Project Communications Plan

Critical Thinking – Module 2 Project Management November 11, 2012 Project Communications Plan The three websites that I researched for this critical thinking assignment were: 1) Colorado. gov; 2) Dot. ca. gov and 3) interop. mt. gov. The topic that was most similarly discussed was the importance of implementing a communication plan both internally and externally in any type of project management. Colorado. ov noted that â€Å"28% of projects fail due to poor communications, that’s 1 out of 4 projects fail due to poor communications† (Jones, 2007). This site went on to speak about the top reasons projects fail includes poor communication, insufficient resource planning, unrealistic schedules and poor project requirements. The California Department of Transportation website noted that project communication includes general communication between team members but is more encompassing. It utilizes a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for a framework of communication that is customer and product focused with the end in mind, and it involves all levels of the organization† (Office of Project Management Process Improvement, 2007). This organization also believes that Project Communication is the responsibility of everyone on the project team. The Interoperability Governing Board for Montana’s communications planning first determines the information and communications needs of the stakeholders.This includes identifying who needs what information, when they should receive it, and how it will be provided. Identifying the information needs of the stakeholders and determining a suitable means of meeting those needs is an important factor for project success. â€Å"Actively managing stakeholders increases the likelihood that the project will not veer off track due to unresolved stakeholder issues, enhances the ability of persons to operate synergistically, and limits disruptions during the project† (Northrop Grumman Corporation, 2007).The main subject of all these sites I researched came down to the importance of effective communication, and stating that it is the most important ingredient for project success. Participation, understanding, and the ability to adapt the project – all of which require well? functioning communication ? are critical to the end result of the project. Build a Management-driven Communication Culture Internal communication planning is one of the most neglected areas of strategic planning.Most companies spend a great deal of money and effort on their external communication plan but fail to expend any energy toward creating an organized plan for internal communication (Roehler, 2007). Determining what should be communicated to staff, when it should be communicated, and how it should be communicated is often left up to the decision of individuals made when there seems to be a need. In other words internal communication strategies are developed, reactively, when there is a crisis or major event that clearly requires addressing communication issues.Where communication is planned out, it is often around upheavals like major corporate or organization change, layoffs and downsizing, and technological change. However, once the initiating focus has been eliminated communication tends to go back to an unorganized jumbled process (Bacal, 2008). It is a bit of a mystery why this occurs, but there is no question that strategic internal communication planning can be a proactive approach to building a better, more directed and efficient workforce.Communication is a key component in coordinating and tracking project schedules, issues, and action items. The plan maps out the flow of information to different stakeholders and becomes an integral part of the overall project plan (Gray & Larson, 2011). Implementing a well thought out communications plan will help manage expectations regarding the project, ensure methods used for communication will be most effective, and assure approp riate levels of communication with internal and external project stakeholders.In addition, well laid out communication plans provide relevant, accurate, consistent information at all times, and most importantly, generate and sustain enthusiasm and support for the project. References Bacal, R. (2008). Internal communication strategies. Performance Management and Appraisal Help Center. Retrieved from http://www. prpundit. com/knowledge/employee%20communications/Internal%20Communications. pdf Gray, C. F. , & Larson, E. W. (2011). Project management: The managerial process (5th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN-13:

Finance and Short Term Debt

EncanaCost of Capital Before calculating the cost of capital I'll calculate cost of equity and cost of dept and capital structure for ENCANA: 1 Cost of Debt: ENCANA cost of debt included cost on short term debt , long term debt and publicity traded interest amount 1. 1 Short term Debt: Short term obligations (Ex. 1) = $ 1425 million Interest Rate (Ex. 1) = 3. 52% Total amount for short term debt interest = 1425 ? 3. 52% = 50. 16 million 1. 2 Long term Debt: Other long term liabilities (Ex. 1) = $1278 Interest rate (Prime rate charged) = 5. 25%Total amount for long term debt interest = 1278 ? 5. 25% = 67. 095 million 1. 3 Publicity traded: Publicity traded interest = total interest – (short term debt interest amount + long term debt interest amount) Publicity traded interest = 524 – ( 50. 16 + 67. 095) = 406. 75 million Interest rate on publicity traded = Publicity traded interest ? L. T debt on publicity traded Interest rate on publicity traded = 406. 75 ? 5351 = 7. 6% Cost on debt = Weight of long term debt ? Rate of interest on L. T debt + Weight of short term debt ? Rate of interest on S.T debt + Weight of publicity traded ? rate of interest on publicity traded = 1278/8054* ? 5. 25 + 1425/8054 ? 3. 52 + 5351/8054 ? 7. 60 = 0. 833 + 0. 622 + 5. 049 = 6. 5% *The amount $8054 is total amount of debt given in Exhibit 3 1. 4 Determining Tax rate: Tax rate for ENCANA can be determined as follow: Tax Rate= T= Net earnings before interest and tax ? tax expense T= 1260 ? 4089 = 30. 81% 1. 5 Cost of debt after tax: Cost of debt after tax = cost of debt before tax (1- Tax Rate) Cost of debt after tax = 6. 5% ( 1- 30. 81%) = 4. % ==; rate of debt (rd) 2 Cost of equity: There are following two ways to calculate ENCANA's cost of equity : 1. Using SML equation 2. Calculating cost of equity by dividend growth model 2. 1 Calculation of cost of equity for ENCANA by using SML equation: rs = r* + MRP (b) r* = 4. 20 % (Govt. long Term Treasury Bills) rm = 13. 9% (S &P arithmetic average return) MRP = rm – r = 13. 9-4. 20 = 9. 7 Beta = 1. 27 rs = 4. 20 + 9. 7 *1. 27 rs = 16. 519 % 2. 1 Calculation of cost of equity for ENCANA by using dividend growth model: rs = (D1/ Po – F) + gWhere: D1= next year dividend Po = current price of share in market F = Floatation Cost Growth from past data: Year | Dividend per share | Growth * | 2002 | 0. 2 | | 2003 | 0. 15 | -25% | 2004 | 0. 2 | 33. 3% | 2005 | 0. 28 | 40% | *Growth rate is calculated as: 0. 15/0. 2= 0. 75-1 = -0. 25? 100 =-25% 0. 2/0. 15= 1. 33-1= 0. 33 ? 100 = 33. 3% 0. 28/0. 2= 1. 4-1 =0. 4 ? 100 = 40% Average Growth= -25 + 33. 3 + 40 = 16. 1% rs = (Do (1+ g) / Po – F) + g rs = 0. 28 (1+0. 1611) / 56. 75 (1- 0. 05) + 0. 1611 rs = 0. 25108/53. 9125 +0. 1611 rs = 16. 713% Average rs = (16. 713+16. 519)/2 = 16. 616% WACC: The WACC equation  is the cost of each capital component  multiplied by its proportional weight and then summing:   WACC = rD  (1-  Tc  )*(  Dà ‚  /  V  )+  rE  *(  E  /  V  ) Where, Re = cost of equity Rd = cost of debt E = market value of the firm's equity D =  market value of the firm's debt V = Total Capital = E + D E/V = we = percentage of financing by equity D/V = wd= percentage of financing by debt T =  corporate tax rate By putting Values:Total Equity= E = no of shares * price of shares = 854. 9 * 56. 75 = $48515. 575 million Total Capital = Equity + Debt = 48515. 575+ 8054 = $56596. 575 Million WACC = wd * rd + we * re = 8054/56596. 575 * 4. 5 + 48515. 575/56596. 575 * 16. 616 = 0. 6404 + 14. 2436 = 14. 884% ENCANA should accept this project which will give a return of more than 14. 884%, because ENCANA has to pay their investors a return of 14. 884 and this will also generate profit which can be utilized as retained earnings and increase growth of its dividend.

Ludwig van Beethoven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ludwig van Beethoven - Essay Example He had health issues which eventually took his life when he caught a cold. He was passionate about his work and while he knew that he was going deaf, he wrote as much music as he could before losing his ability to hear. He was also known to be an excessive and impulsive person. He would also become angry at many of his supporters but he always makes amends. Important places of Beethoven’s history include Vienna, Cologne, and Bonn. There were many prestigious musicians who have influenced Beethoven. Including his father, Gottlob Neefe, and Prince Maximilian Franz who have all helped Beethoven become the legend he is. He made a living out of music but he still suffered from financial difficulties because of his nephew. Beethoven had played many concerts and he has even played compositions for Europe’s most powerful leaders. Beethoven is famous for his ability to create beautiful classical music that maximized the romanticism period. Musical Forms: Sonata form: Tempest Son ata Rondo form: Rondo Sonate Pathetique Scherzo: Symphony no. 9 Fugue: Gro?e Fuge

Intellectual Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Intellectual Property - Essay Example It is able to prevent and treat diabetic complications. It contains fagomine and 1-deoxynojirimycin whereby the ratio of their weights is 0.5, which is approximately 5:1. The preferred weight ratio is 2 which implies about 5:1 ratio of the weight of 1-deoxynojirimycin to that of fagomine. Firstly, this invention focuses its research on the role of ensuring reduction in blood glucose of the composition of fagomine and 1-deoxynojirimycin through the mixing of different ratios. The expected result is that the two compounds would have very good synergistic hypoglycemic effect within a set proportion range. The mixing ratio selected is that with a better synergistic hypoglycemic effect. In addition, it also researches the effect of the composition when combined with other hypoglycemic compounds. In the event of reducing hypoglycemic rats’ blood glucose after intragastric sucrose administration, joint application of other hypoglycemic substances and fagomine and 1-deoxynojirimycin a re able to more effectively reduce blood glucose than any other hypoglycemic compounds or any single or combined applications. This composition can be made in to various formulations such as capsules, tablets, granules, dripping pills, powder, and oral liquid. Conventional methods and conventional excipients can be adopted as the preparation methods. From the research results, it is clear that the present applications has well spelt-out mechanism and significance usefulness which can be employed in preventing and treating diabetes and any complications accompanied with it. This issued patent operates in the Biomedical and technology field and address the concerns of the diabetes menace which over the years has claimed more lives just as much as cancer and HIV/AIDS. The novel thing about this invention is how it utilizes the capability of compositions to synergistically help not only prevent and treat diabetes but also deal with any other complications associated with it. Currently, this invention is both locally and internationally patented. This patent protection can be said to be broad, and it bars existing technologies or pharmaceutical companies from using the stated formula and essentially the composition of 1-deoxynojirimycin and fagomine in the manufacture or improvement of existing blood glucose reduction remedies. This invention can take the form of a pharmaceutical company, product line or just a product in the form of capsules, tablets, granules, dripping pills, powder, and oral liquid. Artificial red blood cells (Patent Number 7348399) This invention patent application number 11/433,259 was applied for in the U.S by Haynie Donald T. in May 2006 and is yet to be issued. It has been classified under current U.S class 530/300; 530/385 and current international class A61K 38/03 (20060101); A61K 38/16 (20060101). Invention Summary It provides a new method for the identification of sequence motifs of a given net charge and length at a neutral pH in seque nce information of amino acid for use in recording a required number of motifs and in ELBL. This is a seven step method consisting of (a) obtaining a peptide amino acid sequence from a given organism; (b) locating a starter amino acid; (c) examining the starter amino acid t determine the number of charged amino acids which have an opposite polarity; (d)

