Is Slavery An Evil Or Benign Institution - 1020 Words

Zykerah Montgomery Ms. Matz Comp 120 December 6, 2016 Is Slavery an Evil or Benign Institution? Slavery, there are an estimated 20-30 million people enslaved today (dosomething.org). There are different kinds of slavery including but not limited to sex slavery, chattel slavery, child slavery, forced labor, bonded labor, and debt labor. Though the types of slavery can vary, the people have agreed that the definition of slavery is solid and simple; slavery is the act of holding a person in servitude to a dominating influence thereby restricting one’s freedoms and self-ownership. Slavery is one of the most controversial topics internationally. The biggest question that the nation is faced with is whether or not slavery is an evil institution or if the effects of slavery aren’t harmful enough therefore making it a benign institution. Slavery IS, by all means, an evil institution. Before one can jump into the tidbits of what makes slavery an evil institution, one must first discuss how one should define evil and benign in this situation. What makes a person, an object, or an event evil? Does it have to be associated with a devil, demon, or an evil force? When something is evil, is it determined to be by intuition or the morals that we are taught? Evil is defined as something profoundly immoral and malevolent. Whether or not one believes evil to be associated with some sort of supernatural being or an instinct, one can agree that if an action of another is affecting aShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book The Good And Evil 1565 Words   |  7 PagesYajaira Andraschko Professor Murray ENC 1102- 07 03 November 2014 The Good and Evil in â€Å"Benito Cereno† Benito Cereno is certainly one of the most mysterious and notorious novellas of Melville. Full in symbolism and somewhat gothic in its analysis, that it has caused a great partition among the literary critics of Melville. Various critics have argued that the text defenses the association of slavery while others have argued that it sentences it. There are those who have not taken into considerationRead MoreTwo Contrasting Views of Slavery in Literature: Beloved and American Negro Slavery2068 Words   |  9 PagesIn this essay, I will be examining the works of two authors on the topic of slavery in America: Ulrich B. Phillips American Negro Slavery (1918) and Toni Morrison Beloved (1987). One writes as a Southerner and a historian who is defending southern slaveholders and draws upon contemporary racial theory to justify the system as beneficial to African Americans. The other writes as an African-American woman who is looking to write women into history and in doing so, add a female voice to the pastRead More French Revolution Essay1522 Words   |  7 Pagesfuture soc iety. Modern liberals and conservatives still acclaim some of Burkes ideas, but their interest is largely rhetorical. Burkes liberal tendencies would almost certainly not go far enough for todays liberals. His support for the abolition of slavery was only gradualist, his religious toleration did not extend to atheists (whom he saw as dangerous criminals) and, whilst in favour of curbing royal patronage, Burke supported monarchy and aristocracy. Meanwhile, his conservative defence of ParliamentRead MoreSlavery and Racism in Toni Morrison’s A Mercy Essay2930 Words   |  12 PagesThe study of African American history has grown phenomenally over the last few decades and the debate over the relationship between slavery and racial prejudice has generated tremendous amounts of scholarship. There’s a renewed sense of interest in the academia with a new emphasis on studies and discussions pertaining to complicated relationships slavery as an institution has with racism. It is more s o when the potential for recovering additional knowledge seems to be limitless. Even in the fields ofRead MoreEmpire Notes3812 Words   |  16 PagesEmpire Niall Ferguson Introduction * To the British, as to people in the rest of the world, imperialisms golden age is now considered a stain on human history, an era of slavery and racism and the plunder of native lands and peoples. The notion that imperialism is inherently evil, and that no empire can be a good empire, is an axiom in todays geopolitics. * Examines the British Empire from an economic perspective, controversially concluding that the British Empire was, on balance, a goodRead MoreEmpire Notes3827 Words   |  16 PagesEmpire Niall Ferguson Introduction * To the British, as to people in the rest of the world, imperialisms golden age is now considered a stain on human history, an era of slavery and racism and the plunder of native lands and peoples. The notion that imperialism is inherently evil, and that no empire can be a good empire, is an axiom in todays geopolitics. * Examines the British Empire from an economic perspective, controversially concluding that the British Empire was, on balance, aRead More Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin2320 Words   |  10 Pagesto action against slavery, and by promoting physically-based action over well-intentioned but inactive abstract ideals, Stowe perhaps is giving credence to situationally-based ethics. More than just an ethical code, Stowe provides a model for coherent female action based on maternal considerations that speak against `universal ethics. Similar to Sara Ruddicks project in her article, Maternal Thinking, Stowe would like to construct an image of maternal power which is benign, accurate, sturdyRead MoreThe Civil War Essay3736 Words   |  15 Pagesegocentric, destructive sectionalism where conflict is always irrepressible; and there is that constructive sectionalism where good will prevails-two types as opposite from one another as good is opposite from evil, as the benign is from the malignant. It was the egocentric, the destructive, the evil, the malignant type of sectionalism that destroyed the Union in 1861, and that would do so again if it existed over a long period of time. Before discussing that destructive sectionalism which caused theRead More Anti-Slavery Issue and Childrens Magazines: 1820-1860 Essay examples5201 Words   |  21 PagesAnti-Slavery Issue and Childrens Magazines: 1820-1860   By the 1820’s the issue of slavery in the southern states had become fraught with controversy. It was by no means a clear-cut difference between Northern and Southern states; many Southerners were against it and many Northerners tolerated it, feeling it was a problem that the South must solve. Most early anti-slavery societies, though, arose in the North and many made efforts to spread their views by publishing. William Lloyd Garrison’sRead MoreAnalysis Of Colonialist Discourse And Its Effects On Countries Underdeveloped Through Colonial Rule3442 Words   |  14 PagesKlein’s ‘Shock Doctrine’, and focus on looking at the role of the International Monetary Fund and its impact on underdeveloped countries through structural adjustment and accumulation of dispossession. Punished for the success of its uprising against slavery and self-proclamation of independence of 1804 with invasion, blockade and crushing burden of debt reparations, Haiti has suff ered centuries of deliberate colonial underdevelopment, only to be followed by decades of the US-backed dictatorship and neoliberal

Barriers to Receiving Help Free Essays

One of the most common social issues that need to be addressed is the abuse directed against women, specifically of married women who fall under the status of battered wives. â€Å"Battered wives† are those women who endured physical abuse by their husbands. For most of the cases, battered women suffered from verbal, emotional and physical abuse. We will write a custom essay sample on Barriers to Receiving Help or any similar topic only for you Order Now In such a scenario, there is a high possibility that their lives and those of their children are in danger. There is a need then for â€Å"battered wives† to ask for help from outside sources. However, like all other social problems facing modern society, there are internal and external barriers that interfere in the provision of effective help. Discussion Wife battering is a domestic violence prevalent in many households today. According to Schechter in his book A Framework for Understanding and Empowering Battered Women published in 1988 about one out of twenty-six American wives get beaten by their husbands every year, or a total of almost 1. 8 million per year† (p. 40 ). Although it involves only between husbands and wife in a family framework, interference from friends and relatives as well as the government social agencies is of necessity for the woman’s life, and perhaps of his children, may be at risks. Major researches since the early 1980’s had claimed that children exposed to marital violence had higher levels of psychological problems (Roberts, 172, 1996). A. Internal Barriers There are six common internal barriers that prevent battered wives from seeking help. 1. Wife blames herself for the violence There are wives who believed that they were the cause of the violence. In other words, they think they deserved to be hit or beaten because of something that they had or had not done. This is especially prevalent for women whose husbands kept on telling them that the reason they were beaten was because they did not clean the house enough, their cooking skills were â€Å"terrible†, they had disobeyed him or that they were stupid for forgetting to do something that should have been done out of â€Å"common sense†. Oftentimes, when the abusive husbands are generally regarded as a good friend or good leader by his peers, battered wives will tend to believe all the more that the fault is on them. These wives are haunted with guilt and find it fitting to fix the problem by themselves ( Schwartz, 2007). 2. Wife’s financial and companionship dependence on husband Some abused wives stay at home as a fulltime wife and mother which means that they and their children are totally financially dependent on their husband for economic survival. If they do decide to leave, they think they will not be able to make it (Schwartz, 2007). Aside from their financial need, some wives were led to believe by their abusive husbands that there would be no other man who will be interested to take her if she would decide to leave him. This is a very effective tactic for women who have poor self-esteem. They fear the prospect of facing the future alone and would therefore stay with their violent spouses. 3. Wife believed husband’s promises to reform In some cases, husbands who beat their wives will later tell their wives that they regretted what they had done and that the truth is â€Å"he loved her and promised that he will reform or that it will never happen again†. Women who still think they love their husbands would readily fall to this trap, hoping that it was the last beating or that their husbands will change in the future. This situation may go on for years especially if the cycle of violence happens between long intervals (Schwartz, 2007). 4. Wife believed her children needs their father Women will sometimes not seek help from outside sources for fear this may aggravate the problem, anger her husband and would be the cause that he will leave her or that she and her children had to be advised to leave. Some women would not want an â€Å"absentee† father as she may thinks that her children needs him (Schwartz, 2007). 5. Wife believed the authorities cannot help Some â€Å"battered wives† may not actually believe that the authorities will be able to help them but will in fact, make a public spectacle of their suffering. They fear they may not be able to win the case and send their abusive husbands to jail. If such a case happens, her angry husband, who had now become more violent for disgracing his name, will still be able to harm her. 6. Fear of Husband’s threats Abusive husbands successfully prevent their wives from seeking help from authorities due to threats. They usually threatens to kill their wives , run after her wherever she may go, and if she seeks help from her friends or family he will also consume them with his wrath. The threats may sound fearful and convincing if the wives knew that their husbands had some form of criminal record or that he is using drugs ( Roberts, 189, 1996). A. External Barriers â€Å"Battered wives† can ask for help from outside sources such as family, police and other legal authorities, therapists/psychologists, social workers, doctors as well as various community services and agencies. However, seeking outside help may not be such an inviting option for them due to the following external barriers: 1. Inability of the court to respond immediately to the problem Some appropriate authorities such as judges, trial court administrators, case managers and police may minimize certain cases of domestic violence as just a form of a lover’s quarrel would therefore discourage supposedly â€Å"battered wives† to follow through with their criminal or civil complaints. They may advise the victim to settle the conflict with their spouses by themselves (Roberts, 96, 1996). The court may also be overloaded with many legal concerns, the staff may not be adequate and the judges overworked, especially in large cities, so that it failed to promptly schedule a hearing and trial date. As a result, the victims get tired of waiting and went back to live with their abusive husbands. Oftentimes, when trial did arrive, women would usually recant their testimony (as husband was given the ample time to harass or manipulate her). This had actually happened to Mabely Lugo who recanted her accusations against her professional baseball player husband Julio Lugo by telling the police that he did not mean to hurt him(Parameswaran, 2007). 2. Friend’s does not want to interfere with the â€Å"problems† at home Friends approached by the victim may feel that they do not have the right to interfere with domestic affairs and encourage the wife to make necessary changes so that her husband will not beat her up again (Roberts, 235, 1996). The wife may then get discouraged in sharing her problems to others and would eventually keep her suffering to herself. 3. No appropriate place to go to There are cases that battered women need to flee from their violent husbands but there were no safe places to go. Some areas may not have shelter homes from which they can run for protection. And if shelter houses were in existence, there were no adequate provisions and funding that will sustain their temporary stay. 6. Lack of Counselors and social workers Government agencies may not be able to provide the victims with necessary counseling and mental therapy to help them understand the situation, to help them assess their options and to help them gain the strength and stamina to stand by their decision if they do decide to leave their husbands for good or to file criminal complaints. Battered women are mostly confused, emotionally as well as psychologically traumatized and may not be able to make concrete wise decisions (Roberts, 188, 196). II. Potential Solutions to the Problems Women who are battered should not be silent. They should remember that no one has the right to hurt and abuse them either physically, verbally or emotionally. To counteract internal barriers, the women should be educated with regards to the psychology of abuse and its consequences. Shelter homes are a very good potential solution to fighting off internal and external barriers for the victim. It must be safe (violent husband are kept out), with good provisions and adequate counseling programs. One good feature would be teaching women skills that would ready them for outside job when they eventually leave the shelter homes and support themselves. Educational programs should be funded by the government. I think the women should be kept for a certain longer period in the shelter homes( depending on the assessment of counselors ) just enough for them to gain self-esteem, skills and a new love for life! Counseling and therapy will be very helpful to restore their confidence but I think they should also keep in touch with their spiritual lives. Adequate legal professionals must also be provided for free for the victims. These legal authorities should understand the gravity of wife battering for though the physical manifestation may be minor, these women may be falling apart psychologically. III. Conclusion The social problem of wife battering should not be look upon as minor phenomena. In this problem, the physical violence may only be a physical manifestation of the cruelty, verbal and emotional abuses practiced at home. The children may be at risks, too. But wives do not seek help due to their own particular internal and external barriers. These barriers must be overcome by education, counseling, prompt assistance of legal and police authorities and provision of shelter homes. References 1. Parameswaran, Lakshmy. (2007). Battered Wives Often Recant or Assume Blame. Women’s eNews Inc. Retrieved January 14, 2008 from http://www. womensenews. org/article. cfm/dyn/aid/1468 2. Roberts, Albert R(ed. ). (1996). Helping Battered Women: New Perspectives and Remedies. New York: Oxford University Press. Place of Publication: New York. 3. Schechter, Susan and Gary, Lisa T. (1988). â€Å"A Framework for Understanding and Empowering Battered Women†. Abuse and Victimization across the Life Span, Baltimore: John Hopkins UP. 4. Schwartz, Dianne. (2007). Abusive Lies Battered Wives. Innerself Publications.. Retrieved January 14, 2008 from http://innerself. ca/html/relationships/divorce–separation/abusive-lies–battered-wives. html How to cite Barriers to Receiving Help, Papers

