months and sold it, and now he’s building another one. He can’t enjoy it once it’s finished. And I know that’s just what I would do. I don’t know what the hell I’m workin’ for. Sometimes I sit in my apartment- all alone. And I think of the rent I’m paying. And it’s crazy. But then, it’s what I always wanted. My own apartment, a car, and plenty of women. And still, goddammit, I’m lonely. It is rather ironic that the American dream that Willy strives for everyday is the very same dream Happy pushes away. Willy believes the key to life and achieving the American dream is being well liked. However, his beliefs were faulty as well as trite, as we all saw when Bernard, who wasn’t very â€Å"well liked,† achieved the American dream. â€Å"Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him†¦Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want.†(Willy P. 33) This is Willy and one of his more pompous conversations with Biff on regards to Bernard. As usual, Willy’s prediction was far off from the truth. Bernard grew up and got married, had 2 boys, and had his last appearance leaving to go argue a case in front of the Supreme Court.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Critique of Barbara Huttman’s A Crime of Compassion Essay -- Euthansas

Critique of Barbara Huttman’s â€Å"A Crime of Compassion† Barbara Huttman’s â€Å"A Crime of Compassion† has many warrants yet the thesis is not qualified. This is a story that explains the struggles of being a nurse and having to make split-second decisions, whether they are right or wrong. Barbara was a nurse who was taking care of a cancer patient named Mac. Mac had wasted away to a 60-pound skeleton (95). When he walked into the hospital, he was a macho police officer who believed he could single-handedly protect the whole city (95). His condition worsened every day until it got so bad that he had to be resuscitated two or three times a day. Barbara eventually gave into his wishes to be let go. Do you believe we should have the right to die? In my opinion, if a person is terminally ill and there is no chance of bringing them back then they should have the right to make the choice whether they want to be kept alive or let go. What is the point of sitting in a hospital for the rest of a person’s life if they are not going to be able to do any thing? This claim is supported throughout the entire text through her believes in religion. And every night I prayed that his agonized eyes would never again plead with me to let him die (96). Barbara talked about how she wondered about a spiritual judge, and by this, it shows that religion is an important part in her life. Several times in the text, he begs to be let go so his suffering could be come to an end. Some would ask why we would not have the right to die. How enjoyable could life be when a person must be resuscitated fifty-two times in just one month? Anybody who reads â€Å"A Crime of Compassion† can easily find it very emotional. I believe the pathos plays a very important... ...o get a do not resuscitate order. That is an order that the families may sign so the hospital does not have to give effort to bring a person back to life anymore once they have stopped breathing. Even though Barbara’s intentions in this paper are directly stated, her claims she gives does not back her argument at all. After reading her major claim, which states that we do not have the right to die (97), I feel the complete opposite of what she thinks and I believe a person should have the right to die if there is no chance of them getting better in the future. The author’s grounds explained all of the struggles of keeping a very sick man alive, which I believe gave me some very good evidence to write my counter argument. Works Cited Huttman, Barbara. â€Å"A Crime of Compassion.† The Genre of Argument Ed. Irene Clark. Boston, MA: Christopher Klein, 1998.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Populism Or Politics Of The Mob: A Social Phenomenon Essay

