Organizational Planning Worksheet Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Planning Worksheet - Assignment Example Fortune 500 Company name National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) 2. The company’s internal and external stakeholders Internal stakeholder’s External stakeholder’s Employees Customers Managers Suppliers Executive directors Government Non-executive directorsSociety ShareholdersCreditors 3. Company’s mission and vision Company’s mission To serve as the best economical and safe operation national passenger railway system in the region. Company’s vision To equip the country with a transit option that is reliable, safe and affordable connecting all the major population centers. 4. Company goals At least one company goal that can be accomplished through a strategic plan To increase the company’s markets share in the region. To increase the size of the company by maximizing its wealth. At least one company goal that can be accomplished through an operational plan To be a more efficient transit option to the general public. To increase the safety procedures in the rail system company. 5. SWOT analysis Strengths Weaknesses The company is dominant in the market. Availability of financial limitations. The company offers unique services to the customers. The challenge of target market segmentation. The company operates in convenient locations and has local stops. The company has inadequate structure. Opportunities Threats The company has unique selling propositions such as having more destinations and affordable rates. The presence of discount airlines. The company has good pricing strategies such as the having steep discounts that targeting of niche markets. Private train firms provide stiff competition. The company gets federal funding by way of privatization. The presence of poor economic conditions.

Risk and Compliance Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Risk and Compliance Evaluation - Essay Example In fact, there are specific provisions of the Data Protection Act of 1998 and the Financial Services Authority’s Business Principles that would be violated should the Brokerage Firm forces the issue of using such concept in its operation without any proper control or safeguards. The use of Software as a Service and Cloud computing would also expose the Brokerage Firm to be open to Breach of Confidence legal actions. To prevent such legal actions it is strongly advised that the Retail Investment Brokerage Firm adopt an Information Security Management System that will provide the controls that will protect the information of the clients. The implementation of an Information Security Management System would make the Brokerage Firm diligent in the protection of its client’s information. ... The operational possession of client information requires a huge amount of responsibility since any unauthorized release of information would cause undue harm or it can expose the client to dangers (Marshall, 2001). Even the European community in general has recognized the right to privacy of financial information as a right not to be trifled with. The Parliament of the United Kingdom has passed the Data Protection Act of 1998 to safe guard against such unauthorized intrusion to the lives of its subject. While the Financial Services Authority that is tasked to govern organizations that provides financial service to select clients have mandated several edict that aims to protect the clients of organization providing financial services. The financial services and the information technology industry also responded in kind by delivering a set of standards that can be used as framework with the sole purpose of protecting client data (Davidson, 2010). The advent of technology not only made it easier to bring enormous profit or revenue to the financial services organization’s clients it also made it easier to procure information that could adversely affect the life of its owner. The delicate balance between what is permissible exposure to threat in the face of enormous profit at the soonest possible time made it mandatory for financial services organization to manage the risks involved (Snedaker, 2007). The internet has spawned several innovations that would increase productivity in the same manner that it would raise the revenue for the client of the Retail Investment Brokerage firm. One such innovation is the Software as a Service concept or simply SaaS (Adler & Benoiff, 2009). Companies wishing to have the flexibility with the number of users that uses

Promoting Culture And Heritage Tourism In Barcelona Tourism Essay

Promoting Culture And Heritage Tourism In Barcelona Tourism Essay When people go travelling, they buying a product that involves and includes people. It offers tourists an exciting chance to become -even if its just for a little while- a part of another culture. This paper is looking at the importance of managing and marketing heritage and cultural tourism and to what extend its used as a promotion strategy to boost tourism in Barcelona. Due to globalisation and increasing competition, many cities are experiencing a stage of regeneration. Especially since traditional industries like the textile manufactory are declining, a major priority is to attract foreign investment and become a high profile destination for tourists. To achieve that, culture and heritage are used as valuable assets for promoting a city. Definition of cultural and heritage tourism Culture and heritage have been elements in tourism since a long time. When looking at the role of cultural and heritage tourism, definitions need to be made. Culture can be defined in terms of shared norms, values, customs, artistic achievements by a group of people at a certain time (BeechChadwick, 2006: 486). McIntosh, Geoldner and Ritchie have recognized culture as a motivator for people to travel, identified by the desire to see and know more about other cultures. This includes to find out more about the natives of a country, their, lifestyle, music, art, folklore, dance etc (Cooper, et al 2008: 47). Heritage can be defined in terms of what is inherited by one generation from past generations , that can be i.e. a property or a tradition. All in all the National Trusts definition of cultural heritage tourism is explaning it very well: it is traveling to experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes hi storic, cultural and natural resources. (culturalheritagetourism.org) Cultural tourism products Developing successful tourism attractions involves an understanding of what tourism is and how it works. There are key principles, which makes tourists being attracted to a destination. The nature of tourism can be defined as a commercial activity which involves the consumption of experiences, in practice it is a business with the purpose for economic benefit of the tourist destination. The tourism industry enables tourists to consume experiences (McKercher du Cros, 2002: 27) It is entertainment and a demand-driven activity which is not easy to control. Cultural heritage attractions are a part of tourism and not all cultural assets are cultural tourist attractions(McKercher du Cros, 2002: 26). Promoting Culture and Heritage Tourism in Barcelona: Marketing tools Barcelona has inherited a prosperous cultural tradition, which is resulting from its superb position in the Mediterranean. It has over 2,000 years of history and Barcelona experienced the Iberian, Roman, Arabic and Christian preceding civilizations. It has a distinctive personality as the capital of Catalonia, an area with its own Catalan language and culture (professional.barcelonaturisme.com). During the past decades, Barcelona proofed itself as a vibrant, innovative and imaginative city, which knows how to stay in the international spotlight. Worldwide 37% of trips are taken with the reason to experience culture., where Spains market share of cultural tourism is 8,2%. 21% of all foreign tourists came with the purpose to explore culture, compared to 59% for leisure and holiday. Cultural tourism is the second biggest segment of international tourism in Spain with figures of 9 million tourists in 2003 (ectn.eu.com). Barcelona has confidently established its position as one of Europes leading city tourism destinations. With nearly 4 million overnights in 1990, 8 million in 2000 and 12 million overnights during 2008, Barcelona has experienced a massive growth over the past decade (turisme2015bcn.cat ). In 1993 the public-private Turisme de Barcelona Consortium was founded with the intention to promote the city itself as well as reshape the image. It can be seen as the as a continuance of the work from COOB after the Olympics, which was set up by the Chamber of Commerce and the City Council (professional.barcelonaturisme.com). Several strategies were created to achieve the new goals. One key strategy was set to promote cultural tourism: We will promote cultural tourism based on the citys identifying elements such as the Catalan language, its status as regional capital, unique architectural heritage and Catalan cuisine (turisme2015bcn.cat). The development of cultural services and projects are often used to support the marketing and tourism efforts. This could mean the creation and renewal of museums and art galleries and the hosting of art festivals. This aspect is often part of a comprehensive cultural tourism strategy (Page, S Hall, CM, 2003: Chapter 8) Every year Turisme de Barcelona is realising about 400 promotional activities, which are selected according to different market segmentations, tourist typologies and countries. These can be art and culture, shopping, sport, nightlife or leisure to name just a few. The traditional and established iconic landmarks such as Park Gà ¼ell, La Ramblas or Gaudis work as tourist attractions are giving the city a unique image. Barcelona is using several strategies to promote itself; with the most important strategy being destination branding, where the cultural and heritage aspect plays a leading role. Also, there is no doubt that cultural and heritage resources in particular play a key role in the development of urban tourism (Page, S Hall, CM, 2003: Chapter 3). The media in its worldwide spectrum is used to carry out the brand and to promote Barcelona as a tourist place product by using television, radio, press and internet (turisme2015bcn.cat). Barcelona is known throughout the world as a cultural city with an important heritage and vibrant variety of cultural attractions. Barcelona has nine World Heritage Sites to offer (Palau de la Mà ºsica Catalana, Park Gà ¼ell, La Pedrera, Palau Gà ¼ell, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllà ³ , Casa Vicens and Cripta de la Colà ²nia Gà ¼ell (professional.barcelonaturisme.com). During a five-year period, Barcelona enlarged its cultural attractions with new initiatives. In every year, a particular area has been devoted in a programme through the Universal Forum of Cultures 2004. In 2000 music was devoted, while 2001 was bestowed to art. In that year when the city hosted the triennial exhibition Experiences, Barcelona Art Report 2001 and the International Congress of Museums. In the year 2002, Barcelona strengthened its international position when it hosted the International Gaudà ­ Year, which has put the city in the world culture of spotlight. In the year 2003, sport and design were the citys thematic events and received big media coverage (professional.barcelonaturisme.com). In Barcelona has over 50 museums which are showcasing permanent collections by famous artists such as Picasso, Mirà ³ and Tà  pies. The city also offers a wide choice of theatre and entertainments facilities, and hosts famous festivals such as the Summer Grec Festival, where theatre, music and dance come together. The city has two most important classical music venues, the Palau de la Mà ºsica and LAuditori, which both present top-quality programmes. Furthermore, the citys opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, has one of Europes most prominent opera seasons (professional.barcelonaturisme.com). Barcelona offers different sightseeing tours to discover Culture and Heritage, where passengers get provided with any information they may require. They also give a voucher booklet which offers discounts at the main city attractions. This is a tool to promote the visit of Culture and Heritage sites. The Barcelona Tourism Board introduced a few years ago the Barcelona Card , which ones purchased provides tourists with free travel on city transport and discounts and free offers at museums, leisure attractions, nightclubs, shops, restaurants, on entertainments and other services. Various Walking Tours, where the Gothic Quarter can be discovered, where they show the tourists through the historic and political heart of the city. With a Modernisme route, the Catalan art nouveau buildings by architects such as Antoni Gaudà ­. Domà ¨nech I Montaner and Puig I Cadafalch are showed and explained. There is also a Gourmet route existing which goes through the old town and gives visitors the possibility to explore Barcelonas gastronomic culture. Barcelona also offers the Articket, a ticket that allows tourists to visit the 7 leading museums in Barcelona (barcelonaturisme.com). Critical View Cultural tourism brings individuals and human communities into contact. It can encourage the revival of the traditions and the restoration of cultural sites and monuments. But unbridled tourism can have the opposite effect. On the one hand, cultural heritage can serve as a tourism attraction, and tourism can lead to the financial and political support for management of a heritage. On the other hand, there is also possible conflict insofar as tourism can damage cultural heritage, and therefore limits on visitation can damage tourism or rather hold back its expansion. What is clear is that tourism is growing and will have an increasing impact on cultural heritage. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) predicts that cultural tourism will be one key tourism market segments in the future, and notes that growth in this area will present an increasing challenge in terms of managing visitor flows to cultural sites.aa how development cooperationin specific settings, industry organizations note that the challenge is to manage the future growth of the industry so as to minimise its negative impacts on the environment and host communities whilst maximising the benefits it brings in terms of jobs, wealth and support for local culture and industry, and protection of the built and natural environment. .