A Little Piece of Heaven by Avenged Sevenfold free essay sample

A Little Piece of Heaven Review If there is one band that epitomizes underrated, its Avenged Sevenfold. With a rough exterior and outstanding musical talent, Avenged Sevenfold (otherwise known as A7X) has left their mark on the hard rock genre. The quality of their songs far exceeds many other groups, so its a shame that so few people know about them. Every one of their songs has deep meaning embedded in every arpeggio and vocal. Well, almost every song. There is one particular piece by A7X that has no true meaning, but still manages to be both a lyrical and musical masterpiece. The title of the song itself is A Little Piece of Heaven. I like to call it the most macabre love story ever told. I will warn you, though. The lyrics to the song are definitely rated R, so its not recommended to all audiences. We will write a custom essay sample on A Little Piece of Heaven by Avenged Sevenfold or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is how the story within the song plays out. A man is having dinner with his girlfriend, and he proposes to her. His girlfriend, however, does not believe they should be married yet, and denies his offer. This sends the man into a fit of madness. He believes that he may lose his girlfriend if they arent wedded, and as such, kills her. He then proceeds to cut out her heart, eat it, and desecrate her corpse. Yeah, like I said, its got some rated R lyrics. After all of this happens, the spirit of the dead girlfriend re-animates her long dead body, and kills the guy in a similar fashion to how he killed her. At this point, both the guy and girl are in Hell, and end up meeting each other. The guy explains why he did what he did, and the girl offers him a chance to prove his love for her. The guy suggests that they go to a wedding in progress, slaughter the bride and groom, and be wedded themselves. The girl agrees, and they re-animate their corpses once again. Now back in the land o f the living, the undead couple completely annihilate a wedding in progress, and are pronounced man and wife by an undead minister. I would be lying if I said I didnt cringe at least a little bit when I first listened to this song. The description of the events that occur are done with such vivid detail that it makes you wonder, How in Gods name did they write this? An example of this would be the line, The possibilities I never considered are occuring none the likes of which Id ever heard. Now an angry soul comes back from beyond the grave to re-possess somebody with which I misbehaved. Smiling right from ear to ear. Almost laughed herself to tears. I would go on, but it would start to get disturbing. However, despite being a thoroughly messed up song, ALPOH has some very descriptive, gritty lyrics that make it both an artistic and atmospheric piece of music. Speaking of atmosphere, the song itself has to be one of the most finely crafted pieces of music I have ever heard. A7X has always been know for doing big, epic pieces, and ALPOH is no exception. Unlike most of their songs, ALPOH is set up like an opera piece, complete with violins, trombones, and choir. The song is eight minutes long total, so there is a lot of room for music, an oh, is ALPOH filled with amazing music. From start to finish, this song is packed to the breaking point with symphonies, orchestras, and plenty of other operatic qualities. You might think that with as macabre as the story is, the symphonic tone would be detrimental. Actually, its the opposite way around. The music does nothing except push the whole feel of the song forward, and does so in spectacular fashion. When listening to it, you really feel captivated by the music and lyrics, and almost feel like youre listening to a five star symphony by the end. The lead singer, M. Shadows, has a voice thats best described as a diamond in the rough. It can be very throaty and scratchy, or it can be smooth and calming. M. Shadow s exercises his voice to his fullest extent in ALPOH, and he really manages to capture the essence of the song with it. There are also female vocals done by Shannah Crooks, who also manages to encapsulate the feel of the song with her beautiful voice. A Little Piece of Heaven is one of those rare songs that is so good, it really cant be described with words. From start to finish, the song is an absolute joy to listen to, and is filled with dark pleasures and joyful madness. The operatic tone and amazing vocals only drive the piece further to its five star rating. Yes, I am giving ALPOH five out of five stars. Why? Because it shows that even if you are very rough on the outside, you can be a true gem on the inside.

London Eye Essay Example

London Eye Essay The Merlin Entertainments London Eye, commonly known as London Eye or Millennium Wheel or British Airways London Eye. The Merlin Entertainments London Eye is commonly known as London Eye or Millennium Wheel or British Airways London Eye. It is a giant tall Ferris wheel, which has the height of 135 metre ( 443 feet) and located at the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the south bank of the Thames River in the London Borough of Lambeth in England, which is between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge, London, England. It was also located near to the former Dome of Discovery, which was built for the Festival of Britain in 1951. London Eye was the tallest observation wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, which approximately visited by over 3. 5 million people annually. Besides, it is also one of an extraordinary symbol in extraordinary city and was as a part of London’s millennium celebrations. The Merlin Entertainments London Eye opens daily except on 25th December (Christmas Day) and during its annual maintenance period, which set from 10th until 19th January 2010. London Eye was constructed on the late of 1998. The construction was a huge international effort that involves hundreds of people during that time, since it took seven years and the skills of hundreds of people from five countries to make it into a reality. The architectural team who consists of David Marks and Julia Barfield (who was a husband and wife), Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, Steven Chilton, Frank Anatole and Nic Bailey has designed the structure. The construction of the observation wheel took more than one year and half to complete. We will write a custom essay sample on London Eye specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on London Eye specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on London Eye specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer London Eye was made of 1700 tones of steel as the structure and more than 3000 tones of concrete were used for the foundations. The wheel carries 32 sealed and air-conditioner egg-shaped of passenger capsules, attached to its external circumference, each capsule representing as one of the London Boroughs and has the weight of 10 tonnes. Each of the futuristic looking capsules can accommodate up to 25 passengers, who are free to walk around inside the capsule, although the seating is provided. Each of the egg-shaped capsules has 8 metres long and weight 500 kg. The 25 metre ( 82 feet) of long spindle was built in the Czech Republic. There are 80 spokes that connects the rim with the spindle, and each of the rim has a diameter of 122 m ( 400 feet), which is approximately 200 times the size of a bicycle wheel. The observation wheel itself rotates at 26 cm ( 10 inch) per second ( 0. 9km/h or 0. 6 mph), which the revolution takes about 30 minutes. However, the wheel does not stop to take on passengers, since the rotation rate is slow enough to allow the passengers to walk on and off the moving capsules at the ground level. It is stopped due to allow the disabled or elderly passengers time to go on board and get off safely. A complete turn of the observation wheel takes about 30 minutes. Since the construction of the glass capsules on the outer side of the rim, the passengers have a great 360? view over the London. There are many famous landmarks are clearly visible from there, which are include the Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral even the House of Parliament. During a clear day, the passengers can see approximately as far as 40 km ( 25 miles) in all directions. One of the London Eye capsules, in which inside is full of passengers. The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, formally opened London Eye on 31st December 1999. However, the London Eye still not opened for the public yet due to the technical problems, until 9th March 2000. Since the opening, The Merlin Entertainments London Eye has become an iconic landmark and also the symbol of the modern Britain. There are over 3. 5 million tourists who are visiting the attraction each year, which has proved it as the most popular paid tourist destination in London and throughout the world. In August 2009, the London Eye has launched a spectacular new 4D film experience. It was added as a free extra in order to pleasure the passengers in enjoying their ride on the London Eye. The 4D itself used a superb effects and the short film has only 3D aerial footage of the London. Besides, there are also gift shops, which located next to the London Eye Wheel, opposite of the ticket office entrance. It offers many kinds of high quality of London Eye gifts and souvenirs (such as: photography, guidebooks and in-flight mini guides) in order for the visitor feel special for London Eye. Other than gift shops, there are cafes (which offers tea, coffee, drinks, sandwiches, cakes and snacks located inside the county Hall and opposite the gift shop, with great views of the London Eye), toilets as well as the wheelchair loan service to make the visitor more comfortable in enjoying the London Eye. The Merlin Entertainments London Eye has also won over 75 awards for national and international tourism due to its outstanding of architectural quality and engineering achievement since the public opening. There are TripAdvisor. com – Best Attraction in Europe (2007), British Travel Awards – Silver Award: Best Visitor Attraction Coolbrands – third coolest attraction (2008), Group Travel Awards – Best Attraction for Group Visits: Short Visit (2009), and so on. London Development Agency Green500: Platinum Award was the latest achievement that London Eye received on 2010. Since the opening, The Merlin Entertainments London Eye has become an iconic landmark and also the symbol of the modern Britain. There are over 3. million tourists who are visiting the attraction each year, which has proved it as the most popular paid tourist destination in London and throughout the world. The futuristic of architecture design and engineering made the visitors enjoying the sensation in the London Eye capsules, which the visitors can see as far as 40 km ( 25 miles) in all directions. This observing wheel was used as a symbol for the end of the 20th century due to the time that turns into the new millennium until now.