Critically assess the impact of either the US, Israel or Iran on the Essay

Critically assess the impact of either the US, Israel or Iran on the regional politics of the Middle East - Essay Example The leaders of both countries have been successful in pursuing common goals on security through the development of closer relations which are based on shared religious affinities and democratic values (Migdalovitz 2006). Israel is the major recipient of U.S. aid and it purchases most of its weapon systems from America and in so doing Israel has been able to maintain a qualitative military edge in the Middle East. Israel is facing serious security threats from the Arab Spring presented by instabilities in Lebanon, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, Syria and Jordan as these political movements are planning attacks on Israel. This move has made the relationship between Israel and U.S. to worsen given that Israel perceive that United States is not concerned about its welfare but just to attain its goal. However, it is the contribution of the US that has discouraged the outbreak of major Israel-Arab interstate conflict for over 40 years (Huband 2006). The U.S.-Israel relationship The relati onship between U.S. and Israel is not based on friendship but rather on different interests of the two countries in the Middle East. ... allistic missiles as well as bring to an end the Islamist inspired terrorism such as Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and other Islamists and Jihadists groups. Given that the region has not experienced peace for a long time, the relationship is geared at enhancing a form of stability through promotion of pro-Western regimes like Jordan’s. In achieving this, the relationship will manage to restore peace and normalization between the Arab community and Israel since Israel has been in conflict with Palestine government for a considerable long time. The challenge facing the relationship is that they respond and prioritize to these challenges differently. The difference in strategies and policies preferred by the two countries has increasingly cause tension on the relationship as they are seen to undermine the interest of the other nation. For instance, Israel view American policy to be naivete in the Middle Eastern diplomacy as it brings more consequences to Israel. On the other hand, t he US considers Israel to be insufficiently attentive to its interests since most of its actions have been detrimental. The two states are different in some ways, as the US is a superpower whereas Israel is a regional power and this presents them with different concerns (Malka 2011). In respect to this, the two sides should be ready to accommodate each other regardless as in so doing; resentments and misunderstandings that have continually mounted the relationship will be dealt with. Honesty, openness and lesser partisan polemics will enhance sustenance of this relationship. The US-Israel relationship faces differences in the Arab Spring goal. After the revolutions took place in the Arab world that transforms the politics in middle east, the two countries found themselves supporting different

Process Document Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Process Document - Research Paper Example This will alleviate possible injury while you are mowing. Be on the look out for toys, dog bones, branches that have fallen from the trees, cans, snack bags and so forth. Get any of these things out of the way so that you will not run over them when mowing. If there are natural obstacles like rocks that are half buried in your lawn or sewer pipes or anything that is naturally in your lawn, you will want to make a note of where they are or mark them so you do not run into them when mowing. than one yank of the string. On an electric mower, you will have a different kind of start switch that may or may not need a key. You can locate how to start your mower by using the booklet that comes with your mower. 8. Start mowing your lawn. In order to make it look good, it is a good idea to mow it in with even lines. Moving from one end of the yard to the other in an even pattern that is either horizontal or vertical. It is a good idea to choose one way or the other so that your lawn will get used to the pattern that you choose. 9. Move at a good clip. You do not want to move too fast or too slowly. If you move too fast, you will miss spots. If you move too slowly, grass can get clogged in the blades of your lawnmower and this can stall out your lawnmower. 11. After you are finished mowing, it is a good idea to take a rake and clean up your glass clippings if you have not used a bag on your mower. Also, use your hose to spray the undercarriage of the lawn mower to free the blades of any excess grass. Note: You will also want to follow the manufacturers guidelines for cleaning your mower if you have an electric or gas powered lawnmower. 4. If part or all of your lawn is on a slop, mow across it instead of mowing vertically. However, if you are using a riding lawnmower, mowing up and down is best so that you do not tip over while

Managing Credit Cards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managing Credit Cards - Essay Example However, there are a few things that go un-noticed. Credit cards come with a premium. Prompt repayments will help avoid undue tension and misunderstandings. Experts believe that the majority of U.S. citizens have at least one credit card, if not two. Credit cards are an important source of identification as well; a credit card is mandatory for renting a car. Used wisely, a credit card provides a cushion on purchases by a long way before charges are levied. But yes, there are a few things to be kept in mind before one considers making a purchase, and there are ways to control the way one uses his/her credit card to avoid heavy debts. The purpose of this study is to find ways to protect students from falling into greater debts by following certain principals. This forms the focus of this paper. Many consumers find themselves in serious trouble over repayment. Only a few are able to take advantage of the benefits offered by credit cards, primarily because they follow the simple procedure of repaying their credit on or before time. Many fall back on the centuries old practice of carrying a balance for months, paying a part of the principal amount and an accrued interest. One thing that they fail to notice is that they could end up paying an all-time high of 23% at some point of time, a huge dent in one's pocket. Most credit card holders are so addicted to using the card that they end up being impulsive buyers. For the record, a survey in 1999 showed that American consumers were charged approximately $1.2 trillion on their general-purpose credit cards! (How Credit Cards Work, Howstuffworks. 2006) This has since gone up considerably. How does the credit card work When a customer uses his/her credit card at a merchant shop, the bank that issued the card, credits the account of the merchant on the sale slip(s) receipts. This amount is then billed to the card holder at the end of the billing period. The cardholder, in turn, pays the bank either the entire amount or in monthly installments with interest. When backlogs on installments occur, the interest increase and repayments become harder. This is one area that credit card users should strive to stay away from. Regular repayments will help stay away from trouble. Credit is an important economic force of great social magnitude. Cultural expectations with rewards for good payment records and sanctions for violating creditor expectations are all too familiar. Thus, promotion of consumer credit and punishment for nonconformity with creditor expectations emerges as a significant dialectical relationship (Klein, 1999). 3.0 Solution to the Problem Students find credit cards extremely user -friendly and handy. Most of their transaction in campus and elsewhere are performed by using a credit card. Students need to avoid unnecessary expenses, such as on clothes, entertainment and travel. Students wanting to get away for the weekend end up hiring automobiles to commute to places away from the campus and incur heavy bills. Students end up paying these bills through their credit cards. Always assess the comfort zone limit of credit that one can avail before embarking on a

Selling Executives on Project Management Assignment - 2

Selling Executives on Project Management - Assignment Example Heerkens (2002)Often times in a project, expectations are not met that are defined in scope and the WBS. Thus, creating contingency strategies is pivotal towards executing a successful project. One of the most pivotal contingency strategies is to have a high incremental cost of resources that continue to plague organizations. One of the strategies I would suggest is financial segmentation. The revenue stream is the focal point that one should examine at Levan. Budget discrepancies are one of the most difficult challenges to deal with when closing down a project because PMs must ensure that they close their projects without any discrepancies. Understanding the segmentation of financials is hectic because it requires signatures, higher authority decisions and collaboration. In midst of the project, most managers forget that budget discrepancies in the beginning can accumulate to be problematic at the end. This not only creates chaos in the project, but diminishes quality, resources and time. The second element I would suggest is that to run more of an Agile environment rather than a waterfall. Agile methodology is one of the best methodologies that have been implemented in the realm of e-commerce. Agile methodology allows organizations to harness growth, breed innovation, and define products that can be tangible and intuitive. One of the best elements of Agile is the fact that one can prototype. The rise of Agile methodology is likely to be more effective because it is very rapid and at the end of each sprint you have something testable and can be given to the client much quicker than waterfall. Heerkens (2002)The techniques that the group found effective were using wireframes and workflows because it is easier to visually understand information than to read 300 page documentation. The third strategy I would suggest is managing change request. It is evident that managing change request is

The Little Ice Agehistory middle ages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Little Ice Agehistory middle ages - Essay Example These dramatic glacial advances often had important realistic consequences for nearby human populations. In the Chamonix valley which is quite close to Mont Blanc, France, numerous farms and villages were lost to the advancing front of a nearby mountain glacier. (Mann, ) The damage was so menacing that the commoners sought the help of the Bishop of Geneva to perform an exorcism of the dark forces which is presumed to be the ones responsible for such weather disturbance. During the late 17th and early 18th centuries such societal threats were common, since many glaciers extended well beyond their previous historical limits. Colder conditions combined with altered patterns of atmospheric movement, appear to be tied to the prevalent crop failures in the more northern areas of Europe during that time. During the 17th to 19th centuries, there are prevalent accounts of famine, disease, and increased child mortality in Europe which are partly related to the extreme colder temperatures and d istorted weather conditions. Undoubtedly in the European society, not all effects of the climate changes were harmful. When the Thames River in London froze, it was celebrated with a winter carnival. Furthermore, the colder climate appears to serve as an inspiration for some writers during that time. Charles Dickens' idea of the old-fashioned white Christmas was a concept that bloomed from the icy winters and frequent cold weather. The Little Ice Age may have been more significant in terms of increased variability of the climate, rather than changes in the average climate itself. Based from Michael E Mann's write up on Little Ice Age, it is said that the most dramatic climate extremes were less associated with prolonged multiyear periods of cold than with year to year temperature changes, or even particularly prominent individual cold spells, and these events were often quite specific to particular seasons. In Switzerland, for instance, the first particularly cold winters appear to have begun in the 1550s, with cold springs beginning around 1568: the year 1573 had the first unusually cold summer (Pfister, 1995). The increased unpredictability of the climate truly led to extreme changes between unusually cold winters and relatively warm summers. A harsh winter followed the hot summer that precipitated the Great Fire of London in the year 1666. This also weather alteration further added to the restlessness of pea sants who plagued the Bastille in Paris during the summer of 1789. The demise of the Norse settlements in Greenland that had been established during the early centuries of the second millennium has constantly been blamed from the cooling of the Little Ice Age. When the sea ice extended in the North Atlantic it certainly created problems for fishermen in Iceland and Scandinavia especially the Norse settlements in Iceland and Greenland. During the 14th century, the Norse settlements relied on trade with the mainland Europe but because of the increased winter some trade routes between Scandinavia and Greenland closed. With their food base affected since they are also unable to hunt sea mammals in the winter, Norse fortunes also declined rapidly. Malnutrition and premature deaths plagued

Policy Change Essay Example for Free

Policy Change Essay Health care insurance started gaining popularity in the 1940s, when people and health institutions began to realize that insurance spreads the risk of expensive medical conditions across a large population base. Thus, it prevents personal bankruptcy in case of serious health problems. Health care insurance also makes health care services more accessible to the public. However, as you know, a bigger part of the population remains uninsured, because they are incapable of paying the cost of health care coverage on their own (Brayton Purcell LLP, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The United States government continuously battles, policy-wise, the problem of high rates of uninsured people. Many efforts to solve this problem through public assistance or welfare approach are yet to find success (Long, Coughlin King, 2005). While I appreciate the fact that your team has successfully lowered the steep uninsurance rates, various states of the Union continue to register high uninsurance rates (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). Moreover, many of the members our population still depends on out-of-pocket/personal coverage, coverage procured by employers, and public coverage such as the one you provide for their health care needs (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007; Hadley Holahan, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Noting your history since 1965, it is commendable that you have since been able to meet the needs of countless poor persons and fulfilled the mandate of the U.S. government, by providing coverage to those who are eligible for federally supported, state-run welfare programs (Long, Coughlin King, 2005). I note that that you followed strict federal guidelines that must be observed in order to enable the program to assist families who could not afford the cost of health care insurance (Long, Coughlin King, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that there is still a big gap to be filled, in terms of providing health care coverage to our poor brothers and sisters in our nation. While it is wonderful that Medicaid coverage has increased since 1965, and now includes persons with disabilities, Medicaid is still unable to meet the needs of a large bulk of the population who could not afford to pay for health care services (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hence, I am appealing to you that you consider expanding your sources of funds, aside from local and federal funding coming from our country, to include those provided by private industries who could afford to give humanitarian support. Moreover, it would be helpful to your cause if you could seek help from international organizations such as the World Health Organization and World Bank for much needed funding. This way, your organization would be better equipped to meet the challenging needs of our poor population.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I hope you would consider my suggestion, and I wish you more power in your noble endeavor. References Brayton Purcell LLP. (2007). Medical Issues Include Uninsured Workers and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inadequate Health Care. Retrieved October 28, 2007, from   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.braytonlaw.com/news/mednews/051404_healthcare.htm Hadley, J. Holahan, J. (2004). The Cost of Care for the Uninsured:   What Do We   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Spend, Who Pays, and What Would Full Coverage Add to Medical Spending?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Retrieved October   Ã‚  Ã‚   28, 2007 from http://www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/The-Cost-of-Care-for-the-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Uninsured-What-Do-We-Spend-Who-Pays-and-What-Would-Full-Coverage-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Add-to-Medical-Spending.pdf Long, S. K., Coughlin, T., King, J. (2005). †¨How Well Does Medicaid Work in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Improving Access to Care? †¨Health Services Research 40 (1), 39-58. U.S. Census Bureau. (2007). Historical Health Insurance Tables. Retrieved October   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   28, 2007, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/historic/hihistt4.html

