Strategic management developement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Strategic management developement - Essay Example All these resources may become useless unless the organization formulate suitable strategies to exploit it. For example, Apple Inc was on the verge of destruction in 80’s and 90’s because of the loop holes in the strategic management of its business. However, Steve Jobs changed the business strategies of Apple Inc during the latter part of 90’s and at the beginning of 2000. The transformation of Apple Company from a computer company to a consumer electronics company has brought huge success. At present, Apple Inc. is the second largest company in the world in terms of market capitalization and they are the most valuable technology company in the world. At the same time, Microsoft was the leader in IT industry until a couple of years before. Same thing cannot be said about them now. Samsung is another company which was successful in developing suitable business strategies to increase its competitive power in global market. In short, strategic management of busines s is the most important topic in the organizational world at present. This paper analyses various theories with respect to strategic management in general and Porters five Forces Model theory in specific. General Discussion: Strategic Management â€Å"Good strategy is about letting alone and about creating the conditions of innovative adaptations† (Robert and Holt, 2009, p.56). Innovation is the key for organizational success. In the absence of innovative strategies, organizations may struggle to survive in the heavily competitive business world. As mentioned earlier, Apple Inc. is one company which showed the importance of innovation to the business world recently. It should be noted that Nokia was the leader in the mobile phone industry until recent times. They thought that nobody can question their supremacy in the mobile phone industry. Apple proved Nokia wrong. When all the traditional mobile phone manufacturing companies thought about enhancing the features of mobile ph ones, Apple thought differently and developed the touchscreen phone. The entry of iPhone in the mobile phone market caused huge problems to mobile phone manufacturers including Nokia. At present Apple is one among the top two mobile phone manufacturers in the world. In fact Nokia and other mobile phone manufacturers forced to follow the path of Apple. According to De Wit and Meyer (2010), â€Å"the four components of strategy are market opportunity, corporate competence and resources, personal values and aspirations and acknowledged obligations to segments of society other than stakeholders (p.76). Sustainable business practice is gaining grounds at present. It is impossible for modern organizations to excel in the market without showing commitments to corporate social responsibility. Companies which follow unethical business behaviours are blacklisted by the modern consumers. The reputation and brand image of the company is important things for the modern consumers. In short, ethi cal business practices are part of strategic business management at present. â€Å"Since the world is changing rapidly, we can also expect the firm’s strategy to do so. This may involve developing new bases of competitive advantage or completely new lines of business†(Fitzroy and Hulbert, 2004, p.5). Diversification of business is one of the major elements in strategic management. It should be noted that competition is increasing day by day in global market after the introduction of globalization. Along with existing players, new players are also

Close Adoption vs Open Adoption Essay Example for Free

Close Adoption vs Open Adoption Essay The concept of adoption was not legally recognized in the United States until the 1850’s, with the inception of the first adoption laws. While transfers of children to substitute parents or now known as â€Å"adoptive parents† had occurred informally since American colonial times, adoption laws legitimized the informal adoptive arrangements which previously existed. There are now two different forms of adopting a child: open or closed adoptions. Although there are two options for adoption, all adoptions should be considered closed until an adoptee is 21. The adoption process for closed adoptions differs from the open adoption process and has more benefits. The open adoption process, is in which the adoptive parents actually meet and usually stay in touch with the birthparents. Birthparents voice in choosing their childs adoptive parents. Both open adoption and closed adoption use agencies or a lawyer, but in open adoption the agency gives the birthparents biographies of prospective adoptive parents, and the birthparents pick the family they are most comfortable with or â€Å"click† (Winerip 1). Compared to closed adoption, the prospective adoptive family would put their name on a list, and wait for the social worker to make a match. This doesn’t involve the need of personalities between families to match, just the potential factor of a good child support system which is the most important aspect. â€Å"Conversely, if they want a closed adoption, they shouldn’t be pressured into an open adoption because adopters may find it harder to fulfill their side of the agreement such as: sending the birthmother photos or visiting† (â€Å"Family Education† 2). Also, in open adoption the birthparents and adoptive parents meet, and might be in touch frequently during the pregnancy while closed adoption the adoptive parents didnt know where the child came from, or who his or her birthparents were which gives them more of sense that the child belongs to them and deserves all their love as if it was given birth by the adoptive mother. Many times the adoptive parents in an open adoption are able to witness their childs birth and some of these families stay in touch through their adoption agency, especially on birthdays and holidays. Others become friends or create somewhat of an â€Å"extended family†. During closed adoption however, there is no contact between birth and adoptive families. This gives both families a sense of closure. Through the closed adoption process no identifying information is provided, giving a type of curiosity back to the adoptive parents on what their child may look like instead of seeing the birth mother and assuming that that child will look like her. They are only given non-identifying information (e. g. , height in the birth family, potential hair color, medical history, ect. is provided through the third party such as the agency or attorney. When adoptions are closed, the files are usually physically sealed until the age of 21 to the adoptee and the adoptive parents giving everyone a sense of closure (Thompson 1). Closed adoption and open adoption have a key difference including the involvement of the birthparents from their point of view that is more beneficial when the adoption is closed. Open adoption birth parents experience a sense of less guilt as a benefit (Gray 27) of the adoption but what benefit does the child rear? Adoption should be more for the child and less for the birth parents emotional ground. But closed adoption does give the birth parents privacy because â€Å"placing a child for adoption is an extremely sensitive and vulnerable choice. Having a closed adoption creates an opportunity for a stronger sense of privacy,† (â€Å"N. A. I. C. H. † 1) and it can also reduce fear because â€Å"some birth mothers are concerned about explaining their choice, and a closed adoption serves as a way to prevent them from a confrontation with a child placed for adoption† (â€Å"N. A. I. C. H. † 1). Closed adoption rids the birth parents of the responsibility they were not ready for in the first place and gives the child a chance at a better life with more responsible individuals. In some cases, closed adoption kills two birds with one stone by riding a birth parent of the embarrassment of not being prepared or financially stable for a child while giving the adoptive child a chance for a better life with an adoptive family that is looking for a child to give love and a good life too. Closed adoption is more beneficial from the Adoptive parents’ viewpoint rather than open adoption. Open adoption gives the birth parents the option to demand wants of the adoptive parents and those demands may cross boundaries. In a sense, an adoptive family may get the feeling of â€Å"affirmation- As an adoptive family, you may experience a sense of empowerment or encouragement knowing that you were chosen as the adoptive family† (â€Å"N. A. I. C. H. † 2) but birth parents may still want to be in the adoptee’s life as extended family but two mom’s and two dad’s? Would that not confuse a small child? With closed adoption, the adoptive parents have full responsibility and there is no answering to birth parents or any fuzzy oundaries of rules and expectations for a child such as â€Å"birth parent interference or co-parenting concerns† (â€Å"N. A. I. C. H. † 1). The adoptive family is given the full privilege of raising their adoptive child how they would like to and â€Å"family freedom- if the birth families are not involved, the adoptive family is free to have their family time without restraints of visitations and on-going communication† (â€Å"N. A. I. C. H. † 1). It is even up to the adoptive family to decide to tell child that he/she is adopted. Closed adoption is safer for the adoptive child rather than open adoption and has more benefits. Open adoptions give the child his/her identity and suppose that by chance the birth parents are properly functioning human beings, which would give the adopted child an extended family that was healthy (â€Å"American Pregnancy Association† 1). On the other hand though, what if the child doesn’t wish to know their birth parents because he/she was adopted or their birth parents have issues or mental problems that are not healthy for the child to be around or interact with? Closed adoption eliminates these possibilities. Unless the adoptive child specifically asks who they really are, the child could be completely fine without knowing they’re adopted and have a normal family with one mom and one dad. More often than none, the adoptee’s birth parents give them up for adoption for a reason. This includes the possibilities of an unplanned pregnancy, lacking financially, or just simply aren’t ready for the responsibility. The purpose of adoption is to give the adoptee a better life than it would’ve originally had. In the end, the child still has the option of finding their birth parents records when they are of the age to legally obtain that information.

History of the Aztec Empire :: Pre-Columbian History Culture

History of the Aztec Empire The center of the Aztec civilization was the Valley of Mexico, a huge, oval basin about 7,500 feet above sea level. The Aztecs were formed after the Toltec civilization occurred when hundreds of civilians came towards Lake Texcoco. In the swamplands there was only one piece of land to farm on and it was totally surrounded by more marshes. The Aztec families somehow converted these disadvantages to a mighty empire known as the Aztec Empire. People say the empire was partially formed by a deeply believed legend. As the legend went, it said that Aztec people would create an empire in a swampy place where they would see an eagle eating a snake, while perched on a cactus, which was growing out of a rock in the swamplands. This is what priests claimed they saw when entering the new land. By the year 1325 their capital city was finished. They called it Tenochtitlan. In the capital city, aqueducts were constructed, bridges were built, and chinapas were made. Chinapas were little islands formed by pilled up mud. On these chinapas Aztecs grew their food. The Aztec Empire included many cities and towns, especially in the Valley of Mexico. The early settlers built log rafts, then covered them with mud and planted seeds to create roots and develop more solid land for building homes in this marshy land. Canals were also cut out through the marsh so that a typical Aztec home had its back to a canal with a canoe tied at the door. In the early 1400s, Tenochtitlan joined with Texcoco and Tlacopan, two other major cities in the Valley of Mexico. Tenochtitlan became the most powerful member of the alliance. Montezuma I ruled from 1440 to 1469 and conquered large areas to the east and to the south. Montezuma's successors expanded the empire until it extended between what is now Guatemala and the Mexican State of San Luis Potosi. Montezuma II became emperor in 1502 when the Aztec Empire was at the height of its power. In 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes landed on the East Coast of Mexico and marched inland to Tenochtitlan. The Spaniards were joined by many of the Indians who were conquered and forced to pay high taxes to the emperor. Montezuma did not oppose Cortes because he thought that he was the God Quetzalcoatl. An Aztec legend said that Quetzalcoatl was driven away by another rival god and had sailed across the sea and would return some day. His return was predicted to come in the year Ce Acatl on the Aztec Calendar.

