Shipping Logistics in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Shipping Logistics in the UK - Essay Example Data for the research will be gathered from both primary and secondary data where all participants will be selected randomly to reduce biasness in the research. Questionnaires will be used to help in data collection where telephone interviews will be used to help reduce cost of travelling. After data has been collected it will be analyzed using computer programs such as Ms. Excel and SPSS and presented using tables and graphs. Confidentiality will be observed as a strategy for enforcing ethics sin research. Background of the Research The term shipping has changed from what it was associated with in the past to include any form of transport moving goods from one point to another (Lun, Lai and Cheng, 2010, p. 12). Previously, the term the term was associated with water borne transport. Consequently this extended meaning makes the industry a complex and dynamic. Logistics is described as the management of the flow of commodities from the point of production to target point with an aim o f meeting the needs of customers and companies. Logistics calls for assimilation of information, inventory, transportation, warehousing, handling and packaging of materials and security of the goods. According to Fremont (2009, p. 1), for the last 50 years, containerization has turned into the prop of globalization. Additionally, this period has seen increased international trade and consequently this calls for efficient shipping logistics. Companies and businesses demand for better synchronized shipping activities in terms of location and space by development of logistics chains. The total value of the UK logistics industry was $105.7 billion in 2010 having grown by 9.9 percent in the 2009-10 fiscal years. This sector employs thousands of people and supports a significant proportion of the country’s economy. However, the sector is facing various constrains which may impede the efficient discharge of its responsibilities to different stakeholders. One primary concern in the s ector is the security threats caused by pirates and increased terrorism cases (Askins, 2012, p. 15). The other issue facing the UK shipping sector is that fact that with enlargement of European Union, competition has increased with the newer member states to the EU who have lower operational costs. Moreover, in the late 1990s, there was increased demand for bigger containers and tanker ships overstretched the capacity of the available ports thereby impeding trade. In light of these developments in this sector, it is critical to carry out a research into the shipping logistics in UK to understand the processes and procedures implemented by different companies to ensure smooth trade between UK and other countries. Aim and Objectives of the Research The aim of this research is to understand shipping logistics in United Kingdom; the process, procedures and policies that control shipping in UK. Moreover, the research will help understand any impediments to the shipping logistics in UK an d the problems faced by shippers in UK in relation to other shippers in the European Union. Objectives of the research 1. To find the security issues facing shippers in UK 2. To assess handling of goods at the port in UK 3. To investigate whether there is adequate capacity for shipping in UK Justification of the research Findings from this research will be help regulatory authorities make better informed decisions on

The toxicity of chemicals Essay Example for Free

The toxicity of chemicals Essay Remedy I would not endorse hazardous waste landfill, waste treatment plant, deep injection well, or incinerators near a residential community because of the hazardous threats brought by the chemicals. Even though they are built so that the trash of chemical plants and the residue from pest control, there are some instance where there is a leakage that can harm the community. Hazardous waste landfills are built so that the waste from chemical processes can be dumped in this area. They are designed to resist the power of the chemicals. A deep injection well is a special kind waste landfill where the chemical residues are injected on the soil so that not to penetrate more from the environment and to the atmosphere. While a waste treatment plant treats the chemicals that lessen the impact of hazards of the chemicals. They used methods and even chemicals to in order for the hazardous chemical power be minimized. While an incinerators burned chemicals in a combustion chambers. All these methods are almost perfect because they are designed by engineers to minimize the effects of hazardous chemicals. But somewhat they have drawbacks. If people who operate this kind of methods did not operate well and accurate, they are big chances that the community will be getting toxic. And this consumes more land that must be used by the people in the community. (Network, 2005) The most practical way to response to this problem is to locate a dumping site or a site that will be building up by the waste treatment plant, deep injection well, or incinerators that is far from a community. In this way, the toxicity of chemicals that can affect the health of people can be minimized. But the most remedy to this problem is to minimize the use of chemicals that harms the human health as well as the environment. We must seek on the natural ways in preventing pest in our farms. Reference: Network, S. W. A. (2005). Landfill. Retrieved February 20, 2007, from http://www. ccthita-swan. org/Tutorials/landfill. cfm