Icts Hotels In The Hospitality Information Technology Essay

Icts Hotels In The Hospitality Information Technology Essay The revolution in ICTs has profound implications for financial and social maturity. It has pervaded every aspect of human life whether it is health, education, economics, governance, entertainment etc. Dissemination, propagation and accessibility of these technologies are viewed to be integral to a countrys development strategy. The most important benefit associated with the access to the new technologies is the increase in the supply of information. The secondly thing would be it also decreases the cost of production. Knowledge is transmitted, produced, accessed and shared at the least cost. With the decrease in the transactional costs, there is also a decrease in the degree of inefficiencies. Thirdly it has overcome the constraints of distance and geography. ICTs have cut across the geographic boundaries of the nation states. Buyers and sellers are able to contribute information, specifications, production process etc across the national borders. It enables all to know the comparat ive improvement in the market economy. It leads to the larger markets and increased access to global supply chains. Fourthly it has led to more transparency. Networking and information sharing definitely leads to demands for greater openness and transparency. Whether you want to know the status of the central banks foreign exchange agency or the cost prize of potatoes in the local market, ICTs empowers the individual with the information access, which is transparent. Efforts are under way to integrate ICTs to all sectors and developmental activity. Tourism is one such potential area. Information Communication and Technology is one the most important and growing field that every company and almost all the sectors are adopting to simplify work and also to reduce man power. ICT plays a major role in Tourism sector so as considering the example of a hospitality firm. Tourism includes many sectors like transport food, accommodation, restaurant, cultural activity and leisure, so fit all these sector into one particular form there is always the need of advance focus and development of itself to fulfil the customer needs. Now a days tourism sector fully focus on customer satisfaction as people who wants to travel has become independent by fulfilling their requirements on their own than to depend on a third person to help them do the sufficient requirements. In this processes ICT acts as a fully fledged support and a user friendly thing that even a normal person has started using internet to run his routine. In the developing world internet is become peoples second brain and it makes most of the things for man. So this assessment focuses on the main contribution of ICT in Hospitality that is in Hotel Industry. Purpose The main Purpose of this assignment is to find out the role of Information communication technology (ICT) in hospitality tourism sector.ICT acts as the main source of any industries development and also adds up to the reduction of man power and time, it is also used as a source to reduce problems. Even though, little is known about the extent or level of use of ICT. The ICT has become the major consideration, as it has become the revolutionizing equipment of the hospitality Industry. This study will look into the prosperity for the adoption of ICT based facilities in the hospitality industry. This also covers the problems that impacting the adoption of ICT in hospitality firm. This assignment contributes and finds out these issues.   Findings: This finding says that almost 80 per cent of the businesses use ICT efficiently, mainly to provide information and improve service quality. In addition, some firms had already adopted very effective methods of using the internet for sales and marketing but ignored supply functions. We will be surprised to notice that ICT is seen as a way of enhancing personal service and that rather than a barrier, it is seen to promote quality of service. Moreover, the respondents did seem to have used ICT effectively to overcome the disadvantages of place. Objective: The main objective to be focused on the assessment comprises of all the following issues and factors that helps us understand the importance, development and the barriers of ICT in the tourism field, especially focus in a branch of it that is the Hospitality sector: The impacts of ICT towards Hotel industry The ongoing use and implementation in the particular field The major support and the main value of ICT The successful implementation of IT in hotel industry and its advantages The functioning of it towards marketing purpose and the way it support for the success of execution. The Impacts of ICT towards Hotel Industry: Hospitality industry is a highly information intensive industry, so information technology and communication has a wide impact in the particular industry. Information communication technology has created a new revolution in the world of tourism industry. The tourism industry is a big market in terms of the number of tourist visiting a particular place. It is stated that ICT has caused restructuring phenomenon (intermediation, dis-intermediation and re-intermediation in parallel) in the hotel industry. It proves that ICT has improved operating efficiency of hospitality industry as well as planning and booking experience of customers. ICT has a great impact in hospitality industry- it enables direct contact with customers/guests and improves effectiveness and efficiency of clients services. ICT provides new tools and also enables new channels, creating new business environment in the industry, requiring all new skills. ICT also makes the competition harder and so it demands a continuous investments on developing things and keeping it updated. In all these impacts there are two major areas which are highly influenced by ICT that is electronic commerce and revenue commerce Electronic commerce: This can be defined as a secure exchange of information: Business to business Business to clients clients to clients business to government business to client communication research to business  [1]   Notes: GDS Global distribution system CRS Central reservation system DMC Destination Management Company DMO Destination Marketing Organisation 2Traditional valve chain The value chain changes into a new concept as now a day it is focused just into internet that is almost most action depends on internet the value chain changes to: 3Internet based value chain Revenue Commerce: Revenue managements sounds like the top most management, but most hotels are small and medium sized so every employee acts as a revenue manager. So it is an important factor that every employee is provided with knowledge of revenue management at all levels of the hospitality industry The main goal of the revenue management is: (a) Maximise yield (price units sold) or minimise lost revenue per available product unit in view of average cost per available product unit; (b) Control availability of price products by customer revenue potential and forecast segment mix; (c) Control daily availability of price products lower than full price, based on unsold inventory, time left to sell and segment total demand.  [4]   To fulfil these objectives, tourism professionals need strong knowledge in areas as marketing, finance management, statistics, customer service principles and distribution trends. Implementation in the particular field: The use of computer its technology has vastly developed from 1980s to the year of 1990s. A survey given in 1980 said that a fewer amount of 10% were using computer technology. There were different surveys stating the usage of technology in hospitality industry in operating things efficient and making guest satisfaction. There are two factors that affect the use of IT in an accommodation establishment. First is the type of clientele and secondly the complexity of operations. Considering the type of clientele and their experience will be affected by technology, helps us to determine the level of automation in a hotel. There are different types of clients expectation different types of services. Business travellers consider more efficient type of services as they never want to spend time in any other thing than their work, so they appreciate speed of service and faster technology. Almost the other type of clients/guests prefers hotels where technology does not intrude into their vacation and leisure experience. The complexity of a hospitality field is also impacted by many factors and computer technology plays a major role. Larger the property, larger the technology resorts with many activities like golf, tennis, multi-restaurants and other benefits has gained a lot through IT technology. Hotel Size % using IT % high IT needs % agreeing IT enhances guest satisfaction Less than 100 rooms 89.4 28.9 70.2 101 to 300 room 96.7 43.6 83.2 Over 300 rooms 97.2 57.4 86.1 Different hotels use different technology to enhance their facilities and some of their applications are stated above  [5]  . Property Management System (PMS) Property management system is the main central computer which acts as the core functions of the hotel information processing. It maintains all details that describe the hotel, such as the size, type and the number of rooms, the rate applicable for rooms and other facilities, and also the details concerning the guest called the guest record or the guest history. This also includes various operations such as support and control and management of different outlets of a hotel that is front office, reservation, back office, food and beverage inventories, bar / shop takings, hotel staff salaries and wages accounting and also some of the managerial functions; in addition it acts as a hub in interconnecting the other systems of hotel. Property management systems (PMS) can run on different platforms and different software environments, depending on the size and type of a particular hotel, and the number of required instalments. As they spread more and more, it is the intension of Utell to con nect directly to them. They are grown up with a rapidly high ratio and still expected for a high level of growth. This is the ultimate solution to the no reservation on arrival problem and also increases the overall efficiency of a hotel. Hotels usually implement their PMS on an in-house computer. That does not mean that they should have an in house IT department to support it. Most of the PMSs are turn-key systems that can be used simply by anyone as it is mostly being handled by the hotel staffs. Property Management System acts upon the requirements of a hotel, for example a small hotel or a guest house (less than 100 rooms) can be handled with a single computer to store and process guest information and room data and also generate management reports. A medium size hotel (100 to 300 rooms), will need a local area networks with a small workstation installed in different departments. A file server is used to keep all the softwares and files to allow various tasks to be performed on the same time such as check in and check- out concurrently. For properties more than 500 rooms, an even main frame computer technology may be needed for frame computer technology may be needed for a heavy volume of transaction 6 Uses of ICT in hospitality sector: There are numerous places where the ICT is used in a hotel industry, this implementation of technology helps save time and also reduces man power. The PMS software, which is used in the hotel industry acts as the key point from which most of the hotel operations are done. The main functions are stated as: Check-in, check-out and guest accounting Guest History Room Management Hotel reservation CRS distribution Point-of-sales Food and beverage systems Back- office systems Check-in, check-out and guest accounting This process of checking in a guest can be made more efficient by the technology for information technology. The check-in actually means that a guest file becomes active or a new file is opened for a guest who check- inns without any reservation made before the arrival and following this process, a guest folio is being created. The PMS has a walk-in option for the guest without reservations. The main interfaces between the PMS and credit card verification systems in the banks are used to ensure that a credit card has sufficient funds for the length of the stay of a guest. After this process a guest is being registered officially and handover the key of the room that is assigned to him. There is a machine in the hotel lobbies that allows the guest to easily access to self check-in and quickly finish their process. These machines are connected to the PMS and are active after the guest swipes the credit card or also by the notion detector which detects the approach of the guest. All the process is being carried on in this machine without a front office staff interaction that is it greets the guest, guide them through the necessary procedures to check-in themselves, then assign a room and also issue a key for the room. They also have options to activate the energy management system that is the phone, and voicemails for the rooms. A self check-in machine is most of the time a touch screen and very rarely keyboard operated and this machine can be used by both the guest with or without reservation. Once a guest folio is created at check-in, then after all the charges made throughout the stay are posted to that folio either manually or electronically. Manual posting are done by back office staffs and electronic postings are done by software and hardware interfaces and done rapidly without any mistakes. The check- out procedure in a automated hotel do not require guest to pay in the front office neither it automatically transfers funds via credit cards that allows express self check- out, in which the guest folio is being presented under the door and the credit card is automatically billed if there is no discrepancies. PMS software also translates the bills into numerous languages used by hotels with a large international clientele. Guest History: Guest history is well known as database which all the hotels maintain as a part of PMSs work and it is a powerful marketing tool. After every guest checks out the room the guest information is placed into a guest history database by the PMS. This database contains all the information of the guest that is the preference during their stay and the consumption of things/ food or any other thing from the hotel during the stay, these informations are maintained for three main purposes, To enhance future marketing activities To facilitate future reservations To customize guests future visits  [7]   Room Management: The room management is a important component of PMS which tracks the status of the rooms, which helps the housekeeping to distribute rooms for cleaning duties. The typical room status followed by the PMS is occupied, vacant, dirty, clean, inspected and uninspected this allows the front office to allow the clean rooms and get the other rooms ready for occupancy. On every check- in and check- out, the room status changes accordingly. The status of the room can be changed by both housekeeping and front office, by the notification of housekeeping and also the housekeeping can do it by the PMS terminal provided in the housekeeping desk  [8]  . Food and Beverage Systems: This part of system controls the food and beverage stock that is necessary for the hotels daily operation. It also has the price of the item and its suppliers to act upon customer demands. Point-of-sale systems: This is a sub-system which comprises of payment handling that produces bills; this machine accepts various financial instruments from the guest, that is credit card, cash, guest cards etc. Back Office Systems: This is a set of systems that records all transactions and maintains the hotels account book on all the transactions made by date, month and year. Almost three years details are being maintained by this systems and the other records before three years are kept as a backup. This system wires the sales ledger, purchase ledger, purchase bills, accounts payable and general ledger. 9 Marketing and Guest History Housekeeping and room management Executive decision making Accounting night audit Reporting printer Self check-in Printers Guest folio Front Desk/Cashier Reservation PMS UPS Remote check-in The major support and the main value of ICT There are many other industries that support information technology, as they are also into a vast influence by this particular field. Tourism on a whole has a constant growth with the help of information technology. The advert of information technology launches new things to make everything new travel, tourism, hospitality, airlines, food industry and many more. The service industry is one of the major components of the global economy, particularly in the developed countries. This sector has accounted for a two third of the employment, so in the recent upcoming years hospitality industry get to pay the main attention, which is the main driving force of being the successful industry. The outstanding growth of hospitality industry can be related to the fact that their basic characters are highly compatible with the major technical source of innovation opportunities. Because of its advantage on the capability of the communication field and increased information channels, information tec hnology saves cost while increasing the output and the quality of most service productions. However, the main value added by the IT industry to the hospitality firms is not only limited to the supply side. As an example we could take an instant thing that ICT has reduced the need of the front office staffs, as interaction and time is saved where there are many ways that is made technologically than to use man power. In addition information technology supports and improves the hospitality industry, with its interaction with suppliers and users, which is major source of information for the industry. On the other hand ICT plays a vast role in recognising the completion advantages and its vital improvement accordingly to these innovation activities according of the industry. The successful implementation of IT in hotel industry and its advantages: The implementation of information technology in the hospitality industry is to a large extent changed and is properly planned and well managed. Now a days personal computers have been introduced and which even being replaced by mini- computer based systems. To be well effective the organization has to plan and implement with an overall long time plan. Once a strategic plan is being made, then the information technology plan has to be planned. This should include the clear role that technology will play in achieving the target of the Hotel. It is planned in a way that it comprises of the present and future plans of the company, so as to work in a well planned successful way. These planning help to implement a successful technology which adds advantages to the hotel by its advance technology. There are vast advantages of IT that can be stated in which the few are saves lots time, reduces man power, makes a guest happy for making things efficient and faster. The technological development is a gift to the upcoming hotels which plans a high income and a success. A computer technology in a hotel focuses on four main aspects, Speed: A computer technology is an electronic device which can handle and process hundreds of transactions in a fraction of time, which results in the quick completion of difficult tasks. Discipline: the implementing advantage is being taken for it to perform a same task again and again without any mistake and without any distractions Accuracy: it does what we really need and according to the command, as a result they do not commit any mistake and all the calculations are accurate. Capacity: the analysis of any in-depth process and large amount of data performance can also be made in less time instead of doing things manually  [10]  . The functioning of it towards marketing purpose and the way it support for the success of execution: Every department facilities a different advantage with the technology and the sale and marketing also has its own advantage from the implementation of IT sources. These systems store a large amount of information that helps understand the measures of accommodation and hospitality business. In particular it saves the guest information that helps maintain a data base of the guest profile providing information for marketing purposes, which is a strong marketing tool called pull marketing. Another important factor for marketing is the yield management, which has the record of past performance of a room and the hotel that is the occupancy level in a particular time or day of the year and set the optimum rates that will maximize the propertys yield management programme. SWOT Analysis:  [11]   Strength: Strength can also be advantage of the technology which is deeply discussed and explained before. Successful hotels are constantly trying to adapt new technological improvement to keep them updated and to meet the necessary needs of the customer or a guest. These days people are looking forward for more and more technological based things to save time on whatever they do. Business guest needs to access internet in where ever they are for their official purposes like emails during their business trip. They would even need video conferencing, when a company holds a business meet in a hotel, so when a hotel provides all the basic facility to keep a customer service and satisfaction in a high level then the strength of the hotel keeps increasing allowing more and more development of technology. The basic strength that can be added is the quality of work can be high. This also tent to reduce manpower and low the wages, which can produce a highly skilled human resources. It also allows us to follow the service standard. This helps to bring highly skilled professional as this needs knowledge to work in. Weakness: As the technology increases it also leads to some of the weaknesses which should also be considered when taking steps to improve, as the technology gives you all the things you need there is always a lack of practical knowledge and also a dearth of suitable candidates. Until the system tells you the name of a particular guest who is a regular customer to our property we dont try to remember as it is said to be technological. This field is a still developing field but not a developed field as it has a small number of adaptation in some countries. Lack of jobs is also to be considered in countries with more population. Lack of effective marketing and aggressiveness in the field work can also be a weakness. Opportunities: There are facilities to provide high quality information technology market. It also adds up by increasing the number of educated people working. It allows and helps the development of any developing countries by making them adapt the culture of IT. Upcoming international players in the market would also an added opportunities. Hotel industry is developing in recent days in a rapid speed with the advantage and opportunities provided by the information technology and communication. Threats: There is a minimum thread as many threats are being reduced by time and development. When a threat is being seen there is a development to rectify that threat but still in some hotels these are still lacking to be developed for example lack of data security systems. And the development of IT also concentrates in a few cities only. Large market can also be an abstract as it may need a huge concentration or field work. Conclusion: The use of information technology and communication has a vast influence in all the sectors and mainly in hospitality industry. These things are well discussed and given an appropriate values that would add advantages to the statements given. Hospitality sector is mainly into a high touch service- based industry requiring technology to put it forward. The readings clarify that the exact use of technology in this particular field can increase the efficiency and reduce cost on human and financial services can be funnelled into personal services. In these discussions we also come to know that the use of technology in a correct way can be used as a successful tool. The implementation of technology by the managers is a challenge for them in many areas of the properties, the appointments of talented staff to be professional is a very important factor to be considered. Hospitality technology is now increasing with the pace of keeping a new generation to the computer technology and its development. So this allows most of the users to be familiar with the development of new products. the hospitality once which depended only on human resources and which was a big challenge to face, is now investigating whether robotics technology fits into their industry. There are also many successful stories behind this argument. Information technology is becoming more and more advanced and occupying the industries with its fast growth, as it becomes common and most used in hotel and restaurants, it is no longer going to be represented by the competitive advantage, instead it would prefer managers who could be creative and can use technology and information it provides rather to work on their own. These issues are being as evidence now a day by guest history systems. This database must be analysed and turned into real knowledge to improve decision making capacity and the satisfaction of the customer. So as to conclude Hospitality industry is going to be the vision that is going to be successful in the future with the technological development of Information Technology and Communication.

