The Approaches of Green Logistics in the Past and Positive Results From This Free Essay Example, 3000 words

Sustainability is one of the subjects that have attracted a lot of interest in the environmental and business management all over the world in general and in the technologically advanced countries in particular. There has been considerable research in the past regarding the trade-off between such activities of the economy as manufacturing and their impact on the environment. In addition, many studies to date have placed emphasis on manufacturing enterprises. Nevertheless, there has been very limited research upon the logistics sector. Most of the literature to date discusses the partial link between firm performance and environmental variables (Chol and Zhang, 2011). This research tends to fill these gaps by evaluating the way the sustainable performance of green logistics has facilitated the proactive green management in the firms belonging to different industries. A potential way to motivate the firms to adopt the approaches involving the use of green logistics is to dawn upon the m the way use of green logistics approaches has benefited the firms in the past. An analysis of the comparative benefit drawn by the use of green logistics by the firms belonging to different industries would help the firms gauge the usability of adopting the green logistics approaches depending upon their nature of business and belongingness to a specific industry. We will write a custom essay sample on The Approaches of Green Logistics in the Past and Positive Results From This or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page

Brionna Johnson. Mr. T.Kemiksizgil, Period 4. Mrs. K. Prinzo,

Brionna Johnson Mr. T. Kemiksizgil, Period 4 Mrs. K. Prinzo, Period 6 03 March 2017 European Imperialism Good for Colonized Countries? Imagine you re in the 1700s and live in South Africa or another colonized country. You’ve gotten used to the new lifestyle, but then the Europeans come in and force imperialism onto you and your country. Being obliged to do something is what happened in South Africa. South Africa got colonized by Britain in 1795. Imperialism spread in the 1900s to Africa. So Africa was forced into having something they don t want. Even though colonized countries wouldn t have the resources they have today such as advanced construction engineering, European imperialism shouldn t be good for colonized†¦show more content†¦The black spokesman also spoke about this supreme power happening as well. Their speeches made people believe that it will get better but it also forced people into doing something they didn’t want to do. Additionally, it forces people to be a particular religion or live in a certain culture. People want to be themselves. They don’t want to be compelled to do something they don’t want to do. For instance, these people face many challenges because of this, â€Å"One of the many difficulties [people face], will be to rise against chauvinism and racism that pits workers against workers based on their religion, race, sex, or nationality† (Campbell). This major issue was a big one back then (and still is now) for the people of South Africa. Everyone got pinned against each other and imperialism encouraged this. For example, patriotism and cultural superiority were a big issue, â€Å"Imperialism can be prompted by patriotism, religion, and a sense of cultural and racial superiority† (Vontz). People are horrible when it comes to this, always coming at each other for it. This forces imperialism to happen as well as some other reasons. For instance, political and religious issues are a big thing, â€Å"According to this perspective, political, cultural, or religious beliefs forces states into imperialism†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Imperialism). Again, these are significant issues that happened back then. People just didn’t know how to

A Model of Christian Charity Letter to Philip Sidney Free Essays

Winthrop, as mentioned before Is a dedicated Puritan, which are English colleens who believed that the Church of England was corrupt and needed to be â€Å"purified,† During this time period many Puritans and those of other religions were ridiculed and discriminated because of their faith. Many restrictions were placed on them, and additional taxes were added tot their Income. Winthrop believed the only way to purify the church was to leave England now and begin a new way of life. We will write a custom essay sample on A Model of Christian Charity Letter to Philip Sidney or any similar topic only for you Order Now In his essay describes his perfect society as the inhabitants begin one with God and each other. He implies that a move now is the best way to begin purification. Hastily, and English writer and geographer saw many benefits form the colonization of the New World. With his background in geography he knew that North America would be filled with various types of raw materials and wild life. His letter gave examples of this variety mentioning the different types of wood such as cedar, oak, walnut and sundry. He explained how these resources would not only benefit the colonies but also benefit England. He believed the resources available loud be able to be divided equally among the colonies and England. He also saw the financial benefits that they could come from colonization. Money was the most important reason for his proportions to colonize. Money was big factor in his argument. In these essays both Winthrop and Hastily emphasized that the best way to receive their desired outcome was to go now. To Hastily going now would be the best way to receive the maximum benefits from the North American raw materials. Winthrop believed leaving now was the only way to purify the church, saying that thing could be done for the church in England. Also stating the by leaving now would make the purification process to go faster. They also shared the ground on which they settled which was Massachusetts. They each believed a colony near the coast would help the more economically. A Model of Christian Charity Letter to Philip Sidney By larders published an essay to inform his followers of his solution to the problem if the corrupt Church of England. This solution in fact was moving to the New World. Richard Hastily, in 1582, sent a letter to Philip Sidney to inform of the great believed the solution to their issues was to go and colonized North America. Winthrop, as mentioned before is a dedicated Puritan, which are English citizens who believed that the Church of England was corrupt and needed to be â€Å"purified. † During this time period many Puritans and those of other religions were ridiculed additional taxes were added tot their income. Winthrop believed the only way to coast would help the more economically. How to cite A Model of Christian Charity Letter to Philip Sidney, Papers