Technique Of Montage In Cinema Media Essay

Technique Of Montage In Cinema Media Essay I have selected two films to help me to illustrate the significance of the technique of montage in cinema. They are David Wark Griffiths Birth of a Nation and Sergei Eisensteins Battleship Potemkin. I will be using the points of view of an ordinary audience as well as a cultural military historian to examine the impact of montage on our reading of the film cited. What is Montage? Montage in general parlance is a method of organising and editing the visuals ‘scenes whose emotional impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots†¦..montage may expand or contract time and space. In other words, it is an editing technique that combines or separates frames to construct narrative, sense of continuity and discontinuity and juxtapositions. Classic Examples Bollywood cinema showing a montage sequence where two brothers jump off a train and suddenly they are seven years older Montage of the mall-dwellers relaxing and having a fun time in the mall. Threshold of change In 1920s, montage was ahead of its time. Eisensteins prescience strikes us from the vantage point of the present, when we are at the cusp of a changeover from analogue modes of perception and representation to the the dispersed sensibility of the dital technology. The modern television screen typifies this shift as a site where montage and collage conflate all at once. The viewer is expected to, and does, multi-task, taking in several elements and actions simultaneously the talking heads, the intervening visuals, the text scrolls, the flash news, the sensex bar in a corner, the advertisement pop-ups and so on. Unilinear attentiveness and experience of the media are being replaced by a non-linear grasp of the clutter. True, the average mainstream star-strapped cinema, with its iconising impulse, yet uses this digital possibility very superficially. But already with digital surround sound in cinema theatres, the sound track is an experience of severalness. What montage might do to de construct the conventional rectangular screen we are riveted to and similarly unbundled and disperse our viewing experience is a fascinating thought. ‘Battleship Potemkin- An Analysis How sound image juxtapositions express meaning Eisenstein (1898-1948), a graduate of Russia State Film School, has been renowned as an advocate of Soviet theories of film montage. His montage theory is also ideological in some ways like Griffiths but his is more revolutionary in terms of aesthetics and political circumstances (dialectical montage punctuated by Marxism), and his theory aims chiefly at the audience psyche. He argues that film has its greatest impact not by the smooth unrolling of images, but by their juxtaposition ‘montage is an idea that arises from the collision of independent shots shots even opposing to one another. His central concept is the collision of elements, in other words, shots should not be seen as linked, but rather as conflicting with one another. Eisenstein considers montage as a creative film element that is significant in creating: Dramatic Form Metric Montage Rhythm in the Narrative Rhythmic Montage Metaphor and Analogy- Overtonal Montage Dynamic in building up the films meaning Intellectual Montage The fourth point is the most important because no matter they are ideological or anti-ideological tools, films are made to help the audience to produce new perceptions, emotions and cognitions in the mind and to visualise the invisible conflict between the film elements. Battleship Potemkin is a class-conscious revolutionary propaganda, ordered up by the Russian revolutionary leadership for the 20th anniversary of the Potemkin uprising in 1905. The reason was because Lenin believed this film could encourage his people to support and join the proletariat in overthrowing old order. Despite of its multifarious responsibilities, the film has created an impact as montage being the forms most important film grammar. I will now move on to dialectical montage. Eisenstein suggests that we should achieve conflicts in film by using point, counterpoint and fusion. The following are examples of dialectical montage in Battleship Potemkin: How montage stimulates meaning for the viewer Cutting between the Battleships surgeon and the maggot-infested meat that the sailors are meant to eat to suggest a contradiction and absurdity of the order (to eat the rotten meat). Cutting between ghostly figures hanging and clenched fists, furthered by an inter-title ‘Down with the tyrants! to legitimise peoples anger. Cutting between the fearful faces of the unarmed citizens and the faceless militia in uniform to give a reason for the people against the ruthless czarist state. The numerous cuts in the Odessa steps sequence build the individual moments of terror into an unbearable emotional climax. This is a perfect example to demonstrate Eisensteins montage theory in relation to the forming of intellectual concepts and associations. How Sound Image juxtapositions produce meaning Firstly, he uses images of still objects to line up with images of the massacre to create a metaphorical juxtaposition: through the dynamic editing of three lion statues, he implies the awakening of anger and rebellion. The juxtaposition of these two different subjects of images (one of human, the other of symbolic image or prop) is a valuable propaganda device because it encourages viewers to deduce for themselves that the symbol describes the character. Secondly, in a fragmentary way, he shows the attacking militia by a line of marching boots advancing down the steps, this is to emphasise the militias impersonal and oppressive nature. He further contrasts it with the powerlessness of the revolutionary citizens-victims by showing a legless man who escapes with difficulty from the cold bullets. And as the troops march ahead, a military boot crushes a childs hand. There is also an old woman who is seen with eyeglasses in her first appearance then in the second shot of her, one of the glasses has been pierced by a bullet which signifies her death. Thirdly, there are shots of a mother with a baby carriage. As the mother is shot by the militia and begins to fall, there are cuts to her carriage perched dangerously close to the edge of a step. Interspersed with these individual scenes of cruelty are shots of the fleeing crowd and the approaching line of militia occasionally firing into the crowd. The fear generated by this montage is reinforced as the mother collapses and sends the carriage hurtling out of control down the steps. Eisenstein uses a lot of close-ups of the citizens like the old woman whose glasses are pierced through by bullet, the legless man, the small boy whose hand is trampled, and his terrified mother to increase the emotional impact of the sequence. The average length of each shot in this sequence is about two seconds, giving the audience barely a chance to breathe amongst the chaos. In the above examples we see that montage involves a dialectical process that creates a new third meaning from combining the mea nings of two sets of adjacent shots. Although the real 1905 revolution was repressed by the Czarist regime, Eisenstein does not depict the sailors final downfall, opting instead for an ambiguous, deliberately mythologised ending. The Story of the Montage In the film, the story goes like this: news of the uprising on Potemkin reaches the Russian squadron, which speeds towards Odessa to put it down. The Potemkin and a destroyer, also commanded by revolutionaries, steam out to meet them. Again Eisenstein uses montage to cut between the approaching squadron, the brave Potemkin, and details of the onboard preparation, he creates a tension for the precarious situation. At the very last moment, the men of the Potemkin signal their comrades in the squadron to join them, after a few good minutes of suspension, the Potemkin eventually steams among the oncoming ships without a shot being fired at it the sailors of the rival Russian fleets do not open fire on the Potemkin, responding humanely to her pleas to join them instead. Amid much cheering from sailors on all ships, the inter-title ‘Brothers! appears. The very specific dialectic approach to film form, which Eisenstein is engaged with, surrounds the idea of art always being conflict; its social mission is to make manifest the contradictions of being. Eisenstein acknowledges that montage is the most suitable for the expression of ideological statements; the films last sequence I have just gone through in the previous paragraph has demonstrated the brotherhood of man and the solidarity of the working-class. As a reinforcement of the ideology of revolution, Eisensteins ending for the film is directed towards the unwritten future, rather than the recreation of the past. ‘Birth of a Nation An Analysis Birth of a Nation is one of the complex subjects in American film history. Apart from the controversial representation of the black race and the ambitious depiction of American history during the period of Civil War and Reconstruction, the cinematic language developed by Griffith is influential within the film-making sphere. This language is comprehensive and allows effective communication with the audience. One of the essential skills in the language system is the technique of montage. In addition to exploring the potential of flashbacks, eyeline matches and camera distances, his earliest pictures also showed that individual shots were cinematic phrases that could be edited together into meaningful sequence without a concrete dramatic logic to link them. For instance, by using rapid cutting, the scene in which Lynch attempts to forced marriage to Elsie intersects with three other sequences: first, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) speeding to rescue the victim (Elsie); second, the KKK clearin g the rest of the unruly blacks out of town; third, the KKK approaching to rescue the trapped Cameron family. 4. In the above series of shots, audience are watching Elsie under increasingly dangerous moral and sexual threat, ‘at the same location in time, audience sees the glorious KKK troops riding to rescue, the tension grows until it gets to a point ‘when the two (sequences of shots) are finally brought together which is the victory of the KKK over Lynch and the other blacks. The symbolic arrangement of shots does not only create a rhythm for the narrative, it also generates a tense juxtaposition that carries the audiences emotion to ‘the next higher power. By using montage, Griffith has established the KKK as the heroes of the drama in all these different scenarios, the KKK make every effort to fight for the interest of the whites. It may not be very impressive for audience in todays cultural and intellectual environment, however for the American audience in 1915, the experience was different; this scene literally involved them with its convincing images and ideological message. As a matter of fact, many of those who had watched Birth of a Nation were so motivated that they gathered to join the rejuvenated KKK. This film is a facsimile, but it is a powerful one that is perceived by many people as true, Carter puts it this way: ‘The picture projects one of the most persistent cultural illusions; it presents vividly and dramatically the ways in which a whole people have reacted to their history With the awareness of a cultural historian, we should take a step back from these scenes and appreciate the careful direction and choreography of the mass and individual movements. We can also look into Griffiths proficient use of montage which like what I have pointed out, functions ideologically in Birth of a Nation. Conclusion As I have said, in silent cinema where visual images are the major elements, montage is particularly important. In both Birth of a Nation and Battleship Potemkin, images cutting back and forth, amid the repetitive and rhythmic score composed by keyboard, percussion, half-heard cries, speech and choral, create a rapid rhythm, aggressive and dangerous atmosphere. On a higher level, montage is used to provoke the audiences emotional recognition and go further to stimulate their intellectual reflexivity and perception. Montage is creative and abstract, a cinematic abstraction of reality that is able to explicitly shape events for maximum effect of agitation. Montage can open up new non-narrative avenues in film-making. It still has considerable impact on the cinema, both in an aesthetic or cult manner, like the Wong Kar-wais and Quentin Tarantinos films, and in a political or ideological sense, like Oliver Stones JFK and R Zemeckiss Forrest Gump. Nevertheless, montage is no longer the only channel through which images can be played around, when film-making nowadays is often partially or largely aided by digital technology, the space for the potential of visuals to expand is indeed unlimited. NOTES ON EDITING Editing is one of the most important parts of modern television lest modern television would cease to exist. Creation of Topic/Story The story is the skeleton of the edit and helps organise the edit into chapters and topics much as in writing. Rhythm and Pacing Rhythm and pacing are very important within edits because if we are editing a news story then it must be very fast with shots not lasting more than around 3 seconds. If we take the feature film and look at its basic structure then we may be able to edit the project down to around 25 minutes to fit within television schedules. The pacing will be much faster and more information will be given. If it is edited properly then the viewer should have the same feeling seeing a half hour version as for a 1hr 36 minutes version. When watching an action film such as Die Another Day we expect the cutting to be very fast, many shots to show various angles and to extend the action as far as possible to amaze the audience and in parts to contribute a little humour. In contrast if we were to watch Pride and Prejudice we would see far longer shots with a lower variety of shot sizes and elements. Although the definition of montage is editing, the term montage refers to many aspects of cinema. It is often used to suggest artistic editing, or to suggest rapid, stimulating editing. However, montage theory influences a range of filmmaking including imagery, pace and timing of editing and spectator response. The film which demonstrates preeminently the various uses of montage is The Battleship Potemkin . Conversely, montage is often a diverse and personal form of expression and there are many good examples, such as Un Chein Andalou (1929; Luis Bunuel Salvador Dali) and Citizen Kane (Orson Welles; 1941). The theory of montage arises from the work of Lev Kuleshov, who established the a + b = c definition of montage. He discovered that a picture followed by another picture produces a thought; this phenomenon is often called the Kuleshov effect. Kuleshov conducted a series of experiments, which included showing a picture of a silent, open mouth followed by a bird flying through the sky, which made people think that the mouth was singing. When he showed people the open mouth followed by a picture of food, people thought the mouth was hungry. It was from those experiments that our concept of montage developed. The imagery of the Kuleshov effect is shown below in the montage triangle. The a + b = c definition is useful because the letters can be substituted for other things. For instance, during the Kuleshov effect the spectator is effectively shown two noun-pictures, a picture of an open mouth followed by a flying bird. The spectator thought the mouth was singing, which is a verb. When Kuleshov showed the open mouth followed by a plate of bread, people thought the mouth was hungry, which is an adjective. The Kuleshov effect allows us to show pictures of nouns in such a way that people can think of words from different parts of speech, such as a verb or an adjective. It is this type of communication, achieved by montage, which gives cinema so much artistic and intellectual value.

Gay Marriage Should NOT Be Legal :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

  The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. Yet, same-sex marriage continues to be a highly debated issue that leaves our society searching for answers. Traditionally marriage is the union of a man and a woman. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of marriage reads "to join as a husband and wife according to law and custom; to take as husband or wife; to enter into a close union" (452). Dictionaries are not a biased publication and serve as a guide to what words mean. The words "husband" and "wife" show that marriage is a close union between a man and a woman. This idea could be disputed if we only looked at the third part of a definition?"to enter into a close union." But if we only look at the third part, then we change the definition altogether. Obviously we can not look only at a dictionary to gain a deeply rooted belief; so let us continue with the search for a firm foundation. Elections are being affected by the way people stand on this issue. After the 1992 election, President Clinton, who is said by Human Events to be the most "pro-gay President in history," adamantly tried to abolish the ban on gays in the military. This was a victory cry for many homosexual activists. Then in the 1996 election, President Clinton admitted he would not openly oppose the bill in Congress that defines marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife" ("Same-sex Marriage Imperils the Family"). President Clinton, who generally supports gay rights, gives Americans a reason to believe that perhaps gay marriage is one step too far. Even First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton agreed that marriage should be a union of a man and a woman in her statement, "Marriage has got historic, religious, and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time, and I think a marriage is as a marriage has always been: between a man and a woman" (State of the Union"). In the recent 2000 Election, both George W. Bush and Al Gore agree with the Defense of Marriage act (DOMA), which "implies that allowing homosexuals to marry constituted an 'attack' on the existing institution" ("State of the Union"). It is difficult to find many issues with which these two candidates can agree. So, it seems that since they do agree, we can assume that a gay marriage would in fact intrude upon the values of not only marriage but also we as a people.

