Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Free Essays on Sexual Orientaion In The Workplace

An ever increasing number of organizations are creating arrangements and practices that regard and suit employee’s convictions and practices in a manner that doesn't subvert the company’s capacity to direct business, as indicated by the Business for Social Responsibility. By doing this, it forestalls claims just as giving everybody an equivalent chance of opportunity of religion. The Bill of Rights to the US Constitution gives open workers the privilege of opportunity of articulation of religion. Albeit private workers are not secured by the Constitution, there are state and government laws that can. Individuals ought not be victimized in light of their strict convictions or any conviction so far as that is concerned. Individuals ought to be assessed dependent on their activity execution and not their sexual direction or religion. While perusing the article, â€Å"Religion in the workplace†, I went over some extremely admirable sentiments on how organizations can move toward religion in the working environment. A portion of these focuses incorporate getting the message out; being explicit; being reasonable; instructing yourself; sharing data. The most significant thing, however, is never to overlook the nonreligious. Gays and lesbians are victimized, however there weren’t numerous laws to shield them from that. Times are evolving now. As per the article Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Workplace, there are 13 expresses that have laws disallowing sexual direction segregation in both private and open employments: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. Seven states have laws restricting sexual direction separation in open business just: Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. An organization's treatment of strategies on sexual direction impacts profitability and worker enrollment and maintenance. More prominent attention to gay and lesbian issues ... Free Essays on Sexual Orientaion In The Workplace Free Essays on Sexual Orientaion In The Workplace An ever increasing number of organizations are creating approaches and practices that regard and suit employee’s convictions and practices in a manner that doesn't sabotage the company’s capacity to lead business, as indicated by the Business for Social Responsibility. By doing this, it forestalls claims just as giving everybody an equivalent chance of opportunity of religion. The Bill of Rights to the US Constitution gives open representatives the privilege of opportunity of articulation of religion. Albeit private workers are not secured by the Constitution, there are state and government laws that can. Individuals ought not be oppressed in view of their strict convictions or any conviction so far as that is concerned. Individuals ought to be assessed dependent on their activity execution and not their sexual direction or religion. While perusing the article, â€Å"Religion in the workplace†, I went over some admirable statements on how organizations can move toward religion in the working environment. A portion of these focuses incorporate getting the message out; being explicit; being reasonable; instructing yourself; sharing data. The most significant thing, however, is never to overlook the nonreligious. Gays and lesbians are victimized, however there weren’t numerous laws to shield them from that. Times are evolving now. As per the article Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Workplace, there are 13 expresses that have laws restricting sexual direction separation in both private and open occupations: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. Seven states have laws precluding sexual direction segregation in open business just: Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. An organization's treatment of strategies on sexual direction impacts efficiency and representative enrollment and maintenance. More noteworthy attention to gay and lesbian issues ...

Saturday, August 22, 2020

#FreelancerFriday #7 - Yari Leon Suarez, Translator

#FreelancerFriday #7 - Yari Leon Suarez, Translator #FreelancerFriday #7 - Yari Leon Suarez, Translator Yari Leon Suarez offers interpretation benefits among English and Spanish. Yari has worked in an assortment of kinds running from specialized interpretations to deciphering verse and abstract fiction. Yari is likewise a devotee of Charles Bukowski, which is perhaps the best quality any individual might have that makes you think â€Å"I need to find out about this person.† Enjoy!â€REEDSYWhat’s the greatest distinction in moving from specialized interpretation to artistic translation?YARI LEON SUAREZ You work longer! *laughs* When you interpret an imaginative piece, it takes longer since you need to work intimately with the creator, more than you would with an organization. I find that with specialized interpretation you’re working with wording. It limits things down, and when you have an inquiry you can simply go to a database. With scholarly interpretation it turns out to be progressively precarious - you’re working with an author’s musings, sentiments. I think for scholarly interpretation you need that communication.REEDSY Why is contact with the creator important?YARI LEON SUAREZ I find that the key for artistic interpretation is to interface with the author as an essayist. I’ve interpreted for companions previously, yet I knew them as companions, not as scholars. At the point when I talk with them about the work, I have to discuss what they were attempting to state, and spotlight as explicitly on the bit of work as could be expected under the circumstances. We don’t talk that much about the way toward arriving. Working with companions can be simpler, and yet it’s not - I need to *forget* that they’re my companions, and take a gander at them as an expert - take a gander at them as an author, not the individual I go for espresso with. It’s precarious yet the key is to concentrate on the bit of work and the writer’s voice. There’s an aptitude of conversing with creators that originated from specialized interpretation since I need to get some information about how they need something deciphered too. It instructs y ou to be exact and how to realize what inquiries to pose. You must be focussed.REEDSY Is the emphasis on being precise, on being useful for the peruser, on doing directly by the author?YARI LEON SUAREZ It’s about accomplishing the most ideal work for the creator. As an interpreter you’re truly not qualified for transform anything for a bit of work. It’s the editor’s employment to exhort the creator on changes if there’s something incorrectly. For the interpreter it’s increasingly a correspondence *with* a creator, attempting to keep the author’s voice for what it's worth, yet in an alternate language. At the point when I began working with companions and I experienced passionate feelings for a bit of work, it was hard - I needed to stop myself adding to the work. To be an interpreter you must be enthusiastic about what you’re deciphering, and yet have a great deal of regard for the work. You need to attempt to compose *exactly* as the creator composed, however in an alternate language.REEDSY How would you practice that? Does perusing help?YARI LEON SUAREZ Once, I snatched a book I like and really attempted to interpret a section. It was only an individual exercise, fundamentally. I attempted to interpret bits of ‘Women’ by Charles Bukowski. Similarly as an activity by they way you would interpret a book by a set up writer in a set up showcase, to perceive how you would deal with it. I simply kept it to myself.Reading a ton is continually going to help - it causes you get structure. Understanding structure is significant on the grounds that when you’re interpreting a book you need to comprehend the structure. Simultaneously I feel that correct now the most significant thing is to be cutting-edge on innovation. With innovation it makes it such a great amount of simpler to be in correspondence with the creator, and there are apparatuses that make the work simpler. You need the correct devices for composing, and deciphering in particular.There’s explicit programming that causes you when you’re interpretin g. These days the universe of interpretation is attached to a computerized position. For specialized interpretation interpreters can utilize programming to interface with different interpreters for input. Like Robert Faclo stated, Evernote is additionally incredible for interpreters. What's more, it’s essential, since it accelerates the procedure of translation.REEDSY Do you do a ton of research?YARI LEON SUAREZ Gracious truly, you need to. As an interpreter you must be an analyst. You can’t simply be content with your own interpretation, you have to impart your work to different interpreters and continue speaking with different scholars - it’s a shared procedure. Interpreters nowadays don’t simply sit with a book and make an interpretation of it into another dialect - you must have a more extensive information about writing today, you could state, of how the distributing business is functioning. You interpret in a functioning, connected way. Contingent upon the book you’re making an interpretation of, you have to know the writer, you have to know where this is coming from, you have to know who’s going to be the peruser of this interpretation to make a work that’s accurate.REEDSY What do you have to know from writers, when you’re preparing to work with them on a project?YARI LEON SUAREZ The main thing is to know the 'motive’ of the novel, how you feel about it, in the event that I can acquire it and read it obviously! Later on I would ask the writer for what good reason they need to impart the novel to an alternate market, how they need it to affect the peruser in an alternate language. I’d get some information about Spanish, the Spanish market, on the off chance that anything, if they’re acquainted with their new audience.REEDSY What’s are the initial phases in the process for you?YARI LEON SUAREZ I’ll read the original copy and pose inquiries about the composition, the story, anything that surfaces in it about the characters. I’ll get some information about the primary character, how the auxiliary characters are impacting the story, that sort of thing. In the event that I have any questions, if there’s something I don’t comprehend, I’ll clear that up. At that point I’ll experience the interpretation work itself, and new inquiries will emerge. As far as the structure, for instance, increasingly explicit inquiries regarding structure, about sentences where I’m not exactly secure with the tone or the expectation, that possibly comes out when you’re doing the work.REEDSY Should creators work with Spanish editors also, after they’ve interpreted with you?YARI I†¦ would suggest it. It’s not my field. I can generally attempt and I can recommend, yet I would’t see myself as an editor.REEDSY When you’re interpreting verse, how accomplishes that work? What are you keeping?YARI LEON SUAREZ To interpret verse you’re managing an alternate artistic structure, contingent upon the sort of sonnet. In the event that it’s free-rhyming, that’s a certain something, however in the event that there’s a particular structure you’re confronting a piece that will take longer. That’s as in it’s not simply the jargon you have to stress over, yet additionally about the structure and the contrasts between dialects. For instance, English and Spanish are totally various dialects in the manner you structure sentences in them. A sentence in Spanish can be longer in a sentence than English, and that can break the structure of the sonnet. So I need to invest a great deal of energy simply attempting to accomplish the work since I need to ensure a similar measure of syllables of the first sonnet are in the translation.And then additionally, remember that it’s not an exacting interpretation but rather a beautiful interpretation too, so you ne ed to utilize the correct sort of language, with the correct interpretation of the word, while keeping the tone of the creator. It’s a major, huge test that requires a great deal of work. With exposition, you can follow an alternate structure and simply remember the class of the work. It’s still troublesome, on the grounds that interpretation must be founded on the work, it’s not your work.REEDSY Do you see any large contrasts between the English and Spanish markets?YARI LEON SUAREZ In the US, explicitly, they appear to get more into drama†¦ You know, I’m thinking. They’re not very extraordinary. The two of them certainly lean toward exposition to verse. Most of creators are doing books or a progression of books following a similar character - like an adventure, let’s state. In that sense, the business sectors are comparative. In Spain they love the novel that’s expound in an authentic manner. They love a novel that has verifiable research behind it, yet is as yet sensational, isn't an over the top mental novel. They follow a riddle plot, that sort of thing.The contrasts aren’t so large - we’re discussing writing that doesn’t require a great deal of mental investigation of the character, that isn’t an overwhelming subject - it’s simple perusing, particularly in the United States. â€Å"A read that flows,† fundamentally; that doesn’t set aside a ton of effort to see, particularly th at’s not powerful. In Latin America I think they like writing with optional implications covered up in the composition, however here in Spain and the United States it’s progressively about the progression of the prose.REEDSY A debt of gratitude is in order for your time Yari.