Solution on Smart Mart Strategic Analysis - MyAssignmentHelp

Questions : 1.Describe the strategic and ethical choices specific to Smart Mart. 2. Engage issues under conditions of strategy implementation and evaluation. 3. Apply relevant tools and techniques of strategic analysis for Smart Mart. 4. Apply principles of decision-making under conditions of uncertainty. 5. Justify or substantiate strategic choices, decisions, or intent. 6. Recommend a course of action for Smart Mart. Answers : 1.0 The strategic Choices of Smart Mart Based on the case study and simulation data, it can be clearly understood that SmartMart has grown rapidly over last few years, and has created its own position in the segment of organic food market. Its rapid growth is reflected by stores which are more than thousand spread across various countries, along with numerous partners, and suppliers to support the business. Low cost of brand merchandise has enabled SmartMart in a major way, as it has become its one of the major strengths further strengthening its rebate based retailing strategy (Alstete, 2013, pp.110-111). However, one must not misunderstand this strategy as the core focus of SmartMart, as SmartMarts strategy is more than selling on low cost. One of the key strategy decisions to setup stores near to distribution facility has enabled SmartMart to control its operational cost low, and always maintain the stock at an optimum level. The core idea behind the entire distribution system of SmartMart is based on the concept of tight control over supply chain for the stores. Due, to location of distribution centers in vicinity (around a days drive) has ensured that there is always a quick circulation and replication of the stock, and always has an optimum stock level in the stores (Aras, G., Crowther, 2012). It is important to understand that tight integration of entire distribution network with the stores, has ensured rapid growth of SmartMart as brand, however its focus on stock administration has also helped the brand to grow rapidly, and enabled it to have an efficient store planning in terms of space utilization to an efficient level. 2.0 Strategy Implementation One important aspect of SmartMarts strategy implementation is the focus on reduction in store level speculations and assumptions, and further focus on e-business, despite of the stagnating sales and drop in the store movement across locations in United States (Brandenburger Vinokurova, 2012, pp.286-287). This is clearly reflected by the fact that recently organization trimmed down its expected growth rate from 5% to 3% which indicates the drop in future evaluation of the company. However, CEO of the organization has maintained its stand on the fact that in a situation if there is change in the market environment, then his organization is flexible enough to adapt its business strategy to handle that change. Apart from its specific focus on boosting sales through online channel, SmartMart has also identified certain stores where certain improvements are needed, important to note is that these stores are the one which have reported flat sales over consecutive six quarters. In order to improve sales in such stores, following are the strategies: 2.1 Focus on customer experience Customer experience is an important aspect which can make or break a business organization. In this regard, based on case study of SmartMart it can clearly seen that long checkout lines is one major factor which might impact the overall customer experience. In order to address such issue, SmartMart store management need to open more checkout lines, especially during peak festive seasons such Christmas (Erickson et al, 2012). Additionally SmartMart can also focus on boosting its human resource level, so that additional people can be used to quicken up the services offered to customers, and also it wants to evaluate response these associate give to customer through innovate programs such as Mystery customer program. 2.2 Competing competitors on pricing strategy Application called Saving Catcher is an innovation from SmartMart, through which it has empowered its customers to compare and contrast the price of various products, and amount of money they will be able to save on each shopping trip. In a way, it has enabled SmartMart to offer discounts indirectly to its customers, which customers have appreciated over a period of time. This strategy has enabled SmartMart to compete with its competitors on the basis of pricing strategy (Iacob et al, 2012). 3.0 Strategic Analysis for SmartMart SmartMart is an organic food retailer, with its focus on organic food items being the main differentiator. According to case study and CEO of SmartMart it is clearly mentioned, that SmartMart has always maintained its focus on not only achieving profitability, but also ensuring that it contributes to health environment. One major unique selling proposition for SmartMart is its brand value, and support from stakeholders. Major part of the customer base is formed by the customers who are from affluent part of the society, since pricing of organic food is relatively higher than the normal food items (Computing Conference, 2012). Three core aspects of SmartArt strategy are follows: Focus on creating value for its stakeholders Amplification of the value for the customers and stakeholders Porters five force model for stakeholder investigation These aspects are in alignment with the values, mission and objectives of SmartMart as an organization (Ireland et al, 2011). SWOT Analysis: SWOT analysis is a tool for strategic analysis which helps in identifying, strength, weakness, opportunity and threat for the organisation being analysed (Peters, 2013). In case of SmartMart following is its SWOT analysis Strength Uniqueness of organic food products in market. Strong brand value in the market Loyal customer base (Laszlo Zhexembayeva, 2011). Weakness Relatively, high cost of the food products compared to non-organic food items. Lack of marketing efforts Lack of new stores in key locations Opportunity Increasing awareness about organic food products has provided ample opportunity for SmartMart to market and push its product to larger customer base. High level of adulteration has forced people towards organic foods. Focus on new avenues such as bio-fuels etc. Threat Currently, threat from any alternative brand is relatively less. High cost of product, impacts the overall profit margin of the product. Rising rentals of stores might increase the overall operational cost of the products. Based on the above SWOT analysis it can be understood, that SmartMart has clear advantage in the market of organic food, and considering the fact that SmartMart is further focusing on diversification in different markets such as bio-fuels etc. it definitely has a positive future ahead (Brandenburger Vinokurova, 2012). However, it is also important to understand that SmartMart should also maintain its focus on consolidation of its leadership position in the market of organic food; this will ensure that any potential new competitor finds competing with SmartMart extremely difficult (Iacob et al, 2012). Based on Porters five market force model, it can be said for SmartMart that it has medium threat from suppliers, as they do not have much options in terms of a procurer who might procure their organic food products (Johnson et al, 2011). Similarly, from buyers/customers also SmartMart has medium threat mainly due to the fact that there are hardly any organic food retailers who specialises in this segment, hence buyers/customer do not have much choice. However, SmartMart does have high threat from new entrants and substitute products. With rise in awareness about organic food, people are now willing to spend extra amount of money on getting organic food item, that is why, there are many small and big food retailers who might be interested or are already in the process of setting up organic food retail chain (Laszlo et al, 2011). That is why, over a period of time, SmartMart will definitely have substantial amount of competitor. In order to tackle this potential situation, SmartMart sh ould focus on cementing its position as leader in the organic food market to a level, where any new entrant in the market finds it extremely difficult to challenge the dominance of the organisation. 4.0 Strategic alternatives for SmartMart 4.1 Focus on improvement in efficiency and store productivity On paper, opening new stores for SmartMart might appear to be a lucrative and justified strategy. However in current situation of the organization, management of SmartMart should focus more on consolidating its existing market position and improving the overall store productivity and efficiency. New stores opened without control on current stores will only result into additional capital expenditure for the organization which is not a good strategy. In order to improve the productivity, SmartMart operations team can focus on store renovation, and scaling most profitable stores from level of store to superstore (Lei Slocum, 2013). This will enable SmartMart to offer wide variety of products apart from its core organic food products, which will enable to attract more customers for its business. Increasing the range of items offered to customers will improve customer footfall in stores, and will further boost the profitability of the store. 4.2 Acquiring new smaller stores Merger and acquisition is an important alternative strategy which SmartMart can opt for. SmartMart can identify stores which are in similar line of business and can be acquired (Peters, 2013). This will ensure that SmartMart captures further market share without investing much capital to setup new stores. Acquisition strategy will enable the organization to strengthen its market position and will boost its reach various parts of country where it is yet to reach (Nguyen Schultz, 2013). 4.3 Focus on extension in urban regions and small size stores It is already anticipated by management of SmartMart that future will be bright for the retailers who will be able to trim down their operational cost. In this regard size of store will matter a lot. That is why; focus of SmartMart should be towards setting up compact stores which will acquire less space, without trimming down its offering to end customers. SmartMart also needs to further extend its reach in urban regions to capture more market share, and to cater to new customer base which is inclined towards organic food items (Pelham Lieb, 2011). 4.4 Concentration on new age technologies SmartMart needs to make the optimum use of technology in order to boost its business. It needs to prepare proper strategy for handling its marketing on social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter etc. This will enable that its e-business strategy will get a boost due to its sustained focus on the online marketing strategy (Ritchie et al, 2012). 5.0 Decision-making under conditions of uncertainty One important decision making theory which can be applied is Expected Utility Theory. This theory mainly clarifies that how peoples preferences with regard to choices that have uncertain outcomes (Schrader et al, 2012). Thus as per this hypothesis, it can be said that the director of the company opts for an unconventional or risky choice with a goal of boosting the normal utility of benefit. However, supervisor might not be able to capture the thought process or intention of the director which might result into poor or minimal efforts from the supervisor. In an uncertain market environment, where every day new competitors might be coming up, it becomes important for the Director of the company to foresee various circumstances, which might impact the growth of SmartMart in future. In this endeavour, there might be several decision making instances which will be done in an uncertain environment. However it is important to understand that these decisions might be a calculated risk, but they need to be taken based on the past data, record, market performance and other relevant aspects of the business. 6.0 Issues with SmartMarts strategy There are multiple reasons due to which initial strategies of SmartMart failed. Some of the key factors are: Poor evaluation of performance and ignoring the learning in further improve the business. Lack of focus from management towards the core aspect of the business. However in case of SmartMart there have been several distractions for the owners in form of focus on bio-fuels etc. Implementation of the strategy in operational sense, rather than making the strategy and not implementing it. Hiring right individual for right job in the organization with relevant experience in the field of retailing. 7.0 Conclusion Overall it can be said, that SmartMart exists in niche segment of organic foods-a segment which is yet to achieve is complete potential. In such situation, it becomes SmartMart to be well-prepared for upcoming future opportunities (Verbeke, 2013). In order to extract the benefits of the future market growth, SmartMart needs to focus on identifying and implementing correct market strategy. It can be achieved by ensuring that SmartMart clearly analyses its current market scenario and based on that it takes relevant decisions related to changes in its existing business strategies. References Alstete, J. W. 2013. The Dynamics of Strategy: Mastering Strategic Landscapes of the Firm.Strategic Management Review,7(1), 110-111. Aras, G., Crowther, D. (Eds.). 2012.Business Strategy and Sustainability(Vol. 3). Emerald Group Publishing. Brandenburger, A., Vinokurova, N. 2012. Comment on Toward a behavioral theory of strategy.Organization Science,23(1), 286-287. Erickson, T. J., Magee, J. F., Roussel, P. A., Saad, K. N. 2012. Managing technology as a business strategy.Image. Iacob, M. E., Quartel, D., Jonkers, H. (2012). Capturing business strategy and value in enterprise architecture to support portfolio valuation. InEnterprise Distributed Object Computing Conference (EDOC), 2012 IEEE 16th International(pp. 11-20). IEEE. Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R., Hitt, M. 2011.Understanding business strategy concepts plus. Cengage Learning. Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Scholes, K., Pyle, S. 2011.Exploring strategy: text cases. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Laszlo, C., Zhexembayeva, N. (2011).Embedded sustainability. Stanford, CA: Stanford Business Books. Lei, D., Slocum, J. W. 2013.Demystifying your business strategy. Routledge. Nguyen, Q. T., Schultz, N. 2013. A Review: What Matters for Ecosystem Business Strategy. InEvolution of Telecommunication Services(pp. 138-154). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Pelham, A. M., Lieb, P. 2011. Industry Environment And Business Strategy: A Comparison Of Contingency Theory Expectations And Relationships Between Small Manufacturing Firm Managers Perceptions Of Environment And Strategy.International Business Economics Research Journal (IBER),1(8). Peters, G. 2013. One step forward.Business Strategy Review,24(4), 54-57. Ritchie, W. J., Fornaciari, C. J., Drew, S. A., Marlin, D. 2012..Team Culture and Business Strategy Simulation Performance Journal of Management Education, 1052562912447539. Schrader, C., Freimann, J., Seuring, S. 2012. Business strategy at the base of the pyramid.Business Strategy and the environment,21(5), 281-298. Verbeke, A. 2013.International business strategy. Cambridge University Press.