Mononucleosis Essay -- essays research papers

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mononucleosis is a viral disease that affects those usually between the age of ten and thirty-five, although a person at any age can get the disease. This disease found in mainly adolescents and adults seems to only occur in those who escaped the Epstein-Barr virus infection in childhood. It is also known as Glandular Fever, because it affects the lymph nodes in the neck, arm pits and groin. It can last anywhere from one to two weeks to six to eight weeks, some people suffer from mononucleosis for months at a time, but as an individual it depends on your personal recuperation time. Recuperation is a very slow process, which demands a lot of sleep and rest. Being sick for a length of time such as two weeks drains you of strength and energy and as well you lose a lot of your muscles. Balance can also become lost with such an illness, which requires time to develop. Causes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mononucleosis is known to be caused by the Epstein_Barr virus (EBV), which can be passed by coughing, sneezing or saliva transfer, where it gets it’s popular name, the “kissing disease';. Much like chicken pox, most people don’t receive mononucleosis a second time in their life, but it can happen. Relapses can occur, but are fairly uncommon. Although you can receive the disease very easily, mononucleosis is not highly contagious, according to the majority of sources. Symptoms   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many symptoms associated with infectious mononucleosis, but the symptoms all depend on the individual. The more common symptoms are fatigue, sore throat, swelling of the lymph nodes and malaise. There is usually a change in the white cells and serum of the blood, but it can only be detected by a special test, known as the Mono Spot or the heterophile test. It is possible that the results of the test remain negative until a few weeks have passed after seeing some symptoms. It is very rare that the test results remain negative through out the duration of the disease. There are some more serious symptoms that may not be visible, such as the enlargement of the spleen and the inflammation of the liver. The enlargement of the spleen (see appendix) may not be detected by the doctor, but it is possible. It may cause a pain in the upper left abdominal located under the chest. If the ... ...ation period is between thirty and forty days, but it can vary depending on when the diagnosis occurs. It is possible to have the disease for several weeks and not even be aware that you have it. You can take acetaminophen or ibuprofen to control pain and fatigue, but avoid Aspirin, as it has been proven responsible for Rye’s Syndrome in children. Maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle is one way to prevent many diseases and infections, but Mono can occur in anyone who has come in contact with the virus. Appendix Spleen The spleen is a fist-sized, spongy organ located behind the stomach (removed in this illustration), just under the diaphragm. Part of the lymphatic system, the spleen is composed of two types of tissue. White pulp produces lymphocytes, which release antibodies into the bloodstream to combat infection. More prominent is the red pulp, in which macrophages filter broken cells, parasites, bile pigments, and other useless substances from the blood. Iron from broken red blood cells is stored in the spleen for later use. Despite this variety of functions, an injured or diseased spleen can be removed in adults without great consequence. Microsoft Illustration

Let’s Be Lefties for a Day

â€Å"The perception of normality is based on how closely you resemble the majority of people† (Devry College, 2013, Week One Assignment, Para. 1). I have been right handed since 2nd grade. This was not always the case though. When I began Kindergarten in 1985, I was predominantly left handed. I was persistently discouraged from writing with my left hand and eventually I became fluent in penmanship with my right hand. At the time, I recall being told that â€Å"Everyone should write with their right hand!† I was taught early on, that to be normal is to be like everyone else. To this day I am still right handed as far as for writing, however, I have always favored my left hand for activities such as gymnastics and driving. I remember feeling weird and looked down upon for being different and for taking longer than my classmates to learn how to write with a hand that felt foreign to me. Did it pay off? Was there an advantage to being right handed versus left? These are qu estions that are not as black and white as they may seem.This paper examines normalcy and what it means to be a part of the majority versus being a minority. In our society, right-handed people reflect the majority or dominant group and left-handed individuals would be considered the minority based on the percentage of right versus left-handed people. In order to understand the affects of being in a minority group, we were challenged to â€Å"Let’s be lefties for a day. † It was quickly apparent that our society and environment is catered toward right-handed people.This reflects a principle known as institutionalized discrimination where minority groups are at a disadvantage because of the normal way society operates (Devry College, 2012, Week One Lecture, para. 2). Take buttons for instance. It is much easier to button jackets, or pants, etc†¦ with one’s right hand as opposed to one’s left. The reason for this is simply that the vast majority of mec hanisms for buttoning, or zippering, are adapted for ease of right-handed individuals. Another example is door knobs. Most door knobs are manufactured with right-handed ergonomics in mind.Opening doors with my left hand involved twisting my wrist in a manner that is both awkward and uncomfortable. Further exploration found that items such as golf clubs, scissors, kitchen utensils, and keyboards, are available for left-handed individuals; however, they come at a price. Not only were they more expensive per unit than â€Å"standard† items that are readily available; but they also required internet access as they are primarily found online, and included shipping fees in addition to the already hefty price tag.It was evident that in this instance, being in the minority or less dominant group incurs inconvenience and monetary penalty. â€Å"Through these major institutions, the dominant group will shape the society in ways that reflect its interests, values, and beliefs and minim ize those of less dominant groups. The result is discrimination† (Devry College, 2013, Week One Lecture, Para. 2). Having spent the majority of my life right-handed, I hadn’t given much thought to what it means to be left-handed.It is easy to not have to consider what life is like for those in the less dominant groups when things as simple as the ease of opening a door, or a can, or sharpening a pencil, and/or buttoning ones pants do not require a second thought. Devry College, 2013, Week One Lecture states that â€Å"[u]nlike the dominant group, most minority groups recognize and understand cultural differences. Unfortunately, they also feel the need to be wary and defensive at all times† (Para. 8). This is very similar to how I felt almost 30 years ago when I took my first penmanship class in Kindergarten and was instructed to become a rightie versus a leftie.The Devry College, 2013, Week One Lecture continues â€Å"[t]he end result is that subordinate groups always know and understand more about the dominant group than the dominant group does about the subordinate group† (Para. 8). It is important to recognize that we all have differences, be it cultural, ethnic, gender, or something as seemingly simple as being right or left-handed. These differences are what creates diversity and adds richness and color to our world and â€Å"†¦is a major component in the social glue holding a culture together.What we want to do is simply recognize that we do have prejudices arising from our ethnocentric view of the world† (Devry College, 2013, Week One Lecture, Para. 10). There is an old familiar saying that you never know a man till you have walked a mile in his shoes. This is so true and it can be easy to forget that beyond our obvious differences, we are all human. How does all of this relate to the business setting? M. Bell, 2012 states that â€Å"[i]n inclusive organizational cultures, employees feel as though they are accepte d, belong, and are able to contribute to decision-making processes† (M.  Bell, 2012, p. 5).Imagine all of the important discoveries, policies, and practices that would not exist if we had not recognized the contributions of minority members of our society! That said, there is still a long way to go. Individuals need to be recognized and considered for their qualifications when seeking employment or promotion, not discriminated due to their gender, ethnicity, or cultural differences. In conclusion, the leftie experiment was a real eye-opener! I never realized how difficult seemingly simple things can be for some, and how much I take for grantedThe world is a different place for minorities and we need to level the playing field through acceptance and understanding. Ethnocentricity is not always a bad thing. It is the tie that binds us; but when used to discriminate, it serves only to tear us apart. How do we move forward? Devry College, 2013, Week One Lecture declares that hon esty and â€Å"explaining all options and services available† are key to braking down the barriers between majority and minority groups created by distrust (para. 11).

