Power and Control in Hawk Roosting Essay

GRADE G In Shakespeare’s play a man called Macbeth kills the king to get his power. Ted Hughes’s poem ‘Hawk Roosting’ is about a hawk who thinks he is powerful. GRADE F In _Macbeth_ Shakespeare writes about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth who have a plan to kill the king and take over. â€Å"Hail, King thou shalt be.† Ted Hughes writes about a hawk and how powerful he is: â€Å"My manners are tearing off heads.† GRADE E Shakespeare shows that Lady Macbeth wants to be a powerful character because she wants to kill the king so that Macbeth can become the new king: ‘You can putt this night’s great business into my dispatch.† Ted Hughes also writes about power, but from the point of view of a hawk. We know that the hawk has a high opinion of itself: ‘I kill where I please because it is all mine.’ GRADE D The theme of power/ambition is explored in _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting.’ Shakespeare focuses on Lady Macbeth’s relationship with Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth learns about the witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will become king, she hatches a plan to make it happen. Ted Hughes also writes about ambition because the hawk in the poem wants to be the best: â€Å"Now I hold Creation in my foot.† A difference between them is that the hawk is very confident about his own power, but Macbeth is too  loyal to the king to be able to reach his ambition.: â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honoured me of late.† Lady Macbeth is more ambitious than her husband. GRADE C Ted Hughes’s poem ‘ Hawk Roosting’ shows the world as seen from a hawk’s point of view. The hawk seems very determined and powerful. Shakespeare also presents the theme of power and determination, but the difference is that he presents is with a husband and wife who plot to murder the king and take his crown. The hawk also has thoughts of murder: ‘in sleep rehearse perfect kills’. The word ‘rehearse’ suggests that the hawk enjoys killing, and practises to make himself perfect – even when asleep. This also suggests that he is proud of himself. Similarly, in _Macbeth_ Lady Macbeth is proud of her ambitious nature: ‘O never/Shall sun that morrow see.’ She has murderous thoughts and she will kill the king that night. GRADE B _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ both seem to be about power and ambition. In ‘Hawk Roosting’ the speaker is a hawk who describes his view of the world: ‘The earth’s face upward for my inspection.’ This image suggests how the hawk is very confident that the world is there to suit his needs. It is in the form of a statement, which adds to the feelings of the hawk’s confidence. Lady Macbeth is also very powerful at the beginning of the play. She wants Macbeth to entertain the guests while she prepares to kill King Duncan. When hatching the plan, she says to her husband, ‘Leave all the rest to me’. This implies that she feels that she is more capable to commit the crime than Macbeth. The audience will see her as more ambitious at this point. GRADE A Although _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ differ in form, there are distinct links that can be drawn between them. They both concern power and ambition  and how a character’s persona is formed by their self-belief, and what they are prepared to do to achieve their aims. In both texts we are given an insight into the characters’ innermost thoughts. In ‘Hawk Roosting’, because the poem is written in the first person, in the form of a dramatic monologue, we gain a great insight into the speaker’s confidence. The hawk starkly portrays how he feels that the world is there for his ‘convenience’. He arrogantly describes how the ‘air’s buoyancy’ and ‘sun’s ray’ are ‘of advantage’ to him. Similarly, Lady Macbeth initially believes that the crown is her right, and shows her desire for achieving it: ‘Take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers.’ The fact that she is calling on spirits to give her the strength to act implies that she will stop at nothing to achieve her aim. An audience may view this as a shocking, evil and ruthlessly ambitious act. GRADE A* _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ share some common ground in that they are concerned with the unpleasant side of power and ambition. The main characters in both texts appear to be overly confident and assured. ‘Hawk Roosting’ is a dramatic monologue spoken by a non-human voice, a hawk. We are provided with a series of images which depict the hawk’s arrogance and pride. Indeed. The hawk is brimming with superiority: ‘It took the whole of Creation/To produce my foot, my each feather.’ The hawk is seemingly bragging and delighting in how magnificent it appears. This can be directly compared to Lady Macbeth. The way she belittles her husband, referring to him as ‘afeard’ and ‘a coward’ reveals her merciless ambition to become queen. She, like the hawk, feels that she deserves to be ‘great’, and wants her husband to share the power; he calls her ‘My dearest partner of greatness.’ COMPARING _MACBETH_ AND _HAWK ROOSTING_ – SAMPLE ANSWERS (THEME = POWER AND AMBITION) 1. Although _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ differ in form, there are distinct links that can be drawn between them. They both concern power and ambition and how a character’s persona is formed by their self-belief, and what they are prepared to do to achieve their aims. In both texts we are given an insight into the characters’ innermost thoughts. In ‘Hawk Roosting’, because the poem is written in the first person, in the form of a dramatic monologue, we gain a great insight into the speaker’s confidence. The hawk starkly portrays how he feels that the world is there for his ‘convenience’. He arrogantly describes how the ‘air’s buoyancy’ and ‘sun’s ray’ are ‘of advantage’ to him. Similarly, Lady Macbeth initially believes that the crown is her right, and shows her desire for achieving it: ‘Take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers.’ The fact that she is calling on spirits to give her the strength to act implies that she will stop at nothing to achieve her aim. An audience may view this as a shocking, evil and ruthlessly ambitious act. 2. The theme of power/ambition is explored in _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting.’ Shakespeare focuses on Lady Macbeth’s relationship with Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth learns about the witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will become king, she hatches a plan to make it happen. Ted Hughes also writes about ambition because the hawk in the poem wants to be the best: â€Å"Now I hold Creation in my foot.† A difference between them is that the hawk is very confident about his own power, but Macbeth is too loyal to the king to be able to reach his ambition: â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honoured me of late.† Lady Macbeth is more ambitious than her husband. 3. _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ both seem to be about power and ambition. In ‘Hawk Roosting’ the speaker is a hawk who describes his view of the world: ‘The earth’s face upward for my inspection.’ This image suggests how the hawk is very confident that the world is there to suit his needs. It is in the form of a statement, which adds to the feelings of the hawk’s confidence. Lady Macbeth is also very powerful at the beginning of the play. She wants Macbeth to entertain the guests while she prepares to kill King Duncan. When hatching the plan, she says to her husband, ‘Leave all the rest to me’. This implies that she feels that she is more capable to commit the crime than Macbeth. The audience will see her as more ambitious at this point. 4. Shakespeare shows that Lady Macbeth wants to be a powerful character because she wants to kill the king so that Macbeth can become the new king: ‘You can putt this night’s great business into my dispatch.† Ted Hughes also writes about power, but from the point of view of a hawk. We know that the hawk has a high opinion of itself: ‘I kill where I please because it is all mine.’ 5. _Macbeth_ and ‘Hawk Roosting’ share some common ground in that they are concerned with the unpleasant side of power and ambition. The main characters in both texts appear to be overly confident and assured. ‘Hawk Roosting’ is a dramatic monologue spoken by a non-human voice, a hawk. We are provided with a series of images which depict the hawk’s arrogance and pride. Indeed. The hawk is brimming with superiority: ‘It took the whole of Creation/To produce my foot, my each feather.’ The hawk is seemingly bragging and delighting in how magnificent it appears. This can be directly compared to Lady Macbeth. The way she belittles her husband, referring to him as ‘afeard’ and ‘a coward’ reveals her merciless ambition to become queen. She, like the hawk, feels that she deserves to be ‘great’, and wants her husband to share the power; he calls her ‘My dearest partner of greatness.’ 6. In _Macbeth_ Shakespeare writes about Macbeth and Lady Macbeth who have a plan to kill the king and take over. â€Å"Hail, King thou shalt be.† Ted Hughes writes about a hawk and how powerful he is: â€Å"My manners are tearing off heads.† 7. In Shakespeare’s play a man called Macbeth kills the king to get his  power. Ted Hughes’s poem ‘Hawk Roosting’ is about a hawk who thinks he is powerful. 8. Ted Hughes’s poem ‘Hawk Roosting’ shows the world as seen from a hawk’s point of view. The hawk seems very determined and powerful. Shakespeare also presents the theme of power and determination, but the difference is that he presents is with a husband and wife who plot to murder the king and take his crown. The hawk also has thoughts of murder: ‘in sleep rehearse perfect kills’. The word ‘rehearse’ suggests that the hawk enjoys killing, and practises to make himself perfect – even when asleep. This also suggests that he is proud of himself. Similarly, in _Macbeth_ Lady Macbeth is proud of her ambitious nature: ‘O never/Shall sun that morrow see.’ She has murderous thoughts and she will kill the king that night.