External environment for banking industry Essay

Standard Chartered is the world’s leading emerging markets bank headquartered in London. Standard Chartered employs 30,000 people in over 500 locations in more than 50 countries in the Asia Pacific Region, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the United Kingdom and the Americas. It is one of the world’s most international banks, with a management team comprising 70 nationalities. Standard Chartered has been committed to Hong Kong and China for nearly 150 years. Standard Chartered Bank opened its first branch in China in 1858 and is the oldest foreign bank in the country. The Bank has operated in Hong Kong since 1859 and has been issuing Hong Kong banknotes since 1862. Standard Chartered PLC listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 2002. The bank is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and is in the top 25 FTSE-100 companies, by market capitalization. It serves both Consumer and Wholesale Banking customers. Consumer Banking provides credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, deposit taking and wealth management services to individuals and small to medium sized enterprises. Wholesale Banking provides corporate and institutional clients with services in trade finance, cash management, lending, custody, foreign exchange, debt capital markets and corporate finance. Standard Chartered is well-established in growth markets and aims to be the right partner for its customers. The Bank combines deep local knowledge with global capability. The Bank is trusted across its network for its standard of governance and its commitment to making a difference in the communities in which it operates. The new millennium has brought with it two of the largest acquisitions in the history of the bank with the purchase of Grindlays Bank from the ANZ Group and the acquisition of the Chase Consumer Banking operations in Hong Kong in 2000. These acquisitions demonstrate Standard Chartered firm committed to the emerging markets, where it has a strong and established presence and where it foresees future growth. With the acquisition of ANZ Banking Group, StanChart became the largest foreign bank in terms of branch network and profitability in India. The merged entity has a combined network of 61  branches and 74 ATMs across 15 cities of the country. Understanding the global, political, technological and socio-cultural segments of its environment is obviously critical to Stanchart’s success. It has acquired companies in order to consolidate its global operations; operates in 50 countries; seeks to display environmental and social responsibility; and deals with communications technology. It strives to take advantage of opportunities in the dynamic environment, the need to deal innovatively with new acquisitions, the problem of reframing the public’s view of banking and ongoing cut throat competition from other commercial banks and non banking entities. The bank therefore has to make clear the communication challenge and make clear the global nature of its operations to the wider community, governments and the population at large. Research evidence suggests that external environment affects a firm’s growth and profitability over time. Changes in political, regulatory features, the strength of different nations’ economies at different times, and the emergence of new technologies are a few examples of conditions in the external environment that are affecting banks like StanChart and several other firms throughout the world whether in manufacturing or services sector. The companies in attractive environments perform better than the companies that are in less attractive environments. Therefore strategy development is about ‘fit’ i.e. identifying opportunities in the environment and building strategy matching resource capabilities to those opportunities. The resources and competences of organizations also play an important role as they explain the differences between organizations, potential uniqueness and therefore superior performance. The ‘stretch’ view argues that strategies should be built on the unique competences and resources of an organization by seeking out markets in which competences have special value or by trying to create new markets on the basis of such competences Another consideration is the stakeholders of company. Organizations have different stakeholders (shareholders, customers, employees, government) who have expectations of the organizations and may exercise considerable influence and power over the strategy to be followed As said earlier, the external environment plays an important role for banks. Most of the external factors are beyond the control of a bank. The factors such as competition; political, economical, legal, government rules and regulations influence the firm’s choice of direction and action and also affect the internal environment of a bank. The external environment influences a company’s strategic options as well as the decisions made in light of them. The firm’s understanding of the external environment is matched with knowledge about its internal environment. Matching the conditions of the two environments is the foundation the firm needs to form its strategic intent, to develop its strategic mission, and to take strategic actions in the pursuit of strategic competitiveness and above-average returns. The external environment encapsulates many different influences which makes the tasks of CEOs more difficult. Identifying the different environmental influences though makes sense, is not very much useful as the overall picture of these influences does not emerge. The second difficulty is that of the speed of change. The impact of technological changes on businesses is much faster than ever before. Technology has transformed the way in which the banking business is carried out. In addition the competitive pressures are also driving more banks to diversify their product range in response to market demands. We can broadly categorize this environment into two types: remote environment and operating environment. Remote environment: This environment consists of a set of forces that originate beyond a firm’s operating environment. This comprises of political, economic, social, technological and industrial forces which create opportunities, threats and constraints to the firm. For example macroeconomic instability in an economy characterized by chronic inflation, fiscal imbalances and periodic balance-of-payments crises also affect all the banks. Operating environment: The operating environment involves the factors that provide many of the challenges a bank is facing when attempting to attract  or acquire essential resources or when striving to profitably market its goods and services in the immediate competitive position, customer profile, reputation among suppliers and creditors and accessible labor market. The operating environment is also called the competitive or task environment. Hence by considering conditions in the operating environment business can be much more proactively planned. An organization’s external environment is shown in the figure below. The figure depicts the firm’s business area, remote environment and the operating environment cutting into an area of total external environmental impact on the firm. In the banking industry if the Reserve Bank increases the reserve requirements for the commercial banks it would affect all the banking companies in the economy. This is an operational risk. Over the past two decades, commercial banks across the globe have aggressively repositioned themselves to compete under new economic, technological, and regulatory conditions. These institutions are no longer protected by regulatory entry barriers, and are confronted with a marked transformation in telecommunications and computer technology. Banks can no longer rely on traditional banking models and therefore have invested huge amounts of resources in the search for new competitive strategies. While many of these attempts had fruitless results, the most successful strategic innovations have set a new paradigm in banking and have changed the way banks compete. The manner in which commercial banks currently underwrite their loans, finance their activities, grow their franchises, distribute their services and market their images can hardly be compared to ones that bankers adopted in 1970s. Coming to the regulatory environment, banks still do not compete in a completely unregulated environment. Regulations continue to shape banking strategies for example, in US, the federally insured deposits are the basis of community bank business strategy. The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) loans are a mandatory for all banks (in India, priority sector credit is mandatory for all commercial banks, this would be dealt in detail in subsequent pages). Investment decisions of every bank are influenced by capital regulations. The system of multiple regulators can affect the choice  of organizational form of banking companies. While most banks are regulated by the RBI (Reserve Bank of India), some are under dual control of government and RBI. In India, all banks are subject to RBI’s regulation but the framework is not uniform in the sense that public sector banks, cooperative banks, and private banks are governed by significant differences and not all of them have access to the payments system. The Department of Company Affairs (DCA) regulates the deposit taking activities of non-banking non- financial companies and also some activities of Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs). SEBI regulates the capital markets and supervises stock exchanges, mutual funds, securities dealers and brokers, merchant bankers, credit rating agencies and venture capital funds. Companies in the insurance sector are regulated by IRDA. Banks are permitted to be involved in insurance activity through joint ventures/equity participation/selling agency type arrangements. Thus, the object of regulation itself is susceptible to some overlap. Several scandals in banks have led regulators to make increased informational demands on banks. As banking markets grow more concentrated, anti-trust laws may increasingly limit the scale and scope of bank mergers. At a minimum, regulation is simply a fixed cost that must be borne by banks, which does not influence a bank’s behavior. At the other extreme, and perhaps in a more realistic situation, regulation can significantly affect banks’ strategic choices and influence competition in financial markets. Innovations introduced in the markets are often driven by, and in some cases succeed exclusively because of the prevailing regulatory environment. Similarly, commercial banks’ competitive strategies are shaped by both new technologies, and the limitations of technology. Retail banking had traditionally been built around the paper-based payments, but IT has created new strategic possibilities for it. Electronic delivery of banking services can reduce a bank’s overhead costs to a great extent. However abandoning bank branches can also give rise to disastrous strategic costs. New technologies have a led to a great transformation in the risk management practices of commercial banks, but application of such techniques may also create some unforeseen new risks. After generations of technological stasis  in the banking industry, the ongoing rapid pace of technological change has made â€Å"strategic innovation† a viable competitive strategy for banks.

The idea of travelling through space, even living Essays

The idea of travelling through space, even living Essays The idea of travelling through space, even living and working on other planets, has fascinated people for centuries. Despite numerous setbacks and daunting expenditures, travelling in the outer space has never failed to attract people's attention and provoke controversy. Sixty years after the first Moon landing, people question whether the feat, previously thought of as a giant leap for mankind, has substantially benefited people's lives. In my opinion, landing on the Moon has enormous relevance for the quality of life, albeit not always explicit.The first implication of Moon landing is reflected in the likelihood of travelling on other planets. Moon, as the object in the outer space closet to the Earth, can serve as a launch site for the journeys to other planets. Having no atmosphere, the Moon is a permanent base for people to observe the universe easily and provide them with sufficient evidence they require for decision making on a great many significant issues, which are likely t o have direct impact on them. For example, one can learn more about the treat of potentially hazardous objects that are Likely to hit the Earth and destroy our civilization.Another remarkable breakthrough made by the Moon landing is that it reignites people's enthusiasm in the natural sciences. When today's youths become increasingly interested in such subjects as commerce, finance and business, space exploration successfully attracts and retains talents in space-related technologies. These young minds are convinced that travelling the unknown of the universe is feasible despite many challenges. They are inspired to think for the future, instead of being preoccupied with contemporary issues only.It should also be noted that the Moon has water, the basic resource for people's survival, and it abounds in solar energy, a clean and readily obtainable resource. It is also believed that minerals are plentiful there to be exploited. Some day, if people are forced to move off the Earth, the Moon might be the best shelter. Although people have not yet fully explored this possibility at this stage, preliminary investigation is imperative.Based on the above-mentioned facts, one can conclude that the Moon landing greatly impacts on distant future, although its effect is not apparent for the time being. The Moon is the eventual gateway to other planets and potentially the place of residence for the future generations. The scientific knowledge and economic benefits to be gained by building a sustainable Moon base are huge.