Remote Deposit Capture Project Quality management

Introduction Quality is a fundamental aspect of every project. Organizations achieve sufficiency by ensuring that quality standards are observed. This is ensured by setting quality standards which guide operations and form basis for all quality evaluations. In this project, quality standards are similarly important. The following quality standards are detailed for this project (Lee, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Remote Deposit Capture Project: Quality management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Quality assurance refers to the act of putting in place in all necessary measures to ensure the end product of service successfully achieves its intended purpose. Basically, all sectors have set of measures in place to ensure quality standards are observed. As mentioned earlier, the basis of quality in healthcare includes technical standards, service delivery and meeting client expectations (Cianfrani, West, 2009 ). Management of operations determines level of quality associated with these aspects. Quality is multifaceted and comprehensive. Various experts have identified dimensions which distinguish quality standards within organizations. Experts have successfully recognized several quality dimensions important in quality assurance. Quality assurance activities may address one or more of the listed dimensions (Rose, 2005). These include: availability of amenities, service continuity, efficiency of provided services, interpersonal communication, relations between staff, as well as technical know-how and staff competence (Weber, 2009). These define useful dimensions upon which health teams define and analyze problems within organization and measure the extent to which standards are being attained. Each of the mentioned dimensions is discussed in light of specific programs and is appropriate to service delivery. Quality standards Timely service Proving quality within reasonable time is of nece ssity. Reasonable time in this context means that the time that those people need the services are is adequately met and when this is not possible they are duly informed in advance to ensure they are not inconvenienced. Additionally, time should be provided within the shortest time possibleAdvertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Service availability More often than, as time goes by, client becomes more reliant on the services and as such the services should always be available. To meet this requirement, the quality is desired that the service is available 24/7, without unnecessary interruptions. Meeting specification This is an important quality standard aimed at ensuring that the specifications requirements set by clients are observed. All work should be evaluated at completion to check if they meeting the specifications of the clients. Effectiveness This dimension cannot be ignor ed within service delivery. Overall quality is largely dependent on service delivery as well as norm effectiveness. Basically it address the question, â€Å"Does service delivery procedure if correctly applied result into desirable outcome?† and is the delivery approach the most technologically appropriate. Effectiveness issues form the pillars upon which managers/administrators reforms and adapt them to locally applicable conditions. It involves comparison of potential benefits to detriments. For instance how effectively will changing the machines used impact on service delivery. Interpersonal Relations Interpersonal relation’s dimension defines the interaction between service providers, clients, as well as other stakeholders. Good relations are based on trust and credibility which arise from demonstration of respect, information confidentiality, and responsiveness to client needs, and empathy (Paul, 1998). Effective listening and communication should be encouraged as a way of bridging rapport barriers. Clients who are treated inhumanely during their visits are likely to desist from visiting the facility or even seek services from the place. Continuity Continuity dimensions refer to the receipt of a complete range of services by patients without unnecessary interruption or cessations. There is need for service provision in a continuous manner and clients should have routine access to service.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Remote Deposit Capture Project: Quality management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Quality Testing The dimensions listed as well as others which may not have been highlighted can only be achieved if quality testing is regularly run. Testing can take two forms including client interviews and quantitative analysis. Client response via interviews is a reliable means of accessing service delivery (Cianfrani, West, 2009). Similarly, quantitative analysis off ers an avenue for factual evaluation of the level to which quality standards are being observed. Pareto analysis is used in evaluation of problems within this case study (see chart below). Given that quality is an important factor in both successfulness and longevity of organizations, it is important that each organization develops quality control tools. Pareto analysis is one such tool and is based on 80/20 rule originally developed by Vilifredo Pareto, who noticed that only 20% of the population holds 80% of the society’s wealth. Pareto analysis basically asserts 80% of the quality issues with services or products are often caused by only 20% of the 20% of the problems in services and goods. Logically it is necessary to separate the ‘crucial few’ issues from the many that are trivial. This means that the few issues that are crucial to functioning can be solved to hugely benefit the end service quality. Upon problem identification, the 20% which cause 80% of th e problem can be eliminated or remedied appropriately and hence service quality efficiency is regained. Conclusion In conclusion it is important to note that most of the issues arise from allowing multiple scanning checks at once and hence this is the lead problem to be addressed.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Pareto has helped in identification of the problems which should be prioritized in addressing quality issues within the organization. It is basically a reinstatement of the importance of adopting quality tools in managing quality within organizations. References Cianfrani, C. A. West, J. E. (2009). Cracking the Case of ISO 9001:2008 for Service: A Simple Guide to Implementing Quality Management to Service Organizations (2nd Ed.). Milwaukee: American Society for Quality. pp. 5-7 Lee, V. (2010). Quality Management. Pharmaceutical Research Journal, 17(3), pp. 251 -262. Paul, H. S. (December 1998). â€Å"Sales Process Engineering: An Emerging Quality Application†. Quality Progress, 59–63. Rose, K. H. (2005). Project Quality Management: Why, What and How. Fort Lauderdale, Florida: J. Ross Publishing. p. 41. Weber, H. (2009). Roots causes of quality related malpractices. Journal for Healthcare Quality, 38(3), 561 -572. This essay on Remote Deposit Capture Project: Quality management was written and submitted by user Richard Morton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Monopolies

The corporations of today are much different than the corporations of ten years ago. Corporate mergers, which occur every month, are creating threatening giants, and companies going to court for years at a time battling over the same issue â€Å"are they a monopoly or not†? IBM merged ten years ago and Microsoft is merging right now. In order to come to a conclusion on this decade old question, you first must know the facts about what a monopoly is and what it takes to create one. What constitutes a monopoly? One more of the following elements must be present: (1) control of a major resource necessary to produce a product; (2) technological capabilities that allow a single firm to produce at reasonable prices all the output of a particular commodity or service; (3) exclusive control over a patent on a product or on the processes used to produce the product; (4) a government franchise that awards a company the sole right to produce a commodity or service in a given area. Edwin Mansfield, a political scientists, said, â€Å"for a monopoly to be effective there must be no practical substitutes for the product or service sold, and no serious threat of the entry of a competitor into the market† (23). This enables the seller to control the price. In the late 19th century the tendencies inherent in a free competitive economic order brought about new changes. In Great Britain, the United States, and other industrial nations, giant business firms began to emerge and dominate the economy. In part, this stemmed from the empire-building tactics of the captains of industry, such as the American entrepreneur John D. Rockefeller, who drove most competitors from the field. It also came about because of technological advances that enabled a handful of large firms to satisfy the demand in many markets. The result was not a complete monopoly but, rather, an economic order known as oligopoly. From the late 19th century onward, the U.S. has attempt... Free Essays on Monopolies Free Essays on Monopolies The corporations of today are much different than the corporations of ten years ago. Corporate mergers, which occur every month, are creating threatening giants, and companies going to court for years at a time battling over the same issue â€Å"are they a monopoly or not†? IBM merged ten years ago and Microsoft is merging right now. In order to come to a conclusion on this decade old question, you first must know the facts about what a monopoly is and what it takes to create one. What constitutes a monopoly? One more of the following elements must be present: (1) control of a major resource necessary to produce a product; (2) technological capabilities that allow a single firm to produce at reasonable prices all the output of a particular commodity or service; (3) exclusive control over a patent on a product or on the processes used to produce the product; (4) a government franchise that awards a company the sole right to produce a commodity or service in a given area. Edwin Mansfield, a political scientists, said, â€Å"for a monopoly to be effective there must be no practical substitutes for the product or service sold, and no serious threat of the entry of a competitor into the market† (23). This enables the seller to control the price. In the late 19th century the tendencies inherent in a free competitive economic order brought about new changes. In Great Britain, the United States, and other industrial nations, giant business firms began to emerge and dominate the economy. In part, this stemmed from the empire-building tactics of the captains of industry, such as the American entrepreneur John D. Rockefeller, who drove most competitors from the field. It also came about because of technological advances that enabled a handful of large firms to satisfy the demand in many markets. The result was not a complete monopoly but, rather, an economic order known as oligopoly. From the late 19th century onward, the U.S. has attempt... Free Essays on Monopolies You are driving on the highway when suddenly a limousine cuts you off. You look around to see if anything had caused this action. Nothing looks amiss, just a couple of cars a truck or two and a jeep on the highway. Little do you realize that the jeep is a Ford Explorer, and the person in the limousine is a Ford executive who knows how dangerous the jeep can be. Numerous people over the years have been injured and killed, when their Ford Explorer flipped over while driving. From its inception it was known that it performed poorly in rollover tests. That didn’t stop Ford from putting it on the market, because they knew it was going to be a huge moneymaker. The questions are why wasn’t anything done to stop this product from being allowed on the street? Who should have been responsible? What can be done in the future to make sure this doesn’t happen again? Would it be so shocking to say that that big business, huge corporations have taken over? Are they the one’s deciding what is right and wrong? Lets be reasonable what can be so wrong with a jeep if it’s the best selling jeep in America. All anyone cares about these days is market price, what does Wall Street think of us. This is the same company who in the 1970’s actually had the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) put a value on a human life (about $200,000). They then used this number against the cost of modifying the Ford Pinto that was known to have a faulty gas tank, to decide whether it was worth fixing it or not. Finally, a recall was ordered, but only after being on the market for 7 years and 28 lives lost. The government has deregulated the market to the point where there really is no one watching over the auto industry. In Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign he declared,† the US auto industry is being regulated to deathà ¢â‚¬ . This took place right after the Pinto incident. Instead of harsher regulations for messing up, the government decided t...

Nurses and groups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nurses and groups - Essay Example No doubt, group therapy is capable of yielding â€Å"empowering experiences† to the patients and the group members can both â€Å"serve as change agents and facilitators† (Norcross & Goldfried, 2005, p. 366). Group therapies, in general, aim at promoting the self-esteem and emotional well-being of the participants and person centered group therapies rely on the potential of the clients to find solutions for their own problems. The therapist remains as a catalyst agent who initiates change among the group members through congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy (Rogers, 1989). Studies have shown that person centered group therapies are highly beneficial to such groups of people who suffer from depression and substance abuse (Corey 2011). Similarly, people with depression are more likely to suffer from feelings of alienation, loneliness, and isolation and group therapies are capable of offering solace to them (Anxiety & Panic Disorders Health Center, 2012). T his paper seeks to design a six weeks person centered group therapy session for people with depression and in doing so the paper deals with the target population, outlines the purpose and objectives of the therapy sessions, explains the various theoretical aspects of the person centered therapy approach, analyses the role of the therapist as well as the group members during the therapy sessions, and finally evaluates the effectiveness of the group therapy on the people with depression. Methodology and target group for the therapy The target population for the person centered therapy consists of 30 people with depression who will randomly be selected. These target population can comprise of those who already undergo treatment for depression or those who are identified as depressed people. Six sessions of person centered group therapy will be administered on the target population. The goals and objectives of each therapeutic session will be determined beforehand. An evaluation regardi ng the accomplishment of these objectives will be done at the end of each session. At the end of all the therapy sessions an overall evaluation of the effectiveness of the person centered therapy on the participants will also be undertaken comparing and contrasting the physical and mental well being of each participants before and after the therapy sessions. The purpose and objectives of the therapy sessions The group therapy aims at the overall physical and mental well-being of all the participants. The ultimate aim of the therapy is to see the participants come out of their depressed state. For this, it is essential that the therapist creates an open and accepting climate within the group so as to promote positive self-concept, self-direction, self-acceptance, of self-respect and personal worth, and self-actualization among the participants. Similarly, following the key principles of person centered approach the therapist needs to maintain sense congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathy towards the participants all throughout the therapeutic alliance. The objectives of each of the therapy sessions are briefly mentioned below: Session one: The first session of the therapy aims at building rapport and trust between the therapist and the participants.

