Featured Post

Rebellion in Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the dystopian country of Panem, wh...

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Rebellion in Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the dystopian country of Panem, where the nations of North America once existed. The Capitol, an exceptionally propelled city, practices government power on the remainder of the country. The Hunger Games are a yearly occasion wherein one kid and one young lady matured 12â€18 from every one of the twelve locale encompassing the Capitol are chosen by lottery to contend in a broadcast fight to the death.The principle thought in the book was high school resistance which is appeared by Katniss where she and Peeta change the standards at the last snapshots of the Hunger Games. Peeta and Katniss choose not to battle each other to see who will dominate the Matches, however rather to deny the Gamemakers any champ whatsoever by eating some toxic berries in a twofold self destruction endeavor. As Katniss said † Without a victor, the entire thing would explode in the Gamemakers' cou ntenances. They'd have bombed the Capitol. May conceivably even be executed, gradually and horrendously while the cameras communicate it to each screen in the country†.Instead of permitting the pair to slaughter themselves, the Gamemakers change the principles of the game by and by and announce both Peeta and Katniss champs. The twofold self destruction endeavor is a demonstration of resistance towards the Capitol. Considerably after she's out of the field, Katniss fears that the Capitol will by one way or another rebuff her rebellious conduct with the force the legislature has over them. As a general rule, young resistance isn't generally negative and can be sure similar to what Katniss and Peeta have done to spare their lives. Katniss likewise shows adolescent defiance where she forfeits her life consistently by going into the forested areas to accommodate her family.With chasing being illicit and holds high outcomes with the possibility of getting captured she and Gale pena nce their lives to chase and to bring nourishment for their family. Her fortitude to accommodate her family shows that she is free. In the film she sneaks past wire wall to meet Gale becuase she feels like she must give becuase she doesnt know some other method to. Covering Rue with blossoms is a serious demonstration of insubordination to the Capitol. The experience of seeing Rue's demise rouses Katniss to go on and dominate the Matches and to demonstrate to the Capitol that they can't strip the tributes of their humanity.By pointing out the penance that Rue made during the Hunger Games, Katniss challenges that Hunger Games †and the individuals who play them †are unimportant amusement for the crowds back in the Capitol. For Katniss, Rue isn't just a character on a TV program. She is a person who is deserving of regard, reverence, and grieving. At the point when she says â€Å"I need to accomplish something, directly here, at this moment, to disgrace them, to make them re sponsible, to show the Capitol that whatever they do or constrain us to do that there is a piece of each tribute they can't possess. That Rue was in excess of a piece in their Games. As am I. â€Å"

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Competency based education in terms of its suitability to Respriatory Essay

Competency based instruction as far as its appropriateness to Respriatory care training - Essay Example Respiratory consideration training requires precise methodology because of the intricate degree of information and abilities that the understudies are required to have them become equipped professionals. Respiratory consideration practice is likewise a controlled calling that has rule and guidelines which the experts should meet (Wyka, Mathew and Clark 5). These make the respiratory consideration instruction to require a deliberate however adaptable methodology. The competency-based instruction is notable to give this sort of attributes to a learning procedure and accordingly it can assume an essential job in the maintainability of this sort of training. Competency based training can assume different jobs in the supportability of respiratory consideration instruction. One of the significant jobs it can play is aiding the choice and structure of the module or course content. Another job it can play is aiding the recognizable proof of individual course or module execution goals. It can likewise help with characterizing the manners by which respiratory consideration training can use to regulate the course content. Competency based instruction can likewise aid the choice of the sort of appraisal that is reasonable for the sort of competency that the students are required to accomplish in respiratory consideration training. Another way that this sort of instruction can help is through giving an assessment strategy that can relate individual’s execution to the predefined rules or measures. This can help with educating the mentors whether the understudies have built up the degree of competency that is adequate for viable rehearsing a s respiratory consideration callings. Competency based training program includes a choice of the information and aptitudes which ought to be educated in a course just as assurance of how these information and abilities ought to be instructed. It additionally includes the choice of the

Friday, August 21, 2020

Bill Gates Essay Samples - Learn How to Make That Future Masterpiece

Bill Gates Essay Samples - Learn How to Make That Future MasterpieceThe Bill Gates Millennium Essay Sample allows students to create a professional-grade essay on any topic. It's a nice feature that lets them begin writing essays with some sample work and then you are allowed to use your own comments and observations to compose the perfect essay.This is an online course by Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and big company. It can be downloaded for free or purchased. This course can help you learn how to write a research paper. It can also help you make connections between the areas of your work that interest you and that of other people in your field.The Bill Gates Millennium Essay Sample has fourteen different topics that you can use as a guide to how to write a good essay. You will find the learning curve to be easy since there are no figures to memorize. This is the best way to learn about any topic that you choose to work on.There are other resources that can be used to help y ou learn the concepts of this course. These are always a great starting point. Once you have completed the course, you will need to decide whether or not you want to continue and get more in depth information. There are many ways to learn about this course.The Bill Gates Essay Samples is offered in many different formats. You will find everything from eBooks to audio tapes and CD's. The good thing about this course is that it is intended for a general audience and the programs that you purchase will help you in your studies.This type of essay program has been designed to give students the ability to move forward in their education and not feel like they are going back to a project-based method. In fact, students are allowed to follow the program as much as they wish. This way you can learn as much as you want to and in your own pace.It is easy to use as there are templates included in the program that you can use in completing your essays. When you are ready to move on, you will nee d to have the program handy so that you don't have to worry about how to move on with your career or your life. If you have not finished all of the assigned lessons, it is easy to continue learning on your own.The Bill Gates Essay Samples is the best place to start when you are starting out with your career. Not only do you learn about the lessons that you need to know, but you also learn about the techniques that you can use to earn your degree. You can find the Bill Gates Essay Sample right now and start your studies today.

Monday, May 25, 2020

Is The Judicial System Broken - 1062 Words

Noemi Martinez Rough Draft Law 206 Prof. Heller 12/02/2014 Is the Judicial System broken? In 1789, each of the thirteen states had already establish a judicial system such as criminal and civil cases. The United States Constitution is the original document in which it established fundamental laws for the national government as well as protecting the right of the citizens. The U.S Constitution was designed to avoid too much power in the system of checks and balances. As years went by, the Constitution began to adapt to the modern changes. Subsequently, the judicial system began to full fill the U.S Constitution’s purpose. Both Federal and State have their own jurisdiction and functions as stated in the Constitution. However, in recent years the judicial system has been broken due to lack of structure in law on the book and law in action. Crime is committed everyday; some are reported and others crimes are not. Defendants accused of violating the law have characteristics that are implemented in the judicial system. The characteristics of a defendant in the judicia l system is male, poor ,minority, uneducated, unemployed and unmarried. High crime rates, racial discrimination, bias makes the the judicial system broken. Racial discrimination has been part of the American judicial system. It Defendants are not treated fairly based on racial discrimination is an example that the judicial system is broken. It is stated that in America one third of Americans areShow MoreRelatedThe Criminal Justice Process From The Point Of View975 Words   |  4 Pagesto convince the jury and judge of the defendant’s guilt. Other than pre-trial and post-trial motions, the last significant steps of the process concerning the two parties are the sentencing and/or the appeal. 2. How are the federal and state judicial systems alike and different? In 1925, Congress passed the Judges Bill, which among other things gave the Supreme Court much greater control over its docket. (Neubauer Fradella, 2014). American courts are established at several different levels, theseRead MoreThe Issue Of Voting Right Act Of 1965, By Thomas R. Dye And Susan A. Macmanus1400 Words   |  6 Pagespunishable by at least a year’s imprisonment. A misdemeanor is a crime punishable by a fine or less than a year’s imprisonment. 4. Loser pay law is a requirement that the losing party in a civil suit pay the legal fees of the winner. The loser pay law system that is currently in place discourages frivolous law suits that are often designed for people to con innocent parties to pay the damages rather than incur even higher cost of defending themselves. 5. The U.S. has evolved into the most litigious societyRead MoreThe Commercial Clause Of Interstate Business Transaction The Federal Government873 Words   |  4 Pagesexample the case of Cipollone vs. Liggett Group, Inc. The legal system has much influence in the business decisions (Heminway, 2013). The Purpose of Business Law Business law highlights regulations and statutes affecting the roles of business, individual and families. The global environment in which the business operates has a different government and judicial systems (Miller, 2016). The law requires the basic knowledge of the legal system and its impact on globalization. The aspect of law includesRead MoreEssay about Checks and Balances1166 Words   |  5 Pagesthe framers of our revered Constitution came together to produce our governing system, they wanted to avoid the precedent of an all powerful entity that could control its citizens. They broke governments role into three important phases, which were the power to make laws, the power to interpret laws, and the ability to enforce them. To further decentralize these authority holding organizations, they created a system that allowed each of the three sections to have a say in each of the others abilityRead MoreHow An Individuals Socioeconomic Status Can Affect The Justice Administered To Them by the Judicial Branch1248 Words   |  5 Pages and or socioeconomic status can affect the justice administered to them by the United States judicial branch. The Judicial Branch of the United States government is an extremely important factor in the success of today’s society, without it, society would have no standard of order and things would be completely and utterly chaotic! As a matter of fact no country would be complete without a Judicial Branch or some type of government in place because it is mandatory in the successful and smoothRead MoreAustralian Legal System And The Australian Federal System1234 Words   |  5 PagesThe Australian legal system is subjected to widespread coverage through the expansion of different sections that control key areas, but subjectively all overlap within one another. It is through the breakdown of each system and the correlation between these classifications is how we can gain an understanding of Australia’s construction based legal system. The Australian legal system has been defined as â€Å"9 legal systems not one†. (Bailey and Bell (2011), Construction Law in Australia, 3rd Ed. LawbookRead MoreRoles and Functions of Law Essay863 Words   |  4 Pagestoday’s business environment and the concept of judicial review. I will also explain how laws and regulations affect the childcare industry. The differences between federal and state courts are defined mainly by jurisdiction. Jurisdiction refers to the kinds of cases a court is authorized to hear. State courts have broad jurisdiction, so the cases individual citizens are most likely to be involved in -- such as robberies, traffic violations, broken contracts, and family disputes -- are usuallyRead MoreGovernment As A Federalist Type Of Government1077 Words   |  5 PagesThe United States Government is kept in check by two types of government the federal and the state, which follows the Common Law System (Hames, J. B., Ekern, Y. 2010 pg. 3). This type of Government is considered to be a Federalist type of Government in comparison to a Monarchy, where one person makes all the decisions. Each government has its own system and their own powers, but each of them resembles the other for the most part in the structure. The two governments each have their own power,Read MoreAn Unsuccessful Articles Of Confederation889 Words   |  4 Pagesgoals incorporated into the Constitution, some still feared that such a strong national government could lead to tyranny. According to Madison, in order to prevent the manifestation of this, the government is to be broken into three separate departments: the executive, legislative, and judicial (Kernell, et al. 2014, 726). Officials from each department will have no influence over the selection of officials from the other departments. This was crucial to prevent a majority party from overtaking the governmentRead MoreJudicial Branch: The Governments Ear Essay1137 Words   |  5 PagesThe Judicial Branch is the balancing factor of the Government. It is the listener of the people of the US and it decides on all matters regarding the people. It interprets the nations law (World Book 141). Being able to interpret the law gives the Judicial branch a special kind of power. One of which the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch do not possess. The Judicial branch dec ides when a law has been broken, to what extent, and how to punish the criminal act. And that is what makes it