Complete lives

The Complete Lives System The allocation of healthcare has always been a huge issue in our society and the principles to allocate this resource also has come under fire. In the past it has always been â€Å"first come first serve† basis. Whether or not this approach is ethical is another question, but is it practical. The authors of â€Å"Principles for allocation of scarce medical interventions† have discussed a new approach called the Complete Lives System.The complete lives system posses five principles for allocation that Include: ingest first, prognosis, save the most lives, lottery, and Instrumental value (Principles 6). The priority of this system Is to lad those who have not yet lived a complete life and will not be able to do so unless they get the aid necessary. This idea also considers many ethical factors such as saving the most lives possible, as well as a lottery, which takes into account the little information needed for recipients.While this system is no t practical for an entire economy at this point, it is a step closer to determining an appropriate approach to our health care system. The Complete Lives System is an ethically Justified and practical approach to health care because; it takes into account various practical approaches to healthcare, and it focuses on those able and capable to live a complete life with the public resources that they have used in the past. The Complete Lives system takes into account a variety of different principles used around the world.As stated before, the core principle Is youngest first. The system focuses on â€Å"youngest first† by giving the priority to those between the ages of 15 and 40. The mall reason why this first approach Is ethically Justified Is that adolescents eve received substantial education and parental care, and these investments would be wasted without a chance at a complete life (Principles 6). These resources primarily schooling would be a waste if without aid necessa ry. Infants have not received this benefit so they should not be considered a factor for instrumental value.They are also unable and incapable forming long term plans and values that some have already received before they turn 18. While alone this principle is impractical, the combination of prognosis and instrumental values makes this model ethically sound. Demand will always be larger than supply In the healthcare system it is almost an Inevitable factor when determining a correct model. The argument of which healthcare model should be used Is focused around who will receive the appropriate care, and who will be left out.The abandonment of the â€Å"sickest first† Is ethically Justified based on the principle of prognosis. Factoring prognosis Into the model takes into account that large amounts of resources will not be use the majority of resources to those that can benefit the most? I believe so, and the tutors of this article also agree. If the care given to those termina lly ill only give benefits of a couple of weeks or a few months compared to multiple years for those that are better off, it is hard to not see this as an ethically Justified model.As I said before not every person is able to reap equal benefits of the healthcare system, no country possesses the resources capable of achieving this utopia. The most practical method is providing aid to those that can reap the most benefit from the care. Objections to the Complete Lives System is said to discriminate against older people. Everyone was once the age of 25 and able to seek the benefits of the system but why now that they are 65 that they cannot? Some tend to say that this is discrimination and â€Å"ageist†.The system was designed to give each person an equal responsibility of living a complete life, which has been accomplished at the age of 65. They have already had the chance to live a complete life and reap the benefits designed by society such as education e. T. C. When the sys tem is maximized, it is designed to offer the greatest benefit to those that need it. An adolescent offers more infinite to society in the future then an elderly one would. As an economics major I have always thought to look at decisions based on the opportunity cost, or the cost associated with an alternative decision that is forgone.What would be the opportunity cost of choosing to extend an elder life potentially 10 years, over an adolescent for maybe 50-60? Obviously it depends on the specific person but the benefit to society by one living another 50 years triumphs one that only has a few left. If the United States would switch to the Complete Lives system then my current enervation would benefit greatly from this change. We would be able to look forward to the high possibly of benefiting from a â€Å"complete† life.It gives a sense of relief knowing that if I were to develop an ailment in the near future that I would be able to get the care I need to regain my quality o f life. In contrast those that are past the age to be prioritize will not feel the same way about the system. One quote I found particularly interesting was the rule of rescue, â€Å"our moral response to the imminence of death demands that we rescue the doomed† (Principles 2). The Complete Lives System does not factor the sickest first, which usually is the elder generation.Its hard to agree with the principle knowing that when I get older and my quality of life decreases, that I will not receive the same treatment as I once did. This is the only flaw of this system it does make you question whether or not it could be effective when it is put into action. Even with this flaw in the system it is still nice to know that the priority is given to those that have not lived a complete quality filled life. Recently I had a close family member of mine pass away at the age of 87. He had been dealing with various health problems the last 5 years or so and had been receiving pretty ext ensive medical care.I definitely believe that under this system that he would not have received the same amount of care and most likely would not have lived as long. When the time came for my family and him to decide what the future plan of action would be, they decided he did not want to continue the treatment to only be in pain for maybe a couple extra months. When he passed it was very hard for all of us to accept the news and the decision but in the end it was to receiving the treatment he needed years ago under the Complete Lives System and looking at it now I probably would not want the system to apply.I believe that this system is a step forward in the right direction for our healthcare system but any person is selfish in dealing with one of his or her own friends or family members. While I wouldn't have wanted the system to apply to my family member I could accept the fact knowing that the resources necessary too keep him alive could be better used on someone else to increas e their quality of life. The Complete Lives System uses a variety of different principles to try and have a concise system in place to designate who receives the appropriate care.At this time it would be hard to put a system like this into place in somewhere such as the United States, but if used appropriately for the correct system it could be considered as an ethical approach to this big question. Some of the opposing viewpoints accurately generate questions about various aspects of the Complete Lives, but I believe that it is a legitimate policy that factors in all aspects of morality.

An Essential Requirement for Effective Leadership Essay

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Heart failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

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Management Business Plan of Bar Restaurant - Assignment Example The sales forecast is for about $200,000 for year two, which is estimated for year three to $290,000. Net profit is expected tobe negativein the first year and then become %in years two andthree. 1.1 Keys to Success Boschetto has identified several business factors that must be implemented in order to succeed in this competitive market. 1. Design effective Logistics procedures. This is especially important for a bar restaurant where, without logistics there will be problems in demand and supply and in addition, employ theft could cause the business a lot of damage. 2. Offer exceptional customer service. 3. Improve continuously the business model. 1.2 Mission It is Boschetto's mission to become a premier meeting spot for London professionals who are interested in high quality light cuisine and wine. Boschetto will accomplish this by offering abundant Italian finger food and wine, at reasonable prices. By providing the London market with the opportunity to gather and have an exciting meeting point will become a London favorite. The business strong belief is that a successful business is based on satisfied customers. 1.3 Objectives To become one of the premier meeting points in London that offers Italian finger food and wine. To grow thetrend of drinking wine and enjoy light food with it in contrast to beer and sandwiches. Become profitable by year two. Market Analysis Summary Boschetto's target customers are working people age 30-45 yrs old. Upper middle and middle class and Dinkies of the same characteristics. Both groups are interested in light Italian food Both groups are interested in having a regular meeting point which will look rather exclusive and posh but they have some differences therefore they need to be reached differently. 2.1 Target Market... This essay describes a Boschetto, that is a new bar restaurant, that is located in London. Boschetto is a combination of a bar and a restaurant serving Italian finger food. While there are many Italian restaurants in London, there are no Italian bar restaurants even though the demand is quite apparent. These restaurants are always filled with people. The researcher states that Boschetto is aimed to meet the unmet demand in London with a bar restaurant offering an extensive wine list and high quality Italian finger food fine. Boschetto will be lead by Chiara Mastroianni. Chiara received her undergraduate degree in Business Management from University of Wales. It is also Boschetto's mission to become a premier meeting spot for London professionals who are interested in high quality light Italian cuisine and wine. Boschetto will accomplish this by offering abundant Italian finger food and wine, at reasonable prices for middle and upper middle class. The researcher hopes that by providin g the London market with the opportunity to gather and have an exciting meeting point will become a London favorite. The business strong belief is that a successful business is based on satisfied customers. Boschetto is planned to open in the first quarter of 2009. It is concluded that prior to the opening, all appropriate market research, concerning the targeted market segments, will be conducted as well as all the necessary promotion such as advertisements that inform the public about Boschetto will be executed.