Analogy of Poetry Essay

The poem There Is Another Sky by Emily Dickinson was a poem written for her brother Austin. Emily uses nature to explain the message she is trying to provide for him. The poem provides a hopeful and positive feeling. The poem is full of optimism and inspiration. The pint of the poem is to provide encouragement and offer guidance. The lines â€Å"Here is a brighter garden† and â€Å"And there is another sunshine† demonstrate the optimism she is trying to portray. There are no stanzas or major events in the poem. The order that the aspects of nature are presented in provides. The last few lines of the poem further enhance the message. The poem ends with an open invitation for Austin to leave his gloomy state. Dickinson shows a sincere concern while providing inspiration for both the readers and her brother. She describes a utopia throughout the poem and uses words to describe a better place such as serene, fair, brighter, and unfading. The title there is another sky provides the since that there is an alternative option instead of a consistent negative outlook on life. There is a change in tone after the dash. Before the dash Dickinson states that there is a negative place and recognizes that everything in life doesn’t always work in your favor. She also uses â€Å"there is† creating distance. After the dash Dickinson implies that there in fact is another sky. She uses â€Å"here is† which implies that she can provide a better situation. Knowing that the poem is for her brother almost obligates you to feel sympathy for him and makes her message even stronger. Overall, Emily is trying to say that entering a new mind set and believing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel can provide you with a new attitude.

Creating Web-Based Instructional Materials Essay

INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The World Wide Web (WWW) is changing the way we learn and the way we teach. Teaching has embraced the innovative ways that WWW can offer to users. WWW allows dynamic and interactive ways of teaching things which are impossible on printed materials. There are on-line courses, on-line tutorials and virtual classrooms. The key to the success of these teaching institutions that proliferated in the web are the effective instructional materials. WBT is media-rich training fully capable of evaluation, adaptation, and remediation that can provide the available tools to organize and deliver content into well-crafted teaching systems (Tobin & Kesselman, 1999). PURPOSE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The purpose of this document is to create a general guideline in creating web based instruction materials. The document will take into consideration the methods that are familiar to the author. GUIDELINES General Steps The general steps in making web-based instructional materials consist of the following (Clay, Harlan & Swanson, 1997): Determining the core competencies to be included the instructional material Determine the contents of the instructional material based on the core competencies selected. Deciding the method or strategy used to convey to the users the ideas presented. Developing the instructional material as a word processed document, an audio or a video material. Mounting or uploading the material into the web Providing the feedback portal for users Beta Testing Final Modification based on feedback, retest and release Determining the core competencies The very first step is deciding the target core competencies for this instruction material. For example, this instruction material may be intended to teach Basic Algebra, Earth Science or Differential Calculus. This will serve as the goal of the web-based instruction material. The intent of the web-based instruction material is to transfer the core competencies from the instruction material to the user. Brainstorming and visiting existing web based instructional materials are good ways of finding the core competencies. Determining the content   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After the core competency has been decided, the next step is to produce a structured content. The content should start from the basic principles of the core competencies towards the complicated areas. The structure therefore should be laid out in such a way that it will start from the least difficult to understand to the most difficult to understand. The content formatting should also take into account that the pre-requisite topics should be place ahead. This means that for the contents that is needed to understand another set of content, should be placed ahead. Deciding the method or strategy The method of presentation should be planned before proceeding to the actual development of the material. The method should be based on the target audience of the instructional material. It should be based on the comprehension level of the audience. Novice audience should be given methods that are easy to comprehend such as more images than words. Expert audiences may be presented with more literals than images to maximize the amount of information. Interactive items such as graphs made using either Flash or Java applet technologies should also be considered to convey the relationship between varying variables which can controlled by the user or audience. Developing the Instructional Material The development of the instructional material shall be done in the software that handles editing of html files or more complex file formats. HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are the format of choice as opposed to adobe printable document format (PDF) or word document format. HTML would be more flexible to incorporate interactive objects such as Java applets or Flash Animations. It is the fastest in terms of page loading in the web. The presentation editor software may consist of the following: Microsoft FrontPage Microsoft Word with the proper HTML conversion plugIns HTMLkit Macromedia Flash Adobe Photoshop Other HTML editors and there a thousand available free software in the web At the start, images, interactive applets, video clips, audio clips, or animated gifs shall be prepared ahead using the appropriate software. Graphics should help to convey information and not just be decorative; each page should have a clear title and includes headers and footers (Tobin & Kesselman, 1999). Pictures can be scanned using a scanner to convert into images in jpg, gif, png or bmp format. The other alternative is to take pictures directly using digital cameras. Video clips can be created using digital cameras with video streaming, or using other digital video recorders. Images can be edited using either paint, Microsoft photo editor or more complex image editing tools such as Adobe Photoshop. Interactive applets can be generated using Java Development Kit which can be freely downloaded from the web. In order to be able to run java applets the user PC should have Java Runtime Environment to run java applets, again this can be downloaded for free from the web. Video clips can be prepared using Windows Movie Maker. Animated gifs can be prepared using a number of software free or commercial. These are then integrated into the html file using an html document editor such Microsoft Front Page or HTMLKit. We also need the appropriate sound card and speakers to listen to the audio materials included in the presentation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A summary of all the hardware needed to create instructional materials mentioned above are listed below: PC with Linux or Windows Operating System Scanner to digitize printed pictures and images Digital Camera Digital Video recorders Printers Flash Disk or Pen Drives Sound Card and Speaker Mounting the Material into the Web   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The html files can then be uploaded into the website using either ftp upload or simply using the available upload managers normally provided by web hosting companies. Documents can be linked directly to the directories of the linking page. One of the main aspects when mounting materials into the web is to keep material size to minimum. This would help in the uploading process and also in the loading process of the users. We had to think in terms of kilobyte file sizes, not megabytes because delivery over the Web is too slow to expect users to wait around at your web site for large graphics to appear on their screens (Clay, Harlan & Swanson, 1997). This is because we have to consider that there are still a number of users who are using modems as slow as 28.8 kbps. Providing Feedback Portals   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Feedback portals, or any form or method that would allow users to provide feedback is a very important part of a web-based instruction material. This will provide an easy way to evaluate, test or improve using feedback from users. Beta Testing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In any form of development, testing is always an integral part. By going through all the possible paths of the web-based instruction material and testing every possible path is essential to insure proper operation of the instruction material. This may also include testing on various web browser tools. Different web browser tools may cause some degree of difference in the presentation of html files. This step also includes proofreading of the entire material. Any bugs, errors or unwanted features shall be recorder for modification or correction. Final Modification based on Testing, Retest and Release After the beta testing, the errors shall be corrected and retested until no errors persist. Finally, it shall then be released with a proper version control. References    Clay, S. Harlan, S. and Swanson, J. (1997). Continuing Web Education. Retrieved from the USCB Library website: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/universe/clay.html, on January 16, 2007 Tobin, T. and Kesselman, M, (1999). Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Research. Retrieved from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions website: http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla65/papers/102-163e.htm   January 17, 2007   

Anne Hutchingson essays

Anne Hutchingson essays Anne Hutchingson was one of the first women to settle in the New World. She first moved to New England in 1637, she had 20 children and two husbands. She moved to start because Britain wasnt allowing anyone any freedom. Hutchingson believed in the practice of her religion very strongly. She also believes that got spoke to her directly many times. She didnt speak of that for many years though. Anne Hutchingson had held many gatherings had her home in Rhode Island so she could preach her believes (keep them on a holding sounds at her home is against the law,) but Hutchingson didnt care, she went on expressing her beliefs anyway and anywhere she could and people always came to listen to her. That is until one day in 1638 she was caught at home preaching and was put on trial. The trial was called The Trial of Ann Hutchingson. The trial was held in front of the colonists of Rhode Island and went on for over 10 days. The court found her or to be done trustworthy and evil (they called her evil because she stated that she had spoken to god directly) to people that was illegal and they kicked and Hutchingson out of Rhode Island in 1639. After the trial and moved to the Massachusetts Bay Colony where she remained for the rest of her life (giving birth to three more children in getting remarried.) in Massachusetts she kept preaching war was legal and people always went to listen what she had to say. ...