How Does Media Coverage of Barack Obama Differ in the US and the UK Essay

The purpose of this paper is the discuss political media coverage of US President Barack Obama.   The discussion will focus on differences in media coverage in the US and the UK and will assess which media group provide more critical coverage of Barack Obama.   The first section examines US coverage, it’s drivers, and results. The second section examines UK coverage, it’s drivers, relationship to and influence from US media and it’s results.   The final section analyzes the level and method of critical coverage and concludes that both US and UK media are equally critical in coverage of Barack Obama, but by different method and for different purposes. US Coverage In the US, political media coverage is driven and influenced by the elite party leaders of both Democrats and Republicans.   What is unique in the 2008 presidential campaigns, elections, and now presidential administration coverage is that both parties have similar agendas which range from right to center meaning generally conservative in position. This conservative right wing agenda has virtually eliminated left or liberal positions from US media coverage.   Even when reputable opinion polls show strong support of liberal issues such as nationalized health care, the US media fails to reflect those opinions in their coverage.   The result is that the American public may be pictured as more conservative than it really is. Generally the Democratic party is associated with left wing and liberal ideals while the Republican party is associated with right wing and conservative ideals.   That being the case, US media coverage should have indicated and been characterized by stronger support for John McCain, the Republican nominee, during the 2008 election cycle.   That, however, was not the case. US political coverage of Barack Obama has not been all positive.   During the 2008 campaigns there was an equal amount of negative and positive coverage.   What was unique in this election cycle was the amount of coverage focused on Barack Obama.   Barack Obama received greater focus both in the US and international media coverage. This saturation affect neutralized the effect of either positive or negative coverage.   The saturation effect changed the primary campaign question from should John McCain or Barack Obama become president, to assuming that Barack Obama is going to become the next US president, is that good or bad.   Even in the days following the election, inauguration, and opening days of the Obama administration the focus and question still remains the same, is Obama and his policies good or bad.   UK Coverage One critical difference between US and UK media that has driven the level of coverage of Obama, particularly during the campaign, is political advertising is banned in the UK whereas it a staple of political media coverage in the US.   In the US the advertising industry is deeply involved in, and in a driving force in political media coverage, however in the UK the newspaper industry, by legal design, is more involved and influential in political media coverage. The newspaper industry in the UK is drastically different from outlets in other parts of Europe and the US.   While television and radio are the first lines of information, UK newspapers are more influential in coverage due to massive nationalized circulation, and strong and varied political affiliations which drive the content and level of political coverage.   Newspapers are, therefore, the core of political information and opinion, and other media outlets base their coverage on what appears in newspapers first. The 2008 US presidential election received a high level of coverage in UK media outlets.   UK journalists have been focused on Barack Obama’s platform of change as much as US media has and have presented him in a positive light as an agent of change.   The positive UK media coverage of Obama’s change platform has led UK media to focus on and build David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, as the UK counterpart to Barack Obama. This is problematic for the Labor Party and Prime Minister Gordon Brown who had been all but written off by media late in 2008.   UK newspapers are likened to US talk radio.   The general tone and tenor of attack propaganda that is displayed in US talk radio can be read in UK newspapers.   UK press is opinionated and expressive in the way that talk radio hosts are in the US.   This is especially important since, according to Nicholas Jones, more than 66% of readers of UK newspapers, through websites,   are outside of the UK and overwhelmingly in the US. UK newspapers will begin to focus on coverage that appeals to American and other outside readers. Who is More Critical The US media is clearly more critical than UK media.   UK media is at least as critical as US media given its driving influence in UK media coverage of American politics, the 2008 US presidential elections, and the opening days of the Obama administration.   What is important in assessing the differences in US and UK coverage of Barack Obama is the goal and purpose of coverage.   The US media seeks to define US public opinion through it’s presentation of public opinion. The UK media seeks to meet a growing demand of an international niche market of American readership which has been defined as conservative and right wing by it’s own media sources.   UK media also seeks to further it’s own political agenda by drawing comparisons to Obama by supporting and presenting UK leaders as either agents of change or by ignoring them in the way that US media virtually ignored Obama’s rivals. Conclusion The US media has presented public opinion as conservative and right leaning.   However political coverage and focus on Barack Obama was never consistent with this public opinion image.   With equal amounts of negative and positive coverage, Barack Obama alone was the focus of most media coverage in the US and abroad.   US media failed to focus on the differences in two candidates and engaged in debate over whether the one candidate was essentially good or bad. American readership is a fast growing segment of UK media circulation and drives the type and style of political coverage in UK media outlets.   As a result, UK media followed suit of US media in focusing on Barack Obama in terms of the pros and cons of Obama instead of focusing on alternatives that the rival candidate presented to Obama’s platform of change even to the extent of seeking a comparable change agent in the UK political environment to build as the UK equivalent to the US agent for change.    References Jones, N. US-style attack advertising is on its way to the UK via Britain’s highly-politicised press. Nicholas Jones archive and blog. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from http://www.nicholasjones.org.uk/index. php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71& Itemid=4 Kumar, D. A New Era?: The 2008 US Elections, Public Opinion, and the Mass Media. Fifth-Estate-Online. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from http://www.fifth-estate-online.co.uk/c omment/commentkumar.html

Iraqi and Western Sahara Statehood essays

Iraqi and Western Sahara Statehood essays The state of Iraq has a turbulent history and has rarely stayed the same in its long history of different sovereign rulers over the territory. The battleground for different civilizations over centuries of political and religious rivalry, Iraq now finds itself divided into three distinct groups: the Kurds, the Sunni, and the Shia. Since its inception by the French and British in the First World War, Iraq has been a melting pot of different cultures. Yet, the Sunni population won out for control of the country in 1968 when the Ba'athis party overthrew the President Abdul Rahman Arif whose brother was responsible for the removal of the British installed Hashemite monarchy in 1958. Saddam Hussein rose to power in 1979 and installed a firm authoritative hold over the country, about the same time as the Iranian Revolution which resulted in Shi'ite Muslim theocratic state. The Ba'ath party and Saddam Hussein were primarily Sunni while they only composed about 35% of the population as oppo sed to the 65% Shia majority. The history and violence between both sects of the Islamic culture made the composition of the Iraqi state in the first place an uneasy Union. If the three main groups were split into two, there would be complications for each to cope with in order to become meet the criteria of statehood according to Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States 1933. The legal qualifications for the international community require that the three new states would have to possess a permanent population, establish a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into legal relations with other states. Though there has been a large migration out of Iraq since the United States invasion in 2003, it is clear that there will be a permanent population in Iraq. There has always been competition for control of the land around the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. Combined with the oil fields in the north and sout...

5 Great Career Paths You Can Take if Youre Working in Retail

5 Great Career Paths You Can Take if Youre Working in Retail Working in retail and wondering whether there’s any upward mobility? Just remember that actually selling items in store is only about 56% of the retail picture. The other 44% of retail employees are working behind the scenes in design, marketing, admin, and logistics. Chances are you have skills that could transfer to these non-sales positions and help you move up the corporate ladder- or to another industry entirely. Cross-training here is key. Find a way to build your expertise in the most in-demand skills in your field, i.e. project management, people management, leadership, customer service, operations, and, yes, sales.Take every opportunity you can to build your arsenal and develop these skills, and build your retail resume. Then you’ll be ready to consider making the jump to one of these 5 promising careers in retail.1. Field ManagementIf you can work your way up to Store Manager, there’s nothing to stop you advancing to Area or District Manger. From there, you could become a Regional or Field Manager and oversee some 50 stores. You’ll need strong leadership and coaching skills, and the ability to manage others effectively, but it can be quite rewarding and lucrative. Expect to make anywhere from $42k to well over $60k per year.2. Visual MerchandisingIf you really like store work, and are creative and very attentive to branding details, you might be a good fit as a visual merchandiser. Make the store look great and help draw attention to what’s special about your store’s brand. Determine the shopper’s experience, what they see, and where. You can work either in the field or in the corporate office, and you can expect to make between $40-50k per year.3. Buying/PlanningBuyers and planners make the decisions about what things (and how many of each) should go in stores. Buyers procure things from wholesalers and Planners are in charge of the logistics of getting products from point A to point B (the shelves). Y ou’ll have to have a good sense of the brand, plus a bit of knowledge about supply and demand cycles, but the range for each position is wide: between ~$45 and over $95k per year.4. Supply Chain ManagingYou’ll have to have a good financial head on your shoulders and be an extremely competent project manager, not to mention know a thing or two about procurement, contracts, and legal and ethical issues. But you could work your way from a driver or warehouse worker to dispatch and beyond. Cross-cultural comfort is an asset here, and the pay scale ranges from an average of $59k per year to over $84k.5. Security/Loss PreventionIt can be a good gig making sure no one runs off with the merchandise. Loss Prevention Managers, i.e. specialists in security and loss prevention, can be brought in to stores to work undercover and prevent theft- and can make an average of $45k (or as much as $64k) per year.The bottom line is this: Retail jobs aren’t just about ringing purchase s and completing returns. If you like the field, there are many upwardly mobile career opportunities just waiting for you to pursue them.