Linux Security Essay Example for Free

Linux Security Essay While researching the regulatory requirements needed for First World Bank Savings and Loans I found that a security policy against current server architecture is required to be implemented. The CIA (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability) triad is taken into account when analyzing the multiple servers in reference to Linux and Open Source managing security demands. The Database Server requires the administrators go further in terms of technical design through a Linux architecture method. MySQL can be utilized as a backend and comes with script availability to remove test databases, lower systems and data base privileges (Jang, 2011). This method will allow successful requirement of all networking layers. The Apache Web Server allows the ability to harden the Linux kernel within Apache (Prashant, 2013). The patch available is grsecurity and allows protection against zero-day vulnerabilities while utilizing ksplice to update the kernal on time (Prashant, 2013). Samba is used for the file server and has many features to restrict access to what is shared. This includes enforcing password requirements, filtering at the network level, and a check going against group memberships (Jang, 2011). The SMTP server will be Sendmail. Sendmail comes with the security feature of encrypting the connection (Jang, 2011). We will also need a virus scanning program to ensure mail coming in does not have virus attachments. The LDAP server will be utilized as the central authentication server so that the involved users have a login that is unified and covers all console logins (LDAP NExt, 2010). Works Cited Jang, M. (2011). Security Strategies in Linux Platforms and Applications. Jones Bartlett Learning. LDAP NExt. (2010, 06). The official Red Hat Reference Guide. Retrieved from http://www.centos.org/docs/2/rhl-rg-en-7.2/s1-ldap-uses.html Prashant, P. (2013, 10 10). Linux for you. Retrieved from http://www.linuxforu.com/2011/05/securing-database-servers/.