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Adulthood and The Fading Appeal of Our Favorite Book Series

Adulthood and The Fading Appeal of Our Favorite Book Series This morning I read “Falling Out of Love With Harry Potter” by Danika Ellis, which I liked very much. We’ve all been there when a series loses its enchantment. Ellis had a number of reasons why J. K. Rowling let her down, but I wonder if they were the real reasons. Im tired of the series too. Because I’m the token old white guy here at Book Riot, I have a different perspective. Growing old has some positives, and peering across time is one of them. I’ve encountered many series since 1962 when I got hooked on the Oz books. As I aged, I moved on to the Hardy Boys, Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes. I even read the  Harry Potter series in my fifties. Now that I’m well into my sixties, I’ve finally tired of series. Series books do have a kind of magic. They appeal to the kid in us, the kid who wants to read Goodnight Moon forty nights in a row. Im not sure thats a good personality trait if you want to grow up. There are many reasons why authors write series and why we read them, and there are many reasons to become jaded and stop reading. Danika worries about Rowling’s lack of diversity in her characters, but  was that  disenchantment or  adultification? Or has the series merely run its course for her? In any breakup, we want to assign blame. I’m wondering if Danika should have told Rowling, “It’s me, and not you.” I know many people still Lady Gaga over the Harry Potter. But when were over a series, is it the writer, the character, or us? As I’ve gotten older, I’ve developed a cynical attitude towards book series. In fact, I will no longer read a new book if I know its first in a  series. Fear of commitment, I guess. But think about it this way. What if all of Jane Austen’s books were about the adventures of Elizabeth Bennet? (And she never wrote her other five classic novels.) I recently wrote “Can Science Fiction Books Become Classics?” where I listed the most remembered books from the 19th century to make a point. If you look at that table, it might strike you odd,  because, in most years from 1800-1899, only one book is remembered. Damn few books are remembered in the long run. Sure, some of them were originally part of a series, but if they are remembered, they now stand alone. As far as I know, no two books from a series made this list. If such a list of books about our times were made in a century, how many Harry Potter books would make it? And if it’s just one, which one would it be? Some writers did have several books on the list, proving it possible for a writer to write more than one timeless novel. Its rare, though. The Harper Lee affect might be the norm. We’re often enchanted by book series, or reading all the books by  a favorite author, but in the long run, great books are singular works of art. Writers today are enticed to write series because of marketing forces. A successful series can make a struggling writer. I believe that’s a bargain with the devil â€" at least for artists wanting to write a timeless novel. Few writers write such  novels  and damn few of them write more than one. As we age we abandon old loves for new loves. As our culture ages, we  forget most books. Time is  a cruel wizard.  It’s natural to fall out of love. Yet something special happens as we move toward a life of wrinkles and forgetfulness we remember the stories we can’t forget. Harry Potter will never leave Danika, and one day she will fall in love again, warts and all. Maybe not all seven books. This is where J. K Rowling might have shot herself in the foot for writing a series. Ill use my problem with Lois McMaster Bujold as an example. Many of my online science fiction friends love her Vorkosigan Saga. Several of them told me Memory was their favorite, I told the group I’d go read it. They all replied, “No, no, no. You have to start at the beginning of the series.” And then  they argued whether  I should read in publication order or internal time order. I told them if I had to read fifteen books to get to the best one, I wasn’t going to read any.  Danika’s favorite Harry Potter book is The Deathly Hallows, and if that turns out to be Rowling’s masterpiece, how many people next century will read six books to discover it’s beauty? (My favorite was The Prisoner of Azkaban.) Most series eventually jump the shark. L. Frank Baum did not have enough imagination to sustain fourteen books.  Poor old Arthur Conan Doyle got so sick of Sherlock Holmes he killed him off, but his readers made him bring him back. Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote 24 novels in the Tarzan series, but only the first two matter  and they should have been one volume. I’ve read many trilogies in my lifetime where the first book dazzled and the next two fizzled. Dune was all I needed. Sure there are readers who can’t get enough of a good thing, but I’m not one. Because we were raised with television, we’ve become addicted to binge-worthy fiction. And if all you want is to be entertain, then that kind of fiction addiction is great. But isnt it being a lifetime  traveler who  always visits the same city? Be honest, which would you want, Pride and Prejudice and Pride and Prejudice 2, or Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility? (Okay, I know some of you honestly want the first pair.) But aren’t you eternally thankful that Dickens wrote Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol, and Bleak House, rather than a long-running series on David Copperfield? Probably many Book Rioters will think I’m a grumpy old guy spreading gloom. Sorry. I loved the Harry Potter series  and stuck with it for seven books. But like Danika, Im over the series. I don’t blame Rowling, it really is me, and not her. I dont want to tell a writer to stop writing books they love, especially if they are making plenty of money. But as a marketing FYI, some of us wear out on series.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Artistic and Intellectual Developments in Japan and Europe...

In the late 18th century both Japan and Europe were experiencing many new artistic and intellectual developments. While Europe’s developments were increasingly political, more and more people wanted rights for women along with protection from the state. Japan on the other hand was progressively modernizing from their isolated feudal society into its modern form now. Beginning in Tokyo many new intellectual advances came from studying the western sciences and techniques. Authors like Rousseau and Wollstonecraft wrote revolutionary books in Europe that changed the way people thought about themselves and what rights they should be born with; they led people to question the state and fight for what they believed to be justifiably right. In†¦show more content†¦He depicted citizens having power over their own lives and getting a chance to have a say in what effects them rather than having a monarch tell them when and how something should be done. With this new social contract citizens have a voice and have a form of protection from the state. Throughout this century, as more and more intellectual developments occur the increase in education becomes more important than ever. Thankfully the Enlightenment period and the French Revolution brought along with them the development of the educational system. The new forms of printing lead to an increase of available books which overall produced a larger reading public. At one point of time education was only a privilege of the upper class, but as the 18th century rolled in and changes were made education became available to all classes. As Europe continued to advance surrounding countries like japan would try to copy and recreate the same types of evolution in their country to keep up with the rest of the world, some the same and others not so much. Japan at the turn of the century was clearly trying to westernize and change is isolated society into one more intellectually and scientifically involved with the rest of the world. When the Japanese open their ports to the western civilization food and merchandise were not the only things being traded. When ports were open the western way of living was integrated with the Japanese culture which gradually changed the way theShow MoreRelatedThe Spread of Buddhism Essay1149 Words   |  5 Pagesteachings. But they, too, encouraged disagreements, so that one group after another left the fold. Ultimately, 18 schools developed, each with their own interpretations of various issues, and spread all over India and Southeast Asia. A significant development happened at the same time as the Buddhist movement began to spread and that was the opening of a new way through, from India to China. Today, we call this way the Silk Road, and we associate it with famous travelers like Marco Polo, whose journeysRead MoreIndustrial Revolution Essay1189 Words   |  5 Pages Several major events in Europe have affected the way of life for people all over the world. First, the Industrial Revolution is very important. As briefly discussed in Question One, the Industrial Revolution was a time when steam-powered machines and factories came into view instead of just agriculture. The Industrial Revolution brought many things. First, machines and systems were made to replace traditional farming, this meant fewer people were needed on farms which results in more jobs beingRead MoreComparison of the Renaissance and Enlightenment.3470 Words   |  14 Pagesit: the Black Death, economic, political and social crises. For the intel lectuals, it was a period of recovery from the Dark Ages; a period, which was called so due to its lack of classical culture. First Italian and then intellectuals of the rest of Europe became increasingly interested in the Greco-Roman culture of the ancient Mediterranean world. This interest was fostered especially by the migration of the Greek intellectuals during the Middle Ages and the fact that the ancient Greek works couldRead MoreHst276 Week 42234 Words   |  9 Pageslocated on plains and surrounded by new honshu that supplied their needs. Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded in reuniting all of toyotomi island, and his successor, hidetsugo , completed the reunification of Japan in 1600, ending the Warring States era. Civilization of Tokugawa-Era Japan a. Tokugawa Ieyasu took for himself the title in 1603 and established a new bakufu based in , present-day Tokyo. Ieyasu confiscated the territory of his enemies and transferredRead MoreWeek 4 Hist 276 Essay2444 Words   |  10 Pagessurrounded by new towns that supplied their needs. Toyotomi Hideyoshi succeeded in reuniting all of Honshu island, and his successor, Tokugawa Ieyasu , completed the reunification of Japan in 1600, ending the Warring States era. Civilization of Tokugawa-Era Japan a. Tokugawa Ieyasu took for himself the title of shÃ… gun in 1603 and established a new bakufu based in Edo , present-day Tokyo. Ieyasu confiscated the territory of his enemiesRead MoreA Semi-Brief History of the Visual Narrative2279 Words   |  10 Pagestransect the pages of history, excluding none. Here in the digital age, the surrounding environment continues to become more and more visually-infested, nearly keeping pace with the rapid development of communications technology. In such a world, the problem of how words and pictures connect is a vital one. And no artistic medium seems to me as properly suited to the working out of the connection as the visual narrative is. It is itself the meeting ground of words and pictures (Dardess 222). From theRead MoreThe Origins of Occidentalism2305 Words   |  10 Pages To answer the question posed it necessary to first consider the development of, and what constitutes the West. Once this is achieved, we are than able to discuss occidentalism. However, the concept of orientalism, and what constitutes the orient, will first be considered as, arguably, orientalism provoked occidentalism. Thereafter, the four key features of occidentalism, identified by Buruma and Margalit (2004) will be discussed. Contemporary notions of ociddentalism, more specifically IslamicRead MoreSchools of Art in Different Places of India Establish by the British Empire2757 Words   |  12 PagesThe approach of Britishers towards Indian art played an important role in the development of the process of the formal training of Indian artists so Britishers started to establish art schools in the major cities of India. One of the main reason of opening art schools in India was Britishers found that Indi an artists had insufficiency in the scientific knowledge of art and were less able to create natural landscapes. Another reason was the demand for Indian luxury crafts by the British public inRead More The Japanese Entertainment Industry Essay4213 Words   |  17 Pagesplan instituted by the United States, Japan was without surplus resources. There was no money for the production of films. American films soon began invading the Japanese entertainment industry. Yet the Japanese people longed for entertainment which would reflect their own culture. And so â€Å"animation...developed in Japan to fill the void of high-budget film-making† (Marin, 69). In the years that followed, animation would take a pop-cultural foothold in Japan that has grown and transformed, and yetRead MoreLvmh Report7586 Words   |  31 Pagesdimensions of the macro environment by use of the PESTEL framework and the luxury industry by the Five forces framework. The global economy, people s expectations on luxury goods, drive for technological application, rarity of raw materials, and intellectual property laws all have an impact on LVMH in a broad sense. In a narrower sense, market entry into the luxury sector is defined low, threat of substitutes neutral (low to loyal customers but high to those who normally cannot afford), the power of