Populism materialized in East and West Germany’s peaceful re-unification to democracy in the mid-1990’s. It has inspired governments around the world, in which the Philippines’ 1986 military-back people power revolution was patterned. Populism is when ‘the popular will of the sovereign people to desist a socio-political affliction. ’ However, the politics of the mob may hide a political agenda, wherein political alliances only cohabits a unifying credo to dismantle a government regardless of different political platform or guiding principles. The recent leadership and political crises being confronted by the Philippines‘ President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is threatened by a populist (political parties’ opposition) action as brought about by the scandalous allegation of corruption pointed to the First Gentleman (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2008). With the political crises being currently experienced in the Philippines, this paper will discuss the issues and make a framework to study a social phenomena. Key Components in Identifying the Issue and Condition The subjectivity and objectivity are basic components that is pre-determinant to perception and analysis (Byrnes, 2005), as conveyed by the issue. Subjectivity The subjective norm is based on the â€Å"reports† from different sources as the condition of the Philippines’ political affairs is in a volatile state, thus: ? Various media outfits are progressively reporting about the Philippines’ Senate investigation on the alleged anomalous deal on the ZTE Broadband project. The mentioned deal has implicated First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. Objectivity The objective norm is through identifying the root of the situation as well as the key personalities involved (Zakaria, 1997), thus: ? Another attributing condition is the concurring expose’ or agitation of Jun Lozada, the witness and source of the issue. He is being condoned by varying political opposition groups that calls for the president’s immediate resignation. ? The rallies and indignation activities are supported by political rivals, among them, former President Joseph Estrada (who has been toppled down by a people power in year 2001) who is allied with the demonstrators. Analyzing Pattern of Actions The pre-determinants of the issues and condition are bases in analyzing the pattern of actions based on similar circumstances and occurrences (Cochran, et. al, 2006): ? A military-back people power toppled the Marcos regime in 1986 dubbed as EDSA I; ? Ousting of the Estrada Administration by a people power in 2001 dubbed as EDSA II; ? The aborted siege of Estrada supporters to Malacanan Palace on May 2001 claimed as EDSA III; ? The call to oust the current Arroyo Administration being claimed as EDSA IV. Perception The series of political turns in the Philippine government is seemingly a rendition of power struggle of the civil society group—non-bearing to an armed struggle, which the government claimed to have been militarily controlled in selective combat areas of its countryside. One interesting consideration representing the civil society groups in urban areas are composing of the middle class professionals, labor unions, students and selective clergies that clamors for the so-called EDSA IV. Second interesting point to consider is the composition of the political leanings of the urban civil society groups that are composing of the socialist democrats, liberal democrats and the national democrats. These classifications are attributed according to pulse on parliamentary response. On the other hand, the extremists and leftists groups â€Å"freely swim and ride† at the clamors of the civil society groups. Framing the issue and legal parameters The civil society groups’ claim of public distrust on the Arroyo Administration is attributed by the accusation on anomalies pointed to the President’s spouse (being the First Gentleman). As provided by the Article 8 of the Philippines’ Civil Code, a jurisprudential consideration shall be the basis of President’s immunity from suit (The Law Professor, 2007) and may not be singled out by an issue of alleged anomaly emanating from the President’s kinship, in which the due process of law and rule of court is applicable (Bermudez, et. al. , 1986; in The Law Professor, 2007). Otherwise, the Congress may convene its majority members to enact an impeachment proceeding due probabilities on the President’s direct involvement to anomaly. The impeachment proceeding shall be then convened by the Senate and a member of the Judiciary (Supreme Court) to preside the judicial inquiry. Conducting research on social phenomena Purpose. The purpose of research is â€Å"to relate populism as opposed to politics of the mob, and similar case studies on political adventurism manifesting a social phenomena†. Methodology. The methodology of research shall cover the key components in finding the issue and condition as a guideline with two-prong framework, such as: (1) investigative of the situation, and (2) survey at random response or pulse rate. Technical need. An inclusion of professional expertise (like political scientists, economists, and sociologists), academicians and scholars shall be involved to support the empirical application of actuarial science that shall compose the technical study team. Scope and Target. The scope and target shall focus on the Philippines’ civil society groups and other segments (sector) of the society contained in the urban areas or capitals. Strategic Conduct. The strategic conduct of research shall not limit the scope and target, in which actual integration would be an advantage. Time Frame. A six-month conduct shall be proposed to the technical team. However, flexibility shall be adopted in order to determine efficiency and viability results. Implementing Guidelines. A regular scheduling of meeting or consultative discussion and activity planning shall be determined and adopted by the technical team. Likewise, a bi-monthly strategic assessment should be established in order to keep track on development and determine the progress of implementation. Evaluation and Action. The result of the study shall be concluded and given the adequate, appropriate and impartial analysis. The overall result may be utilized in aid of a nationalized policy initiatives and may impart international interest in the field of studies on governance, political affairs and jurisprudence of law. Conclusion The presentation of issues discussed in this paper finds its relevance to unfolding a democracy, to which, the emergence of democratic processes in a country of renewed democracy is found with ultra-liberal forces that manifest to influence the majority political perception. This manifestation of ultra-liberal forces in a complex political system differ the fundamentals of Constitutional mandate and exhibits wayward democratic forces similar to a mob that enjoys in a democratic space and liberal segment of a society. The use of populism could have been assumed in the process of interaction of the sovereign people but may be used in unfavorable transition, wherein a clash at the inner circle of power monopolies could be hidden in the middle of the clamor for yet another political change of governance amidst the increasing poverty incidence of 26. 9% (NSCB, 2008). Thus, the legitimate quest for populism and sustainable growth of democracies may be omitted at the spur of political agitations. References Byrnes, T. (2005). â€Å"Critical Thinking in the Social Sciences†.Retrieved 08 March 2008 from http://faculty. valenciacc. edu/tbyrnes/poscritical. htm. Cochran, et. al. (2006). â€Å"American Public Policy: An Introduction†. Thompson/Wadsworth Publishing, 8th Edition. ISBN: 0-534-60163-4. NSCB (2008). â€Å"Poverty Worsens Between 2003 and 2006†. National Statistical Coordinating Board, Philippines. Retrieved 08 March 2008 from http://www. nscb. gov. ph/pressreleases/2008/PR-200803-SS2-02_pov. asp Philippine Daily Inquirer (2008). â€Å"Senate Probe on Lozada’s Testimony†. Retrieved 08

Monday, September 16, 2019

Body Worlds Exhibit Essay

The body worlds exhibit is a traveling exhibition of conserved human bodies and human parts they have prepared by plastination. Plastination is when the water and fat inside the body is replaced with plastic so that human specimens can be touched, do not smell, or decay. The creator of plastination was German his name was, Dr. Gunther Von Hugens. The three main reasons why body worlds exhibits are a good and bad idea to have around the world are, educational but disturbing, artistic but odd, and can help with medicine and patients but can sometimes be personal. To begin, body world exhibits should exist because, they are educational. They give you a visual imagery on your whole body three dimensional using real human bodies. Young students training to be in the medical field could relate to these exhibits and learn a lot, like where your organs are placed, which muscles flex when you move a certain muscle, what it looks like to have smoker’s lungs and not have smoker’s lungs, you could learn many things by going to these exhibits and just examine the bodies. One of the bad reasons why body world exhibits should not exist is because, they can be disturbing. For some cutting up and cleaning out the inside of a dead human body and have it prepared for plastination might just be a bit too extreme. To continue, body world exhibits should exist because, it is artistic. Some of the human bodies are placed in different shapes and forms. For example, there is a human body faced upside down with a skateboard in hand doing a trick it is showing the different kinds of movement in your muscles. Some bodies just have nerves covering their entire body, there are 8th month old fetus’s, and two placsinated bodies meshed together. To make these exhibits interesting you would have to be very creative and artistic. Another bad reason why body world exhibits should not exist is because, their odd. Who would want to go pay $30 for an exhibit that shows thousands of dead people carved out into presentable form so you can see their insides? They were alive just like you a few years ago, and now their a mannequins posing for people to take pictures and jot down notes? You would either have to be artistic, smart, or brave to walk around with plastic corpses.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Managerial Economic Decision Making Essay