Health Care Policies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Care Policies - Assignment Example Domestic violence act protects one against one from abuse. Domestic violence is behaviors that one has with the aim of achieving control of other partners. Domestic violence in a society can include several activities that require one to be protected from. Abuse can include physical attacks which can come through sexual relationships that are forced, harassment and verbal abuse with demeaning comments, threats, creating a disturbance at one's territory, spying on one and child abuse. When these activities occur in a place, there are actions and policies that can be used to take action for those that perfume the acts. Domestic violence can be controlled in different ways in different types of courts. In criminal courts, the state is able to arraign the abuser (Greer, 2009). Possible crimes that can be handled in these situations include murder, rape, kidnapping, assault and elder abuse. In civil courts, one is able to address the issues that occur due to harassment and money damages. In the court, one can be held responsible for personal injury and sexual harassment. Divorce and family courts are also used to protect from domestic violence. Court Order of Protection is a policy that has been put protects again domestic violence. The policy makes the special need of one that has been abused to be addressed. The policy is able to order the abuser to stay away from the one abused and prevent contact through phone email or mail (Greer, 2009). For the policy to be applied there must be proof that there was the intention of violence. These are legal rights that govern reproduction. Reproduction rights include the right to birth control, right to safe and legal abortion, freedom of contraception and sterilization and also the right to access reproductive health care of good quality. Reproductive rights also give one the opportunity to access education on matters that concern sex and the infections that occur.

All in a Days Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

All in a Days Work - Essay Example I feel that Ann did not handle these issues effectively. She could have set committees to discuss these issues and give her a response about what needs to be done as soon as possible. Ann is a highly involving manager. This is can be seen through the number of tasks that awaits her to accomplish just in a single day. From the case, it is clear that Ann is directly responsible for employee’s salaries, technologies applied to accomplish work in the company as well as training and development of the employees. She also has various meetings with the executive and other meetings with the lower level employees. She likes accomplishing tasks on the order of priority and ensures she delivers on her duties. Ann usually has busy days at work and still creates time to attend meetings and even respond to emails sent by employees. She, therefore, meets almost all employees’ requirement. The only problem with her management system is that Ann tends to react more to issues instead of applying the proactive measures to curb them. It can be seen from the case that theirs is a high employee turnover in the company. This should be the first evidence that the employees are a source of competitive advantage. There should be a higher employee motivation though high starting salaries and other benefits to retain them (Roy, Donald, Bowen, & Hall, 1988). This way, the company will have best workers and spend less on training new employees. Secondly, there is a requirement for training and developing the employees. This is another source of competitive advantage that the company can exploit. The issue will make the company have employees who are knowledgeable about the new technological advancement so that increase efficiency and effectiveness while accomplishing their tasks.

Sports nutrition in swimming

Sports nutrition in swimming BMS-3033  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   SPORT NUTRITION URN6041693 Choose a sport of your choice. Critically discuss the nutritional requirements of this sport. Give examples where appropriate to illustrate your answer Swimming is a very competitive sport worldwide with different events like 50 to 1500 meters with time duration of 22s to 16 minutes respectively. Moreover, with four different strokes freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke and backstroke. With typical training programs with the aim to increase lean body mass, and decrease body fat levels over the season Petersen et al. (2006). Sport nutrition plays a very important role especially for elite athletes. The goal of this essay is to discus more specifically the dietary needs for athletes that compete in the 50 and 100 meters distance events. In the 50 and 100 meters events in particular event swimmers relies on the production of large power outputs with highly coordinated and efficient technique in a short range of time. This power output rely on the anaerobic glycolysis and high energy phosphates. Therefore, the main type of muscle fibre developed in athletes in training for 50 and 100 meters event is Type2 a and 2 b of muscle due to the speed of contraction, short length of time, anaerobic capacity using high energy phosphates (ATP and creatine phosphate) and glycogen as fuel, however due to the nature of the high intensity aerobic activity with training sessions from 1.5 up to 4 hours a day there is no question that type 1 fibres muscle is developed. Training Overall training programs for elite swimmers are based on experience of successful coaches rather than scientific evidence of superior performance outcomes. There seems to have difference in opinions among coaches regarding to training sessions. Some opt for training only in the pool and others use less sessions in the pool (more specific training) but add cycling and running sessions to improve aerobic capacity. Generally the pool workouts consist of aerobic warm-up and cool downs, training aims to improve techniques in starts and turns, and sets of repeated bouts of swimming at different intensities depending on the goal wanted, in this case sprint. Moreover, generally 40% of the training intensity less than 80% of VO2max, from 40% to 60% at intensities of 80% vo2max, and less than 5% at >100% Vo2max.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sherman and maglischo (1992) have estimated the energy requirement of swimming training at approximately 16.8 to 22.6 MJ.day-1(4000-5400 kcal.day-1) for males working 4 hours a day and between 14.2 to 16.8 MJ .day-1(2400-4000kcal.day-1) for females working 4hours a day, although these factors will vary within each athlete physical condition and technique performance. Nutritional Chalenges The nutritional issues and challenges for swimmers are to prepare a nutrition strategy to provide fuel to cope with large energy demand, promote recovery for each session, achieve optimal levels of lean body mass and body fat as well as keep the vitamins and minerals within normal levels during the different phases of training in the season (E.g. high volume training, taper or off-season). However, swimmers struggle to cope with large energy needs not only for training but for competition some common issues are presented below: Training High energy requirements due to fluctuations in growth patterns (growth spurt in adolescents), changes in training volume or simply active gain of muscle mass. Irregular eating patterns due to a busy time table. Social and cultural issues. Poor nutritional knowledge. Adjusting energy intake Competition Adjusting energy intake during taper to prevent excessive gain of weight and body fat. Adequate fuel stores for the day of competition. Postrace recovery between different competitions or between heats, semifinals, and finals. Training program vs. competition nutritional requirement Therefore the nutritional requirement in order of priority for pre-training, training and post training (same for competition) are: rehydration, refuelling and recovery. Pre-training Training Post training Consideration in use of supplements.

A Critical Essay on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher (1

The twenty first century author Alexandra Iftodi Zamfir (1986- ) argues that â€Å"architecture and settings are more important in Gothic fiction than in any other type of literature†¦all architectural elements are closely connected with Gothic protagonists and the plot.† (Zamfir. 2011: 15). This critical essay will first consider and analyse this statement and investigate the style, language and form of the American author Edgar Allan Poe’s (1809-1849) macabre and Gothic fictional prose The Fall of the House of Usher (1839) (Poe. 1987: 1). I shall present and argue how the artistic effects deployed in the narrative structure create an atmosphere of tension and suspense, through the exploration of architectural space demonstrated in a close reading and analysis from key passages of the text. The Fall of the House of Usher was written by the American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe, it first featured as a Gothic short story in Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine in (1839) (Hayes. 2002: xvii). Poe was writing at a time of immense change to social, economic and cultural conditions following the technological advancements of the Industrial Revolution (1750-1850), his work on The Fall of the House of Usher could be said to show an impact of Western society’s internal and external fragmentation. (Montagna: 2006). As stated by Zamfir â€Å"the universe portrayed in the House of Usher is Poe’s most sublime†¦in humanizing a dwelling to portray the inner self of the Gothic hero, but it also represents an investigation of the self in a state of disintegration.† (Zamfir. 2011: 62). This process of disintegration is both reflected within the architectural structure of the house itself; as the building gradually corrodes, in addition to that of the ps... ..._of_Space_in_Gothic_Architecture. [Accessed 11th May 2012] Giordano, R. (2005-2011) Poestories.com: An Exploration of Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. [On-line] Available from: http://www.poestories.com/. [Accessed 24th September 2011] Gunn, A.G. (1997-2002) Cyclopaedia of Ghost Story Writers. [On-line] Available from: http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~agg/ghosts/#poeea. [Accessed 24th September 2011] Hallqvist, C. (2001) The Poe Decoder. [On-line] Available from: http://www.poedecoder.com/. [Accessed 24th September 2011] Montagna, J.A. (2006) The Industrial Revolution. [On-line] Available from: http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1981/2/81.02.06.x.html. [Accessed 11th May 2012] Pridmore, J. (1998-2011) Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). [On-line] Available from: http://www.literaryhistory.com/19thC/Poe.htm. [Accessed 24th September 2011]

Research About Students with Parents Working Abroad Essay

Tool. A person or a thing used to accomplish another’s purposes, to convey, & somebody who is manipulated to carry out tasks. It also refers to the process of how the data of this study is gathered & collected. (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.) Spirituality. The quality or condition of being spiritual. It also refers to the subject of the study which is one of the many roles that a nurse has, & it is relentlessly provided to the appropriate respondents. (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.) Hospital. An institution where people receive medical, surgical, or psychiatric treatment and nursing care. It also refers to the location of the study conducted. (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.) Experience. Knowledge or skill gained through being involved in or exposed to something over a period of time. It is used as the extent of the respondent’s awareness. (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.) Practice. To work in a profession, especially law or medicine. Refers to the respondent’s profession which is adopted in the study. (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.) Patient. Somebody who receives medical treatment. It is the respondents in the SACH which is given spirituality care by the nurse respondents. It also refers to one of the subjects of the study. (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.) Demographic Data. The characteristics of a human population or part of it, especially its size, growth, density, distribution, and statistics regarding birth, marriage, disease, and death. In this study it refers to the number of respondents in SACH that is to be used in the study. (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.) Level of Awareness. Relating to or having knowledge of something from having observed it or been told about it. In this study, it represents the total number of correctness of the respondents to the answers in the provided questionnaires on their level of awareness about spiritual care in both nurses & patients in SACH.