Walt Disney the American Hero Essays -- essays research papers

Walt Disney the American Hero Walt Disney; When that name is spoken faces of children and adults alike light up with looks of sheer joy. When debating what to see at the movies the newest Disney flick is almost always decided upon over the others. With Disney people are 100 percent sure to walk out of the theater happy and smiling. From the catchy theme songs to the thrilling theme parks Disney has built the fantasy empire. Although he built the fantasy world Disney was not a man who walked around with his head in the clouds. He used his animation and film making skills to not only make fantastic movies but to also bring joy into times of war, fun into times of education, and excitement into times of vacation making him, Walt Disney, the epitome of an American hero. At the young age of sixteen Walt Disney was not the typical teenager. He was not obsessed with how he looked, or who did or didn't like him. His concerns were of the world and the fate of his country. In 1918, Walt signed up to defend his country in the military, but because of his young age he was turned away(www.tudlp.org Walt Disney Biography). Rejection was no discouragement to Walt, in fact, it was quite the opposite it was an encouragement to join the American Red Cross. With the Red Cross Walt was immediately shipped over seas to be a chauffeur and ambulance driver(www.tudlp.org Walt Disney Biography). Even in times of war Disney could bring smiles. Disney risked being captured, by covering his ambulance not with usual war time camouflage but with bright lively Disney cartoons(www.tudlp.org Walt Disney Biography). Again, unlike most other teenagers, who were more concerned with getting the job witch paid the most money and entailed the least amount of physical labor, Disn ey volunteered out of his own free will to risk his life for his country with his only reward being the moments of happiness he had brought to a country plagued with war. As part of his down to earth optimistic nature Disney had always put the advancement of education at the top of his priorities. He was a man who knew that education should be fun and wanted to do everything possible to make it that way. As Disney got older he realized that along with fame comes influence. He used his influence to build a school, a college of the cr... ...rf sized Oscars(Great Events from History. Disney releases Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). Walt Disney created the American fantasy from thoughts pulled out of the far reaches of his imagination. He was a man who had never let go of his inner child. By simply reaching for that inner child he created every child's dream in the form of a simple talking mouse. That mouse became his trademark. Mickey was a trade mark to be used to his advantage though. With his fame and money gained from Mickey he could go on to do heroic things like build schools, work to aid his country during war, build family friendly theme parks, and make unforgettable movies. Walt Disney once said "The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing(ww2.netnitco.net Walt Disney's Great Quotes)." That is exactly what Disney has done and what all Americans should strive to do. Throughout his life Disney taught the world that "It's kind of fun to do the impossible(ww2.netnitco.net Walt Disney's Great Quotes)." If all of America strove to do the impossible everyday then every A merican would soon fit in beside Walt Disney under the category of an American hero.

Genital Infections Essays -- Health, STD

Introduction Rapid laboratory detection of genital infections in pregnant women is very important, mainly because of the ability of the bacteria to colonize the endocervical lining and cause injury to the fetus (1). Epidemiologic data indicated that their presence in the genital tract has been associated with the incidence of urethritis, vaginitis, cervicitis, PID, pyelonephritis and pathology of pregnancy and newborns, and, therefore, their rapid and specific diagnosis is important (2). There are more than 30 different sexually transmissible agents. The most common bacteria are Chlamydia trachomatis (C.trachomatis). The prevalence of C. trachomatis infection in sexually active adolescent women, the population considered most at risk, generally exceeds 10%, and in some adolescent and STD clinic populations of women, the prevalence can reach 40%. Also in newborns occur as a result of prenatal exposure; approximately 65% of babies born from infected mothers become infected during vaginal delivery. Infections caused by C.trachomatis are particularly difficult to confine as a high proportion of these infections are asymptomatic thus making part of the population (those not tested) a reservoir for further transmission (3). While diseases caused by C.trachomatis have been recognized for many years the discovery of diseases associated with Mycoplasma genitalium (M.genitalium) are very recent findings. M.genitalium which was discovered in the early 1980s has recently been proven to be a significant pathogen similar to C.trachomatis in several respects, such as preference to the genital tract and mode of transmission. A few studies have reported on M.genitalium in PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease) and TFI (Tubal Factor Infertility) and... ...ng only one sampling and one test, has proven to be a simple and rapid method for the detection of C.trachomatis and M.genitalium which is clinically very significant, particularly in management of pregnant women as a high risk groups in country. We therefore recommend that this duplex PCR assay may be used instead of conventional methods like as bacterial culture and serology for rapid and high sensitive diagnosis of genital bacterial in clinical sample. Finally our findings revealed that in Sabzevar (East region) compared with other studies done in north, center and south of Iran, infection with C.trachomatis is higher than other area and should be considered in national preventive planning for screening and treatment in response to strategic plan of Eastern Medit erranean Region of World Health Organization (EMRWHO) 2009-2015 (28).