From the e-Activity, assess how business leaders use managerial economics to make business decisions indicating how profits may be impacted. Analyze the principal-agent problem to determine how the relationship could be less adversarial. Provide support for your rationale. ECO 550 Week 1 DQ 2: Fundamental Economic Concepts Pick a recently released good or service. Then, determine the factors that must be evaluated regarding the product’s supply and demand. Analyze how these factors impact the decision to supply the product indicating the significance of each in the decision-making process. Using the same product example above, analyzing how the risk tolerance factors play in supplying the good or service and how this should influence management’s decisions ECO 550 Week 2 DQ 1: Demand Analysis From the e-Activity, if you were a manager in a tobacco company, analyze the elasticity of demand for tobacco products. Evaluate the factors involved in making decisions about pricing tobacco products indicating which would be the most influential. Using the same scenario above, discuss how the elasticity influence the short-term and long-term decisions of the company and the impact to the decision made related to profitability. ECO 550 Week 2 DQ 2: Estimating Demand Provide an example when it would be appropriate to conduct a time-series or cross sectional data. Discuss the potential problems that may arise with your example and identify strategies for minimizing the impact of the potential problems. Discuss the meaning of the regression coefficient of the independent variable(s) and how it could be used to estimate the elasticities of each of these variables. Discuss how managers use the elasticities measurements to make managerial decisions. ECO 550 Week 3 DQ 1: Business and Economic Forecasting From the e-Activity, develop a regression equation using the data you  collected from your research. Use the regression equation to focus the demand for the product you chose for the next three periods. Assess what the results of the regression equation tells managers and how it is likely to impact decisions made related to maximizing profitability. †¢ Imagine you are a manager for the good or service used above. From the results of the regression equation, suggest strategies to either maintain demand (if an increase over three periods occurs) or improve demand (if a decrease over three periods occurs). Provide support for your recommendations ECO 550 Week 3 DQ 2: Managing in the Global Economy Evaluate the relationship between the European Euro crisis in 2012 and the American economy. Assess how this affects American businesses and decisions made by mangers related to sustainable profitability. Provide examples with your response. Aside from maximizing profits, assess the factors that managers must consider when making the decision to outsource or integrate forwards or backwards considering which factor would be most influential for decision-making. ECO 550 Week 4 DQ 1: Production Economics From the e-Activity, determine the environmental variable most likely to affect the short-run production over the next 12 months. Determine what managers can do to prepare for the possible change in short-run production. Pick a real or fictitious business. Create a scenario around this business in which a manager would decide to either stop operations in the short-run or going out of business in the long-run. Provide a rationale with your response ECO 550 Week 4 DQ 2: Cost Analysis Pick a good or service. Distinguish between the short-run and the long-run production and cost function for that good or service. Discuss how price plays a role in short-run and the long-run decisions and how managers are likely to respond in each case. Using the same good or service from above. Identify the fixed and variables costs are for the good or service. Based upon the costs identified, recommend whether to produce or not produce the good or service. Provide a rationale with your response ECO 550 Week 5 DQ 1: Applications of Cost Theory Imagine you are a manager of a chemical company. An accident has occurred in which chemicals leaked into the ground water nearby, the community is unaware. Assess the costs involved in cleaning up the water immediately (confessing) versus hiding the fact and possibly paying more in the future. Discuss the impact on profitability in both situations. From the first e-Activity, assess the factors involved in conducting a break-even analysis. Determine the conditions that may exist for a manager of this good or service may decide to move forward with operations even with the initial costs of operations is more than the potential revenue ECO 550 Week 5 DQ 2: Prices, Output and Strategy Pick a good or service you are familiar. Speculate how the price for that good or service may have been set and how well this price maximizes profit for the company and determine what shifts the company should made in its pricing strategy. Provide support for your recommendations. From the second e-Activity, discuss how the company you selected should increase its competitive stance in the marketplace and how management would implement the recommendations. Provide specific examples to support your response ECO 550 Week 6 DQ 1: Monopolies From the first e-Activity, imagine this company acting as a monopoly was to have a new competitor arrive in the marketplace. Assess how the monopoly would likely change its pricing strategy to compensate for the new competition. From the first e-Activity, speculate how the monopolist could be more efficient in the long-run considering new competition has entered the marketplace ECO 550 Week 6 DQ 2: Oligopoly From the second e-Activity, assess the marketing and pricing strategies, for example rebates, to determine the goal(s) of the marketing and pricing strategies for one of the companies you researched. Make one recommendation for changes that the company should make to better maximize profits. The Internet has made shopping for airline tickets efficient for the consumer. As a result, the industry overall is price sensitive. Suggest how the airlines can maximize profits while avoiding price wars. ECO 550 Week 7 DQ 1: Game Theory Please respond to the following: †¢ Demand for airline tickets fluctuates throughout the year, which affects the price of an airline ticket. Suggest the type of game that may be most appropriate for a specific airline to play to address the differences in demand and elasticity and the resulting impact on profitability. Provide support for your reply. †¢ From the first e-Activity, propose a short-term and long-term pricing strategy for the product or service you researched including how the strategies would be implemented. Assess how your proposal ultimately maximizes profits ECO 550 Week 7 DQ 2: Pricing Techniques From the second e-Activity, propose the new target market segment for the product and its accompanying pricing strategy (for example, bundling and couponing). Provide a rational for why you feel the new target market and pricing strategy would be successful and the likely impact to the profitability of the firm. The pharmaceutical industry often has the luxury of implementing pricing strategies that appear high to consumers. Take a position on the fairness of the industry’s approach to pricing pharmaceutical products including offering an alternative strategy that may be more palatable to consumers. Provide a rationale with your position ECO 550 Week 8 DQ 1: Contracting From the e-Activity, propose a methodology for assessing the risk in business contracts. Assess the economic impact this methodology may have for the organization. Analyze a situation in which both parties entering into a contract could benefit, economically or otherwise, from slightly ambiguous language contained in the contract. Provide specific examples to support your response. ECO 550 Week 8 DQ 2: Organization Form Analyze the potential downfalls of any team effort and make at least one recommendation for minimizing risk. Provide specific examples to support your response. Evaluate the organization form that would be most efficient in minimizing the principal-agent problem. Provide a rationale with your response ECO 550 Week 9 DQ 1: Government Regulation From the e-Activity, take a position on whether more government regulation is needed in the banking industry. Support your position with evidence or examples. Provide an example of how government regulation is either constraining or enabling for a particular company indicating the impact to the operational efficiency of the company. Discuss how your response impacts maximizing shareholder wealth ECO 550 Week 9 DQ 2: Antitrust and Licensing Imagine how managerial decisions may be easier or more difficult if there were no antitrust restrictions in the U.S. Provide an example to support your response. The IT industry is full of patents. There are some companies, referred to as patent trolls, whom purchase these patents in hopes of making money by enforcing patents against alleged infringers. Determine the impact of government regulation against patent trolls. Identify who wins and who loses if regulation was adopted ECO 550 Week 10 DQ 1: Capital Investments With the current U.S. economy in a weakened state, many companies are reluctant to implement any capital improvements or capital expenditures in fear of the economic uncertainty that exists that may negatively impact the cash flow of the organization. Assess the impact of this behavior on productivity, cost efficiency, diversification of assets, or impact to future cash flows that may emerge if companies continue this mindset indicating the long-term risk to profitability. Provide an example or scenario to support your response. Analyze the challenges that companies face in entering global markets. Identify the potential impact to capital budgets in making the decision to move into a global market ECO 550 Week 10 DQ 2: Cost-Benefit Analysis Provide a cost-benefit analysis for a company which has to decide whether to hire more staff or hire temporary workers to meet production schedules. Determine how managers would use your cost-benefit analysis to make this decision. Conduct a cost-benefit analysis of obtaining a graduate degree. Assess both the short-term and the long-term costs and benefits to determine why some people obtain the extra education while others do not Copy this link to your browser and download: http://www.oassignment.com/ECO-550-Week-1-to-10-Discussion-Questions-1322.htm