Stem Cell Research †English Essay

Stem Cell Research – English Essay Free Online Research Papers Stem Cell Research English Essay Someone you love is suffering from juvenile diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injury, MS, ALS, certain forms of cancer, or even heart disease. The only hope of finding a cure for these serious diseases is through stem cell research. Would you support stem cell research? Should you support it? Is stem cell research right or wrong? Would you do everything possible to help this loved one whom is suffering every single day of his or her life? These are all diseases that have no cure and often worsen day by day. Stem cell research is the most promising way to finding cures for many of these diseases. What exactly is a stem cell? According to the Stem Cell Act, â€Å"stem cells are unspecialized cells that can develop into more mature, specialized cells. They are found in embryos during their first few days of development, in fetal tissue, and more rarely, in some adult organs. Scientists work with both embryonic and adult stem cells, but embryonic stem cells are the more promising because they are â€Å"pluripotent,† meaning that they have the potential to differentiate into tissue of almost any organ (brain, liver, heart, pancreas, etc.) of the human body. Adult stem cells, on the other hand, are merely â€Å"multipotent† meaning that they generate just a few tissue types, and are difficult to extract and grow, and many tissues cannot be derived from adult stem cells.† This is why stem cells are so important and why scientists think that they can find cures for diseases through stem cell research. What are embryonic stem cells, and why are they important? According to the National Institute of Health, â€Å"embryonic stem cells, as their name suggests, are derived form embryos. Specifically, embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro-in an in vitro fertilization clinic-and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors. They are not derived from eggs fertilized in a woman’s body. They embryos from which human embryonic stem cells are derived are typically four or five days old and are a hollow microscopic ball of cells called the blastocyst. The blastocyst includes three structures: the trophoblast, which is the layer of cells that surrounds the blastocyst; the blastocoel, which is the hollow cavity inside the blastocyst; and the inner cell mass, which is a group of approximately 30 cells at one end of the blastocel.† Embryonic stem cells can be grown in the laboratory. According to the National Institute of Health, â€Å"growing cells in the laboratory is known as cell culture. Human embryonic stem cells are isolated by transferring the inner cell mass into a plastic laboratory culture dish that contains a nutrient broth known as culture medium. The cells divide and spread over the surface of the dish. The inner surface of the culture dish is typically coated with mouse embryonic skin cells that have been treated so they will not divide. This coating layer of cells is called a feeder layer. The reason for having the mouse cells in the bottom of the culture dish is to give the inner cell mass cells a sticky surface to which they can attach. Also, the feeder cells release nutrients into the culture medium. Recently, scientists have begun to devise ways of growing embryonic stem cells without the mouse feeder cells. This is a significant advancement because of the risk that viruses or othe r macromolecules in the mouse cells may be transmitted to the human cells. Over the course of several days, the cells of the inner cell mass proliferate and begin to crowd the culture dish. When this occurs they are removed gently and plated into several fresh dishes. The process of replating the cells is repeated many rimes and for many months, and is also called subculturing. Each cycle of subculturing the cells is referred to as a passage. After six months or more, the original 30 cells of the inner cell mass yield millions of embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells that have proliferated in cell culture for six or more months without differentiating, are pluripotent, and appear genetically normal are referred to as an embryonic stem cell line.† What are adult stem cells? According to the National Institute of Health, â€Å"an adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ, can renew itself, and can differentiate to yield the major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ. The primary roles of adult stem cells in a living organism are to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. Some scientists now use the term somatic stem cell instead of adult stem cell. Unlike embryonic stem cells, which are defined by their origin (the inner cell mass of the blastocyst), the origin of adult stem cells in mature tissue is unknown.† Where are adult stem cells found and what do they do? According to the National Institute of Health, â€Å"adult stem cells have been identified in many organs and tissue. One important point to understand about adult stem cells is that there are a very small number of stem cells in each tissue. Stem cells are though to reside in a specific area of each tissue where they may remain quiescent (non-dividing) for many years until they are activated by disease or tissue injury. The adult tissues reported to contain stem cells include brain, bone marrow, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin and liver.† The National Institute of Health also states, â€Å"Research on adult stem cells has recently generated a great deal of excitement. Scientists have found adult stem cells in many more tissues than they once thought possible. This finding has led scientists to ask whether adult stem cells could be used for transplants. In fact, adult blood forming stem cells from bone marrow have been used in transplants for 30 years. Certain kinds of adult stem cells seem to have the ability to differentiate into a number of different cell types, given the right conditions. If this differentiation of adult stem cells can be controlled in the laboratory, these cells may become the basis of therapies for many serious common diseases.† There are many similarities and differences between embryonic and adult stem cells. According to the National Institute of Health, â€Å"human embryonic and adult stem cells each have advantages and disadvantages regarding potential use for cell-based regenerative therapies. Of course, adult and embryonic stem cells differ in the number and type of differentiated cells types they can become. Embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body because they are pluripotent. Adult stem cells are generally limited to differentiating into different cell types of their tissue of origin. However, some evidence suggests that adult stem cell plasticity may exist, increasing the number of cell types a given adult stem cell can become. Large numbers of embryonic stem cells can be relatively easily grown in culture, while adult stem cells are rare in mature tissues and methods for expanding their numbers in cell culture have not yet been worked out. This is an important distinctio n, as large numbers of cells are needed for stem cell replacement therapies.† Many people feel that stem cell research is ethically wrong, especially embryonic stem cell research. Many Americans feel that an embryo is a human being, and that it should be treated as one. The destruction of one life can not be justified by trying to save another life. The fact that a frozen embryo will eventually die does not justify killing it prematurely. Many people feel that letting them die is not the same as experimenting on them or killing them. Everyone eventually dies, but that does not justify experimenting on stem cell embryos which in turn will kill them. Although, people feel that experimenting on embryonic stem cells is ethically wrong, they need to look at the benefits that can come from these embryos. By studying embryonic stem cells scientists believe that they will be able to find cures for many diseases that affect people of all ages. Millions of Americans have abortions each and every day. Is abortion ethical? If people are going to be allowed to have abortions, then why not benefit from their choices. If they choose to kill their baby, then why not try to help others by using the embryonic stem cells. It is not like scientists are going to purposely kill embryos. By ending one life, millions and millions of lives can be saved or at least prolonged. It is very important to look at the benefits that can come from embryonic stem cell research, before making a rash decision. President Bush has agreed to government funding of stem cell research. Although, he feels that it is ethically wrong, he believes that by studying embryos that are already frozen and collected, scientists may be able to discover new cures and or treatments for many illnesses. Whether it is ethically right or wrong, many scientists are already experimenting on embryos through privately funded companies. No matter what they do people are not going to be able to stop scientists from experimenting on these embryos, so why not support them. Embryonic stem cell research is now legal in California, which means that many scientists across the nation will move to California to experiment on embryos. California has voted yes on a $3 billion fund for stem cell research. This means that government money will be used along with the privately funded money to pay for stem cell research, which will allow more advanced research. If it is legal in one state, why not allow it in every state. By supporting scientists and allowing them to use government money on stem cell research, we can increase the ability of these scientist to find cures for some of the most critical and crucial diseases. There are many different potential uses of human stem cells and many different obstacles that must be overcome before these potential uses will be realized. According to the National Institute of Health, â€Å"there are many ways in which human stem cells can be used in basic research and in clinical research. However, there are many technical hurdles between the promise of stem cells and the realization of these uses, which will only be overcome by continued intensive stem cell research. Studies of human embryonic stem cells may yield information about the complex events that occur during human development. A primary goal of this work is to identify how undifferentiated stem cells become differentiated. Scientists know that turning genes on and off is central to this process. Some of the most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are due to abnormal cell division and differentiation. A better understanding of the genetic and molecular controls of thes e processes may yield information about how such diseases arise and suggest new strategies for therapy. A significant hurdle to this use and most uses of stem cells is that scientists do not yet fully understand the signals that turn specific genes on and off to influence the differentiation of the stem cell.† Although there are many different battles and obstacles that scientists face in stem cell research, it is the most promising way to cures. Embryonic stem cell research is thought of as unethical, but people should look at the whole picture when deciding whether or not to support it or if it should be allowed. Allowing stem cell research and supporting it would help and maybe even cure millions of people with serious illnesses. Although, there are other alternatives to embryonic stem cell research, it is thought to have the most promise. Embryonic and Adult stem cell research should be allowed as long as there are certain limits placed upon it. This helps in preventing any abuse of the research. Think of the lives that could be saved by this research, and say yes to stem cell research. Research Papers on Stem Cell Research - English EssayGenetic EngineeringInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesQuebec and CanadaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfHip-Hop is ArtMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use