A Guide to Vertebrates and Invertebrates

A Guide to Vertebrates and Invertebrates Animal classification is a matter of sorting out similarities and differences, of placing animals in groups and then breaking those groups apart into subgroups. The whole endeavor creates a structure- a hierarchy in which the large high-level groups sort out bold and obvious differences, while the low-level groups tease apart subtle, almost imperceptible, variations. This sorting process enables scientists to describe evolutionary relationships, identify shared traits, and highlight unique characteristics down through the various levels of animal groups and subgroups. Among the most basic criteria by which animals are sorted is whether or not they possess a backbone. This single trait places an animal into one of just two groups: the vertebrates or the invertebrates and represents a fundamental division among all animals alive today as well as those that have long ago disappeared. If we are to know anything about an animal, we should first aim to determine whether it is an invertebrate or a vertebrate. Well then be on our way to understanding its place within the animal world. What are Vertebrates? Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata) are animals that possess an internal skeleton (endoskeleton) that includes a backbone made up of a column of vertebrae (Keeton, 1986:1150). The Subphylum Vertebrata is a group within the Phylum Chordata (commonly called the chordates) and as such inherits the characteristics of all chordates: bilateral symmetrybody segmentationendoskeleton (bony or cartilaginous)pharyngeal pouches (present during some stage of development)complete digestive systemventral heartclosed blood systemtail (at some stage of development) In addition to the traits listed above, vertebrates possess one additional trait that makes them unique among chordates: the presence of a backbone. There are a few groups of chordates that do not possess a backbone (these organisms are not vertebrates and are instead referred to as invertebrate chordates). The animal classes that are vertebrates include: Jawless fish (Class Agnatha)Armored fish (Class Placodermi) - extinctCartilaginous fish (Class Chondrichthyes)Bony fish (Class Osteichthyes)Amphibians (Class Amphibia)Reptiles (Class Reptilia)Birds (Class Aves)Mammals (Class Mammalia) What are Invertebrates? Invertebrates are a broad collection of animal groups (they do not belong to a single subphylum like the vertebrates) all of which lack a backbone. Some (not all) of the animal groups that are invertebrates include: Sponges (Phylum Porifera)Jellyfish, hydras, sea anemones, corals (Phylum Cnidaria)Comb jellies (Phylum Ctenophora)Flatworms (Phylum Platyhelminthes)Mollusks (Phylum Mollusca)Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)Segmented worms (Phylum Annelida)Echinoderms (Phylum Echinodermata) In total, there are at least 30 groups of invertebrates that scientists have identified to date. A vast proportion, 97 percent, of animal species alive today are invertebrates. The earliest of all animals to have evolved were invertebrates and the various forms that have developed during their long evolutionary past is highly diverse. All invertebrates are ectotherms, that is they do not produce their own body heat but instead acquire it from their environment.

Gold and Silver Pennies Chemistry Project

Gold and Silver Pennies Chemistry Project All you need are a couple of common chemicals to turn your normal copper-colored pennies (or another mainly-copper object) from copper to silver and then to gold. No, the coins wont really be silver or gold. The actual metal involved is zinc. This project is easy to do. While I dont recommend it for very young kids, Id consider it appropriate for kids ages third grade and older, with adult supervision. Materials Needed for this Project clean pennies zinc metal (preferably powder) sodium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide solutiontweezers or tongscontainer of water source of heat/flame Note: Supposedly you can substitute galvanized nails for the zinc and Dranoâ„ ¢ for the sodium hydroxide, but I was unable to get this project to work using nails and drain cleaner. How to Make Silver Pennies Pour a spoonful of zinc (1-2 grams) into a small beaker or evaporating dish containing water.Add a small quantity of sodium hydroxide.Alternatively, you could add zinc to a 3M NaOH solution.Heat the mixture to near-boiling, then remove it from heat.Add clean pennies to the solution, spacing them so that they are not touching each other.Wait 5-10 minutes for them to turn silver, then use tongs to remove the pennies from the solution.Rinse the pennies in water, then set them on a towel to dry.You can examine the pennies once you have rinsed them. This chemical reaction plates the copper in the penny with zinc. This is called galvanization. The zinc reacts with the hot sodium hydroxide solution to form soluble sodium zincate, Na2ZnO2, which is converted to metallic zinc when it touches the surface of the penny. How to Make the Silver Pennies turn Gold Grasp a silver penny with tongs.Gently heat the penny in the outer (cool) part of a burner flame or with a lighter or candle (or even set it on a hotplate).Remove the penny from heat as soon as it changes color.Rinse the gold penny under water to cool it. Heating the penny fuses the zinc and copper to form an alloy called brass. Brass is a homogeneous metal that varies from 60-82% Cu and from 18-40% Zn. Brass has a relatively low melting point, so the coating can be destroyed by heating the penny for too long. Safety Information Please use proper safety precautions. Sodium hydroxide is caustic. I recommend conducting this project under a fume hood or outdoors. Wear gloves and protective eyewear to prevent getting splashed by the sodium hydroxide solution.

IMC & Customer Satisfaction...and that i also should be the running Essay

IMC & Customer Satisfaction...and that i also should be the running head for the apa - Essay Example nce, the company would try to offer its products and services to its customers in a cost effective way, hence the advertising strategy should be such which does not lead to incurring high cost for the company and at the same time communicates to its potential target customers in an effective manner. The best way to advertise the products and services offered by Inter-Global Medicare would be the use of digital media. Digital advertising tools such as through its websites, social networking websites, search engines, e-mails, etc. could be effectively used by the company to advertise its products. This can help achieve the overall marketing goals of the organization by reducing the costs incurred on advertising and thereby adding to the profits of the company. Through by effectively utilizing digital media the company would be able to communicate with greater number of people while incurring less cost, and could thus help in boosting the sales and profitability of the company. The job of advertising the products and services of Inter-Global Medicare is not complete until and unless a measuring tool is designed which can evaluate the effectiveness of the advertising strategies employed by the organization (Wells, 1997, p. 4). Now since it is suggested that the company would use digital advertising strategies, it would be ideal for the organization to design an internet based tool that would have a response corner on all the websites where the company products and services are advertised. Whenever a consumer visits the websites and clicks on the advertisement, he would be required to give feedbacks and fill in his contact details. Analysis tools are available which can be used by the company to measure the number of customers who have actually visited its advertisements and what are their viewpoints or queries regarding the products and services offered by the company. In this way it can prove to be an effective tool for measuring the effectiveness of the a dvertising

Statement of Purpose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Statement of Purpose - Essay Example Based on this, I am applying for the MSF at FIU. I am a Senior Finance major with experience and committed to improving my knowledge in financial strategy and solidifying my technical skills in order to return to my country and help in its financial development.   My strong interest to pursue a graduate degree emerged when I transferred to FIU after getting my AA degree from Miami Dade College. At Miami, I learned English in 6 months and went straight to MDC where I left with a GPA of 3.20 and were admitted into the undergraduate Finance program at FIU. While at MDC, I got a chance to go to China for a month during the summer, where I took Macro and Microeconomics and learned how to deal and socialize with people in an extremely different culture. Furthermore, I have been a member of ALPFA and AMA organizations from where I have learned how to build relationships and equip myself with what I need to be a successful professional. Many people find it unusual that I do not work while studying and that I want to get my graduate degree right after graduating from my undergraduate studies. I ascribe to the Luanda culture, of which people generally do not work while studying, but it is a personal choice to get my graduate degree right after my bachelor’s program. I chose to do this so that I can get an internship while pursuing my MSF in order to get hands-on experience before I go back to Angola. I am strongly convinced that I am ready and well prepared for this graduate program. It will expand my knowledge in finance, certainly equip me with experience working with financial software, and help me interact with knowledgeable and skillful people from different backgrounds. All these will make me more marketable and will probably help secure a good job in Angola. I believe that my background and goals are satisfactory for a master’s degree of Science in Finance at Florida International