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Shakespeare Sonnet Analysis

Nowak Enriched Language Arts 11 – Period 7 13 December 2011 Time: A Giver and Ravager Shakespeare uses tranquility, somberness, and hopefulness as elements of the mood in Sonnet 60. He begins the sonnet as a metaphor, â€Å"Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,† comparing time to a tide. Waves could represent peacefulness and one at ease because a tide is smooth and continuous. Later on the tone becomes more dark and depressive, â€Å"And time that gave doth now his gift confound. / Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth / And delves the parallels in beauty's brow† (9-10). Shakespeare expresses the fact that time gives the gift of life, but also takes it away with death while destroying nature’s perfection, â€Å"Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth† (11). In the couplet, hope is seen because he says â€Å"And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand, / Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand. † He anticipates that his words will not be destroyed by time and will continue to praise his beloved. The sonnet begins with tranquility, but then changes to somberness, yet Shakespeare still ends with words of hope. Shakespeare is telling the audience a lesson of time. Minutes are continuously coming, â€Å"So do our minutes hasten to their end† (2). He seems to be wrapped around the theme of time passing by and also trying to battle time, â€Å"Crooked elipses ‘gainst his glory fight† (7). Time can give yet also take, it is inevitable. It is the reason for birth, mortality, and change, but only words can withstand time. Imagery is a key peace to this insightful sonnet. The first line is an illustration to show time as the ocean â€Å"Like as waves make towards the pebbled shore. Using the sun to represent a human’s life, â€Å"Nativity, once in the main of light, / Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown’d, / Crooked eclipses ‘gainst his glory fight. † Nativity is the birth, then one maturing into adulthood, and finally trying to fight or cheat death. He personifies time as it is passing in the couplet’s last words, â€Å"despite his cru el hand† (14). Time is the owner of the hand and the â€Å"cruel hand† is the elements of time. Mental images of Sonnet 60 are time passing, the cycle of life, and the personification of time. Shakespeare’s hope that his â€Å"verse shall stand,† (13) is now a fact. His message is being studied and analyzed in this assignment. This proves that even though his life has ended, his words of wisdom have defied time. Time does pass while giving and annexing life. It is ceaseless and unchanging. Everyone experiences time every day and because it is inescapable, Shakespeare expresses and characterizes time but its timelessness is why it is relevant to today. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Sonnet 60. † Shakespeare's Sonnets. Oxquarry Books Ltd. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. ;www. shakespeare-sonnets. com;