Friday, May 15, 2020

Gender Roles in Latin American Societies Essay examples

Gender Roles in Latin American Societies The idea that a woman’s job is to be a wife and mother is old-fashioned, but not completely out of style. Though these roles require a great deal of talent, resilience, patience, love, and strength, to name a few, they are often underestimated or depicted as simple. Especially in modern times, many women in the United States who stay home to raise a family are viewed as anti-feminists, whereas women in Latin America are not criticized for similar actions. In recent decades, more Latin American women have started to break the mold, daring to be both sexy, and successful in the workforce, while remaining pillars of domestic life. Latin American society places a great deal of importance on the†¦show more content†¦Roman Catholicism has inadvertently played a major role in keeping Latinas at home through emphasis on purity by worship of the Virgin Mary and doctrine against contraception. Though all American women share the same oppressed roots, Latin American women seem to have been slower to actively and as a group rise up against society’s expectations of them. Regarding females in the workplace, the common opinion across the American continent used to be that by working outside the home, women were abandoning their primary job in life—that of a mother and wife, taking care of the house and the family. In modern times, Latinas take on multiple roles; not only are they still expected to look put together and run the family and the household—for most Latinas in the US, without any outside help—, but many are also breadwinners, some by choice and others by default. The decision made by many Latinas to work has already changed society due to growing feelings of self-empowerment. This newly discovered power is reflected in the increased use of contraceptives by Latin American women. Despite the Roman Catholic teachings, Latinas have taken matters into their own hands by using birth control to decrease the size of their families and lessen their burden, thus allowing them to fulfill their multidimensional desires and duties. A major way inShow MoreRelatedManifestation of Latin-American Gender Roles in American Media1220 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Manifestation of Latin Gender Roles in American Media Objective The objective of this study is to examine the manifestation of Latin gender roles in American Media. Towards this end, this study will examine the literature in this area of inquiry. Introduction Gender roles are reported to be generally defined as sex-based categories that specify appropriate rules of conduct for males and females in a particular culture or society. Although grounded in biological differences between males andRead MoreGender Inequality And The Women Of Latin American Countries Essay889 Words   |  4 PagesThe relationship between the gender roles reflected in telenovelas and the the role of women in Latin American countries is a matter of parallelism. This is because as Judith Butler, the author of the book Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, emphasized that it is â€Å"impossible to separate out ‘gender’ from the political and cultural intersections in which it is invariably produced and maintained†. Gender is undeniably socially constructed, and is a product of the values deemedRead MoreAnalysis Of Chronicle Of A Death Foretold1412 Words   |  6 Pagesup for yourself or others, make your own decisions, and havin g an important role in society. It is the sole characteristic that differentiates men from women in Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Despite the few instances where women are placed in positions of power, Gabriel Garcia Marquez effectively proves that women are depicted as powerless through the use of machismo throughout the story, integrating Colombian gender roles into the novella and causing women to face many more challenges compared toRead MoreAnalysis Of Chronicle Of A Death Foretold By Gabriel Marquez1482 Words   |  6 Pagesthe novel to illustrate the role of women within a Latin American society; the cultural and symbolic implications of this associate flowers with purity, victimization, gender barriers, and deceit. In doing so, Marquez creates a microcosm of Latin America, exposing the core of Columbian culture and society with all its aspects such as ethnicity, and social norms and conventions that led to a series of insecurities and poverty in the community, and its affe ct on the role of women. The cultural contextRead MoreChronicle Of A Death Foretold By Gabriel Garcia Marquez1325 Words   |  6 Pages Through a Different Lens: The Exploration and Criticism of the Oppression of Women in Latin American Society as Shown by Female Characters in Chronicle of a Death Foretold Emily Quinn Candidate Number: Works in Translation 35 B2 Ms. Prestash April 9, 2015 Through a Different Lens: The Exploration and Criticism of the Oppression of Women in Latin American Society as Shown by Female Characters in Chronicle of a Death Foretold The representation and portrayal of women in the novelRead MoreAnalysis Of Chronicle Of A Death Foretold969 Words   |  4 Pages The Role of Women in Expressing and Critiquing Latin American Culture in â€Å"Chronicle of a Death Foretold† 10 February 2017 Word count: 1499 The characterization of females within Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez’s â€Å"Chronicles of a Death Foretold† brings to light the ways through which machismo is established and maintained within the novel’s Latin American culture. Such characters bring to light women s exploitation under the influence of this patriarchy, as well as the many ways in which theyRead MoreThe Butterflies, By Latin American Women And Maria, Full Of Grace1128 Words   |  5 Pages In Malinche to In The Time of the Butterflies, all written by Latin American women and Maria, Full of Grace directed Joshua Marston, the women struggle with survival in various circumstances of abuse.Violence is created within patriarchal societies that sponsor inactiveness and reliance. Customary religious sophistication, where the Virgin Mary mentors, is unsure and slanted, discouraging sex and depreciatingwomen who boycott the recognized standards. Patriarchal pugnaciousness has grave psychologicalRead MoreWhat Has Westernisation Influenced Perceptions Of Motherhood Within Latin American Society?974 Words   |  4 Pageswithin Latin American society? Introduce topic Chapter 1: Maternal love and Womanhood: to what extent is Motherhood the product of socially constructed norms and what are the means of the construction of the maternal figure? Motherhood as a social construct in general: Since the beginning of time, motherhood has been seen as synonymous with womanhood and the female experience. The female body has set out women’s role as one of child-rearing and constricted them to a biologically defined role. ItRead More The Meaning of Marianismo in Mexico Essay676 Words   |  3 PagesThe Meaning of Marianismo in Mexico Marianismo is the stereotyped gender role of females in Mexican society. To fully understand the meaning of Marianismo we must first understand Machismo, explore their origin (the conquest of Mexico by Hernan Cortes) and discuss how Marianismo has changed in the recent past. These gender roles are the direct consequence of the Spanish influence from the time that Spain conquered Mexico. When Hernan Cortes and the conquistadors came to christianize theRead MoreWaves of Feminisms in Relation to the Female Characters of the House of the Spirits1589 Words   |  7 Pagesthe novel was to diminish the gender inequality between men and women. Through her female characters Clara, Blanca, and Alba, Allende showcases the gradual rise of women in Latin American society. She incorporates political and societal aspects to emphasize women’s empowerment throughout the novel. Clara, Blanca, and Alba each individually represent the three waves of Feminism that gradually gave women the power to lessen the gender hierarchy present in their society. The first wave of Feminism

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Alexander Hamilton ( 1755-1804 ) - 860 Words

Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804). Born 1755 in the British West Indies In 1774, he wrote his first political article defending the Patriots cause against the interests of pro-British Loyalists.In 1775, at the beginning of the Revolutionary War Hamilton became part of the New York Provincial Artillery Company and fought in the battles of Long Island, White Plains and Trenton.In the year of 1777, Hamilton became General George Washington s official assistant. In 1781 George Washington s granted Hamilton to lead the victorious charge against the British in the Battle of Yorktown.Hamilton also served in the New York State legislature and Congress and was a delegate to the Federal Convention of 1787. Alexander Hamilton was officially elected as the first secretary of the treasury once as George Washington was elected president of the United States in 1789.He as well wrote and assisted George Washington in writing critical letters, and composed numerous reports on the strategic reform and r estructuring of the Continental Army.Alexander Hamilton proposed fiscal policies to initiate the payment of federal war bonds institute a federal system for tax collection and would help the United States establish credit with other nations. Fiscal policy is defined by which a government adjusts its spending levels and tax rates to monitor and influence a nation s economy. In the year of 1790 Alexander Hamilton had a vision to repair the United States economy problem he started hisShow MoreRelatedAlexander Hamilton: A Biography672 Words   |  3 PagesAlexander Hamilton Alexander Hamiltons humble beginnings gave little hint of the greatness to come for the future soldier, economist, first United States Secretary of the Treasury, politician, renowned constitutional lawyer and Founding Father. Hamilton was born a British subject on the island of Nevis, West Indies on January 11th in either 1755 or 1757. Hamiltons childhood was difficult, as business failures caused his fathers bankruptcy, and may have played a role the fathers abandoning hisRead MoreAlexander Hamilton ´s Views on Government Essay571 Words   |  3 PagesAlexander Hamilton was the architect of the federalist papers and much of the financial structure of America. He was only reluctantly admitted to the rule of the great American thinkers. His prominence as a primary nationalist and financial visionary in the post-revolutionary were truly uncovered in the middle of the twentieth century. Historical evidence points to him being Christian and saying: â€Å"I have carefully examined the evidences of the Christian religion, and if I was sitting as a juror uponRead MoreAlexander Hamilton s Influence On The Founding As History970 Words   |  4 PagesDid Alexander Hamilton play as important a role in our founding as history portrays? This short paper on Alexander Hamilton will outline his importance in the journey of the United States of America to become a free country and will also show the various ways he made this country successful by pioneering the formation of the American government. Alexander Hamilton was born in Charlestown, the capital of Nevis in the British West Indies. There are disputes regarding his actual birth date. In theRead MoreAlexander Hamilton1051 Words   |  5 Pagesduel with Vice President Aaron Burr. Alexander Hamiltons earlier career as a Continental Army officer is less well known. Yet Hamiltons first experience in public service is important, not only because it was the springboard to his later career, but because it also deeply influenced his values and thinking† (Hamilton). Alexander Hamilton was born as a British subject on the island of Nevis in the West Indies on the 11th of January 1755. His father, James Hamilton -- Scottish merchant of St. ChristopherRead MoreAlexander Hamilton And The United States Government1031 Words   |  5 PagesYasin Professor Cockrell HIS-131 April 11, 2017 Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton has played many important roles in developing the United States’ government. He was born on January 11, 1755 on a small island in the Caribbean Sea. It was called Nevis and was a part of an area that was called the British West Indies (Schlesinger, Jr. 16). Hamilton overcame the odds of illegitimacy and impoverishment by rising to fame through his ambitiousness. Hamilton was determined to become successful and his intelligenceRead MoreThe Hamilton Grange National Memorial1530 Words   |  7 Pagesmany historical sites in New York City that have contributed and still contribute to America’s political history in some way. The historical site that I have decided to expand my research on is, the Hamilton Grange National Memorial located in Harlem, New York. This site was the home of Alexander Hamilton, one of the seven foreign-born Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He had a great influence on the foundation of the United States of Amer ica, the United States constitution and theRead MoreAlexander Hamilton Was The First U.s. Secretary Of The Treasury1250 Words   |  5 PagesAlexander Hamilton was the first U.S. secretary of the Treasury. He was involved in developing the Federalists, the nation’s first political party. He was born on Jan. 11, 1755 on the island of Nevis in the British West Indies. Hamilton was the illegitimate son of a Scottish merchant named James Hamilton, and the daughter of a French Huguenot physician, Rachel Fawcett Lavien. Hamilton began working when he was 12 years old as a clerk in a trading firm located in St. Croix. His father had businessRead MoreNapoleon De Lafayette, And Alexander Hamilton2178 Words   |  9 PagesThere are many famous people in history, each person is famous for their own accomplishments, as well as their effect on the world we know today. Some of these famous people in history include Marquis de Lafayette, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton, these people helped change the world for the better. Marie Joseph Pau Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette was born into a family of noble military derivation on September 6, 1757, in Chavaniac, France. Lafayette’s father was killedRead MoreAditi Patel. Hist 1301. Prof Endsely. April 29, 2017. Thomas1046 Words   |  5 Pagesapproximately his slaves and creatures. On January 1, 1772, Jefferson wedded Martha Wayles Skelton (1748-82), a youthful dowager. The couple moved to Monticello and inevitably had six youngsters; just two daughters–Martha (1772-1836) and Mary (1778-1804)–survived into adulthood. In 1782, Jefferson s better half Martha kicked the bucket at age 33 taking after confusions from labor. Jefferson was troubled and never remarried. Be that as it may, it is trusted he fathered more youngsters with one ofRead MoreThe Federalist Papers By James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, And John Jay1974 Words   |  8 PagesThe Federalist Papers written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay are one of the greatest collections of literature from the time period of 1787 to 1788 when the Constitution was being ratified by the states. This collection of eighty-five essays was written for the states, to help them better understand and grasp a concept of why they should vote for the ratification of The Constitution. Why did the Madison, Hamilton, and Jay write The Federalist Papers and what is there underlying