Procurement of Goods and Services Strategies

Procurement of Goods and Services Strategies Introduction Procurement is the acquisition of goods, works and services. The process covers a whole cycle from the identification of needs through the supply of the product and to the end of the service contact and even the end of the useful life of the asset procured. This chapter explains the background of this research work, the problem discussion and the overview of the structure adopted in this dissertation. Background The speed of technological advancement is so much now that no part of the global world can afford to be left behind especially now that the world has become a global village. Businesses all over the world are hence looking for strategies that will position them and make them have a competitive advantage whatever it takes. Such competitive advantage could be gotten from doing business at a low cost achieving lot of savings or having an effective work system. That is what a good procurement best practice strategy can deliver to any organisation. Many Organizations are now seen trying to focus on making their procurement strategies as efficient and cost effective as possible to ensure they have a competitive edge in their industries. According to source one management services, LLC, (2008) the advent of Best Practice Procurement Processes has suddenly seen a lot of companies realizing substantial cost reductions through: Having a proper understanding of the cost drivers used in determining total cost of ownership. Elimination of all non-value adding process thereby Increasing efficiency across the entire supply chain. Aggregation of demand, supplier rationalization, strategic sourcing, and enhanced supplier relationships resulting in improved cycle time. Electronically enabling the supply chain through the use of paperless e-Procurement tools and e-commerce portals. Reduction of carrying costs, warehousing, movement, obsolescence and shrinkage through the alternative inventory ownership agreements – retained consignment and vendor managed inventory. Problem discussion Different strategies are often used in achieving the best procurement processes in various industries. The need for developing countries especially Nigeria industries not to be left behind in utilizing these opportunity has necessitated this research work. For the purpose of this study, I will consider the extent to which procurement practices in Nigeria has adopted the three key strategies discussed in the work namely the lean supply, the e-procurement and the green supply strategies as it relates to environmental friendly policies adopted by various organisations in Nigeria. Kirk Zylstra (2007 p 10), argued that the main objective of all supply chain executives today is he to ensure that future business forecasts, ever changing customer demand, and other variations across the supply chain do not upset their carefully laid cost-reduction plans. Its however been discovered that the main obstacle to this vision is the ability to model budgets, accurately tie real costs to operations, and develop processes that execute these plans daily. This is where the application of lean principles to supply chain operations can help. According to Len Cooper, Senior Vice president of supply chain Halliburton, confirms that Halliburton is focusing mostly on Lean strategies with suppliers, and less so on Six Sigma because, as Cooper explains, Lean focuses on speed and throughput, which is easier for suppliers to apply and is in fact a goal for our suppliers. He went further to states that ‘’we would rather have our best suppliers grow with us, especially in these times, rather than go out and find more suppliers in order to gain access to additional capacity. We wanted to share our Creativity Over Capital ideas and experiences and benefits with them. In one of the report done by Andrea Ovans of Harvard Business report on E- procurement at Schlumberger Oilfield Services, (the worlds largest oil service company on is using the Web to revolutionize the way it buys equipment and supplies) on What they accomplished by moving to e-procurement?. The brain behind the strategy, Paris-based Alain-Michel Diamant Berger explains that ‘’We replaced a number of different systems some that were paper based, some that were automated with a single desktop system. Thats allowed us to streamline and speed up our entire purchasing operation. He further confirmed that buying supplies and equipment has often been very slow and complicated in the past, with lots and lots of papers and approval processes involved before executing a buy. However employees now act as their own purchasing agents, placing orders directly through their PCs and receiving the goods they need much more quickly. The advantage here is that the e procurement single system adopted by Schlumberger which help to consolidate purchases and gain greater volume discounts from our vendors. According to Derek Parker The ultimate aim is to achieve specific, measurable results that improve competitiveness across the supply chain by applying sustainable development practices.’’ Suppliers are often made to understand that sustainable practices improve the long term financial bottom line and in many cases the ‘greening’ of supply chain has a positive interaction with a move towards lean manufacturing, and sustainable processes which are ways of eliminating waste. From the aforementioned strategies adopted by Schlumberger, Halliburton and other organisations described as seen above, it is obvious that there is need to adopt a more aggressive strategy as that adopted by these organisations in order to remain competitive and relevant to their respective industry. The purpose of this research therefore is to evaluate the extent to which these all important strategies have been adopted by organisation in Nigeria, noting the implication and the key hindrance inhibiting these strategies. It is also critical to note that while Sustainable Procurement activities are common in many developed countries, the awareness and implementation is still relatively low in most developing countries. While I recognise the important role that procurement policies can play to support of sustainable development, this research is aims to contribute to the adoption of sustainable procurement strategy in developing countries especially Nigeria. Overview of the dissertation structure The whole dissertation is divided into six major chapters. This chapter which serves as the introduction gives the background and overview of the importance of the topic, the purpose of the research and finally the research questions then introduced. The second chapter provides the reader the opportunity to have an insight into the literature review on some the topics related to the research. This leads us to the third chapter giving the details of the methodology adopted in the carrying out the research. It explains the purpose, the approach and the strategy adopted for the research. It also shows the synopsis of how I arrived at the method I finally adopted for the research. Chapter four gives the highlight of the background of the companies used for this case study and all data gathered in the course of the research. These data were analysed in chapter five while a final conclusion and implications was drawn in chapter six based on the findings of the data analysis. 2.0 Literature Review With the global economic melt down across the nations, organisations are expected to seek a way out of this challenge, among others, looking for a way to reduce turn around time and cost through their procurement strategies. Competition therefore in today’s global market is not only between different companies but also between supply chains management systems. The evolvement in technological advancement and organizational improvements are important for effective supply chain management; however, the main cause of SCM improvements according to juril et al, (2006) is not the implementation of an information system itself, but rather a change and an integration of business processes. Over the years some changes have taken place in the development of innovative procurement strategies especially in sectors like manufacturing, retail, oil and Gas, construction and even service oriented industry. Jim Scotti, (2007) believes Procurement is now evolving into a far more strategic discipline, driven principally by a greater awareness of the financial implications of executing the function well. There are different procurement strategies adopted by organisations in the market place but using the best procurement practices would guaranty the desired success for any organisation. Based on different literatures written by authors the subject of procurement, some of the commonly adopted procurement best practices include: Creating an efficient system that would save time and money. Creating a pre-qualified and broad supplier base which enables all suppliers to be uniformly and objectively evaluated. Creating a comprehensive bid specification with full details before an invitation for bids is sent to the suppliers in the supplier pool.   Creating mutual acceptance of the process whereby every supplier in the pool knows that it can bid low on any supply.   Ensuring full transparency of bids through sending bid results to all suppliers that participated in the bid.   Monitoring every step of the workflow process to ensure clear communications, attention to every detail and a deliverable end product.   Ensuring that work is performed per specifications and on time.   Completing the project with accurate invoicing.   With the advent of Best Practice Procurement processes, a lot of companies have realized substantial cost reductions through understanding the cost drivers that determine the total cost of the supply chain and completely eliminating all non-value adding process in their supply chain line For the purpose of this report three strategies for achieving Procurement best practices will be considered and these include the adoption of the lean supply, e-procurement and adoption of the green supply strategies. While a lot of research has been done on the lean supply and e-procurement and their benefits if properly implemented, not much seems to be mentioned on the green supply principles and need to implement these strategies to achieve procurement best practices while considering the environmental friendly green supply chain management scheme in various organisations and how companies can benefit from this inevitable procurement procedure. Lean Supply Strategy Lean as described by Nigel (2006) is the process of achieving the flow of products and services to meet customers demand in the right quantity, right time, right place at the lowest price with no waste. The key principle focuses on maximizing customer value by producing goods and services with higher quality, fewer defects eliminating various forms of waste or any non-value adding activities through all possible continuous improvement processes. Womark (1996) described the five principles of lean, which includes: identify the value demanded by customer Identify the steps involved in the whole value stream Generate a flow in the value stream Produce only what is pulled by customer Strive for perfection through continuous improvement The adoption of these key principles in procurement activities in order to ensure that the organisation maximises the value of every good or service purchased explains the reason for lean supply or procurement as it applies to this research. R. Stratton (2003) believes Lean supply enables flow and the elimination of wasteful processes within the supply chain. Its focuses on continuous improvement strategies, through the elimination all non-value creating activities, reducing waste and effectively the cost of procurement. According to Lubben, (1998), lean supply aims at improving efficiency, quality and delivery performance of suppliers. It also focuses on removing all non value adding activities so as to reduce the cost of supply of material. For any procurement strategy to succeed the purchasing manager must be able to connect the strategy with the financial implication or performance. W.D. Presutti Jr. (2003) Benefit of adopting lean procurement Organizations within a lean supply chain are able to leverage their own lean journey more easily, delivering better customer value by responding more efficiently, quickly, and predictably to customer needs. That, in turn, facilitates the operation of the lean supply chain, creating a virtuous cycle that ultimately translates to superior financial performance for these organizations. In the article ‘Halliburton pushes Lean Six Sigma to its supply base’ (2009), the use of lean six sigma between 2004 and 2008, tripled their output from its manufacturing plants without any meaningful increase in the total capital footprint for those plants. The companys manufacturing cycle times were reduced, increasing their asset utilization out of all their equipment. According to Len Cooper, who is the Senior Vice president of supply chain management in Halliburton states that the lean process alleviated the need for more capital investment to support the type of output growth they experienced with the adoption of lean six sigma. Generally, the adoption of lean supply gives a lot of other benefits which includes achieving a minimal level of defects in supply, frequent deliveries.