Friday, September 13, 2019

Good Order and Discipline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Good Order and Discipline - Essay Example Good Order and Discipline Recently in the United States, there have been reports of army men being discharged from the army without honor due to lack of good order and discipline. Other professionals are also expected to maintain good order and discipline. The same applies to teachers who are expected to instill the virtue of good order and discipline to their students. This notion is used as a yard stick in almost every concept of life. So the pertinent question remains what is good order and discipline? For purposes of better understanding Ireland describes this phrase in the form of two entities before integrating it into one. Discipline is defined as the capability to do something in accordance with set regulations and laws. The phrase good order is taken to mean ‘doing something in the right manner’. In totality, good order and discipline are generally taken to mean training to follow set rules and regulations and also to act in the right manner. All military organizations have set regulatio ns and any military member is expected to be aware of and follow these rules. Any conduct prejudicial to this effect is considered an offence and is punishable by law. Being introduced in the military as early as the seventeenth century, it has been developed and is now considered as a catch-all offence. Major revisions are still being done on documents in various countries to make this article more specific. Basically, the article on good conduct and discipline serves to provide several sections of the army. (Michael 100). For instance, in United States of America, it provides policies on issues such as changes of rank, procedure of designation, professional and non-professional relationships between soldiers of different ranks, use of language and even distribution of non-government printed materials. The same is the case in countries such as Britain with several clauses being more specific. A typical example in this case is the honorable discharge of soldiers depending on the cau se of death (Michael 209). According to Miner (90), the realization of the possibility of abuse of power by the military led to the creation of such a regulation. Before its creation, various questions were raised on whether the military maintained well-honed professional skills during their missions. For example it was not surprising to find cases of rape where soldiers visited. Actually, most civilians who underwent such ordeals will remain forever grateful to the unknown prodigy who was the initial conceiver of discipline and good conduct in the military. It is noteworthy to consider that this law has been applied successfully over the years to get rid of unworthy soldiers. Recently, a United States Army member was discharged without honor because of bashing president Barrack Obama. Additionally, members of the army have retired without any problems and in the process they were also able to get their full dues. In cases of work related death or injury, the families are well compe nsated. However, unquestionable empirical and recorded data have also shown the abuse of this code especially by the senior officials in the military. Mostly, this code is used as a tool for framing charges and even vindicating unquestionable crimes. Most army men and women have been unlawfully discharged on ostensibly stated crimes. This raises questions as to the validity of this code and whether it is being applied in some countries. Furthermore, it is contentious in regard to how it is being implemented. In some situations the code is manipulated and obstructs justice. Thus supervision of code is rightfully necessary. It is not only unfair, but inhuman to discharge army personnel on false accusations given the service they offer serving their country (Ireland 78). Apparently, unquestionable data have also shown that some soldiers are unaware of all or part of this code. In some cases, it is the meaning that brings the major difference in this masterly piece of military jurisprud ence. One episode

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Research Paper - Can we really trust our goverment , do we really have Essay

Research Paper - Can we really trust our goverment , do we really have privacy - Essay Example Therefore, governments should balance between the privacy protections whilst embracing technology development at the same time. This study focuses on the areas where the governments have failed to address privacy protection and the recommendations to settle the issue. Several studies have proved that, in the current world people cannot trust governments, as they have intruded into their privacy in the name of security until there is nothing confidential. Security is legitimately a matter of individual inner voice. It has a place with each person to choose what he considers a piece of his private life and how much of it he is eager to open to others. When you welcome a companion into your home, when you stroll on the road, when you post something on the Internet, or when you make a financial exchange, you are discharging some data about yourself (Bazelon 587). As it were, social life essentially includes a rupture of security, and it is or ought to be dependent upon every person to select which choice he is ready to make between the benefits of protection and the benefits of social communication. Yielding some social life for protection includes an expense; relinquishing some security keeping in mind the end goal to have to a greater degree, a social life does as well. Eventually, that is a matter for every one of us to choose (Barnes 1-7). As more of our social life appears to be going ahead in the virtual universe of the Internet, this is the sort of central guideline that ought to educate the open deliberation about protection on the web. Typically, this as on such a variety of different issues requires the administration to assume this liability and to settle for the benefit of every one of us (Oneill 1-41). For instance, there have been more assaults on the protection practices of expansive IT organizations, for example, Google and Face book as of late. Governments are examining Google for unintentionally gathering information transmitted to its

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

International Estate Planning Discussion Post 7 Assignment

International Estate Planning Discussion Post 7 - Assignment Example Various issues are further considered when selecting the trust situs such as the states rules on issues of fraudulent transfers, conflicts of laws and restraints of alienation, as well as, transfer situs. Therefore, the country that the selected trust situs is located should have provisions for the same. In case, there is a need to change situs in relation to asset protection trust the instrument that is created in relation to the trust should provide for the same under the specific circumstances. In that the Situs can be changed through termination, modification and decanting or recreation of a new trust. Therefore, in order for David to grant Felicity Trust situs in a foreign country he must ensure that there is no conflict of laws between the provisions of creating a trust in the United States and the country of residence of her daughter (Gau, 2005). Additionally, he should ensure that the country provides for a transfer or change of trust situs to allow any modifications or recantation of the person making the trust fund. This is because a person may change their mind after a while about the person they want to be the trustee of their children

