European Decolonization

Decolonization in very simple terms refers to the collapse of colonialism and the subsequent establishment of authority in the countries being colonized (Duara, 2004). In Africa and other Asia countries which bore the brunt of the modern colonialism the word independence better captures the attainment of self rule immediately after the First and Second World War Generally, the word decolonization has come to be associated with the post-colonial period of the modern time and in particular immediately after World War One and Two.It is not a coincident that it is so but it is because of a combination of factors that triggered the two wars that ultimately made colonization untenable thereby triggering an accelerated process of decolonization (Duara, 2004). Here are some of these reasonsThe fact that majority of local leaders from most of these countries that were being ruled by foreign powers had already received western education from these countries that were colonizing them meant that there were an elite that was waiting in the wings to take over from these foreign leaders in the event that they succumbed to the popular call for their departure from the local population (Thomas, 2007. In fact most of these colonies already had a leadership that was demanding independence either through peaceful means or through violent means which at the time bordered on incitement of the masses.The kind of discontent that they created was at times too much for the colonizer who had already came out of a war (either First or Second World War) that had exhausted the finances that they would have used to maintain their grip on these colonies. Most other colonizer immediately after the war were unable to control these colonies (Thomas, 2007), this is better demonstrated by the Dutch request for assistance from the United Kingdom to build in Indonesia a bridgehead which it desperately needed but it could not build solely due to its financial situation after the World War One (Thomas , 2007).It is also due to financial constraint that were occasioned by high spending during the war that prompted countries like the United Kingdom to introduce a indirect rule policy which was comparably less expensive because of the way it used the local administrative units and heads instead of importing leaders from the United Kingdom. The economic models was fact changing making the maintenance of colonies less lucrative as compared to the period before the First World War (Koos, & Granata, 2008).Colonies were important and profitable before the WW1 because among other things they provided cheap labor & law materials, market for the manufactured products from the colonizing countries and sources of recruiting soldiers in times of wars, however all that had changed with the end of the war, there were no more war that looked imminent, and the sovereign of states had been given new meaning by the protagonists in the war which also benefited the occupied states by default. Lastly a nd mostly the economic model had drastically changed after the war making colonies generally unprofitable (Koos, & Granata, 2008).Debate was also going on in the mother countries on the merit of keeping the colonies and it seemed like those opposed to maintaining these colonies were winning the argument. Among the reason that they were advancing against keeping colonies was the human rights abuses that they were being accused of perpetuating in those colonies, opportunity cost of maintaining them among other convincing arguments against further maintenance of colonies (Thomas, 2007). In a sense the decision to let go the colonies enjoyed broad support within the mother countries.There was also the issue of the severe death toll that had been occasioned by both wars (WW1 & WW2). Each of the European country that was directly or indirectly involved in either of the wars had suffered a lot in form of soldiers and finances that not a single one was ready to commit some more resources in form of soldiers or funds to a cause like colonialism (Thomas, 2007). This was because each of those countries needed each and every penny that was available in rebuilding their economies that had been battled by the wars.For instance, a country like Germany was devastated in the First World War such that it could not continue with colonization. It had even been restrained from any military expedition outside its border not to mention the financial burden that it was to suffer in rebuilding some countries that it was accused of destroying (Thomas, 2007). In a nutshell both of these wars led to a lot of poverty on the mother nations of the colonizers and a state of bankruptcy on these countries thereby developing a state of extreme nationalism in most of them.There were even cases where colonies declared their independence as their colonizers concentrated on their individual problems, others sensing the weakened colonizers’ armies upped their military resistance against them and in the process forced these colonizer to allow the to govern themselves. References Duara, Prasenjit, (2004). Decolonization: Perspectives from Now And Then. Rutledge: New York. Thomas, Martin, (2007). European Decolonization. London: Ashgate. Koos, A. Cheryl, & Granata, A. Cora, (2008). The Human Tradition in Modern Europe, 1750- To the Present. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.