Biomedical models and how social trends can affect it as a dominant model of healthcare The WritePass Journal

Biomedical models and how social trends can affect it as a dominant model of healthcare Introduction: Biomedical models and how social trends can affect it as a dominant model of healthcare Introduction:ConclusionRelated Introduction: In this essay I will be discussing the biomedical model and how the social trends might be affecting it as a dominant model of healthcare. Also I will be explaining the alternative models that could be emerging with supporting examples. What is biomedical model? Biomedical model theory is based on illness and health that focuses on biological factors than psychologically.   Health and illnesses were supported by traditional medicine and the traditional scientific approaches to illnesses. It explains how bodies function in a mechanical way and that illness can be a result of injury. This approach is probably one of the easy model’s to understand as it is very specific and underlines causes for the health, e.g. strong painkillers for a muscular pain or antibiotics for infections. It tends to look for the causes and diagnose the treatment. In this way this model gained more dominancy over the centuries. for instance in the 16th century, a lot of people were involved in the health care sector, but back in those days there weren’t much technology. The popularity was with the spiritual healers, quacks and even barber-surgeons,   diseases were identified in the 18th century, by this time health care aware ness had increased, hospitals were developed, care for the sick were available locally all through private funding or charitable donations. More improvements were made in the 18th century, e.g. public health and hygiene received more attention. The use of vaccination came out in the 18th century for the smallpox. Smallpox is a highly contagious transferable disease and there was not any precise treatment for this other than a vaccination to prevent the symptoms. Still in both centuries training for professional was never compulsory or even qualifications. It was really what you knew and how you knew it. Even then surgical tools weren’t sterile or hands weren’t washed or no use of hand sanitizer. It was only in the 19th century when legislation had been passed to make sure all the doctors had a higher level medical training, this is when more people got knowledgeable and were aware of different medicine and health conditions. As the century progressed laws were passed t o correct the health concerns, and the death rate began to drop although epidemic diseases such as typhoid, cholera and measles were not controlled by any vaccination. Diseases started to spread quickly in grimy and congested areas. Social trends do affect the model as the dominant model of healthcare, because the model used modern western medicines that focused on the treatment than prevention. Social trends such as casual work, housing, social classes, environment factors had good and bad affects on this model reason being is because there was a major differentiation   between the rich and poor, health and unhealthy. The poor class could only work when work was available and that’s only on a low wage so therefore could only afford basic accommodation and contribute minimum food for the family. Due to the poor housing condition, sanitation was very poor as the accommodation probably only assist in one room sometimes with no toilet or bathroom. These factors caused bad health condition such as chickenpox, smallpox, cholera whereas those who had money living conditions were much better with better jobs with good wage and good accommodation with food on the table., these people more fit and healthily. Soc ial inequalities factors were present at the time for e.g. the gender- women seemed to suffer more physical and experienced mental health than men. Women’s hormones and reproductive system made them more liable to mental and physical ill health. Lower class women did not get the same access to health services than upper class women. Whereas men suffered excessive drinking habit, this where biomedical model came right in to, and tried to contribute to that extent to broader political and public debate about the lives people want to lead and the community they wanted to live in also the future impact they wanted to create. Conclusion The biomedical model is the dominant view of health and illness held by health officials, doctors and nurses etc. it’s crucial theory is that illness can be acknowledged and classified for example, neurological disorders, psychological disorders. So it claims things such as bacteria, faulty genes, virus cause illness, and if you can’t see the cause it can’t be proved as an illness. However there are many alternative models emerging with the biomedical model. One that’s challenging the biomedical model is Iatrogensis (Illich, 1976); Illich criticised that the medical professionals had medical human behaviours, for experiences seen as a normal part of the human condition such as pregnancy and childbirth, ageing and dying have all been brought under medical ‘control’ and examination. Hence he used the expression iatrogenic illness to illustrate any illness caused by health care. That’s why the health care focused on the treatment than prev ention. He argued that medicines were harmful to individuals and many drugs having side affects which needing reviewing. Medical interventions lacked any real evidentiary basis, really they were just acknowledged. This did not sop Illich, he went on to define what he called Social and Cultural Iatrogenesis. Social Iatrogensis claimed health issues and medical problems. Medical bureaucracy creates ill health by increasing stress, lowering the levels of tolerance of discomfort and abolishing the right to self-care. Cultural Istrogenesis was an erosion of traditional ways of dealing with pain and disability; for example painkillers would be given to severe pain.

Overview and History of UNESCO

Overview and History of UNESCO The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is an agency within the United Nations that is responsible for promoting peace, social justice, human rights and international security through international cooperation on educational, science, and cultural programs. It is based in Paris, France and has over 50 field offices located around the world. Today, UNESCO has five major themes to its programs which include 1) education, 2) natural sciences, 3) social and human sciences, 4) culture, and 5) communication and information. UNESCO is also actively working to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals but it is focused on achieving the goals of significantly reducing extreme poverty in developing countries, developing a program for universal primary education in all countries, eliminating gender inequalities in primary and secondary education, promoting sustainable development and reducing the loss of environmental resources. History of UNESCO When that conference began in 1945 (shortly after the United Nations officially came into existence), there were 44 participating countries whose delegates decided to create an organization that would promote a culture of peace, establish an intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind, and prevent another world war. When the conference ended on November 16, 1945, 37 of the participating countries founded UNESCO with the Constitution of UNESCO. After ratification, the Constitution of UNESCO came into effect on November 4, 1946. The first official General Conference of UNESCO was then held in Paris from November 19-December 10, 1946 with representatives from 30 countries. Since then, UNESCO has grown in significance across the globe and its number of participating member states has grown to 195 (there are 193 members of the United Nations but the Cook Islands and Palestine are also members of UNESCO). UNESCOs Structure Today The Director General is another branch of UNESCO and is the executive head of the organization. Since UNESCOs founding in 1946, there have been 11 Director Generals. The first was the United Kingdoms Julian Huxley who served from 1946-1948. The current Director General is Audrey Azoulay from France. She has been serving since 2017. The final branch of UNESCO is the Secretariat. It is composed of civil servants who are based in UNESCOs Paris headquarters and also in field offices around the world. The Secretariat is responsible for implementing UNESCOs policies, maintaining outside relationships, and strengthening UNESCOs presence and actions worldwide. Themes of UNESCO Natural sciences and the management of Earths resources is another UNESCO field of action. It includes protecting water and water quality, the ocean, and promoting science and engineering technologies to achieve sustainable development in developed and developing countries, resource management and disaster preparedness. Social and human sciences is another UNESCO theme and promotes basic human rights and focuses on global issues like fighting discrimination and racism. Culture is another closely related UNESCO theme that promotes cultural acceptance but also the maintenance of cultural diversity, as well as the protection of cultural heritage. Finally, communication and information is the last UNESCO theme. It includes the free flow of ideas by word and image to build a worldwide community of shared knowledge and empower people through access to information and knowledge about different subject areas. In addition to the five themes, UNESCO also has special themes or fields of action that require a multidisciplinary approach as they do not fit into one distinct theme. Some of these fields include Climate Change, Gender Equality, Languages and Multilingualism, and Education for Sustainable Development. One of UNESCOs most famous special themes is its World Heritage Center which identifies cultural, natural and mixed sites to be protected all over the world in an effort to promote the maintenance of cultural, historic and/or natural heritage in those places for others to see. These include the Pyramids of Giza, Australias Great Barrier Reef and Perus Machu Picchu. To learn more about UNESCO visit its official website at www.unesco.org.