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Counceling (w3) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Counceling (w3) - Essay Example Therefore, psychologists and psychiatrist nowadays pay a great attention in solving family problems. Psychologists have been adopting a method in their counseling therapy called "Family Systems Theory". "[It] works with families and couples to nurture change and development," (Wikipedia1). This theory perceives the family as an independent and interdependent system. Therefore, this theory focuses on fixing any present damages between the parts of the family. In other words, the Family Systems Theory aims at repairing the relationships between the family members in order to end any stressful situations and solve any existing problems. There are several techniques which the therapist uses in order to reach his prime target. However, the main and most principle step is family meetings. "This offers the opportunity to discuss specific, practical issues and provides a safe space to talk about feelings that surround [the family] and long-term planning," (CareSupportofAmerica1). The therapi st meets with the family together trying to listen to their individual points of view. This step is considered to be extremely beneficial because the psychologist gets a fair chance of viewing the way each member of the family interacts with the other. Moreover, everyone gains an opportunity of knowing the other persons point of view, which can absolutely be a successful way of resolving a lot of current misunderstandings (Wikipedia1). The counselor within his sessions tries to point out and explain to the whole family different methods of dealing with problems and certain situations than the ones they have been adopting or using (Wikipedia1). In other words, the psychotherapist trains the family members how to alter their responses towards each other in certain situations in order to change their behaviors and thus prevent future conflicts. The family systems theory is used by psychologists all over the world.

Public affair class media material plan Case Study

Public affair class media material plan - Case Study Example A committee member reckoned that, â€Å"the international students form a huge part and we are conscious of their different problems and they should therefore feel encouraged and safe while applying for courses in the United States†. â€Å"The main reason for this press release is to address the problem of online courses that are increasing radically† added another committee member. It is challenging for the department to control the number of colleges that are advertising for international courses online since we do not have control or access to the information that is released to people all over the world. In this regard we are therefore, looking for ways to control the number of these adverts over the internet and engage other government department to help in curbing the problem. The Department of International Students has received these complaints from citizens currently in the United States and in other parts of the world. We want to reiterate that although it is possible to control the problem within the country the same cannot be replicated in other parts of the world. This is because some of the messages the students receive are scams and they may originate from the home country. We are advising all students that although the terms and conditions for some and not all of these institutions may seem credible it is advisable if they could contact us so that we can get the information and relay to them whether it’s credible or not.We are looking to engage other student bodies and organizations in other countries to get their view on the methods that they use to eradicate the problem and see what we as a department can use to help the students. â€Å"However, as aforementioned, the student bears the highest responsibility since they make the independent choices on the best courses that are in line with their abilities and interests†, concluded the

Monday, September 9, 2019

Holocaust - Dr. Mengele Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Holocaust - Dr. Mengele - Research Paper Example According to the discussion it it is clear that apart from millions of victims, the Nazi holocaust had its own heroes, martyrs and villains. Dr. Joseph Mengele is one of the most hated villains of that epoch. History describes Dr. Mengele as â€Å"the SS physician at Auschwitz†, and â€Å"the angel of death.† He was a doctor, who conducted cruel medical experiments on hundreds of Jewish prisoners during the period when he was stationed at the notorious Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz that killed thousands of Jews by burning them alive in mass gas chambers and crematoria. He conducted weird and cruel clinical experiments on the Jewish prisoners as if they were guinea pigs. The most intriguing aspect of his personality was his utter indifference towards others’ suffering, and the way he even did not spare children as objects of his experiments.This paper stresses that the paradox presented by the personality of Dr. Mengele has intrigued the world ever since the cruelties of the holocaust came out in public. But the best way to remember this person would be as a reminder that, given such odd circumstances of fascist mass hostility, even the normal human being is capable of inflicting unbecoming cruelties on fellow humans. And more significantly, it has to be understood that in such a circumstance, a person with even a slight psycho-pathetic mindset could turn into a real and grave danger to humanity-Hitler being the number one example for this.   But when perused from closer premises, the Nazi mindset can be understood as an outcome of ideological frenzy overpowering all humane feelings and responses, a dangerous human possibility indeed, that was revealed before our eyes through the Nazi holocaust, as never revealed before. Here the term, ideology can be understood as â€Å"any idea or set of ideas that provides a prescriptive view of life.†16 An ideology can either be â€Å"a formalized and presumably conscious world view† or it can simply be â€Å"unconscious shared group fantasies, which have the power to charge up the entire group with sufficient energy to trigger unified mass action.†17 In this context, Dr. Mengele has to be understood not as a rare exception

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Managing Change in the Urology Department of a National Health Service Essay