Describe the position of black people in the USA in 1945 Essay

Blacks in the USA in 1945 were not considered as equal; the treatment of people was based on their skin colour, a practice that had been going on for many years before, even after the Reconstruction of society after the Civil War in which the blacks were â€Å"liberated† from slavery. In theory, blacks were free to work and live where they wanted, but the figures at the time told a different story: by 1960, around 17% of the workforce of â€Å"white-collar† workers, i. e. professional, technical, administration, etc., were blacks, while the whites remained the majority at 47%. The â€Å"blue-collar† work, such as craftsmen, manual labourers, etc. – jobs that are renowned for needing less skill and education – had 40% of the workforce as blacks, and 36% were whites. Blacks just weren’t provided the education and qualifications to do the professional types of work due to separation of black and white facilities. Not only were they held back at getting the higher-class jobs, they were paid less for the same work that whites did; in 1950, blacks earned about 53% of a whites wage. This figure remained the same over the next 20 years, with it rising 11% to blacks earning 64% of a whites wage. All over the USA, blacks were discriminated against in almost all areas of life, whether it is the law of the state, or just by the custom of the local society. After the abolishment of slavery, slaves had the choice of moving away from their former homes and having their own lives; unfortunately, many blacks didn’t have any money to move halfway across the USA to the northern states that had fought to free them. Those who did have the finance to travel rarely had enough money afterwards to sustain a good quality of life after they had moved. The custom of de facto came into play in some of the Northern states; ghettos and places where the majority of the population were black sprung up in towns and cities. Segregation by custom in the North was contrasted with segregation by law, or de jure, in the South- Jim Crow laws forbade blacks, for example, to enter white facilities, or sit on buses with whites, etc. Places where de facto was in force came up with other ways to separate blacks from whites to keep the Southern order of things; â€Å"red lining† was when banks were not allowed to give money for mortgages if they suspected it would be a risky investment- if a black family moved into a certain area, it would lower the prices of the surrounding houses. This meant that places such as ghettos were built up, when the majority of the population were black. This type of segregation wasn’t by law, but by custom, blacks weren’t forced to live in â€Å"black† areas, but they felt pressured to live in certain places because of the practises such as red lining in effect. Although it is in the Constitution that everyone is equal and has the same civil rights, it is beliefs like red lining that push a wedge between races; it may not seem constitutional, but it is up to the Supreme Court in the USA to decide what is constitutional. They decided that slavery was lawful mainly due the fact that the Southern states economy was based on slavery; they were needed to produce cotton, the main export in the 19th century. Without them, the economy would have fallen apart. After the 13th amendment to the Constitution, slavery was no longer legal, but the Supreme Court still remained to overlook state laws that continued discrimination and practices that could be seen as worse then slavery- for example, the Ku Klux Klan were allowed to terrorise and lynch blacks, yet lynching was not made illegal. â€Å"The Supreme Court declared that the 14th amendment forbids states, but not citizens, from discriminating† (1) Separate facilities for blacks and whites were considered as the solution to the discrimination problem; the Supreme Court believed that the blacks were â€Å"separate but equal† when they were forced to use different buildings, transport, schools and hospitals then the whites. Since the Supreme Court approved laws and could declare them unconstitutional if they wanted to, they were the ones who the blacks has to convince if they wanted to change anything; in legal cases, the trial had to be taken to the Supreme Court to have any impact, since the State Courts were always going to be in favour of the Jim Crow laws. The Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896) case was when Homer Plessy refused to sit in the â€Å"coloured† car of a train and sat in the â€Å"white† section instead. The case went to Supreme Court, and they ruled that Plessy was guilty and sentenced him to pay a fine or go to jail. This was considered the most shameful ruling of the Supreme Court in history; it shows the extent of the discrimination against blacks, even after slavery was abolished- even though Plessy was 1/8 black and 7/8 white, he was still considered as black in the eyes of the Louisiana law. Although many people thought that this ruling was shocking, there wasn’t much that could be done, since they did not have a definite leader to show them what the do; everything that the movement did was relatively unorganised, with maybe one person leading the others. People such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Booker T. Washington tried to unite blacks under one leadership, but it did not work, because everyone has different opinion on what should be done about the discrimination problem. Dr Martin King Jr. was a black leader