Strategy and Tactics of the Hundred Years War

Strategy and Tactics of the Hundred Years War As it was fought for longer than a hundred years, it’s no surprise that the strategy and tactics used by all sides in the Hundred Years War evolved over time, creating two very different eras. What we see is an early English tactic proving successful, before technology and warfare changed to a French one becoming dominant. In addition, the aims of the English may have stayed focused on the French throne, but the strategy to achieve this was starkly different under two great monarchs. Early English Strategy: Slaughter When Edward III led his first raids into France, he was not aiming to take and hold a series of strongpoints and regions. Instead the English led raid after raid called a ‘chevauchà ©e’. These were missions of pure murder, designed to devastate a region by killing crops, animals, people and destroying buildings, windmills and other structures. Churches and people were plundered then put to the sword and fire. Huge numbers died as a result, and wide areas became depopulated. The aim was to cause such damage that the French wouldn’t have as many resources, and would be forced to negotiate or give battle to stop things. The English did take important sites in Edward’s era, such as Calais, and small lords fought a constant battle against rivals for land, but the strategy of Edward III and leading nobles was dominated by chevauchà ©es. Early French Strategy King Philip VI of France first decided to refuse giving a pitched battle, and allow Edward and his followers to roam, and this caused Edward’s first ‘chevauchà ©e’s to cause great damage, but to drain the English coffers and be declared failures. However, the pressure the English were exerting led to Philip changing strategy to engage Edward and crush him, a strategy his son John followed, and this led to the battles of Crà ©cy and Poitiers were larger French forces were destroyed, John even being captured. When Charles V went back to avoiding battles – a situation his now decimated aristocracy agreed with – Edward went back to wasting money on increasingly unpopular campaigns which led to no titanic victory. Indeed, the Great Chevauchà ©e of 1373 marked an end to large scale raiding for morale. Later English and French Strategy: Conquest When Henry V fired the Hundred Years War back into life, he took a totally different approach to Edward III: he came to conquer towns and fortresses, and slowly take France into his possession. Yes, this led to a great battle at Agincourt when the French stood and were defeated, but in general the tone of the war became siege after siege, continuous progress. The French tactics adapted to fit: they still generally avoided great battles, but had to counter siege to take the land back. Battles tended to result from contested sieges or as troops moved to or from sieges, not on long raids. As we shall see, the tactics affected the victories. Tactics The Hundred Years War began with two large English victories stemming from tactical innovations: they tried to take defensive positions and field lines of archers and dismounted men at arms. They had longbows, which could shoot faster and farther than the French, and many more archers than armoured infantry. At Crà ©cy the French tried their old tactics of cavalry charge after cavalry charge and were cut to pieces. They tried to adapt, such as at Poitiers when the whole French force dismounted, but the English archer proved a battle winning weapon, even to Agincourt when a new generation of Frenchman had forgotten earlier lessons.If the English won key battles earlier in the war with archers, the strategy turned against them. As the Hundred Years War developed into a long series of sieges, so archers became less useful, and another innovation came to dominate: artillery, which could give you benefits in a siege and against packed infantry. Now it was the French who came to the fore, because they had better artillery, and they were in the tactical ascendance and matched the demands of the new strategy, and they won the war.

Film the Patriot and the Use of Important Terminologies Like Social Co Term Paper

Film the Patriot and the Use of Important Terminologies Like Social Conflict, Interpersonal Conflict and Conflict Management - Term Paper Example With this in mind, it should be known that communication is the process of exchanging message between individuals. Without a proper communication, it might be difficult for people to relate together. Everyone needs to have effective communication skills because it is necessary in promoting a healthy interpersonal communication. For example, if one chooses to be a critical listener, one might find it much easier to relate with others. This is due t the fact that one can lend ears to other people as they speak thus encouraging them to have confidence in one another. However, when people can not effectively communicate, it means that they can not do anything including resolving their own conflicts (Mayer, 2012). This paper presents a discussion on the use of effective communication skills by people. It does this by alluding to the film the Patriot and goes ahead to analyze the use of important terminologies like social conflict, interpersonal conflict and conflict management. The Patriot is a film which was written by Rodat Robert, produced by Gordon Mark, Garry Levinson and Delvin Dean and directed by Emmerich Roland. The 2000 released 175 minute-long film features Mel Gibson (Benjamin Martin); Heath Ledger (Gabriel Martin); Logan Lerman (William Martin); Gregory Smith (Thomas Martin); Joely Richardson (Charlotte Selton); Trevor Morgan (Nathan Martin); Tchà ©ky Karyo (Major Jean Villeneuve); Jason Isaacs (Colonel William Tavington); Mika Boorem (Margaret Martin); Bryan Chafin (Samuel Martin); Joey D. Vieira (Peter Howard); Lisa Brenner (Anne Patricia); and Chris Cooper (Colonel Harry Burwell). Although it was composed much later, the film depicts a real story of the events that took place in colonial America during the American Revolutionary War. The setting of the story is done in the heart of a rural Village in York County, South Carolina. It brings a story that revolves around the life of Benjamin Martin, an aging widower who was now left with the responsibility of bringing up his nine children.  

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Business Strategy - Essay Example Earth Plc needs to focus more to the expectations of their most prominent stakeholders and to the processes in which its culture influences the type of strategy it adopts (Abele, 2008). Principal stakeholder analysis Identification of the interests of the different stakeholders Fisk (2008) emphasized there are different stakeholders in Earth Plc. The customers are interested in the financial statements of Earth Plc in order to determine if the company will stay open during the times when the customers will be buying their much-needed mining needs. The employees of Earth Plc are needed the company’s financial statements in order to determine if it is ripe to ask for salary and other wage benefit increases. A set of financial statements that indicates a loss trend will indicate that there is high probability the company will close shop in the foreseeable future. In this case, a majority of the employees will be forced to find employment in other greener pastures (other companies ). The managers are interested to get a copy of the financial statements in order to know if they have performed their duties and responsibilities in accordance with preset benchmarks. Basically, managers are given a profit benchmark. Here, the financial statements that indicate a loss is equivalent to a failing grade; financial statements that show a net profit is equivalent to a passing grade. The suppliers are very interested to get a copy of the company’s financial statements to determine if the company will stay long enough to buy their goods and services. Financial statements indicating a net loss would prod the supplier to seek other clients to replace Earth Plc because there is a strong indication the company will close shop in the near future. The creditors are interested to get a copy of the financial statements of the Earth Plc. The creditors will use the financial statements as a ground for granting or approving the company’s credit limit. A financial state ment that indicates a net profit will encourage the creditors to immediately approve the company’s credit limit application. On the other hand, a financial statement that indicates a net loss will show that the company may not be able to pay their maturing debts on time due to lack of available cash on hand. The labor union is interested to get a copy of the financial statements in order to determine if the company is able to grant salary and other wage benefit increases. The net profit will indicate that the company will not be able to stay long enough to grant the salary increases. In this case, the labor unions will allow the postponement of the salary and other wage benefit increases. The environmental protection agencies are interested to grab a copy of the company’s financial statements the agencies are interested to know if the company is complying all environmental protection statutes. The financial statements generally indicate if Earth Plc is regularly dumpin g its mining wastes into the crystal clear waters of the nearby river. The environmental protection agencies will not hesitate to penalize companies, especially Earth Plc, that do not use high smoke stacks to let polluting smoke be release at a level that is higher than the height of the average person; this will lessen the people from inhaling the hazardous exhaust smoke used to

Ontological Arguments and Belief in God Assignment

Ontological Arguments and Belief in God - Assignment Example His argument, however, was wholly rejected by Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas’s suggestion was that there is no way that mere mortals can conceive what God’s nature is, and thus we surely cannot conceive God like Anselm has said we can (Oppy 122-3). Therefore, this argument can be used only by the ones who can understand the true essence of God and that cannot be anyone but God Himself. David Hume was another philosopher who went against Anselm’s argument. His criticism was that it has no evidential reasoning. His argument was that the existence of a being cannot be proved simply through a priori reasoning. Cleanthes has proposed this argument in the following words: ...there is an evident absurdity in pretending to demonstrate a matter of fact, or to prove it by any arguments a priori. Nothing is demonstrable, unless the contrary implies a contradiction. Nothing, that is distinctly conceivable, implies a contradiction. Whatever we conceive as existent, we can also conce ive as non-existent. There is no being, therefore, whose non-existence implies a contradiction. Consequently there is no being, whose existence is demonstrable (Fieser 232). Yet another proposal was made by Pascal regarding the existence of God; he stated that His existence cannot be decided upon by means of reason and that a logical person should consider that God does exist since there has to be one being who can only gain and not lose anything. However, Pascal’s suggestion was solely for the Christian God and he said there is a possibility of certain people not believing in God in spite of receiving enormous benefits after acknowledging God’s presence, even if for a bet. William Paley was a Christian apologist, utilitarian and philosopher and had his own belief in God. His book Natural Theology presents the proof regarding God’s existence. Paley, like Aquinas, felt that we cannot know about the qualities of God, even if He exists. The fact he argued for was t hat there are much more evidences for the statement that God exists than objections against it. Paul Davies, a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist and author, has written a book regarding the existence of God. His latest book deals with natural theology which suggests that proof for the existence and nature of God is possible to be derived from the reflection we make of the natural world. Davies has used the latest discoveries and scientific facts from physics and cosmology to come to a conclusion regarding the classical theological queries. Answer 2: Anselm has provided certain reasoning in favour of the existence of God. His proposal was that God is the greatest being. And He is perfect. His perfections themselves prove that He exists because perfection requires existence. If He is perfect he definitely exists, no arguments about that for sure. Pascal said that even if one does not have any proof of God’s existence it is better to believe in one rather than r isk his afterlife and lose everything later, while having the time of his life in the world. Pascal talked about the super-dominance argument which states that in case it is true that God really exists the theists would be able to have eternal paradise and atheists, on the other hand, would go through eternal damnation. However, if there is no God the theists would have complete but finite happiness before dying. Atheists would be the same except that they would not have the comforts of religion. Thus, whether God exists or doesn’t, it is the theists who are better off than the atheists. Another argument in favour of the existence of God was by Aquinas, and it was cosmology based. According to his argument the objects that we find to be moving are