Theme of Success in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death of a Salesman

Theme of Success in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman One of the important themes in Death of a Salesman is the nature of success. Many people believe that success is about making a lot of money. They say that with money comes happiness. However this may not always be true. In other words success is defined as the accomplishment of something that was desired. Furthermore it is about being happy, proud and secure about yourself. Although true success originates from the heart, achieving it requires hard work and determination.   In Death of a Salesman, the characters that are successful are Dave Singleman, Ben and Bernard. Dave Singleman was a successful individual. He was an eighty-four year old salesman in the Parker House. In order to make a sale all he had to do was "pick up his phone and call the buyers, and without ever leaving his room, he made his living..." (Death of a Salesman, p81.)   This quote describes his success as a salesman. At the age of eighty four he was able to make an adequate amount of sales. Although he did not get rich from the sales that he made, he enjoyed what he was doing. As a result of his success life, he died honorably. "He died the death of a salesman, in his green velvet slippers..." (DOS, p81.)   This example shows that he was successful right until the end. After living the life of a successful salesman he died the death of a salesman. When he died he was still wearing his green velvet slippers, which in a way symbolizes that his success is still with him. Another example that shows Dave had a successful life was at his funeral. "When he died, hundreds of sales men and buyers were at his fune The second successful character is Willy's older brother, Ben. This man became successful by taking a risk. He "walked into the jungle, and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he's rich." (DOS, p41.) When Ben went to Africa, he found diamonds in the mines and as a result he became rich. This incident has made Ben's life successful and ever since, Willy has been regretful. If Willy was to take the risk, he too would be successful. Not only is Willy envious but he also idolizes Ben because of his success. Willy often asks Ben, "what's the secret?" (DOS, p91.) This quote proves that Willy is aware of Ben's success.

Child Labor in India Essay

As a group we choose the topic of Child labor in India, and I am responsible to cover the Sexual exploitation of children’s in this country. My colleagues Olivier Turcotte and Frederic Lamoureux are going to cover others part of the child labor such as the industry labor and why those kids have to work instead of going at school. The objective of our project is to aware people of this reality of the world that medias don’t talk too much about and is kind of taboo. The child labor is something that not much of people are aware or concern about it because they don’t see it , but if we think about it, maybe the t-shirt, the shoes, or even what we eat have been pack by a kid from another country that is only 8 years old and work 30 hours or more per week. In relation with our topic, I will focus on the Sex labor that children are involved and abuse. This illegal activity that has reached a critical level in South Asia, is something that people are not really consciou s about and this is why we need to aware our generation to be less selfish and think about all those that don’t have the same luck to have a happy childhood. Well , about the kiosk, we start having some ideas about the material we will use , like posters and things like that but also we will try to reach association that protect or fight against the companies that abuse of children’s. References Carson, D. K., Foster, J. M., & Tripathi, N. (2013). Child sexual abuse in India: Current issues and research. Psychological Studies, 58(3), 318-325. This article discusses the nature and incidence of the sexual abuse of minors in India and presents an overview of research findings to date. Bandyopadhyay, R. (2012). Child-Sex Tourism, HIV/AIDS, and Social Justice in India. Peace Review, 24(2), 143-146. doi:10.1080/10402659.2012.677320 The article discusses the issues of child-sex tourism, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome and social justice in India. Jaishankar, K., & Haldar, D. (2006). Prostitution in India: Issues and trends. ERCES Online Quarterly Review, 3(2) Retrieved from http://www.ubishops.ca:2048/docview/61624615?accountid=8636 This paper discusses about prostitution in India that is a serious social problem and its solution has been rendered difficult by the problem of poverty. Prostitution is widely rampant in India and its main markets are i n the big cities and involves children’s prostitution. Joffres, C., Mills, E., Joffres, M., Khanna, T., Walia, H., & Grund, D. (2008). Sexual slavery without borders: trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation in India. International Journal For Equity In Health, 71-11. doi:10.1186/1475-9276-7-22 This paper presents an overview of the trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation in India also identifies the health impacts and suggest strategies to respond to trafficking and related issues Ray, N. (2007). Wither Childhood? Child Trafficking in India. Social Development Issues, 29(3), 72-83. This article reviews the current research on domestic trafficking of children in India. Child trafficking in India is a highly visible reality. Children are being sold for sexual and labor exploitation, adoption, and organ harvesting. Sathyanarayana, T. N., & Babu, G. R. (2012).

The relationship of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with its neighbouring countries and with the United States

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has cordial relations with most of its neighbouring countries, especially those that are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It has made significant efforts to settle disputes regarding borders and helped considerably in improving the relations with Yemen and United Arab Emirates. Although relations with Iraq were tense after the Kuwait invasion, they got better in 2003 when the regime was overthrown. In 2008, Prince Saud al Faisal aimed to appoint an ambassador in Iraq and initiated a diplomatic mission in Baghdad. It has been a mediator in regional crises and has supported the Palestianian-Israel negotiations. Saudia Arabia’s role in the Gulf War has helped it in developing new allies in 1991 and improving its existing relations. King Abdullah has played a big role in providing monetary assistance and resolved regional crises in Sudan, Lebanon and Somalia. Although the relations between Saudi Arabia and Algeria, Libya and Tunisia were strained after the Kuwait invasion, now they have returned back to normal. Relations were Jordan are also very good. United States knowing that Saudi Arabia has the largest oil reserves and a strategic location has always tried to stregthen ties with this nation. In 1944, the United States embassy opened in Jeddah but diplomatic relations established a long way before that in 1933. The embassy in Jeddah later became the Consulate General for United States. The two countries share common economic interests, concerns over sustainable development, terrorism and security. Having good relationships with these countries is important because United States is highly dependent on the oil exports of Saudi Arabia. Whereas, US is the largest trading partner for Saudia Arabia. Exports from United States also find their way into Saudi Arabia as it is the largest market for US exports in the Middle East region. The US also provides training and support in terms of weapons and security services to the Saudi forces. Saudi Arabia has also bought military weaponary and other equipment from the United States. The prosperity of both countries lies in building and maintaining good relationships with each other.

Plate tectonic press release

For many years people always called southern California Americas Promised Land because of Its beautiful weather, beaches and Its film industry. Now with 13 million habitants it's been looked at as hazard city. â€Å"Not only does the San Andrea Fault, marking the conservative margin between the Pacific and North American plates, cross Southern California, but LA was built across a myriad of transform faults† (â€Å"Case Study For Multiple Hazards; Los Angel's, California, Usa. , 1999). These Include the Santa Monica fault, the San Fernando fault, and the Northerner/Santa Barbara fault. Although the most violent earthquakes are predicted to occur along the San Andrea Fault, earth movements frequently occur along most of the lesser known faults. â€Å"The most recent of 11 earthquakes to affect LA since 1970 occurred in January 1994, focusing in the Northerner area It registered 6. On the Richter scale, lasted for 30 seconds, and was followed by aftershocks lasting several day s, The quake killed 60 people, injured several thousand, caused buildings and sections of freeway to collapse, Ignited fires following a gas leak and explosion In the Granddad Hills area, and left 500,000 homes without power and 200,000 homes thou water supplies† (â€Å"Case study For Multiple Hazards: Los Angel's, California, Usa. â€Å", 1999). There'd many reasons as too what causes the earthquakes and how they started.The earthquakes in California are caused by movements of huge blocks of the earth's crust known as the Pacific and North American plates. â€Å"The Pacific Plate is moving in the North West direction and is scraping pass North America at a rate of two Inches a year. About two-thirds of this movement occurs on the San Andrea Fault and some parallel faults- the San Action, Elisions, and Imperial faults† (â€Å"Southern California Earthquakes And Faults†, n. . ). Over time, these faults minor earthquakes.Let's talk about plate tectonics. There si x major plates and they are named after the continents that they are embedded in, such as North America, Africa, and Antarctic. The plates make out the outer shell of the earth called the lithosphere. â€Å"One way a mountain is formed is through convergent boundaries which is when plates serving land masses collide, the crust crumbles and buckles into mountain ranges† (â€Å"Plate Tectonics†, 1996-2014). Mountain ranges are also formed through divergent boundaries in the ocean. Magma from deep inside the earth's antler rises towards the surface and pushes apart two plates and mountains and volcanoes rise along the seam† (â€Å"Plate Tectonics†, 1996-2014). On January 17 1994 an earthquake rocks Los Angel's, California, ‘killing 54 people and causing billions of dollars in damages. The Northerner quake (named after the San Fernando Valley community near the epicenter) was one of the most damaging in U. S. History' (â€Å"Earthquake Rocks Los Angel's †, 2014). â€Å"According scientists using a new model to determine the probability of big quakes, California has more than a 99% chance of having a magnitude 6. r larger earthquake within the next 30 years† (â€Å"Earthquake Rocks Los Angel's†, 2014). How prepared are you for an earthquake? People with mobile homes and homes not attached to a foundation are at a much greater risk for damage. Buildings resting on unstable soil such as landfills are also at a much greater risk of damage. The Red Cross suggest that you: Become aware of fire evacuation and earthquake safety plans for all of the buildings you occupy regularly. Pick safe places in each room of your home, workplace and/or school.A safe place could be under a piece of furniture or against an interior wall way from windows, bookcases or tall furniture that could fall on you. Practice â€Å"drop, cover and hold on† in each safe place. If you do not have sturdy furniture to hold on to, sit on the fl oor next to an interior wall and cover your head and neck with your arms. Keep a flashlight and sturdy shoes by each person's bed in case the earthquake strikes in the middle of the night. Make sure your home is securely anchored to its foundation. Bolt and brace water heaters and gas appliances to wall studs. Bolt bookcases, china cabinets and other tall furniture to wall studs. Hang eave items, such as pictures and mirrors, away from beds, couches and anywhere people sleep or sit. Brace overhead light fixtures. Install strong latches or bolts on cabinets. Large or heavy items should be closest to the floor. Learn how to shut off the gas valves in your home and keep a wrench handy for that purpose. â€Å"(† Prepare For An Earthquake†, 2014) Now that you know all there is to know about earthquakes and how to protect yourself in them, you will better keep yourself protected from the dangers of them.

Obesity in children Essay

Introduction Childhood obesity is a major problem not only nationally but locally as well. Childhood obesity is a doorway to other major issues children suffer from in today’s society such as bullying, and is the major contributor to health related issues not only as a child but issues that will haunt their health in their future endeavors. Let’s Move is a fantastic campaign that brings awareness to the epidemic that is childhood obesity. Attention Getter As Americans we strive to create and maintain a family it’s in our DNA. The whole idea behind having children is to strive to make their lives as fulfilled and as joyous as possible, so how can we possibly look the other way when our children are choosing Xbox and chips over a nice home cooked meal and a game of neighborhood tag. Thesis Statement Over the past three decades the American rate for Childhood Obesity has astoundingly tripled. Today one in three children are deemed overweight or obese. The first step to solving this problem is recognizing it as an epidemic that is hitting OUR children. If we don’t solve this problem nearly one third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives. Many others will face chronic obesity-related health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma. Presenter Credibility I am by no means a pediatrician or an expert in child rearing. I have no children of my own yet, but I absolutely cannot wait to one day be a mom. All I know is what it’s like to chubby kid growing up and what it’s like to live life unhealthy and unhappy. Now that I’m older I can see ways that my healthy lifestyle is directly related to my mood. Statement of Motivation We are a country that undoubtedly love our children but somehow love has turned into overindulging and over caudling an issue that some just push under the rug to keep children happy; When in turn happiness through cookies will turn to bullying, health issues, and low self-esteem. It’s time to reevaluate how we make our children happy. Preview Thirty years ago, kids ate just one snack a day, whereas now they are trending toward three snacks, resulting in an additional 200 calories a  day. Portion sizes have also exploded. In total, we are now eating 31 percent more calories than we were forty years ago–including 56 percent more fats and oils and 14 percent more sugars and sweeteners. The average American now eats fifteen more pounds of sugar a year than in 1970. Eight to 18-year old adolescents spend an average of 7.5 hours a day using entertainment media, including, TV, computers, video games, cell phones and movies, and only one-third of high school students get the recommended levels of physical activity needed to burn half of these calories. This is terrible news for our kids, we should wake up and fix things before the somehow get worse than what they already are.