that advocated peaceful resistance; because of this, many whites accepted him because they knew that he would not cause violence, but blacks did not like this as peaceful protest could only take them so far- they felt that King was weaker then some of the other extremist black leaders, such as Malcolm X. King’s approach to fighting against their oppression wasn’t enough to keep the blacks following him; they preferred people who were willing to do more for the benefit of all blacks. Another leader who was thought as weak by fellow blacks was Booker T. Washington; he was accused of being an accommodationist to the whites, as he wasn’t campaigning for equal civil rights, he was concentrating on equal job opportunities- this wasn’t what the blacks were fighting for; they wanted to be free to do what the whites could do, not only in jobs but in other aspects of life too. The leaders of the movement were not united, therefore they were not strong- many leaders were critical of others, for example, W. E. B DuBois criticised Washington, saying that blacks cannot get social equality if they do not get political equality first. The New Deal is a phrase used to explain the actions taken after Black Tuesday when the US Stock market crashed to stop the effects of the Depression disturbing the lives of the public. Laws were passed to help stop the consequences of the Depression becoming a long-term problem; within the first hundred days, President Roosevelt passed a law that lowered worker’s salaries and pensions by up to 15%- a move that people did not like, yet it saved a lot of money for the government. Another act was passed that stated that the government could inspect banks before letting them open again so they could see if the bank was eligible to lend and hold money. This prevented banks lending out money that they did not have, therefore they did not losing money for their customers and wouldn’t have to close, as they would have to have done if they did lend out money they didn’t have. The New Deal was produced so the government could help all of those that were affected by the Depression; this helped the blacks because they were some of the poorest people in the USA at the time, and as many as 8% of blacks were unemployed in 1955. For the blacks, the New Deal slightly improved their way of living as it was designed to help everyone without discrimination. Soon after New Deal was set up, the situation for blacks was improved socially by the outbreak of the Second World War. When the Americans were brought into the war, they needed as many men as they could to fight; blacks had regiments where they could join and be equal to whites, but they still were not allowed to belong to the same regiment as the whites- there were some who did, but they were rare, they normally belonged to an all-black regiment. At the end of the war, the blacks got more ambitious; they were allowed to fight for their country, but America wasn’t even grateful enough of them to let them be equal. This would have enraged African Americans since they had fought so hard to be a part of America, so the Civil Rights movement activity increased, which put pressure on the government to do something. The Nazi ideology also pushed the government into action, because what the Americans were doing to the blacks could be compared to the Germans discriminating against the Jews in Germany; the blacks realised this, so demanded equality, as they didn’t want the same to happen to them. In conclusion, the position of blacks in 1945 was not equal to whites: even after a century of supposed â€Å"freedom† from slavery, blacks were still treated as inferiors to whites. Laws and acts were in effect that encouraged the discrimination of blacks. Amendments such as the rights for blacks to vote and the rights for them to be equal were passed, but there were so many other laws that cancelled them out. Jim Crow laws in the South and practises such as â€Å"red lining† in the North made it impossible for blacks to be seen as equal politically, whilst rebellions by extremist whites and groups such as the Ku Klux Klan stopped blacks gaining any social standing or equality. Blacks were supposed to be equal, but by 1945, some may comment that the position of them was worse then slavery, as the blacks were on their own in there poverty and discrimination; before, they had their slave owners who would clothe and feed them to keep productive workers- they would never be out on the streets as slaves, but as â€Å"free† people, they received basically no help. Things that whites took for granted, such as clean and good-quality facilities, and jobs that are fair and just are things that blacks counted themselves lucky if they managed to get any equality. People like Martin Luther King Jr. and W. E. B. DuBois tried to get equality, both through violence and peaceful means, but it didn’t have much effect to the political and social standing of blacks. The discrimination of blacks continued right into the 20th century, even up into the 21st century. It was slow going for the blacks’ right to equality, but actions by both blacks and whites changed things for the better. However, in 1945, blacks were not considered as equal, but as 3/5s of a human being. Bibliography: (1) http://www. alternativeinsight. com/Reparations-Slavery. html Field, Ron; â€Å"Civil Rights in America 1865-1980†; Cambridge University Press http://www. lawbuzz. com/can_you/plessy/plessy. htm http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/New_Deal.