Rene Descartes The Proof for the Obvious. The Existence of the Truth Is Questioned

Rene Descartes The Proof for the Obvious. The Existence of the Truth Is Questioned Believing fully, regardless of any scientific or logical means of proving the idea wrong is pretty much the basis of any faith. In a slight departure from arguing whether the Creator actually exists or is merely a figment of people’s imagination, Rene Descartes preferred touching upon the reasonability of faith, i.e., believing in God.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Rene Descartes: The Proof for the Obvious. The Existence of the Truth Is Questioned specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Taking a closer look at the arguments that the philosopher offered, one can possibly figure out whether they make a completely coherent and logical string of ideas or if there are certain issues that slipped their attention. However, there is an even more interesting idea in Descartes’ Mediator’s train of thoughts, namely, the rejection of the ultimate truth. Descartes claims the following: Nevertheless, the belief tha t there is a God who is all powerful, and who created me, such as I am, has, for a long time, obtained steady possession of my mind. How, then, do I know that he has not arranged that there should be neither earth, nor sky, nor any extended thing, nor figure, nor magnitude, nor place, providing at the same time, however, for [the rise in me of the perceptions of all these objects, and] the persuasion that these do not exist otherwise than as I perceive them ? (Descartes) Hence, the fact that people perceive the everyday reality the only possible right way is questioned. To put it in a more simple language, one can no longer be one hundred percent sure that what people call a red color is truly red. Thus, not only the qualities, but also the existence of the elements of the everyday world is questioned. If stretched to its logical maximum, the given idea leads to the suggestion that the entire world is merely a figment of someone’s imagination. Even though Descartes argues the absurdity of the given idea by saying â€Å"I think, therefore, I exist† (â€Å"Cogito ergo sum† (Descartes)), it can be still argued that one’s thoughts are the exact proof of the existence of reality. According to Descartes, a single idea produced by a human being proves the fact of the existence. However, if pushing the question of reality as it is even further, one can suggest that the thought itself can actually be an element of a dream, like one of those fantastic dream sequences that people have. To put it simple, the thoughts and ideas that people have can actually be the part of someone else’s well-planned reality, like the elements of a strategy game. Therefore, it is clear that the arguments which Descartes offers are rather provocative. Even though they drive to the commonly known â€Å"I think; therefore, I exist† (Descartes), they still leave a lot of food for thoughts. Raising the question of whether the world is a reality or merely a part of someone’s consciousness triggers a range of the most intriguing issues to discuss, such as what happens when the supposed dreamer wakes up or starts dreaming about another universe.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Intense and thought-provoking, the idea that the world might be not actually what people see it, but something quite different might seem absurdly plausible, may actually turn true. Vast and truly immense, a world is filled with riddles, and mistaking while tying to understand it is the only way to approach the truth. Descartes, Rene, n.d., Meditations on First Philosophy. 28 Sept. 2012. https://oregonstate.edu/.

War on Terrorism How to Cope with the Global Threat

War on Terrorism How to Cope with the Global Threat The war on terrorism is discussed as one of the most important and controversial questions concerning the global peace and development. The questions involve a lot of ethical and political issues which need the immediate solution because terrorist attacks become more frequent and crueler.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on War on Terrorism: How to Cope with the Global Threat? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Terrorism is often defined as the crime against humanity, the actions of terrorists are unpredictable, and terrorist attacks cause deaths of thousands of innocent people globally every year. The war on terrorism developed by the global organizations and by the US administration is directed toward defending the civil population from the cruelty of terrorists and toward weakening the forces of terrorist leading to the absolute destruction of terroristic organizations. However, the US politicians can face the significa nt problem while choosing the approach to fight. Following the liberal visions, many politicians along with Barack Obama are inclined to focus on the war on terrorism which is not against the abstract evil, but against the concrete organizations and their goals. Although the threat of terroristic actions against the civil population can be discussed as the terrifying reality today, the war on terrorism should not be ‘blind’ and based on extremes and active aggressive actions against immigrants, Muslims, or representatives of the radical movements in the United States because the war on terrorism is the conflict of only political, military, and social organizations’ visions. The war on terrorism cannot be discussed as the war between the good and evil which end will result in the victory of one of the sides. Terroristic organizations have definite goals according to which their activities are organized. These goals are based on political and military aspects as we ll as social questions. That is why, the war on terrorism should also depend on these factors, preventing events when the civil population can suffer from aggressive actions and misbalanced strategies of the anti-terror organizations.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The terroristic attack at the Boston Marathon provoked the intensification and development of the further discussion associated with the war on terrorism and methods used by the US authorities to prevent the worsening of the situation. Following the blasts at the Boston Marathon, President Obama said that they would find the persons responsible for the attack and would focus on the reasons for the terroristic attacks (Eligon and Cooper). Later, the authorities focused on two suspects, the Tsarnaev brothers. The persons responsible for the attacks were found, but causes for the cruel actions against the public re main the key questions which are not answered adequately as any other similar questions associated with the terrorist attacks (Schmitt et al.). As a result, the waves of suspicion are coming again, leading to a lot of extreme actions and violating the privacy rights. In spite of the fact the war on terrorism is the priority of not only the US administration but also of the global community, the approaches to win the war should be chosen according to the principles of balance and justice. The war cannot be just because of its nature. The war on terrorism can follow the principles of justice if it is directed toward preventing terroristic actions rather than toward fighting terrorists as a result of military actions. On the one hand, the war on terrorism is the political and military problem that is why the rules of warfare can be used effectively. On the other hand, a lot of the civil people can become victims of the military actions and specific anti-terror strategies. Thus, the bal anced measures to prevent terroristic acts should be developed.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on War on Terrorism: How to Cope with the Global Threat? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nevertheless, there is one more challenge associated with the increased social and governmental suspicion. The war on terrorism should not become the cause for limiting the foreign and immigration polices. The threat of acts of terrorism should no be discussed as the reason for discriminating Muslims or violating privacy rights and civil liberties. Such actions as the implementation of cameras in the public places or limitations in relation to immigration and foreign policies should be discussed publicly with the help of polls and referendums (Schmitt et al.). It is rather difficult to develop the effective policy in relation to the war on terrorism because terrorists are not oriented to the peaceful regulation of the conflict. Thus, mi llions of people are at risk of becoming victims of the terrorist act every day. Paying more attention to suspicious persons and behaviours, authorities are inclined to prevent cruelty and mass killings of the civil population. However, it is important to control the intrusion into the private aspects of the people’s life. Today, many Americans agree with the balanced approaches followed by President Obama and Democratic Party in regulating the problems of terrorism. Although the question is rather controversial, and it is a challenge to assess this or that approach to overcoming the problem of the war on terrorism, it is important to concentrate on the clear idea that the war on terrorism should be developed, but with references to the effective methods.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The problem can be overcome if the situation of begging the question in the governmental discussions can be regulated appropriately (Kahane and Cavender 59). The other issue is the inconsistent visions of politicians in relation to the war on terrorism and approaches to develop the war. Thus, the strategy can be discussed as effective when politicians avoid their ‘blowing with the wind’, and the main state strategy is followed directly (Kahane and Cavender 55). Organization and consistence are the key factors in coping with the problematic questions. Security and peace can be achieved with the help of controlled and organized authorities’ actions and strategies. As a result, there are two rather opposite approaches to developing the war on terrorism. The supporters of the idea of active actions concentrate on effective military strategies and the persecution of Muslims. The followers of more peaceful methods discuss the ideas of decreasing the public privacy and limiting the immigration of Muslims in the USA. Two approaches can be discussed as rather provocative and cannot guarantee the positive results in the war on terrorism. Following this or that strategy, it is possible to intensify the conflict and provoke new attacks because civil liberties of many people can be violated. That is why, politicians should focus on the most balanced policy against terrorists which can protect the civil public and become the real threat for terrorists. To contribute to the effective results, the actions oriented to tokenism should be avoided. The combination of the mentioned approaches with references to the idea of the population’s protection and focus on civil rights and liberties can be used to regulate the conflict at the stage of prevention or at the military stage without threatening thousands of people. Eligon, John, and Michael Cooper. Blasts at Boston Marathon Kill 3 and Injure 100. 15 Apr. 2013. Web. Kahane, Howard, and Nancy Cavender. Logic And Contemporary Rhetoric: The Use Of Reason In Everyday Life. USA: Cengage Learning, 2006. Print. Schmitt, Eric, Mark Mazzetti, Michael Schmidt, and Scott Shane. Boston Plotters Said to Initially Target July 4 for Attack. 02 May 2013. Web.