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Aboriginal Self-Government in Canada Essay - 982 Words

The question that is brought up is not that of sex, but it is that of aboriginals in Canada. The question that is asked is should there be an aboriginal self-government? If the government were to go ahead and give the natives there own government they would be losing money and would most likely have angry taxpayers after their asses for the rest of there sorry political lives. The government would also have to deal with a swarm of Quebecans that would be harassing them because of their decision to give the natives their own government, because of their 1995 appeal to separate from Canada. The Quebecans would believe that if the natives get what they want, they should also get what they want. That would mean that Quebec would separate†¦show more content†¦At least theyll think that they will. Either way the government will have to put up with the whining of the disrupted natives. There is still a pretty good chance that the natives will leave the government alone for a while. After the years of complaining and fighting, the natives got what they want. Hopefully theyll be happy with what the government gave them and not fight for any more rights, because they have enough already.As mentioned in the first paragraph, giving the natives their own government would cause the government of Canada to lose a lot of money that can be used for other useful needs, such as spending the money on something more useful, such as education, which there isnt enough spent on. Maybe the government could even think about putting some more money into health care and give the less-fortunate people a chance to receive medical help when needed instead of them not wanting to go a physician because of the amount of money needed to attend one. The Canadian government is always complaining about how theyre in debt and cant afford to accomplish certain goals they promised to achieve. Well I dont see them turning down the request to give the natives their own government, which will cost the government a few dollars. The government should also maybe consider the fact that there other things out in Canada that needShow MoreRelatedSteps to Improving the Socioeconomic Conditions of the Aboriginal Population in Canada1177 Words   |  5 PagesThe aboriginal people live in reserves that are rich in minerals like oil and gas. Their traditional beliefs cannot allow them to benefit from an economic venture like mining. They believe that Mother Nature should and needs to be protected. In a bid to do so, they have rules against exploitation of nature like modern mining. This puts their traditional values at odds with economical developments like mining. This leaves them in a dilapidated state as poverty kicks in (Wilson and Macdonald, 2000)Read MoreYouth Suicide Rates Among Aboriginal Youth1278 Words   |  6 Pagesamongst Aboriginal youth are five to seven times higher than non-Aboriginal youth, and Inuit youth are among the highest in the world, at 11 times the national average, there are several contr ibuting attributes that should be further researched. (Health Canada, 2013) One of the contributing factors that are discussed in many Aboriginal courses is that of identity. Aboriginal youth who face high levels of intergenerational trauma due to the RS system often find themselves distanced from Aboriginal cultureRead MoreThe Aboriginal Quality Of Life Within Canada1259 Words   |  6 Pages When discussing the Aboriginal quality of life within Canada there are several issues that come to mind, such as health, education, housing and our Canadian-Indigenous relationship (First Ministers And National Aboriginal Leaders, 2005, p. 1). However, many times Canadians neglect to distinguish the root of the issue. While residential schools may be addressed and looked upon historically, the traumas and effects are still particularly palpable for many Indigenous communities. For this reason, itRead MoreAboriginals: the Mistreated Minorites of Canada1051 Words   |  5 PagesAboriginal peop le are very passionate about their culture and traditions and believe that they are an important part of Canada’s past. Although their customs shaped Canada into a great nation, they are slowly fading into the background while competing with the French and English cultures. â€Å"Such an understanding gives no consideration to the presence and role of Aboriginal groups throughout history.† First Nation’s people do not receive a just amount of respect and equality in terms of their rightsRead MoreA Free And Democratic Society782 Words   |  4 Pagessociety, one of the fundamental principles is that people should be treated in a manner that is fair and equitable. A peace-loving liberal democracy such as Canada intends to apply the rule of law to all of its citizens. For most social and political issues, this is the case; a social need is often followed by a solution from the government that has equitable and fair applications. Historically, the marginaliz ation of minority groups has been a pressing and contentious issue within the countryRead MoreOver The Past Years, Canadian Courts Have Repeatedly Urged1644 Words   |  7 Pagesthat aboriginal title conflicts should be resolved through negotiation, rather than litigation. The primary reason being that litigation is costly and time-consuming. For example, the decision for the Delgamuukw case took a duration of thirteen years. Furthermore, litigations that deal with the issue of aboriginal rights and title are â€Å"generally narrowly focused† and â€Å"ultimately leaves the question [posed about] how aboriginal rights and title apply unwarned.† For instance, the courts of Canada repeatedlyRead MoreThe Government s Efforts For The Indigenous Peoples Of Canada1591 Words   |  7 Pagesbetween Aboriginal Peoples and European immigrants to the present day, the aim of Canadian government policy has been to assimilate the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. The attempted forced abandonment of their culture was perpetrated through a variety of strategies including force, aggression and legalities. While historians and politicians may disagree about the motivations of Canadian policy, the impact has been irrefutable. In efforts to create one unified nation, successive governments failed toRead MoreFactors That May Be Responsible For Aboriginal Suicide1281 Words   |  6 PagesAboriginal people represent less than 3% of the total population in BC. Yet, they account for more than 9% of all suicides in BC (Chandler). The numbers of suicides amongst aboriginal youth are even more alarming – nearly one-fourth of all youth suicides in BC are committed by aboriginals and more than half of all aboriginal suicides are committed by youth (Chandler). The fact that indigenous communities in Canada have the highest rate of suicide of any culturally identifiable group in the worldRead MoreThe Indian Act Of Aboriginal Affairs1633 Words   |  7 Pagesgoverned almo st all aspects of Aboriginal life, from the nature of band governance and land tenure systems to restrictions on Aboriginal cultural practices. Most critically, the Indian Act defines the qualifications for being a â€Å"status Indian,† and as such has been the centerpiece of Aboriginal anger over federal attempts to control Aboriginal identity and membership. Since being passed by Parliament in 1876, the Indian Act has been the touchstone for Aboriginal affairs in Canada. Few documents in CanadianRead MoreWhy is it Difficult to Define an Aboriginal Person?1336 Words   |  5 PagesAboriginal peoples occupied Canadian lands long before the country was established and yet their position within Canadian hierarchy is often questioned. Colonialism imposed Euro-Canadian standards on First Nations peoples, challenging socio-cultural traditions and norms in the process. The implications of this decision propagate a longstanding marginalization of Aboriginal people, which is still e xperienced today (Frideres and Gasacz 1). Historical circumstances have created an unbalanced dichotomy

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Drivers of Foreign Policy Free Essays

Since the peaceful coup that brought the current emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, to power in 1995, Qatar has entered into an increasingly expanding foreign policy, which has greatly increased the country’s regional and international standing. The main feature of Qatar’s foreign policy is its role as mediator and negotiator in a number of conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, for example in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel and the occupied territories, Lebanon, Sudan and Yemen. In each case, Qatar prided itself on engaging with warring factions to push for political settlements or rapprochement, as well as providing humanitarian assistance. We will write a custom essay sample on Drivers of Foreign Policy or any similar topic only for you Order Now The decisions governing Qatar’s participation in such conflicts are very central. The main decision-makers are the Emir, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Al-Thani. Restricting much of the decision-making of this small circle has quickly led to foreign (and local) policy decisions, allowing Qatar to respond quickly to emerging conflicts with mediation offers. While it can be said that drawing a picture of the country as a benefactor is a public diplomatic move by Qatar – since neutrality facilitates the consolidation of credibility among multiple audiences – there are deeper motives behind Qatar’s expansionist approach to mediating the conflict by expanding its foreign policy. The first motive is to maintain its security and stability. Qatar is located in the Arabian Peninsula, an area full of political and military rivalries. By increasing its international standing, Qatar aims to protect itself from the dangers of non-disclosure of small and vulnerable states 5 – risks of the type suffered by Kuwait in 1990. 6 In addition, by engaging in mediation between conflicting factions such as Houthis and the Yemeni government. Or between Hezbollah and its allies on the one hand and the March 14 bloc on the other, Qatar can be seen as trying to contain those conflicts and prevent their spread closer to home. This inevitability becomes more acute when one considers the role Iran plays in those conflicts and in the Gulf in particular. Iran is the main backer of Hezbollah and has established links with the Huthis in Yemen and a number of Shiite movements in the Gulf. Qatar also shares the largest oil field in the world with Iran, and is fully aware of Iran’s expansionist foreign policy objectives in the region. By trying to mediate between non-Iranian actors and their rivals, Qatar is trying to counter Iranian influence in the Middle East in general, and more specifically in the Gulf, while maintaining friendly relations with Iran. Thus, in addition to general security concerns, Iran’s role in the region can be seen as a clear driver behind Qatar’s mediation of the Middle East conflict. The third motive for Qatari mediation is the desire to expand its influence as a regional player, especially in the face of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has traditionally played a leading role in conflicts throughout the region, for example during the Lebanese civil war. However, in recent years Saudi mediation has been spoiled for perceived neutrality, making the Kingdom an active player rather than a neutral intermediary. The close relationship between Saudi Arabia and the March 14 political bloc in Lebanon, led by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, is an example. Qatar therefore viewed a vacuum in the Arab international relations it was trying to bridge. Its involvement in conflicts across the Middle East and beyond is an effort to present itself as a vital alternative to Saudi Arabia and a potential new leader in the Middle East. This role was further enhanced by Qatar’s membership of the United Nations Security Council in 2006-2007, during which the Emirate increased its regional mediation and assistance activities. However, Qatar was keen not to exceed the limits of its relationship with Saudi Arabia. Despite Qatar’s view of Saudi Arabia’s low influence in the Middle East (in addition to the growing Iranian influence, which adds to the urgent need for regional Arab leadership), the country remains cautious not to conflict with the kingdom’s domestic and foreign policies. Thus, when the Bahraini uprising began in 2011, Qatar supported the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – led by Saudi Arabia – mission to quell the insurgency. 7 When the Yemeni uprising, which began in the same year, gained momentum, Qatar also supported the GCC initiative it managed. The path of transition in Yemen, leading to a negotiated transition instead of overthrowing the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh. Although Qatar’s relationship with Saudi Arabia over the years has been turbulent, it has finally reached a rapprochement in 2008 and has continued to become more entrenched, driven by Qatari realism and the Emirate’s awareness of the limits of its influence in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia is the dominant political power in the Arabian Peninsula, where Qatar has not yet had the opportunity or the ability to play the first major role. Both countries share concerns about the instability and political transition that are reaching their territory, which leads them to cooperate more than confrontation. How to cite Drivers of Foreign Policy, Papers