Typhoid Mary, Who Spread Typhoid in Early 1900s

Typhoid Mary, Who Spread Typhoid in Early 1900s Mary Mallon (September 23, 1869–November 11, 1938), known as Typhoid Mary, was the cause of several typhoid outbreaks. Since Mary was the first healthy carrier of typhoid fever recognized in the United States, she did not understand how someone not sick could spread disease- so she tried to fight back. Fast Facts: Mary Mallon ('Typhoid Mary') Known For: Unknowing (and knowing) carrier of typhoid feverBorn: September 23, 1869 in Cookstown, IrelandParents: John and Catherine Igo MallonDied: November 11, 1938 in the Riverside Hospital, North Brother Island, BronxEducation: UnknownSpouse: NoneChildren: None Early Life Mary Mallon was born on September 23, 1869, in Cookstown, Ireland; her parents were John and Catherine Igo Mallon, but other than that, little is known of her life. According to what she told friends, Mallon emigrated to America in 1883, around the age of 15, living with an aunt and uncle. Like most Irish immigrant women, Mallon found a job as a domestic servant. Finding she had a talent for cooking, Mallon became a cook, which paid better wages than many other domestic service positions. Cook for the Summer Vacation For the summer of 1906, New York banker Charles Henry Warren wanted to take his family on vacation. They rented a summer home from George Thompson and his wife in Oyster Bay, Long Island. The Warrens hired Mary Mallon to be their cook for the summer. On August 27, one of the Warrens daughters became ill with typhoid fever. Soon, Mrs. Warren and two maids became ill as well, followed by the gardener and another Warren daughter. In total, six of the 11 people in the house came down with typhoid. Since the common way typhoid spread was through water or food sources, the owners of the home feared they would not be able to rent the property again without first discovering the source of the outbreak. The Thompsons first hired investigators to find the cause, but they were unsuccessful. George Soper, Investigator The Thompsons then hired George Soper, a civil engineer with experience in typhoid fever outbreaks. It was Soper who believed the recently hired cook, Mary Mallon, was the cause. Mallon had left the Warren house approximately three weeks after the outbreak. Soper began to research her employment history for more clues. Soper was able to trace Mallons employment history back to 1900. He found that typhoid outbreaks had followed Mallon from job to job. From 1900 to 1907, Soper found that Mallon had worked at seven jobs in which 22 people had become ill, including one young girl who died with typhoid fever shortly after Mallon had come to work for them. Soper was satisfied that this was much more than a coincidence; yet, he needed stool and blood samples from Mallon to scientifically prove she was the carrier. Capture  of Typhoid Mary In March 1907, Soper found Mallon working as a cook in the home of Walter Bowen and his family. To get samples from Mallon, he approached her at her place of work.   I had my first talk with Mary in the kitchen of this house. ... I was as diplomatic as possible, but I had to say I suspected her of making people sick and that I wanted specimens of her urine, feces and blood. It did not take Mary long to react to this suggestion. She seized a carving fork and advanced in my direction. I passed rapidly down the long narrow hall, through the tall iron gate, ... and so to the sidewalk. I felt rather lucky to escape. This violent reaction from Mallon did not stop Soper; he proceeded to track  Mallon to her home. This time, he brought an assistant (Dr. Bert Raymond Hoobler) for support. Again, Mallon became enraged, made clear they were unwelcome and shouted expletives at them as they made a hurried departure. Realizing it was going to take more persuasiveness than he was able to offer, Soper handed his research and hypothesis over to Hermann Biggs at the New York City Health Department. Biggs agreed with Sopers hypothesis. Biggs sent Dr. S. Josephine Baker to talk to Mallon. Mallon, now extremely suspicious of these health officials, refused to listen to Baker, who then returned with the aid of five police officers and an ambulance. Mallon was prepared this time. Baker describes the scene: Mary was on the lookout and peered out, a long kitchen fork in her hand like a rapier. As she lunged at me with the fork, I stepped back, recoiled on the policeman and so confused matters that, by the time we got through the door, Mary had disappeared. Disappear is too matter-of-fact a word; she had completely vanished. Baker and the police searched the house. Eventually, footprints were spotted leading from the house to a chair placed next to a fence. Over the fence was a neighbors property. They spent five hours searching both properties, until, finally, they found a tiny scrap of blue calico caught in the door of the area way closet under the high outside stairway leading to the front door. Baker describes the emergence of Mallon from the closet: She came out fighting and swearing, both of which she could do with appalling efficiency and vigor. I made another effort to talk to her sensibly and asked her again to let me have the specimens, but it was of no use. By that time she was convinced that the law was wantonly persecuting her, when she had done nothing wrong. She knew she had never had typhoid fever; she was maniacal in her integrity. There was nothing I could do but take her with us. The policemen lifted her into the ambulance and I literally sat on her all the way to the hospital; it was like being in a cage with an angry lion. Mallon was taken to the Willard Parker Hospital in New York. There, samples were taken and examined; typhoid bacilli was found in her stool. The health department then transferred Mallon to an isolated cottage (part of the Riverside Hospital) on North Brother Island (in the East River near the Bronx). Can the Government Do This? Mary Mallon was taken by force and against her will and was held without a trial. She had not broken any laws. So how could the government lock her up in isolation indefinitely? Thats not easy to answer. The health officials were basing their power on sections 1169 and 1170 of the Greater New York Charter: The board of health shall use all reasonable means for ascertaining the existence and cause of disease or peril to life or health, and for averting the same, throughout the city. [Section 1169] Said board may remove or cause to be removed to [a] proper place to be by it designated, any person sick with any contagious, pestilential or infectious disease; shall have exclusive charge and control of the hospitals for the treatment of such cases. [Section 1170] This charter was written before anyone knew of healthy carriers- people who seemed healthy but carried a contagious form of a disease that could infect others. Health officials believed healthy carriers to be more dangerous than those sick with the disease because there is no way to visually identify a healthy carrier in order to avoid them. But to many, locking up a healthy person seemed wrong. Isolated on North Brother Island Mary Mallon herself believed she was being unfairly persecuted. She could not understand how she could have spread disease and caused a death when she, herself, seemed healthy. I never had typhoid in my life, and have always been healthy. Why should I be banished like a leper and compelled to live in solitary confinement with only a dog for a companion? In 1909, after having been isolated for two years on North Brother Island, Mallon sued the health department. During Mallons confinement, health officials had taken and analyzed stool samples from Mallon approximately once a week. The samples came back intermittently positive for typhoid, but mostly positive (120 of 163 samples tested positive).   For nearly a year preceding the trial, Mallon also sent samples of her stool to a private lab where all her samples tested negative for typhoid. Feeling healthy and with her own lab results, Mallon believed she was being held unfairly.   This contention that I am a perpetual menace in the spread of typhoid germs is not true. My own doctors say I have no typhoid germs. I am an innocent human being. I have committed no crime and I am treated like an outcast- a criminal. It is unjust, outrageous, uncivilized. It seems incredible that in a Christian community a defenseless woman can be treated in this manner. Mallon did not understand a lot about typhoid fever and, unfortunately, no one tried to explain it to her. Not all people have a strong bout of typhoid fever; some people can have such a weak case that they only experience flu-like symptoms. Thus, Mallon could have had typhoid fever but never known it. Though commonly known at the time that typhoid could be spread by water or food products, people who are infected by the typhoid bacillus could also pass the disease from their infected stool onto food via unwashed hands. For this reason, infected persons who were cooks (like Mallon) or food handlers had the most likelihood of spreading the disease. The Verdict   The judge ruled in favor of the health officials and Mallon, now popularly known as Typhoid Mary, was remanded to the custody of the Board of Health of the City of New York.  Mallon went back to the isolated cottage on North Brother Island with little hope of being released. In February of 1910, a new health commissioner decided that Mallon could go free as long as she agreed never to work as a cook again. Anxious to regain her freedom, Mallon accepted the conditions. On February 19, 1910, Mary Mallon agreed that she was ...prepared to change her occupation (that of the cook), and will give assurance by affidavit that she will upon her release take such hygienic precautions as will protect those with whom she comes in contact, from infection.  She was then released.   Recapture of Typhoid Mary Some people believe that Mallon never had any intention of following the health officials rules; thus they believe Mallon had malicious intent with her cooking. But not working as a cook pushed Mallon into service in other domestic positions which did not pay as well. Feeling healthy, Mallon still did not really believe that she could spread typhoid. Though in the beginning, Mallon tried to be a laundress as well as worked at other jobs, for a reason that has not been left in any documents, Mallon eventually went back to working as a cook. In January of 1915 (nearly five years after Mallons release), the Sloane Maternity Hospital in Manhattan suffered a typhoid fever outbreak. Twenty-five people became ill and two of them died. Soon, evidence pointed to a recently-hired cook, Mrs. Brown- and Mrs. Brown was really Mary Mallon, using a pseudonym. If the public had shown Mary Mallon some  sympathy during her first period of confinement because she was an unwitting typhoid carrier, all of the sympathies disappeared after her recapture. This time, Typhoid Mary knew of her healthy carrier status, even if she didnt believe it; thus she willingly and knowingly caused pain and death to her victims. Using a pseudonym made even more people feel that Mallon knew she was guilty. Isolation and Death Mallon was again sent to North Brother Island to live in the same isolated cottage that she had inhabited during her last confinement. For 23 more years, Mary Mallon remained imprisoned on the island. The exact life she led on the island is unclear, but it is known that she helped around the tuberculosis  hospital, gaining the title nurse in 1922 and then hospital helper sometime later. In 1925, Mallon began to help in the hospitals lab. In December 1932, Mary Mallon suffered a large stroke that left her paralyzed. She was then transferred from her cottage to a bed in the childrens ward of the hospital on the island, where she stayed until her death six years later, on November 11, 1938. Other Healthy Carriers Though Mallon was the first carrier found, she was not the only healthy carrier of typhoid during that time. An estimated 3,000 to 4,500 new cases of typhoid fever were reported in New York City alone and it was estimated that about three percent of those who had typhoid fever become carriers, creating 90–135 new carriers a year. By the time Mallon died over 400 other healthy carriers had been identified in New York. Mallon was also not the most deadly. Forty-seven illnesses and three deaths were attributed to Mallon while Tony Labella (another healthy carrier) caused 122 people to become ill and five deaths. Labella was isolated for two weeks and then released. Mallon was not the only healthy carrier who broke the health officials rules after being told of their contagious status. Alphonse Cotils, a restaurant and bakery owner, was told not to prepare food for other people. When health officials found him back at work, they agreed to let him go free when he promised to conduct his business over the phone. Legacy So why is Mary Mallon so infamously remembered as Typhoid Mary? Why was she the only healthy carrier isolated for life? These questions are hard to answer. Judith Leavitt, the author of  Typhoid Mary, believes that her personal identity contributed to the extreme treatment she received from health officials. Leavitt claims that there was prejudice against Mallon not only for being Irish and a woman, but also for being a domestic servant, not having a family, not being considered a bread earner, having a temper, and not believing in her carrier status. During her life, Mary Mallon experienced extreme punishment for something in which she had no control and, for whatever reason, has gone down in history as the evasive and malicious Typhoid Mary. Sources Brooks, J. The Sad and Tragic Life of Typhoid Mary. CMAJ :154.6 (1996): 915–16. Print. Canadian Medical Association Journal (Journal de lAssociation medicale canadienne) Leavitt, Judith Walzer. Typhoid Mary: Captive to the Publics Health. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996.Marineli, Filio, et al. Mary Mallon (1869–1938) and the History of Typhoid Fever. Annals of Gastroenterology 26.2 (2013): 132–34. Print.Moorhead, Robert. William Budd and Typhoid Fever. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 95.11 (2002): 561–64. Print.Soper, G. A. The Curious Career of Typhoid Mary. Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine 15.10 (1939): 698–712. Print.

Ethical behavior and unethical behavior articles Assignment

Ethical behavior and unethical behavior articles - Assignment Example The Queen insists that she wasn’t placing publicly funded payment within the charity. She said that fund â€Å"would only include her private money.† She further claimed that the lone costs that were covered by the payment were housekeeping costs, together with salaries. Belgium wants to cut the annual stipend of Queen Fabiola after political leaders learned she had put up a private charity to provide for her nephews and nieces and for her preferred Catholic foundations after her demise. Premier Elio Di Rupo had told MPs he sought to cut the sum to â‚ ¬923,000 ( £776,000) back from â‚ ¬1.4 million ( £1.18m). As the only widow of the late King Baudouin – a dedicated Catholic who in 1990 did step aside provisionally to steer clear of signing the nations abortion bill – insists the cash came from assets inherited from her Hispanic family. The 84-year-old at the moment maintains that she has had to dissolve the charitable vehicle set up in September that let her to forward monies. The surfacing of the plan not many weeks ago aggravated rare fury in both political and media circles in Belgium and has hit the realm to its foundations. The Property Principle and The Citizenship Principle were not respected by the monarch in her dealings with the state. The Dignity Principle had been violated and Labour apologises for it. The Labour Party has had to apologise after one of its own most superior politicians was heard describing Belgium and Denmark as the "second-tier" nations. Delineating the partys defence strategy re-evaluation, ex-Security Minister Lord West claimed the UK reserved a "certain clout". And he further argued that too much relegation of military capability could make it further like "bloody Denmark or Belgium"...that is Irrespective of any period of war decorations awarded to their populace (the Nepalese did get a fair few, also), fatalities or their inexplicably considerable donations to UN and NATO