Millennials Future Essay

Lets face it the way Americas economy is looking right now the job market is in the dumpster. Millennials are working harder then ever to try and stand out from the rest of their peers so they can land a good job to support them on their own. This is putting millennials in between a rock and a hard place. In these day and age it’s almost required to have a college degree to have any chance of landing a good job to support you on your own. But these degrees come at a price and as the job market is failing and loans are pilling up on are college graduates. This bad economy is crushing the millennial generation and their futures. Millennials also know as generation Y, are people born from 1980s to the 2000s. They’re the first generation to be raised using digital technology, social media, and mass media. People born in this generation are now college students, and college graduates that are struggling in this tough economy. The millennial generation has limitless information at the tip of there fingers. Millennial are â€Å"always connected† with social networks like facebook and twitter they always know what friends are doing. People have said millennials are parent dependent and don’t know what reasonability is, which I think could go either way. Some millennials are very parent dependent but I see others very independent going to school and working without the guidance of parents. Its unfair to generalize millenials as slackers that don’t know how to work for something, it all depend on the person. Previous generations were able to go colleges get a degree and start working and living on their own immediately after graduation. â€Å"Not so long ago, the average American man in his 20s had achieved most of the milestones of adulthood: a high-school diploma, financial independent, marriage and children.† (Hymowitz 477). â€Å"In 1970, just 16 percent of Americans ages 25 to 29 had never been married: today that’s true of an astonishing 55 percent of the age group.† (Hymowitz 477). The way millennials are living there lives are different from other generations most because aren’t thinking about marriage or kids there more focused on there finical future. Millennials could be one of the first generations that will not achieve the same stander  of living that their parents did. Read more: Speech About Millennial Generation During this bad economy I believe the main thing crushing the millennial generation is the education system and student loans. The Institute for College Access & Success says that the average borrower from student loans owes about 27,000 dollars upon graduation. So when millennials graduate they already are in debt 27,000 dollars with interest rates. With the decrease in jobs millennials are graduating with this debt and no way to pay it back. â€Å"Research shows that young people who graduate from college in a dismal economy typically suffer long-term consequences, with effects on their careers and earnings which linger for about 15 years.†(Demirdjian). Some colleges are starting to be run like businesses, which is really destroying America’s education system. For-profit colleges like university of phoenix spend 20 to 25 percent on advertising and 10 to 20 percent on teaching. Which means their spending more money to try and get you to the college then, the service th ey are providing you. These for-profit schools attract millennials because of there flexible class schedule, online classes, and easy enrollment. But the debt load in student loans for for-profit colleges are nearly double the average debt, for-profit schools have graduation debts that about 32,000 dollars with interest rates. For-profit students are only 10% of are student population but they use 25% federal finical aid and they default 47% of student loans in America, which is from Senator Tom Harkin report. â€Å"The report finds that 62.9 percent of students who enrolled in an associate degree program at a for-profit college in the 2008-09 school year left before earning a degree, and that the median student lasted only four months.†(Haynes). They are killing the value of and education and millennials are paying the price. Millennials are going to suffer the worse from the economy. Millennials were told there hold life education was key to succeed and now it’s failing them. After gradation millennials are stuck dragging around these loans for years. Even if the economy does turn around to many millennials are already in debt over their heads. Millennials are going to have to work harder than ever to land good jobs but, I do see millennials succeeding later in their lives when the economy turns around because of the hard work ethic they are learning in there early adulthood years. Works Cited Hayes, Dianne. â€Å"The for-Profit Conundrum.† Diverse Issues in Higher Education 29.14 (2012): 10-1. Ethnic NewsWatch. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. Z, S. Demirdjian. â€Å"The Millennial Generation’s Mindset: Susceptibility to Economic Crisis.† The Business Review, Cambridge 19.2 (2012): 2,I,II. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. Hymowitz, Kay S. â€Å"Where Have the Good Men Gone.† Wall Street Journal (February 19, 2011): 477-81. Print.

Company culture report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Company culture report - Research Paper Example This company’s culture gives them a competitive edge over the rivals and places them a head of others in market dominance and customer satisfactory products (Grenville, 113). Based on this information, this paper looks at the Apple’s culture in relation to how they have used the strategy to overcome hurdles facing the company. The culture of the company is based on change such that they have been associated with hitting the market with spectacular products that has left the competitors agape. Methodology For the purpose of data collection, this research paper considered secondary document to analyze and gather the relevant data required for the purpose of this paper. In this regard, Books and other journals that have documented Apple Company management and culture were considered. The information regarding the company has been accurately considered and rationally analyzed for the purposes of relying in this information. Apple Inc. Culture following the research demonstr ates one of the companies that use unique and complicated culture based on the ability to remain innovative at personal level. Culture of the Company The company’s culture is a complex structure with several facets that are simultaneously adhered to. The following will be discussed in relation its culture; Behavior at work Whereas there are set standards and ethical code of conduct, the company has enabled the employees to exercise freedom in running their own show and tolerate working in a challenging environment. This enabling environment has allowed them to be creative and progressive in making breakthrough by coming up with new products that has made the company known for surprises in the technological world (Linzmayer, 129). The need for creativity forms the cornerstone of progression in Apple Company, which is why the employees in the company always have the urge to bring something new in the market for the consumer-something different from what is common and usual. The company according to former CEO, Steve Jobs organized it employees relation in that there are a group of thinkers who come up with brilliant ideas about what may hit the market, the idea is then taken to another level where the imagination will be put to practice by software developers (Linzmayer, 143). In the end, a new product hits the market courtesy of the company culture. In apple, the formality and the hierarchical order traditionally associated with to most companies is not a factor, instead, they devised their own informal system that is results oriented. This kind of arrangement has enabled the company’s employees to develop legendry self esteem and efficiency that has propelled the company to its current level. Nurturing of self-esteem in the company’s employees has seen the employees accepting failures and instead of being disillusioned, they have used it for self-correcting and keeping up with the pace of innovation. Perception and Criteria of selection Fo llowing the company’s need to remain at the apex of innovation, they have designed a stringent method of recruiting employees that is also different from the normal assessment given by majority of the companies (Grady, 48). In Apple Company, one’s ability to serve in the dynamic work environment full of challenges is a prerequisite to the company than related intellect. All that the company requires is a progressive mind that is able to think constructively about what other cannot (Grady, 78).