Drivers of Foreign Policy Free Essays

Since the peaceful coup that brought the current emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, to power in 1995, Qatar has entered into an increasingly expanding foreign policy, which has greatly increased the country’s regional and international standing. The main feature of Qatar’s foreign policy is its role as mediator and negotiator in a number of conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, for example in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel and the occupied territories, Lebanon, Sudan and Yemen. In each case, Qatar prided itself on engaging with warring factions to push for political settlements or rapprochement, as well as providing humanitarian assistance. We will write a custom essay sample on Drivers of Foreign Policy or any similar topic only for you Order Now The decisions governing Qatar’s participation in such conflicts are very central. The main decision-makers are the Emir, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Al-Thani. Restricting much of the decision-making of this small circle has quickly led to foreign (and local) policy decisions, allowing Qatar to respond quickly to emerging conflicts with mediation offers. While it can be said that drawing a picture of the country as a benefactor is a public diplomatic move by Qatar – since neutrality facilitates the consolidation of credibility among multiple audiences – there are deeper motives behind Qatar’s expansionist approach to mediating the conflict by expanding its foreign policy. The first motive is to maintain its security and stability. Qatar is located in the Arabian Peninsula, an area full of political and military rivalries. By increasing its international standing, Qatar aims to protect itself from the dangers of non-disclosure of small and vulnerable states 5 – risks of the type suffered by Kuwait in 1990. 6 In addition, by engaging in mediation between conflicting factions such as Houthis and the Yemeni government. Or between Hezbollah and its allies on the one hand and the March 14 bloc on the other, Qatar can be seen as trying to contain those conflicts and prevent their spread closer to home. This inevitability becomes more acute when one considers the role Iran plays in those conflicts and in the Gulf in particular. Iran is the main backer of Hezbollah and has established links with the Huthis in Yemen and a number of Shiite movements in the Gulf. Qatar also shares the largest oil field in the world with Iran, and is fully aware of Iran’s expansionist foreign policy objectives in the region. By trying to mediate between non-Iranian actors and their rivals, Qatar is trying to counter Iranian influence in the Middle East in general, and more specifically in the Gulf, while maintaining friendly relations with Iran. Thus, in addition to general security concerns, Iran’s role in the region can be seen as a clear driver behind Qatar’s mediation of the Middle East conflict. The third motive for Qatari mediation is the desire to expand its influence as a regional player, especially in the face of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has traditionally played a leading role in conflicts throughout the region, for example during the Lebanese civil war. However, in recent years Saudi mediation has been spoiled for perceived neutrality, making the Kingdom an active player rather than a neutral intermediary. The close relationship between Saudi Arabia and the March 14 political bloc in Lebanon, led by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, is an example. Qatar therefore viewed a vacuum in the Arab international relations it was trying to bridge. Its involvement in conflicts across the Middle East and beyond is an effort to present itself as a vital alternative to Saudi Arabia and a potential new leader in the Middle East. This role was further enhanced by Qatar’s membership of the United Nations Security Council in 2006-2007, during which the Emirate increased its regional mediation and assistance activities. However, Qatar was keen not to exceed the limits of its relationship with Saudi Arabia. Despite Qatar’s view of Saudi Arabia’s low influence in the Middle East (in addition to the growing Iranian influence, which adds to the urgent need for regional Arab leadership), the country remains cautious not to conflict with the kingdom’s domestic and foreign policies. Thus, when the Bahraini uprising began in 2011, Qatar supported the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – led by Saudi Arabia – mission to quell the insurgency. 7 When the Yemeni uprising, which began in the same year, gained momentum, Qatar also supported the GCC initiative it managed. The path of transition in Yemen, leading to a negotiated transition instead of overthrowing the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh. Although Qatar’s relationship with Saudi Arabia over the years has been turbulent, it has finally reached a rapprochement in 2008 and has continued to become more entrenched, driven by Qatari realism and the Emirate’s awareness of the limits of its influence in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia is the dominant political power in the Arabian Peninsula, where Qatar has not yet had the opportunity or the ability to play the first major role. Both countries share concerns about the instability and political transition that are reaching their territory, which leads them to cooperate more than confrontation. How to cite Drivers of Foreign Policy, Papers

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Drama Coursework Response to Disasters Essay Example For Students

Drama Coursework Response to Disasters Essay In the period of six hours, we have been looking at the theme, Disasters. We looked at two disasters at two diverse time periods, the titanic in 1912 and 9/11 in 2001. First we looked at the different class passengers on board the titanic in 1912 and how the passengers reacted when the ship first hit the ice burg. Using still images we made the scene, using facial expressions to explore the theme of the class on the titanic. We also used body language to show the audience and make it more obvious what class we were playing. We also explored the 9/11 attack in September 2001. We also used still images to show facial expressions and different ways to mark the moment of when the plane hit the twin towers, and how the citizens watching the towers, used different body language and facial expressions to emphasise the trauma. In the work shops, we used many different drama techniques to show the audience. how traumatic the disasters were and the situations they were in to set free from danger. The main technique that was used was still imaging. This technique was used because using still imaging you can get across to the audience how important life means too many people. It also showed us how the different classed people were treated in different situations. Another drama technique that was used during all six hours of work shops was thought tracking, this enabled the audience to get an overall idea of what the character was like and what was going through there mind at that very time. Thought tracking was also used because it helped the audience get an idea of the characters and the different feelings they had when both disasters both struck. We used thought tracking in some of our scenes to show how the different class passengers abroad the titanic, how they reacted and felt as the ship was filling with water. Additional to those techniques other dramatic techniques, we also used role play and marking the moment. We used these two because showing different scenes at the same time of the disaster can make the performance a lot more dramatic, role play emphasised the disaster a lot as we played different characters and there reactions at different situations and how they reacted to this, using facial and body expressions. Using Mark the moment, you can create a dramatic scene by using a still image at the part of the disaster or use slow motion to high light the disaster. During the six hours we were given several texts to explore to create more of an atmosphere, a better idea of what it was like to loose love ones in such horrific disasters.  The first few work shops we looked at the titanic. We looked at an extract from a play called standstill. It explored the different classes (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and how they were treated on the ship and what privileges they had. We did this by making at least 3 different still images for the different classes and portrayed the different mannerisms and types of body language and facial expressions they used to show the audience the type of atmosphere and surroundings they were in. We also looked at extracts such as waiting. For this extract we made three still images to show the different classes and how they ere reacting to the list of people that were missing from the titanic. We then developed our ideas by adding role play to our play to make it more realistic. We also had a piece of text that was written by many 1st and 3rd class people getting offered different jobs on the titanic and their family being very pleased for them. We also developed still images for this piece of text and used parrot on the shoulder to tell the audience what really was going through their minds at the time. .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 , .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 .postImageUrl , .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 , .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8:hover , .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8:visited , .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8:active { border:0!important; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8:active , .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8 .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ucaac2b2718f2cf1523a06da8fb6807b8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Wouldn't get any education EssayWe then studied the 9/11 attack in America, we studied how the different facial reactions would be important and how body impressions would also be important, because we had to get across to the audience how devastating this was for those. First, we looked at a piece of text, when the plane was first boarding and before it had been hijacked. We then used role play to show the audience how they were thinking and we also used thought tracking to portray this. We also had to look at the impact that it caused to those who had family and friends in the world trade centre and the impact it had on their lives. We created many still images to betray these duties and then created role play of when the plane was flying into the first twin tower. We used role play to show the facial and body expressions of what life was really like to have a jumbo jet plane flying at their windows We then made three still images before the World trade centre was hit and how they reacted at first using facial and body expressions. We also used thought tracking of what was going through there minds, whether it was that the plane was flying really low and have life suddenly about blaze into smoke of whether what they looked like was more important. One text that we studied was called Requiem for Ground Zero, by Stephen Benkoff. This was part of a poem that was written about when the plane hit the tower and what happened and the images that were seen by the public standing and watching such a terrible moment in time. To betray such a horrifying time in 2001 we created 3 still images to show when; the tower was standing, the tower falling and the tower gone. We then created 3 still images of people trapped in the twin towers and showed their facial and body expressions. We then built this up by making it into a small play called Fallen. We imagined that we had to take a phone call to our loved ones and tell them what was happening and why they were phoning them. To create this image we used many drama techniques such as thought tracking to gat across to the audience what pain and emotion we were going through. In our last drama workshop we used a piece of text that had interviews of American citizens first witnessing the World Trade Centre collapsing. We first had to make at least 3 still images to get across the facial and body expressions of those who were down below watching the plane hit the first tower. To make ours a little more interesting we made a news report. We used spilt screen to show the audience that people all over New York were affected by this terrorist attack and how the first reacted. Looking at this afterwards, family and friends were very emotional towards those lost ones in such a horrific disaster. Many people left searching for loved ones, leaving posters and even searching in every hospital in New York to help find those they thought they may have lost. This was very similar to the way the titanic was left, missing people, distraught families, emotion and failure to find loved ones.