Cyperethics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cyperethics - Article Example Just as the power of the steam engine was harnessed as a raw resource during the Industrial Revolution, so is the logic of a computer as a raw resource of the Computer Revolution. Since logic applies everywhere, the potential applications of computer technology seem limitless and that’s the main reason computers have caused a revolution. 2. James Moor discusses the following three kinds of invisibility; first and foremost is the invisible abuse which is the intentional use of the invisible operations of a computer to engage in unethical conduct. The best illustration of this is the case of a programmer who after realizing he could steal excess interest from a bank, instructed a computer to deposit the fraction of cents left over after rounding off in his own bank account. The second invisibility factor is the presence of invisible programming values, which basically are values embedded in a computer program. Writing a computer program is like building a house, there is always room for making numerous decisions about matters not specified in order to construct the house no matter how detailed the specifications may be. Similarly in order, to implement a program which satisfies the specifications a programmer makes some value judgments about what is important and what is not. Eventually these values become part of the final product and usually are invisible to someone who runs the program. Sometimes invisible programming values are so invisible that even the programmers are unaware of them. Programs may also have bugs or may be based on implicit assumptions which do not become obvious until there is a crisis. The third invisibility factor which perhaps is the most disturbing is invisible complex calculation. Nowadays computers are capable of enormous calculations which are beyond human comprehension. Even if a program is understood, it does not necessarily follow that the calculations based on that program are understood. Computers

Inflation and Debt Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Inflation and Debt - Term Paper Example Cochrane basically talks about how budget deficits and large amounts of debt results in inflationary threats, or that those lead to heightened risks of what Cochrane describes as the â€Å"run on the dollar†. The gist is that deficits in the future impact current inflation rates upwards, and Cochrane asserts that the Federal Reserve is powerless to deal with this reality. The Fed view of inflation is basically anchored on Keynesian concepts, and Cochrane further asserts that this, together with monetarist inflation concepts, is incapable of dealing with the inflationary threats that deficits bring to the table. Cochrane notes that the fiscal situation is dire in several respects, chief among them is that the culture of entitlement that lies at the core of American society ensures that the deficits in the future will continue to be large, as the expenditures to fund the â€Å"entitlements† alongside other expenditures are poised to dwarf government revenues. This is a re cipe for sustained deficits that need in turn to be funded either by debt or by printing more money. In the event that the public sees printing money as an inevitability, then the consequences include the greater likelihood of that â€Å"run on the dollar† (Cochrane). II. Fiscal Inflation Fiscal inflation in gist is simply inflation caused by fiscal policy, as when the government spends more money than it has, leading to borrowing, and to the printing of money to fund the deficits. Fiscal inflation can be seen as the flipside of large government spending leading to deficits in the budget, and the literature finds support in the assertion that the inflationary effects of large amounts of debt and of budget deficits are beyond the control of the Fed, which operates under the assumption that there can be no lasting inflationary pressures from activities that do not introduce liquidity to the market via the printing of new money (Cochrane; Ferguson). Debt and deficits, according to the view of the Fed, is not similar to printing fresh money, and does not have the same inflationary effect as the latter. This contrary view is borne out by the thinking that as long as there is no new money printed, and where the government has the power to issue debt to finance deficits in t he budget, then there is no threat of inflation. This notwithstanding the established correlation between increased government spending and the reduction in taxation to induce economic growth as

How did Paul universalize Christ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

How did Paul universalize Christ - Essay Example Though this was the life-changing and decisive moment in his life that made him commit himself to preach the message of the Christ, Paul believed that the calling to serve God came much earlier while he was in his mother’s womb. He believed that this revelation was given to him to continue to work of the prophets who spread the message of the lord in nations across the world. He believed that he was also an apostle who was directly chosen by Christ to preach the message of the lord. Thus following his divine encounter with Christ Paul set out on this missionary task. He was chosen to be a missionary for all people including non-Jews and others living in nations around the world (Edart). Paul began his missionary work by addressing the Jews and later decided to spread the Gospel to non-Jews living around the world and where it had never been heard. He believed that God would guide him along his journey as he had chosen him in the first place to be his messenger. In his travel Paul preached Jews and the non-Jew population in several nations around the world moving from one town to another and having planned his journeys in order to accomplish his mission. In all the places that he visited Paul chose urban cities and towns, areas under Roman administration and with a predominant Greek culture and higher number of Jews as it was easier to relate to these sects of people. He believed that they in turn could carry forward his message to people from other communities. In every city Paul spread the message of the Gospel by participating in the service of the local synagogue where he would address the crowd and announce about the Risen Christ. Apart from places of worship P aul generally chose public places and private homes to give his sermon. Paul addressed members from every sector of the society and his contacts with those belonging to the elite classes helped him conduct discourses to a larger audience and also provided the much needed

The Law Of The Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Law Of The Contract - Essay Example Owing to this delay and damages, the firm suffered losses for not being able to complete the job in time. Dodgy Developers then decided to holdback payments of bills and in addition intended to claim losses from the supplier. In reply, Office Supplies asked for full payment and indicated that reimbursement of any losses is not a binding as per their 'Terms & Conditions 'of contract which state as below: Following these developments, Dodgy Developers desired to seek expert advises on the applicability of the above clause in particular. The following sections attempt to analyze and assess the situation for Dodgy Developers under the ambit of the 'English Contract Law' and advice appropriate line of action. required goods. The supplier or trader is 'Office Supplies' who further appointed an independent agent called 'Shifty Shifters' for transporting and delivering goods (workstations) to the buyer. The urgency of the project required Dodgy developers to call on their known supplier (had earlier business relations) 'Office Supplies' for supply of required workstations positively by 28th November. Office Supplies promptly expressed their acceptance by sending standard 'Terms & Conditions' of contracts. Under these circumstances this is a combination of oral and written contract and as both the supplier and buyer intended to conduct business, it is a valid contract [2]. The point here is that this is more of a unilateral contract on the supplier's terms and conditions and here 'time is the essence of contract' [3]. Another important point is that the supplier and purchaser having done such business before, are known to each other and under the eye of the law this is undoubtedly a "special relationship" validating the 'duty of care' [4] where both parties are required to proceed with a caring attitude of business dealings (For example see-Hedley Byrne & Co v Heller and Partners (1964). Here, the buyer was only prudent to rely on Office Supplies, his special sourcing point as he did on many previous occasions and under this condition the supplier is also expected, though not compulsorily, to extend a mutually risk-free and friendly term of contract. Esthetically, trust should not be responded by mistrust or by any terms protecting or camouflaging negligent conduct. The Applicable Laws & Legislations The principal laws governing contract in the UK are- the sale of goods Act, 1979, the supply of goods and services Act, 1982, Unfair contract terms Act, 1977 and the Unfair Terms in consumer contracts Regulations, 1994 [1]. However, in case of business-contract (as in this case), the supplier and the buyer can mutually and knowingly declare to impose some restriction clauses or provisions as 'Terms and Conditions' of contracts. Importantly, a trader dealing with a consumer, or dealing with any customer on his own written standard terms of business, cannot exclude or restrict his liability for breach of contract or allow himself to provide an inadequate service unless he can show that the clause satisfies the "test of reasonableness" [5]. Thus, even tough the case is legal; the supplier may not breach any common law duty in the form of protection clauses or terms and conditi

The Need to Establish a Film Industry in Sierra Leone Term Paper

The Need to Establish a Film Industry in Sierra Leone - Term Paper Example Further, schools and colleges were encouraged to join the industry through events such as National Art Festivals. However, all these were dropped at some point. The film has been dragging along without proper regulation and no empowerment at all. Consequently, local Sierra Leoneans can now only produce poor quality films which cannot make it to the international platforms. No wonder, only foreign films shot in Sierra Leone make it to the international level. However, it is worth noting that the spirit to revive the industry is alive. What needs to be done is to set up necessary mechanism such as film schools to empower the industry into producing quality products. Rationale For many in the West, Sierra Leone remains the land of blood diamonds and drugged-up child soldiers, even though the country has been at peace for almost a decade. The film â€Å"Blood Diamond† was the one that installed the image for many overseas. At a time when Sierra Leone was desperately looking to reb rand itself, the film scared off tourists and drove away investors. Now, we will aim to erase that image with the establishment of the new film school. The President of Sierra Leone stressed that the film industry will tell a new story of peace, democracy, humanity, and determined to progress in many areas of human endeavors. Sierra Leone’s first ever film and acting school, IDF Film School, will be established by the Director of Institut de Francais, Ahmed K. Mansaray who also doubles as a movie executive producer and director.

The Law Of The Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Law Of The Contract - Essay Example Owing to this delay and damages, the firm suffered losses for not being able to complete the job in time. Dodgy Developers then decided to holdback payments of bills and in addition intended to claim losses from the supplier. In reply, Office Supplies asked for full payment and indicated that reimbursement of any losses is not a binding as per their 'Terms & Conditions 'of contract which state as below: Following these developments, Dodgy Developers desired to seek expert advises on the applicability of the above clause in particular. The following sections attempt to analyze and assess the situation for Dodgy Developers under the ambit of the 'English Contract Law' and advice appropriate line of action. required goods. The supplier or trader is 'Office Supplies' who further appointed an independent agent called 'Shifty Shifters' for transporting and delivering goods (workstations) to the buyer. The urgency of the project required Dodgy developers to call on their known supplier (had earlier business relations) 'Office Supplies' for supply of required workstations positively by 28th November. Office Supplies promptly expressed their acceptance by sending standard 'Terms & Conditions' of contracts. Under these circumstances this is a combination of oral and written contract and as both the supplier and buyer intended to conduct business, it is a valid contract [2]. The point here is that this is more of a unilateral contract on the supplier's terms and conditions and here 'time is the essence of contract' [3]. Another important point is that the supplier and purchaser having done such business before, are known to each other and under the eye of the law this is undoubtedly a "special relationship" validating the 'duty of care' [4] where both parties are required to proceed with a caring attitude of business dealings (For example see-Hedley Byrne & Co v Heller and Partners (1964). Here, the buyer was only prudent to rely on Office Supplies, his special sourcing point as he did on many previous occasions and under this condition the supplier is also expected, though not compulsorily, to extend a mutually risk-free and friendly term of contract. Esthetically, trust should not be responded by mistrust or by any terms protecting or camouflaging negligent conduct. The Applicable Laws & Legislations The principal laws governing contract in the UK are- the sale of goods Act, 1979, the supply of goods and services Act, 1982, Unfair contract terms Act, 1977 and the Unfair Terms in consumer contracts Regulations, 1994 [1]. However, in case of business-contract (as in this case), the supplier and the buyer can mutually and knowingly declare to impose some restriction clauses or provisions as 'Terms and Conditions' of contracts. Importantly, a trader dealing with a consumer, or dealing with any customer on his own written standard terms of business, cannot exclude or restrict his liability for breach of contract or allow himself to provide an inadequate service unless he can show that the clause satisfies the "test of reasonableness" [5]. Thus, even tough the case is legal; the supplier may not breach any common law duty in the form of protection clauses or terms and conditi