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Factors Of Manage Change Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Factors Of Manage Changes. Answer: Three Factors to Manage Change There are many factors that pertain to manage the change. The three main factors are: Communication Organizational structure Support/ Coalition Communication To manage the change the communication plays a great role. It is very important to have proper communication between the employees and the management. Communication is considered as one of the difficult parameter in which the ideas and feelings are exchanged. It consists of the ideas and feelings that are possessed in the people who are working in the organization. It is also considered as one of the difficult issue that should be taken into consideration to manage the change in the organization. To implement the change in a proper way it is very essential that the messages that are sent by the organization should be clear and properly presented. If the organization has to manage change it is seen that there should be proper strategies which should be taken into consideration (Hrebiniak, 2013). In the organization if any change takes place, then it is seen that the people are affected by that change. The employee maintains the cooperation and supports the organization to implement th e change. Without the engagement and motivation of the stakeholders, it is not possible to attain the success from the change program that is implemented by the organization. As, it is seen that the positive and negative initiatives are taken by the management. If the employees are happy with the change then it can be easy for the organization to attain the goals and objectives of the organization (Pandey, Pandey, Breslin Broadus, 2017).To attain the positive results the acceptance and commitment by the employees is very necessary as it will help to implement the changes in the organization. It is the responsibility of the organization to tell about the changes that are going to be implemented in the organization, so that the employees can easily accept the change process. The communication factor is the integral part that helps to implement the change in the organization. The change plan should be taken into consideration by the organization in which the questions should be addres sed like how, what and why the change is taken into consideration (Cummings Worley, 2014).The organization should take into consideration effective communication plan as it assists to control the fear that is seen in changing the process. The communication will give direct impact on understanding the objectives of the change and there will be more chances that people will act according to the change in the situation and can give their cooperation accordingly. So to manage the change, communication is an essential aspect that should be implemented or taken into consideration, so that the profitability and success of change can be attained successfully. Communication is important so that the change can be managed by each and every employee of the organization in a proper way (Beedles Bergin, 2017). Organizational Structure One of the factors which manage the change is concerned with the organizational structure. Organizational structure plays a great role in accepting the change. If the structure of the organization is not in a proper manner, then it can be difficult for the organization to implement the change in an effective manner. The organization structure should be in a manner that all the changes can be accepted in a positive way. Also, in this case positivity gives direct impact on the working pattern (Anguelov Angelova, 2017). Environment of the organization should possess positivity so that the employees or the activities that are conducted can be accepted in an effective manner. If the organization structure is proper, then the change can be accepted in a successful way. It can also enhance the profitability from the change that is implemented in the organization. Organizational structure should be in such a way that the change can be managed and implemented. If the change is managed and im plemented properly, then the employees working in the organization can perform their task in an efficient manner (Claassen, 2014). Support/ Coalition Support plays a great role in managing the change. The organization should have a good support from each department, so that the change that is implemented by the organization can be taken into a positive way. The success can only be attained when there is a proper support from the top management. Support from the directors and managers are very essential to implement the change in the organization (Fullan, 2014). The commitment and support from the executive members like managers, directors, and ministers is an important factor which help the organization to implement and manage the change. If there is no support from the topmanagement of the organization, then the change cannot be implemented in the organization. If there are many people from the top management who believes in the new vision, then the chances for the success can be enhanced (Hancock, 2016). If the employees who are working in the organization strongly support the change then the benefits can be attained by the orga nization. It is seen that the supportive team gives positive results to the organization. To implement the change in the organization, it is seen that support from the employees is a crucial aspect of the organization. Support is important so that the organization can easily accomplish the goals and objectives of the organization. For changing the operations of the business, it is necessary that proper acceptance should be there of the employees, so that the organization can easily attain the goals and objectives. The change that is implemented by the organization should be taken into consideration by the employees, so that the efficiency and productivity of the work can be maintained. Support is an important aspect that helps the organization to enhance its growth and also helps to assist the changes that are made by the organization (Santos Quilliam, 2015). Three factors less influenced by the managers own personal ability There are various factors that are less influenced by the personal ability of the managers. The factors are Vision Milestone Continuity Vision It is the main factor which is less influenced by the managers own personal ability. As it is seen that the vision is developed by the organization and the manager has no control over it. The vision is an important part of the organization. If the organization does not have vision then it can result in confusion and also gives wrong direction to conduct the operations of the business. It considers the plans and programs that are implemented by the organization (White, 2014). It is very difficult for the organization to operate its operations without vision, so it is established by the organization. Vision is considered as a great factor that is less influenced by the managers own personal ability. It provides direction to the employees, to work in an effective manner. If the direction is blurry, then it can be difficult for the employees to conduct the operations in the right direction. The vision helps to guide the behavior and also assist in decision making (Goodrum, Cleland-Huang, Lutz, Cheng Metoyer, 2017). Milestone It is the factor that is less influenced by the managers own personal ability. The organization goals and targets have no connection with the personal ability of the manager. The objective of the organization is not linked with the manager. The targets are decided by the organization (Lee, Park Baker, 2017). It is seen that the manager keep on changing but the goals and targets of the organization do not change. Milestone is considered as a good management change practice that should be taken into consideration by the organization but it has no connection with the manager own personal ability. It can be said that the ability helps to attain the target of the organization, but the personal ability of the manager is not influenced. So, this can be a major factor that is less influenced by the managers own personal ability (Brazil, 2014). Continuity Continuity of the organization has very less influence on the managers own personal ability. The working pattern of the organization has no relation with the personal ability of the manager. The manager has the ability to motivate the employee, so that they can perform their best to attain the goals and objectives of the organization (Camps, Oltra, Alds?Manzano, Buenaventura?Vera Torres?Carballo, 2016). They can motivate the employees by their ability but it does not influence the manager own ability. It is seen that for continuity it is important for the organization to attain the targets. So, by giving motivation the efficiency or the production capacity can be enhanced. It is the duty of the manager to motivate the employees, so that the activities of the organization can be accomplished in the proper way (Travaglione, Scott-Ladd, Hancock Chang, 2017). Motivation can be given easily by the managers ability, but it does not influence the personal ability of the manager. References Anguelov, K., Angelova, M. (2017, June). Challenges for Bulgarian Industrial Small and Medium sized Enterprises to manage change effectively. InElectrical Machines, Drives and Power Systems (ELMA), 2017 15th International Conference on(pp. 471-475). IEEE. Beedles, M., Bergin, J. (2017). Management matters: Are you neophobic or ready to manage change?.AJP: The Australian Journal of Pharmacy,98(1161), 76. Brazil, J. (2014). Security metrics to manage change.Network Security,2014(10), 5-7. Camps, J., Oltra, V., Alds?Manzano, J., Buenaventura?Vera, G., Torres?Carballo, F. (2016). Individual performance in turbulent environments: the role of organizational learning capability and employee flexibility.Human Resource Management,55(3), 363-383. Claassen, J. (2014). Manage change for success: opinion-challenge the status quo.The Dairy Mail,21(1), 11-13. Cummings, T. G., Worley, C. G. (2014).Organization development and change. Cengage learning. Fullan, M. (2014).Leading in a culture of change personal action guide and workbook. John Wiley Sons. Goodrum, M., Cleland-Huang, J., Lutz, R., Cheng, J., Metoyer, R. (2017, September). What Requirements Knowledge Do Developers Need to Manage Change in Safety-Critical Systems?. InRequirements Engineering Conference (RE), 2017 IEEE 25th International(pp. 90-99). IEEE. Hancock, M. S. (2016). Going beyond to manage change.Healthcare Financial Management,70(3), 28-29. Hrebiniak, L. G. (2013).Making strategy work: Leading effective execution and change. FT Press. Lee, J. Y., Park, S., Baker, R. (2017). The moderating role of top management support on employees attitudes in response to human resource development efforts.Journal of Management Organization, 1-19. Pandey, S. K., Pandey, S., Breslin, R. A., Broadus, E. D. (2017). Public service motivation research program: Key challenges and future prospects. Santos, A., Quilliam, W. (2015). An Overview of the Change Management Process and Examples of Software to Help Organizations Effectively Manage Change.GSTF Journal on Business Review (GBR),4(1). Travaglione, A., Scott-Ladd, B., Hancock, J., Chang, J. (2017). Managerial support: Renewing the role of managers amidst declining union support for employees.Journal of General Management,43(1), 24-32. White, B. (2014). How can I support exiting employees?.Strategic HR Review,13(3).

