Company overview

British petroleum (BP) is one of the largest energy companies dealing in fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services and petroleum products. The company’s international headquarters is in London. The company has operations in more than 100 countries and employs over 96,000 people. The company has products under the BP, Castrol, Arco, am/pm, and Wild Bean Cafe brand (BPplc, About Bp, 2009). The company operates under two major business segments; exploration and production, refining and marketing and BP alternative energy.The company basically finds, extract, move oil and gas. The company also makes fuels and products, sells fuels and products as well as generating low carbon energy in a responsible way. The company operates in six continents; South America, North America, Europe, Australasia, Asia and Africa (Vault. com, 2009). BP is also well known for its innovative technology which aims at providing energy to meet the customers demand through efficien t products. Investing in low carbon energy is also another option that the company is exploring (BPplc, About Bp, 2009). Strategic auditThe strategic audit of a corporation is an eight step process that generally encompasses a holistic analysis of the company. The basic aim in strategic audit is to establish the current position which will help the company chart the way forward. A strategic audit helps the company to formulate strategies and select the best strategic alternative(s) for implementation. The first step is the analysis of the current situation. This involves the audit of the current performance and strategic posture. Current performance is evaluated in terms of profitability, market share, and return on investment.Strategic posture looks at the mission, objectives, strategies and policies (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009). The second step is a look at the corporate governance. This means analysis of the board of directors and top management in terms of their str ucture, names and contribution to the company Scanning the external environment for opportunities and threats is the next step of a strategic audit. Under this stage, the company looks at the societal environment, task environment and finally listing all the above factors.The next step is the analysis of the internal environment i. e. strengths and weaknesses. Here, the corporate structure, culture, resources (marketing, finance, research and development, operations and logistics, human resource management and information systems) is looked into. A summary of these factors is then prepared (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009). After looking at the external and internal environments, the company then analyses its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT).These are then linked to the company’s mission and objectives to establish any relevance. The next step of the strategic audit is the analysis of the strategic alternatives in order to select the best strate gy (ies) to be recommended. The recommendation should be justified by looking at the potential, changes and impacts of the strategy. After making the recommendations, the next step is the implementation of the proposed strategy (ies). The implementation will include assigning duties on who is to develop these strategies. The financial aspect and operating procedures should be analyzed.The last step of the strategic audit is the evaluation and control. Evaluation and control involves a look at the current information system i. e. whether it can provide sufficient feedback and whether there are enough controls (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009). Strategic Alternatives In formulating the best strategic alternatives, the company has to consider the economic, socio-cultural, political-legal, technological and financial strengths and challenges facing the company. Economic environment This involves looking at the economic environment.The company operates in an industry that has oth er large companies e. g. Shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Total and other smaller companies. All these companies have the resources and technical ability to compete at the same level as BP Plc. This is why the company has focused on cost reduction through measures like staff reduction and efficient production. The company has also focused on alternative energy e. g. solar and wind. This is as a result of the challenging operating environment where there has been a growing shift to green energy that has minimal pollution.In an industry faced with rising production costs, the company has been on track by focusing on means and ways of reducing their costs. The focus has been on reducing the number of staff and reducing the number of senior positions in the company by 20%. This strategy has borne fruit with the flattening of the cost curve of the company while those of the competitors keep on rising. The company’s focus on new technologies has resulted into improved production capaci ty. In fact the overall production trend for all the major companies has been declining. BP Plc.has defied this trend by increasing its production in the year 2007-2008. The technology used by the company includes Advanced Gas Injection and Water flood technologies that have enabled the company to push the limits of the reservoirs. The drop in oil prices means declining revenues. In order to increase revenues, the company has focused on reducing the performance gap by restoring revenues in areas like Toledo, improving supply optimization in petrochemical and marketing. The company area of focus for petrochemicals is Asia where there is rising demand. The company has also established value chains for its fuel production.Value chains are those activities that create value from the supply to the final delivery to the consumer. This has been achieved through integrated supply and trading which has lead to more revenues. In a bid to increase its oil reserves, the company has also partner ed with TNK of Russia. The partnership has resulted in 30% increase in production. Socio-cultural The company has tried to endear itself to the community in which it operates. BP achieves this through training and employing local staff at all levels. The aim here is to be a local company by creating partnerships with the local community.BP strategic aim is to reduce the levels of resistance to its operations by avoiding cultural conflicts as well as social effects. The company has entered into partnerships with the local community in terms of education, encouraging enterprise, fostering good governance, partnership in public health, access to energy, giving and volunteering, safeguarding human rights, as well as development through community case studies. All these activities are targeted at enhancing and fostering the relationship between the company and all the community in which it operates thus reducing conflicts between the community and the company.Political-legal Some of the challenges that the company could face are the political/ legal. This is because the company has operations in many countries that may be subject to political instability. To mitigate this, the company has formed partnerships with local companies and thus reduces resistance towards the company consequently the company is able to increase its operations and revenues. Rigid legal regimes concerning the operations of foreign companies may negatively impact the operations of the company. The company has reduced this by engaging in partnerships with local companies.Taxation and licensing may vary from country to country. This may have negative impacts on the company’s operations. Exploration and production rights may not be granted to the company. BP has overcome this challenge by partnering with the governments of respective countries through agreements. Technological In a bid to improve its operations and increase productivity, the company has adopted innovative technologies. So me of these technologies include the Bright water which uses new inter-well polymer treatment which ultimately improves water flood Recovery.The Company has focused on technology to come up with innovative approaches that can increase production as well as solve energy challenges Financial information BP plc has been able to grow its net income by 39% to $26. 2 billion which is the highest growth rate registered by major energy companies. Cash flow from operations also grew 54% to $ 38. 1 billion on a year on year percentage basis. The company was also the only super major to register growth in reported volumes in new reserves. The company registered a growth of 1% on year on year percentage basis. Apart from operations, the company utilizes debt to finance its activities.The debt is at the rate of 20-30%. All these financial data indicates that the company is focused on growth by efficiently using its cash resources to generate more sales and improve on the shareholders wealth by e ngaging in share buy backs. Recommended strategy Based on the analysis of all the above factors, some of the available strategies are; – Cost reduction strategies – Alternative energy by diversification – Focus on growing markets growth – Creating value on existing products – Partnership to grow – Technology leadership – Continuous improvement These strategies can be broadly classified into two directional i.e. growth and retrenchment strategies. The company can utilize the growth strategies in its upstream segment (exploration and production) and retrenchment strategies on its down stream business (refining, convenience, refining) (Wheelen, 2006) Implementation of the strategy Strategy implementation involves all the activities and choices that are required for the execution of a strategy. The implementation process basically deciding who is to carry out the plan what must be done and how are the selected people selected to carry out the strategic plan going to do it (Wheelen, 2006).These strategies are normally executed by various heads of business segments subordinated by other employees within the business segments. This has been done through budget allocations, programs that indicate the time frame in which the various strategies need to be implemented and the use of procedures e. g. the Operating Management System that covers employee capabilities to risk assessment. Some of the programs used by the company are those of closing the performance gap which runs from 2008 to 2011, and the reduction of the number of employees in refining and marketing from mid 2007 to the end of 2009 by 3,500.After deciding on who and what must be done, the company must decide on how the strategy is going to be implemented. How a strategy is to be implemented might involve developing new organizational structure. For BP plc, to implement some of its strategies, the company has decided to eliminate certain senior and junior posi tions. Evaluation and control This is the process by which a company can monitor its corporate activities and performance results in order to compare the actual performance with the desired performance. Evaluation and control provides a feedback mechanism where corrective measures can be taken where necessary (Wheelen, 2006)Evaluation and control can be summarized into the following 5 steps – Determine what to measure – Establish standards of performance – Measure actual performance – Compare actual performance with the standards – Take corrective action The company has set out plans to reduce costs and improve on efficiency on its operations. The company wants to grow its upstream business (exploration and production) while at the same time turning around its downstream business. Upstream business growth is measured by growth in reserves, increased replacement percentage, and getting more out of reservoirs.Downstream business is to be improved thr ough cost reduction by restructuring the company’s operations e. g. by downsizing and recapitalizations Improved bottom-line, high reserve replacement percentages, efficient operations, growth in reserves are some of the standards of performance that the company uses to gauge performance. Actual performance is measured at specified times e. g. for BP plc, restoring revenues from refining performance, improved supply optimization and margin capture in petrochemical and marketing has a time frame of 2008-2011The comparison of actual performance against standard performance has to be done in order to establish the current position for example in 2008; the production grew 1. 5% while the replacement reserve was 136% which was more than the minimum 100% replacement. If the actual performance does not match the expected results, then corrective action needs to be taken. An example is the restoration of capacities in Texas City so as to boost refining and consequently revenues. Refe rences BPplc. (2009, March 3rd). 2009 Strategy presentation. Retrieved April 15th, 2009, from Bp. com: http://www. bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/STAGING/global_assets/downloads/I/IC_bp_strategy_presentation_march_2009_script. pdf BPplc. (2009, March 3rd). About Bp. Retrieved April 15th, 2009, from Bp. com: http://www. bp. com/marketingsection. do? categoryId=2&contentId=7013628 Vault. com. (2009, April 14th). Indusrty Overview. Oil and Gas. Retrieved April 15th, 2009, from Vault. com: http://www. vault. com/nr/main_article_detail. jsp? article_id=22843159&cat_id=0&ht_type=7. Wheelen, J. D. (2006). Essentials of Strategic Mnagement. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009)