Hamlet Essay Example for Free

Hamlet Essay â€Å"Hamlet† is one of the masterpieces of Shakespeare, in which he cleverly weaves a plot high in drama and reflecting positive and negative human emotions through his wonderful and intriguing characters. A chance encounter with the Captain of the Norwegian army sets about a thought process in the mind of Hamlet. The sixth and final soliloquy in Act 4, Scene 4 of the play is a high point in the play and it throws light on Hamlet’s emotional conflicts and his opinions on human sensibilities. When the captain of the Norwegian army tells Hamlet that Fortinbras is leading an army to fight over a â€Å"little patch of land†, Hamlet gets into a reflective mood and ponders on human emotions. He is surprised that people could go to war over such trivial matters while he had a much serious issue to fight for. He convinces himself that he stands more to gain by taking revenge on Claudius. He blames himself for the delay in avenging the death of his father and ponders if his â€Å"dull revenge† was probably the reason for the procrastination. He also regrets the fact that even though he had â€Å"all occasions† in the past to execute his plans, he had failed to do so. The soliloquy also reflects upon the resentment that Hamlet harbors towards his mother, Gertrude. He despises her and wants to punish her but is unable to do so, since it is against his nature to hurt his own mother. But he decides to punish her through his words and not through his actions. â€Å"speak daggers to her, but use none†(1328)  The soliloquy serves as an important turning point in the plot because Hamlet embarks on an action plan to avenge his father’s death. After the encounter with Fortinbras, he is more determined than ever to execute his plans. He vows to be more aggressive and shrewd. He tells himself, â€Å"O, from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth† (1342). Thus, this soliloquy reflects the sensitive nature of Prince Hamlet and his change of mind.

Master Bill Software: Advantages and Disadvantages

Master Bill Software: Advantages and Disadvantages Definition of Master Bill Software Introduction The surrounding environment construction industry has changed a lot in the past ten years. They are looking for new ways to compete effectively. Enterprise one of the key factors in success is the ability to quickly adapt to changing environmental conditions, continuous innovation, achieves the goal. Organizational knowledge provides this functionality. More specifically, the knowledge of the organization to provide the ability to understand markets and evaluate customer demand, and put them into products and services by integrating various resources organization. When we move from the industrial age into the era of intelligence, knowledge has become the companys core competitive success. The importance of organizational knowledge and the role it increase in km, choose appropriate different km strategy is crucial. IN the process of project management, it is widely used. Construction is slow; however, admit it as a major tool of benefits beyond communication. Transfer of knowledge and information across projects for the construction industry is a major challenge. Most of the work is based on the project construction, as short-term and task oriented, promote culture, continuous learning is suppressed. Subsequently, experts and technical knowledge can be lost from one project to another place.(2000), and it can assist the project team between the transfer of knowledge and information, make the development of new knowledge innovation. Master bill software Was established in 1981, the number from the practice of investigation, a Master bill always set construction software should be a judgment standard. Since our first microcomputer BQ system, by introducing the worlds first truly Windows 32-bit BQ system in 1997, and a complete e Tendering solution development in 2001, Master bill always tried to transcend products and contains the entire solutions. Master bill in recent years has become the market based on the evaluation, to make our customer service quantity measurement and construction company, which in turn led to the development including CAD survey, combined with field measurement and modeling work. 2005 of Master bill again have the opportunity to go beyond product launch Master bill elite to provide complete solution through the planning and the feasibility of the BQ production cost final account in a product with a database. A is the most popular products and Master bill after. Master bill after complete BQ production system, the function is all ready, including pricing, cost analysis and bid on more routine.Masterbill3 use project structure; Part I), 2) element, iii) reference iv) cost code; The classification results with complete bill in almost any sequence. Project structure is usually based on the start of the project list, although can be revised later. Create the dimension is assigned to a reference, part of the elements and the cost code combination (dim store) using drop from measuring the window list Masterbill3 allows users to store 15 sets of bidding rate may be as a percentage of the unit, lump, PC, including, rule out, star rates or rate†. Price matching characteristics also provides the opportunity to choose another gentle before a project using the current estimated as the basis of pricing. Once the definition and standard of BQ pricing through cost analysis can be immediately available, when there are multiple tender bidding more routine. Masterbill3 compatible is not only a reference but also includes all of the tools allow the user to make full use of Master bill XML e Tendering standards include track and distribution of soft amendment. Explain the procedure on â€Å"how to use Master Bill† software. Master bill is a complete BQ Production System with fully feathered and including Pricing, Cost Analysis and Tender Comparison routines. Master bill uses as Project Structure which is combined together with full categories results in the function to produce bill of quantities in a series of sequence. Parts, Elements, Reference and Cost Codes are included in the Project Structure. Project Structure should be set up at the beginning of a project using the lists existed and it can be corrected later. In the Master bill software, time sings, side casts, sub-totals, deductions and signposting or annotations are the benefits in order to allow the user to use the traditional dim sheet to enter all the dimensions and information. In this software, there is a function that used to dynamically link dimensions by ‘adding on’ and ‘key dimensions’. Since the dimension is dynamically linked, if any correction to the original dimension will be automatically be connected in any dimensions linked on it. Master bill software also provides an effective dim management function. The function of dim management can allow the user to reprocess the data in several ways. For example, copy and paste within the project, copy and paste from others project, apply multiplication factor and set all quantities to become zero. In the measurement process, Master bill software enables the user to form Bill of Quantities on it. In generating a bill of quantities the user can fixed in some part in BQ. For example, The sequence of Bill of Quantities The user can choose the sequences available in the software to allow the bill of quantities to be arranged to suit the specific requirements. The selection of measurement The user can select the component of measurement, such as Parts, Cost codes, Elements and others. Layout The layout of bill of quantities can be decided by the user by adding the header, footer, page number, column widths and so on. Master bill software also provide a flexible editing function, for example, by double clicking on bill of quantities item to see its abstract from here the users can select and jump to an indivual dimension sheet for amendment or choose multiple dim sheet to correct their description respectively. Master bill software enables the user to save up to 15 sets of tender rates which including as lumps ums, PC sums, star rates, unit rates and other pricing analysis facilities. The function of ‘Matching Price’ function also offers the opportunity to choose and alternative tender on a former project to use as a reference for pricing the current estimation. Since the bill of quantities is priced user-defined and standard BCIS cost analysis could be obtained properly and when more than one tender is exist tender comparison steps into composition. Advantages and disadvantages of using Master Bill Advantages Consignee does not need to wait or give up in order securing the release of the original, because if this is a bill, it is so, so the goods are released directly. The shipper can save delivery or postage fees, because he can send a copy of the express bill through electronic means The most useful group company office in pol and pod and trust business partner. Save the bill of lading stationery. Disadvantages It is not the transfer of the bank or other institution cant change my money. Its just a receipt of the goods. Release without security as an original bill of lading and there may be a fraud From the point of view of liner, entertainment agent does not need to look for any original bill or wait for any document in order to release the goods, this can be problematic in some cases, if any reason to stop release loading port Justify other software to be used by QS in preparing a Bills of Quantities (BQ) Build soft Modeling of the global estimation is commercial software construction and construction. It produces the bill of quantity or detailed cost estimate and plan. Commercial building contractors and it is the main purpose of surveyors, the software success around the world, and constantly improve and upgrade, usually the customer requests and Suggestions. Initial estimates can be used in its original form or divided into group is more suitable. Estimate the potential of the subcontractor, can be sent to all the necessary reference and quantity. The subcontractor can even publish and build software price items. Subcontractor electronic item price is the purpose of reducing the time required to enter the information the main contractors computer. It also eliminates the input errors caused by the possibility of error. Revised at the end of the process, estimate the total available. Each group the difference between the original and revised group always always displayed in the column of add or omit leadership. Management can review to compare and measure the effect of any changes; they may want to let the subcontractor construction project group, or method. This is an important part of evaluation and management of a function. Build with soft software provides a clear analysis and comparison, can be combined with the assessment team skills and experience, to speed up the job winning submissions, will create the largest profit. CATO Suite Causeway technology was established in 1998 for the whole of the clients with a series of software products and services competitive. This is a fast growing organization currently use in the region of 200 people, the construction industry is the leading software developers. From feasibility to the final accounts, cost management faces are more stringent than any time before a deadline, to provide accurate cost information. Cato suite development closely involved in vocational and professional QS provides powerful support. Cato the introduction of the enterprise is an opportunity to implement the step change in their business processes to provide staff with effective QS desktop.BQ and cost plan created in a controlled environment can rely on and provide information for building a database for future projects and important report in a consistent manor production for the customer. Project Cost Control Cost control at the beginning of the inception, show that in guiding price or cost need phase when a price estimate is an early by the contractor in preparation and bidding process through the completion of project final account and agreement. The architect or engineer will need to consider alternative solutions, meet customer at different stages of the design of the overall goals and objectives. Recommended construction technicians will provide cost comparison of design scheme using alternative materials, also suggested that the design form and the influence of the purchasing cost. Cost control is not stay in the bidding stage, but the last final account and the agreement of the final certificate. Therefore, cash flow estimation software makes the construction technician records and accurate and faster calculation date drivers. It also provides a better supervision and construction process. References http://www.pck.com.my/site/download/buildsoftbrochure.pdf http://www.ukessays.com/essays/information-technology/features-of-measurement-software-in-construction-industry-information-technology-essay.php http://shippingandfreightresource.com/how-does-an-express-bill-work-and-what-are-its-advantages-and-disadvantages/ http://integratedinformationinconstruction.blogspot.com/2009/11/masterbill-software-for-quantity.html