Positivist legal theory offers a coherant account of law as a system Essay

Positivist legal theory offers a coherant account of law as a system of legal rules. This allows legal questions to be categorically distinguished from question - Essay Example This allows clear distinguishing of matters of law from matters involving morality, where a higher divine mandate may be invoked. Questions involving morality may create disparities and difficulty in a precise application of the law, since individual and group moral beliefs may differ from place to place and may not allow for the uniform application of the law. However, by clearly specifying that the law and morality are separate questions, the positivist theory allows legal questions to be clearly distinguished from questions involving morality. The salient aspect of the positivist legal theory that was put forward by Hart, is that it offers a comprehensive set of rules, both direct rules as well as secondary meta rules that help to specify how the primary rules will operate. According to Austin, â€Å"a law may be defined as a rule laid down for the guidance of an intelligent being by an intelligent being having power over him.†3 Austin also supports Bentham’s views4 in that every legal norm needs to constitute a threat that is backed up by a sanction; therefore coercion is an essential feature of the law. However, when there is too much of rigid adherence to the rules, the scope for judicial interpretation may be seen to be limited. Therefore Hart fiercely opposes the predictive interpretation of law based upon its coercive aspect on the grounds that such interpretation â€Å"obscures the fact that, where rules exist, deviations from them are not merely grounds for prediction that hostile reactions will follow.... but are also a reason or justification for such reaction and for applying the sanctions.†5 The law viewed as a set of rules therefore also involves the social learning aspect, which Raz has emphasized, applying a test of behavioral guidance to determine that a person could have come to accept the rules without actually deciding to do so, or questioning the original justification for the

Starting and Developing a New Venture. Nature of Entrepreneurship Essay

Starting and Developing a New Venture. Nature of Entrepreneurship - Essay Example Improving further the existing ideas using creativity and innovation seems to be the most appropriate way of coming up with such ventures. In spite of this, some entrepreneurs still find opportunities around them, which they develop as new ideas. A new venture does not necessarily have to mean a new business altogether. It could be a new idea in a big company’s department, or a new product developed by an existing company. Improving on an existing product still encompasses entrepreneurial skills and innovation. However, starting a small business entity requires patience and strong entrepreneurial skills. The development of an idea to a big venture requires patience and courage. Big and established businesses in the same industry will try to push the new entrepreneur out of the business through packaging and price battles. Additionally, the giants will try to prove of experience in the industry which they already have their customers. To win customer confidence, the entrepreneu r should ensure quality in their products and competitive pricing. Waging such a tough war requires commitment and dedication by the entrepreneurs. In exploring this topic of starting and developing a new venture, this paper will look at the entrepreneurial skills and careers of two of the worlds’ most successful entrepreneurs, Stelios Haji-Ioannou of Easyjet and Richard Branson of Virgin. Many scholars have written about entrepreneurship. According to oxford English dictionary an entrepreneur is a person who attempts to make profit by taking risk through an initiative. Richard Cantillon is credited to be the originator of the word â€Å"entrepreneur† in the year 1755 in his book â€Å"Essai sur la nature du commerce en general.† Stokes & Wilson (2010, p. 1) believes that entrepreneurship is more than just the business of making money. According to Sjovoll & Skogen (2010, p. 8), the creativity and innovation exhibited by the members of a society and at family le vel are forms of entrepreneurship. Hardly do these talents get noticed however, until an idea is put into action. A visible entrepreneurial idea is called a venture. The different skills and attributes portrayed by a person makes them entrepreneurs, while the ability of a person to see an opportunity where other people cannot see one defines the person’s entrepreneurial skills (Sarasvathy 2004, p. 521). There exists a distinction between entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship, which is a rather new term in the corporate world. While entrepreneurship defines both the act and the art of undertaking innovations that include introducing new things especially in the business acumen, Intrapreneurship is the act and art of entrepreneurship in large organizations. Employees who undertake to develop their organizations through creative ideas such as product development are referred to as intrapreneurs. Nature of Entrepreneurship A lot of arguments have been raised regarding the nature of entrepreneurship. While some experts believe that great entrepreneurs are born, others believe that the best entrepreneurs are trained (Pittaway & Cope 2007, p. 212). However, the argument of whether entrepreneurial skills are an inborn talent or are a learned and acquired through the process of experience and education, different accounts of the careers of successful entrepreneurs provides answers to this. According to scholars though, the best entrepreneurs are trained. Greene & Mole (2007,  p. 14-20) strongly believes supports this. According to them, entrepreneurship as a process does not end in a person’

Potential Strategic Problems Facing Human Resource Managers (HRM) Assignment - 1

Potential Strategic Problems Facing Human Resource Managers (HRM) Operating in Multi-National Companies (MNC) - Assignment Example The researcher states that multi-national companies are often located in other international countries apart from the parent country in which it was originally founded.   These multinational companies specialize in the production of a variety of goods or services that are distributed to their other branches in other countries. In addition, there are also those companies that deal with the provision of services that are also spread out in a number of countries all over the world. These include companies engaged in the finance and property investment sector. Banks are often located in various locations all over the world such as Barclays which has its parent country in the United Kingdom but has got branches all over the world. These multinational companies have got high annual sales likely to surpass the economic output of some medium-sized countries. This is realized in the example of General Motors and Shell which have got annual sales higher than the economic output of countries like South Africa and Nigeria. There are about 63,000 multinational companies currently in operation in various locations in the world. These companies contribute to about two-thirds of the global trading activities injecting 80 percent of the investment currently circulating in the money market. Multinational companies enjoy a variety of benefits while operating in other host countries. These include physical proximity to markets whereby they are exposed to larger markets owing to their local and international presence. They also receive host country incentives that are aimed at increasing investment in these countries hence internationalizing production of their products and services. There are numerous challenges that HRM faces when managing members of staff in an organization. Human beings, owing to their cultural, social, political and economic diversity have presented challenges not only to HRM but also among themselves as they seek to interact. The situation is thus made more complex by the relatively higher staffing requirements of MNC. However, such multinational companies pose significant challenges to the human resource managers (HRM) resulting to the complex structures involved in the development of multinational companies (MNC).

Incident Management Team #7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Incident Management Team #7 - Essay Example Nature of the incident and the different types of skill sets of the employees determine the members of an incident management team. The line officer is responsible for analysing the nature of the fire incident and to formulate suitable teams to tackle it. He must decide in which category the incident comes and what are the immediate priorities of the teams formed. The line officer must make the team members aware of the nature of the incident and he must provide a brief about the main objectives and immediate objectives of the team in action at the incident place. For example, if the fire causes threat to the life of the people, then the team’s immediate objectives must be to save the life of the people. Incident Management starts as the smallest unit and then changes the structure of the unit according to the complexity of the emergency. Team development is an important part in the management of a fire incident. The members of an IMT (Incident Management Team) should work as a team, and learn the knowledge and skills needed to perform effectively in stressful, dynamic conditions. â€Å"Team decision-making is a critical aspect of effective IMTs, and this skill must be developed by the team as a whole in an exercise/activity environment so that it can be applied appropriately during an emergency† (Incident Management Team Development) In an incident management team, there will be command staffs and general staffs. The type of the incident determines the whether to allocate different positions to the staff or not. The incident management teams are designed to tackle fire and safety related problems. The preliminary aim of the IMT’s is to protect the life and property of the public from the dangers caused by fire like safety issues. As a fire fighter I have to obey the commands from my superiors in saving the life

An Analysis of the US and Australian Health Insurance Programs Research Paper

An Analysis of the US and Australian Health Insurance Programs - Research Paper Example Many scholars have compared the two health insurance systems and found surprising data that is of concern. The statistic shows that Australia spends an average of 8.7 percent of its GDP on supporting health and this covers all residents in Australia irrespective of their employment status (Coory). The American government, on the other hand, spends 17.6% of its GDP on healthcare (CMS) and this is far much more than any industrialized country and 47 million citizens still lack health insurance while millions of others are underinsured (Mascarenhas). This is a damning statistic which asks for a deeper analysis. The second issue is that the American Medicaid program only covers those above the age of 65 while the rest have to look for alternative private health treatment (Mascarenhas). On the other hand, the Australian one covers all the individuals including the well-off in society who are entitled to subsidize medical cover with the government paying a certain percentage of it (AHS). Although the Medicaid program is available in the US to cater for the low-income earners, their exist restrictions on who is eligible for that kind of health care program. This leaves most of the population uninsured with many opting for private treatment which is costly and most are unable to afford these costs (HJK). Although there exist some strength s associated with the US Medicare program it is still way back below the Australian Medicare program that covers everyone. The strengths lie in the short waiting time for surgery patients and other patients with chronic complications (Mascarenhas). On the other hand, the Australian program has a long waiting list and this is one of its problems. Despite all, it is better to wait for a long time and be served than to be completely denied the service. The greatest strength in the Australian program is affordability and access and this is lacking in the American programs (DHAC).

Curriculum Goals, Objectives, and Products Essay

Curriculum Goals, Objectives, and Products - Essay Example Curriculum goal is defined as an end or purpose that is stated through general terms where the achievement criterion is not used. When curriculum goals are used in a given system or school, they become the aims of education. On the other hand, curriculum objective illustrate an end or purpose that is stated in measurable and specific terms. Thus, curriculum goals are used to derive the curriculum objectives. The locus of curriculum objectives and goals is that they are written at school-district, state and individual level with expectations that jurisdiction has to be adhered to in a respective level. Nevertheless, any curriculum objective and goal, which is developed in a given level has to cut across several disciplines. The development of the curriculum goals and objectives has to focus on states of today with a bias on departmental development while reflecting on change in modern society. Educational aims and developers’ philosophy are used to establish curriculum goals an d objectives in individual, district and state based schools. Thus, the entire process and product of curriculum materials establishment is

Incident Management Team #7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Incident Management Team #7 - Essay Example Nature of the incident and the different types of skill sets of the employees determine the members of an incident management team. The line officer is responsible for analysing the nature of the fire incident and to formulate suitable teams to tackle it. He must decide in which category the incident comes and what are the immediate priorities of the teams formed. The line officer must make the team members aware of the nature of the incident and he must provide a brief about the main objectives and immediate objectives of the team in action at the incident place. For example, if the fire causes threat to the life of the people, then the team’s immediate objectives must be to save the life of the people. Incident Management starts as the smallest unit and then changes the structure of the unit according to the complexity of the emergency. Team development is an important part in the management of a fire incident. The members of an IMT (Incident Management Team) should work as a team, and learn the knowledge and skills needed to perform effectively in stressful, dynamic conditions. â€Å"Team decision-making is a critical aspect of effective IMTs, and this skill must be developed by the team as a whole in an exercise/activity environment so that it can be applied appropriately during an emergency† (Incident Management Team Development) In an incident management team, there will be command staffs and general staffs. The type of the incident determines the whether to allocate different positions to the staff or not. The incident management teams are designed to tackle fire and safety related problems. The preliminary aim of the IMT’s is to protect the life and property of the public from the dangers caused by fire like safety issues. As a fire fighter I have to obey the commands from my superiors in saving the life