Does Society Have An Obligations Essay

Welfare is aid in the form of money or necessities for those who need it. Obligation means duty or responsibility. It binds morally. The question then turns to be does Society have a moral duty to help the needy? Lets first consider what argues against such a responsibility. What I earn through my own hard work is mine and no one has the right to take it away from me. It is morally wrong to take something from me unless I choose to give by free will. Everybody has the same chances in life. And since we all start from the same equal starting point. It is the ones who did not take their chances and those who are lazy who benefit from welfare. It cannot be good to support such behavior. We would propagate laziness in future generations. Children will see that their parents receive money and goods without any effort, for doing nothing. Therefore, they will consider such behavior as just and misuse the welfare system too. Thereby we continuously grow generations of lazy and independent pe ople. There is one essential argument that I consider being much stronger than all the contra arguments. To choose whether we as a society have the moral obligation to provide welfare to the needy one needs to use John S. Mill’s approach. To decide we need to be in a state during which we do not know anything about our personal circumstances, the so-called veil of ignorance. We do not know whether we are rich or the poorest of the poor, healthy or ill. Placed in such situation everybody would choose a system, which provides the needy with support. Even though they would have to pay for it if they turn out to be rich. Everyone wants to have at least the chance on improvement. If provided with some help the needy may acquire an improvement and become independent of welfare. Ideally then a system that provides every member of society with a minimal starting point from which they may work their way up is required. A basic level of support is essential. It would be hard to obtain education if one has to live under a bridge and hunger. Provided with the sine qua non it is possible to reach an independent stage in which one does not require any welfare. Furthermore it is very idealistic to assume that everybody in today’s society is provided with equal opportunities. Not everybody has equal chances to education. Although, if one works from generation to generation, there is a chance to improve gradually. The poorest family is not able to finance their children’s education. Here society has the duty to help with their education so that if they work hard they and their children will not be dependant on society but rather support society in its obligations. Lets consider another example. A person with a job supporting society, for example a surgeon, relies wholly on their body, the surgeons’ hand. Surely he provides society not only with his/ her service but also pays taxes. If through some accident this person looses the ability to work in their profession, for instance the surgeon is incapable of operating, he can neither support himself nor society anymore. If now society provides such a person with enough support, e.g. training in another job than he/ she will be able to work and support society again. In conclusion society welfare distribution needs to be strictly regulated and monitored to prevent misusage. However, society has the duty to provide every member with a chance and the necessary support to become or re-become a person capable to perform all duties and responsibilities to society and therefore to provide welfare.

Describe two companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Describe two companies - Essay Example Some of these competitors include: Metro Inc, Lablaw Brands Limited, Canada Safeway Limited and Ultima Foods Inc (Data Monitor, 2010). Empire Company Limited enjoys a strong industry position in the groceries and food distribution sector. For the financial year ending April 2009, the company was able to record revenue outcme of $256.1 million. This was an increase of approximately 6.8%. The increase was a major feat for the company considering the fact that other companies in the industry were struggling to stay afloat amid the financial crisis that was ongoing at the time. However, the company’s $4.7 million net profit was a dropped of 15.8% compared to the previous year (Newswire, 2010). Despite the fall in profits, the company still managed to beat most of its competitor’s in both net revenue and profit (Data Monitor, 2010). Companies are normally affected by changes which occur from time to time. In the case of Empire Company Limited, the major changes occurred in 2007 when Sobey’s was purchased by Empire Company Limited, making it a private entity. The retail grocery and food distribution industry in Canada is changing to accommodate the needs of the customer. To avoid being left behind, the empire Company Limited has put in place measures that will ensure that its future as a market leader is intact. It has enhanced its liquid investment portfolio to ensure that it achieves maximum yield and growth outcomes (Newswire, 2010). The company’s future goals for its food retail business are to enhance workforce management in a bid to improve store productivity. Based in Montreal, Canada, Metro Inc is one of the major public food retailers in the country. The company operates in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, where it is the second largest food retailer after Loblaw Companies Limited. In Quebec the company operates 243 stores and 135 in Ontario. The company also operates

Effect of Childhood Sexual Abuse Within Institutions Literature review

Effect of Childhood Sexual Abuse Within Institutions - Literature review Example udy Conclusions 29 Recommendations for Future Action 30 Chapter Summary 34 List of Works cited 35 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Overview Childhood sexual abuse is a human rights violation affecting all age groups within the childhood period globally. Effects of the Childhood sexual abuse on young lives are very devastating and have both short and long term consequences. Prevalence rate of sexual abuse has been difficult to determine for various reasons; estimates have broadly varied as a result of different definitions of the term and the sensitive nature of the phenomenon accompanied by shame and stigma experienced by victims (Julia, P.46). This makes it disincentive for victims to report its occurrence for fear of stigmatisation. World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 223 million children (150 million girls and 73 million boys) have experienced forced sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual violence globally as reported by (Dube and Anda, p.123). Recent research effort s suggest that sexual exploitation and abuse within institution is a widespread but largely unrecognized problem in many countries. The closed nature of the school environment means that children can be at great risk of sexual abuse in schools. There is a recognized child sexual abuse problem in schools. For this realization, the following dissertation seeks to establish the effects of childhood sexual abuse within institutions. The first chapter introduces the research problem by presenting background information, stating the objectives and significance of the study as well the research questions. Background to the study The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 34, CRC, 1990) prohibits child sexual abuse. Since UK is a signatory to this convention, (Brown, p.74) argues that... This study has established that Child Sexual Abuse exists in all the schools in the study areas. Child sexual abuse is intense and widespread mostly in SHS and JHS, manifesting itself in both contact and non-contact forms. Girls are more vulnerable than boys in a ratio of 11: 9 and children within age range of 14-16 years are more at risk of sexual abuse. Poverty, sexual pleasure, lack of protection and peer influence are found to be the main causes of child sexual abuse in schools in the areas studied. The weak protective environment is further complicated by the ineffective enforcement of laws and implementation of policies and programmes designed for child protection. This study employed both exploratory and descriptive survey. This research approach sought to elicit facts and data on the nature, distribution, degree and the reasons for perpetration of child sexual abuse in schools in the study areas, as well as respondents’ beliefs and perspectives and clearly describe the m. Additionally the present study employed library based research design whereby secondary information from multiple archival sources was also compiled to compare and validate the primary sources of empirical materials. This paper makes a conclusion that the study presented in the preceding chapter four and outlined the conclusions that the study found relevant. The chapter further highlighted several recommendations that can be adopted for conducting future research in an attempt to address the research problem under investigation. Several key issues that have emerged throughout the dissertation were revisited as highlighted in the foregoing sections.

Employment Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Employment Law - Essay Example For years the clothing industry had been trying to build a union for employees in the industry. Now that the company was going public and Clark’s company had 100 employees, the representatives from the union approached Ms. Clark to seek permission to contact the company employees. While this was not really necessary, they did it out of respect for Ms. Clark. When Ms. Clark was summoned by her CEO and the board of directors, she meticulously related the law’s stand on the matter of unions and their rights to contact employees. Unions and collective bargaining agreements rightly cite that any statement or any policy which creates any form of inference of barring a worker or even a union representative from being part of a labor union is illegal under law. Therefore, Ms. Clark can press charges on her employers for trying to blackmail her into ceding to their demands and whims of stopping workers from joining the labor union. Under law, cited by the yellow dog contract, workers must refrain from agreements by employers that require them to make pacts not to join unions in the future or in order to retain their employments. Such pacts or agreements are illegal. As a matter of fact they have been illegal since 1932. The retirement package that was presented to Ms. Was not complete as required by law. The package did not extend the normal retirement benefits and did not extend insurance coverage, or even pay her social security as required until the age of 59. Additionally, the package did not even offer her buy-out-funds. The retirement package presented by the company reeks of age discrimination on Ms. Clark. She fits the age bracket which is above 40 years. The Age Discrimination Act protects from such dismissal as that of Ms. Clark because the reason she was dismissed is not clear. She does her work well but when she decides to grant access to the union representatives she is dismissed for refusing to accept a flawed retirement package. Under this

Consonants of the english language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consonants of the english language - Essay Example hangeable, more stable, the law of their mutations is more con ­stant, or at least better ascertained, and they frequently re ­main fixed in the written language, after they have been lost or changed in sound. Hence, in researches into the history of language they are of cardinal importance, and consequently have almost exclusively en ­gaged the attention of etymologists, while, on the other hand, their supposed permanence, immutability and distinctness of character have led them to be much neglected. But in fact, consonants are very far from being so well discriminated. It is true that their differences are generally more easily appreciated by the ear, though less easily imitated by the tongue, than those between vowels. The indistinct articulation of consonants in Danish, the con ­founding of the hard and soft sounds of g in some dialects of Arabic, and of I and r in the Polynesian islands, the sep ­aration in Italian and Spanish of consonants are united in English consonants. As a result the words often lose all resemblance from which they originated, and it is the suppression or change of consonants that disguises them. (Ladefoged Peter, 1988 p. 123) Chasm and other words of similar ending are popularly pronounced as dissyllables, and in blossom, be-torn, bosom, and chrisom introduced a written vowel. The consonant m does not readily unite even with a preced ­ing liquid, and hence the vulgar pronunciation ellutn, helium, for rim, helm, and the word alarum for alarm. It is perhaps in this reluctance of m to be linked with a preceding liquid, and the explanation of the suppression of the I balm, calm, and other words of similar ending are found. (Ladefoged Peter, 1988 p. 142) If we talk about the formation of consonants we should point out that sounds are made by modifying an airstream. There are many points at which that stream of air can be modified. Producing a consonant sound depends on the position of vocal folds, they are either opened or closed. If