Trace the pathway of bloodflow through the heart Essay

Trace the pathway of bloodflow through the heart - Essay Example gets the deoxygenated blood from the upper parts of the body such as the head and arms, and the other the Inferior vena cava that receives deoxygenated blood from the lower parts of the body such as the torso and the legs. The blood entering the right ventricle of heart through the tricuspid valve from these two major veins are filled with carbon – dioxide. From the right ventricle, the deoxygenated blood is carried through the pulmonic valve to the pulmonary artery into the lungs. Here the blood is cleansed by the removal of carbon – dioxide and the addition of oxygen and once again returns through the pulmonary veins and empties itself into the left atrium. The left atrium is the chamber that receives the oxygenated blood from the lungs through the pulmonary veins. Between the left atrium and the left ventricle is a valve called the bicuspid valve – also called the mitral valve, which regulates the blood flow into the left ventricle. Both the bicuspid valve and the tricuspid valve also called the atrio-ventricular (AV) valves simultaneously open and close producing a Lub – Dub sound, which is the heartbeat of a person. The Lub sound is the opening of the valves and the Dub sound is the closing of the valves. The fourth chamber is the largest and most important of all the four chambers, the left ventricle is the strongest pump which helps to discharge blood into the aorta through a valve called the aortic valve. Both the pulmonary and the aortic valve operate or work simultaneously with each other. The aorta then takes the oxygen – rich blood and passes it to all the different parts of the body. In the same way, the bicuspid and tricuspid valves also open up simultaneously allowing blood to flow into the ventricles. When this happens, they contract and eject blood into the lungs and the body. In the meantime, the atria relax and once again fill with

ORGANISATIONAL RESEARCH METHODS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

ORGANISATIONAL RESEARCH METHODS - Essay Example According to psychological studies, individual behaviour and mental development can be determined through different activities performed by individuals (Cash, 2013). These activities can be very simple, such as the way people enter or exit from buildings through opening doors. Contextually, the objective of the current study is to reveal the psychological aspects relevant to the manner in which individuals enter or exit buildings through their doors. It is difficult to identify a specific manner or way in which people across the world use to open doors in order to enter or exit buildings. However, there are some common phenomenons among people, which are widely notable throughout the world. In this regard, Cash (2013) commented that several psychological factors, which influence individuals to conduct a definite pattern or manner of action while opening doors while entering buildings. Usually, individuals prefer to push doors in order to enter buildings or rooms. Mayer (2011) commented that the pushing of doors is considered as a significant physiological factor. Most of the people throughout the world attempts to push the doors, instead of pulling it towards their end. Bekerian & Levey (2012) conveyed that this phenomenon is largely because of the motor sensory of the individuals. This are considered as reflexive actions, which occurs simultaneously without the influence pre-meditated or pre-decided thoughts. Brain (2012) also suggested that these reflexive actions among the individuals are an influence of the motor nerves present in the human body that compels people to push doors in order to enter buildings. Brain (2012) also conveyed that there are certain individuals who prefer to pull doors instead of pushing it. This is also because of the physiological factors. In this regard, Sporrle and Stich (2010) commented that the psychological state of the individuals influences them to conduct

Trace the pathway of bloodflow through the heart Essay

Trace the pathway of bloodflow through the heart - Essay Example gets the deoxygenated blood from the upper parts of the body such as the head and arms, and the other the Inferior vena cava that receives deoxygenated blood from the lower parts of the body such as the torso and the legs. The blood entering the right ventricle of heart through the tricuspid valve from these two major veins are filled with carbon – dioxide. From the right ventricle, the deoxygenated blood is carried through the pulmonic valve to the pulmonary artery into the lungs. Here the blood is cleansed by the removal of carbon – dioxide and the addition of oxygen and once again returns through the pulmonary veins and empties itself into the left atrium. The left atrium is the chamber that receives the oxygenated blood from the lungs through the pulmonary veins. Between the left atrium and the left ventricle is a valve called the bicuspid valve – also called the mitral valve, which regulates the blood flow into the left ventricle. Both the bicuspid valve and the tricuspid valve also called the atrio-ventricular (AV) valves simultaneously open and close producing a Lub – Dub sound, which is the heartbeat of a person. The Lub sound is the opening of the valves and the Dub sound is the closing of the valves. The fourth chamber is the largest and most important of all the four chambers, the left ventricle is the strongest pump which helps to discharge blood into the aorta through a valve called the aortic valve. Both the pulmonary and the aortic valve operate or work simultaneously with each other. The aorta then takes the oxygen – rich blood and passes it to all the different parts of the body. In the same way, the bicuspid and tricuspid valves also open up simultaneously allowing blood to flow into the ventricles. When this happens, they contract and eject blood into the lungs and the body. In the meantime, the atria relax and once again fill with

Produce a bid document for Beijing,China towards The 2018 Youth Essay

Produce a bid document for Beijing,China towards The 2018 Youth Olympic Games - Essay Example It presents into a full glare, the spicy hot port on lantern-lit ghost streets that live every individual mesmerized. As a bid document for Beijing, China towards The 2018 Youth Olympic Games, this paper justifies the countries capability in hosting the games. This capital city is China’s political, economic, cultural and transportation center covering an area of 16,800 square kilometers. The city is characterized by a semi-humid continental climate, which will make the country a daze of excitement for the visiting participants of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (Xu, 2008:198). The entire nation welcomes the chance to host these forthcoming games and the world will be opened to see the numerous palaces, imperial gardens, temples, pagodas, stone carvings, and captivating chronological sites. China has grown to become one of the super powers the world is taking pleasure in. With its deep-seated technology and the good international relations, the country’s economy pledges a full support in hosting this prestigious world sports. The country has sustainable and reliable services, which gives a guarantee to establishing the necessary facilities. The infrastructural ad architectural designs are best suited to meet the international standards of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). After the country’s stable economy successfully sustained the previous 2008 Olympics, the country has shown maturation. The economic is unwavering and the ongoing indoor preparations are true picture of how the country is ready (Alexandre and Mendes, 2011:3). The government fully pledges support. It is in good faith that the government will want present a prospect to the entire the human race how democratic, refined, open, responsive, and harmonious it is. The government guarantees universal human rights. The word of honor assures the world freedom of movement, thought, conscience, assembly, religion, association and access to information elaborates the

Koalas Essay Example for Free

Koalas Essay Obamacare, or what is formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is federal legislation that was signed into law on March 23, 2010 by present Barak Obama. The act aims to reform national healthcare and give more people than before access to affordable healthcare. The overall goal of the act is to cover all persons regardless of their conditions or other factors. The passing of Obamacare has led to much conflict in the government and throughout the nation. In particular, recently the act has been the root of heated disagreements and government unrest among the Democrats and Republicans. Obamacare, or the concept of a nation or statewide healthcare program, is not the first of its kind. The idea dates as far back as 1989 when it was proposed to Congress. Bill and Hillary Clinton had a similar objective in the 1990’s and Mitt Romney made similar reforms in 2006 while the governor of Massachusetts. The Clinton’s health care plan was similar to Obama’s in that they were national campaigns to provide universal healthcare. Also similar was the amount of controversy both drew up in the House as well as with the American people. The newly imposed ACA has many areas in which it aims to help those who cannot afford healthcare as well as better the healthcare system in the country as a whole. The main point of Obamacare is guaranteed issue of healthcare to all people and prohibits the denial of healthcare based on prior conditions. One benefit of Obamacare is allowing children to stay on their parents’ healthcare plan until age 26. Along with guaranteed coverage, Obamacare will institute an exchange so individuals can compare prices of private insurances and purchase insurance. It is estimated that over 15 million men and women will be eligible for purchase of healthcare. Families that fall within a certain distance to the poverty line will be compensated for choosing a policy using this exchange. This is an incentive for people to utilize this plan and purchase healthcare. On the business side of things, Obamacare also pushes towards the nationalizing of healthcare. There are penalties for businesses who employ over 5o employees and do not provide healthcare. Overall there are several efforts made in many areas of the country to push for healthcare for everyone in the United States. There are many areas in which families and individuals can benefit from the Affordable Care Act. According to ObamacareFacts, Americans making less than $45,960 or families making under $94,200 are eligible for free or low-cost insurance. Also, as a result of  Obamacare 24 million people will be exempt from the Individual Mandate which requires the purchase of health insurance. It is noted that anyone who feels they cannot afford healthcare will be covered under Obamacare and granted low-cost or free insurance. Dating back to 2008 the Democrats and Republicans had been on different sides of the national healthcare debate. The senate was close to passing the bill to reform healthcare in 2009. The Democrats needed 60 votes to pass, but due to a series of events leading to some members not supporting the bill or not voting, the act was not passed. After further delegation, what previously was a disagreement of terms and conditions had Republicans and Democrats in stark opposition to one another. All Democrats were strong supports of the bill and Republicans adamantly opposed. Now, it is clear the side the Democrats take on the Affordable Care Act. The real question is, why do Republicans oppose what appears to be such a proactive and achievable goal? The topic is an intriguing one, and one that does not have one definite answer. The Republicans themselves say nothing more than that Obamacare will destroy the country. Such a powerful accusation yet no real explanation or further comments lead only to more questions than answers on their true position. There are arguments that say the ACA is detrimental to the economy, and that businesses cannot afford to spend any more money on healthcare. Another claim was that Obamacare was unconstitutional, although the Supreme Court overruled this idea. Sources outside the Republican Party see the Republicans’ dislike of Obamacare solely because they dislike Obama himself. They appear to be against Obamacare simply just to be again st Obama. Another theory is the tax increases that would come along with Obamacare. One New York Times article highlights the â€Å"real reason† as to why Republicans are opposed to the Affordable Care Act. Eduardo Porter claims that Republicans are actually afraid that the American people will like Obamacare. They do not want the US population to realize that it will not actually destroy the economy and it can actually improve the lives of many people, many Republicans to be more specific. They are fearful of the positive impacts it could have on supporters of the Republican Party. One common problem many Americans admit to having with Obamacare. The nickname Obamacare is a point many people cannot get past, and when asked if they support it or not many say they do not. But the overwhelming majority of Americans agree with the actual terms  of the ACA and the steps it takes to better healthcare in the US. It could be that the simple concept of a nickname could be the main problem people have with an overall positive proposal. Although Obamacare itself has been spread out to institute new laws and regulations over the next 5-10 years, the effects of some of the early plans have already been present. ACA has already impacted the number of insured Americans and that amount is expected to continue to rise. Another change that has already been made is regarding dropping policy holders. No longer are insurance firms allowed to drop policy holders due to sickness or injury. Perhaps the most noticed and controversial part to date is the increase in healthcare costs and its effects on the national budget. The national debt limit has been a very sensitive topic and the affect Obamacare will have on it is not helping the problem. It needs to be determine the lengths necessary to go in order to make healthcare nationally available yet not impact the national debt in a way as to cause economic unrest. With a plan that has stirred up so much unrest in its early days, the future does not bode well for Obamacare. Johnathan Oberlander of the New England Journal of Medicine argues that many of the problems that the Affordable care act faces today will not be present once the act is more establis hed in several years. Once the disagreements on the actual passing of the bill fade, in come the disputes about what the act does and does not do and the boundaries of the laws. â€Å"Perhaps the most difficult long-term challenge facing Obamacare is cost control† (Oberlander, New England Journal of Medicine). Cost control is a serious issue that is seen to be a point of major contention in the future due to the lack of limits on spending. Another negative aspect of Obamacare is the affect it will have on our country in the global scheme of things. The spending on healthcare in the United States makes up 35% of the national spending, a whopping $1.38 trillion (Boot, Wall Street Journal). Much different than a time when the majority of spending was allocated to war or national security, many Americans now worry about the extent of healthcare costs in relation to other costs. Globally we are seen as a significant power, but with so much of our money dedicated to healthcare people are concerned for th e safety and protection of our nation. Along with the healthcare protection of Obamacare comes the increase in government spending, and with that comes the alarming reality of less and less spending on our national  security. In my opinion Obamacare is a very beneficial planned instituted by the government that receives an unnecessary and unfair amount of criticism. The Kaiser Health Tracker poll asked Americans whether or not they supported Obamacare and the majority were against it. However, the poll also showed that 88% were in support of tax credits, 76% in favor of expanding the coverage age of children to 26, and 71% and 66% in favor of expanding Medicaid and banning exclusions for preexisting conditions respectively. This shows that people are unfairly judging Obamacare, whether that be because of the nickname given to it or because it is President Obama’s plan. I feel that the overall objective of the plan is one that should not be so vehemently disputed and put down by Americans and other political parties. The goal of achieving a nationally supported healthcare is a very positive one that should be supported by anyone who is in favor of the well-being of our country.