Thursday, March 26, 2020

PICOT Clinical Question Essay Example

PICOT Clinical Question Paper A clinical research question is a question posed by the nurse to identify the best treatment method in addressing patient needs (WCSU Libraries, n. d. ). Nurses use PICOT in developing clinical questions for research. The five letters in the term PICOT stand for each step that the nurse should identify while developing his or her clinical questions. P stands for â€Å"patient population†; I stands for â€Å"intervention or issue of interest†; C stands for â€Å"comparison intervention or comparison group†; O stands for â€Å"outcome†; and T stands for â€Å"time† (Arizona State University [ASU], n.  d. ). The clinical question formulated is: Do patients have less anxiety when pharmacologic agents are used preoperatively as compared to non-pharmocologic agents? The key words formed from this clinical question based on PICOT are preoperative patients (P), administration of pharmacologic agents preoperatively (I), administration of non-pharmacologic agents preoperatively (C ), and less preoperative anxiety (O). The use of time frame for this question is not applicable. The researcher used the PubMed (U. S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health) website to find relevant and valid studies that will provide supporting data in answering the clinical question. The researcher typed the keywords generated from the PICOT format in the search bar of the website which automatically generates a list of studies relevant to the keywords typed in. The researcher then browsed through the list of studies that appeared per keyword and analyzed whether the titles of the research studies displayed are relevant or not. We will write a custom essay sample on PICOT Clinical Question specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on PICOT Clinical Question specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on PICOT Clinical Question specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer After choosing titles of research studies that are relevant, the researcher moved on to reading the abstracts of the studies. From the chosen relevant studies, the relevance of the provided related citations from PubMed were also analyzed by the researcher. Most of the resulting related studies only compare use of pharmacologic agents and placebo in reducing preoperative anxiety. Hence, the researcher modified some of the keywords to â€Å"non phamacologic agents in preoperative anxiety,† and â€Å"less anxiety preoperatively. † These search keywords generated studies and articles that address the clinical question (see Appendix). One study entitled, â€Å"Premedication in children: Hypnosis versus Midazolam,† is a randomized clinical trial conducted on 50 pediatric patients aged 2-11 years old. The patients were divided into two groups and received different interventions prior to surgery. One group was subject to hypnosis (non-pharmacologic) and the other group received Midazolam (pharmacologic). The patients preoperative anxiety level were assessed through the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) and postoperative behavior assessed through Posthospitalization Behavioral Questionnaire (PHBQ). Results showed that there was no significant difference in the mYAPS and PHBQ scores. However, it was shown that the number of children who were anxious preoperatively in the group that received hypnosis. The study concluded that hypnosis serves as an effective intervention to reduce preoperative anxiety in pediatric patients (Calipel, Lucas-Polomeni, Wodey, Ecoffey, 2005). In evaluating the study, both accuracy and generalizability of results serve as criteria for research validity. A valid study exercises reliability, internal validity, measurement validity, and external validity (Gliner Morgan, 2009). The overall validity of the study is supported by the credentials of the authors who are all medical doctors and its quantitative study design. The external validity of the study is affected by the number of samples or population used, in this case, a small sample size of 50. The internal validity of the study is affected by the equivalence of population groups, in this case, two similar groups of pediatric patients aged 2-11 years old. The study has a small sample size which is its weak point. However, it utilized equivalent population groups (two groups with similar characteristics) of pediatric patients which is the studys strong point for validity (Gliner Morgan, 2009). References Arizona State University. (n. d. ). PICO(T) form. Retrieved May 12, 2010, from http://nursingandhealth. asu. edu/evidence-based-practice/pico. htm Calipel, S. , Lucas-Polomeni, M. M. , Wodey, E. , Ecoffey, C. (2005). Premedication in children: Hypnosis versus midazolam. Pediatric Anaesthesia, 15(4), 275-281. Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/15787917. Gliner, J. A. , Morgan, G. A. (2009). Research methods in applied settings: An integrated approach to design and analysis. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Retrieved from http://books. google. com/books? id=NuHHvAbTkf8Cprintsec=frontcover#v=onepageqf=false WCSU Libraries. (n. d. ) Introducing PICOT. Retrieved May 12, 2010, from http://library. wcsu. edu/web/assistance/research/nursing/tutorial/c_picot/? x=41y=51

Friday, March 6, 2020

Free Essays on There Should Have Been A Warning

Tsunamis are rare in the Indian Ocean, which has no system for detecting then and alerting those in danger. Scientists do not have the equipment to tell when an earthquake has created a tsunami. The first notice of the earthquake that anyone at the Pacific Tsunami Center received was a computer-generated image set off by seismic sensors at 2:59 p.m. on Saturday. Hawaii has warning sirens, and the weather radio network of oceanographic administration to carry tsunami warnings. Any country that has experienced a tsunami recently or that may be hit by one need some kind of warning system to protect their people. Although Sri Lanka is not part of the Pacific tsunami warning system, some officials at the Hawaii station were informed that a tsunami could be developing. The officials then sent a message to Sarath Weerawatnakula, the director of Sri Lanka’s Geological Survey and Mines Bureau. Weerawarnakula said that his organization received an alert from â€Å"international bodies† about the quake. He also stated that it took time to decipher the meaning of the message, and then it was too late to get out a signal. He said that sometimes warnings could be made, but not this time. There is no reason why someone could warn for one tsunami, but not the next one. Even if the signal is late, at least some people will be able to get away. The citizens of Sri Lanka have the right to know that a tsunami is coming; the officials should not hold this information from them. A summit has not decided to create a tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean. The high-tech equipment could detect tsunamis that are still miles out at sea. The system works in a simple way. A pressure sensor sits on the bottom of the ocean and measures the weight of the water above it. If a tsunami passes overhead, the pressure increases and the sensor sends a signal to a buoy that is sitting on the sea surface. The buoy then sends a signal to a satellite, which alert... Free Essays on There Should Have Been A Warning Free Essays on There Should Have Been A Warning Tsunamis are rare in the Indian Ocean, which has no system for detecting then and alerting those in danger. Scientists do not have the equipment to tell when an earthquake has created a tsunami. The first notice of the earthquake that anyone at the Pacific Tsunami Center received was a computer-generated image set off by seismic sensors at 2:59 p.m. on Saturday. Hawaii has warning sirens, and the weather radio network of oceanographic administration to carry tsunami warnings. Any country that has experienced a tsunami recently or that may be hit by one need some kind of warning system to protect their people. Although Sri Lanka is not part of the Pacific tsunami warning system, some officials at the Hawaii station were informed that a tsunami could be developing. The officials then sent a message to Sarath Weerawatnakula, the director of Sri Lanka’s Geological Survey and Mines Bureau. Weerawarnakula said that his organization received an alert from â€Å"international bodies† about the quake. He also stated that it took time to decipher the meaning of the message, and then it was too late to get out a signal. He said that sometimes warnings could be made, but not this time. There is no reason why someone could warn for one tsunami, but not the next one. Even if the signal is late, at least some people will be able to get away. The citizens of Sri Lanka have the right to know that a tsunami is coming; the officials should not hold this information from them. A summit has not decided to create a tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean. The high-tech equipment could detect tsunamis that are still miles out at sea. The system works in a simple way. A pressure sensor sits on the bottom of the ocean and measures the weight of the water above it. If a tsunami passes overhead, the pressure increases and the sensor sends a signal to a buoy that is sitting on the sea surface. The buoy then sends a signal to a satellite, which alert...

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Hazardous waste Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hazardous waste - Assignment Example The United States Environmental Protection Agency is the governmental organization acting with a purpose to ensure: that all Americans are protected from significant risks to their health and environment where they work, live, or learn and that the federal laws protecting the environment and human health are effectively and fairly enforced (EPA, n.d.). The purpose of this research is to provide an overview of US-EPA’s definition of the hazardous waste, the types of hazardous wastes and solid waste. As well the paper is aiming to analyze critically whether there are any discrepancies in the regulations and what effects on human health and environment have hazardous wastes. US Environmental Protection Agency defines hazardous waste as a waste that is dangerous or potentially harmful to human health or the environment (EPA, n.d., n.p.). To this category of wastes can be included sludges, liquids, gases, and solids. There are two ways of identifying solid wastes as hazardous based on the EPA’s regulations. The first way is to check whether it is included on a EPA’s list of wastes, and the second way is to identify whether the waste exhibits certain hazardous characteristics (EPA, n.d.). EPA has formed a list of hazardous wastes which is comprised of four different classifications: the F-list, K-list, P-list, and U-list. The F-list of hazardous waste includes the wastes identified as â€Å"non-specific source wastes† – wastes from common industrial and manufacturing activities. These hazardous wastes can be produced in different sectors of industry or manufacturing processes and that is why their sources are not specified under the F-list category (EPA 2008, 5). On the contrary to the F-list, the K-list of hazardous waste include particular solid wastes coming from specific industries (EPA 2008). The P-list as well as the U-list includes the wastes from commercial chemical products. Commercial chemical products have the generic