( Handfield, 1993) He further argued that because there are smaller number of suppliers, this could lead to developing a long term relationship between the buy and supplier which eventually leads reduced products price that would benefit the purchasing organisation. Strategies to adopt a lean supply system Inadequate management of the procurement process adds cost and adversely impacts customer service. In the current competitive environment such inefficiencies can no longer be tolerate. It is therefore necessary for organisations to focus more on their supply chain management system and adapt the concept of strategic lean supply chain management to their internal systems so as to eliminate all non value adding process. Sidney Hill Jr (2008) argued that the lean supply chain system cannot just happen. They emerge from strong working relationships between supply chain partners i.e the purchasing organisations, who are thoroughly committed to continuous improvement processes. Organisations especially the multinational expected to help their train their suppliers to fit into the required standard for supply. This could be organising training for their staff and help setting up some infrastructure that would encourage the lean practice. E-procurement Strategy E-procurement can be seen as a very valuable tool for organisations experiencing difficulties in their supply chain. If properly implemented, e-procurement can be used to connect a link between companies and their business processes with suppliers while managing all interactions between them. It encourages management of correspondence, bids, questions and answers, previous pricing, and multiple emails sent to multiple participants. Defined in different ways by many scholars. Presutti, ( 2002) describes electronic-procurement as the productive use of the internet to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the supply end of the supply chain. Davila et al. (2002) describes it as any technology designed to facilitate the acquisition of goods over the internet. Most literatures written on e- procurement addressed various issues in their definition. While some such as Brunnelli, (1999), Carabello, 2001 and others limits the definition to acquisition of goods over the internet, Scott and Westbrook (1998); New and Payne, (1995) believes that it should have a broad definition which includes the entire value chain, including materials and supply chain management from the extraction of raw materials to its end of useful life. In most recent times, there has been a change of focus from the strategic view of market to an internal re engineering discovered in supply chain management. This is obvious because e-procurement provides a set of built-in monitoring tools to help control costs, maximum supplier performance and deliver value to the purchasing organisation if adequately maximized. Benefit of e- procurement strategy The use of e-Procurement system help managers make decisions through access to catalogues of many suppliers keeping track of all means of bids while leveraging on knowledge to obtain better pricing. It provides organised, standardized and track able information with the elimination of the use of paper work. Kalakota and Robinson, (2000) explains that the main objective of any company’s e-procurement strategy is to better manage the firm’s operational costs. Basically, the strategy of e-procurement could be seen under two broad umbrella: the effectiveness and the efficiency of use- Davila et al, (2002) and Presutti (2002). Dai and Kauffman, (2000) however argues the benefit in e-procurement in terms of the high returns on investment (ROI) achieved through reduced operating and search cost. A view of benefit of e-procurement adopted by Davila et al, (2002) and Presutti (2002) explains the efficiency and effectiveness of using e-procurement. This includes: a better managed inventory level, cost effectiveness and savings achieved, improved efficiency of the procurement process, reduced maverick spending and better flow of information between buyers and supplier. According to Davila et al (2002), the main reason for the investment on the technology platform used for e-procurement is to achieve cost saving. He confirms that the adoption of e-procurement technologies reported a savings of 42 per cent in purchasing transaction costs. A summary of the various benefits associated with e-procurement as seen in many of the literatures includes but not limited to; Better value for money. Its helps to reduce inventory level and therefore serves as a cost saving measure for the organisation. The managers often know the product, the bid prices and the supplier to contact whenever the product is needed. Completely reduces transaction cost such as requisition, ordering administration and storage cost. E-procurement solution helps firms to interact with a wider supplier base and gives firms the opportunity to reach the unknown but qualified source of suppliers. It also provides the spirit of fair play. There is reduced duplication leading to a more efficient purchasing. It increases the ability to track strategic information and data on procurement including purchasing patterns. E-Procurement systems also allow multiple access levels and permissions help managers organize administrative users by roles, groups, or tasks. Procurement managers do not need to be as highly trained or paid because such systems are standardized and easy to learn. The system also links together the company’s procurement unit/department around the world and allows them share information about their best suppliers According to (Presutti, 2002) , the e-procurement system enables firms to more efficiently and accurately capture and aggregate budget spending in various purchasing product area, allowing the firms to bring what may be significant buying power leverage to market. The online real time of e-procurement technology no doubt provides buyers and sellers with the opportunity to share information in building specification of products which add value to resulting product and build strong relation. The larger the base of participating suppliers, considering the benefits to both sides, the greater will be the business value of e-procurement solution. (Presutti, 2002) In conclusion, every organisation’s goal is to achieve a good return on investment. According to OSD (2001), e-procurement enables the reduction in cost of goods procured and procurement processing time and cost have direct impact on return on investment (ROI). E-procurement risk management As seen from the numerous literatures on e-procurement, the research on the adoption of e-procurement has been made tremendous impact in many organisation, unfortunately not much as done on the risk management of e- procurement, especially within the industries considered in Nigeria. Douglas Hubbard ( 2009) describes ‘Risk management as the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risk followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events’. Risk management is the finding out the possibility of ‘a wrong’ happening, how it can be avoided, fixed or reduced to the barest minimum whenever it occurs Davila et al (2002), agrees that new e-procurement technologies has become an vital part of supply chain management activities and that the rate of adoption will accelerate as aggressive users share their experiences and perceptions of low risk. He went further to argue that the actual benefits and risks of e-procurement technologies and manger’s evolving perceptions about the benefits and risks will determine the speed at which the technology moves from its developmental infancy to the adoption and the maturity stages. E-procurement is no doubt growing in most industry and this is due to the competitiveness in most industry and the ever changing nature of the demands of the customers. Some of the risk identified in different literature includes: External business risk: This happen when there’s no effective communication between the organisation’s e procurement system and the customers and suppliers. External parties such as suppliers need to be able to develop internal systems that facilitate the communication through electronic means (an issue that demands technology investments as well as incentives) connected to the e- procurement system. To achieve a successful e-procurement technology, suppliers must have an electronic access via the Internet and should provide sufficient catalogue choices to satisfy the requirements of their customers-purchasers. Although most suppliers, especially in low margin industries, may be undecided or even unable to meet such demands without guarantees of future revenue streams. And also since some of the business models associated with e-procurement technologies (e.g. auctions, consortia, and exchanges) may be thinking of using suppliers with whom the buyer has not previously transacted business, companies need to develop mechanisms that provide the buyer with assurances that the supplier meets or exceeds recognizable and industry enforced standards relating to supplier quality, service, and delivery capabilities. Reputation risk: This type of risk occurs when there’s a breach of data that can damage an organisation’s reputation. Reputation risk occurs for example, when there is duplication in the information on the system which jeopardizes the reliability of the information Implementing e-procurement strategy requires not only having a successful purchasing process in place but also the ability to integrate all existing infrastructures. Okah et al (2007) Technology risk: As the growth of e-procurement advances, most organisation fears the lack of a widely accepted standard and a clear understanding of which e-procurement technologies best suit the needs of each company. This lack of generally acceptable standard serves as a hindrance to the use of commonly integrated software across all e-procurement activities. This suggest that an acceptable and open standard would be required to fully integrate all facilitates among the various organization using the e-procurement technologies. Without widely accepted standards for coding, technical, and process specifications, the adoption of e-procurement technology will be slow and will fail to the desired benefits. Process risk: Frew (2005, p 397) explains that process risk are risk associated with the security and control of the e-procurement process itself. There is need to provide evidence to non users that this technology will not breach control or security or any privacy issue. Organizations must be confident, for example, that unauthorized actions will not disrupt production or other supply chain activities when committing to e-procurement technologies Internal Business risk: According to Davila, et al, (2002) certain risk that are linked with the adoption of e-procurement need to be addressed before these technologies are widely accepted. Although, e-procurement in itself reduces the risk of human factor, maybe due to loss of certain document or misappropriation of data, but there is still a human interface which can also result to a form of risk or error. Okah (2008) describes it as human error risks. In conclusions risk are sometimes unavoidable but adequate measure should be in place to mitigate any kind of such risk whenever it arises and that is the purpose of risk management as it applies to procurement. Davila et al, (2002) also described some risk associated with the integration of technologies with existing information systems, with the business models that these technologies impose on supplier-customer relations and with the security and control mechanisms required to insure their appropriate use. Avery, (2002) however believes that e-procurement are essentially global, many of its limitations come from the geographic, cultural and organizational limitation of the underlying businesses in which they are adopted. Green Sustainable Procurement Strategy There has been increased awareness in our environment as its affects global warming, production of non recyclable packages and some toxic substances. A lot of Organisations have been seen applying the green principle to their organisation activities including the supply chain activities. A Green Sustainable Supply Chain can be defined as the process of using environmentally friendly inputs and transforming these inputs through change agents whose by-products can improve or be recycled within the existing environment. This process develops outputs that can be reclaimed and re-used at the end of their life-cycle thus, creating a sustainable supply chain.- Patrick P (2007) According to Seuring, (2004), Green supply chain management, could be referred to as environmental supply chain management or sustainable supply chain management. This includes green purchasing, green manufacturing/materials management, green distribution/marketing and reverse logistics (Sarkis, 2005) The environmental sustainability according to Madu, et al., (2002) has gradually become part of the overall corporation culture and, in turn, has helped to restructure the strategies of corporations With this increasing awareness in environmental sustainability, companies are beginning to streamline their operations and look for means of reducing their excess inventory, determine the optimal right-shoring plan, and reduce fuel expenses and logistics costs while reducing overall carbon emissions. Purchasers are therefore faced with enormous task of focusing on the design and packages of the products supplied by their suppliers The act of purchasing activities that include the reduction, reuse and recycling of materials is therefore paramount to organisation competitive existence in the marketplace- Carter, et al. (1998) Procurement officers are now trained to go for product with less non recyclable bye products or packages. Study has shown that the cost of most goods are in the packaging, thus if the packaging can be reduced, perhaps made to be recycled, the cost of the product will eventually be low. According to Faith-Ell, et al., (2006) the environmental performance of products and services can improve if purchaser express environmental preferences through the so called green procurement Walton, et al., (1998); Zhu and Cote, (2004) confirms that organisations that adopt the green supply chain management system may generate environmental and business performances. Following various legislation by different Government, consumers are beginning to have preference for product or services produced by environmental friendly organisations. Purba, (2002) also confirm that the practise of a green supply chain, can result in an improved environmental performance through the reduction in waste and emissions as well as better environmental commitment while improving competitiveness (better product quality, increase in efficiency, enhancing productivity and cutting cost), resulting to a better economic performance (new marketing opportunities and increasing product price, profit margin, market share and sale volume). This was supported by Derek Parker who confirms that the ultimate aim of green supply is to achieve specific,measurable results that improve competitiveness across the supply chain by applying sustainable development practices. It is therefore clear based on all the stipulations from the various authors like Walton, et al. (1998), Zhu and Cote (2004) and Purba (2002), as well as other procurement experts, that organizational performance is considered to include environmental and financial performance. The pressure is therefore on all organisations to improve their environmental performances which is a result of the world’s globalization rather than localization (Sarkis and Tamarkin, 2005). Benefits of green supply The benefits of Green supply goes beyond the reduction in waste and emission to the environment but it also benefits the organisation in terms of cost savings. Stevels, (2002) categorised the benefits of green supply into three folds: the financial implication, the company reputation and the societal perception. The financial implication: The green supply chain management practice helps in lowering cost prices for supplier and in turn results to a lower cost for their customers Lower cost of ownership for customer. Better competitive advantage Result to more customers In terms of reputation: Less rejects for supplier Better compliance for societal values. Confirms technological and environment awareness in terms of societal perception: Green supply chain management helps motivation of stakeholder for environment better image for supplier and producer feel good and quality of life for customer Make industry on the right track for society. Green supply chain management helps in lowering the environmental load for environment Duber-Smith, (2005), also highlighted ten reasons why organisations should adopt the green supply strategy: target marketing, sustainability of resources, lowered costs/increased efficiency, product differentiation and competitive advantage, competitive and supply chain pressures, adapting to regulation and reducing risk, brand reputation, return on investment, employee morale, and the ethical imperative. Supplier Evaluation/Selection The responsibilities of buyers or purchasing Managers has changes significantly especially in this competitive environment from purchasing products and service to meet customers needs. It has become necessary for purchasers to provide quality products, delivered just in time by working with adequate numbers of suppliers. Suppliers therefore play a key p