Rabbit-Proof Fence Essay Example for Free

Rabbit-Proof Fence Essay * How do the filmmakers begin the film and engage us in the story and at the beginning of the film what do you think you are seeing at first? The Australian film based on the true story about â€Å"The Stolen Generation† titled â€Å"Rabbit-Proof Fence† begins with a brief written summary about the Australian Aborigines Act of 1931. This historical information is just enough to really grasp the viewer’s curiosity before moving on to what is initially, the unidentifiable aerial footage of the endless desert plains of Australia. This is footage is only further complicated by the voice of an unknown women speaking in an unfamiliar language and the native sounding instruments fading in slowly from the background. At first, I was unsure of the geographical location, thinking it was possibly that of a sandy or muddy beach. It then crossed my mind that perhaps I had mistakenly selected a non-English version of the film which would explain the foreign language, but not the English text at the beginning. It wasn’t until the view included the unmistakably blue sky along the horizon of the desert that the location became completely recognizable and my previous thoughts were extinguished. * What impressions do you gain of life in the desert Aboriginal community?   Living among nothing more than the dry and dusty Australian plains scattered with sagebrush and a few desert trees, the film showed how desolate of a landscape the Aborigines called home. With nothing more than simple huts constructed from small sticks and branches, their homes didn’t appear to provide adequate shelter much less protection from the elements such as the unrelenting heat and sun. It was clear that their lives had been disrupted by â€Å"white† European settlers whom had depleted their lands of natural resources needed for survival, as the community was forced to rely upon government rations for food, water, clothing, etc. As seen in the film, the community rations were distributed to the native people by a â€Å"white† government worker at the Jigalong depot which gave the state every opportunity to evoke complete control over their lives. * Very early in the film, we see the eagle, Molly’s totem, her spirit bird. Her mother tells her the eagle will look after her. When does the bird appear again in the film and why? The eagle first appears in the very beginning of film as Molly stares up to the blue sky watching intently as an eagle circles overhead. Soon joined by her mother, together they both gaze up as her mother speaks to her in native tongue; she explains the meaning of the totem to Molly and its promise for protection and guidance. Then after Molly and her sisters are taken to the settlement, the eagle appears again circling overhead in her dream signaling that the time had come for the girls to make their escape. Finally, after walking over a thousand miles the two remaining sisters collapse from pure exhaustion in the endless desert when again the eagle appears in Molly’s dreams. Awakening her from near death, the eagle seemingly provides the strength and encouragement needed for Molly to contin ue on, with promise of home. Out of curiosity, I did some further research about the totem and the Aboriginal people. In the Aborigine culture each individual family has a totem with different animal symbols on it which represent their descended mythical â€Å"Being of Dreamtime†: the belief in a spiritual connection between land, animal, and man in a time before time. For indigenous aborigines the religious significance of the totem is conceptually similar to the religious significance of the cross for Christians; both carry symbolic meaning representing a spiritual life. * Why do you think that some children just accepted their fate, whereas others were desperate to escape? After being kidnapped from their family and taken to the Moore River Native Settlement, the Aboriginal children were forced to conform to the strict authority of the sisters and Mr. Neville’s staff, including the tracker. The children were warned from the beginning that if they were to attempt an escape they would be tracked and surely brought back to receive the punishments they had deserved. Those who dare attempt were immediately tracked and returned to the settlement where they would be brutally punished in front of their peers by the Mr. Neville or his staff; after which they were then locked up in the isolation room for hours or even days. For the majority of the children the fear of punishment was enough for them to accept their fate and obey the endless rules. Additionally, it seemed that for many of the children the settlement had become their home and they didn’t want to leave. Clearly this was not the case for Molly, and the other girl seen punished in the movie for sneaking out to visit her boyfriend. * What kind of activities were the children involved in to â€Å"civilize and Christianize† them? Once the children arrived at the Moore River Native Settlement they were expected to dress, speak, and behave as instructed by Mr. Neville’s staff. The children were each scrubbed by one of the sister’s before being dressed all alike in plain smocks and shoes. At the start of each meal they were required to stand and all say a uniform prayer before eating. They were required to address their elders by â€Å"Ms. or Mr.† only, able to speak only when spoken to, allowed only to speak in English instead of their native tongue which was commonly referred to as â€Å"jabber†. All the children were forced to attend classes, and church as instructed, as well as daily chores like sweeping, mopping, and sewing. * After their escape, when ever Mollly is asked where she is going, the answer is always the one word: â€Å"home†, what does this mean to Molly? For Molly, the word â€Å"home† is where she belongs, the place where her mom is, the only place she knows, the place she must return to at all costs. Unlike some of the other children who had been made to believe that the settlement was their home, and that they no longer had a mother; Molly knew better, she knew that they still had a mother. For fourteen years, wherever her family was at was â€Å"home† and she dearly longed to be reunited with the family that she loved and she knew loved her. * The girls stumble across a remote farm where they meet Mavis, another Stolen Generations Aboriginal girl who is working as a domestic helper. What evidence is there to suggest that life is very difficult for Mavis? Why was she so keen for the girls to shelter with her for the night? One of the few people that the sisters encountered on their incredibly long journey across the desolate Australian plains was a young woman by the name of Mavis. They came across a homestead where they found Mavis hanging laundry, deciding to stop and take the chance by asking for food. As the girls soon would learn, she too had been kidnapped from her family and brought to the compound where she lived until she was old enough to go to work as a domestic worker for the white family with whom she lived. Immediately upon seeing the girls, Mavis r ecognized the trio as having escaped from Moore River. She instructed the girls to wait in the brush until later that evening when she would bring them food and insist upon them staying with her for the night. That night as the girls lay fast asleep in Mavis’ bed they were woke by the white boss man attempts to crawl into bed with whom he clearly had thought to be only Mavis. After the discovery, Mavis briefly spoke with boss man before pleading with the girls to stay with her for the remainder of night out. Clearly she was fearful that if they left her bed he would return to finish what he had started. Unfortunately, despite her promise, Mavis boss did in fact call the authorities and again the girls were woke, only luckily this time narrowly escaping capture by outwitting the trackers. * Imagine you are Molly aged about thirty and the mother of two children. Tell your children what you learned from your experiences in 1931. First of all, I want to acknowledge that it is impossible for me to comprehend what Molly, or any Aboriginal child endured at the hands of the Western Australian government; I can only do my best to imagine what I would be like after such an experience. As forty four year old Molly with two children, I anticipate that I would be open and honest with my children about the events in my life while doing my absolute best to teach my chil dren about the necessity of forgiveness. I would try to explain that the actions of the Australian government were the result of ignorance and fear. It is our job as parents to prepare our children for the future and to hopefully avoid repeating the mistakes of our past; as such I feel that it would do no good to teach them to be angry or hateful towards the â€Å"white† people, but feel sorry for their ignorance. * Many Aboriginal Australians today are still suffering from the effects of loss of identity and family brought about by the practice of removing Aboriginal children. What do you understand by the word â€Å"reconciliation†? To me personally, the word reconciliation means the act of making something right that has been wronged and I don’t know if the past in instances like this can be made right. After the movie, I went on to view several other pieces about the Stolen Generations and some of the stories were heart breaking to say the least. It is very true that many Aboriginal families are still suffering today; many who have lost every bit of their real heritage as a result. It’s hard to imagine not having any idea where you came from, but it’s even harder to imagine those whose last memory of their mother was her heartbroken face as they were ripped from her arms. To have no idea what became of your people is something I can only begin to imagine. Therefore, I don’t think that there ever will be any reconciliation possible between the government and the Aboriginal people, an apology sure but the wrong will never be able to be right. What I do believe can take place, is for the Australian government to accept responsibility for the mistakes of their predecessor’s against the Aboriginal people and to provide any and all resources that may help this culture heal.

Ancient Egypt :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ancient Egypt was a very important time in our time period. They had their own way of life. Egyptians had their own writing, burials, government, religion, cooking, and games. They were educated people with many talents. They were good with their hands and brains. Ancient Egyptians were a magnificent race of people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ancient Egyptians called their country Kemet, which means â€Å"Black Land.† The dark soil from the Nile River was very fertile. The Nile overflowed at the same time every year, leaving farmers with very fertile soil. The Nile provided much needed water for their crops during the dry season by using their irrigation system. The Nile River also provided the Egyptians with drinking water, and a way for them to travel, allowing them to explore and trade. In addition, the desert around the river was called â€Å"Red Land† by the Egyptians. This is where they lived, grew and prospered. The desert provided much gold for the Egyptians to trade with other countries or to keep for themselves. They brought back silver from Syria, cedar wood, oils, and horses from Lebanon, copper from Cyprus, gems from Afghanistan, ebony, wood, and ivory from Africa, and incense from Punt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Egyptians cherished family life the way we cherish food or money. Children were considered a blessing. They prayed for them and used magic to have children, but if a couple could not conceive they adopted. Men were the head of the household and the oldest son inherited everything of the father’s.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Egyptian women were to obey their fathers and husbands, but were equal in many other ways. For example, women could have jobs, some rights in court cases, and they were able to own land. Women were also allowed to own businesses. Only noble women, however, could be priestesses. The women raised the children and took care of the house. Wealthy families would hire maids and nannies to do such things. Divorce was not common in Ancient Egypt, though it was an option. Problems were talked about between families, and if they could not be settled a divorce would take place. Some women became rulers but only in secret. The only woman who ruled as a phara oh in the open was Queen Hatsheput. Ordinary men normally had one wife, while pharaohs and kings had several. Most marriages were arranged by parents. Most girls married at age twelve while boys were usually a little older.