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Exhibition review interview Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exhibition review interview - Assignment Example â€Å"High Noon† is also about betrayal and loyalty. For Kane’s part, it is loyalty even when everyone leaves him; he maintains his grounds, although it seems predictable that his action might lead to his death (High Noon). On the town’s part, it is betrayal. Most people in town agreed that they owe their success to Kane, but not help him because they believe that he is hopeless. In the film, the villain is Frank Miller and his gang who strive to revenge on Will and anyone person who is against him. In this film, the villain is the one who revenges. Miller’s gangs are Jack Colby, Ben (younger brother) and Jim Pierce who wait for Miller at the station. Will and Army have to fight Millers gang at all cost and secure the townspeople (High Noon). Towards the end of the story, Miller (villain) and his gang face Will and Amy. Amy and Will manage to kill Miler and his gang while the townspeople stare in amazement. â€Å"Un-forgiven† film is an entertaining western that pays homage to traditional western while expressing skepticism. The film was set in the 1880’s and the standard setting is BIG whiskey, somewhere between San Francisco and St. Louis. The film also demonstrates the existence of villains, who are a couple of cowboys. The cowboys slashes Delilah’s face (the prostitute). Instead of the sheriff, Little Bill Dagett, arresting the cowboys, he lets them go. The victim’s best friend, Strawberry Alice, becomes outraged. Delilah, Alice and the other girls offer a $1000 bounty for anyone who kills the cowboys. This film turns out to be a revenge of whores against the villains (Unforgiven). A group of men set out to collect the bounty, prompted by various economic necessities to kill the cowboys (villains). Among the hunters set to kill the villains is Bill Munny who is a widower. Munny is still striving to live down his

Monday, January 27, 2020

Impact of Firm Level Characteristics

Impact of Firm Level Characteristics Abstract Organizational performance has attracted scholarly attention in corporate finance literature over the several decades. However, in the context of insurance sector, it has received a little attention. Current study examines the impact of firm level characteristics (size, leverage, tangibility, risk, growth, liquidity and age) on performance of listed life insurance companies of Pakistan over seven years from 2001 to 2007. The results of Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression analysis indicate that size, risk and leverage are important determinants of performance of life insurance companies of Pakistan while ROA has statistically insignificant relationship with growth, profitability, age and liquidity. Keywords: performance, firm level characteristics, life insurance companies. Introduction The performance of any firm not only plays the role to increase the market value of that specific firm but also leads towards the growth of the whole industry which ultimately leads towards the overall prosperity of the economy. Measuring the performance of insurers has gained the importance in the corporate finance literature because as intermediaries , these companies are not only providing the mechanism of risk transfer but also helps to channelizing the funds in an appropriate way to support the business activities in the economy . Insurance companies have importance both for businesses and individuals as they indemnify the losses and put them in the same positions as they were before the occurrence of the loss. In addition, insurers provide economic and social benefits in the society i.e. prevention of losses, reduction in anxiousness, fear and increasing employment. Therefore, the current business world without insurance companies is unsustainable because risky businesses have not a capacity to retain all types of risk in current extremely uncertain environment. For the past six decades, Pakistani life insurance companies have shown the impressive progress which not only creates the employment opportunities but also enhances the business activities in the economy. Financial statistics reported the phenomenal growth of Pakistani life insurance companies as these companies comprise 52% and 69% share of entire (life plus non-life) insurance market in terms of net premiums and assets (Insurance Year Book, 2007). In addition, the premium of these life insurers increased by 36% in 2007 (Insurance Year Book, 2007) shows the remarkable progress of life insurance sector of Pakistan. Therefore, what determines the performance of the life insurance industry is an important discussion for the regulators and policy makers to support the sector in achieving the excellence so that desirable economic fruits could be reaped from the help of the life insurance sector of Pakistan. Literature Review The Determinants of performance have been extensively studied in corporate finance literature from the last several decades. For instance; by selecting the sample of US banks, Berger (1995) investigated the impact of capital asset ratio on return on equity. He concluded that capital asset ratio has a positive relationship with profitability. Anghazo (1997) examined the impact of firm level characteristics on US bank net interest margin. The results documented that bank interest margin positively related with leverage, opportunity cost, and default risk and management efficiency. Neeley and Wheelock (1997) explored the determinants of profitability of commercial banks and find that profitability positively related with changes in per capita income. To investigate the performance of banks (Naceur Goaied, 2001)used the sample of Tunisian banks over the period of 1980 to 1995. They advocated that the banks who tried to maintain their high deposits and improve their capital and labor productivity are performed well. Guru et al. (2002) examined the determinants of performance of Malaysian banks over the 10 years period from 1986 to 1995. For this purpose, they selected both micro and macro level characteristics. The results revealed that inflation positively while efficient expense management and high interest rate negatively related with profitability. The results of Goddard et al. (2004) showed that Profit is an important prerequisite for future growth of banks and the banks that maintain a high capital assets ratio tend to grow slowly. A study conducted by the (Sufian Parman, 2009)to investigate the determinants of profitability by selecting the non-commercial banks financial institutions. The findings indicated that credit risk and loan intensity negatively related with profitability while large size and financial institutions with high operational expenses tended to high profitability ratio. (Hakim Neaime, 2005) Observed that liquidity, current capital and investment are the important determinants of banks profitability. (Aburime, 2006) Identified the firm level determinants of profitability of Nigerian banks over the five years period from 2000 to 2004. He concluded that credit portfolio, size, capital size and ownership concentration are important determinants of Nigerian banks. (Kosmidou, 2008) showed that money supply growth has insignificant impact on profitability while GDP and stock market capitalization to assets are significant and have negative relation with the ROA. (Asimakopoulos, Samitas, Papadogo nas, 2009) illustrated that Firms profitability is positively affected by size, sales growth and investment. On the other hand, leverage and current assets negatively related with profitability. Severeral studies also have been conducted to measure the performance of the insurance compnies. For instance; Sloan, A and Conover, J.(1998) deduced that functional status of insurers do not affect the profitability of being insured but public coverage have significant impact on profitability of insurance companies. Chen and Wong ( 2004) examined that size, investment, liquidity are the important determinants of financial health of insurance companies. Chen et al.( 2009) examined the determinants of profitability and the results showed that profitability of insurance companies decreased with the increase in equity ratio. In addition, insurance companies must have to diversify their investment and use effective hedging techniques which help them to create better financial revenues. Research Methodology Sample and Data Currently, there are five life insurance companies operating in Pakistan and all these five companies are selected to measuring their performance over the period of seven years from 2001 to 2007. For this purpose, financial data has been collected from financial statements (Balance Sheets and Profit and Loss a/c) of insurance companies and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Insurance Year Bookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? which is published by Insurance Association of Pakistan. Model PR = ÃŽÂ ²0 + ÃŽÂ ²1 (LG) + ÃŽÂ ²2 (TA) + ÃŽÂ ²3 (SZ) + ÃŽÂ ²4 (LQ) + ÃŽÂ ²5 (AG) + ÃŽÂ ²6 (RK) + ÃŽÂ ²7 (GR) + ÃŽÂ µ Where: PR = Performance (Net income before interest and tax divided by total assets) LG = Leverage (Total debts divided by total assets) TA = Tangibility (Fixed assets divided by total assets) SZ = Size (Log of premiums) LQ = Liquidity (Current assets divided by current liabilities) AG = Age (Difference b/w observation year and establishment year) RK = Risk (standard deviation of ratio of total claims to total premiums) GR = Growth (Percentage change in premiums) ÃŽÂ µ = the error term Descriptive Statistics Table 4.1 presents descriptive analysis of the firm level characteristic associated with life insurance sector. This study considers performance as dependent variable whereas leverage, size, growth, tangibility, liquidity, age and risk as independent variables. The industry average is provided by mean along with are the minima and maxima for respective year while standard deviation indicates the inter-industry variation of the variables value within the respective year. Table 4.1 indicates that the minimum value of industry mean of leverage is 0.79 in 2004 and 2007 while the mean value is at its maximum level in 2006 at 0.84.The maximum variation in leverage is observed in 2007 valuing at 0.30 and minimum is found in 2003 at 0.19. The variable size constantly shows the increasing trend from year 2001 to 2007. The mean value of size is at maximum level in 2007 i.e. 7.51 whereas minimum mean value for size is observed at 6.02 in 2001. In addition, the inter industry variation is minimum in 2001 at 2.12. Table 4.1 also shows that growth of Pakistani life insurance companies is not consistent in all seven years and mean value of growth is reached 34.84 in 2007 from 11.53 which is observed in 2001. The mean value of performance (dependent variable) is maximum in 2007 valuing at 0.07 and the minimum value is observed in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005 at 0.02. The standard deviation is also not very high i.e. around 0.02 as compare to other variables except in the year 2007 in which it touches it maximum of 0.07. Table 4.2 also provides descriptive results of tangibility, liquidity, age and risk for the period of seven years from 2001 to 2007 for the life insurance sector of Pakistan. The mean values and standard deviations of tangibility is around 0.03 and 0.02 respectively in all seven years from 2001 to 2007.The mean values of liquidity are indicating an increasing trend from the minimum of 1.70 in 2001 to the maximum value at 6.36 in 2007. The standard deviation is also establishing an increasing trend from a minimum value of 0.76 in 2001 to a maximum value of 8.63 in 2007.The mean value of risk is at its lowest level in 2003 at 0.58 with a minimum standard deviation of 0.45 while these values have reached their maximum level in 2007 i.e. 6.35 and 6.51 respectively. Analysis Table 4.2 reports the results of regression analysis in which seven independent variables are regressed by using the data of life insurance sector of Pakistan from 2001 to 2007. The value of R square (0.816) indicates that performance of life insurance companies is nearly 82% dependent on independent variables i.e. size, leverage, growth, tangibility, age, risk and liquidity. Therefore, performance is mainly defined by these seven variables of life insurers in Pakistan over seven years. Table 4.2 indicates that leverage is negatively and significantly related with the performance of the life insurance companies. This predicts that the performance of highly levered Pakistani life insurance companies is not up to the mark. Table 4.2 also shows that coefficient of variable size is positive and statistically significant at 1% level. This predicts that performance of large size life insurance companies is better than small size companies. The negative coefficient of growth indicates a negative relationship between growth and performance. However, this negative relationship is found to be statistically insignificant with the p-value of 0.809. Therefore, growth is not considered as a proper explanatory variable of performance in life insurance sector. The beta values of explanatory variables tangibility and liquidity are 0.507 and 0.001 respectively with the positive coefficient sign. However, tangibility and liquidity are not statistically significant with the large p-values. Therefore, tangibility and liquidity are not Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. B Std. Error Beta (Constant) .010 .051 .204 .841 Leverage -.265 .090 -1.579 -2.940 .008* Size .038 .009 1.722 4.120 .001* Growth -4.69 .000 -.032 -.245 .809 Tangibility .507 .367 .183 1.382 .183 Liquidity .001 .003 .058 .205 .840 Age -.003 .003 -.235 -1.169 .257 Risk .004 .002 .374 1.903 .072** considered a powerful explanatory variable to define the performance of life insurance companies in Pakistan over seven years. Negative coefficient of variable age specifies the Table: 4.2 Regression Coefficients Their Significance level R Square 0.816 Adjusted R Square 0.749 F statistics 12.062 * Significant at 1% level **Significant at 10% level ______________________________________ negative relationship between performance and age of the Pakistani life insurance companies. However, the relationship between performance and age is statistically insignificant. Table 4.2 indicates that the coefficient of variable risk is positive and statistically significant at 10% level. According to the nature of insurance industry, ratio of total claims to total premiums (loss ratio) is used as a proxy to measure the risk of the life insurance companies in Pakistan. Positive sign shows a positive relationship between performance and risk of the insurance companies i.e. performance increases with the increase of loss ratio. Conclusion The current study investigates the impact of firm level characteristics on performance of the life insurance sector of Pakistan over the period of seven years from 2001 to 2007. For this purpose, size, profitability, age, risk, growth and tangibility are selected as explanatory variables while ROA is taken as dependent variable. The results of OLS regression analysis reveal that leverage, size and risk are most important determinant of performance of life insurance sector whereas ROA has statistically insignificant relationship with profitability, growth, tangibility and liquidity. TABLE 4.1: Descriptive Statistics Years Leverage Size Growth Performance Mean SD Min Max Mean SD Min Max Mean SD Min Max Mean SD Min Max 2001 0.80 0.21 0.45 0.99 6.02 2.12 3.06 8.93 11.53 11.90 3.22 32.39 0.02 0.01 0.00 0.03 2002 0.81 0.20 0.47 0.99 6.21 2.11 3.29 9.07 22.21 23.52 3.68 60.99 0.02 0.01 0.00 0.03 2003 0.82 0.19 0.51 0.99 6.50 2.08 3.57 9.20 37.18 32.62 8.30 90.71 0.02 0.01 0.00 0.03 2004 0.79 0.24 0.38 0.99 6.68 2.09 3.56 9.31 22.20 27.93 -1.78 61.16 0.03 0.02 0.00 0.05 2005 0.83 0.21 0.47 0.99 6.95 2.03 3.96 9.53 31.18 10.30 24.97 48.98 0.02 0.02 0.00 0.05 2006 0.84 0.20 0.49 0.99 7.21 2.02 4.24 9.68 31.79 26.14 3.74 72.78 0.03 0.02 0.00 0.06 2007 0.79 0.30 0.26 1.00 7.51 2.06 4.50 10.03 34.82 9.25 22.44 45.66 0.07 0.07 0.00 0.17 TABLE 4.1 (Continued): Descriptive Statistics Years Tangibility Liquidity Age Risk Mean SD Min Max Mean SD Min Max Mean SD Min Max Mean SD Min Max 2001 0.03 0.02 0.00 0.06 1.70 0.76 1.07 2.65 16.60 20.40 6.00 53.00 1.92 1.33 0.70 3.94 2002 0.03 0.02 0.00 0.06 1.73 0.86 1.14 3.01 17.60 20.40 7.00 54.00 0.83 0.47 0.40 1.34 2003 0.03 0.02 0.00 0.05 2.18 1.11 1.22 3.72 18.60 20.40 8.00 55.00 0.58 0.45 0.18 1.34 2004 0.02 0.02 0.00 0.04 2.24 1.77 1.09 4.85 19.60 20.40 9.00 56.00 3.34 3.08 0.00 7.23 2005 0.02 0.02 0.00 0.04 3.02 2.26 1.15 5.94 20.60 20.40 10.00 57.00 4.70 2.15 1.23 6.36 2006 0.02 0.01 0.00 0.03 3.98 2.72 1.36 7.37 21.60 20.40 11.00 58.00 3.60 3.86 0.51 9.72 2007 0.02 0.02 0.00 0.05 6.36 8.63 1.33 16.33 22.60 20.40 12.00 59.00 6.35 6.51 1.78 16.00 Table: 4.2 Regression Coefficients Their Significance level Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. B Std. Error Beta (Constant) .010 .051 .204 .841 Leverage -.265 .090 -1.579 -2.940 .008* Size .038 .009 1.722 4.120 .001* Growth -4.69 .000 -.032 -.245 .809 Tangibility .507 .367 .183 1.382 .183 Liquidity .001 .003 .058 .205 .840 Age -.003 .003 -.235 -1.169 .257 Risk .004 .002 .374 1.903 .072** R Square 0.816 Adjusted R Square 0.749 F statistics 12.062 * Significant at 1% level **Significant at 10% level