Discourse Analysis Essay -- Communication, Identity Work

Analysing discourse is often used by social scientist as an interpretive study of real-life situations, because of its ecological validity (Byford, 2009, p. 198). An article, (which will be referred to as text) taken from the Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council website (cited in Open University, 2010, pp. 25-26), will be analysed in this essay. Firstly, by establishing some of the discourses and then summarising areas of ‘identity work’, which is ‘the performance of identity in (the details of) talk, including how the speaker positions her or himself’ (Taylor, 2009, p. 186). ‘Discourse is a set of ideas that are shared by (some) members of society, creates identity positions and gives a certain view of how the society functions and practices are positively or negatively valued’ (Taylor, 2009, p. 185). The views and identity positions that people hold can be formed in many ways and urbanisation is a good example of how values are connected between people and place in the countryside and in cities. Steve Hinchliffe (2009, p. 224) explains how people are seduced by an ‘imaginary’ of rural life and that people’s opinions of city life are often disconnected. They can associate higher crime, pollution and violence, in cities, opposed to, rolling hills, clean air and a relaxed way of living in the countryside. Yet, during urbanisation, in the 1830s, many moved from rural areas, to take up residence in cities. And although the attraction to move to urban areas was complex, Hinchliffe (2009, p. 210) points out, cities seemed attr active, they gave opportunities to earn a living wage and increase prosperity even if it was mainly through manufacturing. The text from Blaenau Gwent plays on the myth (discourse) of the idyllic countryside,... ... to these facts. Firstly, it allows visitors to buy into the rural life as it states there are ‘a number of great places to visit, stay and enjoy’ giving the opportunity to act out a personal identity and gain pleasure from the area. Secondly, the constant use of adjectives throughout the text, helps to construct a positive image of the area ‘impression management’ as Goffman suggests. Overall, we can see how the text uses discourses and the photograph also confirms this, by showing a rural and scenic view of the area. Identities are complex and are made up of more than one thing at a given time, they are not mutually exclusive. The performance of identity in the text is aimed at those who have limited knowledge of Blaenau Gwent. It is a ‘snap shot’ trying to persuade and convince the reader, which aims to attract tourists rather than merely present the facts.

Reality and Illusion in Shakespeares Hamlet - Reality, Appearance and

Reality and Illusion in Hamlet    Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, begins with the appearance of a ghost, an apparition, possibly a hallucination. Thus, from the beginning, Shakespeare presents the air of uncertainty, of the unnatural, which drives the action of the play and develops in the protagonist as a struggle to clarify what only seems to be absolute and what is actually reality. Hamlet's mind, therefore, becomes the central force of the play, choosing the direction of the conflict by his decisions regarding his revenge and defining the outcome. Shakespeare begins Hamlet's struggle with recognition of Hamlet's sincere grief and anger following his father's untimely death. A taste of the conflict is expressed in the dialogue between Hamlet and his mother, Gertrude. Here Hamlet forcefully declares his pain and adds a discerning remark that defines seems as "actions that a man might play." (I.2 ln 84) By acknowledging Hamlet's comprehension of the separation between appearances and truth, Shakespeare gives the audience a reasonable belief in Hamlet's eventual success despite the obstacles he creates for himself.    Developing a convincing scheme by which to determine the goodness of the ghost and to achieve revenge is Hamlet's first action. Hamlet asks his friend Horatio to refrain from commenting on any strange behavior he may exhibit in the future. (I.5 ln 170-179) Later in the play, Hamlet alludes to his actual sanity when conversing with his school friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. "I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw." (II.2 ln 377-378) After adequately concealing his intentions, Hamlet begins to doubt his own character. He compares himself to an actor who... ...struggle for revenge. Nevertheless, the central driving force of the play remains Hamlet's mind. The new king, Fortinbras, assures the audience that Hamlet "was likely, had he been put on, to have proved most royal." (V.2 ln 391-392)    Works Cited and Consulted: Heilman, Robert B. "The Role We Give Shakespeare." Essays on Shakespeare. Ed. Gerald Chapman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965. Levin, Harry. General Introduction. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974. Mack, Maynard. "The World of Hamlet." Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html

Installation :: essays research papers

DesignTech International, Inc. DesignTech disclaims any liability or responsibility arising out of any inaccuracies of this information or use of this information for installations or otherwise. Installation Notes - Document #114 - Sheet 1 of 2 Trouble-shooting with the â€Å"Self Diagnostics† See also document # 110 - Troubleshooting the AutoCommand. The AutoCommand ® is a very ‘safety oriented’ product. It is constantly looking for a reason to shut down the vehicle. It is for this reason that we designed it with a built-in self-diagnostic system. If for any reason the AutoCommand ® shuts off — you can ask the AutoCommand ® to tell you with the self-diagnostics why it turned off the last time or failed to start. This feature should be used any time the remote starter fails to get the vehicle up and running. A. Simply let your AutoCommand ® run it’s cycle by turning the control switch on and pressing the remote control start button. Five minutes after the last cycle simply turn the control switch OFF and start counting the first series of feedback flashes. Note that this will work even if the AutoCommand ® does not attempt to start the vehicle, if the AutoCommand is unsuccessful, or if the vehicle starts and prematurely shuts off. # of Flashes Reason for turning off 1 See Text. 2 Hood or Brake activated 3 No Tach or stalled 4 Received another remote input / no door pin signal On manual transmission units 5 Car went into gear 6 Low battery 7 Received alarm input 8 Overcurrent 9 No emergency brake signal on manual transmission units. 12 The Control Switch was turned off too soon. Here are the common reasons for each of the 10 codes above: 1 This code nomally means the unit ran for it programmed run time and then shut down properly, BUT- The default code of one will appear if the unit has not yet started the vehicle or if the unit is somehow reset. Some solutions: Reprogram the transmitter, move your ground wire to a new location, and make sure you are connecting the power wire directly to the battery. 2. Either the hood or brake input was activated. Disconnect each wire in-turn to figure out which one is the culprit. Note that a hood pin switch can be mounted such that when the vehicle is ‘starting’ the hood pin could receive a ground signal — thus turning off the vehicle. Make sure the pin-switch is mounted such that it pushes down enough when the hood is closed to prevent slight movements of the vehicle to cause it to close. In some cases if the Installation :: essays research papers DesignTech International, Inc. DesignTech disclaims any liability or responsibility arising out of any inaccuracies of this information or use of this information for installations or otherwise. Installation Notes - Document #114 - Sheet 1 of 2 Trouble-shooting with the â€Å"Self Diagnostics† See also document # 110 - Troubleshooting the AutoCommand. The AutoCommand ® is a very ‘safety oriented’ product. It is constantly looking for a reason to shut down the vehicle. It is for this reason that we designed it with a built-in self-diagnostic system. If for any reason the AutoCommand ® shuts off — you can ask the AutoCommand ® to tell you with the self-diagnostics why it turned off the last time or failed to start. This feature should be used any time the remote starter fails to get the vehicle up and running. A. Simply let your AutoCommand ® run it’s cycle by turning the control switch on and pressing the remote control start button. Five minutes after the last cycle simply turn the control switch OFF and start counting the first series of feedback flashes. Note that this will work even if the AutoCommand ® does not attempt to start the vehicle, if the AutoCommand is unsuccessful, or if the vehicle starts and prematurely shuts off. # of Flashes Reason for turning off 1 See Text. 2 Hood or Brake activated 3 No Tach or stalled 4 Received another remote input / no door pin signal On manual transmission units 5 Car went into gear 6 Low battery 7 Received alarm input 8 Overcurrent 9 No emergency brake signal on manual transmission units. 12 The Control Switch was turned off too soon. Here are the common reasons for each of the 10 codes above: 1 This code nomally means the unit ran for it programmed run time and then shut down properly, BUT- The default code of one will appear if the unit has not yet started the vehicle or if the unit is somehow reset. Some solutions: Reprogram the transmitter, move your ground wire to a new location, and make sure you are connecting the power wire directly to the battery. 2. Either the hood or brake input was activated. Disconnect each wire in-turn to figure out which one is the culprit. Note that a hood pin switch can be mounted such that when the vehicle is ‘starting’ the hood pin could receive a ground signal — thus turning off the vehicle. Make sure the pin-switch is mounted such that it pushes down enough when the hood is closed to prevent slight movements of the vehicle to cause it to close. In some cases if the