Bottled water commodity chain Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bottled water commodity chain - Research Paper Example ny bottled water companies have been faced by numerous challenges, with others even being forced to close down due to excessive competition that exists in this industry. To evaluate the issues that exist in this industry, it is important to carry out a commodity chain analysis using FWC as an example. Fiji water has always been ahead of other companies when it comes to the production of bottled water. The production process begins with the tapping of rain water that is purified by the equatorial winds after travelling through the Pacific Ocean. The water is then filtered for a long period during which essential minerals such as ions and silica are gathered to increase the health of the consumers. The company’s marketing structure has been one factor that has enabled them to gain popularity and acquire a competitive edge against rival companies such as Dasani water from Coca Cola, Nestle’ water among others. FWC bases its strategy on the premise that when the consumers understand that their product originates from a remote aquifer in Fiji, they will have a liking towards it since it would represent an â€Å"untouched water with untouchable taste,† (Sorrells, 2012, para.1). This therefore implies that creating an identity to the customers would increase the cus tomer reliance on the product. Fiji’s marketing strategy has been a success over the last few years. This success can be attributed to the use of ideal aspects such as perfect market timing, a unique product positioning, premium product pricing, creating image publicity, innovative packaging and effective distribution. For instance, they have created a notion to the customers defining that their premium product is far from pollution, acid rain, industrial waste, and it is uncontaminated, untouched and uncompromised. According to Jessop, this product has been â€Å"preserved and protected by geography and geology† (2013, p. 10). This therefore results to a fine taste and mineral properties that are enjoyed

International Organizations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Organizations - Assignment Example In addition, the IGOs influence the issues of peace and security such that they are deals with inter-nations conflicts and enhance the resolution process s of conflict between states that in return reflect towards improved international security and peace. International non-governmental organizations act as an important watchdog over issues concerning peace and security globally and have a limited capability and strength to enforce international peace and security because of their financial dependence on the respective governments. The NGOs influence the issue of security and peace by forwarding recommendations of new measures in the international agenda on peace and security and constant pressure on the actors to act on the new approach towards a peaceful and secure globe. The multinational organizations are non-profit organization, which operate independently whereby the forces under their command are recruited from various nations that are used to keep peace in nations having civi l wars. Consequently, the multinational have a considerable strength and capability towards the achievement of international peace and security. Hover, these organizations are limited by their dependency on the various nations to provide them with troops. The multinational organizations have achieved the restoration of peace in nation experiencing civil wars for example in Haiti. Development Development is a general term used to describe the growth of a nation in terms of economy, and infrastructure. The various actors contribute to the development issues in different ways and capabilities. The state organizations has the highest percentage in ensuring development because it is responsible too... The paper tells that international organizations refer to an organization that has a global scope in the issues it deals with and operate on international basis. The various international organizations including states, intergovernmental organizations, international non-governmental organizations, and multinational corporations compromise of issue areas with diversified and relative strengths and influence towards the actors. International Peace and Security is an issue that deals with the measures taken by the states to ensure that the world is not under the attack from terrorists located in designated nations. The various actors towards international peace and security present various strength and influence towards attaining the common goal of protecting the world against attacks and peaceful correlation of different states. Development is a general term used to describe the growth of a nation in terms of economy, and infrastructure. The various actors contribute to the development issues in different ways and capabilities. The state organizations has the highest percentage in ensuring development because it is responsible too coordinate all the development strategies pioneered by the other actors such as NGOs, IGOs and multinational organizations. The human right issue is a main international issue whereby all the actors take responsibility in ensuring that it is upheld. The state organizations have a considerable strength in ensuring that the human rights are upheld. As a result, the state organizations set the bills on human rights.

Cross cultural management Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cross cultural management - Dissertation Example Globe program used nine cultural dimensions to capture the different norms, beliefs and cultural values that determine the effectiveness of leadership, these dimensions include power distance, uncertainty avoidance, human orientation, institutional collectivism, in-group collectivism, assertiveness, gender egalitarianism, future orientation and performance orientation (Bertsch & Girard, 2011 p23). This dissertation will critically review the various leadership styles used in United States of America, China and Nigeria using the nine dimensions of culture as brought forward by the GLOBE study. In America, most of the business leadership is usually far from the political class and the success of leadership does not necessarily depend on the contacts that the leaders have with the political class (Bertsch, 2012 p7). Most of the leadership roles in America has for a long time been centralised to the leader, the leader is in control of all the activities that are taking place in the organ isation, however, this has been changing with organisations being encouraged to decentralise the decision making process to the subordinates workforce. Bureaucratic procedures have always defined the mode of running organisations in America where the leaders have insisted on the following of the laid down processes and procedures in any activity. Humane orientation in most of the leadership position where the workers are rewarded for being kind or altruistic to the society does not exist, most of the focus is on how the organisations will maximise profits for their ownership. America, being one of the countries that have practised capitalism since their pre-colonial times, emphasises more on individualism than collective action in undertaking various roles, however, they pride themselves and show loyalty to the institutions that they work for; they have a sense of identity with their organisations or country. Gender roles in America, especially in the institutional and organisation platform have not been differentiated and there is no discrimination in leadership roles that can be assigned to either men or women, all roles are open to all genders (Anonymous, 2012, p91). Most of the organisations in the United States of America are involved in planning and strategising on how to improve themselves for better delivery of their roles and for the sustainability of their operations (Venaik & Brewer, 2010 p1299). Assertiveness is encouraged in organisations in order to gain a competitive edge over rival organisations or to increase area of coverage and market share, performance improvement and excellence is highly encouraged in individuals. In America, Charismatic value based style was the most effective where values are emphasised, autonomous leadership was the least effective in USA according to globe. Humane oriented leadership although preferred to some extent did not rank high in the United States, participative leadership in America which include involving oth ers in decision making would not be effective due to the population size. Team oriented leadership was also not favourable in USA and the self-protective leadership was similarly perceived to be practised in USA though not to a large extent. Most of the organisational leadership in the people’s republic of China are more concerned with the welfare of the people they serve and hence performance is not emphasised much, however, the trend is changing with the country heading toward a full capitalistic nation where excellent

Are ETF are threat to the asset management industry Essay

Are ETF are threat to the asset management industry - Essay Example The idea is that the stocks are repeatedly sold while the capital funds of the company continuously increase. Basically, the process is simple and managing the financial resource of the organization is not that hard to accomplish. No matter, the emergence of ETF or the exchange traded fund has increased the chances of doubting the capability of financial managing personnel to handle the competition in selling and re-establishing stocks in comparison with that of the marketability of the ETFs that are introduced in the world of business at present. 1 In this regard, this study shall further investigate the truths behind the intuitive sense of dealing with monetary issues and management among business operations today and how ETFs affect this particular process of financial control procedures. Through seeing how ETFs actually proceeded to affect business funding and marketing, it is expected that this study would be able to see the direct threat or non-threat that ETFs may have on business fund management procedures used today by proprietors of modern commerce. Cash flow in the business industry is a very important matter to consider. This especially involves huge organizations that are funded through financial investments from their primary stock holders. With profit getting higher, the level of benefit that the administrative party and the investors party receive form the business operations increase as well. It could not be denied then that effectively managing business monetary fund among business organizations is one of today's most important matters of consideration when the talk about business and finance is being tackled. TO be able to manage monetary fund effectively, many financial experts today continue to develop different approaches to the said procedure. Being able to provide the parties involved [the stakeholders] with the monetary values that they deserve to receive as part of the business organization is what is most cared for. Selling stocks is one of the effective approaches used by business finance managers of different business operations at present. Stocks are noted as particular monetary assets owned by investors to which the foundation of any particular business is based on. With the increased amount of stock fund invested in a particular business entity, the capital of the entire organization increases as well. This is how stock is that important to well established organizations at present. They particularly see stock ownership as a huge security blanket for their businesses in case any particular financial problems arise in the future. Dealing with these issues of monetary control has practically given birth to the existence of monetary management industry. This industry basically aims to continue giving secure assurance for the assets of business organizations present in the industry at present2. Through this, the owners of businesses are assured that they are protected by securities and other organizations that are providing such assured options of being protected from bankruptcy. Considerably, the birth of the different options of financial security programs offered to primary business stock holders have grown especially during these financial trying times that is currently

Political Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Economy - Essay Example In addition, markets provide a framework where people voluntarily exchange their goods and services for an agreed compensation.In analyzing the Australian manufacturing industry, Freebairn uses a combination of the Keynesian and the neoclassical theories to drive his point home. The Keynesian theory, which is based on the works of the British economist john Maynard Keynes, is an economic theory that advocates for a system of a mixed economy. According to Keynesianism, the state as well as the private sector has their own roles to play in order to hasten the process of economic development. According to Freebairn, the government has the duty of providing a stable macro economic environment as well as the provision of conducive fiscal and monetary policies. On the other hand, the private sector is charged with the duty of carrying out research and development in order to come up with less labor-intensive modes of production as well as the use of less carbon intensive processes. In so d oing the government will compensate for what the private sector lacks in the production systems. In addition, since the government is well equipped to increase aggregate demand, especially at the macro level then the government through increased spending will indirectly increase the demand for industrial goods within the economy.