(A) ETHICS AND (B) LEADERSHIP IN TEAMS Case Study

(A) ETHICS AND (B) LEADERSHIP IN TEAMS - Case Study Example Satisfying all stakeholders at the same time is practically impossible. Besides, the idea is not consistent with organizational goals and profitability. â€Å"By having â€Å"the right values† or being a person of â€Å"strong character,† the ethical leader can set the example for others and withstand any temptations that may occur along the way† (Freeman and Stewart, 2006, p. 2). 2. Leaders have to rely on subjective judgments in order to balance the interests and competing values. Although the principles of ethics outline the work concepts (Chapman, 2010), yet there is no well defined criteria of ethical considerations in decisions. Every stakeholder interprets ethics in such a way that it safeguards his interests. The subjectivity of judgments originates in lack of objectivity of ethical considerations. â€Å"We are rethinking how we lead, by placing less emphasis on carrots and sticks and more on inspiration, and putting humanity at the center of our organizations† (Seidman, 2010). All that is stipulated is laws and regulations that have to be respected while making decisions. Respecting the laws, all judgments that are made about accountability, rights, and social relationships have to be subjective. 3. Teamwork promotes learning more than individual work (Fleming, 2007). In this process, four fundamental stages apply. First is assessment, second is planning, third is execution, and fourth is analysis of outcome and modification. Whenever a team assembles for some task that is important for the achievement of organizational goals, the team conducts feasibility studies and assesses the positive and negative outcomes of the actions they are about to undertake. At this stage, there is a lot of subjectivity in the assessment of risks and opportunities because they are yet to materialize. This stage is followed by planning in which the leaders decide the course of action they would adopt in order to achieve the target. While planning,

Free Trade during the Rise of Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Free Trade during the Rise of Capitalism - Essay Example Witte introduced industrialized capitalism in Russia believing that it establishes competition and free trade which then results in development bringing prosperity to the individuals. The capitalists, Smith and Witte being on top of the list, strongly believed that competition and free-trade provides not only the earning opportunities to both the businessmen and the laborers but also the quality driven affordable products to the consumers. In their point of view a happier and successful individual will give rise to a happier and successful nation and country. The father of the free-market capitalism, Adam Smith further mentioned in his book, "The Wealth of Nation", that "It is not by gold or silver, but by labor, that all the wealth of the world was originally purchased" (Smith, 1776). The basic message expressed by Smith in "The Wealth of Nation" can be simplified as life is all about give and take. Somebody's necessities or luxuries fulfill other man's necessities or luxuries. This means that not only the laborer fulfills his demands by working for the business owner but also the business owner fulfills his demands by providing work to the laborer. This is how people are dependent on each other. Such collaborative efforts of the people of a nation bring harmony and success to them. The other very common concept explaine... This approach of monopoly can be restrained by having competition in the market. The business man will never lower its supply or production knowingly that it will benefit his competitor instead of him. The competition thus, reinforces the benefit of the consumer providing him better products within lesser prices. This approach of competition via capitalism by Smith inspired Sergei Witte who then implemented it in Russia and thereby, brought advancement and development in Russia. But in contrast to Smith, who emphasized over free market, Witte proposed protectionism in his capitalistic vision. In free market, government does not intervene in the market instead it just regulates the market against fraud or corruption. Only property rights are protected by the government with no regulation, subsidization, single monetary system, and governmental monopolies. Whereas Protectionism is the economic policy adopted by the government to impose barriers to trade. Protectionism is also referred as fair trade by it supporters. It is meant to protect the domestic industry from foreign competitors by imposing tariffs, subsidies, import quotas, or other restrictions or handicaps placed on the imports of foreign competitors. Capitalism was strongly condemned by Karl Marx a nineteenth century philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary. He mentioned in his work, "The Communist Manifesto" that "Economic Competition and the pursuit of self-interest created only anguish, inequality, and the exploitation by the "haves" of the "have-nots"." (Marx, 1848) This argument was then perceived by many illustrating that capitalism limit the power and wealth in the hands of few people belonging to the elite

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Strategic Management - Essay Example In 1998, ‘Somerfield’, a supermarket group acquired Kwik Save in a transaction worth ?473 million (Somerfield, n.d.). They had faced huge competition when super store Tesco and Sainsbury launched their own brands. In addition, other two discounters Lidl and Aldi had also entered the retail market. Several stores were closed around the United Kingdom and as a result the company went under administration. They also sold a few stores to Fresh Xpress but it was also under administration and ultimately all the stores were closed. Eventually, the entire of stores of Kwik Save closed in 2007 (Docstoc, 2010). Kwik Save had closed down 79 stores in order to survive in market. Kwik Save also sold its stores to Somerfield in 2006, and since then more problems aroused which resulted in lay off of several outlets, collapsing of sales as well as suppliers refusing to supply goods (Earth Times, 2011). The management of Somerfield realised that the outlook and inner look of Kwik Save st ores would not fit well with the brand of Somerfield. They had warehouse style of inexpressive wooden shelving, space-saving undersized checkouts and thin passageway which needed to be changed by Somerfield. Subsequently, Somerfield decided to maintain and fully renovate the 102 best stores although the remaining 248 stores were fixed up for closure (Somerfield, n.d.). ... The market share of Kwik Save cut down from 1.2 % in April 2006 to 0.2% in 2007 (Docstoc, 2010). 2.0 Causes of Strategic Problems The company was focussing more on acquisition rather than improving the existing operation. Poor thinking as well as decision-making has been the prime cause of their strategic business failure. The store was not achieving their target since it was established (White Lane, n.d.). Firm’s Strategic Positioning Kwik Save was a successful grocery discount supermarket chain around the United Kingdom. They had developed the strategy to sell branded product in a cheap rate to attract maximum numbers of customer. This strategy led to an amalgamation of low fixed cost as well as severe central control. All this were the outcome of network of above 870 conveniently located and unpretentious stores located around the UK. It adopted a â€Å"no nonsense† approach for grocery retailing. The customer money was provided importance thus they were charged low rate for the products. But in 1970s and 1980s, the entrance of super stores hindered their growth and they could not compete with those retail stores. Firm was successful in strategy positioning when no other highly discount based retailers were present but due to the emergence of superstore they were left behind. The superstores were providing importance to leisure, comfort; excitement in the store but Kwik Save with its simple design, could not gain competitive advantage (Reference for Business, 2011). Firm’s Managers Analysis of the Environments of their Industry Andersen Consulting was appointed by the managers of Kwik Save in order to conduct ‘root-and-branch’ strategic review. Kwik Save was one of the â€Å"Britain’s number one discounter† but became

Capital Markets and Investment Banking Process Essay

Capital Markets and Investment Banking Process - Essay Example Investment banks usually perform three tasks: first, they assist the companies in designing the securities which have features that are most appropriate for a certain market; second, they buy these securities and third, they resell them to the investors. (Fabozzi, 2008) Investment banks raise capital for their client companies through underwriting in which it purchases a whole block of new securities and resells them to investors. In this way, the income earned is the difference of the amount given to purchase the new block of shares and the amount received by the investors. Apart from Merger & Acquisition (M&A) advisory services, a bank’s another integral and core function nowadays is Investment Management in which the bank manages the investments of clients. Security services are also an important feature for investment banks which include prime brokerage, financing and securities lending. Regardless of the activity undertaken by the investment bank, it needs to focus on its portfolio construction and management which will be done according to the portfolio strategy of the investment bank. This means the bank needs to make investments which ensure successful trading that could be done by making risk management a top priority. This would mean that if a company incurs a loss of on one of its investment, it should earn a profit of over 11% on another to make it even. In this way, the company needs to construct a portfolio of investments which ensures a favorable position for the company. (Fabozzi, 2008) Factors to Be Considered Selecting Asset Classes For An Investment Portfolio: Asset class means the different kinds of assets (e.g. bonds, equities and cash equivalents etc.), while making an investment portfolio, different classes of assets are added according to investment policies and objectives. For making an investment portfolio, it is generally considered that a well diversified portfolio is beneficial as it outweighs the losses through other profita ble investments. On deciding upon the asset classes, the companies need to consider asset allocation among different classes of assets. Studies show that 85 to 95% of investment’s returns are due to asset allocation policy and not selection of specific stocks or bonds. While selecting classes of assets, major considerations should be given to the capital market expectations as to which classes of assets are expected to outperform others in short, medium or long term. For example, if the stock market is expected to be weak, there should be more bonds in the portfolio. Other factors that need to be considered while deciding upon the asset allocation are the objectives of investment which would consider the timings, the need of the investment and the expected return of the investment by the client. Risk tolerance and risk policies need to be given special consideration in deciding upon the allocation of assets that should be in accordance to the bank and clients. Constraints ass ociated with asset classes like liquidity, taxes, regulations etc and capital market assumptions are also few factors that should be considered. (Chandra, 2009) Describe the Capital Market Instruments Used in Investment Portfolio Construction: The capital market is vital for a country as it matches the players who have excess funds with the ones who are in need of funds. The instruments are traded in these markets incurring a gain/loss on these securities.