A Mortals Sense Of Immortality Essay -- essays research papers

A Mortal’s Sense of Immortality To fear death is to fear life itself. An overbearing concern for the end of life not only leads to much apprehension of the final moment but also allows that fear to occupy one’s whole life. The only answer that can possibly provide relief in the shadow of the awaited final absolution lies in another kind of absolution, one that brings a person to terms with their irrevocable mortality and squelches any futile desire for immortality. Myths are often the vehicles of this release, helping humanity to accept and handle their mortal and limited state. Different cultures have developed varying myths to coincide with their religious beliefs and give reprieve to their members in the face of irrevocable death. The same is true for the stories in the Book of Genesis and the Mesopotamians’ Epic of Gilgamesh. In these two myths similar paths are taken to this absolution are taken by the characters of Adam and Gilgamesh, respectively. These paths, often linked by their contradictions , end with the same conclusion for each man on the subject of immortality; that no amount of knowledge or innocence, power or humility, honoring or sinning, will achieve them immortality in the sense of a life without death. Eternal life for a mortal lies in memory by one’s friends and family after one’s death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Adam is created in the second chapter (and second creation story) of Genesis out of the dust by the newly created world of God, he is the most innocent being ever known. It says of he and Eve, “they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed (Genesis 2:24)';, and why should they be, having no knowledge that their state was indecent? The opposite is true for Gilgamesh, who Anu grants “the totality of knowledge of all (Gilgamesh 3)';. Through the course of the epic we discover that Gilgamesh indeed does not have knowledge of all things, namely a grasp upon death. Adam does not even know that such a thing exists, thus his life, without the threat of death hanging overhead, is originally one of tranquility, happiness, and perfection. He is humble before his Lord God, with whom he shares the unique relationship of aiding him in His creation of all things. Adam’s life is full in this passive innocence and he has no need for any... ...am’s innocence and ignorance, followed by Gilgamesh’s fame and power to Adam’s humbleness, then their shared punishments and voyages/exoduses and finally their collective discovery about immortality. I find Adam more honorable in his quest, for he searches after unknowingly defying God, rather than Gilgamesh’s looking through defying the gods. Adam knew not what evil he was doing when he ate the fruit of the tree, pressed upon him by Eve and the serpent, for he did not know the subject of evil even existed. Gilgamesh, on the other hand, was arrogant and overbearing in his knowledge and strength, acting more like a spoiled brat than one who was two-thirds a god. His one major saving point is that he does realize humility in the face of death and after failing to find a means of immortality. I can associate much more with Adam and his innocence and meekness for the wills and works of God(s), whatever they may be and if they even exist, are above and beyond t he likes of me, a mortal being. I will live my life, the only one given to me, as best I can, not letting issues like inescapable death and unattainable immortality exhaust my limited time.

themes in lost horizon Essay -- essays research papers

What is Paradise? Throughout history man has sought to create, find, or at least image a paradise on earth, a place where there is peace, harmony, and a surcease from the pain that plagues our lives. On the eve of World War II, James Hilton imagined such a place in his best-selling novel, Lost Horizon. The story itself begins when an evacuation of Westerners is ordered in the midst of revolution in Baksul, India. A plane containing four passengers is hi-jacked and flown far away into the Keun-Lun Mountains of Tibet. The plane crashes and the passengers are welcomed to the valley of the Blue Moon, and the lamasery of Shangri-la. Here they see an isolated monastery shrouded in mystery, which combines Christianity and Buddhism with a focus on the progression of knowledge. The four passengers who land in Shangri-la are Barnard, a boisterous American, Miss Brinklow, a Christian missionary, Mallinson, a headstrong and passionate English youth, and Conway, the main character and WWI veteran who is unattached and somewhat passionless. All of the characters except Mallinson enjoy life in Shangri-la. Conway especially finds himself at home there and eventually the High Lama of the lamasery unveils all its mysteries of to him. Conway learns that the inhabitants, thanks to the climate and a special drug, live to an extreme old age. They devote the length of their lives to the pursuits of knowledge and do everything in moderation. They believe that their hidden society will escape the...