Curriculum Goals, Objectives, and Products Essay

Curriculum Goals, Objectives, and Products - Essay Example Curriculum goal is defined as an end or purpose that is stated through general terms where the achievement criterion is not used. When curriculum goals are used in a given system or school, they become the aims of education. On the other hand, curriculum objective illustrate an end or purpose that is stated in measurable and specific terms. Thus, curriculum goals are used to derive the curriculum objectives. The locus of curriculum objectives and goals is that they are written at school-district, state and individual level with expectations that jurisdiction has to be adhered to in a respective level. Nevertheless, any curriculum objective and goal, which is developed in a given level has to cut across several disciplines. The development of the curriculum goals and objectives has to focus on states of today with a bias on departmental development while reflecting on change in modern society. Educational aims and developers’ philosophy are used to establish curriculum goals an d objectives in individual, district and state based schools. Thus, the entire process and product of curriculum materials establishment is

Food Regulations in the Usa Essay Example for Free

Food Regulations in the Usa Essay Everyone has heard the stories about mad cow disease and other food-borne diseases coming into the United States from countries such as United Kingdom and China. Besides that locally, foodborne illnesses are among the top of deaths within the United States. Cause of these deaths, most could be prevented if better rules and regulations were in place federally and locally in the United States. In this paper I will be discussing insight on how the US Government can improve the effectiveness of state and local food safety programs. Food safety responsibilities at the state and local levels reside in too many agencies (health, agricultural, industry, etc. ) With all of these agencies it is hard for all of them to cooperate together when detecting and reporting said incidences to the federal level. Without an effort to build a comprehensive national regulation that cover the three basic elements of prevention, detection, and rapid response. When it comes to the area of surveillance, there is a lack in the communication chain between federal agencies, state, and local health agencies. A good example of this lack of surveillance was back in 2008, when Federal Drug Administration found traces of melamine in infant milk products. However, the FDA concluded melamine or cyanuric acid alone, at or below 1 part per million in infant formula do not raise public health concerns in babies. (2008 Chinese milk scandal) Melamine is a toxic chemical that can be harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. According to FDA scientists, melamine can be absorbed into the blood stream forming clots that can cause kidneys to malfunction. United States FDA’s limit was put at 0. 63 mg, but was later reduced to 0. 63 mg daily. The World Health Organization’s food safety director estimated that the amount of melamine a person could stand per day without incurring a bigger health risk, the tolerable daily intake (TDI), was 0. 2 mg per kg of body mass (â€Å"Melamine†) To eliminate such risks from entering into the United States, FDA needs to improve on monitoring and/or inspection of the food safety practices of foreign food producers and suppliers. A solution to this surveillance problem would be improved communications and collaboration between federal agencies, state, and local health jurisdictions involved in food safety surveillance. As well as promote access to information from multiple passive foodborne outbreak surveillance databases by federal, state, and local health jurisdictions such as Pulse-Net. With better surveillances put into place, the next step would to concentrate on the inspection and regulation phases. There was an article written in 1956 (Eat, drink, amp; be wary, 1956) that explains how FDA does not regulate everything the same. The article goes on to explain about how Florida oranges and the additives that are used and how three of the dyes were deemed â€Å"highly toxic. It also states that if the FDA were to make new laws, which can take years for them to be passed. Another way is to mandate uniformity in product dating so consumers and regulators can differentiate between production dates, â€Å"sell by† dates, â€Å"use by† dates, and if dates are based on food safety concerns or product freshness considerations. Woteki amp; Kineman wrote an article entitled â€Å"Challenges and approaches to reducing foodborne illness† how the science of foodborne illnesses are accelerating faster than laws that can protects against said illnesses. While American consumers benefit from one of the world’s safest food supplies, the existing framework is a patchwork of laws and regulations that are frequently inconsistent and lag far behind current scientific knowledge of the risks posed by foodborne pathogens and toxic chemicals. (Woteki, Kineman, 2003) With proper regulations now in place, working on proper inspection procedures would be the next step to ensure safer food being imported and exported within the United States. Federal government needs to support continued development of a uniformed food safety inspection program for all state and local health jurisdictions and encourage its adoption through federal funding. The FDA has been working on this by developing Model Retail Food Standards. (NEHA, 2011) However, to improve the regulations that are needed the FDA have areas for improvement; such as encouraging (but not mandate) more uniformity in regulatory codes nationwide. Another solution in the inspection process would be to have a secure database where all the proper documents to be accessible by user-defined personnel. There was an incident where a local health department had to file a request for a copy of the most recent inspection of a food manufacturing plant from a certain federal agency. By the time that request was processed, six months had passed and the inspection was outdated and useless. (NEHA, 2011) Overall, the United States does ok in the prevention and detection of severe cases of foodborne illnesses. However, I believe that the FDA should do a better job in communicating with state and local government to better prevent and detect said type illnesses. Again some ways that could happen is to try to get a uniformed code of regulations across nationally. Now by doing this I am not saying we will prevent foodborne illnesses totally but we, as a nation, would be better off to indicate and be able to take the corrective actions needed.

Is Astrology A Pseudoscience?