Saturday, January 18, 2020

History of Nursing

Nursing has been called the oldest of arts and the youngest of professions (Donahue, 1996). In ancient periods because of maternal instinct women were considered born nurses. They cared for their own family and trained their daughters and other women in their community in the procedures in which they specialized. In the 16th century the meanings nursing included â€Å"a person, or a woman who waits upon or tends to the sick†. During the 19th century, nursing was considered training of those who tend to the sick and carrying out duties under direction of a physician (Donahue, 1996). Today, nursing has become both an art and a science. It focuses on health promotion, professionalism, skills, knowledge and education. It is now a career of all genders and races and one of the highest growing professions in the United States. To understand how nursing has arrived we must first review where nursing has come from. In this paper you will learn about nursing before Florence Nightingale, the reforms that Florence made that changed nursing as a profession, and Innovations in nursing as it continue to evolve. Nursing has its origins in Christianity. According to Joyce (2002), some of the earliest nurses and individuals who ran hospitals were Catholic nuns and monks. Deacons and deaconesses of the church were trained as nurses and went out into the community to provide nursing care. In the 1840s, nursing- sisterhoods were founded to improve standards of nursing in Britain (Joyce, 2002). This organization was of the Catholic nursing order. According to Joyce (2002), St. John's House was an Anglican Nursing Sisterhood founded in 1848, it provided nurses to care for the sick in their own homes. This is considered one of the first training schools. They trained nurses for private work but they gained experience in hospital wards (Joyce, 2002). In the 17th and 18th century, the infirmaries were local houses used for providing employment for the destitute. During this time most people who needed nursing were nursed at home. Those who were not nursed at home ended up in workhouses, with primitive wards, for the sick and infirm. Some of the older hospitals were rebuilt often by private benefactors (Grell, 1997). They appointed private contractors who looked after the parish's poor. The individuals would then be employed and in return would receive board and lodging. The infirmaries were often filled with patients from the hospitals who could not be cured. They became so bad that only those who had resigned themselves to death would stay. Usually the infirmary was a freezing cold and draughty room. There were iron beds with thin mattresses, the only furniture in the room. The sick were not cared for properly, the volunteer hospitals were unable to cope with the increasing population and there were no facilities for training nurses (French and Wear, 1991). The growth of the 18th century brought overcrowding in the cities which increased the spread of disease. The building of railways in the vicinity led to the admission of many accident cases and often to a rise in the sepsis rate. Due to the overcrowding in hospitals; bedsores, malnutrition, and infections were everyday occurrences (Grell, 1997). Nurses were seen differently during the eighteenth century. They were not perceived as medical practitioners but as domestic servants. According to Grell (1997), nurses were inferior largely because nursing was historically subservient roles before the 1800’s. The people staffed as nurses were traditionally convicts, widows, and orphans in exchange for food and shelter. Nurses were poorly trained, poorly paid, and the ill were cruelly treated and abused and neglected (Grell, 1997). Charles Dickens novel, â€Å"The Life and Adventures of Marin Chuzzlewit†, tells of Sarah Gamp, a fictional nurse portrayed as an alcoholic who is a nurse midwife and layer out of the dead. She enjoys all of the hospitality given to her with no regard to the individuals to which she is hired to care for. According to the story nurses were ignorant, drunk, and lazy (Dickens, 2011). Although nursing care reform was a concern there were definite issues such as pay, workload, and recruiting quality individuals. The threat of nurse values arose concerning nursing care of the sick, so did the push for change in the quality of nurse selection. The domestic organization was under the direction of a Matron, recruited from a higher order of society and paid according to the position. Nurses were appointed by matrons who tried to find women of good character. According to French and Wear, in 1845 the matron of the Middlesex told the weekly board how she chose nurses. â€Å"They should be between 30 and 45 years of age, strong, healthy, unmarried and unencumbered with children. They should be accustomed to nursing, able to read and write, humane, honest, sober and clean in their work and person (French and Wear, 1991, 268)†. The nature and duties of patient care also was re-evaluated. The duties concerning patient care were the manual tasks of administering food and medicine, changing linen and emptying bedpans, and they also did the basic hospital cleaning (French and Wear, 1991). Pay being low, recruitment was difficult and many nurses were discharged for taking bribes or rollicking with the patients. The ward sisters, were principal nurses in immediate personal response on patients they played the key role. They were responsible to the matron and the steward for everything within the ward which was not a matter for the medical staff. They received differential rate of pay as senior nurses or sisters, typically in the range of five to ten pounds per annum 11 (French and Wear, 1991). By day the nurses performed domestic duties and administered to the wants of the patients. At night ‘watchers’ of a yet lower class supervised the wards, calling the sister who slept nearby if there was an important change in the condition of a patient. If watchers lay down or slept they were instantly discharged. The wages were comparable with the wages of a domestic servant and in certain areas lower (French and Wear, 1991). Reform took its shape in areas of parliament and government concerning wages. According to French and Wear (1991), many nurses required the sick or dying individual to pay them money before they would administer any care. This had become problematic, the Royal Infirmary Governor pushed to raise the wage for nurses. This wage increase would involve the nurse to discontinue this practice and was used to recruit and retain better nurses who took pride in their appearance and character. The change in recruitment strategy was to recruit women from a higher social class (French and Wear, 1991).