Ph Scale

The pH Scale is a scale made to show how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The pH of something is measured with pH paper which can vary from wide range paper, which covers all ph’s, but is not as accurate at some others. There are pH papers that get very specific that can have a range such as 2 or 3 and get much more precise. The neutral on the scale is 7. Anything that is below 7 is considered acidic and anything above 7 is considered alkaline. Acidic substances contain more H+ than OH-.H+ stands for a positively charged hydrogen ion and OH- stands means a negatively charged hydroxide ion. This means something with the pH level of 4 is more acidic than something with the pH level of 9. When an acidic substance is out into another substance the original substance turns more and more acidic. The acids will begin to break down the proteins. The opposite happens with an Alkaline substance. The Alkaline has a negative charge so when placed into a substance it pushes the substance away and then quickly blends in.The proteins do not get broken down, they all mix together and become paler. The reason why pH is important in biology is because the pH of a cells interior helps regulate the cell’s chemical reactions. The cells in the human body need to regulate the chemical reactions in order to grow and to survive. For example, urine has the pH level of 6, which is slightly acidic, and blood has the pH level of about 7. 4 which is slightly alkaline. When the pH of blood changes it is often caused from a failed kidney function.Humans are not the only thing with pH in them however. All living animals have pH inside of them, however our blood pH’s and theirs can vary greatly. Animals such as crabs and clams have a acidic blood pH. Others like dogs have a blood that has a pH level that is alkaline. Conclusion: After observing the effects of an Alkaline and acidic substance on a neutral substance I am able to conclude that the pH level changes. When an A lkaline substance is added to a neutral substance the pH level rises due to the amounts of OH-.Eventually the pH level did even out. When the alkaline substance is added it also causes the substance to loose color. The Acidic substance has quite the opposite effect. When added to the milk the milks pH level dropped and became acidic. The milk became a grayish color and began to chunk up. Eventually the milks pH level did level off and the milk became more like a liquid again. With this being said when an acidic or alkaline substance is added to something, they not only change the pH level, but also they change the appearance.

Immanuel Kant Essay

Morality is an important concept that has always generated interest when dealing with business organizations. Some of the business organizations argue that morality in business is important as it ensures that the needs of the customers are fully satisfied. However, with the increased focus on profitability, morality the concepts of morality is no longer considered in most organizations. According to the descriptive sense, morality refers to personal or cultural values, norms or codes of conduct while the normative sense refers to anything that may be right or wrong depending on values of a particular culture (Harris, 2010). The paper this discusses the concepts of morality and its application in business in order to identify its relevance. Utilitarianism: Conduct should be for the purpose of promoting the greatest happiness of the greatest number of persons. Categorical Imperatives: Evaluating motivations for actions. Process Philosophy: Metaphysical reality with change and dynamism. Moral relativism: Similarities in terms of the moral concepts. Moral absolutism: Human conduct is right or wrong in any context. Ethical relativism: Nothing is objectively right or wrong due to the differences in terms of the moral judgments across cultures. Moral objectivism: What is morally wrong or right depends on what someone thinks. Deontological ethics: Duty of obligations based on ethics. Teleological ethics: Moral obligation from what is desirable as an end to be achieved. In any given time and place, morality is what appeals to most people while immorality is abhorred. This is mainly based on the concepts of right and wrong. Businesses on the other hand can have moral standards although they are not moral agents because the businesses are more focused on profitability and sometimes the issues of morality are overlooked for the sake of making profits. However, it is not true that the bottom line of business is profit and profit alone. Businesses have to benefit the society and create opportunities to improve the social lives of the people. Serving the customers and ensuring that they are satisfied is an important aspect of business as focus on profitability alone will end up being exploitative to the customers (Churchland, 2011). Other tangible goals are also present in a business as opposed to profitability alone. Meeting the demands of the customers and impacting positively on the society is also a goal of a business. As individuals, it is important to be moral for the purpose of doing the right thing. Doing what is right will always be beneficial to the entire society. A corporation or organization should be moral for the purpose of ensuring that it impacts positively on the lives of the people. Morality will also ensure that the corporation is sensitive to the needs of the employees and hence avoiding exploitations which is oppressive to the employees. On the other hand, morality will ensure that the corporation is not only focused on profit making but also environmental issues, compensation and pension packages of the employees. In the first formulation, Kant argues that is important to act only in that maxim whereby at the same time you can will that it should become a universal law without contradiction (Rachels, 2011). The first formulation also brings a bout the concepts of perfect and imperfect duty. This can be applicable in business as it is aimed at ensuring that the business people are able to act in a way that they cannot be blamed for deliberately failing to perform their duties. In the business environment, it is important to ensure that the focus is not only in profit as this may lead to actions that are not moral. The executive compensation should not be too high as it will impact negatively on the payment of the other employees. The services offered to the customers should also be of high quality and standard. Cheating or misleading the customers for the purpose of benefiting the profits should also be avoided. According to the deontological ethics concepts the businesses should ensure that that they fulfill their duties through observing the ethical issue as opposed to profit making alone. The business people should also ensure that the means and the end are desirable which will prevent them from using immoral means to achieve profits. This is in accordance with the concepts of teleological ethics. In terms of moral objectivism, the business should be conducted in a manner that is moral and ethical. The concepts of tolerance should also be embraced in business due to the diversity in cultures in terms of defining what is right and what is wrong. This is in accordance with the theory of moral relativism. It is thus important to ensue that concepts of morality ate incorporated in a business for the purpose of ensuring that the customers are satisfied and the business is beneficial to the society (Shane, 2010). In conclusion, it is evident that the concepts of morality are for the purpose of ensuring that the right things are always done. In business, morality is essential in terms of promoting the right practices which is aimed at benefiting the customers and the society. References Harris, S. (2010). The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values. New York: Free Press. Churchland, P. (2011). Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality. Princeton, N. J. : Princeton University Press. Rachels, S. (2011). The Elements of Moral Philosophy (7 ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill. Shane, M. (2010). â€Å"A functional imaging investigation of moral deliberation and moral intuition†. Neuroimage 49: 2707–2716.