Is Astrology A Pseudoscience? In order to ascertain whether or not something is a pseudoscience or fake science, one must first know what pseudoscience is. Here, I am going to illustrate the many different points which distinguished philosophers such as Michael Radner, Densie Radner and Paul Thagard have made on what is a pseudoscience to evaluate astrology, which is the study of how the heavenly bodies such as the planets and the constellations affect us and instead offer that Astrology is simply not science, much like religion or poetry is not like science. Already, if one were to look up Astrology in a collection of online dictionaries, there will be definitions such as a pseudoscience claiming divination by the positions of the planets and sun and moon however wether the writer of such definitions knows why or how astrology is a pseudoscience remains a mystery, perhaps they, like the 192 scientists and 19 noble prize winners who signed the statement against astrology Bart Bok, Paul Kurtz and Lawrence Jerome, support it being a pseudoscience because it goes against their instincts and rational thinking which is really not enough evidence for anything to be classified as a pseudoscience. For example the three most important issues raised by the statement which was signed by these scientists proclaimed that: Astrology originated as part of a magical world view. However so did chemistry (it arose from alchemy) and doctors use to believe that the body was made of humours and today even honour the Hippocratic origins of medicine by still making the Hippocratic Oath. The planets are too distant for there to be any physical foundation for astrology. While the planets are distant, there are certainly ways distant objects can influence our lives. For example if the sun were to explode, that would certainly make an impact upon our daily lives. People believe in astrology out of longing for comfort. While some people believe astrology out of longing for comfort, so they too, believe in religion or the existence of gravity every time they jump so that one does not fear that whenever one jumps one may drift off into space and thus this does not define astrology as a pseudoscience. If there is anything to speak for astrology as a science it would be that astrology uses the scientific method. The scientific method as developed by many scientists like Einstein as well as well known philosophers such as Kuhn, Popper, Feyerabend and Lakatos consists of observation, hypothesis, experimentation and verification. As astrology focuses on observing the location of the sun and the planets as well as their effect on people, which is the basis of astrological charts and readings it clearly satisfies the first condition. When an astrologist makes a chart of someones birth and makes reading upon that of how their life will be like, that is a hypothesis. The subject living his or her life is the experiment and at the end of their life they can verify whether or not the reading came true. Verification is strongly focused on the results not falsifying the hypothesis but even for lack of that, does an experiment falsifying the hypothesis make it unscientific? High school chemist ry experiments were still science experiments even if the results were not what we expected to them to be. Thus we can say, yes astronomy does follow the scientific method, although through experiments such as one conducted by a French psychologist Michel Gauquelin, where he sent the horoscope of a criminal to roughly 150 people as their horoscope and 94% believed it fit them1, we can see that actual verification may be something difficult to achieve when it comes to astrology, most likely because of how vague and all encompassing the readings prove to be. To some of us, the fact that astrology doesnt make sense in that there are no physical forces in play from planets millions of miles away is enough to declare astrology a pseudoscience. However, as is pointed out by various astrologists, Einsteins theory of curved space seemed absurd until it was proven true and many similarly absurd proposals are still considered science. Philosophers through the ages have also debated (although mostly just agreed) that astronomy is a pseudoscience. One of the most famous demarcations of science is Karl Poppers theory of falsifiability; however astrology cant be classified be a pseudoscience using this. Thagard brought up the points very well in his article Why is astrology a pseudoscience that Popper himself said that no observation ever guarantees falsification because the hypotheses can always be changed and thus falsification can only be a category if a better theory is invented2. Thus although no hypotheses made by astrologists can convince them that astrology doesnt work, astrology can technically be replaced by a modern day Ptolemy- maybe the composition of the planets affect us instead of the gods that rule them or something and thus is falsifiable. Speaking of the gods however, therein lays one of the greatest weak points that show astrology as something that isnt very scientific. Science is the same through all languages, hydrogen is still an atom made of a proton no matter whether its name is in English or Chinese. The planets, named after Greek gods are not the same across languages yet names of things appear to be of the utmost importance to astrologers. Venus who is named after the goddess of love deals with the emotional side of things while Mars is the god of war and thus if youre born under the house of Mars you will be evil,  warlike and contentious because of [your] choleric nature3. Even more worrisome is that the 12 zodiac constellations arose from the Babylonians around the same time the Chinese and Hindus had 28 constellations. Furthermore, the names of the constellations appear to also affect people who are born when theyre in the sky, for example people that are born when the sun is in the quadrant of the sky where Aries the Ram is are supposed be aggressive and assertive like the animal itself. This leads us to the various marks of pseudoscience that D. and M. Radner have set out of which being able to satisfy any one of these conditions is considered to be unscientific4. Anachronistic Thinking Their first demarcation refers to reverting to age old theories that once held fruition in the past. Astrology is a fairly age old theory that was the origins of astronomy whereby in the past astrologers were also astronomers and observed the movements of the planets and the stars. As the correlations of the position of the planets and stars appear to have been passed down from the beginning of astrology from observations made on how the planets affect people from thousands of years B.C., this does seem to apply. Furthermore the moon and the sun are still considered planets in astrology and one would think if Astrology was kept up to date, that someone would have removed them from the equation. In comparison, in order to see the effects of drugs on people we have textbooks which would have new editions every few years to show new findings and remove findings that have been proven false. The main textbook of astrology is still Ptolemys  Tetrabiblos  which was written in 200 AD. In Thagards article Why astrology is a pseudoscience Thagard also proclaims that astrology is uncritical and unprogressive because it never tries to solve unsolved problems like what happens in natural disasters where people with many difference charts, star signs, houses all die in the same way2. Looking for mysteries While astrology does not appear to be deal with mysteries of human experience such as UFOs, there are many mysteries associated with something that is supposed to be scientific. If one were to look up the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, one would find the same answer from any knowledgeable chemist. If one were to ask 10 different astrologers for their horoscope, one would find many different readings which opens the questions as to which reading is the correct reading. For example a collaboration of studies show that in a group of 559 astrologers when 5- 30 of them are asked to agree or disagree with a given reading of 762 different birth charts, most of them cant even agree that each chart means the same thing. Appeals to Myths Astrology does not actually appeal to myths, instead a quick browse of the Journal of Astrology website would show that it does appeal to old readings that have come true6, namely those made to estimate political outcomes and lives and deaths. However, absent on the site are indication of the numbers or examples of death predictions that have not come true. The grab-bag approach to evidence Astrology does appear to favour large amounts of evidence in that astrologers refer to how many readings in the past have come true (disregarding those that havent) and this method is helped along through the popularity of daily horoscopes in our newspapers whereby every horoscope can most likely correspond to every person. In fact the collaboration of 54 studies that have tested astrologers by giving them charts and telling them to match their owners showed that the average rate of success was the same as if you or I randomly matched them. Irrefutable Hypotheses While astrology is not irrefutable there are many ways and loopholes which allow it to never reach that point. For example, if a reading is wrong a) the person taking the reading could be deluding themselves and really are what the reading says b) the astrologer could have read it wrong c) The person lied about their location of birth and time d) this particular astrologer made it up but the next may make a true reading. The list of possible causes for already vague readings to be wrong that doesnt disprove astrology in any way can go on and on as there is no possible control to be tested (i.e. someone who isnt under the influence of the stars). It is because of the ease at which these wrong hypothesises can be explained and are explained that causes Popper to claim that astrology is irrational and Kuhn to claim it to be astrologys downfall when it comes to being a science as it means their results will never lead to any sort of further research or progression2,7. Argument from spurious similarity A mark of pseudoscience is that the pseudoscientific has a base of principles which are already part of legitimate science. Astrology definitely has a basis in astronomy however there was once a time where astronomy was based on astrology and the star charts and movements of planets used in astrology would coincide with those used in astronomy. Explanation by scenario Astrology uses its own laws to explain different readings and conclusions. For example Uranus is likely a cooling planet due to its modern rulership of Saturns traditional sign Aquarius . These rules and laws most likely originated from original scientific observations of the ecliptic rotations of the planets when it was believed that everything revolved around the earth (seeing as the moon and the sun were classified as planets) and then further built upon with various theories from the Gods they are named after, for example Jupiter is the chief of the gods and thus can rule over other gods. Research of Exegesis Astrologers are selective in their use of scientific research, they do not as many pseudo scientists do, which is to simply take science as statements instead of looking for the reasoning and facts beneath but they do not take into account all scientific research either. For example Michel Gauquelin in an experiment found that there is a greater than chance association of people who are born under Saturns rising or zenith to be scientists and that example may be used by astrologers as a scientific experiment that supports astrology. However, experiments looking at horoscopes of twins born in the same location and at the same time with drastically different futures lay hidden beneath the carpet. Refusal to revise in light of criticism This mark of pseudoscience is something that relates greatly to astrology. Because the Earth is not perfectly spherical, the axis of the earth tilts back and forth in a 26000 year cycles and due to this, the quadrants the constellations occupy in the sky no longer befit with that of when astrology charts were created thousands of years ago. This is called precession and is a problem that astrologers are yet to answer especially since they continue to make predictions as if the constellations still occupy the same part of the sky they use to. Furthermore with the invention of modern day hospitals and caesarean births that causes the time of birth to be different by many hours and sometimes preserves a baby that would have otherwise died, there presents lots of problems with something that is calculated from ones birth time. Apart from fore filling many of the marks of pseudoscience D. and M. Radner have listed, astrology is a topic that has been criticized by many philosophers. Diesing pointed out that astrologers do not collaborate with other scientists like many of the sciences do8, Feyerabend compared it to medieval astronomy whereby it had interesting ideas but they werent developed through any kind of proper research in order to understand how it worked9. Grey in a summarization points out that astrology has a lack of controls and has ill defined concepts that cant be refined and are hard to test10. Most of these philosophers seem to agree that while science is continuously being challenged by anomalies, new theories and results which allow it to progress; astronomy tends to reject these occurrences and thus becomes stagnant. Criticism for astrology does not only stop here even as far back as 44 BC there existed documented criticism against astrology and example of this would be the critique written by Marcus Tullius Cicero who was a Roman statesman. One of his best points was that people do not expect childrens personality or behaviours to be affected by the weather conditions in which they are born and these conditions obviously have by far more effects on a person than dim lights which shine in the sky. He continues that even if children born in the month of December were in some way to be similar how would one know it is not because they were born in cold weather as opposed to the sun rising while a constellation is in the sky11?   This was a very valid point at the time when it was written and thinking along the same lines creates a variety of problems which would be difficult for an astrologist to answer such as why doesnt the amount and gender of people in the immediate vicinity of the baby being born affect the babys personality instead of the stars. Conclusion While it is clear that astrology is a pseudoscience as described by many famous philosophers like Thagard, Kuhn and Feyerabend, I propose that astronomy ought to be classified as something that is not science as opposed to fake science. Because astrology was the origins of astronomy and thus is somewhat intimately connected with science and yet so obviously not scientific, there has been much debate as to its status. However, I would like to point out that it is the scientists who are concerned with the accuracy and effectiveness of the tests conducted on astrology and that, astrologists, while being dismissive of all negative results and findings are really more concerned with the satisfaction of those that seek their wisdom. Rather, astronomy is really more like a religion where people have faith in things that cannot be seen and is rather successful at making people feel connected to society. It provides a way for us to describe ourselves and realize qualities in ourselves and gen erally there are fairly little negative impacts in believing in something like astrology (apart from maybe an unhappy boy who you dont want to date because hes Aquarius). Even better, while it affords the same degree of actual use as a placebo, tests for the accuracy of astrology show as much or as little result as tests for the effectiveness of prayers and instead of having to pay weekly to fund the Church, all you have to do is get your chart made once and from then on, are able to blame the stars for your failings. As Leahey and Leahey said, astrology provides a means for pursuit of happiness and is in a way like a cheap method of psychology where you can discover yourself while letting the stars take the blame for any bad attributes you have and yet be comforted at the same time since there is no God to judge you at the end.