American Correctional Policies

The main focus of the juvenile justice systems has always been rehabilitation of the offender. However, this principle has been criticized by some sociologists prompting research activities on the most appropriate method of dealing with juvenile delinquency. Steiner and Wright (2006) carried out a research to determine the effectiveness of tougher penalties on certain cases of juvenile delinquency. According to their study, Steiner and Wright the more strict penalties introduced in the late 20th century had no impacts on the rate of juvenile delinquency and recidivism.A similar study by the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2004) indicated that there is no evidence of the effectiveness of the therapeutic foster care intervention programs in dealing with juvenile delinquency. This program was introduced to assists delinquent youths who are unable to live with their parent. However, the program recommended that young people with chronic deviant behaviors should be put under a fost er parent who is trained to handle such individuals.Although the findings of the two studies are essential in formulation of correctional policies, it is important to note that both studies do not consider the factors that forced the juvenile to commit the crime before looking at the effectiveness of the programs. There is no doubt that every case of juvenile delinquency should be addressed separately if intervention programs have to be effective. Reference Cocozza, J. & Skowyra, K. (2002). â€Å"Youth with mental health disorders: issues and emerging responses. † Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Journal, 7(1), pp 3-13.MMWR (2004) Therapeutic foster care for the prevention of violence: A report on recommendations of the task force on community preventive services, CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 53 (RR-10). Steiner, B. , Wright, E. (2006). â€Å"Assessing the relative effects of state direct file waiver laws on violent juvenile crime: Deterren ce or irrelevance? † The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 96(4), pp 1451-1477. Part two: Abstract Policies that are geared towards restoration of justice have been common in the criminal justice systems in the United States.These policies have progressively found their way into the juvenile justice systems in many states. These policies are aimed at balancing the interests of the juvenile offenders and the victims of the offences. There are several studies that have been carried out to ascertain the effectiveness of these programs in the juvenile justice systems. This paper is aimed at examining the restorative justice policies in the juvenile justice systems which has concluded that this approach has been adopted by almost all states in the country in the recent past.Reference Pavelka, S. (2008). â€Å"Restorative Juvenile Justice Legislation And Policy: A National Assessment,† International Journal of Restorative Justice, 4(2) pp 100-118 http://www. restorativ ejustice. org/legislative-assembly/15statutes-cases-regulations-and-recommendations-from-national-regional-and-intergovernmental-bodies/restorative-justice-and-the-law/statutes/restorative-juvenile-justice-legislation-and-policy-a-national-assessement.

Differences Btwn Lpn and Rn

THE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN A LPNS AND RNS RAHAB KAIRU TRANSITION TO THE RN 03/28/2013 THE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN LPNS AND RNS In today’s society its maybe difficult to differentiate between LPNs and RNs, this is usually because of the socialeconomic values and more availabilities of LPNs than RNs and also because there some similarities between LPNs and RNs. The differences start right from school. While most LPNs programs are a one year programs and LPNs get a diploma, most RN programs are at least 2 year program they get an associate degree.RNs and LPNs take two different exams, the RN exam is more comprehensive and more indepth as compared to LPNs exams. RNs take NCLEX-RN while LPN take NCLEX-RN. In some states there are maybe different board of nursing that deal with either LPNs and RNs, example in California ther is California board of RN and Californa board of vocational nursing and phychiatrist Technicians. RNs study is more in depth, have al ot more prerequisites as compared to LPNs.RNs have more knowledge in psychology , clinical, assessment and management skills. LPNs work under direct supervison of an RN or a Doctor while RNs work independently under doctors orders. LPNs may not be allowed to do somefuctions such as initial assessment during patient admission or some procedures such as IV therapy, they may monitor IV therapy and report to an RN,while RNs have no restrictions. LPNs are usually in the nursing pool while RN do most of the management.There is also a difference in pay. RNs make more money compared to LPNs. RNs have more career opportunities, while LPNs are more restricted on their choices. Most hospitals do not hire LPNs. Its also easier for an RN to advance in educations as compared to LPNs; there are more online schools and different specialization that an RN can choose. Some of the similarity between lpn and RNs are that they are closely regulated by the board of nursing and always have to be in compli ance.Both have to take countinuing education to maintain their licences. In most states the LPN and RNs salary falls in the same tax bracket. Lisa M Shaffer BSN,RN and Kathy Johnson,BSN,RN and Carolyn Guinn,Msn,RN. (March 2010) Remedifying role confusion; Diffrentiating between RN and LPN roles. Vol. 5 No. 3 Retrived from http://www. americannursetoday. com/article. aspx? id=6382 Beth Greenwood. (2002) RN vs LPN Responsibilities. Demand media. Retrived from: http://work. chron. com/lpn-vs-rn-responsibilities-5379. html

The War Between The Classes Essays - Armbands, Free Essays

The War Between The Classes Essays - Armbands, Free Essays The War Between The Classes The War Between the Classes By (Your Name Here) The War Between the Classes is an excellent book written by Gloria D. Miklowitz. It is about a high-school class that plays the Color Game. In the game, there are four social classes which are represented by armbands: Blues highest, richest; Dark Greens upper-middle class, semi-rich; Light Greens lower-middle class, semi-poor; Oranges lowest class, very poor. To further split up the classes, there are the superior sex, Teks(females), and the inferior sex, No-Teks(males). There are also groups of Color Game policemen, which are older students who played the game in previous years. They record the students activities, and record any good or bad behavior, which can result in demotions or promotions. The Color Game runs like this: Lower classes, or No-Teks, must bow when they meet eyes with a higher class, or Tek. Higher classes can give orders to lower classes. Lower classes may not speak to a higher class unless spoken to, and can only reply in a short answer. You must have your armband and journal with you at all times. The main character in this book is Emiko Amy Sumoto. She comes from a Japanese family, and her parents believe she should keep the family going by marrying a Japanese boy. Instead, she is interested in a rich, white boy names Adam, which is the opposite of her. In the Color Game, all the Latinos in the class turn out to be high colors, and rich whites end up as lower colors, which are all planned out by their teacher. Although she is used to being treated as a lower person in real life, along with the rest of the Latinos, she doesnt feel right with the power she has, being one of the most powerful people in the class. She decides to try and unite all the colors to an equal rank. After being demoted from Blue to Orange with Adam, she plans to post Unite All Colors posters all over the school, and make quad-colro armbands for all students to wear. Finally she succeeds in doing this, and unites the whole school as one. My favorite part of this book is when Amy and her friend Juan sneak into the school at night and post the posters all over the school. I like this part because it sounds very fun to do, and its the only actual action part or the book. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend, although most of my friends are reading it right now. I would recommend it because it acts as a very good teacher about stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Plus, it is shown through the eyes of a person who is almost at the bottom of the social classes, and is the same age as we will be in a few years. It shows what life when youre older can really be like. Bibliography The War Between the Classes, Gloria D. Miklowitz

Intelligence Testing for Special Education

Intelligence Testing for Special Education Individualized intelligence tests are usually part of the battery of tests a school psychologist will use to evaluate students when referred for evaluation. Intelligence Testing The two most commonly used are the WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) and the Stanford-Binet. For many years the WISC has been considered the most valid measure of intelligence because it had both language and symbol based items and performance-based items. The WISC also provided diagnostic information, because the verbal part of the test could be compared to the performance items, to show a disparity between language and spatial intelligence. The Stanford Binet-Intelligence Scale, originally the Binet-Simon Test, was designed to identify students with cognitive disabilities. The scales focus on language narrowed the definition of intelligence, which has been to some extent broadened in the most recent form, the SB5. Both the Stanford-Binet and WISC are normed, comparing samples from each age group. In both cases, we have seen intelligence scores going up.  Research shows the mean increasing somewhere between 3 and 5 percent a decade.  Ã‚  It is believed the fact that the way instruction is mediated is directly related to how intelligence is measured.  We dont necessarily teach to the test so much as structure information that way the test scores.  It also means that children with severe apraxia or language difficulties because of autism may score very poorly on the Standford-Binet because of its focus on language.  They may have intellectually disabled or retarded in their diagnosis, whereas, in reality, they may really be Intellectually different, since their intelligence is not truly being evaluated. The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales, or RAIS, takes 35 minutes to administer and covers 2 verbal intelligence indexes, 2 non-verbal indexes and a comprehensive intelligence index, which measures reasoning ability and the ability to learn, among other cognitive skills. Best Known Intelligence Test The best-known product of Intelligence testing is the IQ, or Intelligence Quotient. An IQ score of 100 is meant to reflect the average (mean) score for children the same age as the child being tested. A score over 100 implies better than average intelligence, and scores below 100 (actually, 90) implies some level of cognitive difference. Group Tests Group Tests prefer to bill themselves as ability rather than intelligence tests and are usually used to identify children for gifted programs.  These are generally used for screening to identify children with either high or low intelligence.  Children who are identified for gifted programs or IEPs are often re-tested with an individual test, either the WISC or Standford Binet intelligence tests, to have a clearer picture of a childs challenges or gifts.   The CogAT or Cognitive Abilities Test consists of several sessions, from 30 minutes (kindergarten) to 60 minutes (higher levels.) The MAB or Multidimensional Aptitude Battery consists of 10 subtests scores and can be grouped in verbal and performance areas. The MAB can be administered to individuals, groups, or on the computer. It yields standard scores, percentiles or IQs. With the emphasis on state assessments and achievement, few districts are regularly administering group tests. Psychologists usually prefer one of the individual tests of intelligence to identify children for special education services.