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Food Culture free essay sample

Or do the potential dangers involved in the new technology pose too great a risk? * Supporters of GM foods say:  GM crops are the logical next step in agriculture, and they have never been proven to be harmful to human beings. The next generation of GM crops could produce health benefitssuch as vegetables with extra vitamins or fruit containing important vaccines and antibioticsthat would be immensely helpful to developing countries. * Critics of GM foods say:  Interfering with the genes of plants could disturb entire ecosystems and result in unintended environmental and health consequences. Also, because the plight of developing nations is the result of far broader issues of social injustice, no amount of GM food could truly fix the problems there. Genetically modified (GM) food has become so common in the U. S. that most people do not even know when they are consuming it. But it is widely estimated that up to 70% of all processed food in U. We will write a custom essay sample on Food Culture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page S. supermarkets contain ingredients that have been altered at the genetic level. GM ingredients can be found in certain brands of peanut butter, potato chips and margarine, among many other types of food. GM foodsalso referred to as genetically engineered foodsare created when an organisms deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which is the molecular basis for heredity in most living things, is altered in some way. Agricultural biologists can modify existing genes, transplant genes from one organisms DNA into anothers or even synthesize entirely new structures and insert them into a plants DNA. Although the alteration of genes is a fairly new technology, scientists have already invented a variety of new organisms, such as coffee beans that do not contain caffeine and onions that can be chopped without inducing tears. See 1999  Genetically Engineered Food] Nearly all GM foods on the market, however, come from just four types of crops: corn, cotton, canola and soybeans. Those plants are altered so that they produce their own insecticide, for example, or become immune to particular brands of pesticides. Since 1996, when the first GM soybean was introduced, the use of GM crops in the U. S. has increased at an incredible rate. But because the technology behind GM foods is relatively new, many fear that there has not been enough testing to prove that it is completely risk-free. Europeans, for example, have been highly skeptical of any benefits they might gain from GM foods. Many nations in the European Union (EU) have effectively banned imports of what they refer to as Frankenfoods, a reference to the famous story of the fictional monster assembled by Dr. Frankenstein from miscellaneous spare parts. The U. S claims that the EUs anti-GM food policy violates free trade laws. Many questions remain regarding the future of GM foods. Should they continue to be sold in the U. S. , even though they may have unforeseen negative consequences? Or should the U. S. take a cue from the EU and limit the selling of GM foods until they are unequivocally proven to be risk-free? Do the possible future health benefits of GM foodssuch as fruits and vegetables with extra vitamins and vaccines built into their DNAcancel out any potential risks that the new technology brings? Supporters of GM foods say that since there has been no evidence of GM foods harming humans, it is reasonable to assume that they are safe for consumption. GM food backers denounce criticism of genetic engineering as fear-mongering. Besides, they argue, no new technology is without a certain degree of risk. GM food supporters believe that the possible health benefits of GM foods overwhelm any possible dangers. Supporters of biotech crops also maintain that if GM food technology is allowed to develop, it may prove to be instrumental in eliminating world hunger. Future GM foods could be fortified with increased nutrients, which would make it easier for people in impoverished nations to enjoy a healthy diet, supporters say. Opponents of GM foods, however, argue that the idea that global hunger could be eliminated by biotech crops is deceptive. They maintain that since hunger is caused mostly by poverty, GM foods would not be an adequate long-term solution to the problem. GM food critics say that the notion that biotech crops can end hunger is merely a public-relations stunt crafted to rally public support for the new technology. Critics of GM foods also point to several studies indicating that rats, when fed a diet of GM vegetables, develop serious health problems. Because the technology behind GM foods is so new, opponents argue, there is no way of knowing how it will affect the health of consumers. Critics further contend that introducing genetically altered plant life into stable ecosystems could alter the fragile biosphere in ways no one can accurately predict. The Development of Agricultural Biotechnology In February 1953, Francis Crick, a British biophysicist, entered a pub in Cambridge, England, and announced, We have discovered the secret of life! Crick and his partner, the Chicago-born geneticist James Watson, were celebrating because they had just established that the physical structure of DNA follows a double helix pattern, which is a geometric shape resembling a twisted ladder. The genetic information of any given organism is coded within its DNA as a sequence of nucleotides, which form the rungs of the double helix. Building upon that discovery, another pair of scientists, Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer, created the first-ever transgenic organism in 1973. Cohen and Boyer used a special restriction enzyme to cut out a specific gene sequence from a toads DNA. They then pasted the genes into the DNA of an  Escherichia coli  (E. coli) bacterium. As the bacterium reproduced, Cohen and Boyer observed that each successive generation contained the same toad gene that they had originally spliced into the  E. oliDNA. The success of Cohen and Boyers experiment helped to lay the groundwork for all future developments in the field of genetic engineering. In 1977, scientists discovered that the bacterium  Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which ordinarily causes a type of cancer in plants, could be manipulated to carry beneficial types of genes into plant cells. Biologists, who at this point were learning how to create new gene sequences from scratch, replaced the tumor-causing genes in  Agrobacterium tumefaciens  with synthetic genes that protect plants from drought or pestilence. When scientists exposed plants to those modified bacteria, some of those plants began to exhibit the desirable characteristics without developing any of the cancerous tumors. The field of agricultural biotechnology expanded rapidly after that breakthrough. In the early 1980s, researchers developed new methods of transferring genes into plant cells. One such method involves a piece of machinery called the Biolistic Particle Delivery System, also known as the gene gun. The gene gun fires minuscule gold pellets, coated in genetic material, through plant tissue. In theory, as the bullets pass through the tissue, they leave behind their foreign genes, which eventually work their way into the plants DNA. Like the  Agrobacterium tumefaciens  method, however, the gene gun technique has a relatively low success rate. Scientists say that does not matter; because of the rapid rate at which cells multiply, one successful gene transfer could create entire fields of modified plants. The first genetically altered plant was developed in 1983. Luis Herrera-Estrella, a Mexican scientist, used the  Agrobacterium tumefaciens  method to insert antibiotics into a tobacco plants genetic structure. However, it would take more than 10 years until a GM food was commercially available in the U. S. Throughout the 1980s, scientists working for large biotechnology companies such as Monsanto Co. and DuPont Co. continued developing new GM crops, but none of those crops reached U. S. consumers because they lacked approval from any regulatory bodies. In May 1992, that all changed. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared that GM foods did not differ fundamentally from non-GM foods, and could therefore be sold without government regulation. The FDAs policy statement also assigned responsibility to the biotechnology companies for any potential health hazards resulting from their GM foods. Yet despite that landmark statement, biotechnology companies, seeking to allay public concern, submitted their foods for FDA approval anyway. In 1994, the Flavr Savr tomato, developed by Calgene Inc. to maintain a longer shelf life, became the first GM crop to receive FDA approval. The tomato sold well initially, but due in part to high development costs and dwindling sales, it was discontinued in 1997. During that same year, Monsanto absorbed cash-poor Calgene into its ever-expanding biotech empire. The Rapid Expansion of GM Crops Monsanto, based in St. Louis, Mo. , was formed in 1901 as a manufacturer of saccharine, an artificial sweetener. Over the course of the 20th century, it evolved into an agricultural chemical company, creating and marketing popular weed-killing herbicides such as Lasso, Ramrod and Roundup. Monsanto shifted its focus from chemicals to biotechnology in 1981. In 1996, the company introduced a genetically modified soybean that was immune to glyphosate, the primary active ingredient in Roundup herbicide. Farmers who planted that soybean could spray their entire fields with Roundup, killing all the weeds but leaving the crop unharmed. The Roundup Ready soybean, as Monsanto calls it, was later joined by similarly modified strains of corn and canola. The introduction of Roundup Ready crops helped to spark a global explosion in the GM food market. Today, nearly 200 million acres of GM crops have been planted worldwide, up from 4. million acres in 1996, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications. Roughly 120 million acres of GM crops are found in the U. S. alone, with Monsanto representing a significant percentage of that acreage. Nearly 90% of the GM soy, canola and cotton grown in the U. S. , for example, originates from Monsantos labs. Most GM crops have been modified to be either herbicide- or insect-resistant. Herbicide-resistant plantssuch as Monsantos Roundup Ready lineare immune to the weed-killing chemicals found in commercial herbicides. Insect-resistant crops are modified to create a bacterium,  Bacillus thuringiensis  (Bt), that is naturally toxic to several harmful species of insects, such as the pink bollworm and the tobacco budworm. Because the plants themselves are poisonous to insects, farmers do not need to spray their crops with pesticides, which harm the environment. Biotechnicians also say modifications like those lead to more efficient farming and, in turn, result in higher crop yields. In the future, scientists say, crops will be modified to perform a host of beneficial biological duties. Second-generation GM crops will be more nutritious and more flavorful, stay ripe longer, and resist drought conditions, they say. Some involved in the marketing of GM crops predict that in the near future, vaccines for diseases such as polio and typhoid will be delivered to developing nations in vegetables such as tomatoes and corn. One GM crop with enormous medical potential is so-called golden rice. That GM rice contains increased levels of beta-carotene, which the human body converts into vitamin A. Golden rice was first developed by scientists in Switzerland in 2000 and was perfected by British scientists in March 2005. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 500,000 children go blind yearly due to a lack of vitamin A. Some biotechnicians believe that golden rice, which has not yet been made available to consumers, could eliminate such cases of blindness. Many consumers remain skeptical about GM crops, however, and several regulatory miscues have done little to reassure them. In 2000, for example, a batch of StarLink corn, a type of GM corn that had not been approved for human consumption, appeared in processed food products such as taco shells. Several people who ate the taco shells sustained allergic reactions, which some experts said were directly related to the StarLink corn. Many products were recalled, and consumer confidence in GM corn was drastically reduced. GM corn was back in the headlines in 2005. The Swiss biotech company Syngenta AG alerted the U. S. in December 2004 that it had been accidentally distributing an experimental, unapproved strain of insect-resistant GM corn since 2001. Representatives from Syngenta told regulators that this particular strain, known as Bt 10, was very similar to an approved and widely distributed strain of corn, Bt 11. Still, Syngenta issued a statement in March 2005 saying that all Bt 10 corn and unused Bt 10 seeds had been destroyed or isolated. Then, in May 2005, the British newspaper the  Independent  reported that a secret study carried out by Monsanto showed that rats developed blood and kidney abnormalities after eating a diet of MON 863, a strain of GM corn created by Monsanto. Those abnormalities indicated to doctors that either the rats immune systems were weakening or their bodies were making certain biological adjustments necessary to fight tumors. In a statement, Monsanto defended its product, saying that the rat study had been submitted to regulatory bodies such as the European Food Safety Authority, which went on to approve the sale of the corn. MON 863 is also planted and sold in both the U. S. and Canada. In some cases, Monsanto has discontinued certain kinds of its GM crops. For example, Monsanto halted production of its insect-resistant GM potato in 2001 and its Roundup Ready GM wheat in 2004. In both instances, Monsanto issued a statement saying it was simply trying to concentrate on other crops, and that GM wheat and GM potato production would eventually be resumed. But some people involved in the anti-GM movement say lack of