Understanding the Punk Rock Culture Essay Example for Free

Understanding the Punk Rock Culture Essay Music has become one of the most effective and influential tools in various cultures all over the world. For several years, it has evolved into different kinds of genre such as opera music, hip hop, rap, RB, grunge rock, metal rock, death rock, emo rock, alternative music and techno music. Aside from these types of music, there is this style that is quite enthralling compared to those of its varieties. Some thinks that it is a movement for rebellion; others perceive it as a form of free thinking. Anyhow, it just seem to be misunderstood. These opinions refer to Punk Rock and its culture. In order to further discuss the fascinating facts about it, the history of Punk Music should be known first. The initial form of punk rock, named protopunk in retrospect, began as a garage rock revival in the northeastern United States of America in the late 1960s. In this year, Punk Rock is said to be seen as the primitive guitar-based rock and roll of bands in the United States. During the years of 1970’s the evolution of Punk Rock started occurring in the said state. This music referred to the anti-establishment movement between the years of 1970-1980. Punk rock, by contrast, accentuated simplicity of musical organization, moving with a principle called â€Å"Do it yourself† (DIY). This stated that any person could establish a punk rock band. With its distinguishing fast beats and hard-edged music, Punk Rock has proliferated into other cities and countries such as the United Kingdom and London. It has also evolved into different types such as hardcore punk, street punk, skate punk and the likes. From the time of the beginning of Punk Rock, several major label record companies have thought of trying profit from underground punk culture. The only hindrance was that these companies felt that promoting such underground music would not sell and would only give negative reputation to them. Most of the songs of Punk Rock are written to influence the public with political views, social awareness, reform, or just about the band’s own experiences. Their ideologies as Punk musicians are also used as themes of their compositions. It was a dystopian style of music which was originally similar to underground, minimalist rock and roll and later evolved into more diverse form of music. Most punk rock songs are made short, uncomplicated and is arranged using moderately few chords compared to other varieties of music. It is usually performed in small bands rather by solo musicians. Punk bands, in most of the time, consist of a singer who could also be one of the instrumentalists, one or two overdriven electric guitarists, an electric bass player and a drummer. The vocals typically includes shouted slogans, chants and choruses rather than charming, harmonic ones that most pop bands usually use to catch the audience’s attention. Punk also had ways to get the attention of the public. Seeing through their method of using outrageous clothing, hairstyles, tattoos, jewelries and other body modification would tend to create misunderstandings or misjudgments about them. The early punk fashion included ripped clothes, razor blades, safety pins, tape, marker or paint. Some wore leather, vinyl and rubber clothing, tight jeans, plaid trousers, skirts, t-shirts and leather jacket. Their hairstyle could rather be a Mohawk-styled, spiked, skin-headed, or dyed. Other hardcore punks in the post-1980’s who were against this kind of fashion preferred wearing only plain white t-shirts and jeans. These punks made an argument that punk should just be a classified in terms of music or ideology. Their fashion sense also depended on their way of thinking or perceiving matters. In a community of Punks, the number of male followers was said to be larger than the female followers. Compared to some alternative cultures, punk was closer to being gender equalist in terms of its philosophy. Ironically, almost all were white during those moments, even though they live by an anti-racism ideology. They were fond of organizing local music scenes to gather all punks coming from the different sides of earth. Punks had their way of showing their aesthetical views. Punk art was usually minimalistic, iconoclastic, satirical and very underground. Themes varied from different political issues such as social injustice, economic inequality, etc. Their artworks were showcased in album covers, flyers and punk zines which were made in an underground press. Black and white artworks were the early types of produced punk art. Punks had their own way of dancing too. Pogo dancing and moshing were dance styles associated with punk subculture. There were also punk-themed films produced. Music videos and skate videos were some of the common skate-themed films created. Some of the original footage of punk bands was used in documentaries. Punks also had their own viewpoints to consider. Punk-related ideologies were mostly about individualism, freedom and anti-establishment. Other common ideologies were concerned with anti-authoritarianism, DIY ethic, direct action, non-conformity, anti-racism, anti-capitalism, anti-sexism, anti-homophobia, environmentalism, animal rights, veganism, nihilism which was based on their unconcern for the present and their disaffection from both middle and working class principles and the likes. Punk nihilism was expressed in the use of more self-destructive substances like heroin or methamphetamine and by the principle regarding mutilation of the body that made use of razor blades. Punk had a lasting influence on all popular music, and a flourishing subculture can still be found almost anywhere in the United States. Different kinds of music were influenced by Punk Rock; Punk Rock was also influenced by other forms of music. Glam Rock had a huge influence in protopunk, early punk and glam punk. Punk and heavy metal subcultures shared similarities. Metal scenes hand an influence on protopunk. Punk and Hip hop emerged at the same time in New York and shared similarities in their subcultures. In the punk and hardcore subcultures, members or the scene are often evaluated in terms of the genuineness of their dedication to the standards or philosophies of the scene, which may range from political beliefs, social issues, etc. There truly were things that are very unlikely in a Punk’s lifestyle. This was the reason why they are misunderstood. In an instance, in a photography gallery opening during a fieldwork, there was a jazz guitarist who created a positive atmosphere for the listeners. The music was appropriate for the setting; it was used to enhance the art being shown. As people would stare into the photography, the reception of the pieces they were looking at would change with the songs. You could feel moods shift and receptions of pieces move with the change of a song. The music unintentionally helped guide people for how to feel. In the same way punk rock music fuels the fire of its subculture. The speed of the music energized the young followers, and its lyrics preached a philosophy to deviate. The music sounded different and the people acted different, the bawdy lyrics were transferred into real life. Any music could have an effect to the listeners. Music is the only thing that is constant in life. Music sets the mood of the audiences and influences their different points of view. Those who share the same preferences are likely to have the same types of music or clothing. Compared to other types of genre, Punk Rock music is one of the most enthralling and extreme kind. With Punk Culture’s out of this world principles, lifestyle and preferences, other people would find it unfavorable and bizarre. People who do not appreciate punk music seem to have an impression that punks are very pessimistic about reality. They seem to oppose almost all social issues and exaggerate all matters in life. From the population of individuals all over the world, the followers of Punk Culture and Punk Rock Music only hold few of it. That is why they seem quite extraordinary compared to other individuals. Punks would always be misunderstood and misinterpreted by people especially those who are not aware of the history of Punk Culture. They are more inclined to have the same opinion with the thoughts of individualism and an anti-establishment mindset. Punks are seemed to be the non-conformists of the world. They are the ones who are not frightened of striking out in audacious new directions. They show how brave they are to people by fighting for their own ideologies and by not worrying what others would think of regarding their physical appearance, social status, inclinations and extreme principles. They may appear as though they are overstating things and that they are quite close-minded, but that is how they wanted to be perceived. Even though Punks contain bizarre practices, they still are people who could change depending on the circumstances and environment. Music is just one of the many things that could change the perceptions of individuals. It just so happened that Punks could relate to the principles of Punk Rock Music and Culture.

Scottish Traditions And Cultures

Scottish Traditions And Cultures This is my English assignment on Scotland. I am going to talk about the history of Scotland, the culture and traditions of Scotland and about the Sports in Scotland. The Culture and Sports are very close but I think they have to be explained a part. I hope you and myself learn from this assignment and have fun with reading. (As long you can have fun)The history of Scotland. The land that now forms Scotland was in the prehistory part of the continent that now forms North-America, so Scotland isnt really part of Europe but a part from Laurentia. During the last interglacial, around 130,000 and 70,000 BC, Europe was warmer than now and the Neanderthals found that there was a mild spell in Scotland around 40,000 BC so they settled in Scotland, but no traces of early humans have been found. After 40,000 BC Britain was torn apart by glaciers and Scotland wasnt inhabitable any more. After 9600 BC the ice retreated and Scotland could be inhabited again. In 8500 BC there were hunter-gatherers in Scotland and several settlements have been found and the first permanent settlements were found in around 3600 BC. In 2500 BC the Bronze Age entered Scotland and there has been found some hill forts from probably 900 BC which shows us that the people in Scotland were quite good in building settlements and monuments. Around 800 BC the Iron Age entered Scotland and till th e invasion of Roman Empire Scotland was a peaceful inhabited by Celtic tribes. This was a short summary of the prehistoric history of Scotland but no written records were found till the invasion of Scotland buy the Romans, now Im going to talk about the Roman Invasion of Scotland and what happened after that. England was invaded by Julius Caesar in 54 BC but Scotland fought more than 100 years later because Caesar couldnt get to Scotland. In AD 43 Britain was invaded again and they lost a few battles giving ground to the Romans. Agricola was the first one who attacked the people in Scotland itself and he got quite far but even though he had to let Scotland go after he didnt got re-elected for being the governor of Scotland. In 122 AD the Romans tried to protect themselves from the attacks of the Caledonians by the famous Hadrian wall. The Hadrian wall was started by governor Hadrian and ended six years later to protect them for the raiding tribes. The Romans tried to build a second wall to conquer more land called the Antonine wall but broke it off because it was unnecessary. When the Romans retreated from Britain in 407 AD Scotland of now was set in 4 parts with each part its own king and people. They were the Picts, the Scots, the Angolans and the Britons. In 563 AD Saint Columbanus, a monk, came to northern Scotland and Christianity spread rapidly. In 843 the Picts and the Scots united under king Kenneth MacAlpines reign in Alba (later Scotia). The weird thing was that the Picts just threw their culture away to take the Scots culture. The Angolans went south to England and the Britons lived in the lowlands and since 890 the Vikings lived in the western Isles and operated from there their attacks on Scotland. The next kings and queens were crowned on the stone of scone (stone of destiny) in scone. In 1034 under Duncan I his reign Scotland was united except the parts of the Vikings. In 1040 Duncan I was killed by Macbeth, who got beaten by Duncan I his son Ma lcolm III. In 1066 England was defeated by William the Conqueror and in the years after that, Malcolms son David I Scotland conquered a part of north England. After that till 1268 Scotland started to grow economically and culturally. In 1268 Alexander III died and with no follower than 3 year old Margaret, forced Scotland to crown Margaret as queen. In 1290 Margaret died and not less than 13 men said they had right at the throne. But Edward I of England called David I as king of Scotland. David I and France started an alliance against England. As response on this Scotland lost parts of the lowlands to England . In 1290 Robert I tried to recapture them and In 1320 Scotland was announced as independent country by Robert I but England didnt recognized this declaration till 1328. From 1371 till 1603 there were some conflicts with England and Scotland tried to increase their relation with France and it all happened under the reign of the Stuart family. The last Stuart king was Henry V wh o got the throne in 1603 but he made so much trouble with his lust for power that he had to flee to northern England, and caused a civil war in 1642. The civil war was won by Oliver Cromwell with his New Model Army. He called England, Ireland and Scotland as one republic without a monarchy. But in 1660 Cromwell was dead already and Charles II came on the throne. James VII followed him when he died but was set off by the parliament and Willem of Orange was called to be king of Britain with his wife Mary. James V fled to France but some of the Scottish were still faithful to James VII (the Jacobites). The Jacobites on 27 juli1968 Willems army lost a battle from the Jacobites. In 1702 Anne followed Willem as queen of Britain but the parliament was determined to keep the Stuarts of the queen. So they parliament went to Sophie of Hannover the granddaughter of James VII and they told Scotland if they accepted her they would get trading privileges. But England and Scotland had to reunite i n one parliament. In Scotland there were some riots but in 1707 the offer was accepted and Scotland wasnt a state anymore and had no parliament. Economically it was a good case for Scotland but there were still people especially highlanders who wanted the Stuarts as kings and queens. Charles Edward Stuart was a grandson of James VII and he started a war with his Jacobites against England in 1745. But in 1746 he got defeated after the battle of Culloden and had to flee to Italia. After this battle it was forbidden to wear any skirts, play bagpipes and the clans were not allowed to exist anymore. They switched from livestock-farming to sheep cultivation and potatoes were the most important food in the highlands. When the potato harvest went wrong loads of people went to America (not the VS) and the big cities for work and food. This was a period of grow in economics, literature and culture so Scotland changed in the 18th century from one of the poorest countries in Europe to a normal economically growing land. In 1999 many years later Scotland got its own parliament again. It counted 127 seats in the parliament these are the partys who got seats: 47 Scottish National Party, 46 Scottish Labour Party, 17 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, 16 Scottish Liberal Democrats, 2 Scottish Green Party, 1 independent