Data Protection Act Principles in Childcare

Data Protection Act Principles in Childcare UNIT 5 ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES 5.1 DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998 Anyone who keeps records whether on computer or on paper must apply with this act. It should be clear to service user for what purpose the data are being kept. Information about a child should also be accessible to parents and shared with them. It is not compulsory just do on their demand. Information should not be kept for longer than necessary, though accident and incident records will be need to be kept in case they are needed for references at some time in future. Records must be stored securely. THE 4 DATA PROTECTION ACT PRINCIPALS AND HOW TO IMPLEMENT IT IN A CHILDCARE PROCESSED FAIRLY AND LAWFULLY It is very important that personal data should be processed fairly. In practice you must legitimate grounds for collection and using the personal data. You must not use the data in way that have unjustified adverse effects on the individual concerned. You must be transparent about how to use the data and privacy notices when they collecting their data. You make sure you do not do anything unlawful with the date. OBTAINED FOR SPECIFIED LAWFUL PURPOSES This data is clearly linked with first data protection. If you obtain personal data for an unlawful purpose then you will be in breach of both first and second data protection. For example to implement this data in you setting you must be clear from the outsets about why you are collecting personal data and what you intend to do with it. You must comply what act says about notifying given to the information commissnor. ADEQUATE, RELEVANT AND NOT EXCESSIVE The data protection does not define these words, clearly though they need to be considered. For examples a debt collection agency is engaged to find a particular debt. Its collects information several of people with similar name. During the inquiry some of these people are discounted. Company should delete most of the data, just keep minimum data. If you need to hold particular information about certain individual only you should collect it just for those individual. The information is likely to be excessive and irrelevant in relevant to other people. ACCURATE AND UP TO DATE The law recognise that it may not be practical to double check the accuracy of every item of personal data you receive. So the act make special provision about the accuracy that information that individual provides about themselves. When you go through this data protection you should take reasonably steps to ensure the accuracyof any personal you obtain, make sure that the any personal data is clear and carefully consider whether it is necessary to update the information. NOT KEPT ANY LONGER THEN NECESSARY personal data processed for any purposes or purpose shall not be kept for longerthen is necessary for that parpose. In your setting you will need to review the length of time you keep personal data and update archieve or securely delete information if it goes out of date. PROCESSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DATA SUBJECT’S RIGHTS SECURELY KEPT. NOT TRANSFERRED TO ANY OTHER COUNTRY WITHOUT ADEQUATE PROTECTION IN SITU. A good evaluation of your chosen Data Protection Act principles. 5.2 ACCURATE LEGIBLE AND UP TO RECORD KEEPING INFORMATION WITH NON COMPLIANCES When you start a business as a child care that it is very important to keep accurate and complete records. Your business record should include; You should have keep record banking information You must need a proof of income You need to keep a proof of expenses that how much you spend on their food and stuff You need to be organised, keep your records up to date and then hold on to them for seven tax years. Good records are important for your business because; They can make filling in your tax returns easier and quicker They can make it quicker for your tax agent or accountant to do your book and save your money. They can give you the information you need to manage your business and help it grow, and make it easier to get a loan. Tax record is a legal requirement to running a business. LEGIBILITY Legibility mean all information should be correct, readable and clearly. So following steps could be helpful for legible record keeping; All written information should be neat clean and use in black ink because it is clearer to read and photocopies. It is more important that handwriting should be legible. If it is not readable someone can misunderstanding. If someone changes to documentation such as medication form, parents permission form, it must be signed and dated. White correction fluid should not be use over the mistake, just crossed with a line. UP TO DATE INFORMATION Make sure personal data always should be accurate if not, for examples if someone has removed from Chester to kings brook, a record showing that he currently lives in Chester is obviously inaccurate. But a record showing that he once lived in Chester remains accurate, even though he no longer lives there. You must always be clear about what a record is intended to show. Personal data always have to be up to date. This depends on what the information is used for like medication changing, food requirements. If the information is used for a purpose that relies on it remaining current, it should be kept up to date. There is often confusion about whether it is appropriate to keep records of things that happened which should not have happened. Individuals understandably don’t want their records to be tarnished by, for example, a penalty or other charge that was later cancelled or refunded. However, the organization may legitimately wish its records to accurately reflect what actually happened – in this example, that a charge was imposed, and later cancelled or refunded. Keeping a record of a mistake and its correction might also be in the individual’s interests. 5.3 BASIC INFORMATION OF RECORD Before child coming in nursery or school basic information must be filled in. Supervisor should be explained to parents that this information will be treated with confidentially and that will be stored safely. The record will be reviewed regularly and kept up to date with parents’s help. superviser collects all information from parents. DIFFERENT WAYS OF RECORDING When recording data on a computer it is very important to make sure that adequate reliable methods of backing up the data are employedso that if the computer malfunction or becomes damaged the files can be easly retrieved on another system. There are so many ways to keep record like – DIGITAL DATA, PAPER RECORD AND MANUAL RECORD. TYPES OF DIGITAL DATA Digital data exists on many devices today not just computer and server. Portable media such as USB thumb drives, CDs and DVDs as well as copier, printer and scanner hard and drives. DESKTOP COMPUTER HARD DRIVES –LAPTOP HARD DRIVES – ZIP DISKS – FLOPPY DISKS Most people are aware of the need to destroy hard drives found in desktop and laptop computers and other magnetic storage devices. COPIERS – PRINTER – SCANNERS – ALL IN ONE DEVICES Advanced office equipment, including, printers, copiers, and scanner as well as mobile devices, such as cell phones can be the source of unexpected digital data breaches. USB THUMB DRIVES – LAPTOP (SSHD) -Thumb drives and external hard drives use solid – state drives (SSD) to store and transfer data. These drives look like magnetic hard drives but require specialized processing to ensure complete digital data destruction. These digital data should be stored safely secured in small locked safes. It should be protect by the secret password. Children should not allow to use same computer or desktop which have a confidential files. PAPER RECORDING – the data protection apply equally to personal data held on ICT system and on paper files. The following guidelines should be followed with regards to be held on paper files. This should be operating of a policy whereby paper files containing such data are locked away when not required. Paper records and files should be handed to those personnel with business reason to access them. Personal and sensitive information held on paper must be kept hidden from caller to officers. Secure disposal of confidential waste should be in place and properly used. When paper files are transfer within In a department, usually should be hand delivery. in the paper record have a same information but defferent way to keep it safe then digital. All paper work, files, information about financial should be out of reach of children. It should be locked on high place in childcare setting but they must be sealed in water proof bag. 5.4 PRIMARY TYPES OF DATA STORAGES Primary storages is a storages location that holds memory for short periods of times while the computer RAM and CACHE are both examples of a primary storages device. The capacity of RAM in terms of data storages is less but it offers a very fast access rate, this making it very pretty expensive. Processor cache is the part of RAM and is using for speeding up the execution. So primary storage allows faster access, it is highly violating in nature that means it clears up during the booting. DATA STORAGES FOR DIGITAL Computer data storages often called storages or memory is technology consisting of computer components and reading media used to retain digital data. It is core function and fundamental component of computer. Internal and external hard drives, DVD-R, CD-R, USB flash drives, web based storages AKA the clouds are primary storages for digital. PAPER STORAGES mostly files and folders and piles on your desk, stapled, paper clipped, computer, pen, pencils and some even have a typewriter need for paper storages. Using paper record increase the risk of grammar errors, improper data entry and other record inaccuracies. Paper also requires physical storages with could be costly expenses for business. By jpvsku Evaluate for the best option Paper records are best option for the home childcare setting. For paper records it is advisable to have a file rooms, and avoid having every employee maintaining their own filling cabinet. Proper files maintenance in the office is an effective record keeping strategy. It is very important that when you are planning your physical record keeping system to think in terms of RECORD SERIES. As you examine yourself make sure that information you produced is a logical relatively independent from other records. Why it is important because for longer terms and storages you will find deferent types of records need different strategies. A Common mistake made in records maintances is to information goes in but no way to information comes out so it will become soon unmanageable size. There is something special about paper records that make them more REAL than the same record in digital formats but this is not correct because digital is a faster and a properly produced, stored and maintained digital is just as valid in the eyes of the law as any paper records. Proper records management requires you to know which copy is your ‘‘copy of record’’. Once a copy of record has been established, the other copy can be destroyed safely A common problem that faces many organizations is inconsistency in record keeping practices. This usually results from personal turnover which each new employee creates the systems. If this happening several times, the record keeping system may become a combination of many techniques and schemes. New employees should be trained in the current producer of the department. The best way to ensure that the consistency is through and adequate documentation. In this UNIT I did try explain about data protection act 1998, how to implement it into childcare setting, record keeping information, deferent ways of recording, primary types of data storages and evaluate of paper records. References www.dataprotection.ie www.en.wikipedia.org. www.ehow.com. www.computerhope.vom www.buzzle.com www.dartmouth.com www.ico.org.uk www.irdgovt,cznz