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

Logistic Management - Essay Example Outsourcing companies face the loss of tax benefits due to hiring foreign full-time workers. Federal tax penalties can also be imposed on outsourcing companies so as to boost domestic job creation. Reduction of the damage inflicted to goods in transits plays a vital function in cutting the costs of supplying the said goods. Companies, therefore, bear the responsibility of ensuring the safety of goods they are charged to transport. To achieve this, a company can establish policies that ensure their safety. Such policies include those covering package, insurance and providing appropriate means of transport. A company should ensure that the appropriate packing of the goods is done to secure them firmly to avoid rocking while in transit. Fragile goods sustain damage due to undesired movement during transportation. To secure fragile goods firmly during transportation, the use of products such as bubble wraps is employed. Companies have also use insurance to cover damages that may be incurred in transit; it also covers theft (Bowersox et al., 2012). The BUS 320 unit is a crucial course for decision-making in a company, as it shows the importance of weighing one’s decisions appropriately to come up with logical solutions. This way, after taking the course, the business person in an individual is brought out so that any vital aspects of a business can be factored and all perspectives covered. In this light, there is no room for errors, as all issues are dealt with effectively. In addition, this decision-making course allows for sound policies to be generated and implemented so that the institution that one works for or with ends up getting the best there is. This also applies to decisions that involve high risk business ventures as the higher the risk, the higher the returns. However, as this is not always the case, one can again look at all the aspects of the actions taken. This class provides sound skills and knowledge of the

Columbia HCA Fraud Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Columbia HCA Fraud Case - Essay Example My goal is to relate the case to the subject of Business Ethics and derive important lessons on how business should be conducted. Reading thru the case study, we can discern the numerous causal factors of the federal investigation of Columbia/ HCA. From what I can understand, the investigation was brought about by a combination of internal and external factors which is presented below: It was started in June 1996 by Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin that the Medicare program will go broke by 2001 with the way funds are being spent. Expenditures were increasing exponentially with $160 billion for the 1994 fiscal year. That's about $440 million per day. By the year 2003, it is projected that it will mushroom to $380 billion or $1 billion per day according to the Congressional Budget Office. As a general observation, any activity that increases or decreases suddenly is subject to the curiosity of other people especially when it involves large amounts of money. This being the case, it only took a matter of time before it caught the attention of government authorities who have become very keen in finding ways to eliminate unnecessary expenditures and catching fraudulent transactions. The arguments used by the managers to justify the large increase in Medicare costs was the increase in efficiency, more expensive equipment and better accounting practices. These arguments alone are enough to stir speculations because Medicare expenditures should rise due to the rise in harder-to-treat diseases requiring more expensive medication. Does it make sense then that there was an increase in acute and chronic disease when the health care service became more efficient Does it mean those doctors in the past misdiagnosed patients and when Columbia/HCA came into the picture, they suddenly became experts in diagnosis (Remember that most of the doctors were still those under the past management) New Legislation Protecting Whistleblowers Whistleblowers are those that expose the anomalies of their employees, partners, and co-employees. Anomalous activities, in this case, refers to fraudulent acts that cheat the government (and consequently the taxpayers) of their money. It may include tax evasion and false claims. In the past, whistleblowers were exposed to retribution by the entities who they claim is engaged in anomalous activities. They could only expect minimal attention from the authorities and if ever they were given such attention, they could only expect minimal legal assistance so why bother being one Unless you have very deep grievances against the person, being a whistleblower was a risky venture. With the new legislation, more legal protection for the whistleblower was provided. Incentives were also offered such as the 30% of the recovered money going to the whistleblower which was mentioned in the reading. With the combination of these two important measures, whistle-blowing became a less risky venture. The focus of Government Authorities in Stemming Corruption.

Decision Analysis in Financial Services Corporation Assignment

Decision Analysis in Financial Services Corporation - Assignment Example This was particularly true post-September 11, 2001, when the Patriot Act and its companion Banking Secrecy Act changed and further complicated the way financial institutions did business, by requiring them to detect and stop money laundering procedures. Like many others in the banking industry, in the decade prior to 2006 FSC had acquired and merged with many other like firms. By that year the corporation was in the process of its largest merger to date, which was still some months off. In order to make the merger smooth and efficient, it became evident that most of their divisions needed to be streamlined and HR was one those divisions that were singled out. One of those options was the balanced scorecard; an idea that had been around since the early 1990’s and had been implemented several times during the decade by the Human Resources of FSC, albeit without much success. Issues Based upon â€Å"How to Analyze a Case† from Harvard Business School’s Case Study Ha ndbook, there are four situations that occur in most cases. The first is the problem or in modern speak, the issues involved. FSC needed to develop a balanced scorecard (BSC) for is merger and had begun to identify problems with its Human Resources Division as early as 2002. ...With regard to the HR Division, the study revealed several weaknesses. Of the six flaws discovered, five of those dealt with measuring the division’s progress and using those indicators to predict the future of the department and deal with any changes that would come about. To quote the paper, â€Å"the HR Leadership Team, which consisted of the HR CFO and managers of the various HR departments, did not regularly review departmental metrics or indicators; rather, it relied on anecdotal information from colleagues and internal customers relating to how the HR Division was performing.† Still, it took another two years before the first primitive version of the BSC was first implemented. The divisio n had also been making an attempt to implement the BSC since 2004, with a lot of resistance from the employees, who for the most part considered the scorecards a waste of their valuable time and another â€Å"fad† brought about by the whims of the top leadership. As expected without enthusiastic cooperation in the HR Division, especially in senior leadership, that first BSC failed miserably as did several reincarnations thereafter. Yet Corporate Headquarters was determined to see the BSC brought about in the HR Division and bring Leadership’s thinking in line with the concept. After all, such things as Human Resources had long been considered of having no value addition and mostly referred to as overhead. The people at the top looked at exactly that, money, and if they weren’t convinced HR was a viable asset, it could be even further trimmed and the BSC was the best tool to prevent that.

Public Budgeting Essay Example for Free

Public Budgeting Essay Public budgeting touches every sector of the economy and it thus demands clear and accurate contribution of all the parties involved which include policymakers, financial institutions and the public at large. A national budget is a document which once approved by the legislature gives the government the mandate to collect revenue, incur debts on behalf of the public and come up with means of expenditure for the country to achieve certain goals (Cargill and Garcia, 2005). A budget outlines the origin and the application of public resources and for this reason, it plays a central role in the government processes, economic, political, legal and administrative functions of a country. Budgeting is responsible for shaping the macroeconomic status of a country, reflect the political power of the actors who are involved in different stages of the budgeting process, determine which projects get funded with how much and at what level and come up with proper budgetary reforms of both the technical and political budgeting. In this case, monetary control is necessary for a country to achieve the desired level of growth and stability of its economy. It is the responsibility of central banks to conduct monetary policies for the purposes of monetary control. A monetary policy can be defined as a deliberate effort by the Central Bank to influence the economic activities of a country through variation of the money supply, limited control of the amount of credit available and the use of interest rates which are consistent with political objectives of the country. Some of the objectives achieved by the monetary policy include stabilization of the prices of goods and services, stability of exchange rates, availability of employment and maximization of the outputs as well as high rates of economic growth. Most monetary authorities employ operations in the open markets, bank rate regulation policies and credit control policies to control monetary values and achieve the above named objectives. The federal reserve Banks in U. S for instance uses credit control policies to increase or decrease the amount of money and credit present in the U.  S economy at any given financial year. If the monetary value increases, the credit control is said to be on the loose end and to control this, the interests rates for the financial institutions tend to drop, the amount of money spent by businesses and individual consumers increase and the employment opportunities also increase as well. However, if too much money is located to any one sector of the economy when budgeting, it might lead to inflation and a decline in the monetary value of the dollar might result. On the other hand, if too little money is available in the economy, levels of unemployment in the country might increase. An example of how monetary policy and credit controls are applied in public budgeting was seen back in the early 1970s where the Federal Reserve Banks in the U. S facilitated rapid credit expansion to combat unemployment in the country. However, this move led to inflation of the economy forcing the Central Bank to implement a monetary policy in 1979 to slow down the high inflation rates and regulate its public budget plan (Carrigan, 2004). From a different perspective, money can be used to estimate the amount of credit in a country. For instance, some contemporary research findings indicate that the U. S GDP in the year 2006 was around 12. 98 trillion dollars and such values are very important in the process of public budgeting to ensure that money is available to every one in the community. Apart from being affected by monetary and credit control policies, public budgeting is an inherently political process. Political governance and politics related to budgeting affect the operations and reforms of public financial budgeting systems. Several studies carried out on the Ghanaians, Mozambique and Malawian political systems show a significant gap between the formal and informal systems budgeting systems with practices such as clientelism, rent seeking and patronage which lead to dysfunctions and distortions leading to an interference with the public budgeting procedures (Donald, 2002). Many research findings have indicated that the budget making process is more of a political process than a technical one. In this case, it is not possible to separate any reforms made on a technical budget from the political environment on which they are embedded. Therefore, for any reforms on a public budget to be effective, they have to be technically viable, administratively sound and politically feasible. Power politics in budgeting are responsible for shaping the rules of the game including ownership, time schedules, sequence of reforms and a review of the governments commitment to such reforms. Budget politics offer as many challenges as the opportunities since power politics in itself is not only a mitigation of risks but is also an opportunity to seize up the economy of a country. Understanding the politics of budgets thus facilitates effective implementation of reforms and it also helps to identify and support change in the public financial management. According to the Journal of Association Budgeting and Financial Management, understanding the relationship between power politics and budgeting helps a nation to understand and appreciate the institutional factors which affect the proper functioning of budgetary reforms. In addition, good fiscal governance helps to identify factors which might trigger pro-poor changes, streamline the checks and balances and aid proper budgetary reforms. Political governance of a country affects the functioning of all the financial systems and the sustainability of the budget reforms (Cargill and Garcia, 2005). For instance, studies of the power politics in the U. S have shown that the political economic factors have a significant effect on the trajectory change as well as the credibility of its federal government commitment to budgetary reforms. These studies also suggest that the demand for better political governance and financial accountability is a major driver for budgetary reforms in the public budgeting systems. In addition, the political power of a state influences public budgeting in the redistribution of wealth and allocation of resources depending on the priorities. Public budgeting as a political process reflects a public consensus, a relative power and financial accountability of the whole process. Conclusion.  From the discussion above, it is clear that public budgeting is very important for the proper functioning of all the sectors of the economy in a country. As indicated above, most budgeting processes have shown a political inclination rather than a technical one. The political stability of a country affects its economic stability, the monetary value of its currency and the availability of credit facilities both in its local financial institutions as well as the international financial institutions. The monetary policies and the credit controls by the central banks influence the amount of money available for public budgeting. On the other hand, the political power of a state affects the implementation of budgetary reforms which are important for budgeting in any country. It can thus be concluded that, there is a very close relationship between monetary and credit controls, budgeting and power politics in the process of public budgeting.