The Economic Globalization

The Economic Globalization The economic globalization in terms of international trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) and outsourcing has gained more significance these days due to market liberalization and technological improvement. In this essay, we reveal on the possible effect of economic globalization on Nestle. The emphasis is on whether Nestls internationalization strategy fit in to the observation that we are living in a globalize world in which differences and distances across countries no longer matter. Introduction: The company that we chose for our assignment is Nestle which is one of the worlds biggest global food and nutrition corporations; it has more than five hundred factories in more than eighty countries, and vends its products in more than hundred and ninety nations. Nestle is one of the oldest multinational corporation which was originated in 1866 in Switzerland by Heinrich Nestle. The Nestle firm from its very initial days, looked to different countries for development opportunities and Nestle started its global business by setting up its foremost foreign offices in London in 1868. The Nestle got merged in 1905 with Anglo Swiss Milk Corporation to extend the companys product line and by the late 1990s the Nestle Company had more than five hundred factories in different countries almost operating its business in each country of the globe. There are certain corporate business principles that Nestle follow in all the countries in which it operates its business activities, taking into account local legislations, cultural and religious practices of each country. These principles are: 1. Nestls basic intend is to enhance the quality of consumers everyday lives by offering tastier, healthier and hygienic food and beverage choices that encourages a healthy lifestyle. 2. Secondly Nestle gives quality assurance and product safety all over in the world as well as the company name Nestle basically symbolizes a guarantee to the consumer that the product is harmless and high of standards. 3. Nestle also make sure that they are committed to accountable and trustworthy consumer communication that gives power to consumers to use their rights and give any kind of feedback about their products. 4. Nestle also feels that they are highly committed to do their business practices in such a way that are environmentally sustainable like at all phases of the product life cycle they make sure that they use natural resources efficiently. 5. Last but not the least Nestle is highly committed to the sustainable use of water and tries to improve constantly in water management as the whole world facing a mounting challenges of water and for this Nestle convey messages to all people to use water as a complete necessity. The word globalization usually refers to the opening of international borders to trade, information and technology and the foreign direct investment (FDI). Globalization has caused remarkable changes to the business practices around the world. Nestle outsource professionals from different parts of the globe, causing job shifts and changes in company structures. Nestle believes that expanding business internationally guides to voluntary exchange of capital and employees as well as goods and services, which in turn provides overall universal growth. On the other hand the detractors of globalization argue that more might be done to help out people in poor countries attain the living standards of those in richer countries. Nestle follows a decentralization and all the responsibilities of operating decisions is pressed down to local units, which typically enjoy a high extent of independence with regard to decisions relating to pricing, distribution, marketing, human resource etc. Nestle can be called as a regional organization because the company divides the globe into five major geographical zones Europe, North America and Asia that are responsible to develop regional strategies, as Nestle operates in more than eighty countries it is a wise decision of dividing a globe into geographical zones so every zone would easily look after that every country follows developed regional strategies and maintain same quality standards throughout the world. There are certain effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the home country of the company. Within the host countries multinational firms like Nestle almost always pay higher salaries than the locally owned firms the main reason behind this is their presence usually increase the pay level in the host countries. These multinationals usually have higher productivity than local firms. The major role of FDI is to support the growth of host country exports and associations to outside the world and also the conversion of host economies from being exporters of food to relative high technology manufacturers. Nestls impact of FDI is the great knowledge of world markets and of different ways of fitting into international production networks. Technology: A multinational company like Nestle can attain technology infrastructure investments, along with improved business aptitude and good control over worldwide operations with a single global instance of its activity resource planning system, but the essential combination of databases and application servers can be technically and managerially difficult. Nestle uses web based technology to administer worldwide transportation. The Nestle Research Center is the focus of global research area, internally, with best scientists from all over the world and outwardly, in collaborations with key international research universities. The basic role of Nestle Research Center is essential in helping the company to fulfill its vision of GOOD FOOD FOR GOOD LIFE. The entire network of Research and Development and the Nestle Research Center carry out timely research on nutrition, health and wellness issues, and therefore using research findings to produce new product ideas keeping in mind consumer health and wellness needs. The research ideas from Nestle Research Center are transformed into product applications and processes through Nestls international network of Product Technology Centers and Research and Development. The Product and Technology Center exist for each specific product category that includes Dairy, Beverages, Chocolate and Coffee, Biscuits, Ice cream, Pet care and food services. The Product Technology Centers also gives plan for product innovation and packaging. The global network of Product Technology Centers and Research and Development works closely with Nestle Research Center as well as with nestle Strategic Business Units to provide scientific support for the entire nestle product range and the outcome is the Nestle products are tasty, healthy, conveniently available. Nestle believes that the Nestle Research center is a basis of Nestls international success in promising safe and high quality products. With the advance technologies and scientific expertise Nestle carefully analyze their raw materials and finished products and assure that they provide safe and healthy product to all consumers in every part of the world and also believes that it is their responsibility to protect consumers and maintain their trust in Nestls products and brand. It is important for any company to upgrade its technology time to time to maintain a competitive within in the industry. Nestle just in five years from nineteen ninety four to nineteen ninety nine spent approximately five hundred and seventy five million dollars to seven hundred and fifty million dollars a year on its information system. These costs were mounting when the company was facing a loss. Geography and Distance: As a multinational company Nestle operates in more than eighty countries with more than two hundred and sixty five thousand employees. Although Nestle is a Swiss company but generates only two percent or even less than two percent of their sales in Switzerland which is a home country of Nestle. Nestle always believes in decentralization and also believes that it is beneficial for any company to think globally and act locally. The people of Nestle believe that in spite of globalization the food business remains a local business which is based on local cultures, tastes and habits. This thinking of Nestle helped a lot in making a Nestle so renowned and successful all over the world. Therefore well get a different taste of Nestle products in each of the countries where Nestle sell its products. Nestle may be recognized for its chocolates, coffee, pure water, milk and infant formula, but it is a lot more multifaceted and large than that, it is the worlds biggest food company with almost seventy billion dollars in annual sales. Nestle operates five hundred factories in some two hundred nations including those places as well that are not part of the United Nations yet. Nestle earn more sales by selling small items like Kit Kat chocolate which is the largest selling chocolate bar internationally. As we have just described above that every country has its own tastes and habits so for Nestle nothing is simple as it operates in more than eighty countries. The coffee Nescafe which is a global brand and more than hundred billion cups of it consumed each year in different countries and for just one product Nescafe the Nestle Company has two hundred formulations, to go with local tastes. In all the Nestle corporation produces almost hundred and twenty seven thousand different varieties and ranges of products. Brabeck , a chief executive officer (CEO) of Nestle since nineteen ninety seven, wanted to maintain some discipline in terms of how the company is operating the businesses throughout the world that sustain marketing of its enormous range of brands, products and factories. For Nestle operating business maintain same quality standards in so many different countries with enormous range of products is very difficult and also to keep control of its thousand of supply chains with respect to each country and each product variety, along with that predicting demand for different products in different countries and the uncountable different of ways of charging customers and collecting payments is more difficult. Home and Foreign Government Policies: Administration control is a serious issue for multinational corporations that operate in international markets (Geringer and Hebert, 1989; Groot and Merchant, 2000). On hand indication suggest that multinational firms like Nestle transfers their managerial practices from their country of origin which is also called home country to the country of operations which can be called a host country (Child et al, 2000). Firms operating in more than one country like Nestle go through pressures to incorporate their international business. Nestle incorporate their business internationally through methods of standardization that could attain either on the basis of home practices or any best global practices. The degree to which the host country affects multinationals like Nestle depends on two factors the first one is the institutional distance between the home country and the host country. The more the institutional difference among the host and the home country the easier it is to identify the host country effect. Secondly the power of national institutional law is important. Nestle or any other multinational corporations are under more pressure to meet the terms in more strongly regulated business systems than in weaker institutional system environments. There are certain government incentives as well like economic, financing and other incentives that play an important role in attracting multinational investments. These government incentive policies are usually joint with performance necessities, for instance increase in exports, technology advancement, innovation enhancement and environmental friendliness. If multinational corporations investments meet all these government necessities they would be able to get special treatment. Conclusion: As Nestle is a principle based company it believes that by creating shared value is how they do business, which states that in order to create long term value and maintain a good relationship with consumers they have to create value for society. All the strategies that Nestle follows from product development to the delivery of products to their consumers clarifies that we are living in a globalize word in which differences across the countries no longer matter. If we talk about the products that Nestle offers like chocolate, coffee, biscuits, drinking water, and milk etc, everybody in the whole world consume all of these products. So if everybody is consuming same kind of products with just little differences in terms of taste verifies that we are living in a globalize world where the distances and differences no longer matter. Nestle is one the most successful company who caters more than 192 nations of the world and maintains the same quality standards of its brands and products th roughout the world.