It’s Your Ship

Book Information Title: It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy Author: Captain D. Michael Abrashoff Publisher’s Name: Warner Books, Inc.Publisher’s Location, Year of Publication: New York, NY, 2002 Number of Pages: 210 pages Content The overall objective of the book is to teach new, and old, leaders to become better leaders. While anyone can benefit from reading this book, the intended audience is leaders in any organization. One statistic that should be alarming to all leaders of businesses was that 65 percent of people leave their companies because of the managers (Abrashoff, 2002). How do leaders change that statistic?Abrashoff believes that running a ship is very similar to running any business; it takes motivating a crew to perform at the best of their abilities to achieve optimal efficiency and completion of tasks. He successfully takes his experiences from leading a Naval crew and teaches the audience how to apply it to t heir organizations. Along with highlighting every winning moment he and his crew experienced on the USS Benfold, Captain Abrashoff also shows failing moments the team had to endure. Those examples show the audience that in order to succeed, there has to be some trials along the way.Abrashoff introduces readers to the 11 lessons he has learned that helped him become a better leader: take command; lead by example; listen aggressively; communicate purpose and meaning; create a climate of trust; look for results, not salutes; take calculated risks; go beyond standard procedure; build people up; generate unity; and improve the crew’s quality of life. He dedicated a chapter to each lesson and explains the importance of each and how to apply them to any business. Chapter one talks about how Abrashoff became the captain of USS Benfold and how he had to take command.His first obstacle was wondering if everyone was going to like him. He quickly realized that â€Å"be likable is not hi gh among a ship captain’s job requirements†¦ to be respected, trusted, and effective† is (Abrashoff, 2002, p. 12). After that, he realized â€Å"a challenge for leaders†¦ is attracting and retaining †¦ the best employees and more important, how to motivate them so that they work with passion, energy, and enthusiasm† (Abrashoff, 2002, p. 12). Leaders need to listen to their employees so they can better understand what they are going through. Along with listening, employees need to be motivated.Motivation helps employees want to do their work and do the best job. Another obstacle was learning the real reason why soldiers were not re-enlisting. Abrashoff (2002) stated the following: I read some exit surveys, interviews conducted by the military to find out why people are leaving. I assumed that low pay would be the first reason, but in fact it was fifth. The top reason was not being treated with respect or dignity; second was being prevented from maki ng an impact on the organization; third, not being listened to; and fourth, not being rewarded with more responsibility. p. 13) All of those reasons are very similar to why people are leaving civilian jobs. Only one conclusion could come from it: all leaders are making the same mistakes. The best answer for those obstacles was summed up perfectly when he talked about his organizing principle. Abrashoff (2002) said â€Å"the key to being a successful skipper is to see the ship through the eyes of the crew† (p. 13). The leader does not always come up with the ideas; leaders would benefit greatly if they listened to their crew more. Empowering employees makes them realize their potential.When â€Å"given the right environment, there are few limits to what people can achieve† (p. 31). After taking command, a great leader must lead by example. In chapter two, Abrashoff discovered â€Å"90 percent of the time, I was at least as much a part if the problem as my people wereâ €  (p. 33). When things go wrong and tasks are not completed, a manager usually blames the employees. Abrashoff used a different approach; he looked at himself and wondered what he may have done wrong in certain situations. By recognizing their own faults, a leader can learn from them and show their employees that they are learning from them.There were four sections of the chapter that was very important. The first section was on remembering the effect one has on people. Leaders need to understand how they affect their people, â€Å"their optimism and pessimism are equally infectious† (p. 35). If the leader is in a bad mood, the employees will sense that and be in the same mood. Abrashoff talks about his â€Å"dark side† and how he purposely stays away from his crew when he is having a bad day. The second section talks about holding leaders accountable. Leaders need to make sure they recognized their part in a mishap and take some of the blame.The Washington Post te st was the next section. If there is any concern on whether something is the right thing to do, picture it being on the front page of a newspaper. Would it cause embarrassment or would it be something to celebrate? Abrashoff thinks that every decision a leader can make should be based on that test. The last section is about obeying a policy even when a leader disagrees. There are plenty of times a manager will disagree with a policy or procedure handed down by upper management; a great leader will support it anyway.Undermining superiors will show employees that they can do the same. In chapter three, Abrashoff stresses the importance of listening. He talked about his experiences with watching William Perry have conversations with people and how Perry always gave his complete attention to each person. In result, Perry was respected and people felt good in his presence. Abrashoff started to focus on really listening to his crew and treating each conversation like it was the most impor tant conversation he was having. While having these conversations, Abrashoff learned to â€Å"see the ship through the crew’s eyes† (p. 4). He discovered that his crew had many good ideas about how to make the environment more enjoyable; they were there every single day and knew a lot about the day-to-day operations on the ship. It would make sense to listen to their ideas. One of his first goals was to learn every soldier’s name, their spouse’s name, and all the names of their children. Then, he continued to learn different things about each of them. He talks about realizing his crew was just like him, â€Å"they had hopes, dreams, loved ones, and they wanted to believe that what they were doing was important† (p. 46).In turn, his crew earned more of his respect and it became easier for them to talk to him and share their ideas. Finding round people for round holes was his next point in the chapter. Since he knew his people so well, he was able to match them with the perfect job. After having an assistant that was not good at handling paperwork, Abrashoff found a younger seaman named David Lauer, who was labeled as a â€Å"troublemaker† to take over the task. Lauer shined in that task and Abrashoff asked him why he had so much trouble in his last job. The seaman said that he felt like his suggestions were not being heard and he just gave up.This example proved that listening aggressively can benefit leaders immensely. â€Å"Word magic† was the last lesson Perry taught Abrashoff. Abrashoff believed â€Å"if leaders back their words with action†¦ practice what they preach, their words create a self-fulfilling prophecy† (p. 50). Every time someone talked about the USS Benfold, it was referred to as â€Å"the best damn ship in the Navy. † He wanted his crew to say it so they believed it and in turn, everyone else believed it. The next lesson is about communicating the purpose and meaning of every task.Abrashoff said it best in the first sentence of chapter four, â€Å"the whole secret of leading a ship or managing a company is to articulate a common goal that inspires a diverse group of people to work hard together† (p. 52). When employees understand why a task it needed and how they can benefit from it, they are more likely to give their all in completing it. It is a shame that someone spends so much time at work and does not believe in the work they are doing. He wanted his crew to really love what they were doing every time they boarded that ship.If a leader makes their crew think they can do anything, they will believe it. Abrashoff thought that if he communicated with his crew about everything, they would understand and be more involved. He was against keeping his people in the dark, â€Å"secrecy spawns isolation, not success† (p. 55). It would be an advantage to the entire team when everyone knew the goals. That ties into opening up the clogged channels in an organization. By communicating the information effectively, the team produced better results. Abrashoff gave the example of the communication system in the Gulf War and how vital messages were never received.With the idea from one of his crew members, John Rafalko, the airways were cleared and messages were received. Abrashoff gave complete credit to Rafalko, claiming he only listened to the idea and supported Rafalko. Chapter five addressed the importance of creating a trusting environment, â€Å"the best way to keep a ship—or any organization—on course for success is to give the troops all the responsibility they can handle and then stand back† (p. 63). When employees are trusted to do their jobs, it makes it easier for them to focus on the task, not the micromanaging.Another way to encourage trust in the workplace was to not make employees compete against each other. Abrashoff wanted his candidates to work together instead of working against each other . He believed that that competition created distrust and division among the crew and in the long run, did not help the entire crew. Abrashoff said that anyone can bounce back from a bad decision. By helping someone recognize their screw up, it sends a message to the entire team that they will receive the same attention. By giving up on someone, â€Å"they understand instantly that there’s no room for redemption†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 7). Also, never bring a problem to the boss if it can be fixed without him; Abrashoff did advise to only get the boss involved if it cannot. Finally, when dealing with a difficult boss, it is best to shield the crew from that person. The morale stays high and it is less likely for employees to be corrupted or turned off by that person. The chapter on looking for results, not salutes, talked about looking at every one as an equal. Abrashoff encouraged leaders to let their crews speak up with their ideas; they should be able to question the authority.B y knocking down barriers between the captains and the crew members, it encourages people to get to know one another and be more likely to speak up when something can be done better. Abrashoff gave many examples throughout the book about his team questioning some of the decisions and policies in place and in the end, the team improved some things. Here, again, he stresses the importance of involving the team in everything and letting them get involved in the decision-making process, â€Å"innovation knows no rank† (p. 96). With the achievements, he did tell leaders to accept failures.Leaders should not reprimand employees when they make an attempt to solve a problem and it does not work; everyone should have the â€Å"freedom to fail† (p. 94). The next chapter talked about taking calculated risks. Employees worry about taking risks because the consequences can be devastating. Disciplinary action, even termination, can be the result of taking a risk and failing. Abrashof f believes in celebrating the risk-takers, even if it ends in failure. Everyone makes mistake; â€Å"show me someone who has never made a mistake, and I will show you someone who is not doing anything to improve your organization† (p. 04). The people that make their own decisions are the ones leaders should really be behind. Abrashoff said â€Å"if all you give are orders, then all you will get are order-takers† (p. 107). Leaders need to let their employees take responsibility; that is how self-starters are born. When that self-starter is unearthed, leaders need to take a chance on them. Abrashoff proved that even the delinquent crew member can turn out to be a hard working one. He used the example of the crew member who was left behind because he forgot to set his alarm.The sailor was placed on restriction since it was a serious offense, but he continued to excel in his job. When he found out his mother was ill, he put in for leave and was turned down by every leader. Abrashoff decided to grant him the leave and it did wonders for the sailor. He was very motivated to do a great job and to not let down his team mates again. In the end, the sailor left the Navy and became a defense contractor. The last section of the chapter was about breaking rules. Abrashoff said to break the rules that did not make sense and break the ones that did make sense, just very carefully.This part was pretty self-explanatory; it is okay to challenge the rules. As he was saying throughout the entire book, if something is wrong, find another way to do it. There are bad rules and it is the leader’s job to find a better way to do things, or encourage their employees to find a better way. Chapter eight was all about going above and beyond. Abrashoff thought to get outstanding results, leaders had to go beyond the standard procedures, â€Å"innovation and progress are achieved only by those who venture beyond standard operating procedures† (p. 119).Like he has said many times in the book, Abrashoff wanted his crew to take those risks and really think of way to change the system. He wanted self-starters and people with great ideas because it was not just his ship, it was everybody’s ship. In chapter nine, Abrashoff goes back to his people and talked about building them up. This chapter had a lot of points in it and it is one of the important lessons in the book; confident employees help any organization. Building self-esteem in the individual benefits the entire team, â€Å"never tear them down; help them grow strong† (p. 41). The message ties in with the trust piece; showing an employee that they are trusted and cared for makes a big difference in the way they work. Praise every single success, no matter how big or small, was important to Abrashoff. He believed that this practice, not only, worked on crew members, but it could be used on the big bosses: If you want to achieve anything in a large bureaucracy, get inside the b osses’ head. Anticipate what they want before they know they want it. Take on their problems; make them look so good that you become indispensable.When they can’t get along without you, they will support nearly anything you seek to accomplish. (p. 141) If leaders just trusted their people more, they would see that they usually get it right. People with talent, when motivated, can surprise people and move up in the ranks. Employees want to do a good job and prove they can do the job; leaders should trust that they can. And leaders must trust the new people and teach them well. New people are a great asset to any organization; they can be molded, with the proper training, into anything the leader wants.It is important to keep them fired up; any old influences—older crew members—can ruin their attitudes with any negativity. A proper â€Å"welcome aboard† program is imperative; newbies can be discouraged very easily if their first day is a disaster. Mo st importantly, expect the best from every employee. Leaders need to invest fully into their people and they will get it back tenfold. Abrashoff stated that if we â€Å"stopped treating them as if they are stupid, they would perform better† (p. 158). When they are not performing at their best, leaders should give honest feedback constantly.The employees cannot fix their problems if they do not know what they are doing wrong. This reduced the surprises during the review process; leaders would not have to talk about all the things that need improving during the review if they do it in the moment. Another best practice is to ask the bottom performers to rate their performances themselves. They are more honest to the fact that they are the bottom performers compared to their team mates. After that, come up with an action plan and set expectations on when to fix the problems.Leaders, then, should continue to coach in the moment and be open and honest with their employees. A team c annot succeed if they is no unity. Chapter ten addressed the importance of unity in a team and how the leader must create that with his employees. He claimed that â€Å"one of the toughest things for organizations to accomplish is to get people to set aside personal differences and work for the good of everyone involved† (p. 168). One of his main focuses was to train for unity. He started off with finding common interests among everyone. Then, he wanted his crew to find â€Å"positive reasons to value others† (p. 173).He, ultimately, experienced a decline in the reports on racial prejudice and sexual harassment because the ship’s morale was very positive. Punishment needs to be dealt out fairly in organizations. Leaders need to hold their team accountable for their actions, but also, learn to give them a second chance. Every employee needs to know they will be punished accordingly and after they have paid for their crime, the slate is wiped clean. Going back to the chapter about accepting the failures, it is important to learn from it and move on. Abrashoff believed everyone deserves a second chance, just like the sailor how overslept.Now any man would say if his woman is not happy, he is not happy; Abrashoff agreed with that ideal. By making the women feel like part of the team, just as the men did, Abrashoff prevented gender issues. Sexual harassment was down and everyone respected one another. It, also, helped the men on the ship calm down and be more mature. They saw the women as their equals and pushed them to step it up a bit. This lesson is very important in civilian organizations; equality between the sexes still has not been achieved and many leaders should take notes on this chapter.Abrashoff ended the chapter with examples of extraordinary female sailors he has worked with and how important they were to his team. The last lesson that Abrashoff talked about was improving the quality of the team’s life. He embraced the idea of having fun with the team and making the work environment fun. Many leaders frown upon fraternization and would probably look at Abrashoff’s practices as that. But his message was all about enjoying life and friends and he did it in very simple ways. He organized karaoke and alcohol-free happy hour on Fridays, movie nights on Saturdays, and playing music anytime work was involved.It lifted the morale and everyone was laughing and having fun. Good food was another important part of improving the quality of life in the crew members. Abrashoff saw food as an important part of the ship. People could relax and socialize over a good meal and productivity could only increase. Even having a Thanksgiving meal when one is far away from home sends a caring message to the crew and makes people feel good. Reviewer’s Evaluation In my opinion, this book can be very helpful to anyone trying to be a better manager.It really opens the reader’s eyes on the proper way to manage and how to let go of the â€Å"typical† manager style. I really like the part about looking through the employee’s eyes and getting the employees more motivated to do a better job. I believe Abrashoff really challenges the common ideal that managers should be unapproachable and listened to; authority and rules should never be questioned and always followed. He promotes risk-taking and challenging bad rules and really wants the leader to empower their team to make decisions and be innovative.It’s Your Ship is an informative book that can help any leader become a better leader or learn new techniques to become the best leader. I am not sure how this book looks compared to other books like it, but I know the title alone is catchy and I would probably pick this one up first if I had to choose (I think it is because the word â€Å"damn† is on the cover! ). I think it was very appropriate for us BBA students in the business administration field because most of the jobs are supervisor positions. Not only can we students benefit from it, I think everyone can take some pointers from this book.Some may not make it to a supervisor position in an office or retail setting, but there are leader positions everywhere: churches, volunteer work, etc. Each and every leader/manager can really profit from this book. The contribution of the book is huge; the message is so important to all managers. From my experience, I have been managed by many managers and became a manager myself. Many of these lessons would have been an advantage to my superiors and to me. Some of the chapters really spoke to me, such as learning to trust people to do their jobs.I can admit that that was one area that I struggled in when I was a store manager. I really feel that Abrashoff did a great job explaining his practices and he made it very interesting to learn about them. I would definitely recommend this book not only to BBA students, but to many of my retail friends and som e of my current supervisors. Reviewer’s Information Name: Shanita Kitts Affiliation: Averett University Address: 1300 Dover Place, Lynchburg, VA 24502 References Abrashoff, D. M. (2002). It’s your ship: Management techniques from the best damn ship in the navy. New York, NY: Warner Books, Inc.