confidence in GM technologyby both consumers and farmersweighed heavily on Monsantos decision to discontinue each product. GM Food Policy in the U. S. and Europe GM foods have become a fact of life in the U. S. Although the only GM whole food widely available in the U. S. is a strain of virus-resistant papaya, roughly 70% of all processed foods purchased in U. S. supermarkets contain GM ingredients. That is mostly due to the prevalence of GM corn and soy, which are used to make common additives such as lecithin and corn syrup. Although most Americans consume GM foods on a regular basis, a significant portion have expressed skepticism about them. For example, an ABC News poll conducted in 2003 found that 55% of respondents would be less likely to buy a food if they knew it had been genetically modified. Still, U. S. consumers have proven to be less outspokenly anti-GM than their counterparts in the EU, and it is far easier to find food containing GM ingredients in U. S. stores than it is in Europe. Some experts believe that one of the reasons the GM food industry has made such headway in the U. S. s because Monsanto, the countrys leading agriculture-chemical company, has spent millions of dollars lobbying Congress and the White House. In 1997, at the dawn of the GM revolution, Monsanto spent $4 million persuading President Bill Clinton (D, 1993-2001) and his administration to pressure the EU into accepting Monsantos GM grain. That same year, Monsanto welcomed Mickey Kantor, a former Clinton aide, onto its board of directors. Some opponents of GM foods believe that this political influence has reaped many benefits for Monsanto, including the ongoing lack of labeling laws for GM foods sold in the U. S. See 2005  Labeling Genetically Modified Foods (sidebar)] In the EU, on the other hand, 54% of European citizens surveyed said they would never accept GM foods, and 31% would accept them only if they were highly regulated. Experts say that European skepticism about GM foods can be traced to several sensational food crises that erupted in the late 1990s, such as a mad cow disease scare in England and the discovery of chickens tainted with the toxic chemical dioxin in Belgium. Although neither of those incidents was related to genetic engineering, many believe they made Europeans nervous about the idea of GM foods. In 1999, the influential British medical journal the  Lancet  published a controversial study by the biochemist Arpad Pustzai. The study concluded that rats who were fed GM potatoes developed stomach ailments and weakened immune systems. The study touched off an immense controversy in Europe; some claimed that Pustzais research was scientifically unsound, while others accused Pustzais detractors of engaging in smear tactics. As a result of Pustzais study, the mad cow scare, and other incidents, public opinion of GM foods in the EU is extremely low. Consequently, the EUs bureaucratic process for approving GM foods is arguably the strictest in the world, says Simon Barber of the European Association for Bioindustries. The EUs GM food labeling laws are widely seen as the worlds toughest, and in five EU member countriesFrance, Germany, Luxembourg, Greece and Austriait is illegal to plant certain GM crops. That hard-line stance has angered leading GM food exporters. In April 2004, the U. S. , Canada and Argentinathe worlds three leading producers of biotech cropsasked the World Trade Organization (WTO) to review the EUs anti-GM food policy. The three countries say that the EUs stance violates free trade laws, because many European nations will not accept food imports unless they are specifically labeled as non-GM. The WTO is scheduled to present a preliminary decision on the GM food case in August 2005. There have been some signs that the EU is succumbing to that pressure. In May 2004, the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, lifted an unofficial six-year moratorium on the sale of GM foods when it voted to approve the sale of Syngentas Bt 11 corn to consumers. The move was criticized by environmental advocacy groups such as Greenpeace, a nonprofit international coalition of environmentalists. By overturning the unofficial ban, the European Commission chose to defend U. S. farmers and narrow agro-business interests, says Eric Gall of Greenpeace. Still, most EU member countries will not accept imports of GM foods. GM Food Supporters Embrace New Technology Supporters of GM foods point to a plethora of health benefits that could develop if the technology is allowed to advance. In the near future, supporters say, GM foods could be capable of delivering crucial vaccines and vitamins to massive amounts of people. Furthermore, they say, crops could also be modified to withstand harsh climate conditions, thereby ensuring that every growing season is a productive one. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a corporately financed nonprofit think tank, points out that current insect-resistant GM crops help the environment by eliminating the need for spraying dangerous pesticides, which can pollute waterways. Advocates of biotech food also maintain that there have been no reported instances of humans suffering any ill effects from eating GM crops. If GM foods were bad for you, supporters ask, why have no widespread health crises been reported in the U. S. , where GM corn, soy, cotton and canola are ubiquitous? Supporters also note that the American Medical Association, the National Academy of Sciences, the World Health Organization, the Institute of Food Technologists and the United Nations have all determined that GM foods are not fundamentally different from non-GM foods. Responding to critics charges that biotech foods should not be sold until they have been proven, unequivocally, to be completely free from risk, GM food supporters maintain that there is no such thing as a risk-free new technology. Such thinking is unrealistic and unwise, writes Norman Borlaugh, a professor of international agriculture at Texas Aamp;M University in College Station. Indeed, he writes, zero biological risk is not even attainable. The nonpartisan Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has also accepted GM foods as a viable technology with huge potential benefits. Gregory Jaffe, the director of CSPIs biotechnology project, says that there is a risk involved in GM foods, but, if scrutinized, nearly anything could be said to have a risk factor. If you did a risk assessment for a peanut today, he says, it would not necessarily be approved. Another common argument made by GM food backers is that biotechnology is simply a refinement of a processthe introduction of genes into preexisting organismsthat occurs in nature on a daily basis. A Brief Biotech Timeline found on Monsantos British Web site, for example, starts from thousands of years ago, when people first began using bacteria to make beer and bread, and includes Gregor Mendels mid-19th-century studies of plant genetics, which proved that plants passed down physical characteristics to successive generations through their genes. Scientists have used Mendels discoveries to crossbreed plants, creating a variety of plant hybrids with desirable traits. GM food supporters say that new technologieslike the gene gun and the use of  Agrobacterium tumefaciensare simply an extension of hybridization. Many supporters also point out that GM crops could prove to be a boon to developing nations that cannot adequately provide their people with food. In its report to the international community on GM crops, which was released in May 2004, the U. N. said that GM foods, with their possibility for greater crop yields and added vitamins, represent one of the best chances the world has of eliminating global hunger. Some supporters of GM food technology have expressed frustration that activists are protesting something that could become a major weapon in the worldwide fight against malnourishment and poverty. Proponents of GM foods say that those who protest biotechnology companies like Monsanto should look at the potential health benefits that GM crops could provide, particularly to poverty-stricken developing countries. Opposition to GM foods amounts to nothing more than horror at the thought of change [and] romantic rhapsodizing about the virtues of traditional life, writes  New York Times  columnist Paul Krugman. Too bad that the wretched of the earth will, as usual, pay for the fantasies of the affluent. Critics Warn of Potential Health Consequences Opponents of GM crops say that the technology is still too new and untested to be so prevalent in the marketplace. They contend that altering an organisms genes is in no way an update of nature. In nature, when would a pesticide-producing bacterium [interbreed] with a potato? writes Liane Casten, president of Chicago Media Watch, a nonprofit organization. Critics point to instances where unmodified plants have become contaminated by nearby GM crops. In 2004, for instance, experiments concluded that a strain of Monsantos Roundup Ready grass spread its genetically altered pollen into fields as far as 13 miles away. Many environmentalists say they fear that once GM crops are planted, the modified genes they carry will be irretrievably integrated into the ecosystem. Any unintended negative side effects that may develop as a result of those modified genes would become part of the agricultural landscape for good, they warn. Some organic farmers, who pride themselves on their nonuse of pesticides and insecticides, warn that GM foods could make organic farming impossible. Organic farmers who grow fruit and vegetables near fields of GM crops fear that their own crops could become contaminated by altered genes, effectively ruining their plants organic status. This is a situation where if you adopt a technology, it could ruin my livelihood, says Theresa Podoll, executive director of the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society, an organic farming group. GM food opponents also maintain that the relatively new field of biotechnology has not been properly tested for potential health hazards. The FDAs process for approving GM foods is far too lenient, critics say. The FDA approves GM foods for public consumption simply by comparing the nutritional content of GM and non-GM foods, and checking a database of known allergens, write Kirsten Schwind and Hollace Poole-Kavana of the Institute for Food and Development Policy, an anti-hunger think tank. According to the logic of the FDA, we are the guinea pigs. Another concern critics have with the proliferation of GM foods is that it will lead to an increasingly centralized agricultural industry. Large multinational corporations like Monsanto stand to profit most from GM technology, while small farmersparticularly those trying to grow organic foodface nearly insurmountable odds just to keep their farms afloat, opponents say. Critics also express distaste at the idea of a small handful of major companies controlling what the nation eats. We cant let the multinational corporations hand everything to us, says Sam Cantrell, president of Maysies Farm Conservation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ecologically sustainable agriculture methods. Such critics argue that the profit-at-all-costs attitude of huge corporations is diametrically opposed to what the goal of the agriculture industry should be: to produce healthy, safe food using environmentally responsible growing techniques. Furthermore, the claim that GM foods could help to end world hunger is unfounded, critics say. They point out that world hunger is caused by deep-rooted social injustices. Hunger is caused by a lack of access to basic human rights, including good education, health care, housing and living wagesin the United States and throughout the world, Schwind and Poole-Kavana write. Hunger is also caused by racism and inequality. GM crops fundamentally cannot end hunger because hunger isnt caused by a lack of food. Some opponents of GM foods question biotechnology companies commitment to ending world hunger. Jared Diamond, a professor of physiology and geography at the University of California at Los Angeles, argues that if GM food corporations truly cared about aiding the developing world, they would create GM foods more suitable to warmer climates, such as cassava, millet and sorghum. Other critics have suggested that GM food companies are cynically cultivating the idea that genetically altered food can end world hunger in order to rally support for their cause. There are plenty of other safe, more economical ways to bring food to the starving, Casten writes. But those ways dont make fortunes for biotech CEOs or result in big campaign contributions for politicians. Will GM Foods Prove to Be Safe? In June 2005, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, a trade organization of biotechnology companies that includes Monsanto, held its annual convention in Philadelphia, Pa. Nearly 19,000 members of the biotech industry attended the convention, while a counterconvention of GM food protesters called BioDemocracy, at a nearby park attracted just 1,200 people. The relative paucity of protesters speaks to the lack of public outcry over GM foods in the U. S. as compared with Europe, where a lack of popular support for genetically engineered crops has effectively shut them out of supermarkets in the EU. A GM-organism label in Paris or Berlin might as well be a skull-and-crossbones, writes John Feffer in the  American Prospect. The U. S. ontinues to lock horns with the EU in a bitter trade dispute over GM food imports. Meanwhile, in the U. S. , the average consumer eats GM foods several times a day in products such as breakfast cereal, salad dressing and cookies. Although many polls suggest that a majority of Americans would like to see labels affixed to food that has been genetically engineered, food companies are not required to do so in the U. S. Supporters of GM foods say that such labels would be pointless; after all, like the FDA, supporters do not consider GM foods to be different from non-GM foods in any fundamental way.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Unit 3 Discussion Example