Robert Frost: A Man Of Many Words :: essays research papers

Robert Frost was born on March 26th, 1874. Frost was the son of William Prescott and Isabelle Moodie. His parents named him after the confederate general, Robert E. Lee. (Encyclopedia of World Bio) Robert Frost began kindergarten in 1879; unfortunately he was struck with stomach pains on the first day and never returned. He was then home schooled by his mother, whom was a teacher. Before his schooling was over he had been accepted to Lawrence High School, and finished at the head of his class. Frosts first job was teaching however he is best known for his writing, and his life's tragedies. (American Decades)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1912 Frost moved to England, and started writing full time. Within months he had written his first book, A Boy's Will, which was accepted for publication. (Contemporary Authors) I think Robert Frost is a master student because he liked school and strived for what he believed in, he accomplished goals he set despite tragic episodes in his life, and he became an inspiring author. Robert Frost strove for what he believed in which was becoming a successful writer. He had written his first published poem before he finished high school. He published a few more pieces, and then he graduated with Valedictory honors. He moved on to Dartmooth College. After leaving he was accepted to Harvard and was awarded the Sewall Scholarship for Academic Excellence. Frosts publishing went world wide and had people envying him everywhere in the world he went.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Frost was also a master student because despite all the tragic times he was faced with he still dug deep to become one of the best writers of all time. Some of the tragedies he went through were, the death of his first son Elliot to cholera. His daughter Marjorie was sickened to perpetual fever. Two years after this incident his wife Elinor died of heart failure. Despite all of these tragedies Frost surrounded Himself with loving colleagues and continued to write successfully.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As an author Frost has inspired many. He had began delivering speeches, talks, and lectures. Frost did not only inspire those he lectured to, but he was inspired by the audience and fans to write more. Some of his best work was said to have happened after the start of his public speeches.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion I believe Robert Frost to be a master student mainly for the inspiration he's given.

Physics of Bowling Essays -- physics bowling sport sports

Aside from being one of the most accessible (and best!) sports out there, many aspects of bowling can be expressed with physics. Achieving maximum power, throwing a hook ball, and getting good pin action can all be broken down into physics issues and represented with equations. I will cover four aspects of bowling that can be explained with physics terms and show you how to use this knowledge to optimize your game. Gravitational Potential Energy Depending on the height from which the bowler drops the bowling ball, the ball will have a certain amount of potential energy. If the bowler bowls with a straight ball, the potential energy of the ball will not affect their game very much. It will, however, draw attention to the bowler when they drop the ball sufficiently high as to broadcast sonic reverberations of the ensuing lane-punishment for the rest of the bowlers to hear (and laugh at). Thus, it is in the straight-ball bowler's best interests to keep the ball as close to the lane as possible upon release. Bowlers who bowl with a hook-ball have even more at stake. The more potential energy the ball has upon release, the longer it will bounce as it travels down the lane. This translates into less opportunity for a hook-ball to catch friction against the lane. Remember, the horizontal velocity is independent of the vertical velocity, hence (assuming the ball is always thrown with a force parallel to the horizon) the ball will take the same amount of time to reach the pins, regardless of how much time it spends airborne. Direction of the Initial Force For maximum impact, the bowler must release the ball with a force perfectly parallel to the horizon. Since the horizontal velocity is independent of the vertical velocity, an... ... an elastic collision. The pins bounce against one another because their momentum is conserved during the collision(s). To achieve the most pin action, the bowler must put plenty of energy into the system and also find a direction of impact to efficiently distribute the kinetic energy. During pin action, some of the energy is transformed into sound. If the bowler's throw produces a single, loud *dink* sound, they are hearing the audible period punctuating their failure of a throw. On the other hand, if the bowler's throw produces a sound not unlike a marble statue being clubbed to death, this means two things. First, there must be lots of pin action to be producing all of those collision sounds; second, the bowler is very strong, has thrown the ball parallel to the horizon, and has hit the pins at an angle capable of distributing the kinetic energy efficiently.

Howl :: Howl

Howl   Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl," has long been attacked as obscene for its graphic imagery and language. It includes shadowed symbolism, but also direct references to oral and anal sex, homosexuality, and drug use. However, according to Roth v. the United States (1957), "unless the book is entirely lacking in 'social importance', it cannot be held as 'obscene'." Only works with no redeeming social value may be banned on the grounds of their being obscene; any piece of writing with social value is protected by the first amendment to the Constitution.    By this definition, it is impossible to consider "Howl" obscene. Declared by literary experts to be "social criticism... a literary work that hurled ideological accusation after accusation against American society," "Howl" is not obscenity - the vulgar terms Ginsberg uses are intended to convey the meaning of the poem; they give insight to his life and his view of the world. The course language is used to portray the nightmarish world depicted by the poem, and though the author could have used other terms they would not have been as effective. "Howl" is effective in large part because it conveys violent emotions, and its vulgarity elicits an emotional response from the reader; obscenity is used to make a point, and not for its own sake.    Twice Ginsberg's book Howl and Other Poems, which contains "Howl", has been confiscated from bookstores with the claim that the book was not suitable for children. However, the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, from which copies of the book were seized, did not carry books for children. "Howl" is certainly not appropriate for children, but no one has ever claimed otherwise. Howl and Other Poems was not being marketed for children, or as a children's book. If all works that contained material deemed inappropriate for children were removed from the shelves, the vast majority of what we consider

Personality Theory of Sigmund Freud Essay

According to Freud, mankind has only two drives that determine all thoughts, emotions, and desires- the need for sex and aggression. Sex is the equivalent of life- after all it is how we procreate the species and continue our lineage. Aggression often leads to its equivalent – death- which is also a control measure for procreating the species as it allows us to remove an adversary that may prevent procreation. Freud proposed that there are three levels to our personalities- the Id , the Ego, and the Superego. At birth, we are born with the Id, which he described as being the part of the personality that demands our basic needs. It is important because it drives our instinct to obtain our basic needs and keep ourselves alive. It looks only for satisfaction of a hunger, whether it is for food, comfort or any other pleasurable sensation. As a child interacts in his first three years of life, the Ego begins to form. The Ego begins to realize there are others that have needs and that interaction in the world means thinking of this and responding accordingly. Around five, the formation of the Superego starts as the child becomes trained in the moral and ethical ideas of his caregivers- it is often compared to the conscience. Throughout the rest of our life the Ego serves as the mediator between the Superego and the Id, keeping us from becoming either totally self-centered and demanding or rigid and unbending in our interactions with others. In the fights with the Id and Superego, the Ego develops various defense mechanisms to help keep the balance. These defense mechanisms help the ego sate the id’s impulsiveness without offending the Superego’s moral position- all the while keeping reality in check. Some of these defenses include denial, intellectualization, regression and sublimation. Perhaps the most debated of Freud’s writings is his theory of psychosexual development and it’s five stages. The first stage, which stretches from birth to 18 months, is the oral stage where the baby is focused on the pleasures associated with sucking. From 18 months to age three, the child is in the anal stage, where pleasure is derived from retaining and releasing. The phallic stage covers age’s three to six, in which the pleasure zone switches to the genitals. This is the stage in which the Oedipal complex comes into play. The latency stage stretches from age six to puberty during which pleasures are repressed in order for learning to take place. From puberty to death, we are in the genital stage in which our pleasure derives from the genitals. While many of his theories are not as popular today, Freud laid the groundwork for understanding the human mind. References Heffner, Christopher L, â€Å"Personality Theory† retrieved on May 29, 2009 from http://allpsych. com/personalitysynopsis/freud. html Stevenson, David B. â€Å"Psychosexual Stages of Development† retrieved on May 29, 2009 from http://www. victorianweb. org/science/freud/develop. html Felluga, Dino. â€Å"Modules on Freud: On Psychosexual Development. † Introductory Guide to Critical Theory. Purdue U. retrieved on May 29, 2009 from .