Friday, January 10, 2020

Knowledge Management Essay

The purpose of this essay is to answer the questions from the â€Å"Tata Consultancy Services (India)† case study on pages 253-255 of Jashapara (2011) The discussion includes advice regarding a strategic alliance with Cisco. Two of the key elements of this case study which are discussed are describing the current weaknesses in Tata Consultancy Services with an approach to knowledge management and the improvements that are made to eliminate these weaknesses. In the discussion, strategic alliance is explained by definition and examples are provided as well to justify. The advice to knowledge management issues has been discussed. The planning and concepts are communicated and a detailed answer is written to discuss facts with the use of external sources and these have been referenced. Towards the end after all the points been considered, improvements with the linking to knowledge management have been advised. Contents Introduction3 Background3 Objectives3 Scope4 Strategic alliances with Cisco4 Current weaknesses in TATA services5 Improvement on the weaknesses6 Conclusion8 References9 Introduction Background Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, business solutions and outsourcing organization that delivers real results to global businesses, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. Tata Consultancy Services is a leading global IT services, business solutions, and outsourcing company with offices in 35 countries and growing at over 30 percent in revenue terms for the last couple of years. One key challenge arising out of the rapid growth in people intensive business such as TCS has been ever-increasing demands on the IT infrastructure. (www.tcs.com) Cisco Systems is a large corporation that produces computer networking products and services. The Linksys brand of consumer networking products is also an owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems. (http://compnetworking.about.com) Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. It was decided by TCS that to expand their allegiances, they were to make a strategic alliance with Cisco without harming the long-term and short-term goals of each company. The aim of this essay is to provide a practical approach with clear guidance for TCS and decision makers in TCS. It shows how KM can enable an organization to respond effectively to the changing business background and achieve its strategic goals. Objectives The TCS-Cisco partnership has been active since 2003. This partnership focuses on go-to-market activities for a range of Cisco technologies, including the next generation datacenters (Cisco Unified Computing Systems), advanced networking, security and collaboration. It also focuses on  developing replicable go-to-market business solutions leveraging cutting-edge Cisco technologies like UCS, and TCS strengths in IT application services, IT infrastructure services and domain expertise in key industry verticals. (http://www.tcs.com) Scope Includes discussion of advice regarding a strategic alliance with Cisco Discussion includes explanation of strategic alliance and points are raised in relation to knowledge management. Continues to talk about the current weaknesses in Tata Consultancy Services approach to knowledge management. This section is helped by many examples from external resources. Finally solutions on how these weaknesses can be improved are been mentioned. Furthermore this section is supported by many examples and the examples have been referenced. Strategic alliances with Cisco Strategic alliance is an agreement for cooperation among two or more independent firms to work together toward common objectives. (http://www.businessdictionary.com) It is a preparation between two companies that have decided to share resources to undertake a specific, mutually beneficial project. A strategic alliance is less involved and less permanent than a joint venture, in which two companies typically pool resources to create a separate business entity. In a strategic alliance, each company maintains its autonomy while gaining a new opportunity. A strategic alliance could help a company develop a more effective process, expand into a new market or develop an advantage over a competitor, among other possibilities. (http://www.investopedia.com) Investopedia explains ‘Strategic Alliance’ For example, an oil and natural gas company might form a strategic alliance with a research laboratory to develop more commercially viable recovery processes. A clothing retailer might form a strategic alliance with a single clothing manufacturer to ensure consistent quality and sizing. A major website could form a strategic alliance with an analytics company to improve  its marketing efforts. (http://www.investopedia.com) Knowledge Management can make a significant difference between ongoing or successful ventures of any organization in a world of accelerating change. Knowledge Management provides the ability to connect and cooperate complex ideas efficiently and can be beneficial even to expand when using strategic alliances. To make Knowledge Management work in an organization it must be grounded in the realities of the business needs and drivers, and aligned to the delivery of organizational objectives, which this case TCS requires for the expansion of their organization. It should not be seen as an optional or marginal activity but as part of the organizational essential need, embedded in their business process, which is highly relevant in their solutions. Current weaknesses in TATA services Strategic alliance can cause major problems if not handled properly. As part of the start of the alliance, TCS have to incorporate Cisco’s Data Centre technologies, with TCS’ industry-leading IT services, business solutions and outsourcing. The practice will focus on helping customers develop next-generation virtualized data centers and achieve greater operational and energy efficiency. The companies will also explore new networking innovations to address the needs of large and small businesses for IT services. One of the main concerns was over the alignment of short term and long term goals of both organizations and the value of strategic alliance in the current downturn in global markets. Most staff will need training to adjust to the new systems. The two companies want to cooperatively come up with and supply information technology service solutions to clients that will help their businesses build next-generation data centers by taking advantage of the network as a platform. The two companies are spread out in a wide range of countries and due to this there are a lot of communication issues. Tata Consultancy plans to build a new technology practice focused on Cisco’s industry-leading data center networking and security solutions. The companies also announced the formation of a Cisco Technology Lab at the TCS campus in Chennai, India. These all add up to additional costs but have to be done to train staff into  the new systems Cisco and TCS have to develop solutions that meet the infrastructure and network requirements of global corporations. Both companies have to invest in skills development and training labs to provide an end-to-end solution to meet customer requirements. As part of the new practice, TCS will incorporate Cisco’s Data Centre 3.0 technologies, with TCS’ industry-leading IT services, business solutions and outsourcing. The practice will focus on helping customers develop next-generation virtualized data centers and achieve greater operational and energy efficiency. The companies will also explore new networking innovations to address the needs of large and small businesses for IT services. â€Å"Customers are demanding greater dynamism from their IT infrastructure and application environment to address current challenges and to capitalize on opportunities whenever and wherever they emerge,† said Mr. N Chandrasekaran, chief operating officer and executive director of TCS. â€Å"This strategic alliance will take advantage of Cisco’s industry-leading data center networking soluti ons and TCS’ global network delivery model to help our customers increase the efficiency and agility of their IT operations.† (http://blog.topitconsultant.com) Also some concerns were about improving operational efficiency and productivity, enable business agility, and improve enterprise knowledge. Improvement on the weaknesses The two organizations came up with a lot of strategies, that is plan of action that channels the two organization’s resources so that it can effectively differentiate itself from competitors, accomplish distinctive goals, and achieve higher performance. Managers develop strategies based on the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, and evaluation of opportunities and threats. The Managers primarily make decisions about the firm’s activities, and the development and allocation of resources devoted to these. The TCS-Cisco strategic alliance enables end-to-end IT infrastructure services, united with assurance services, and IT application services enabling seamless system integration of Cisco products. Cisco and TCS plan  to develop go-to-market solutions that meet the infrastructure and network requirements of global corporations. Both companies will invest in skills development and training labs to provide an end-to-end solution to meet customer requirements. Cisco has recognized the low-cost advantage of operating in India as well as high pool technology talent and expertise. Tata consultancy services already provide IT consultancy services to a large amount of countries. The company offers some of the most complex applications and next generation IT infrastructures in the world. Tata consultancy services’ in-depth knowledge of different business domains combined with its technological skills makes it a a very competent organization. One major improvement is that they use various strategies to improve knowledge management they use three main strategies or as they call it â€Å"the three pillars of knowledge management†, which are people, process and technology. In terms of people one of the key values is learning and sharing. The company has introduced three initiatives to promote a greater learning culture. First is the proactive employee engagement program which allows senior managers to have face to face meetings with employees across various functions and grades. The other initiative has promoted a share care grow culture and and encouraged individuals to advance their own ideas and resolve ideas at local level. Finally the last initiative was professional excellence role enhancement ownership culture personal growth employee and learning. Tata consultancy services has another training hub in addition to others as well to further train new recruits in different aspects of software engineering, quality systems and different technologies which is a major improvement. The training included soft-skills development such as leadership and teamwork. The trainers were drawn from different parts of the business with significant subject expertise and experience. Tata consultancy services have also made training centers overseas in line with its global expansion. Also Tata consultancy services have developed a number of ICT interventions to increase knowledge sharing. Some of the main improvements to help with the strategic alliance are to advance knowledge, learning, and skills development. Conclusion The purpose of this essay was to answer the questions from the â€Å"Tata Consultancy Services (India)† case study. The essay started by mentioning a short description of the history of the two companies. The discussion included advice regarding a strategic alliance with Cisco. Two of the key elements of this case study which were discussed. The current weaknesses in Tata Consultancy Services with an approach to knowledge management and the improvements that are made to eliminate these weaknesses have been mentioned In the discussion, strategic alliance was explained by definition and examples provided as well to justify. The advice to knowledge management issues has been discussed. The planning and concepts are communicated and a detailed answer is written to discuss facts with the use of external sources and these have been referenced. Towards the end after all the points been considered, improvements with the linking to knowledge management have been advised. As per the objectives of this essay, the current weaknesses in Tata Consultancy Services with an approach to knowledge management and the improvements that are made to eliminate these weaknesses are discussed. References . 2013. . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.tcs.com/resources/Pages/filterResults.aspx?topic=Services_Consulting&type=Case%20Study. [Accessed 16 April 2013]. Cisco Systems – About Cisco Systems Networking. 2013. Cisco Systems – About Cisco Systems Networking. [ONLINE] Available at:http://compnetworking.about.com/od/cisconetworking/p/cisco-systems.htm. [Accessed 16 April 2013]. IT Consultants’ Blog at TopITconsultant.com . 2013. IT Consultants’ Blog at TopITconsultant.com . [ONLINE] Available at:http://blog.topitconsultant.com/category/TATA-Consultancy-Services.aspx. [Accessed 09 May 2013]. Mohammad Masrurul, M 2012, ‘An Overview of Strategic Alliance: Competitive Advantages in Alliance Constellations’, Advances In Management, 5, 12, pp. 22-31, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 9