Unit 3 Discussion Example Unit 3 Discussion – Coursework Example Cisco Powered Network Discussion The Cisco networking system, also commonly referred to as the IOS controls various Cisco switchesand routers as well as providing an interface for the configuration of the Cisco devices. The Cisco Security personnel provide its users regularly with safety guidelines and measure to counter the daily threats. The IOS also comes up with various network management models functions which may include; Fault, security, configuration and performance management. Under fault management any faults detected are isolated from the network; security management provides access only to authorized people to access the network and other corporate resources (Liu, 2009). The configuration team is in charge of managing configuration files, inventories as well as software and finally the performance team monitors the overall performance and ensures it is maintained at a high level.The other best practices that can be put across in administering a Cisco powered network incl ude: Coming up with a telnet password. This can be arrived at by: router (config) #line vty con 0 router (config-line) #log in. router (config-line) #password Cisco. This telnet protocol will connect several devices to the internet and get access to various resources. It will also provide a command line interface. It is also necessary to enable the interface so as to provide the administrators with a flexible ground for accessing other physical networks. It can be enabled through router (config-if) # no shutdown, at the same time it can be controled by disabling it through router (config-if) # shut down. The flexibility may at times add complexity to the task of the administrators. Finally, it is important for the administrators to consider setting or coming up with a secret password (Tetz, 2011). This practice will always enable them override the enabling password feature and help them encrypt it within the config file. This will be arrived at by router (config) enable secret (desi red name one wishes to use as a secret password).ReferencesLiu, D. 2009.  Cisco router and switch forensics: Investigating and analyzing malicious network activity. Burlington, MA: Syngress.Tetz, E. 2011.  Cisco ® networking all-in-one for dummies ®. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Compare and Contrast 2 Quality Management Theories Research Paper

Compare and Contrast 2 Quality Management Theories - Research Paper Example The basic contention behind the implementation of either Six Sigma or lean techniques is to increase the output from existing processes and methods. It must be taken to note that Six Sigma applies more to bolstering output by removing causes behind defects through the implementation of measurement and statistical techniques (Tennant, 2001). On the other hand, lean techniques consist largely of methods that are aimed at improving processes by looking at existing loopholes and reacting accordingly (Taylor, 2008). Need for Lean Techniques and Six Sigma in the Healthcare Sector Lean techniques are not based in large part on quantification unlike Six Sigma that dwells on quantifying defects for their removal and noting process improvement levels. In recent years, both Six Sigma and lean techniques have been used increasingly in the healthcare sector to deal with existing and emerging challenges. The increasing cost of healthcare and visits to doctors have meant that it is required to opti mize healthcare access costs through the application of Six Sigma and lean techniques. However, it must also be kept in mind that healthcare applications involve critical assessments that might end up with permanent damage to the patient’s health or might even result in a fatality (DelliFraine, Langabeer, & Nembhard, 2010). In such a case, the advantage of applying either Six Sigma or lean techniques is removed altogether as the customer is effectively permanently damaged or removed from the service list. On another note, it must be considered that the failure of Six Sigma or lean techniques in the manufacturing, services or other sectors may result in nothing more than another defect not involving loss to human beings. However, in the case of the healthcare industry, any failure of the Six Sigma or lean techniques regime could possibly lead to a human fatality which is not desirable. Therefore, the application of either Six Sigma or lean techniques requires differentiation b etween critical and non-critical applications in the healthcare sector. Requirements of Quality Management Philosophy in the Healthcare Sector The healthcare industry effectively requires a technique that is not harmful to the customers. In case that Six Sigma is applied to the healthcare industry, it would involve taking measurements as a vital method of producing baselines and quantifying output levels to see how processes have improved. As far as the manufacturing sector is concerned, Six Sigma is effective because the same manufacturing processes are being repeated to manufacture the end product. The continuous nature of the measurement ensures that Six Sigma can be applied across the board to the entire organization. Even if the services industry is considered, it becomes clear that similar end services are being provided to customers resulting in insightful measurements for Six Sigma improvements. However, the case of the healthcare sector is altogether different since any hea lthcare organization is servicing customers with multiple differentiated needs at the same time. For example, the same hospital could be dealing with emergency trauma patients as well as with cardiovascular disease patients. The wide range of processes required to satisfy the end customer do not favor Six Sigma for measurement in the healthcare sector (Taner & Sezen, 2007). Six Sigma In the case of the

Friday, February 7, 2020

Onboarding Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Onboarding Process - Essay Example ies, procedures, values, climate, and mission/vision statements; and (3) providing transition guidelines to assist the new employee in undertaking expected endeavors with greater efficiency and with the optimized use of the organization’s resources. Other strategies would be incorporated within the five stages of the onboarding process. The five stages of the onboarding process are: (1) preparation; (2) orientation; (3) integration; (4) engagement; and (5) follow-up (UNC Charlotte, n.d.). During the first stage, preparation, the new employee is expected to be acclimated on the â€Å"culture, team, work environment, and introduce to policies and procedures and online modules† (UNC Charlotte, n.d., p. 7). Therefore, the organization should design introductory modules that would apprise the new employee on the needed crucial overview information on the organization. The second stage, orientation, provides the new employee with additional modules designed to orient him or her towards enabling the undertaking of expected responsibilities. Orientation could be provided through lectures, online modules, an actual visit through the different departments, and introduction of relevant officers and personnel within the organizational hierarchy. employee’s attendance in HR staff development training† (UNC Charlotte, n.d., p. 7). This means that as a service personnel, the focus of integration is on the strategies towards performing one’s responsibilities in the most efficient and effective way. Likewise, any needed development training in the field of service and customer relationship would be undertaken. meeting performance expectations and contributing to the (organization’s) success† (UNC Charlotte, n.d., p. 7). As the word engagement means, the new employee is enjoined and encouraged to show commitment, dedication, and focus on the performance of his or her tasks; as well as in interacting with other stakeholders who would be instrumental in the performance

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

LVMH’s company Essay Example for Free

LVMH’s company Essay Strengths LVMH has a strong brand positioning meaning that the company strongly placed itself as a leader in the luxury sector. The company offers more than 60 brands of high value perception and identity to their customers. Due to high customer loyalty, image of their brands and value perception those brands are less affected by economic cycles. Most evidently, LVMH expressed resilience against the economic conditions specifically in 2009 and 2008. This is an indicator that the strength of their brands enables their revenues to sustain growth even through touch economic situations. This is due to their huge customer base across the globe accompanied by their loyalty; thus, making their penetration to new markets with quick. The associations of LVMH with celebrities and major events have enabled them to enhance their luxury positioning. For example, Charlize Theron represents the J’adore perfume by Dior, while Moet Chandon positioned their communications platform to events like the Oscars and the Golden Globe. Those marketing strategies were aimed in order to increase their brand visibility and recall. Moreover, their customers are targeted successfully through enhancing their brands images. All in all, those associations would eventually augment the luxury and its value that LVMH aims at building. Weaknesses A shortcoming in LVMH’s company is their limited presence in the retail division. This means that the company is highly dependant on sales to retailers. This in turn has caused the company’s luxury goods vulnerable to destocking by their retailers in order to avoid losses. Most evidently, the wines, jewelry, and watches departments were highly affected negatively by the retailers destocking. Therefore, this has made LVMH’s revenues in danger of destocking made by retailers. There is also a weakness evident in the conflict of interest within the company, where LVMH would be categorized into two major segments: fashion vs. liquor markets. However, the company’s broad acquisition of the art  auction market Pury Luxemborg has been questioned due to some criticism that it adds more burden to LVMH. This is yet another criteria to the conflict of interest believed to be internally dealt within the company. Opportunities The luxury market is believed to be a growing market in the emerging economies. The growing high net worth individuals (HNWI) in a lot of countries across the globe is an indicator that the sales of luxury products are estimated to increase. In effect, LVMH has been focusing in increasing their investment in emerging countries, such as the Middle East, in their hopes that higher growth rates will be evident. Moreover, LVMH was able to assess the trends in those markets specifically in Asia’s market in order to succesfully penetrate them. Hence, the growth of the HNWI’s wealth accompanied by the structure of investments to reach to a broader customer base would intensify and diversify LVMH’s revenue flow. LVMH owes a great deal of their market share to their products on women’s accessories. This would include their brands in handbags, jewelry, and watches amongst many others. Although the fashion accessories has seen a downfall during 2009; nevertheless, it is hinting that it is uprising to a recovery into growth since 2010. Most notably, women handbags were the most notable in the accessories market growth inversely reacting to the market’s decrease during the same time. Those leather goods have been a great indicator in both the men and women’s categories in the market share that there is a high growth of sales and revenue. Even if key markets have been experiencing low growth due to the economic collapse and recovery, the accessories market proves as an opportunity to LVMH for growth. Selective retailing provides an opportunity to LVMH in one of the most growing markets in the world: China. Even though selective retailing has seen a decline in growth due to restrictions in spending due to less amount of travelers; however, China tourism is predicted to show a robust expansion. The economic liberalization; as well as, the constant development and transformation in China boosted their tourism industry. Some indicators  have been predicting that China would be a leading tourism destination by 2020. Therefore, LVMH has been focused on launching its selective retailing in China in order to take an advantageous stance from this growing tourism in terms of revenue.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Suicide of Vietnam Veterans :: Vietnam War Essays

Suicide of Vietnam Veterans The deaths that were experienced in Vietnam due to Agent Orange and other jungle diseases have become well known by the general public. However, it is suicide that has resulted in the deaths of over 150,000 Vietnam soldiers during and after the war. An enormous amount of suicides resulted from what most people call â€Å"protecting our country†. The Vietnam War brought more than fifty-eight thousand deaths and is to some one of the darkest battles in United States history. If not killed during the war, many believe any Vietnam veteran would return home great and proud. But this is not the case. Many Vietnam veterans have committed suicide before, during, and after the war. Not only have these men and woman risked their lives for our country, but now, return different people and can not comprehend whether or not to continue their lives. Many people believe we win wars, when in actuality, no one does, especially those who serve in the armed forces (Suicide Wall, 11-10-2000). The Vietnam and other wars have mentally and sometimes physically dismembered many veterans. Another factor that plays a role in a war-related suicide is the addition of many on-site diseases such as defoliants, Agent Orange in particular. Made up of equal parts N-Butyl Ester 2,4,-D and N-Butyl Ester 2,4,5,-T, Agent Orange made many Vietnam soldiers go insane (Vietnam Veterans, 11-10-2000). This atrocious chemical lead and still today leads to death, deformation, and diabetes. Dr. Joel E. Michalek, who deals with statistics for the air force, was the first to notice a link between Agent Orange and diabetes. But the federal government was not willing â€Å"...to spend millions of dollars on such studies†. Dr. Michael Gough, a retired biologist was quoted as saying â€Å"the conclusion I’ve come to is that there is no evidence whatsoever to support any connection between low-level dioxin exposure and any human disease†. Some say they will not do research b ecause it is another thing â€Å"...that will be linked to the health complaints of Vietnam veterans† (Kolata, A16). There is hope still. In 1996, Clinton ordered disability benefits for Vietnam veterans suffering from prostate cancer and nerve disease associated with Agent Orange. Eventually, the government will fund more and more diseases for those who served in the war and were exposed to the substances.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Chapters 1