Managing Change in the Urology Department of a National Health Service Hospital in England - Essay Example It is clear from the discussion that the events that caused the need for change in the hospital were the combined financial crisis and the newly introduced regulations on the number of working hours for hospital personnel. Improving the situation will require the application of effective strategies and techniques that would change the current situation. The strategies and techniques require efficient processes and procedures. The hospital should be prepared to apply efficient change initiatives that are inclusive and address the needs of all the stakeholders. Otherwise, resistance will arise among the stakeholders. The three crucial areas that require the change include stakeholder/employee relationships, management of technological change, and worker motivation. This report begins with the summary of the organization that paves way for discussion on the issues that require close attention. The mission of the National Health Service Hospital in England is to sustain continuous improv ement in the delivery of health care services. The management seeks to ensure a healthy working environment for the employees as well as other stakeholders. The Department of Urology is struggling to respond to external pressures for change that have threatened its ability to offer efficient medical care. The hospital works with five consultant surgeons, a few middle-grade and junior doctors, a range of nurses and other clinical personnel. The hospital infrastructure is not efficient enough to offer competitive and efficient health care services. The events that triggered a need for change in the hospital were the combined financial crisis and the newly introduced regulations on the number of working hours for the hospital personnel. The introduced regulations on treatment duration made the hospital sub-contract some of the treatments to a private hospital, leading to financial losses. The factor that contributed to the shortage of medical staff is the conflict in the regulations in volving the working hours. The management of the crisis is loaded with many challenges such as the tension between managers and clinicians and failure to agree on the staff capacity, allocation of extra beds, and operating theater. Others include information overload, ineffective problem solving, disagreement on the number and qualifications of new entrants, and inefficient data collection. The current challenges facing the Urology Department of the National Health Service Hospital in England are related to the incompetence of the stakeholders in managing the changes facing the health care industry. Change Management Change management is a structured process designed to deal intentionally and directly with human

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Ethical Issue corrupt FTO Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical Issue corrupt FTO - Assignment Example This is whereby the police officers regularly avoid job responsibilities and commit administrative violations. The action of drinking alcohol by the field training officer is significant in relation to his personal accountability and professional accountability. The second ethical violation act committed by the field training officer entails the writing of a favorable evaluation. It is quite obvious that the evaluation is unfavorable and corrupt given that the rookie police officer had received a reprimand for an improper disposition of a traffic accident. In this regard, there are two ethical issues of classification pertaining to this act. Foremost, entails entitlement versus accountability. This comes about when an officer develops a great sense of victimization and increased resentment on administrators and supervisors that are in control over their jobs (Pollock, 96). In this regard, the officer develops a sense of entitlement or a mindset that officer should ‘stick together’ and accord themselves special treatment. The sense of entitlement bestows the belief that officers can operate within their own rules and can bend the law to suite them. Evidently, the field training officer habours a resentment against higher authorities by providing an evaluation that is favorable to the rookie officer despite the earlier reprimand of an improper disposition of a traffic accident. Moreover, the field training officer believes that victimization has been accorded to the rookie police officer through the reprimand given for the improper disposition. This false sense of entitlement and accountability triggers the unethical action by the field training officer in favor of the rookie police officer. The other ethical issue under scrutiny here is in regard to loyalty versus integrity. This is evident by the field officer action in giving a false and favorable evaluation for the rookie police officer. Evidently, the field