The Tragedy of the Commons Theory Analysis

The Tragedy of the Commons Theory Analysis In The Tragedy of the Commons, Garrett Hardin argues that appeals to conscience are not effective in solving common problems. First, I will explain Hardins arguments against appealing to conscience and why he thinks it is ineffective, and then show what he thinks will work instead of appeals to conscience. After that, I will describe why I dont think his reasoning is correct and offer an alternate proposal for why appealing to conscience can solve commons problems. Next, I will respond to my proposal to make a reasonable case for it. Finally, I will show that I make a stronger case than Hardin and that appealing to conscience is very effective means of solving common problems. Hardin states that conscience is self-eliminating (Hardin, p. 1246). He references Charles Galton Darwin who shows that persons who appeal to conscience would when confronted with appeals to limit breeding, would respond by limiting breeding. C.G Darwin argues that this does not fit with the theory of natural selection and these people would, after hundreds of generations, cease to exist. Hardin argues that based on natural selection and the heredity of conscience, persons who are more susceptible to appeals to conscience have a system set up to eliminate that trait form the race. He uses heredity generally to include germ cell transmission of traits and exosomatical transmission of traits. Hardin also discusses how asking someone to stop doing something, he uses exploiting the commons as an example, in the name of conscience (Hardin, p. 1246) is a contradiction. He describes the two different messages being sent as intended and unintended communication. This is referred to as the double bind by Bateson. When one makes a request for an appeal to conscience what is intended to come across is that If you dont do as we ask we will openly condemn you for not acting like a responsible citizen. (Hardin, p. 1246). The unintended message one receives is that If you do behave as we ask, we will secretly condemn you for a simpleton who can be shamed into standing aside while the rest of us exploit the commons. (Hardin, p. 1246). This unintended message, Hardin claims, triggers guilt and anxiety. While this can be effective, Hardin questions whether the ends justify the means. He doesnt think it is acceptable to use techniques that are psychologically pathogenic. His response to t his is that instead of psychologically manipulating persons who exploit commons we should adjust the social arrangements in regards to responsibility. His response leads from the philosopher Charles Frankel who defines responsibility as the product of definite social arrangements. (Hardin, p. 1247). Hardin explains that to keep a bank robber from using the bank as a commons, you dont reprimand him or aim to psychologically coerce him you change the social arrangements. If you say the bank is not a commons then the social arrangements will keep it from becoming a commons. According to Hardin the way in which we can alter social arrangements is through privatization and taxes. I dont think that Hardins view that conscience is self-eliminating is valid. If one can make the appeal to conscience to limit breeding, than they should also be able appeal to their conscience to increase population when necessary. This is to say that persons who appeal to conscience can adhere to many appeals to conscience, not only ones that would decrease their population. Take into account religious organizations that preach that persons are put on this earth solely to reproduce and that by not doing so they will face disapproval or judgment. This is an appeal to conscience. Having as many kids as you can is the right thing to do; it is your obligation to have as many children as possible. This works as well with many people as appealing to conscious to save the earth and decrease our population does with another type of persons. His argument that being susceptible to conscience will cause them to go extinct does not hold for all persons of conscience. In relation to common problems I believe that appeals to conscience can provide a solution so long as it is paired with education. I think it is unreasonable to say that there can only be one way to solve common problems, allowing for appeals to conscience be paired with education. By incorporating an educational piece into an appeal to stop exploiting commons it solves the problem of the double bind. You are able to clearly convey the intended message as before. However, the unintended message is cleared because you are actually showing facts and figures on why people should stop exploiting commons. If you have the evidence that shows that the pros out way the cons to cutting back on usage, then people wont feel like they are being swindled. While this may take more time than privatizing land or charging taxes because you may have to try multiple time to get people to fully understand the facts it can still work. People that are more susceptible to appeals of conscience will agree more readily to stop exploiting the commons. As more people make appeals to conscience the persons that are less susceptible can see the improvements that are being made by those that have stopped exploiting the commons. The research and education piece will build on itself making a stronger case for everyone to appeal to conscience. An objection that can be made is whether it is morally acceptable to come at people on a psychological level. Exposing a person as irresponsible citizen can still cause stress and make some people appeal to conscience when they are merely afraid of being judged. This can cause a problem when the actions and advocacy of individuals that have appealed to conscience is a large part of appropriately educating people. If this happens it will be less effective than originally thought. I think that because of the psychological pathogen that is conscience, Hardin makes a better argument for staying away from using it to solve commons problems. While appealing to conscience while appropriately educating can work, it would take more time and effort than merely changing the social arrangements. I also believe that his claim that conscience is self-eliminating is not accurate. This however, does not affect the larger issues of using conscience to solve common problems. In The Tragedy of the Commons, Garrett Hardin argues that appeals to conscience are not effective in solving common problems. Hardins argues against appealing to conscience because he thinks that conscience is self eliminating and that using a psychological pathogen is ineffective and morally problematic. He suggests changing the social implication of a commons by using privatization and taxes to solve commons problems. I disagree that conscience is self eliminating and that appeals to conscience can work as long as people are properly educated at the same time to solve the problem of the double bind. Unfortunately, this does not solve the problems that may come up as conscience is still a psychological tool and may have negative effects to the plan. I think that Hardin makes a stronger case that taxation and privatization are the most effective ways to solve commons problems.

Oman Essay -- essays research papers

Oman is a small country located in the northeast by the gulf of Oman and southeast by the Arabian Sea, southeast by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The capitol of this country is Muscat. Oman covers an area of about 119,500 sq mi. Oman borders Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. The Oman government, from what I have read, is ran by a sultan and seems to be somewhat democratic. The population is overwhelmingly Arab, but significant minorities of Indians, Pakistanis, and East Africans are found in the principal ports. The majority of the population is Ibadhi Muslim; Sunni Muslims form the other major religious group. Arabic is the official language. The Life expectancy on average, is 70.25 years, however females seem to live longer; males: 68.31 years female: 72.29 years (1995 est.). There are about 6 children born to each woman. That just shows how much they value family as well as procreation in itself. The Languages are Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, and Indian dialects. (1) One of the most interesting pieces I came across about Oman is how the women are treated. Usually when you think of Middle East women you assume they are oppressed or considered to be uneducated. However the women of Oman play a more active and visible role in society than in most of the Arabian Peninsula, where the role of women is still restricted. They have received encouragement and support from the government, which provides schooling and university education for girls on a par with that for boys, and has decreed that women should be given career opportunities and equal pay. In the capital many women now have jobs, especially with the government. In the countryside women have always played an active role in the agricultural communities. For the most part Oman women are not veiled, although the women of some tribes still wear the burqa or facemask and black cloak, the abaya. After viewing many pictures of the women of this culture the majority of Oman women, however, wear very colorful clothes arranged in loose and flowing layers. They are generally not self-effacing and may be willing to talk to strangers, once the ice has been broken. But they are deeply Muslim and should always be treated with deference and respect. (1) However, the film I chose to watch is called Osama. This film describes the life of women during the Taliban rule. Althoug... ...far as what websites are available. The print media is mainly available in Arabic, and only about 2 Omani papers are in both English and Arabic. Tourist attractions such as hotels, may carry more of a variety of national papers. Overall Oman is a very interesting country. They are progressing more into the future and at the same time not leaving their heritage or culture behind, but instead modernizing it. The sultan of this country has been in reign for over 30 years and has done nothing but allowed his country to progress. The fact that this is one of the few Arabic countries that actually allows women certain rights will hopefully educate other Arabic countries about equalization or steps towards allowing women to be freer. Work Cited: (1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.arab.de/arabinfo/omanhis.htm (2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.omanobserver.com/ (3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.arabji.com/Oman/media.htm (4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Osama, directed by Siddiq Barmak , 2004 (5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   WHO COMPARES HEALTH-CARE SYSTEMS ACROSS THE GLOBE , By: Ashraf, Haroon, Lancet, 00995355, 06/24/2000, Vol. 355, Issue 9222