THE NEWSPAPER HEADLINE GLARED AT ME FROM a little metal vending machine: SEATTLE UNDER SIEGE – DEATH TOLL RISES AGAIN. I hadn't seen this one yet. Some paperboy must have just restocked the machine. Lucky for him, he was nowhere around now. Great. Riley was going to blow a gasket. I would make sure I wasn't within reach when he saw this paper. Let him rip somebody else's arm off. I stood in the shadow behind the corner of a shabby threestory building, trying to be inconspicuous while I waited for someone to make a decision. Not wanting to meet anyone's eyes, I stared at the wal beside me instead. The ground floor of the building housed a record shop that had long since closed; the windows, lost to weather or street violence, were fil ed in with plywood. Over the top were apartments – empty, I guessed, since the normal sounds of sleeping humans were absent. I wasn't surprised – the place looked like it would col apse in a stiff wind. The buildings on the other side of the dark, narrow street were just as wrecked. The normal scene for a night out on the town. I didn't want to speak up and draw attention, but I wished somebody would decide something. I was real y thirsty, and I didn't care much whether we went right or left or over the roof. I just wanted to find some unlucky people who wouldn't even have enough time to think wrong place, wrong time. Unfortunately tonight Riley'd sent me out with two of the most useless vampires in existence. Riley never seemed to care who he sent out in hunting groups. Or particularly bugged when sending out the wrong people together meant fewer people coming home. Tonight I was stuck with Kevin and some blond kid whose name I didn't know. They both belonged to Raoul's gang, so it went without saying that they were stupid. And dangerous. But right now, mostly stupid. Instead of picking a direction for our hunt, suddenly they were in the middle of an argument over whose favorite superhero would be a better hunter. The nameless blond was demonstrating his case for Spider-Man now, skittering up the brick wal of the al ey while humming the cartoon theme song. I sighed in frustration. Were we ever going to hunt? A little flicker of movement to my left caught my eye. It was the other one Riley had sent out in this hunting group, Diego. I didn't know much about him, just that he was older than most of the others. Riley's right-hand man was the word. That didn't make me like him any more than the other morons. Diego was looking at me. He must have heard the sigh. I looked away. Keep your head down and your mouth shut – that was the way to stay alive in Riley's crowd. â€Å"Spider-Man is such a whiny loser,† Kevin cal ed up to the blond kid. â€Å"I'l show you how a real superhero hunts.† He grinned wide. His teeth flashed in the glare of a streetlight. Kevin jumped into the middle of the street just as the lights from a car swung around to il uminate the cracked pavement with a blue-white gleam. He flexed his arms back, then pul ed them slowly together like a pro wrestler showing off. The car came on, probably expecting him to get the hel out of the way like a normal person would. Like he should. â€Å"Hulk mad!† Kevin bel owed. â€Å"Hulk†¦ SMASH!† He leaped forward to meet the car before it could brake, grabbed its front bumper, and flipped it over his head so that it struck the pavement upside down with a squeal of bending metal and shattering glass. Inside, a woman started screaming. â€Å"Oh man,† Diego said, shaking his head. He was pretty, with dark, dense, curly hair, big, wide eyes, and real y ful lips, but then, who wasn't pretty? Even Kevin and the rest of Raoul's morons were pretty. â€Å"Kevin, we're supposed to be laying low. Riley said – â€Å" â€Å"Riley said!† Kevin mimicked in a harsh soprano. â€Å"Get a spine, Diego. Riley's not here.† Kevin sprang over the upside-down Honda and punched out the driver's side window, which had somehow stayed intact up to that point. He fished through the shattered glass and the deflating air bag for the driver. I turned my back and held my breath, trying my hardest to hold on to the ability to think. I couldn't watch Kevin feed. I was too thirsty for that, and I real y didn't want to pick a fight with him. I so did not need to be on Raoul's hit list. The blond kid didn't have the same issues. He pushed off from the bricks overhead and landed lightly behind me. I heard him and Kevin snarling at each other, and then a wet tearing sound as the woman's screams cut off. Probably them ripping her in half. I tried not to think about it. But I could feel the heat and hear the dripping behind me, and it made my throat burn so bad even though I wasn't breathing. â€Å"I'm outta here,† I heard Diego mutter. He ducked into a crevice between the dark buildings, and I fol owed right on his heels. If I didn't get away from here fast, I'd be squabbling with Raoul's goons over a body that couldn't have had much blood left in it by now anyway. And then maybe I'd be the one who didn't come home. Ugh, but my throat burned! I clamped my teeth together to keep from screaming in pain. Diego darted through a trash-fil ed side al ey, and then – when he hit the dead end – up the wal . I dug my fingers into the crevices between the bricks and hauled myself up after him. On the rooftop, Diego took off, leaping lightly across the other roofs toward the lights shimmering off the sound. I stayed close. I was younger than he was, and therefore stronger – it was a good thing we younger ones were strongest, or we wouldn't have lived through our first week in Riley's house. I could have passed him easy, but I wanted to see where he was going, and I didn't want to have him behind me. Diego didn't stop for miles; we were almost to the industrial docks. I could hear him muttering under his breath. â€Å"Idiots! Like Riley wouldn't give us instructions for a good reason. Self-preservation, for example. Is an ounce of common sense so much to ask for?† â€Å"Hey,† I cal ed. â€Å"Are we going to hunt anytime soon? My throat's on fire here.† Diego landed on the edge of a wide factory roof and spun around. I jumped back a few yards, on my guard, but he didn't make an aggressive move toward me. â€Å"Yeah,† he said. â€Å"I just wanted some distance between me and the lunatics.† He smiled, al friendly, and I stared at him. This Diego guy wasn't like the others. He was kind of†¦ calm, I guess was the word. Normal. Not normal now, but normal before. His eyes were a darker red than mine. He must have been around for a while, like I'd heard. From the street below came the sounds of nighttime in a slummier part of Seattle. A few cars, music with heavy bass, a couple of people walking with nervous, fast steps, some drunk bum singing off-key in the distance. â€Å"You're Bree, right?† Diego asked. â€Å"One of the newbies.† I didn't like that. Newbie. Whatever. â€Å"Yeah, I'm Bree. But I didn't come in with the last group. I'm almost three months old.† â€Å"Pretty slick for a three-monther,† he said. â€Å"Not many would have been able to leave the scene of the accident like that.† He said it like a compliment, like he was real y impressed. â€Å"Didn't want to mix it up with Raoul's freaks.† He nodded. â€Å"Amen, sister. Their kind ain't nothing but bad news.† Weird. Diego was weird. How he sounded like a person having a regular old conversation. No hostility, no suspicion. Like he wasn't thinking about how easy or hard it might be to kil me right now. He was just talking to me. â€Å"How long have you been with Riley?† I asked curiously. â€Å"Going on eleven months now.† â€Å"Wow! That's older than Raoul.† Diego rol ed his eyes and spit venom over the edge of the building. â€Å"Yeah, I remember when Riley brought that trash in. Things just kept getting worse after that.† I was quiet for a moment, wondering if he thought everyone younger than himself was trash. Not that I cared. I didn't care what anybody thought anymore. Didn't have to. Like Riley said, I was a god now. Stronger, faster, better. Nobody else counted. Then Diego whistled low under his breath. â€Å"There we go. Just takes a little brains and patience.† He pointed down and across the street. Half-hidden around the edge of a purple-black al ey, a man was cussing at a woman and slapping her while another woman watched silently. From their clothes, I guessed that it was a pimp and two of his employees. This was what Riley had told us to do. Hunt the dregs. Take the humans that no one was going to miss, the ones who weren't headed home to a waiting family, the ones who wouldn't be reported missing. It was the same way he chose us. Meals and gods, both coming from the dregs. Unlike some of the others, I stil did what Riley told me to do. Not because I liked him. That feeling was long gone. It was because what he told us sounded right. How did it make sense to cal attention to the fact that a bunch of new vampires were claiming Seattle as their hunting ground? How was that going to help us? I didn't even believe in vampires before I was one. So if the rest of the world didn't believe in vampires, then the rest of the vampires must be hunting smart, the way Riley said to do it. They probably had a good reason. And like Diego'd said, hunting smart just took a little brains and patience. Of course, we al slipped up a lot, and Riley would read the papers and groan and yel at us and break stuff – like Raoul's favorite video-game system. Then Raoul would get mad and take somebody else apart and burn him up. Then Riley would be pissed off and he'd do another search to confiscate al the lighters and matches. A few rounds of this, and then Riley would bring home another handful of vampirized dregs kids to replace the ones he'd lost. It was an endless cycle. Diego inhaled through his nose – a big, long pul – and I watched his body change. He crouched on the roof, one hand gripping the edge. Al that strange friendliness disappeared, and he was a hunter. That was something I recognized, something I was comfortable with because I understood it. I turned off my brain. It was time to hunt. I took a deep breath, drawing in the scent of the blood inside the humans below. They weren't the only humans around, but they were the closest. Who you were going to hunt was the kind of decision you had to make before you scented your prey. It was too late now to choose anything. Diego dropped from the roof edge, out of sight. The sound of his landing was too low to catch the attention of the crying prostitute, the zoned-out prostitute, or the angry pimp. A low growl ripped from between my teeth. Mine. The blood was mine. The fire in my throat flared and I couldn't think of anything else. I flipped myself off the roof, spinning across the street so that I landed right next to the crying blonde. I could feel Diego close behind me, so I growled a warning at him while I caught the surprised girl by the hair. I yanked her to the al ey wal, putting my back against it. Defensive, just in case. Then I forgot al about Diego, because I could feel the heat under her skin, hear the sound of her pulse thudding close to the surface. She opened her mouth to scream, but my teeth crushed her windpipe before a sound could come out. There was just the gurgle of air and blood in her lungs, and the low moans I could not control. The blood was warm and sweet. It quenched the fire in my throat, calmed the nagging, itching emptiness in my stomach. I sucked and gulped, only vaguely aware of anything else. I heard the same noise from Diego – he had the man. The other woman was unconscious on the ground. Neither had made any noise. Diego was good. The problem with humans was that they just never had enough blood in them. It seemed like only seconds later the girl ran dry. I rattled her limp body in frustration. Already my throat was beginning to burn again. I threw the spent body to the ground and crouched against the wal, wondering if I could grab the unconscious girl and make off with her before Diego could catch up to me. Diego was already finished with the man. He looked at me with an expression that I could only describe as†¦ sympathetic. But I could have been dead wrong. I couldn't remember anyone ever giving me sympathy before, so I wasn't positive what it looked like. â€Å"Go for it,† he told me, nodding to the limp girl on the ground. â€Å"Are you kidding me?† â€Å"Naw, I'm good for now. We've got time to hunt some more tonight.† Watching him careful y for some sign of a trick, I darted forward and snagged the girl. Diego made no move to stop me. He turned away slightly and looked up at the black sky. I sank my teeth into her neck, keeping my eyes on him. This one was even better than the last. Her blood was entirely clean. The blonde girl's blood had the bitter aftertaste that came with drugs – I was so used to that, I'd barely noticed. It was rare for me to get real y clean blood, because I fol owed the dregs rule. Diego seemed to fol ow the rules, too. He must have smel ed what he was giving up. Why had he done it?