Hospitality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Hospitality Management - Essay Example Several categories of fields include tourism industry, lodging, cruise line, theme parks and transportation. I have participated for internship program in the hospitality industry. I am highly obliged to internship project manager. I would like to provide special thanks and express my gratitude towards the project manager for motivating me to go for excellence. Every intern is new to the industry and is hungry for success. There is always a person who motivates to accomplish in life. This is the person who encouraged me in the entire internship program. The effect of affectionate encouragement and motivation on my life was humongous. The pivotal aim of the program is to participate at the hotel meetings and gain experience to different areas of the hotel. The volume of professional is articulated by the organization behavior of the hospitality industry. Regular meeting and discussion with project manager helped me to build on complementary flaws and strengths. Weekly check- in meetin gs exceedingly benefited me to have an ongoing discussion to nullify the flaws and enrich the strengths. Time devoted by project manager provided me an opportunity to prosper on the hospitality industry. The appreciation shown by the manager boosted my commitment towards nurturing organizational skills. Teamwork, standard of procedure and service are the pivotal element in the hospitality industry. The effective management of the employees in the hospitality industry can be managed by focusing on building confidence, team building and handling stress. Internship project manager provided a practical example of understand behavior of guests and enhancing the decision making process. The manager provided me opportunity to experience the hospitality industry by live examples, case study and weekly discussion. This process of learning motivated me to enhance the relationship with the project

Which decision of the UK Supreme Court since 1st January 2012, Essay

Which decision of the UK Supreme Court since 1st January 2012, relating to any aspect of Commercial Law, do you think the court got wrong and why - Essay Example In this case, Virgin Atlantic used Zodiac Seats for allegedly infringing the European Parent. At the same time, Zodiac filed an opposition challenging the validity of this patent at the European Patent office. Initially, the UK court ruled that the patent was valid and had not been infringed. Upon an appeal filed by Zodiac, this ruling was reversed and the patent was found to be valid and infringed. Zodiac then appealed to the Supreme Court claiming that principle of res judicata should not apply (Slorach & Ellis, 2012). The Supreme Court assessed the effect of the patent that had been declared invalid. In its judgment, it decided that the invalid patent could not be infringed and that Zodiac was entitled to claim that Virgin had suffered no loss in terms of damages. The controversy in this decision lies in the fact that the Supreme Court challenged the rational of the commercial certainty principle that was used by the court of appeal. The Court commented that in any given situation, only half the parties involved in an action demand commercial certainty. This meant that the decision impacted on the damages and patent litigation in the United

To Find Common Identifying Factors in different financial scandals Essay Example for Free