Custom Coffee Essay

I believe Custom Coffee & Chocolate mission is to establish a small cafà © where they and their customers could indulge their love of good coffee and fine chocolates. Bonnie and Stacy, recent college roommates, wanted a location that got a lot of foot traffic from shoppers and businesses. Their desire was to target a place near the university because they knew and understood those customers well. The purpose of the cafe’ is to serve unique coffee blends and specialty chocolates, and the business plan included purchasing only fair trade coffee and chocolates made by a few local suppliers. SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths – Having a good location where public transportation is not a issue. The owners will be selling products that are considered to be good quality, near top of the line. Customers have the options of eating in or taking out their purchases. Weakness – The shop is pretty small, and can only hold a certain amount of customers, and they will need more funding to expand. Opportunity – The opportunities are unlimited, expanding the menu to include baked chocolates, desserts, tea and other beverages. If the businesses continue to grow, Bonnie & Stacy may be able to start a small franchise. Threats – I don’t detect any threats, unless a similar business moves in the same location. Bonnie & Stacy are doing all the right things to make their cafe’ affordable, and customer friendly. It is a nice place for friends and family to meet and chat while having a cup of coffee or reading the newspaper. Comfort is always important to me, so I like the idea of them having comfortable seating. Putting up a website and blog page might be helpful to customers and potential customers, for information and feedback. I don’t believe that delivery would be a good thing right now, maybe in another six months. Great job Bonnie & Stacy, you knew what you wanted and went for it. I wish you much success.

My Virtual Child Final Paper Essay

With what I have learned from the My Virtual Child program, I now understand the complexities of raising and guiding a child. Mere decisions made during infancy can affect a child long term, physically, cognitively, and even emotionally. To make important developmental decisions cannot simply be classified as a challenge, it is one of the hardest things parents experience. Making decisions for one’s self, as opposed to making decisions for one’s child is so challenging that most people will not understand until they have children. Even with the realistic impression this program has, I would venture to say that even the majority of my classmates and I do not understand parenting difficulties to the fullest extent. In terms of physical and motor development, Noah was above average at a young age and this continued on through his early childhood. My virtual partner and I never had trouble getting Noah to eat and once a bedtime routine was established only on occasion would he have trouble sleeping through the night. In my opinion, I would classify Noah as an easy baby. He adapted to most situations rather quickly and the majority of the time was very happy, but easy to calm if a tense situation occurred. As for his emotional well-being, it was reported in a parenting questionnaire when Noah was four that I scored in the average range in affection and warmth. Noah had a great family relationship with his father, sister, and myself and demonstrated a secure attachment from an early age. Noah was a very social boy; he had a close group of friends that stayed about the same from the time he was in grade school until he graduated. Noah excelled in school from the very beginning, and continued to surpass his academic challenges until he graduated high school. He was accepted into Honors and AP level classes as a sophomore and scored above average in most all of his classes. Noah was pretty well rounded, and for the most part did average – if not excellent – in most activities he partook in. He was active in sports at a young age but I knew that wasn’t his passion from the beginning. He was a  very musical person and showed his interest and love for it in middle schoo l. At age 12 he was playing the saxophone in the middle school band, joined the high school jazz band, he sang, and taught himself to play the guitar. From the beginning I thought I would take on an authoritative parenting style, but I believe at the end I realized I was hovering somewhere in between authoritative and authoritarian. At first I didn’t want to admit it to myself but looking back I have no regrets because it seemed to work out for both Noah and our family. Growing up I always thought my parents were a little tough on me, perhaps a bit old school but my parenting decisions seemed to mirror theirs. Also, my sister now has two daughters and I have watched my sister and her husband raise them. My sister reads a lot of parenting books and blogs and has shared a lot with me. While raising Noah, I took some of what I had read into account and made some decisions based on the research. On occasion, my boyfriend would participate with me and help me make decisions on how to raise Noah. With all of these resources I believe that the majority of decisions made were for the best, and Noah was raised to the best of my abilities. At age six, Noah told me that he thought I was as â€Å"nice† to him as other parents and that I had â€Å"as many rules† as they did too. I was surprised that at s uch a young age he was aware of what other parents were doing but I believe by the time he got a little older, I got a little stricter. He was expected to do household chores and keep up with homework, but he was able to negotiate times and an allowance for all of this to get done. However, I did not use money as an incentive for good grades – that was expected from both my partner and me. Reflecting on how this may have affected his development I think that this was good for Noah because it challenged him to prioritize his time, for both things that he needed to do and things that he wanted to do (i.e. hang out with friends, participate in extracurricular activities, etc.). At one point, Noah was frustrated with me because he thought I did not allow him to do things his friends’ parents let them do. At the time I was a little confused because Noah was able to negotiate most anything he wanted but there was always a price – chores or family time. Neither of which I thought were unreasonable of my partner or me to ask. Either way, I do not regret my choices because Noah turned out to be very happy , he had a great family values, and when he applied for colleges he was accepted to  several and received a scholarship from a prestigious institution. With guidance from my partner and me, Noah made the right decisions for him that I believe worked out for the best. Looking back, I do not believe that I would have made any major changes to how I decided to raise Noah. I may have tried to encourage him to be a little more active, but only to ensure his health. Whether it was sports or simply working out I would rather he live a healthy, active life, than a sedentary life. However, with all of the activities that Noah participated in I am not sure he would have been able to dedicate enough time to keep it consistent. Outside of that, I may have given Noah a little bit more freedom because at one point he decided to demonstrate his independence by getting a tattoo with his girlfriend. This was very disappointing to me, simply because I don’t think it was a decision he should have made at sixteen with his high school girlfriend. As I previously mentioned, I believe that Noah had a secure attachment with both my partner and me. An examiner noted at Noah’s 19-month developmental testing that it was clear we were a secure base for him and we were encouraged to continue with the same parenting practices (Berk, 2014, pp. 187). As a toddler he often ventured off to explore, but would always check back to make sure we were still there for him. Also, when Noah was an infant and I attempted to go back to work, he would act very distressed when I left. When I returned home Noah seemed more than happy to see me and for the majority of the following evening he demanded almost constant attention (Berk, 2014, pp. 197). It was clear that Noah preferred my partner or me to a stranger and instead of taking him to daycare we had to ask a family member to watch Noah while we were at work. At age four we noticed that Noah was somewhat rigid with gender roles. He had gender schemas established for both men and women and did not stray from his beliefs very often. Once while Noah was in the car with me, I was pulled over by a female police officer and Noah did not believe that she was a real officer because she was a woman. At the time, Noah could have been classified as a gender-schematic child because he identified the behaviors of men and women as either masculine or feminine (Berk, 2014, pp. 277). This was something that my partner and I had trouble with until Noah was about six. We attempted to model non-stereotypical behaviors for men and women to break Noah’s initial ideas about gender roles and to open his mind to the variety  of roles both men and women can take on. For example, he often tried to help his father or mimic what he was doing, so his father began cooking in the kitchen and asking for Noah’s help. From that point on he seemed to better understand the range of tasks both men and women can do. Early on it was evident that Noah was a musically gifted child. At age six he started taking piano lessons and singing aloud to the songs he would play. This continued to be a passion of his throughout his adolescent years. He participated in the middle school band, playing the saxophone, and because of how talented he was the high school jazz band recruited Noah to be a member of their group. Even more impressive to my partner and me at the time, Noah began to play the guitar and that was primarily self-taught. According to Howard Gardner, Noah would have been categorized as a musically intelligent individual (Berk, 2014, pp. 312). I believe that my partner and I instilled Noah with the ability to recognize the difference in actions that were right versus actions that were wrong. He had a strong set of morals and values that were shaped, yet not entirely created by us. While at a competition with his vocal group from school a few of the members stole trinkets from a store and were caught. Noah agreed with their punishment and was aware of how wrong their decisions were. However, he based his recognition of these immoral actions on how the children let down their parents, coach and teammates while taking part in the unlawful activities. This could be classified as conventional level moral understanding (Berk, 2014, pp. 408). To Noah, these were wrong choices because they were wrong in the eyes of society. I urged Noah to hypothetically think about how the situation may have been different than what he thought; I suggested that maybe his teammates stole medicine for a sick teammate. With that I attempted to encourage Noah to use more post-conventional judgment, where he could define morality with abstract ideas as opposed to those ideas set for him by society (Berk, 2014, pp. 408). Although parenting was a challenge, I don’t believe I would ha ve done it any differently than what I did. There were ups and downs; however that is expected in any type of relationship. Once finished with the program I was a little disappointed I didn’t get more feedback on how Noah finished out in life. However, I was very happy with Noah’s development and was glad to know that, the majority of the time, the best decision was made. With the skill set that he had acquired I believe  that Noah was prepared to lead a successful and happy life. A very intelligent and capable young adult, he was prepared for nearly anything his life intended him to encounter. Having said that, I have no regrets with the decisions I made for my virtual son and could not be happier with the person he turned out to be. References Berk, L.A. (2014). Development through the Lifespan. Boston: Pearson.