Friday, September 6, 2019

Assignment - Team Work in Business Essay Example for Free

Assignment Team Work in Business Essay Some management teams are bound to succeed while other are not due to a number of factors. A team, according to Adair (1986), is more than just a group with a common aim. It is a group in which the contributions of individuals are seen as complementary. Collaboration, working together, is the keynote of a team activity. Adair suggests that the test of an effective team is: â€Å"whether its members can work as a team while they are apart, contributing to a sequence of activities rather than to a common task, which requires their presence in one place and at one time. † Below is a discussion of some of the major factors that create a difference between winning and losing management teams . 1. Supportive Sponsor Management teams are usually formed by a sponsor who recognizes that reaching an organizational goal will require a group of individuals working together to provide the leadership necessary to move a company, division or unit towards the organizations goals. It is the sponsor’s responsibility to create a ‘charter’ that establishes the management team and its primary focus. In addition, the sponsor establishes specific goals the team is to accomplish. The sponsor will also select the team leader and gain his or her commitment to lead the leadership team in defining and carrying out the needed actions. Lack of will or proper direction by the sponsor ( e. g board of directors in a company) can lead to team failure. 2. Environmental factors These include physical factors such as working proximity, plant or office layout. In general, close proximity aids group identity and loyalty, and distance reduces them. Other environmental issues include the traditions of the organisation under which the management team operates, and leadership styles. Formal organisations tend to adopt formal group practices. Autocratic leadership styles prefer group activities to be directed. 3. Team size Small groups tend to be more cohesive than larger groups; small groups tend to encourage full participation; large groups contain greater diversity of talent. 4. Focus on Stakeholder Outcomes A shared understanding of the management team’s stakeholders, their expectations of the team, and the values the team embraces is essential to create the focus needed as the management team members plan and execute the actions necessary to achieve the team’s goals. 5. Smart Goals Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound goals should be established by the team’s sponsor and then broken into sub-goals by the management team. Without SMART goals, the team will lack the milestones necessary to drive action. 6. Team Leadership Team leadership is the most critical success factor for the performance management team. A leader with strong performance management skills and the ability to develop others virtually guarantees a successful performance initiative. Every management team needs a leader who focuses the members of the team on the mission, purpose, and goals of the team. This individual must be committed to the team’s results and must be willing to be held accountable by the team’s sponsor and other stakeholders, for leading the team through processes that insure the team’s goals are reached. The team leader must engage each team member in the processes of the team and build a platform of mutual trust that leads to open debate, collaboration, individual commitment, and personal accountability. 7. Mutual Trust The most important element of successful team work is the establishment of a platform of mutual trust that enables the management team to engage in open debate and decision making that leads to commitments to action by individual members of the team. Building this trust requires an openness that allows team members to know and understand the beliefs and behaviors of all members of the team so that team actions can be structured to take advantage of each members uniqueness and talents. Behavioral and values assessments are powerful tools in developing an understanding how each member of the management team views themselves and responds to others in the team. 8. Engaged Management Team Members An effective management team will have team members who are actively engaged in the work and focus of the team. This will require that each team member emotionally commits to actively and openly participate in the team’s processes in the pursuit of the team’s goals. The team member must willingly commit to carry out action plans to complete individual actions necessary for the team to reach their team goals. The team member must be dependable and carry the full weight of personal responsibility to complete their individual commitments by the date committed to. Engaged team members enthusiastically support each other and add value to other team members. They prepare for team processes and choose to engage others in a positive manner to find solutions to issues and challenges they individually or as a team face. They constantly seek to improve themselves for the benefit of the team and never, never, never quit. 9. Composition of the Team The Apollo Syndrome is a phenomenon that having too many people with a high mental abilities grouped together to solve a problem is, in many instances, detrimental to the teamwork process. Team members spend much of their time trying to persuade the team to adopt their own views as well as figuring out ways to point out weaknesses in the rest of the team’s ideas. They have difficulty reaching consensus in decisions and are focused on their own work, paying little attention to what their fellow team members agree doing. Occasionally the team will pick up on the fact they are having problems, but will then overcompensate to avoid confrontation. This leads to even more problems in making sound decisions. A knowledgeable team, skilled at group working, and with a wider range of talents is much more likely to succeed than an inexperienced group with a narrow range of talents. 10. Individual Commitments The work of a management team is carried out by individual members of the team. When a team has developed a plan of actions that are necessary to achieve their goals or overcome barriers, individual members must commit to carrying out specific actions which in many cases will include actions by the individual teams they in turn lead. The management teams collaborative processes must include steps to: * Define individual actions, * Gain the commitments by individual team members to complete the actions, * Document due dates, and * Establish status reporting processes. 11. Discipline and Accountability Team goals will usually not be realized until individual commitments are completed. Management team members must embrace a discipline to complete their commitments as scheduled. They must agree to hold each other personally accountable for completing, as scheduled, the commitments each person has made to the team. Each management team member must continuously report the status of their open commitments to the team so that barriers to completion can be identified early in order to permit the management team leader and other team members the opportunity to deal with the issues before overall deadlines are impacted. 12. Identification and Removal of Barriers Barriers to team and individual progress will occur in every management team effort and must be dealt with quickly to continue progress towards the teams goals. The team leader must continuously monitor the status of each individuals commitments and initiate barrier removal processes where appropriate. Team-based processes for developing action plans to overcome barriers impacting individual commitments should be instilled as a part of the teams culture. 13. Shared vision / approach. The ability for a management team to clearly state its goals and objectives and gain buy-in among the people they lead ( e. g. employees )along with a synergistic team that can carry out their responsibilities is vital to performance success. The vision and/or mission of the team must be accepted by all the team members and critical goals viewed as the collective responsibility of the team. If a return to profitability is a critical goal of an executive team, priorities and time commitments must be pulled from elsewhere. Focusing on results that in any way does not support the critical goal(s) of the team will lead to team failure. 14. Technology support While a skilled management team can improve performance with very little tools and only an effective approach, with proper technology to support the teams needs, and the proper data to drive decision making, there is almost no limit to the improvements an organization will yield. 15. Ability to Innovate Innovating is a key aspect of teamwork and involves challenging the way things are currently being done. Technology is changing so quickly that the way you are currently performing tasks may no longer be the best way. If you are not up-to-date in your practices, your cost structure may be too high or you may no longer be delivering competitive service. Innovating is essential for all work teams. There are always better ways of doing things if you only take time to discover them. 16. Promoting To obtain the resources people, money, and equipment to carry out your work, you have to sell what you are doing to other people. Resources to implement new ideas will only be given if your team can persuade and influence people higher in the organization. Promoting to customers or clients both inside or outside the organization is also important if you are to continually deliver what people want. 17. Developing Many ideas dont see the light of day because they are impractical. The Developing activity ensures that your ideas are molded and shaped to meet the needs of your customers, clients, or users. It involves listening to their needs and incorporating these in your plans. Developing will ensure that what you are trying to do is possible, given the resource constraints of your organization. 18. Inspecting Maintenance Regular checks on work activities are essential to ensure that mistakes are not made. Quality audits of your products or services will ensure that your customers or clients will remain satisfied. Inspecting also covers the financial aspect of work in your team, as well as the security aspects, the safety aspects and the legal aspects. All management teams need to uphold standards and maintain effective work processes. Your car will fail if it does not have its regular service. Teams can fail too, if the team processes are not regularly checked and maintained. Maintaining ensures that quality standards are upheld and that regular reviews of team effectiveness take place. 19. Linking Linking is the activity that ensures all team members pull together, and makes the difference between a group of individuals and a highly effective and efficient team. It covers the linking of people, linking of tasks and leadership linking.