Why is New Mexico poor and what should be done about it Research Paper - 1

Why is New Mexico poor and what should be done about it - Research Paper Example Poverty is a factor that is present in nearly all corners of the world. New Mexico is one of the nations strongly affected and hit by poverty (Garcia, 2006). This country has the highest poverty levels in the world, with a 22 percent of poverty levels. According to reports, New Mexico has the highest number of children under poverty. This is the highest level in the United States of America. New Mexico belonged to the Spanish empire for over two centuries and also the independent Mexico for more than two and half decades before being conquered by the United States in the American-Mexican war, in 1846 (Melzer et al, 2011). After the United States moved to conquer this state, many of the New Mexicans looked forward to the day that it would become a state and part of the United States. This took long, more than sixty years before it became a state. By the time this state was becoming a state of the United States; other nations had already gained their statehood. This delay in acquiring statehood is one of the factors that are attributed to its high poverty levels. Despite efforts by the New Mexican leaders and residents to support their nation, there are some factors that led to the delay in the acquisition of statehood. The first factor that hampered early efforts was a common ignorance on the state and unfair suspicion about its citizens. The other states of the United States were against the acquisition of statehood of New Mexico because of the high population of the Native Americans and the Hispanics who were considered foreign in terms of language, culture and religion. The people in the other states questioned the Hispanics and the Native Americans loyalty, who had for long lived under the Mexican and Spanish rule (Melzer et al, 2011). Secondly, territorial politics hampered New Mexico’s opportunities of acquiring statehood. The government was dominated by a bunch of corrupt politicians and businessmen. After the other states realized this, they tried to prevent New Mexico from becoming state by criticizing it. According to Melzer et al (2011), this led to the delayed statehood of the nation, which later culminated to the high poverty levels within the nation. In addition, the national policies adopted hampered the nation’s progress towards attaining statehood. Most of the policies adopted within the political arena had nothing to do with the New Mexico, and this immensely affected the progress towards statehood. Another cause of the delayed statehood of New Mexico was the prolonged Indian wars, which were very costly. In addition, these wars perpetrated the region’s reputation as a region typified by violent and primitive people. While some of the United States defeated some Indian uprisings, some Native American soldiers such as Geronimo fought many United States troops till 1886. The prolonged nature of the fights consumed a lot of resources (Melzer et al, 2011). These resources would have been used in developme nt projects, which would have assisted in alleviating the present high poverty levels. By this time, New Mexico was under the claim of United States, Spain, Mexico and numerous Indian nations. The Indian-Mexican wars started as early as the end of the 16th century, when the Indians tried to go against Spanish rule. Later, the Indians came together to fight, kill, and chase Spanish colonists (Saragoza et al, 2012). The Indians continued to fight against the Spanish till when the United States army general, Kearny, promised the inhabitants of New Mexico that they would defeat the rebelling tribes once the country became a state and made part of United States. The United States forged with numerous strategies that would defeat the other Indian and Spanish tribes.