Hepatitis B Virus Essays -- Essays Paper

Hepatitis B Virus Characteristics: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a double-stranded DNA virus in the Hepadnaviridae family. The infectious particle is 42nm in diameter, with a genome 3200 nucleotides long. It has an outer envelope and an icosahedral nucleocapsid, which contains viral DNA polymerase and has a diameter of 27nm. The envelope contains the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg); this is the molecule to which anti-HBV antibodies are directed. The non-infectious hepatitis B particles are composed of HBsAg only and come in the form of filaments and spheres. Their only likely purpose is binding up antibodies so the infectious particles can remain free. In humans HBV infects hepatocytes where it replicates within the nucleus, but can also be found in smooth muscle, bone marrow, kidneys, thyroid glands and other sites. Infection: HBV is usually transmitted from blood to blood and can be contracted via infected needles (IV drugs and tattoos), sexual contact, cuts, hemodialysis, vertical transmission at birth and blood transfusions. In developed countries blood is screened for the presence of HBsAg before transfusion. Unlike other forms of viral hepatitis, HBV cannot be transmitted by contaminated food or water. The CDC states that preventive measures for HBV infection are similar to those for HIV. Diagnosis of HBV can be made by the presence of HBsAg, which can be found in the serum a few weeks before onset of illness. The anti-HBsAg antibody is found weeks to months after infection and can last, in some cases giving life-long immunity. Hepatitis B is found mostly in Africa, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and parts of the Caribbean. In those areas all socioeconomic groups are af... ...d/slide_1.htm http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003243.htm http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section4/chapter47/47c.htm http://www.globalserve.net/~harlequin/HBV/hbvcore.htm http://www.globalserve.net/~harlequin/HBV/hbvx.htm http://www.globalserve.net/~harlequin/HBV/hbsags.htm http://www.foodallergy.org/anaphylaxis.html http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00033405.htm http://depts.washington.edu/druginfo/Vaccine/HealthDept/ImmuneGlobulin.html http://www.livertransplant.org/livernewsletterselectingcandidatesforlivertransplantation.html http://www.ias.org.nz/hepatitis_b_vaccine.htm http://yourlawyer.com/practice/overview.htm?topic=Hepatitis%20B%20Vaccine http://www.comeunity.com/adoption/health/hepatitis/hep_photo2.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/Images/Safrica/hbvcore3.htm http://livertransplant.org/

“Write About the Ways Auden Tells the Story in the Poetic Piece ‘Miss Gee’”

â€Å"Write about the ways Auden tells the story in the poetic piece ‘Miss Gee’? † Through the ballad of ‘Miss Gee’ Auden tells the story of the character Miss Edith Gee this is achieved in a variety of ways. The poetic piece is a ballad intended to be read to the tune of ‘St James’ Infirmary’. Auden has created a regular pattern of quatrains as well as a regular rhythm which progresses the general flow of the poem and creates the atmosphere of a story for the reader.The initial exposition is extremely sympathetic towards Miss Gee. â€Å"Now let me tell you a little story about Miss Edith Gee† is a cruel way to open the narrative as Auden instantly belittles her character and makes her seem insignificant, whereas she is actually the main, if not only character we meet in detail. This technique is effectives the reader then feels that she is insignificant, and although it is she who lends her name to the poem, is an outcast a nd a quiet individual.She is continually referred to as small, further lowering the impressions of the character to the reader. Auden establishes the setting of the poem in the introductory stanza, as would be done in a story â€Å"She lived in Clevedon Terrace/ At Number 83†. This is an ordinary address and place for the poem to be set it, this in turn establishes the normality and average attributes of Miss Gee showing her character as one of no complexity.The further repetition of ‘Clevedon Terrace’ in the poem is a constant reminder from Auden to the reader to always bring them back to the fact that the character Miss Gee is intended to be average and ordinary just like any other individual. Miss Gee’s appearance is made apparent by Auden in the third stanza â€Å"She’d a velvet hat with trimmings,/And a dark grey serge costume;† â€Å"purple†¦ green† this description of Miss Gee’s clothing is very ironic as lots of col ours are present but on a colourless character.Auden may have intended this imagery to be seen as symbolism of Miss Gee’s persona how she tries to mask her simplicity in colours but is always unable to mask her unfeminine personality and the fact that she is insecure in her own skin. The is no connection between Auden and herself and the poem has a very impersonal tone to it Auden is very mocking of Miss Gee when describing her clothing as a â€Å"costume† which creates the impression that she almost trying to dress up as somebody else and is seen to some as somewhat of a joke. Auden uses a regular pattern of rhyme throughout the poetic piece

Macbeth: Victim or Villan

Macbeth: Victim or Villain William Shakepear’s Macbeth is a tragedy that contains a perfect example of how lust for power can twist one’s thoughts, emotions, and personality. Even the noblest human being can become malicious when faced with the opportunity to gain power. Macbeth, the play’s protagonist, comes face to face with this exact dilemma, causing him to transform from a valiant war hero into a murderous villain. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth’s future is foretold by three witches. The first prediction is stated by the first witch saying, â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis† (I. ii. 48)! Thane of Glamis was already Macbeth’s title; therefore the first witch is correct. The second witch predicts that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor. Immediately after the witches disappear, a message comes for Macbeth saying that he will now be the Thane of Cawdor as a result of the preceding Thane’s act of treason. The final prediction made by the witches was that Macbeth would be â€Å"†¦King hereafter† (I. iii. 50. ). At first, Macbeth dismisses the predictions, but because the first two predictions from the witches are correct, Macbeth concludes that the third must be true as well. The prospect of gaining power as king appeals to Macbeth, but he does not yet know how he will become king. Macbeth decides to take matters into his own hands, creating a plot to kill the current King of Scotland, thereby speeding up the time between now and Macbeth’s coronation. The witches’ predictions have already taken root in his brain and, by dwelling on them, Macbeth allows his evil thoughts to grow and flourish. This causes him to carry out his evil deeds along with his wife, Lady Macbeth, who has also become lethal in the pursuit of power. After realizing that he can make himself king, Macbeth concocts a plan to kill Duncan, the present King. Macbeth and his wife decide to kill Duncan when he comes, as a guest, to their castle. At this point, Macbeth can easily change his mind and allow the future to take its course without his interference, but instead, his decision to kill Duncan remains. After murdering Duncan, Macbeth feels a wave of guilt. As the play goes on, Macbeth’s conscience begins to become numb to the idea of taking the life of someone else. The next major character in the story that is killed is Banquo. In the play, Banquo is also given a prediction by the witches: â€Å"Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none† (I. iii. 67. ). This means that although Banquo is not king, his descendants will be. Macbeth realizes that this may be a problem later on and it may interfere with him being king. Banquo is also suspicious about how Macbeth is able to become king. He says â€Å"Thou hast is now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, / As the weird women promised, and I fear / thou play’dst most foully for ‘t† (III. i. 1-3). With the prospect of Banquo’s descendants becoming king and the possibility that Banquo is suspicious of how he became king, Macbeth decides that Banquo and Banquo’s son, Fleance, must be exterminated. Macbeth hires murderers to kill the two of them as they both go horseback riding. Though Banquo is a close friend of Macbeth, this does not stop him from murdering both Banquo and Banquo’s son in Macbeth’s quest for power. Subsequently, Macbeth returns to the witches to get more information about his future. Macbeth is so concerned about keeping his crown that he willingly goes to the witches so he can figure out which action to take next in order to maintain his power. While there, he is given four more predictions in the form of apparitions. The first apparition, which is an armored head, says â€Å"Beware Macduff! Beware the Thane of Fife† (IV. i. 71-72. ). This apparition means that Macbeth should be wary of Macduff because he somehow poses a threat to Macbeth. Macbeth refuses to allow Macduff to be the one that ends Macbeth’s rule as king. Without a second thought Macbeth hires murderers to go to Macbeth’s castle and kill everyone there, but what Macbeth does not know is that Macduff is not in his castle. Macduff is in Engla nd convincing Malcom, Duncan’s son, to send an army to Dunsinain. This is the same army that ultimately leads to Macbeth’s doom. This means that Macbeth has killed the innocent people in Macbeth’s castle for nothing. Macbeth has multiple opportunities to change his mind about his pursuit of the crown, but he still chooses to kill innocent people for his own selfish gain. Macbeth’s judgment is repetitively clouded by his quest for power throughout the novel. His apathy towards his murderous ways makes him a villain in the play. His identity changes from a war hero to a bloodthirsty tyrant. This shows that anyone is capable of becoming evil when given the right motive.