Regulation and Management in the Global Community Essay

Regulation and Management in the Global Community - Essay Example Since China will be a new market for the expanding UK restaurant, they have to acclimatize themselves with certain strategies relating to fast-food restaurant in China, these includes; the government policies on foreign investments, the location of the business, and the kind of competition involved. These factors are important for enabling a critical evaluation of the business possibility of succeeding in the foreign country. Unlike in the UK, the fast food that are experienced in the Chinese market are different, for the business to succeed in China then, they have to consider those factors that relates to the type of food that is common or favourite in the Chinese culture. The same taste and preference that is experienced in UK is not the same one that will be experienced in China, for instance when in the UK most restaurants deal in fish and chip, in China the list expands to include fried bread sticks, roast chicken, soybean porridge, porridge, fried stuff buns and so on. As such , the management of the company should be conversant with the factors listed in order to realize success in the foreign investments. Relating to the foreign investment again, the management should be cognizant of the political, economic, and social (cultural) challenges that they are likely to meet while operating the business in China, they are reported below. Political Risks that might face the Management in China Foreign countries are always faced with a number of political risks and the fast-food restaurant is not an exception, as such, it will have its fair share of the risks. One of the most common political risks that will be faced in this relation is the taxation policy; China is a country that boasts of their domestic consumption given their large population. They also give preference to their local businesses first particularly in areas that need no specialized expertise like running a restaurant. The Chinese business policies are designed to support the local business and this is through giving higher taxation to the foreign countries as a way of discouraging them from doing business in China. If the business opt to consider China as their next business zone, they will have to contend with the higher rate of foreign businesses taxation, in other words, the profit margin for the company will be tremendously be reduced owing to the taxation policy. In a bid to control the influx of foreign businesses in china, the government of China has instituted bodies that regulate the extent though which foreign businesses are invading the Chinese market. Most of the regulatory bodies are keen to block those businesses that are dominant in the country, fast-food restaurant is one of the businesses that have dominated the Chinese market for a long time and there are chances that the UK branch investment will not be allowed to operate in the country (Adekola and Bruno 2007, p.34). Before allowing foreign business to operate in their country, China is keen to look i nto the benefits that they will accrue from the business. They have to look for factors such as will it create employment opportunities to the citizens, will it pay taxes, or will it just give unhealthy competition? In this case, starting a fast-food restaurant will be considered to bring unhealthy competition to the local business and chance are that they will not permit it and if they do, it is highly probable that they will have to introduce measures and controls for the business. The Chinese government introduced a policy that

Empowerment of women by migratory process Essay

Empowerment of women by migratory process - Essay Example This study was aimed at identifying the global care chain opportunities for women migrants and in the process how they are able to contribute to globalisation and to extend support for working mothers abroad, besides emancipation of themselves and dependant families back home. We have also seen the various aspects of migration and how it contributes to a nation’s economy and what are the impediments and hardships that a nanny has to experience while she remains part of the global care chain. And we have also seen various ways by which the women migrants can assert themselves having waited so long patiently for due recognition and rewards and how to command respect in the society and in the market. Ultimately the study convinces that the women migrants are becoming empowered by migrating to first world countries and finding employment as nannies for working mothers. Migration was until recently synonymous with men alone and women in migration as only followers of their men were invisible though they were also independently migratory. Migration of women was of no consequence as far as historians were concerned until Morokvasik M (1984) characterized women also as participants in the international migration process. The male authors treated both male and female migrators in male gender with the result women never caught the attention of the historians and anthropologists as an integral part of migration and independent of men Even women authors who began projection of women in the process have not been able to take the message out of women’s circle.

Relationship Between Argetina and the International Monetary Fund Essay

Relationship Between Argetina and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - Essay Example The higher a countrys foreign debt level, the greater are the chances of default. According to World Bank, the Latin American Countries (LAC) would need US $ 60 million annually during 1991-2000 period. This translates into higher borrowing, higher debts and debt servicing. Budget cuts were immediately felt at the international financial institutions like the Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), which decreased access to officially supported credits. Global interest rates rose, which further increased foreign debts. Mexico, Brazil and Argentina could not sustain the economic growth and lurched from one financial crisis to another (Elstrodt, Lenero, and Urdapilleta). Debt has been the largest source of capital flows in the developing countries but despite that, economic development has not been successful. The causes and consequences of such debts have been the subject of debate over the years. This paper will examine the severity of Argentinas debt and the relationship between Argentina and the IMF. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, UK and France too had defaulted on the debt repayments but the problems in debt repayments in Latin American can be dated back to 1914 when Mexico suspended its payments (Dodd). Owing to a series of corrupt regimes, Argentina has experienced severe economic declines. In 1956, a group of wealthy nations met in Paris to find a solution to the looming debt problems of Argentina. In the 1970s, large amount of lending to Latin America was in the form of syndicate banks loans. Brady Bonds helped in the debt restructuring process and the Brady plan proposed exchanging the loans for bonds that would allow the debt to be traded in financial markets where it would be priced at market value. Macroeconomic management is essential if the country is to attain sustained growth. Argentina, besides pegging the peso to the US dollar at parity in

Patient Safety The Importance of good record keeping

Patient Safety The Importance of good record keeping The purpose of this essay is to look at four of the principles from the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) document, principles of good record keeping. The NMC is the United Kingdoms regulator for the nursing and midwifery professionals. It is a professionals responsibility to follow the NMC code, principles of good record keeping, to help safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public (NMC, 2009). These four principles chosen states, Individuals should record details of any assessments and reviews undertaken and provide clear evidence of the arrangements that have been made for future and ongoing care, including any details of information given about care or treatment (NMC, 2009). Ensure records should be accurate and recorded in such a way that the meaning is clear (NMC, 2009). Where appropriate the person in your care or their carer should be involved in the record keeping process (NMC, 2009) and finally Individuals have a duty to communicate fully and effectively with colleagues, ensuring that they have all the information they need about the people in their care (NMC, 2009). In addition to these four principles, this essay is going to discuss each principle and the impact that the principles have on a patients care plan and how the principles maintain within a patients care plan. Record keeping is a fundamental part of nursing practice (Giffiths et al, 2007:1324-1327). The role of good record keeping is to ensure that all healthcare professionals know what care and treatment the patient is receiving. The first principle of good record keeping being discussed states individuals should record details of any assessments and reviews undertaken and provide clear evidence of arrangements that have been made for the future of ongoing care. This should also include details of information given about care and treatment (NMC, 2009). One of the main evidenced based records in a care setting is a care plan. A care plan is a written record that informs individuals about the care and treatment of the patient (Barrett et al, 2009:5-6). Care plans develop using the nursing process. This involves a systematic approach involving assessment, planning, implementing and evaluating. This method provides a framework for professionals, which enables the making of a care plan to be developed, allowing professionals to meet the needs of the patient and protect their welfare (Wright, 2005:71-73). When admitting a patient into a care environment undergoing an assessment is essential. This should cover all basic needs such as hygiene, social, physical and safety needs of the patient, which would also include internal homeostasis needs, for instance temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure (Geyer, 2007:29-30). While patients care is ongoing, a document that is widely used within an acute side of the health care setting is EWS; this early warning sign document is a tool that protects the welfare of patients while receiving care from professionals. This tool can enable early detection of patients deterioration, based on measuring vital signs. This tool can highlight risk when monitoring patients and detect when the need for further intervention is required of skilled practitioners (Mohammed et al, 2009:18-24). Assessments can involve a variety of tools the purpose of these tools is to help professionals do their job properly and help toward assessing priority of care (Barrett et al, 2009:87-94). Assessing and planning are ongoing while the patient is receiving treatment. Documenting in a patients record while care is ongoing shows clear evidence of what as to be established, demonstrating the interaction that multi disciplinary teams provides, from the time a patient is admitted in to a care setting to when they are discharged (Barrett et al, 2009:20-23). Within a care plan relevant information is stored about the patient, this should enable all professionals to develop a knowledge of the patient and enable them to have an empathetic understanding of the social, psychological and physical wellbeing of that individual (Barrett et al, 2009:47-56). A patients individual file will also contain details about the history of the patient, this can highlight any risk apparent, ensuring all professionals delivering care to individuals are aware of the patients condition, any known allergies, care required to be delivered and any treatment the patient is receiving. The assessment and planning stage of the nursing process provides an accurate method of which the care plan document can guide professionals. The implementing stage enables professionals to deliver the care agreed and planned throughout written communication. The evaluating stage enables professionals to plan effectively. These four methods of the nursing process is a requirement when developing a care plan this then enables multi-disciplinary teams to be able to provide effective care when protecting the welfare of patients (Wright, 2005:71-73). Documenting the whole care planning process from assessment to evaluation as soon as it has happened is very important. Incomplete documents can cause the patients to suffer through no fault of their own; professionals have a legal responsibility to record documents. Documents need recording in multiple ways. However, written and electronic methods are the main ones widely used within a care environment, with whatever method used records sho uld remain accurate and easily understood. The principle of good record keeping from the NMC, 2009 also suggests, Records should be accurate and recorded in such a way that the meaning is clear (NMC, 2009). Implementing good record keeping in a care plan is relevant for the importance of promoting the welfare of patients. Clinical records shared the whole time a patient is receiving care or treatment and all health records should remain legible. Health professionals read records on a daily basis and it is important that the information in documents can be understood (Powell, 2009:300-301). Records can contain poor handwriting, which can then become very difficult to read, this can have an effect on care delivered to the patient. If individuals do not understand the writing within a patients records, mistakes can occur and put patients at greater risk. Health care records provide a lot of information about patients and it is vital it remains correct. The type of errors made when recording information can include, unreadable handwriting, jargon, spelling errors, typing errors and not recording essential information. Missing out information while documenting in records can put a patient at jeopardy and this highlights a cause for concern. For instance, a patient takes their medication but the nurse who g ave the medication forgot to document it. If professionals do not receive information of when, what time and the date medicines administered to a patient, it may mislead other nurses taking over from another shift causing professional errors and risk of an overdose may occur to the patient (Dimond, 2005:568-570). When recording in medical documents using medical abbreviations can be confusing, especially if the nurse is not familiar with the medical terminology. Professionals perform shortening down medical terminology into a variety of abbreviations throughout healthcare. The nursing and midwifery council makes it clear that abbreviations do not shorten, as there are dangers in using them. Professionals maybe mistaken by abbreviations in documents, this is when misunderstandings can occur. If abbreviations are mistaken and assumed to stand for something else, if implemented it can cause harm to the patient. For instance NFR; not for resuscitation or either way this could mean neurophysiological facilitation of respiration, which is a physical therapy. This abbreviation could cause fatal consequence if it suggests in a patient document that the patient is not required to have NFR and it does not make it clear within that record. Eliminating abbreviations when recording information is crucial as all records should express a clear detailed response (Dimond, 2008:196-198). Information in records should remain clear and accurate, as they are a legal document, for not only the safety of the patient but it also protects individuals from charges of negligence and other forms of malpractice. If a patient comes into any legal disputes, documents should remain professional as it is an individual responsibility as a professional to be legally responsible for what they write and all records should be legible to stand up in court if necessary (Powell, 2009:300-301), this shows how crucial record keeping is. Brooker Waugh 2007 states, If nursing care is not written down then it did not happen. When documents are being produced, where appropriate the person in your care, or their carer, should be involved in the record keeping process (NMC, 2009). This principle is an ongoing development throughout nursing practice, as well as involving patients in any decisions about care and treatment. Communication between nurse and patient develop to deliberate on the arrangement of care. Information within this discussion may come from close family members or carers, if the patients are not able to speak for themselves. Professionals require information from relatives and other individuals close to the family, this is vital within the process of record keeping. Exchanging information is essential to provide safe care towards the patient. During development of record keeping it is important to involve the patient or carers to confirm the care discussed, this is important because the clients care needs clarifying with the overall concept of the care plan and the process of its delivery. This enables the sharing of information throughout multi-disciplinary teams and allowing professionals throughout a variety of services to have access to medical records whenever they may require it (NMC, 2008). Patients records can be vital to staff who do not know the patient well, individuals giving consent for their file to be shared helps professionals to do their job. This then allows the individuals to provide a duty of care and enables professionals to protect the welfare of their patients. The last principle additionally advises, Individuals have a duty to communicate fully and effectively with colleagues, ensuring that they have all information they need about the people in their care (NMC, 2009). Nursing records are an evidence based communication tool; healthcare records are largely significant in communicating detailed information from one service to another. Clinical records are a source of communication throughout the healthcare sector, providing information to protect the wellbeing of individuals. It is essential that good communication is able to develop throughout multidisciplinary teams, ensuring all information exchanged concern patients for which professionals deliver care. When professionals are exchanging information, it provides a foundation for which the continuity of care to patients can continue. Information reported should be clear to professionals so they are up to date of the clients condition, not only verbally but also manually. (McGeehan, 2007:5 1-54). Verbal communication throughout handovers remains essential to practice; handing over information at the end of a shift can be quite brief and having written documentation gives professionals the opportunity to look up on patients information, which will hold important details regarding the patient. This is most valuable especially for staff covering shifts; on some occasions professionals contact relief staff members to cover staff shortage. If individuals giving care do not know the patient, it enables them to read up and gain an insight of the patient, including medical history, current treatment and what care to be delivered, therefore enabling them to deliver care confidently (Featherstone, 2008:860-864). However, discussing these four principles regarding the process of record keeping, it highlights the vast amount of impact these principles can have throughout a care plan document. This involves communicating throughout recorded documentation alerting multi-disciplinary teams of patients details based on facts. This allows professionals to know what the patient requires and continue the care agreed to protect the patient from any harm. Communication has an impact throughout a care plan; all recorded information helps towards the progression of the continuity of care, while delivering it throughout the healthcare sector enabling successful care delivery. Care plans are documents of evidence of the care agreed and the arrangements made by professionals who deliver the care. It provides stability to patients and professionals in connection to any medical intervention between those involved ensuring a secure environment so delivery of care can continue (Barrett et al, 2009:13-14). Recog nising the impacts these principles have on a care plan are standard but the acknowledgment of their impact become relevant throughout maintaining. Maintaining a care plan is a fundamental process established by reviewing and audits. Using these methods to maintain a care plan is essential, as it is an ongoing process to protect the welfare of patients. Reviewing and auditing can instigate the cause for professionals to look into a care plan further. Audits of records allows professionals to determine how well policies are implemented within a care environment and how standards of care delivery are set. This helps establish best practice in nursing records and helps to reduce any risk towards the patient safety, which can arise from poor record keeping (Griffiths et al, 2007:1324-1327). Information recorded draws attention upon the needs of the patient. If a patient was continually complaining of chest pain, this would alert nurses and doctors to investigate the problem and further medical intervention maybe required (Geyer, 2007:23-24). Simply doing an audit raises awareness of the need to improve practice. Regular audits on do cumentation have to take place to identify any necessary errors ensuring standards within healthcare facilities are ongoing and up to date. Reviewing is essential as ongoing factual records of a patients health status can highlight changes in a patients condition. Enabling professional has to amend changes for the best interest of the patient when reviewing documentation (Brooker Waugh, 2007:368-369). Reviews put in place help evaluate a patients plan of care, making sure that the care they receive is relevant to their needs at the time. The aim of reviewing documents and how maintaining them in a care plan is essential and is purposely to ensure that the safety of the patient. Reviewing documents in a care plan focuses very much on the individual receiving care. However, the persons involved in providing care to the patient play a big part in the reviewing process to ensure all care is specific to the needs of the patient (Miller Gibb, 2007:271-271). Reviews and audits play a big part in how records maintaining documents keeps practice current and up to date ensuring the best interest of the patient, and protect the p atients from any harm. Conclusion The purpose of record keeping is the care of the patient and is considered has a fundamental part of nursing practice. It is crucial to the well-being of the patient and the delivery of care; it also ensures that professional standards within a healthcare environment, challenging professionals ensuring the delivery of duty of care. Documents have an impact on everybody involved and written records are important and must comply within the record keeping principles and set standards to multidisciplinary teams, in turn, helping contribute to the quality of care being given. The consequences of poor record keeping are quite clear hence the requirement for medical staff to ensure that the proper procedures are undertaken. Professionals need to keep records to safe guard their patients while protecting their welfare, this highlights the need for this to remain as precise as possible throughout maintaining records while care is ongoing. Recording in documents can assist towards the continui ty of care, which provides a safe stable environment for the patient. Professionals working in a health care environment makes them aware that their workload can become very busy, it is important that they do not let this affect their need to keep records. Time should be set aside for record keeping, if records are rushed errors can develop, poor quality of records cannot show to reduce the quality of care. Good record keeping is a characteristic of a skilled practitioner and it is largely about the various forms of communication from one service to another. Records documented correctly appropriately to the NMC 2009 principle of good record keeping guidelines highlights the need of communication throughout written records. Following these principles enhances the fact of how vital record keeping is, and how record keeping is an essential method used to protect the welfare of the patient.