Kahirapan

Smoke From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Smoke (disambiguation). Smoke from a bee smoker, used inbeekeeping the smoke of burning tungsten in alightbulb Smoke is a collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases[l] emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass.It is commonly an unwanted by- product of fires (including stoves, candles, oil lamps, and fireplaces), but may also be used for pest control (fumigation), communication (smoke signals), defensive and ffensive capabilities in the military (smoke-screen), cooking (smoked salmon), or smoking (tobacco, cannabis, etc. ). Smoke is used in rituals, when incense, sage, or resin is burned to produce a smell for spiritual purposes. Smoke is sometimes used as a flavoring agent, and preservative for various foodstuffs.Smoke is also a component of internal combustion engine exhaust gas, particularly diesel exhaust. Smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death in victims of indoor fires. The smoke kills by a combination of thermal damage, poisoning andpulmonary irritation caused y carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and other combustion products. Smoke particles are an aerosol (or mist) of solid particles and liquid droplets that are close to the ideal range of sizes for Mie scattering of visible light.This effect has been likened to three-dimensional textured privacy glass[citation needed] † a smoke cloud does not obstruct an image, but thoroughly scrambles it. Contents [hide] 1 Chemical composition 1. 1 Visible and invisible particles of combustion 2 Dangers of smoke 2. 1 Smoke corrosion 3 Secondhand smoke inhalation 4 Measurement of smoke 5 Medicinal smoke 6 See also 7 References External links Chemical composition[edit] This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. April 2011) The composition of smoke depends on the nature of the burn at a high temperature and with small amount of smoke produced; the particles are mostly composed of ash, or with large temperature differences, of condensed aerosol of water. High temperature also leads to production of nitrogen oxides. Sulfur content yields sulfur dioxide, or in case of incomplete combustion, hydrogen sulfide. Carbon and hydrogen are almost completely oxidized to carbon dioxide and water. Fires burning with lack of oxygen produce a significantly wider palette of compounds, many of them toxic.Partial oxidation of carbon produces carbon monoxide, nitrogen- containing materials can yield hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, and nitrogen oxides. Hydrogen gas can be produced instead of water. Content of halogens such as chlorine (e. g. in polyvinyl chloride or brominated flame retardants) may lead to production of e. g. hydrogen chloride, phosgene,dioxin, and chloromethane, bromomethane and other halocarbons. Hydrogen fluoride can e formed from fluorocarbons, whether fluoropolymers subjected to fire or halocarbon fire suppression agents. 2] Phosphorus and antimony oxides and their reaction products can be formed from some fire retardant additives, increasing smoke toxicity and corrosivity. Pyrolysis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), e. g. from burning older transformer oil, and to lower degree also of other chlorine-containing materials, can produce a potent carcinogen, and other polychlorinated dibenzodioxins. Pyrolysis of fluoropolymers, e. g. teflon, in presence of oxygen yields carbonyl fluoride (which hydrolyzes readily to HF and C02); ther compounds may be formed as well, e. g. arbon tetrafluoride, hexafluoropropylene, and highly toxic perfluoroisobutene Emission of soot from a large dieseltruck, without particle filters. Pyrolysis of burning material, especially incomplete combustion or smoldering without adequate oxygen supply, also results in production of a large amount of hydrocarbons, both aliphatic (methane, ethane, ethylene, acetylene) and aromatic (benzene and its derivates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; e. g. benzo[a]pyrene, studied as a carcinogen, or retene), terpenes. Heterocyclic compounds may be also present.Heavier hydrocarbons may condense as tar; smoke with significant tar content is yellow to brown. Presence of such smoke, soot, and/or brown oily deposits during a fire indicates a possible hazardous situation, as the atmosphere may be saturated with combustible pyrolysis products with concentration above the upper flammability limit, and sudden inrush of air can cause flashover or backdraft. Presence of sulfur can lead to formation of e. g. hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide, sulfur dioxide, carbon disulfide, and thiols; especially thiols tend to get adsorbed on surfaces and produce a ingering odor even long after the fire.Partial oxidation of the released hydrocarbons yields in a wide palette of other compound s: aldehydes (e. g. formaldehyde, acrolein, and furfural), ketones, alcohols (often aromatic, e. g. phenol, guaiacol, syringol, catechol, and cresols), carboxylic acids (formic acid, acetic acid, etc. ). The visible particulate matter in such smokes is most commonly composed of carbon (soot). Other particulates may be composed of drops of condensed tar, or solid particles of ash. The presence of metals in the fuel yields e. g. ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, or sodium chloride.Inorganic salts present on the surface of the soot particles may make themhydrophilic. Many organic compounds, typically the aromatic hydrocarbons, may be also adsorbed on the surface of the solid particles. Metal oxides can be present when metal-containing fuels are burned, e. g. solid rocket fuels containing aluminium. Depleted uranium projectiles after impacting the target ignite, producing particles of uranium oxides. Magnetic particles, spherules of magnetite-like ferrous ferric oxide, are present in coal smoke; their increase in deposits after 1860 marks the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. ] (Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can be also produced in the smoke from meteorites burning in the atmosphere. ) [5] Magnetic remanence, recorded in the iron oxide particles, indicates the strength of Earth's magnetic field when they were cooled beyond their Curie temperature; this can be used to distinguish magnetic particles of terrestrial and meteoric origin. [6] Fly ash is composed mainly of silicaand calcium oxide. Cenospheres are present in smoke from liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Minute metal particles produced by abrasion can be present in engine smokes.Amorphous silica particles are present n smokes from burning silicones; small proportion of silicon nitride particles can be formed in fires with insufficient oxygen. The silica particles have about 10 nm size, clumped to 70-100 nm aggregates and further agglomerated to chains. [3] Radioactive particles may be present due to tra ces of uranium, thorium, or other radionuclides in the fuel; hot particles can be present in case of fires during nuclear accidents (e. g. Chernobyl disaster) or nuclear war. Smoke particulates have three modes of particle size distribution: nuclei mode, with geometric mean radius between 2. 20 nm, likely forming by condensation of carbon moieties. accumulation mode, ranging between 75-250 nm and formed by coagulation of nuclei mode particles coarse mode, with particles in micrometer range Most of the smoke material is primarily in coarse particles. Those undergo rapid dry precipitation, and the smoke damage in more distant areas outside of the room where the fire occurs is therefore primarily mediated by the smaller particles. [7] Aerosol of particles beyond visible size is an early indicator of materials in a preignition stage of a fire. 3] Burning of hydrogen-rich fuel produces water; this esults in smoke containing droplets of water vapor. In absence of other color sources (nitr ogen oxides, particulates†¦ ), such smoke is white and cloud-like. Smoke emissions may contain characteristic trace elements. Vanadium is present in emissions from oil fired power plants and refineries; oil plants also emit some nickel. Coal combustionproduces emissions containing aluminium, arsenic, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, mercury, sel enium, and uranium. Traces of vanadium in high-temperature combustion products form droplets of molten vanadates.These attack the passivation layers on metals and ause high temperature corrosion, which is a concern especially for internal combustion engines. Molten sulfate and lead particulates also have such effect. Some components of smoke are characteristic of the combustion source. Guaiacol and its derivatives are products of pyrolysis of lignin and are characteristic of wood smoke; other markers aresyringol and derivates, and of forest fires. Levoglucosan is a pyrolysis product of cellulose. Hardwood vssoftwood smokes differ in the ratio of guaiacols/syringols.Markers for vehicle exhaust include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, hopanes, steranes, and specific nitroarenes (e. . I-nitropyrene). The ratio of hopanes and steranes to elemental carbon can be used to distinguish between emissions of gasoline and diesel engines. [8] Many compounds can be associated with particulates; whether by being adsorbed on their surfaces, or by being dissolved in liquid droplets. Hydrogen chloride is well absorbed in the soot particles. [7] Inert particulate matter can be disturbed and entrained into the smoke. Of particular concern are particles of asbestos.Deposited hot particles of radioactive fallout and bioaccumulated radioisotopes can be reintroduced into the atmosphere y wildfires and forest fires; this is a concern in e. g. the Zone of alienationcontaining contaminants from the Chernobyl disaster. Polymers are a significant source of smoke. Aromatic side groups, e. g. in polystyrene, enhance generation of smoke. Aromati c groups integrated in the polymer backbone produce less smoke, likely due to significant charring. Aliphatic polymers tend to generate the least smoke, and are non-self-extinguishing.However presence of additives can significantly increase smoke formation. phosphorus-based and halogen-based flame retardants decrease production of smoke. Higher degree of cross-linking between the polymer chains has such effect too. [9] Visible and invisible particles of combustion[edit] Smoke from a wildfire Depending on particle size, smoke can be visible or invisible to the naked eye. This is best illustrated when toasting bread in a toaster. As the bread heats up, the products of combustion increase in size. The particles produced initially are invisible but become visible if the toast is burned or cooled rapidly.Smoke from a typical house fire contains hundreds of different chemicals and fumes. As a result, the damage aused by the smoke can often exceed that caused by the actual heat of the fire . In addition to the physical damage caused by the smoke of a fire – which manifests itself in the form of stains – is the often even harder to eliminate problem of a smoky odor. Just as there are contractors that specialize in rebuilding/repairing homes that have been damaged by fire and smoke, fabric restoration companies specialize in restoring fabrics that have been damaged in a fire.Dangers of smoke[edit] Smoke from oxygen-deprived fires contains a significant concentration of compounds that are flammable. A cloud of smoke, in contact with atmospheric oxygen, therefore has the potential of being ignited – either by another open flame in the area, or by its own temperature. This leads to effects like backdraft and flashover. Smoke inhalation is also a danger of smoke that can cause serious injury and death. Many compounds of smoke from fires are highly toxic and/or irritating. The most dangerous is carbon monoxide leading to carbon monoxide poisoning, someti mes with the additive effects ofhydrogen cyanide and phosgene.Smoke inhalation can therefore quickly lead to incapacitation and loss of consciousness. Sulfur oxides, hydrogen chloride nd hydrogen fluoride in contact with moisture and materials. When asleep the nose does not sense smoke nor does the brain, but the body will wake up if the lungs become enveloped in smoke and the brain will be stimulated and the person will be awoken. This does not work if the person is incapacitated or under the influence of Drugs and/or alcohol Cigarette smoke is a major modifiable risk factor for lung disease, heart disease, and many cancers.Reduced visibility due to wildfire smoke in Sheremetyevo airport (Moscow, Russia) 7 August 2010. Smoke can obscure visibility, impeding occupant exiting from fire areas. In fact, the poor visibility due to the smoke that was in the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire in Worcester, Massachusetts was the exact reason why the trapped rescue firefighters couldn't evacuate the building in time. Because of the striking similarity that each floor shared, the dense smoke caused the firefighters to become disoriented. 10] Smoke corrosion[edit] Smoke contains a wide variety of chemicals, many of them aggressive in nature. Examples are hydrochloric acid and hydrobromic acid, produced fromhalogen- containing plastics and fire retardants, hydrofluoric acid released y pyrolysis of fluorocarbon fire suppression agents, sulfuric acid from burning of sulfur-containing materials, nitric acid from high-temperature fires where nitrous oxide gets formed, phosphoric acid and antimonycompounds from P and Sb based fire retardants, and many others.Such corrosion is not significant for structural materials, but delicate structures, especially microelectronics, are strongly affected. Corrosion of circuit board traces, penetration of aggressive chemicals through the casings of parts, and other effects can cause an immediate or gradual deterioration f parameters or even premature (and often delayed, as the corrosion can progress over long time) failure of equipment subjected to smoke.Many smoke components are also electrically conductive; deposition of a conductive layer on the circuits can cause crosstalks and other deteriorations of the operating parameters or even cause short circuits and total failures. Electrical contacts can be affected by corrosion of surfaces, and by deposition of soot and other conductive particles or nonconductive layers on or across the contacts. Deposited particles may adversely affect the erformance of optoelectronics by absorbing or scattering the light beams.Corrosivity of smoke produced by materials is characterized by the corrosion index (C'), defined as material loss rate (angstrom/minute) per amount of material gasified products (grams) per volume of air (m3). It is measured by exposing strips of metal to flow of combustion products in a test tunnel. Polymers containing halogen and hydrogen (polyvinyl chlori de, polyolefins with halogenated additives, etc. ) have the highest Cl as the corrosive acids are formed directly with water produced by the combustion, polymers containing halogen only (e. polytetrafluoroethylene) have lower Cl as the formation of acid is limited to reactions with airborne humidity, and halogen-free materials (polyolefins, wood) have the lowest Cl. [7] However, some halogen-free materials can also release significant amount of corrosive products. [11] Smoke damage to electronic equipment can be significantly more extensive than the fire itself. Cable fires are of special concern; low smoke zero halogen materials are any substance or structure, the chemicals contained in it are transferred to it.The corrosive properties of the chemicals cause the substance or structure to decompose t a rapid rate. In some instances the chemicals are absorbed into the substance or structure that it comes into contact with, i. e. clothing, unsealed surfaces, potable water piping, wood , etc. , which is why in most cases dealing with a structure fire they are replaced. Secondhand smoke inhalation[edit] Secondhand smoke is the combination of both sidestream and mainstream smoke emissions. These emissions contain more than 50 carcinogenic chemicals.According to the Surgeon General's latest report on the subject, â€Å"Short exposures to secondhand smoke can cause blood platelets to become stickier, damage the lining f blood vessels, decrease coronary flow velocity reserves, and reduce heart variability, potentially increasing the risk of a heart attack† [12] The American Cancer Society lists â€Å"heart disease, lung infections, increased asthma attacks, middle ear infections, and low birth weight† as ramifications of smoker's emission [13] Measurement of smoke[edit] As early as the 1 5th Century Leonardo da Vinci commented at length on the difficulty of assessing smoke, and distinguished between black smoke (carbonized particles) and white ‘smok e' which is not a smoke at all but merely a suspension of harmless ater droplets. Smoke from heating appliances is commonly measured in one of the following ways: In-line capture. A smoke sample is simply sucked through a filter which is weighed before and after the test and the mass of smoke found. This is the simplest and probably the most accurate method, but can only be used where the smoke concentration is slight, as the filter can quickly become blocked. Filter/dilution tunnel.A smoke sample is drawn through a tube where it is diluted with air, the resulting smoke/air mixture is then pulled through a filter and weighed. This is the nternationally recognized method of measuring smoke from combustion. Electrostatic precipitation. The smoke is passed through an array of metal tubes which contain suspended wires. A (huge) electrical potential is applied across the tubes and wires so that the smoke particles become charged and are attracted to the sides of the tubes. This method ca n over-read by capturing harmless condensates, or under-read due to the insulating effect of the smoke. However, it is the necessary method for assessing volumes of smoke too great to be forced through a filter, i. . , from bituminous coal. [14] Ringelmann scale. A measure of smoke color. Invented by Professor Maximilian Ringelmann in Paris in 1888, it is essentially a card with squares of black, white and shades of gray which is held up and the comparative grayness of the smoke Judged. Highly dependent on light conditions and the skill of the observer it allocates a grayness number from O (white) to 5 (black) which has only a passing relationship to the actual quantity of smoke. Nonetheless, the simplicity of the Ringelmann scale means that it has been adopted as a standard in many countries. Optical scattering. A light beam is passed through the smoke.A light detector is situated at an angle to the light source, typically at 900, so that it receives only light reflected from passi ng particles. A measurement is made of the light received which will be lower as the concentration of smoke particles becomes higher. Optical obscuration. A light beam is passed through the smoke and a detector opposite light will be measured. Combined optical methods. There are various proprietary optical smoke measurement devices such as the ‘nephelometer' or the ‘aethalometer' which use several different optical methods, including more than one wavelength of ight, inside a single instrument and apply an algorithm to give a good estimate of smoke. Inference from carbon monoxide.Smoke is incompletely burned fuel, carbon monoxide is incompletely burned carbon, therefore it has long been assumed that measurement of CO in flue gas (a cheap, simple and very accurate procedure) will provide a good indication of the levels of smoke. Indeed, several Jurisdictions use CO measurement as the basis of smoke control. However it is far from clear how accurate the correspondence is. Medicinal smoke[edit] Throughout recorded history, humans have used the smoke of medicinal plants to cure illness. A sculpture from Persepolis shows Darius the Great (522-486 SC), the king of Persia, with twocensers in front of him for burning Peganum harmala and/ or sandalwood Santalum album, which was believed to protect the king from evil and disease. More than 300 plant species in 5 continents are used in smoke form for different diseases.As a method of drug administration, smoking is important as it is a simple, inexpensive, but very effective method of extracting particles containing active agents. More importantly, generating smoke reduces the particle size to a microscopic scale thereby increasing the absorption of its active chemical principles. 1 5] see alsocedit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Smoke.