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Essay Comparing Work and Employment Relations - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2000 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/09/22 Category Advertising Essay Type Argumentative essay Tags: Fast Food Essay McDonalds Essay Did you like this example? INTRODUCTION ‘Fast food for a fast world’ (Schlosser, 1998) – the fast food industry has, over the years, experienced rapid growth and expanded at a breathtaking rate, with McDonald’s as the main force behind the success of this industry. With over two million people being employed by McDonald’s across 118 countries in the year of 2002, there has to be many employment relations policies and practices in place, to ensure profits despite the huge labour costs incurred. This essay will explore various aspects of work and employment relations on the management, and employees’ side, to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the fast food industry in Singapore with the fast food industry in Germany and the United States (US). Thesis Statement Basic employment practices was similar amongst the three countries, but Singapore’s employees in the fast food industry get to enjoy more favourable working conditions d ue to its Human Resource Management and laws imposed by its government. This essay will be using the market leader of the fast food industry, McDonald’s, as the key example throughout the comparing and contrasting of work and employment relations across the three countries. THE MANAGEMENT The management of McDonald’s in its origins at the US, enjoys great freedom in establishing the terms and conditions of employment for its employees. This is due to its extremely low rates of unionization and minimal intervention from the federal and state governments. Leidner, 2002) Employers in the US may generally dismiss any employee ‘at will’, at any time, for any reason, or even for no reason, with no legal obligation of fairness to the employees (Leidner, 2002). There is great imbalance in the power of employers and workers in McDonald’s at US, where employers have all the freedom to decide its employment terms and conditions. Some forms of Human Resource Management (HRM) were used in McDonald’s at the US. Work-evaluation sessions, incentive systems etc. work were what they would refer to as employees’ benefits, rather than providing significant material advantages. These policies are intended to promote team spirit, energize workers, yet create the impression that the management is attentive to workers’ concerns (Leidner, 2002). The management in the US takes the unitarist approach and do not believe in trade unions. The management was anti-union, and took on a strong and determined opposition against any acts of unionization within its company. Like the US, McDonald’s management in Germany adopts the same unitarist approach of not wanting the trade unions to be involved in their employment relations. Royle stated that ‘McDonald’s early approach to unions and statutory forms of worker representation was hostile’ (2002, p. 7). This hostility shows a similarity between the German and US managements’ mindsets of being anti-union. Unlike the US, although it was not mandatory for employees to join a trade union, it was a norm in Germany to have works council. Works council were given extensive rights to information, consultation and co-determination supported by the law in Germany, and they can positively determine employees’ working conditions (Royle, 2002). The German system provides workers with statutory rights to representation through works councils at the workplace, and through supervisory boards at boardroom level in larger firms’ (Royle, 2002 p. 1). Work councilors also enjoy some forms of protection against dismissal. These show the strong importance of works councils and trade unions, in other words, employees’ rights and say, in the German employment law and culture, which is different from the US, of being more in favour of the employers. Due to the norms and employment culture in Germany, the stance and measures whic h McDonald’s took in not wanting unions and work councils to be involved, led to many criticisms from the unions and the public. All these criticisms led to unwanted publicity, which eventually made McDonald’s at Germany, despite not being supportive of trade unions and works councils, decide to shift its policy. A new employers’ federation was established, and negotiations for a collective agreement were made. The management was no longer outspokenly anti-union in Germany. Royle, 2002) This change in policy is a significant difference between its management and that of the US and Singapore. However, even with the change of policy, the German management, was still anti-union internally. They often delay works council activities, and employ other indirect means to marginalize employees who join such works council to seek for their rights, and make life difficult for them. Examples are, managers will post threats or actually dismiss those employees, despite the st ate protection from wrongful dismissal of employees (Royle, 2002). Managers would also alter the work hours of such ‘undesirable’ employees such that they can only work a certain particular shift, or be scheduled very few working hours and eventually choose to quit the job due to lack of a stable income. Such a scenario is very similar to the US management, who will not hire â€Å"pro-union† employees, and arrange poor scheduling for such employees. In Singapore, employment laws were generally similar to the US in being â€Å"pro-employer† (Pereira, 2002). The Industrial Relations Act gave more authority to employers in leaving the decision of factors such as promotion, retrenchment, dismissal and work assignment between the employer and employee (Pereira, 2002), with no interference from trade unions. However, employees in Singapore, unlike those in the US, were also protected by the law despite the â€Å"pro-employer† bias. Unlike the law in Germany which protects the rights of employees through their support for works council, the employment law in Singapore directly provided for adequate amount of working hours, leaves and overtime pays of employees. Unlike the US, McDonald’s in Singapore adopted a disciplinary system – company had to initially give one verbal warning, followed by one written warning before dismissal could take place for non-criminal acts (Pereira, 2002). Hence, McDonald’s employees in Singapore are more well-taken care of than their American and German counterparts. Similar to the US and Germany, Singapore’s management took the unitarist approach, whereby collectivism of unions was not preferred (Pereira, 2002). Like the US and Germany, the state did not make it mandatory for employees to join labour unions. Although unionization rates in Singapore, like in Germany, were relatively high, the fast food industry did not contribute to these figures. As such, Singapore was able to introduce its own HRM programme to foster employee loyalty and to keep its employees satisfied through individualizing employee relations (Pereira, 2002). However, in reality, ‘individual bargaining and negotiation of employment terms and conditions is only available to very few who are based at headquarters; otherwise, the corporation determines every aspect of the terms of employment and its broader conditions’ (Pereira, 2002 p. ). This is the same for the US, whereby employees do not have much say over their employment conditions since most were decided by the company. However, Singapore’s management, unlike the US and Germany, was more concerned about keeping the crew satisfied, as they believe that ‘without them the restaurants simply could not function’ (Pereira, 2002 p. 10). Although like the US and Germany, Singapore does not really reward the employees through material advantages, they organized many activities through their HRM programme to make employees happy to work for McDonalds. The stance of the importance of keeping employees satisfied, together with the state’s employment regulations of adequate work hours and leaves, allowed the employees in Singapore to benefit more than the other countries. THE EMPLOYEES A typical worker in an American fast-food restaurant is a young woman who works part-time. The workforce in McDonalds at US was dominated by the young and inexperienced, with 70% of its employees being youth. Fast food job were seen as appropriate first labour-force experience for them. The introduction of the ‘welfare reform’ in the US opened up jobs for many poor single mothers. Employers can earn tax credits for hiring such workers, thus increasing the pool of potential fast food workers. Employees’ working conditions in the US were poor; they were low paid, no benefits, and minimal or poor career advancement opportunities were made available to them. Employee s experience unpredictable work hours and shifts, which affect their daily lifestyle, and results in the lack of a fixed and stable income. As employees do not see their jobs in McDonald’s as one that they intend to work for long, they would leave the job at McDonald’s for a better paying job elsewhere, instead of organizing trade unions to fight for their rights. Hence, labour turnover rates in McDonald’s at US was high. Level of detail in work specification in the US was remarkably high. McDonald’s can be classified under the ‘Post-fordism’ work category with its great precision in the daily duties. Due to the highly specified and standardized routines, the job scopes of employees were generally easy. This led to low expectations for the job, and was one of the reasons why the employees accept the low pay and poor working conditions. However, even with such seemingly easy job routines, employees had to work in pressurized working cond itions, as managers tend to ‘understaff’ their shifts schedules so as to cut down on labour costs. The German workforce, like the US, was made up of part time employees, who are not dependent on the company for livelihood and those who do not intend to stay on the job for long, examples are second income earners and students. Thus, like the US, the Germans experienced high labour turnover rates, whereby employees leave their jobs at McDonald’s for a higher paying job, instead of going through the hassle of fighting for their rights. Unlike the US, the German workforce was made up of large number of foreign workers, economic migrants and guest workers. (Royle, 2002). Employees work conditions are very similar to the US, with low pay, no benefits, and poor career advancement. The workforce in Singapore was made up of teenage crews, who were later replaced by ‘older’ part time crew comprising of the retirees and housewives. This was a different gr oup of employees as compared to the US and Germany. ‘The older crew often stressed that the job needed them more than they needed the job’ (Pereira, 2002). Many of them would choose to leave the company once they were dissatisfied, as the reason why they choose to work, was not so much for financial rewards, but to stay healthy, pass time fruitfully and maintain social relations with others. This group of employees, unlike the workforce in Germany and US, are more likely to keep their job for a long run, as long as they were happy working there. Employees’ work conditions in Singapore were generally better than those in US and Germany. The starting salaries for the crew were slightly higher than the ‘market rate’. Employees were entitled to benefits such as annual paid leave, medical benefits and annual bonuses. This is very different from the employees at US and Germany, who do not receive any benefits. The HRM programme in Singapore also kept cr ews satisfied through its various forms of perks, benefits, incentives and parties. The older crews were well taken care of by the management through special attention and greater patience for them. (Pereira, 2002) This was very different from the US, which do not care for their employees at all. The Singapore management takes effort in promising better career prospects for its employees, such as by making the employees feel more ‘professional’. However, in reality, career advancements were generally poor like that in US and Germany, where limited career advancements to work in the headquarters were given. CONCLUSIONS Basic employment practices and conditions like giving low pay and minimal benefits, and the greater say of employers, was very similar amongst the three countries. The significant difference between Singapore’s employees in the fast food industry and those in Germany and US, is that they get to enjoy more favourable working conditions due to i ts HRM stance on keeping employees satisfied through other non-material advantages means, as well as the laws imposed by its government, which ensure fairer salaries and working hours systems. [ 2000 words ] Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Essay Comparing Work and Employment Relations" essay for you Create order