Virtuosity in Othello :: Literary Analysis, Shakespeare,

The character Desdemona in William Shakespeare’s play Othello holds on to her dignified behavior until the very end, when her life is taken by her jealous husband, is indicative not only of her chaste mind, but also of her virtuous fortitude. Women of that time were largely seen mostly one of two extremes – either virtuous or licentious. Desdemona’s strength as a virtuous woman are clearly illustrated in two pivotal scenes in Shakespeare’s play: in her poise when confronted with her husband’s collapse of his gentlemanly facade; and in the dignified way she faces her own demise head-on, feeble on affirmations, yet overflowing with grace. In Act 4, Scene 2, Desdemona proves herself as a lady in her discussion with the evil Iago, who, unbeknownst to her, is the cause of her chagrin. Although she bewails that Othello has called her a whore, she herself does not stoop to insults. Proudly, she declares, â€Å"Unkindness may do much† and, in a moment of disturbing foreshadowing, states â€Å"And his unkindness may defeat my life† (IV.ii. 164-65). Though virtuous to a fault, she remains dignified and affirms, â€Å"I cannot even say ‘whore.’ / It does abhor me now I speak the word; / To do the act that might the addition earn / Not the world’s mass of vanity could make me† (166-69). During the tragic conclusion of the play, in Act 5 scene 2, Othello suffocates his adored Desdemona in the erroneous belief of her infidelity. She nevertheless departs with dignity. She does not wail but instead she merely states: â€Å"O, falsely, falsely murdered!† (130). One is left to wonder if she is referring to herself or to Cassio; regardless, these words are simply matter-of-fact and are not the emotion-driven cries one would normally expect from a person facing her own execution. Through her dying breath, Desdemona states clearly, â€Å"A guiltless death I die† (136). Her mistress Emilia, obviously overcome with emotion, pleads to Desdemona to name the killer, crying, â€Å"Help! Help, ho! Help! O lady, speak again!† (134) and â€Å"O, who hath done this deed?† (137). With a quiet composure on her deathbed, Desdemona cryptically tells Emilia, â€Å"Nobody—I myself. Farewell† (138). Was she a self-loving character who had the ability to love others unconditionally? Or was she a fool who accepted her worldly fate in the belief that, by doing so, she was being righteous? Othello appears to be more of a weak character to succumb to misguided vanity and jealousy than Desdemona in meeting her own end with dignity.

John Taylor Gatto Against School Essay

When it comes to the traditional education, John Taylor Gatto’s â€Å"Against School† questions whether we really need the nine month, drawn out, traditional curriculum. Gatto goes on to name several successful people through history that were not products of a contemporary school system. When I think of Gatto’s theory of forced schooling, a friend of mine named John Smith who goes by the alias of Viper comes to mind. Viper is in his late 20’s, lives in South Philadelphia, and has worked as a Roofer for the past 10 years. Viper went to a public school in South Philadelphia. Viper went to a school where said, â€Å"It wasn’t easy. I was scrawny and white and we were poorer than the jigs that went to school wit us, so we caught alota shit.† Viper’s school was extremely underfunded. â€Å"Some days there would be trash laid out by the trash cans cause nobody would change the trash bags, the food was shit, and the bathrooms†¦forget i t.† He would walk twelve blocks back to his house just to go to the bathroom. There were no extracurricular activities like book clubs and band and the school was rundown and decrepit. Eventually he started to miss classes regularly. He felt that the teachers did not care. Classes were extremely boring to him. He was actually approached by his biology teacher and told he could cut class everyday as long as he turned in his work and he would receive a D at the end of the year. He was not amused by the offer, he was not even interested in graduating anymore. â€Å"I expected to be a laborer for the rest of my life so I felt like education was unimportant.† Viper’s education started taking a back seat to work around his sophomore year of high school. He was the middle child in a family of four, all of whom have dropped out of high school and are laborers today. â€Å"My parents made me get a job when I was thirteen, that’s the way it was with all my brothers,† says Viper. Eventually he started to make a decent amount of money and admits to being extremely naà ¯ve, saying â€Å"Why the fuck was I gonna go ta school for eight more years if I was makin’ 25-30 thousand dollars a year. Do the math, instead of spendin 100 thousand dollars in college and waste my time in school I coulda made 200 thousand dollars by the time I was 24.† One day Viper decided to make an appointment with a school counselor. He was hardly going to class, working every day when he was supposed to be in school, and partying every night and having fun. School was more of a social event. He was just going to school to see his friends and make plans for the weekend. When he told the school counselor that he was planning on dropping out the counselor stood up, looked him in the eye, extended his hand and said, â€Å"Good Luck!† â€Å"The guy didn’t even give a shit!† Viper said. By the time December came around of his sophomore year, he was a high school dropout. He was working everyday by that time already so he was not stagnant. He was still living with his parents. The fact that he dropped out was ok with them because he could â€Å"contribute to the house,† as his father put it. Viper eventually saved enough money to get his own place and now lives with his wife of three years and their two children who are two and five years of age. He said, â€Å"I always thought I learned more out of school than in high school, but it’s not what my kids are gonna do†. He aspires to open his own roofing company one day. Although I do not agree with the path that Viper chose in life, he is happy and successful today. He is a great father and happily married. He does not drink anymore and devotes every second of his free time to his family. In a way he is almost a survivor to me. He is not well spoken or the brightest guy in the world, but he would d o anything in his power to help any person in a bind.