Issues in the Mock Negotiation Problem Essay

Being a member of the Local 5000 in this whole project I could point out numerous things that make the employees at Auto Products Corporation want things better. There seems to be issues at the Indianapolis plant concerning overtime, premium pay, and even subcontracting instead of using their own employees to do the work. What I have also gotten from this mock negotiation is that in the past, the union and management have been satisfactory. Different viewpoints: I have not had a very good experience with my teammates on this project. I agree that this should’ve been a fun project but it has been very stressful to me. As far as different viewpoints I feel again as though I’ve done this whole project by myself because everything I posted the only response I received most of the time is â€Å"sounds good†, â€Å"I agree†, â€Å"good idea†. I could go on and on about how my views differed from my teammates or how I feel like I had no help in the negotiation. I also feel as though I played the role of secretary and chairperson in this project but overall I am satisfied with the final results on our issues raised to management. Research Provided: Research was provided for my team by me concerning the current seniority clause, required overtime, and the issues concerning the company’s right to subcontract. The union wanted to stick to the current seniority clause, which management agreed, because it isn’t fair that junior employees can come in before a senior at the company to take the place of a job when a senior employee is qualified to fill the position. I provided the following research to my team from the textbook: In many contracts, seniority governs promotions when a senior employee is â€Å"qualified† to fill the position in question. Under others, seniority becomes the determining factor in promotions when the senior has the ability for the job in question equal to that of all other employees who may desire the better job.(Text page359) Sticking with the current seniority clause will ensure that positions are filled properly. Also, in the Mock Negotiation it states that the company has the right to require overtime in the existing contract but there was an issue raised by the employees that the supervisor isn’t fair and that they have been giving their friends the opportunity to earn the extra money and discriminating against the other employees. For this issue I provided the following research from the textbook: The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 places no restriction on employees to work more than 40 hours in a workweek, other than the employees who work more than 40 hours must be paid at least one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for all hours in excess of 40 hours. The textbook also states that when a supervisor makes an error in the regard of offering his/her friends to work overtime and discriminating others; the employer may be faced with a grievance filed by the employee and ask for the amount of money he/she would have earned if he/she would’ve worked. Also, the situation of paying for the same work twice at overtime rates.(text pages288-290) This could be a major disaster if the company doesn’t fix this and if it isn’t then many possible grievances can still be filed. On the issues concerning the company’s right to subcontract, in the negotiation it stated that for many years each skilled tradesperson has worked only within his or her trade and five months ago the company required a mechanic to do a job normally performed by a plumber. A grievance was filed and the arbitrator sustained the position of the union on the basis of the â€Å"past practice† principle. I provided the following research from the textbook for my team: The union should ask the the company add a subcontracting section in the labor agreement. The textbook gives an example of a subcontracting section in a labor agreement that states whenever the company contemplates contracting out any type of work normally performed by a maintenance employees, it shall inform the President, Chairman, and Grievance Committee and the affected Shop Steward of its intentions prior to making a decision to award the contract.(text page389)This would be great considering for many years the company had each skilled tradeperson working only within his or her trade. When the company required a mechanic for a job that normally was performed by a plumber the employee and union filed a grievance. The company should stick with â€Å"past practice† and continue to keep their tradepeople working only within his or her trade. If not then workrightspress.com states that stewards can do the following: Past practices grievances are well suited for group action. Unions can: †¢ Encourage numbers of workers to file grievances on the matter †¢ Distribute leaflets about the dispute †¢ Circulate petitions †¢ Hold meetings during breaks †¢ Picket before or after work or during breaks (being sure not to interfere with employees, suppliers, or shippers) Also in the textbook, the example also states that the union retains the right to examine any existing or new subcontracting agreement for the purposes of checking wage scales and the specific work contracted.(text page389) These are great things we could put in the subcontracting section of the labor agreement. Also in the subcontracting section in the labor agreement, I think the union should also ask that limitations be put in place such as: 1. Requiring the employer to have an agreement that subcontractors will be used only on special occasions ( where specialized equipment that isn’t on company premises is required or where special skills are needed ) 2. No-layoff guarantees to current employees (as in â€Å"no employee of any craft, which craft is being utilized by an outside contractor, shall be laid off as long as the outside contractor is in the plant doing work that employees in such craft are able to do.† 3. Provisions giving the union veto power over any or all subcontracting 4. Requirements that the management prove to the union that time, expense, or facility considerations prevent it from allowing current employees to perform the work. (text page388) The Local 5000 Union Demands: After reading the Mock Negotiation the union decided on the following demands mainly on the issues raised in the negotiation. The union has developed the following demands concerning the Mock Negotiation at Auto Products Corporation for the Indianapolis plant: 1. The union will not permit any change in the medical insurance program. The union wants to fight for better benefit packages, which would include a 401K and also better medical insurances. In the current contract, the medical insurance program does not cover employees that are laid off for more than 30 consecutive days and 80% of the employees laid off, have been laid off for longer than 30 consecutive days. We would like to ask that management remove this and also; still cover the employee’s on layoff, visits to physician offices, hospitals, and emergency rooms up to 60 days. 2. The union would also like to ask the company add a 401k, the union would ask that the company match dollar for dollar what the employees decide to put into their 401k.This will help employees’ retirement. We would also like to administer an Employee Stock Ownership Program which entitles employees’ 5 shares of company stock yearly. 3. The union would also like to stick with the current seniority clause that provides for promotions based on length of service and ability. If the company says that promotions are bid for on a departmental basis then the department that has the position open should be available to the candidate within the company that has seniority based on length of service and ability before a junior employee. 4. The union would also like to discuss the current contract about r equired overtime. The union insists on paying employees time-and-a-half while working these days and insisting that the company use a volunteer method when selecting the employees to work on these days. 5. I think that the union should also place a restriction on the company’s right to subcontract. No subcontracting can occur when skilled trades are available to do the work. When the company contemplates contracting out any type of work normally performed by a company employee, it shall inform the President, Chairman, and Grievance Committee and the affected Shop Steward of its intentions prior to making a decision to honor the contract; allowing the company to subcontract only if, all of their own personal resources have been exhausted. 6. As part of the union, I would also like recommend placing demands on management to allow for a supplementary unemployment benefit program to help dislocated workers. The first is supplementing the unemployment benefits of various state unemployment insurance systems. Second is allowing further income to still unemployed workers after state payments have been exhausted. Without sub pay, laid off workers will start looking for new employment and will most likely be unavailable to return to their original position when an opening occurs. We would also like to remind you that a sub pay clause can catch the attention of the most talented people looking for jobs, people like to work for companies that take care of their employees. Also asking management to supplement the union employee’s unemployment benefits (while laid off through no fault of their own) and allow for up to 90% of their original pay for a maximum of 52 weeks’. 7. I would like to recommend the union demand the removal of the no-strike clause because grievance procedures in some cases seem to not work like they should. I believe a strike or slowdown might help convince man agement that something needs to change. 8. The union would also like an annual wage increase for all workers along with adjusting the escalator clause in the current contract. The current contract provides for a $.03 increase in wages for each .4-point increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). We as the union ask that the company provides a $0.10 increase in wages for each 0.5-point increase in the CPI. I feel these demands were adequate for negotiations because these demands will benefit our employees and fix the problems that are going on at the plant. Although not all were agreed on the only demand that didn’t even get a second look would be adding a supplemental unemployment benefits for dislocated workers. Which I understand this is due to APC’s current costs due to the current loan the company has just borrowed. The Bargaining Zone: Going into this negotiation the union, in all, knew that APC would try and change the medical benefits for their employees. Our demand states that we weren’t going to accept any change to the medical benefits but our plan was to ask for this and negotiate in permitting the company to only pay 80% of medical costs throughout the new contract. Management and the union chairperson, Ziaria, agreed that the company pay for 65% of medical costs throughout the course of the new contract. Our final result was close to what we were original to in the first place so I’d say we accomplished what we wanted in the bargaining zone for this demand. Another demand in which we knew that management would counter on would be the current No-Strike Clause in the current contract. The union requested that this clause be removed and management wouldn’t accept this claiming â€Å"Auto Product Corporation is a production company. Feasibly, we are not able to produce the volumes of quality parts for our vendors when the company is being disrupted with strikes and work slowdowns. Our Local unions file grievances for their members and they go through the process. The contract contains a standard grievance procedure and provide for arbitration for all disputes arising under the contract. The company, with the help of its 3800 employees wants to remain vital to the community, vendors and families of our employees; we can only be effective, if we are producing quality parts.† But, the entire time, the union knew this wasn’t going to work and Paul had mentioned a No-Sue section to be added which management had no problem with. Our bargaining limits on this were accomplished with ease considering management said they had no problem adding this as long as the union was not directly involved or instigating a strike or slowdown. The Negotiation Process: Overall I would have to say that the negotiation process was somewhat difficult in the beginning because management was unsatisfied with our demands refusing pretty much all of them. I feel like the union was more willing to negotiate but that could be because our goal was the employees and the managements goal was reducing costs. For example, the union and management went back and forth on decreasing the amount of stewards to job families, trying to reduce stewards from having 60 to 20 and decreasing the amount of time they have to do grievance work daily. The union and management also went back and forth on non-productive time. Management wanted employees to clock out for lunch and then only have a 5 minute paid wash up at the end of their shift. The union agreed on clocking out for lunch but wanted to keep the 10 minute wash up and management wouldn’t accept this until the very end of negotiations. Besides these two matters, the negotiation process went rather smoothly. My personal thoughts: There are things that I wish would have went differently. For example, my teammates should’ve contributed more to discussions. I feel as though I was constantly waiting on a response from them and more than half the time I would only hear from Paul and as I discussed earlier he would respond mainly with â€Å"I agree† which gives me no other viewpoints or if I should have done things differently. Or, the would respond after deadlines to where I couldn’t change anything. Then, Ziaria, not being in hardly any of our discussions goes in the boardroom and conducts negotiations without even consulting with me or Paul. I understand though that you can’t always choose your teammates. Conclusion: Before conducting these negotiations I went into this thinking I wanted to be on a management team because I have always had this view of unions being dramatic. Instead, my views now are more pro-union because this negotiation has taught me that unions are there for your rights as an employee. When management tries to change the contract, you as an employee, should want the union there to try and get the best possible outcomes for all employees because management is just going to try and cut costs any way they can. Overall I found this project to be interesting and informative on the things that actual companies negotiate on. References: â€Å"The Mock Negotiation Problem.† Sloane, Arthur A., Witney, Fred. Labor Relations. Prentice Hall- Pearson Education, 2012. 435-440. Work Rights Press. How to Win Past Practice Grievances. n.d. 16 November 2012 .