The Use Of Irony In The Stone :: essays research papers

Irony is an important literary device in many stories and there are many examples of it in 'The Stone Boy'; by Gina Berriault, Animal Farm by George Orwell, and The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In all of these works, irony plays an important role in the plot of the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 'The Stone Boy';, the title of the story is a good example of irony. The title indicates to the reader that Arnold has no feelings and is like a stone. The irony here is that Arnold cares more about Eugie than anybody, he just doesn't know how to express it. Although Arnold did not start out as a 'stone boy';, by the end of the story the other characters' actions forced Arnold to 'build a wall'; around himself so his feelings couldn't be hurt anymore.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George Orwell also used irony in the plot of Animal Farm. In the beginning of the story, Old Major talks about rebelling from Mr. Jones 'administration';. Mr. Jones' way of running things was in a sense a form of capitalism. The animals had an idea about a socialist form of government. This existed for a short period of time when the animals had all the power. When Napoleon took charge, he gradually gained power and after a while the farm was soon under the rule of a capitalist. This change in government ultimately led to the downfall of the farm. This a good example of irony, because capitalism was the thing the animals were trying to get away from, and in the end it led to their downfall. At another point in the story, when Boxer is being taken to the 'hospital';, he is really being taken to a slaughter house. The animals think that Boxer's life is going to be saved, when it was really being taken away from him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare uses different forms of irony in many ways. First of all, the Friar marries Romeo and Juliet to end their families feud, but the marriage ends up leading to their death. This is an example of situational irony. Another example of irony is when Juliet's parents are planning a wedding for her, when she is already

Vodka on Sunday :: essays research papers

Den umulige generation A new study from Berlingske Tidende with 300 Danish managers shows that the new generation has too high expectations and expects to become managing director without even having the experience. 78% of the Danish managers think that the young employees under 30 years are more demanding than others and they do not even want to work overtime. The managing director Erik Sà ¸ndergaard says that there are no connections between the young employees’ effort and the ambition. Sà ¸ndergaard’s solution is that the new employees should know about the job through trainee-posts. Young people are spoiled and it is the parents’ fault. They give them everything they need. And then the young people have never had any confrontations. And when both parts in a relationship want to have a career it is almost impossible. Another managing director Peter Grà ¸nlund sees this development as a positive thing. He thinks that the young employees want higher challenges. And they do not want to do the same thing for a long time. Now there are also a balance between work and private life. This new progress is healthy, but it puts the management under a lot of pressure. The demanding generation has not only got high expectations considering the job alone, they also want friends, a great family and hobbies which are more important than work. Half of the young people in the research would say no to do overtime at work if they had a private arrangement. Money does not even seem to be the biggest deal. They think the companies should hire more employees instead of expecting them to do overtime. This new challenge will take a lot of convincing to do for the politicians, because the generation does not think they owe anything to the society. Vodka on Sunday (An Irish short story) In Fiona Gartland’s short story â€Å"Vodka on Sunday† we experience a family with a faà §ade that they have been living with their entire life together. In this story we see how something you have done in your past can haunt you in generations, and that it can never be disguised or forgotten. â€Å"Vodka on Sunday† takes place in a family of high rank where the father enjoys football on Sundays and the wife prefers to stay at home appreciating a nice drink. The frame of the home with the crystal lamp gives us an impression of a wealthy family.

Gatsby: Nature of Romantic Love Essay

The Great Gatsby is a story about a man, Gatsby, who is stuck in alternate reality. He is stuck in a past life and wants to remain in it forever. The Great Gatsby reflects a story about the great American dream and, as some may view, a beautiful love story. The Great Gatsby is not a story about perfect love. In fact, it actually mocks the notion that love having no flaws. Fitzgerald writes about the corruption of love and illustrates the obstacles and dangers of corrupted love. The â€Å"love† presented in The Great Gatsby is unethical. Fitzgerald depicts the nature of love in the novel to revolve around obsession, self-destruction, and greed. The Great Gatsby lacks true love and affection to make it a perfect love story. Gatsby is a character with an unrealistic conscience. He is blinded by an idea of love that only he can see. The love he sees is not true love, but in fact an obsession with lust. Helen Fisher, an anthropologist who studies human behavior states in â€Å"The Brain In Love†, â€Å"Romantic love is an addiction†¦a perfectly horrible addiction when it’s going poorly. And indeed it has all the characteristics of an addiction. You focus on the person, you obsessively think about them, you crave them.† This quote taken from a TED Talk portrays Gatsby’s nature of love perfectly. He is addicted to the idea of Daisy. The addiction is horrible because all he does is focus on her and only her. Even though he has not spoken to her in years after the war, he still craves her. It is very clear that Fitzgerald wanted the audience to notice Gatsby’s frightening obsession with Daisy. He follows her every move. He becomes rich for her and buys a mansion for he and holds countless outrageous parties, all because of her. Gatsby says, â€Å"Look at this. Here is a lot of clippings-about you† (Fitzgerald 90). Gatsby documents Daisy’s life. He creates a scrapbook with countless pages regarding Daisy’s life. He collects every possible thing that relates to Daisy. He alters his life to make Daisy love him. â€Å"Infatuation then develops in a specific  psychobiological pattern†¦beginning with intrusive thinking† (The Nature of Romantic Love). This applies directly to Gatsby’s behavior. He consumes his time thinking about Daisy and planning his life accordingly to Daisy’s likes, dislikes, and interests. And after being rejected, the obsession worsens. Daisy has countless flaws including being indecisive, cowardly, and materialistic. She is not the type of person someone would typically fall in love with. But once again, the element of Gatsby’s obsession comes into play. His obsession causes blindness and he is unable to see Daisy’s flaws. In Helen Fisher’s â€Å"The Nature of Romantic Love she states, â€Å"But the limerent casts these flaws aside and fixates on those characteristics that he or she finds unique and charming† (The Nature of Romantic Love). Gatsby’s fixation on Daisy obliges him to only see the good in Daisy that was barely even there anymore. She doesn’t have the best qualities. She has the power to leave Tom, yet she doesn’t. Why? Because she has everything she needs by staying with him. He supplies her with money, luxuries, and lives a comfortable life with him. Daisy puts her wants before the feelings and regards of others. Gatsby is sightless when it comes to pointing out Daisy’s negative qualities. The love presented in The Great Gatsby is self-destructive. It breaks Gatsby and forces him to partake in illegal activities to impress his significant other. The terrible obsession Gatsby has for Daisy causes him to not see the real Daisy. He is in love with the Daisy from the past. This essentially ruins him. He is not in love with the cowardly, shallow Daisy, but the sweet, comforting one from the past. Gatsby’s reality distorts after Daisy leaves him. Helen Fisher states in her TED talk, â€Å"You distort reality. Your willingness to take enormous risks to win this person.† Gatsby does just this. He corrupts and endangers his life because of his willingness to do anything for Daisy. He misrepresents his reality and does not see any harm in part icipating in illegal things. Gatsby takes risks for Daisy. In Helen Fishers TED talk she explains that this is a factor of love. Fitzgerald illustrates this factor in his novel by developing Jay Gatsby’s character into someone who will take massive risks. He is willing to jeopardize his own life to impress Daisy. Tom Buchanan says, â€Å"That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far wrong† (Fitzgerald 134). In this statement, Tom is reflecting his opinions on Gatsby, believing that Gatsby  contributes to unjust acts. Tom was correct. Gatsby does partake in illegal activities and slowly destroys his reputation by doing so. People know of Gatsby’s misdemeanors. This is just another example of how unethical the love that exists in the novel really is. The love depicted in The Great Gatsby revolves around greed. The environment Daisy was raised in caused her to only view a materialistic life. Helen Fisher writes, â€Å"Culture, for example, plays an essential role in one’s choice of partner and the timing and process of courting.† Daisy grows up in a very luxurious environment, where money is a factor that contributes to a person’s personality. Why does Daisy suddenly fall back in â€Å" love† with Gatsby when he finally acquires a lot of money? Daisy’s idea of love is blinded with greed. For many years, she forgets about Gatsby when he goes to war and focuses and devotes her life to Tom Buchanan. Tom, a man of wealth, gives Daisy all she need, except love. Tom has multiple affairs with other mistresses, yet this does not bother Daisy. She is content living her life with Tom until Gatsby reveals himself. She falls back in love with Gatsby due to the amount of money he has. Only then does she decide to pursue a relationship with him. Daisy acts like a coward in the novel. Greed is what she has fallen in love with, not Gatsby nor Tom. Dais y’s greed gets in the way of the love that could have been between Gatsby and herself. Daisy’s importance in life orbits around material comforts. She says, â€Å"They’re such beautiful shirts it makes me sad because I have never seen such beautiful shirts† (Fitzgerald 89). The stunning silk shirts represent all of the material luxuries Daisy obsesses over. She has fallen in love with the idea of Gatsby, but not him. Both Daisy and Gatsby confuse greed with love. They long for money and material possessions and corrupt love to fulfill their American Dreams. He believes money will bring him anything, even Daisy’s love. Fitzgerald writes in his novel, â€Å"Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay. He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths — so that he could ‘come over’ some afternoon to a stranger’s garden† (78). Gatsby spends hundreds of thousands buying a mansion out of greed. He is ravenous for Daisy’s attention. Daisy represents a life filled with luxuries and money and essentially, the Am erican Dream. Gatsby was never able to let that idea go so he devotes the majority of his time to Daisy. Fitzgerald’s novel represents a life full of corruption and mimics the idea of love. It intertwines the ideas of obsession, destruction, and greed among the characters. Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship focuses on the materialism of the era. Instead of truly falling in love with one another, they fell in love with the idea of each other. Gatsby fell in love with the Daisy that no longer existed and Daisy fell in love with what Gatsby represented; greed, money, corruption, and luxuries. The love presented in The Great Gatsby was not love, but an unhealthy infatuation of obsession and greed. Fitzgerald describes the nature of love to be unscrupulous. The characters were not in love, but rather in love with a perfect idea of one another that did not exist.