The Rivalry Among Existing Firms: Strong

The Rivalry among existing firms: strong The office supply industry has a large number of players with a high diversity of rivals. Competition is very furies between them because the office supply industry is so divers in product and services they provide; they include high volume office supply, warehouse clubs, online retailers, copy and print businesses, discount retailers and local and regional contract stationers. The large number of competitors in this industry, along with a lack of product differences, with low switching coast for buyers and the ability of the buyers to shop around the internet for the best price.Had made this industry growth to become very slow. source http://360. datamonitor. com/Product? pid=4CA55D31-18F9-44E1-BB86-D1E5E5306887 Rivalry Figure 9: Drivers of degree of rivalry in the office services & supplies market in the United States, 2010 Players range in size and product diversity; they include high-volume office supply providers (e. g. Staples), warehous e clubs (e. g. Costco), copy and print businesses (e. g. FedEx Office), online retailers (e. g. Amazon. com), ink cartridge specialty stores, discount retailers, as well as several local and regional contract stationers. Related article: Evaluate External Corporate CommunicationsThe large number of players, along with low-cost switching for buyers, low product differentiation, easy expansion by utilizing the internet, and poor market growth in recent years, intensifies rivalry amongst incumbents. This is ameliorated somewhat by the diversity displayed in the product portfolio of some players, such as online retailers and discount retailers, who operate in other markets and are therefore not solely reliant on the revenues generated from the office services and supplies market.Relatively low storage costs and the non-specificity of players’ assets lowers barriers to exit and eases rivalry. Overall, rivalry is strong. FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS The office services & supplies market will be analyzed taking retailers of paper, storage, stationary, and office services, such as photocopying, printing and binding as players. The key buyers will be taken as businesses, and manufacturers of paper, storage, st ationary, and equipment for photocopying, printing and binding as the key suppliers. SummaryFigure 4: Forces driving competition in the office services & supplies market in the United States, 2010 The market is highly fragmented with players ranging from multinational high-volume office supply providers to local stationers. The abundance and diversity of buyers weakens buyer power, whilst low-cost switching, low product differentiation, and high price sensitivity strengthen it. Such factors, along with low brand loyalty and easy access to suppliers and distribution, also contribute to the high likelihood of new entrants.Suppliers are numerous, and low differentiation, along with some backwards integration by players who sell their own branded goods, weakens supplier power. The large number of players, along with low-cost switching for buyers, low product differentiation, easy expansion by utilizing the internet, and poor market growth in recent years, intensifies rivalry amongst inc umbents. Buyer power Figure 5: Drivers of buyer power in the office services & supplies market in the United States, 2010 Buyers are numerous and diverse.This, along with the importance of the products and services provided by players to buyers, weakens buyer power. Buyers can range in size from sole proprietors to multinational corporations and buyer power is boosted by larger buyers with greater financial muscle. Large businesses put office services and supplies out to tender bids while smaller businesses can negotiate discounts through trade associations. However, buyer power is sustained by low customer loyalty, low switching costs, low level product differentiation and high price sensitivity, giving customers a wide choice of retailers.The internet has made cost comparison easier, raising price transparency and increasing competition. Overall, buyer power is moderate. Supplier power Figure 6: Drivers of supplier power in the office services & supplies market in the United State s, 2010 Suppliers are numerous and diverse with a large array of goods. This scale of competition from low cost economies in the Asia-Pacific places restraints on other suppliers. Players tend to have several suppliers, and this, along with low switching costs, weakens supplier power, particularly in instances where larger players have greater negotiating power.On the other hand, suppliers can offer their products to a wide range of customers, and this serves to increase their supplier power. There are elements of integration within the industry as global players sell their own branded goods. For example, Staples own branded goods represented about 23% of their sales in 2009. The lower pricing of such activities undercuts the power of other suppliers. Overall, supplier power is moderate. New entrants Figure 7: Factors influencing the likelihood of new entrants in the office services & supplies market in the United States, 2010Most office supplies are commoditized products, which hav e little brand loyalty. This, along with low enduser switching costs, little government regulation, and easy access to suppliers and distribution channels, is conducive to the entry of new players into the market. Larger players benefit from scale economies that allow them to compete with high-volume office supply providers that lead the market. Larger players with greater financial muscle would be able to negotiate better contracts with suppliers and therefore achieve better profit margins.Entry can be achieved on a smaller scale by focusing on a specific product range (e. g. an ink cartridge specialty store) or by developing an online retail shop. Poor growth in recent years, with stagnant growth forecast for the 2010-2015 period, decreases the threat of new entrants into the market somewhat. Overall, the threat of new entrants is strong. Substitutes Figure 8: Factors influencing the threat of substitutes in the office services & supplies market in the United States, 2010Many mode rn companies are taking strategies to minimize costs and the environmental impact of their operations by moving towards a paperless office format: switching costs are not excessive, as most companies have already invested in appropriate ICT systems. This, therefore, constitutes a serious challenge to those operating primarily with paper-based office products. Storage and stationary may also be influenced by switching to a paperless office format. Office services such as photocopying, printing and binding may be substituted by electronic forms of communications.Overall, the threat of substitutes is moderate. Same source Office Depot, Inc. Table 10: Office Depot, Inc. : key facts Head office: 6600 North Military Trail, Boca Raton, Florida 33496, USA Telephone: 1 561 438 4800 Fax: 1 800 685 5010 Website: www. officedepot. com Financial year-end: January Ticker: ODP Stock exchange: New York Source: company website D A T A M O N I T O R Office Depot is engaged in the supply of office pro ducts and services. The company offers national branded and private labeled office products which includes business machines, computers and office furniture.Some of the private brands are Office Depot, Niceday, Foray, Ativa, Break Escapes, Worklife and Christopher Lowell. The company conducts its business through three business divisions: North American retail, North American business solutions and international. The North American retail division sells a range of branded and private branded merchandise including office supplies, business machines and computers, computer software, office furniture and other business related products and services. These products are sold through the company's chain of office supply stores in the US and Canada.The stores operated by the division also contain a copy, print and ship center which offers graphic designing, printing, reproduction, mailing, shipping, and other services. In 2008, Office Depot started PC support and network installation servi ces to provide in-home, in-office and in-store support for the technology needs of the customers. By the end of 2008, the company operated nearly 1,267 office supply stores in the US and Canada. Store replenishment is handled through cross dock facilities and the bulk merchandise is sorted and shipped within a day. By the end of 2008, the company operated 12 cross dock facilities.The North American business solutions division sells nationally branded and private brand office supplies, technology products, furniture and services through various channels: dedicated sales force; catalogs and internet sites. The division's direct business is tailored to service small and medium sized customers. These customers can order products from the catalogs through phone or through the company's websites. The North American business solutions division employs a dedicated sales force for the contract business which serves predominantly, medium sized to fortune 100 companies.The sales force LEADING COMPANIES United States – Office Services ; Supplies 0072 – 2115 – 2010 Â © Datamonitor. This profile is a licensed product and is not to be photocopied Page 29 offer customers allied services of providing information, business-tools and problem solving. In addition, the division undertakes government contracts through a multi-state contract available to local and state government agencies, school districts, higher education and non-profit organizations across the US.The division operated 20 distribution centers at the end of 2008 and it fills in the contract and direct business orders through inventory maintained in these distribution centers. The international division offers office products and services in 48 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Central America. Office Depot offers its products through wholly-owned and majorityowned entities or other ventures in 38 countries. This division sells its products and services through direct mail c atalogs, contract sales forces, internet sites and retail stores. Office Depot operated 162 retail stores in France, Japan,Hungary, Israel, Sweden and South Korea, as of January 2009. In addition, the company operated 98 stores under licensing and merchandise arrangements in South Korea and Thailand. Office Depot participates in the joint venture Office Depot de Mexico which operates 186 stores in Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama. This division established regional headquarters for Europe/ Middle East and Asia to support its operations in these geographies. The company offers its products in the international market through more than 35 websites which cater to various geographical locations.It offers products through catalogs in 14 countries. Office Depot operated 43 wholly owned and majority owned distribution centers by the end of 2008 for providing inventory to fill in the orders of its international division. Source http://www. community. officedep ot. com/envpolicyqa. asp Clarifying Q ; A | Who are Office Depot's Stakeholders? | | Office Depot is committed to working with its stakeholders – our suppliers, employees, customers, shareholders and the conservation science community – to promote and advance environmental stewardship.This said, Office Depot will maintain an open communication channel with other organizations that wish to contribute to our process of continual improvement – a communications channel and process in which contributions are considered within the framework of conservation science, so that we may continue to strengthen our environmental performance by internalizing appropriate, scientifically based improvements to our environmental policies and programs.Office Depot's work with the conservation science community reflects our desire for a collaborative, scientific approach to identifying and addressing the issues of environmental stewardship. | | | Why Does Office Depot engage its Stak eholders and what is Office Depot's approach to stakeholder involvement? | | Office Depot's approach is one of inclusion and consultation for the mutual benefit of the environment and our stakeholders.Office Depot actively promotes the responsible use of our natural resources by working with these stakeholders in the ongoing pursuit of improvements and innovation that promote and advance the principles of environmental stewardship in ways that: * Produce solutions with integrity and purpose; * Are responsible, transparent, accountable, realistic and actionable; * Produce results that are tangible, measurable and reportable; and, * Reward innovation and leadership. |