Review of Accounting Ethics Essay

Establishing principles for ethical behavior frequently starts with a policy on ethics. Businesses acquire a policy on ethics to guide their measures and to set up a general meaning of correct versus incorrect. According to the American Library Association, code of ethics is a handbook for suitable behavior (2012). Given the corporate ethical breaches in recent times, assess whether or not you believe that the current business and regulatory environment is more conducive to ethical behavior. Provide support for your answer Existing businesses and regulatory environment is more conductive behavior because some companies and managers feel as though they can get away with it. The unpredictable increase and collapse of the Enron Company set off a long-burning fire under the American social conscience. From every crevasse and corner, voices rose demanding increased accountability, demanding tighter regulation, and demanding that the unethical be brought to justice. Clearly, in such estimation, those at fault should have been punished. In order for ethical principles to apply to such industries, it must be shown that they are inherently moral or ethically responsible institutions. Secondly, an adequate discussion of what business ethics is just be provided before we can truly investigate why the situation does not conform to those standards. Third, the role of those same ethical standards must be explained with business content. Fourth, recent societal preventative measures for unethical practice should be examined (SOX). Fifth, and finally, the contribution of philosophical trends and the current phislophical mood of society must be investigated in order to delve into the mindsets of those who perpetrate such acts as society seeks to condemn. at the very beginning it is important to make the following distraction: despite the fact most of society views business as a whole, including executives as inherently dishonest, accountants and business p ersons are not inherently more likely to choose immorality over ethical behavior than any other segment of society (De Vois, 2002). Based on your research, describe the organization, the accounting ethical breach and the impact to the organization related to ethical breach. Best Buy Chairman and founder Richard Schulze exited Monday after directors determined he used poor judgment for failing to disclose CEO Brian Dunn’s personal relationship with a young subordinate, a violation of company ethics that led to Dunn’s  departure last month. In light of these revelations, Schulze ‘acted inappropriately,’ by failing to bring the matter to the company’s audit committee. While Best Buy made it clear that Dunn did not use the company’s resources to facilitate his relationship with the female employee, the internal probe found that Dunn’s behavior showed ‘extremely poor judgment and a lack of professionalism. Determine how the organizational ethical issue was detected and how management failed to create an ethical environment. In April, Dunn abruptly decided to call it quits as the Richfield, Minnesota-based company further investigated his relationship with the subordinate employee. The internal probe was initiated by the firm’s audit committee and completed by an outside law firm. Dunn is expected to walk away with a severance package worth up to $6.6 million from the embattled consumer electronics chain. There is still no word on who will succeed him. Schulze said in a statement that when he questioned Dunn about his actions, they were denied and now he accepts the audit committee findings. Analyze the accounts impacted and/or accounting guidelines violated and the resulting impact to the business operation. According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, within the previous three years, there has numerous businesses and audit organizations that has been held responsible for violation of accounting ethics and other monetary irregularities for rebelliousness of disclosure standards (2012). Richard Schulze, creator and chairman, neglected to take action in a method that was standard with the audit committee’s permission and excellent gove rnance procedures and he produced serious possibilities of employee revenge and corporation liability. The best news for shareholders is that the board of directors at Best Buy and HP took major steps to look after the shareholders. The board members that observe CEOs make uncertain ethical decisions, should not hang around to decide if there is an accounting violation to make alterations. As a CFO, recommend which measures could have been taken to prevent this ethical breach and how each measure should be implemented in the future. For the worthy of the business, and for the worthy of anyone’s career, it is very significant to stay away from ethical problems and equally, to act morally (Smith, 2003). Mangers and/or supervisors should be a model to the actions they want their employees to obtain. The company’s staff will observe how the managers perform and they  will perform the same exact manner. When corporations create a code of conduct, they need to make sure that they live up to it as well. As a member of staff of any company, CFO choices or events should progress the wellbeing of that business. At particular times, CFO’s could be in a situation where their judgment might influence their own wellbeing as well. On the other hand, to stay away from any form of bad behavior, CFO’s may perhaps reveal the nature of their connection to the corporation. As a result, ethics play a very important role in each choice an accountant has to obtain as it involves every investor who places their unsighted belief on the accountant to make the right decisions. Principles has to be very clear by hopeful accountants in such a approach that it combines with their ethical growth which will allow them to acquire the most excellent ethical choices in the future. It really comes down to individuals’ ethical responsibility to sustain their own honesty and increase public assurance by illustrating clearness in the shape of the ethical measures being pursued. References Code of Ethics of the American Library Association. (2012). American Library Association. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://www.ala.org. De Vous, P. (2002). Recovering the vocation of business. Acton Institute. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from www.acton.org. Smith, Deborah. (2003). 10 Ways Companies Can Avoid Frequent Ethical Pitfalls. American Psychological Association. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://www.apa.org. United States Securities and Exchange Commission. (2012). Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://www.sec.gov.