To Find Common Identifying Factors in different financial scandals Essay Financial scandals are known for their adverse effects on businesses. They can cripple a business entity or lead to total collapse. Thus, the value of looking into the issue of scandals constitutes a study area of great value both to the academic discourse and the general knowledge. This paper looks into financial scandals with a view to finding common factors underlying them. Through a case study approach, the Amaranth Advisors, Allfirst Group, and Soceite Generale are examined. Through the use of relevant literature review, it is established that though scandals are different in the nature of their emergence, there are a host of common factors that occasion them. The study finds that poor regulating posed by both internal and external mechanisms are to blame for this phenomenon. It is also established that issues such as rogue trading, office politics, laxity in rule application and sluggish responding constitute the other common factors underlying the scandals. The paper concludes by calling upon the tightening of measures, updating technologies, de-politicizing organizational business, and the adoption of stringent regulation to tame the vice. Introduction Financial scandals involve business and political misdeeds by executives entrusted with large public and private institutions. These schemes entail complex methodical application of schemes with a view to misdirecting and/or misusing funds. Other forms of scandals may pertain to understating expenses, underreporting business liabilities, overstating of revenues, overstating of assets, etc. This is normally done by officials and subordinates of businesses. In public enterprises, this kind of action constitutes fraud. In cases where scandals have been detected or reported, the norm is always to launch investigations with a view to unearthing the issues underlying the engagement of such criminal activity. The oversight agencies like Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States are responsible for investigating the emergence of this kind of crime. Scandals typically present a seriously dangerous scenario as most investigations point that such scams are nothing but a ‘tip of an iceberg’. As this paper finds out scandals are often led by officials within organizations. The officials are given support by either laxity or complacency by relevant organs. Literature review In any research, the use of literature review is of undisputed value. Literature review enables a researcher to find the status of an issue area. This is possible as literature review offers what other researchers have done on the study issue. On this basis, this study is no exception as it heavily relies on the works of other scholars towards raising important findings. The case of Societe Generale The scandal involving Societe Generale went on for a long period of time. It was first reported via an email on November 7th of 2007. A surveillance office stationed at Eurex raised the mater before a compliance officer of the bank. It was revealed that a trader; Jerome Kerviel, had engaged in a number of transactions which were suspicious in nature (Martin, Allen, Allen and Samuel, 1). The bank bid its time and launched its own response in 20th of November. In this response, a risk control expert at the bank purported that there was nothing irregular in the transactions executed between the bank and the client; Jerome Kerviel. In his response, the bank official claimed that the then ongoing volatility in the financial markets especially in the United States of America and Europe stocks, was the reason behind the bank’s requirement of after-hours trading (Martin, Allen, Allen and Samuel, 1). The office at Eurex did not stop there. On November 26, it sent a second email to the bank explaining its displeasure at the way the matter was handled by the bank. This explains what led the bourse to demand further information regarding this issue. The bank, Societe Generale provided further information on 10th of December. On this basis, the two parties; Societe Generale and the Eurex office let the issue disappear (Martin, Allen, Allen and Samuel, 1). When Kerviel raised another alarm, coming five weeks later, it proved too little too late. He made a lot of profit based on the surreptitious trading amounting to around two billion US dollars. However, this gain was soon to evaporate as a loss in the region of seven billion US dollars. The bank basically unwound the financial standing of Kerviel on 21st and 22nd of January (Clark and Jolly, 1). A spokesperson of Societe Generale declined to comment on the warning issued earlier by Eurex claiming an internal inquiry led by a special committee composed of independent directors was underway. It is hypothesized at this stage that ignoring the red flag raised by Eurex was a serious misstep in aiding this scandal. The loss suffered by the bank is almost wholly attributable to the actions of ignorance on the side of the bank (Sage, 1). The bank, despite being in business for over one hundred and forty four years, it failed by allowing a culture of risk taking to flourish within its ranks. Simply put, this seriously exposed the bank as it allowed for major flaws to characterize its operations. It is hypothesized that it is this allowance that paved way for the rogue businessman to rock the bank and make away with a good amount of money while leaving the bank with gaping holes in its financial status. The manner in which Kerviel was let to undertake his mischief undetected by a bank of Societe Generale stature serves to underscore this realization (Gregory and Anne-Sylvaine, 1). Instead of discouraging the making of big bets by clients, the Societe Generale group rewarded traders who made such risky investments. It is further revealed that it was never uncommon for traders to exceed the limits put on trading momentarily before holding back. This was however against controls limiting this (Martin, Allen, Allen and Samuel, 1). During January 2008, Societe Generale lost over 4. 9 billion euros as it closed positions in three days. At this time, the market was experiencing a big drop in equity indices. It is claimed by the bank that these positions were fraudulent creations of one, Jerome Kerviel, a rogue trader. However, more surprises were sprung up as the police claimed they did not have the evidence to charge the culprit with fraud instead preferring abuse of confidence charges against Jerome Kerviel. Jerome Kerviel claimed that his actions were well known to the superiors at the bank and the major reason behind the collapse of the bank was based on panic selling (Sage, 1). It is claimed by bank officials that throughout the year 2007, Jerome Kerviel was trading profitably anticipating a fall in market prices. This was however done beyond authorized levels. The culprit is accused of engaging in trade totaling almost 50 billion, a figure way above the bank’s sum market capitalization. It is further revealed that Jerome Kerviel attempted to hide this engagement by intentionally creating losing trades in a bid to offset the early gains he had made. In addition to the above allegation, Jerome Kerviel is thought to have made over 1. 5 billion US dollars in hidden profits (Martin, Allen, Allen and Samuel, 14). The case of Allfirst John Rusnak, a former currency businessman at Allfirst bank, at the time an affiliate of AIB Company was given a 71/2 years jail term in connection to his role in the disappearance of six hundred and one US million dollars. This sum of money was lost due to the banking system’s encouragement of bad bets. The bad debts were later to snowball leading to a monstrous scam ever witnessed in the banking industry. The culprit, Rusnak John was transferred from prison to his house in June of 2008 to be under house detention until September the same year and later let free in 5th January 2009. This meant that in total, Rusnak served less than six years in incarceration (Robert, 45). If the original sentence could have been adhered to the later, Rusnak could have been held in prison for a period of over 30 years. However, the original sentence was a presentation of a plea bargain hammered in collaboration with the US prosecutors. While being released, it was alleged that Rusnak had earned good behavior and completed a drug treatment module. On his release, Rusnak was expected to begin paying one thousand US dollars a month to cater for his time in probation (Robert, 45). Though Rusnak was held responsible for the loss of six hundred and ninety one million US dollars, the case prosecutors claimed whatever amount to be paid was to depend on what the culprit was able to make after being freed. The fraudulent activities engineered by Rusnak were very harmful to the entire stakeholder ship as over one thousand and one hundred Allfirst employees lost their jobs during the sale of the company (Robert, 45). Early on at the discovery of the fraud, the executives at Alllfirst and AIB believed that there was no any form of conspiracy between Rusnak and any other member or official of the bank (Brian, 54). This finding may absolve the bank of any blame in the eyes of the public. However, this is a devastating finding since it paints a grisly picture on the part of the bank. That is to say if one bank official would carry out a fraud of this magnitude, then things were quite wrong. Simply put, the bank’s monitoring and self regulating mechanism was in tatters to say the least. The Ludwig report confirmed that the bank’s back office did not make attempts towards confirming the bogus options alongside their Asian counterparts. The negligence fronted by the company’s middle and back offices from confirming the foreign exchange rate from an independent source also puts the bank on the spot. It is also alleged that the internal audit done in 1999 did not bring out the real picture. Later in 2000, an audit carried only examined a single transaction to determine whether indeed there was impropriety. These failures of the bank only present actions that appear in support of graft (Brian (a), 34). The back office at the treasury had issued a warning regarding the events at the bank. The fact that the bank chose to let the opportunity points to gross misconduct by leadership. The treasury, backroom office had raised a host of issues regarding Rusnak’s personality concerns and confirming trades conducted by Rusnak. The culprit seemed excellent in playing organizational politics to his advantage. This is reflected by the fact that the back office desisted from reporting the actions of the trader as the management was behind Rusnak’s activities. If the back office had received support from the top management, then the rogue activities could have been curtailed (Brian, 54). Foreign exchange rules require that suspicious activities should be discouraged (Brian (a), 34). The two prime brokerage provision banks failed to uncover what Rusnak was undertaking. This was a notable omission on the part of the two banks. The Historical Rate Rollovers should never have been used to uncover fraud deals as it happened. The trading system at Allfirst was literary flawed as one employee was trying to run a hedge fund. Rusnak had no knowledge, diversification, skills, and other requisite attributes necessary to run the trading system (Brian (a), 35). The case of Amaranth Advisors The year 2006 was one of the most devastating in reference to the history of the Amaranth group. It is during this year that Amaranth Advisors lost in excess of two billion US dollars over a span of few weeks (Robert, 37). Amaranth Advisors engaged in a very risky venture in regards to trading. This left the business entity hugely exposed to the frugalities that characterise the business world. Liquidity is an aspect that should be closely monitored if businesses ae to be safe. But taking risks as this business did implies a readiness in the business to test the waters of uncertainty. Launched as a hedge fund business, Amaranth operated a very risky venture as its portfolio could change up to 80 percenty in reflection of the energy trade. As this soared, the group, Amaranth changed tack and put onside the concept of diversification with a view to mitigating the risks that were emerging. the group traded on Credit Arbitrage, Convertible Bond Arbitrage, Merger Arbitrage, Energy Arbitrage, etc. Initially, the the amount in Convertible Arbitrage reflected sixty percenty of te worth of the company. however, by september 2006, this had shifted to almost two percent. Such is the volatility that characterised the company activities (Robert, 37). One factor emerges at this point; there were no limits concerning the regulation of concentration. Leverage was also unrestricted. when leverage is unrestricted, it means that a company can engage in trading beyond the set limit or outside the confines of its budget. this portends ill for a business as in the case of a loss, the company can easily go under (Robert, 37). Brian Hunter who was hired in 2004 takes blame for the financial fiasco experienced by this group. Brian Hunter had already cut a niche for himself in the corridors of wall street. While trading in energy futures, Hunter had achieved great success and it is perhaps on this basis that Amaranth hired him. The trader was so renowned such that When he threatened to quit in 2004, his perks were adjusted upwards to tie him there. Hunter was also given the oportunity to trade separately from the group boss and awarded adittional compenation. Equally of note rests on the fact that the individual was given the privilege of relocating o his hometown and trade from there (Robert, 38). On the basisof the United States Senate Permanent Subcommitte on Finance, Amaranth lost money in the region of two bilion US dollars beginning the first week of August. This loss was attributed to the trading in natural gas which led to high liquidity in the entire company portfolio. The John Marthinsen estimates put the losses at around 6. 5 billion. The Amaranth group was deeply engaged in various types of contracts that captured futures, options, and swaps. The company position remained hugely independent on the future prices of natural gas (Robert, 38). Historically, natural gas prices rose during the winter times. This was held as natural gas is commonly used as a heating source at tis tme. so it was commonsense that gas prices would rise during te time. Amaranth was banking on this norm to enable the company reap profits. However, this is an instinctive way of runing business which cannot be relied upon though it wored previously. this ponts to a lack of well oiled strategies in running the business (Robert, 38). Allfirst hired John Rusnak as a currency trader with a view to help in the proprietary exchange of foreign currency. This was a costly acquistion as the fellow cost the bank around 691 million dollars. Through the use of various methods, Rusnak overstepped his mandate and traded beyond limits putting the bank’s fortunes at stake in the process (Robert, 38). The wild derivatives were the first error towards the financial meltdown. It appears like Brooksley Born, the then chairperson of Commodity Futures Trading Commission had foreseen the danger posed by deregulation of derivatives. The idea to extend the regulation mandate as proposed by Brooksley was rebuffed by the officials of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Reserve, and the Treasury Department. While it remains debatable whether the regulation could prevent or alter the financial trend, few dispute the idea that such control would have slowed the emergence of the problem. Financial analysts believe if this was introduced 10 years or earlier, the control would have mitigated the rise of the problem (Blinder, 1). Wild derivatives have adverse effects on any business, the deregulation of derivatives at Amaranth, Allfirst, and Societe Generale point to the fact that such a precedent is dangerous as it portends ill for a business. Blinder has observed that the alarm bells signaling the financial credit crunch went long ago and individuals in positions of influence refused to act rather preferring to protect huge business interests. The innermost government sanctums were basically to blame as they chose to protect few businesses at the expense of the common good (Blinder, 1). Brooksley, while serving at CFTC made it clear to congress that controlling the financial markets was necessary. The financial instruments commonly known as derivatives were the focus point. It is little surprise that ultimately the collapse of the derivatives market served as a trigger towards the 2008 financial crisis. Brooksley was overly concerned about the ‘swaps’ unregulated trading (Blinder, 1). This unregulated trading led to the near collapse of the economy. Similarly the unregulated nature of activities of the three companies presented the necessary conditions for the scandals to take place. For an efficient market operation, there are no illusions, regulation by an independent body is necessary. On the basis of Blinder’s observation ‘sky high leverage’ an issue that arose in 2004 leads to serious effects on businesses (1). During this period, the S. E. C allowed securities firms to up their leverage to levels unmatched before. Prior to this instance, leverage stood at 12 to 1. After this event, the leverage sky rocketed to 31 to 1 (Blinder, 1). This is a pointer to madness on the side of the S. E. C and firms’ heads. It is known that at 33 to 1 leverage, a small decline, for example a three percent decline in assets valuation can lead to a wiping out of a business company. If the authorities had ensured that the leverage was kept at 12 to 1, then the firms would have remained stable as they would not have grown that big or exposed to vulnerability. The firms being examined in this study equally let their officials exceed their normal leverage explaining why the effects were lethal. Findings When Eurex issued a warning, the Societe Generale officials did not respond adequately, instead they took to time wasting with a view to getting the issued buried. Warnings are expected to serve an entity to refocus or correct something going wrong. The Societe Generale group did not heed this, nor did Amaranth do. The officials of Societe Generale affirmed that there was nothing wrong with the transactions executed by Kerviel. This is an indication that Kerviel must have been operating under the protection of big officials at the institution or that the institution checking mechanisms were amiss. The internal self regulating and checking mechanism were in a total mess. This explains why Kerviel was able to wage such criminal activities without being noticed. However, this may point to another issue concerning politics of organization. Accomplices must have been used from the highest levels of management. For Kerviel to engage in this act, he must have been damn aware that there was some form of protection that would come his way. Risk ventures hold huge potential both in reference to loss and profit making. Societe Generale encouraged traders to continue engaging in such ventures. Jerome Kerviel claimed that superiors were aware of his actions. The losses incurred by Societe Generale were reflected in a very short time; three days. This does not however imply that prior to this; the business was in a sound position. This is because before such a position is reached, there must have been factors at play. The senior management based in Dublin and Baltimore failed to focus on the happenings at Allfirst. The role of any management team in all organizations is and remains one of overseeing the transactions executed. Simply put, the management should sanction all activities. Activities which carry the importance as the one carried out by Jerome Kerviel should have been closely monitored. However, this was not done. The betting business is a risky business venture which Allfirst bank encouraged. It is a fact that profits can be made in this business. However, it is also possible to make huge losses which may lead to collapse of a business entity. On this basis, there are regulative measures always put in place to guide in the setting the right amount to be gambled. Laxity in rules comes into the fore as Rusnak was given a relatively big sentence at the beginning but this was watered down to a mere 7 years though the culprit ended up serving even less. The amount payable back; 1 000 US dollars presented a slap in the face of justice considering the amount of losses the person had led Allfirst into incurring. The foreign exchange rules requiring the disapproval of suspicious ventures was also discarded as Rusnak continued with his business unhindered. Internal mechanisms at Allfirst and AIB at first claimed there was nothing sinister about Rusnak’s engagements. All other bank officials were cleared of any wrong doing claiming that there was no form of collusion between Rusnak and any member at the bank. The middle and the back office must have slept on the job. They did little to seek valid information from independent sources regarding exchange rates. In addition to this, the audit carried out by the bank examined only a single transaction involving the activities of Rusnak. How fair was this? The back office at the treasury issued a warning of impropriety at the bank concerning Rusnak’s activities, but this was either unheeded or ignored. The senior management monitoring and control system like auditing were overrated as they miserably failed on the very aspect they were there for. Just like Allfirst and the Societe Generale group, Amaranth Advisors engaged in a very risky trading system. Thus the uncertainty in the bank was bound to reflect on its financial and business health. Unregulated leverage was the crucial issue that brought down the bank. Brian Hunter the fellow behind the scam at Amaranth Advisors was given special treatment. Rusnak overstepped his mandate and traded beyond Amaranth Advisors’ limits. While Rusnak was doing this, the Amaranth Advisors just like the other two companies had internal mechanisms of regulating and monitoring activities within the organization. Outside regulators were also in place. The fact that both internal and outside sources of regulation failed to act puts such bodies or departments on the spot. Comparison of findings Poor rules and regulations regarding business operations are found to be reflected by the three business entities. Rules and regulations play a very pivotal role in the running of a business. Such rules and regulations stem from either within or from outside a business. The regulations relating to trading limits were flouted. Internal and external mechanisms equally failed to unearth these events. Where they were unearthed by external offices, the establishments at the three companies poured cold scorn on the advice. It appears like engineering episodes that were bound to happen. In the three cases, there are single individuals masterminding huge scandals. What baffles scholars and the public alike is the manner in which the events proceeded undetected for a long period of time. With the current levels of technology, it also leaves a lot to be desired why institutions like these could not use such technological assistance. Office politics, a regular phenomenon in most public offices also rears its ugly head again. The revelation by the former chief economist, Yves-Marie Laulan that what happened at Soceite Generale was inevitable offers strong support to this position. Yves-Marie Laulan further claimed that some things are hard enough and thus difficult to control, an implication that the economist could have well been aware the scam was in the making. The fact that when red flags were raised in these scandals nothing of note was taken by the companies serves as a pointer that senor and powerful individuals were behind the scams. Only that, they were achieving their goals through proxies. The proxies in the cases include the three individuals mentioned as the perpetrators of the scam. Rules regarding business operations were flouted. If rules and regulations are not obeyed things are bound to go awry at some point. The trading limit rules were ignored by these companies. Risk ventures which were suspect in nature were let tom thrive. As if that wasn’t bad enough, warnings issued were ignored. Where they were heeded, the approach was truly sluggish in nature. The companies; Amaranth, Allfirst, and Societe Generale presented cases of flouting expected levels of leverage. It is crucial that leverage levels be kept at the right level if businesses are to remain afloat. In the cases of the three businesses, this was never observed. The failure to observe set rules and regulations serves to point to impropriety in handling the businesses. Discussion On the basis of findings, it is discernable that there was laxity in rule implementation. Every trade has its regulations which aid operations in day to day transactions. The three entities examined in this survey exhibit an unwillingness or sluggish nature in implementing the regulations of business. In the three cases, the three culprits wee found to have operated way beyond the limits set by their businesses. System weakness and other failures are equally found to have served as impediments in the success of business. The scandals raised or rather examined in this paper are of big magnitude. However, despite calls for investigations and the raising of alarm bells in reference to the scandals at their initial stages, nothing worthy was engineered to curtail the explosion of the scandal. Every system is supposed to regulate itself fully. A system that fails this test is out of sorts and lacks the legitimacy of being in operation. Assuming that there was no abetting of these criminal activities in the respective scandals, then the systems regulation and control mechanisms were a total mess. Such systems should e replaced and completely done away with. Technology plays a critical role in present day business activities. For example, it aids the flow of transactions in a very expedient and efficient manner. Thus each company is encouraged to employ latest and up to date technologies in order to move a business forward in tandem with present trends. However, the scenario at Alfirst points to a different direction. The use of the Crossmar Matching System to monitor trade should have been used, working as a group would have equally helped. Instead of applying this latest technological support, Allfirst was employing the use of telephone and fax. The use of spreadsheets to feed information regarding exchange rates to the business is also another shortcoming attributable to the inability of the business from taking important and necessary steps in addressing business requirements. Simply put, it is a shame that a company of Alllfirst’s stature could be using the methods mentioned above. Whichever explanation is given in support of this position is unacceptable and unwelcome to level headed individuals. One of the greatest mistakes of the companies though not expressly captured in the paper relates to office politics. Office politics is almost commonplace in every business as human beings often tend to align themselves to different cocoons at the work place. However, it is the duty of the top management to focus on this aspect and ensure that office politics does not work to the detriment of an entity. If a business leadership fails on this, then there is no good in the office leadership being in office. A closer look at events in the three scandals implies an absence of good leadership characterized by political intrigues. When warnings were issued at initial stages of the scandal, the top leadership in the organizations seemed to brush aside the allegations. They equally failed to investigate and either authenticate or dispel the rumors in total. This, in my considered view, was an act outlining a possibility of role playing in which case the top leadership was an accomplice in the scandals. In the case of Allfirst, the preferential treatment of one employee illustrated by receiving extra perks and being allowed to work from home also underscores the point. The key to success in any business rests on good management practices (Barrett, 51). This points to the ability of the management to set achievable goals and embarking on a mission towards realizing them. For success to be attained, the management must outline the necessary tasks in setting up and managing the business. The goals set for the business must be measurable in performance terms. Towards that end, major goals should be broken into smaller goals. These sub goals should have timelines which must be observed. This is an area in which the businesses failed leading to the witnessed scandals. After setting goals and the sub goals, the individual owner or manager must move into action and make the necessary steps towards attaining them. The efforts required in achieving the different goals and sub goals are different, then the deviations should be reflected in the actions or the steps taken towards the achievement. The required effort must remain reasonable so as not to discourage the manager. Caution should be taken to avoid chasing too many goals as such pursuit may scuttle the success of a business (Wright, 75). In this regard, priorities must be set. The businesses studied in this research should prioritize vigilance and caution while trading. The planning and setting of goals must be done well in advance. This enables the manager to understand what to expect in most circumstances. As the business grows the set goals should gradually be achieved as such achievement is expected to motivate the manager. Normally, obstacles will be on the way of any business venture, this should be anticipated and provided for in terms of arrangements to counter or mitigate the effects (Wright, 75). The businesses mentioned in this study should have done this to avoid such scandals.