Project Risk Management – Fluidity in Risk Planning Case Study

Risk Paper 2 Project Risk Management- Professor Hurst Fluidity in Risk Planning – A Case Study One of the most important steps within a project is risk management because it plans for and responds to risks that impact the overall project deliverables including budget and timeframe. Risk management is used to mitigate risk in ways that align with each individual risk and its potential impact. During the risk management process risks are identified and defined and a plan to control, monitor and eliminate them is created.Risks from all areas are brought up during these brainstorming sessions of the risk management planning phase and are planned for accordingly. The work breakdown structure of the project is used as a guide when compiling a risk matrix that will identify potential risks, their severity and impacts. The case study in chapter 13 reflects two different risk response strategies with regards to the tender review process of a project’s deliverables.The first phas e of the case study aligns more closely with a thorough and effective risk planning process plan while the second phase builds on the baselines determined by the first phase to generate a more solid and final risk assessment that will continue to be fluid throughout the project. Risk management is a crucial step of the project planning stage that continuously evolves throughout the project. During phase one of the case study this stage is considered a high importance and value step thus resulting in the proper planning of the risks based of off the WBS.The objectives of phase one are clearly identified and the intention to identify major risks of the project, which will be used as a baseline when comparing each individual tender to the project’s risk outcomes, is clear and all major steps to do so are taken. Step one of the creating the tender phase one case study calls for the â€Å"project structure to be reviewed with the project manager and key staff† and creating â€Å"an agreed risk WBS†. (Cooper, Grey, Raymond, Walker, 2005, p. 52) The first step calls for a meeting of all parties involved to review the WBS and start brainstorming on potential risks. This is a highly advised step because it allows for proper risk identification and mutual understanding of the risks amongst all parties. Phase one does a solid job identifying risks using human resources, quantifiable measures and adequate documentation. Phase two uses the outcomes of phase one as a baseline and works of off those when comparing each tenderer’s offer to the risks and determining the impact the tender will have on each individual risk.Phase two uses the exact same process as phase one except it already has a baseline to work with whereas phase one creates the baseline. Both steps are highly regarded steps yet step two does a better job at identifying risks because it uses the baseline of potential risks and compares them to the introduction of a new major risk, t he tenderer, while measuring its impact on the overall project. Phase two is the more solid one of the two phases because it demonstrates the fluidity of the risk planning process while quantifying each change to the baseline using the same approach as in phase one.The case study states that during phase two all â€Å"revised risk likelihood and impact measures should be converted to numeric scales and risk factors [should be] recalculated†. (Cooper, Grey, Raymond, Walker, 2005, p. 160) Thus phase two also does a better job at quantifying the risks because it compares each changed risk to the baseline and adjusts its ratings based on the proposed changes creating a more realistic understanding of the potential risk likelihood and impact. The case study was interesting because it showed the pre planning phase of the risk planning process.The pre planning phase was phase one because it created a baseline of assumed risks while phase two built on this fluidity and showed the imp acts each tenderer would have on these risks. Essentially phase one of the case study directed phase two since phase two could not be completed without the identified baselines. Phase one was a simpler stage of the case study because it consisted of brainstorming and risk identification without taking into consideration the positive or negative impacts a third party would have. This does not mean that it didn’t plan for those as phase two was to follow once tender submissions were received.Phase two, however, had a more compelling assessment of risk because it had a map already outline and it just needed to follow it to arrive at the best possible location or situation. The first phase identified risk assessment formulas to quantify the risks; it created a baseline of risks and audit proof steps to follow. With those results in mind, the second phase was more concrete because it followed the steps set forth by the first phase, analyzed the impact of the actions of the tendere r on the baseline risks, assessed those, anked them and then assigned numerical values using the formula set forth in the first phase. These two cases are so much alike yet they are so different as well. They are alike because they use the same process to identify and rank risks but their baselines are different. The first case, phase one, started with a blank slate using the WBS to identify risks while the second case, phase two, used the baseline set forth by the first phase and used the WBS to explore new ways and their impacts on the overall project.Both phases of this case study are crucial in risk management projects and are enforceable whether a tender is requested or not. Risk management is a fluid process that calls for constant adjustments to achieve the best possible outcome with minimal if not zero interruptions of the project’s deliverables. This case study showed the importance of constant review of risks and the work that goes into risk avoidance and mitigation .Risk avoidance does not only occur during the initial phase of risk planning but it is something that project managers prefer to keep in mind with every step they take, whether this means hiring contractors, employees or support staff, each individual and their actions will impact the overall risk of the project, the question is how severely? References Cooper, D. , Grey, S, Raymond, G. , Walker, P. (2005). Project Risk Management Guidelines Managing Risk in Large Projects and Complex Procurements. West Sussex, England : Wiley and Sons.

Successful Adoption of Strategic Management Principle Research Paper

Successful Adoption of Strategic Management Principle - Research Paper Example Strategic analysis is the most important and first component of the strategic management process. It starts with analyzing the internal and external environments and the situation wherein the organization matches those environments (Hunger & Wheelen, 2000). After the completion of the strategic analysis, formulation of strategy follows. This requires establishing the strengths of the organization to choose which strategies can be put into practice. The third stage is the strategic implementation. It requires actualizing or executing the formulated strategy (Hunger & Wheelen, 2000). The last stage requires monitoring the outcomes of an implemented strategy. This strategic review is basically similar to strategic analysis, observing the external and internal environments and the situation (Hunger & Wheelen, 2000) of the organization to decide if a plan should be reconstructed. Strategic management contributes largely to the long-term success of an organization. It is effective in the s ense that it improves organizational outcomes through a structured process of strategic planning. However, strategic planning is not without cost or difficulties. It is difficult to perform; requires extensive knowledge and rigour; and without the right managerial leadership, it will not be able to maintain the participation of others in the organization (Hill & Jones, 2009). The process of strategic planning will fail if there is no genuine and sustained involvement. However, if an organization chooses not to undergo strategic planning it will generate opportunity costs.

Learning Organizations & Effectiveness Research Paper

Learning Organizations & Effectiveness - Research Paper Example However, this does not come easily as there are important aspects that come with learning and which organizations must conform to in order to effectively adapt the learning. In this regard, it is paramount for organizations to clearly define their visions and mission statements which act as guiding principles. With statements clearly stipulated, strategic plan with a clear learning strategy should lay a foundation for effectiveness of organizational learning. Characteristics of an ideal learning organization and their observable behaviors Learning strategy: It is argued that for any organization to thrive, learning is necessary. However, learning has to be strategized in order to achieve desired objectives. Therefore, learning strategy constitutes characteristics of an ideal learning organization. Organizations are expected to endorse both learning innovation as specific goals, and learning strategy (Denton, 2002). One of the strategies is the ability for the organization to learn fa ster than other competing organizations. This is the surest way to maintain competitive advantage. To achieve this, organizations need to put learning at the top of the list of priorities (Buckler, 1996). Once learning strategy has been adopted by an organization, it is apparent that this becomes a habit, which becomes an everyday occurrence. Flexible structure: After setting learning strategies, it is vital for ideal organizations to streamline a structure that would foster learning within the organization. To affect this, organizations need to create teamwork by the formation of small, core workforce (Yang, Watkins, and Marsick, 2004). Actually, a flexible structure should dispose of traditional operations like rigid job descriptions. In fact, it is believed that flexible structure encourages cross-functional cooperation which enables organizations improve the organization’s operations. Organizations that use flexibility structure tend to reduce bureaucracy and restrictive job descriptions. Blame-free culture: It is believed that learning organization should provide an ideal climate, through which learning is prioritized and valued (Denton, 2002). When mistakes are identified, they need to be viewed as a chance to learn and perk up. In fact, it is argued that learning organizations that uphold blame-free characteristic encourage employees to experiment, and in the process, they learn from the experience and become innovative. For organizations that practice blame-free culture, learning becomes automatic. Vision: The concept of a learning organization goes hand in hand with shared vision. A shared vision is needed to overcome authoritative forces that hold up the preservation of the status quo (Denton, 2002). Besides, learning cannot occur without stipulating specific objectives of the learning. Shared vision gives an overview of organization’s commitment to achieving its objectives. An organization with a clear vision would tend to establish ov erarching goals, which forms the basis of encouraging the workforce to speak in one voice. Knowledge creation and transfer: It is apparent that in a learning organization, the concept of creation of new knowledge forms the foundation of development. Knowledge may come from several directions ranging from within the organization and outside the organization (Yang, Watkins, a