Motivation and Demotivation in the Workplace Essay

Motivation and Demotivation in the Workplace - Essay Example Furthermore, all people do not give equal weight to each category needs. Each person is different and has a distinctive personality. Herzberg's motivation theory is the most accepted theory. The theory is based on the outcome of a research according to which there are two major categories, the ones that please us and the ones that dissatisfy us: Hygiene factors: company policy, interpersonal relations, working conditions, social security, wage. Motivation factors: recognition, responsibility, promotion, development, the subject of work. If motivation factors such as encouragingemployees, rewarding them, or increasing their responsibilities do not exist then employees will shift to non-job related 'hygiene' factors. In general, employees can be motivated when: 1. They can manage and plan their work 2. They have a variety of tasks 3. They are not micro-managed 4. They often change tasks and positions 5. They have increased responsibilities 6.The manager grants full power and not fragmented tasks 7. They are free and independent 8. The manager inspires loyalty, zeal and dedication. What constitutes good leadership and why is it important that managers understand the relationship between management and motivation. Leadership is a way of motivating a group to enable them to achieve their aims. It also involves being responsible for the group as a whole. A leader is either appointed by the senior levels of management or elected by the group. However, it has been argued that a leader can not have all the skills required therefore the optimum will be to have as a leader someone who is flexible but when it is required s/he will let the leadership to the others. Although no ultimate definition of...Furthermore, all people do not give equal weight to each category needs. Each person is different and has a distinctive personality. Herzberg's motivation theory is the most accepted theory. The theory is based on the outcome of a research according to which there are two major categories, the ones that please us and the ones that dissatisfy us: In general, employees can be motivated when: 1. They can manage and plan their work 2. They have a variety of tasks 3. They are not micro-managed 4. They often change tasks and positions 5. They have increased responsibilities 6.The manager grants full power and not fragmented tasks 7. They are free and independent 8. The manager inspires loyalty, zeal and dedication. However, it has been argued that a leader can not have all the skills required therefore the optimum will be to have as a leader someone who is flexible but when it is required s/he will let the leadership to the others. A general definition would be that "a leader is someone who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal". There are 3Ps that are related with the term "leader" and these are: People, Purpose and Person.

Trends in the workplace Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Trends in the workplace - Assignment Example It achieves this objective through career mapping, trainings, and performance management. The aim of this process is to impart the necessary skills to employees, for purposes of achieving efficiency in their work. Furthermore, the development of the human resource staff is a motivating factor that can improve the quality of work an individual does (Mondy and Noe, 2005). Evaluation, designing and implementation of compensation benefits is another important function of human resource management. This includes salaries and bonuses that employees get for their services to the organization. A fair and good remuneration package will most likely attract workers to the organization (Chandler, 2006). The organization will therefore have an opportunity to choose the best talents, from the high number of people who have applied in it (Mondy and Noe, 2005). Companies that do not pay their employees according to the living standards of the region will experience a high labor turnover. This in turn is expensive to the company, mainly because it will have to recruit employees again, which is an expensive process. Retention of workers is therefore an important strategy for an organization, and it cannot achieve this, with poor pay, and bonus system (Chandler, 2006). The employee-employer relationship is very important for the success of the organization. This is because the organization will manage to communicate its goals, aspirations, and mission to the employee. Furthermore, the employee will feel as if he or she is part of the organization, and hence work hard to achieve the objectives of the organization. Through compliance, collective bargaining, and a number of initiatives, human resource management is able to create a positive relationship between employees and the employer. Finally, risk management is another important function of human resource management. The HR

What make Abraham Lincoln an American Research Paper

What make Abraham Lincoln an American - Research Paper Example Varying aspects define America and as such define what Abraham as an American was. However, of surety is the fact that great Americans of all times have been described or defined by certain of these characteristics. This paper establishes the characters, which defined him to be a great American of all the times. The analysis of Abraham Lincoln as a great American revolves around the definition of Americanism to allude to great conviction or attitude that has special attention ascribed to the nation, US culture, political interest as well as the national interest of the great American state. Therefore, this paper has special attention in the deep political convictions and great oratory competence that saw him rise to the height of his political career and life as the sixteenth US president. To be specific, Abraham was described by his stern stand against slavery and discrimination, which has a great attention in what, defines the United States. His rise to power for instance signaled the divide, which saw the northern states as well as the Northern states separate on the bases of support of or against slavery. The Southern had great regard to slave and slave trade which according to Abraham created class divide among the Americans and which he strictly opposed. His governance was therefore characterized by the great opposition from the political elites who advocated for the class divisions as against the sovereignty of all Americans; the free and the slaves. In a century and over time in the history of America, Abraham Lincoln continues to have great perception amongst the American natives as well as across the globe. Penn Schoen Berland conducted a study to establish the perceptions of Americans towards Abraham and found out among other things that he is perceived to have been the best as well as most influential US president that has ever been. However, there were still a number who opposed the opinion and even lesser number having no knowledge about Abraham L incoln. In fact, a good percentage of the Americans in the current time reason that president Obama compares to some extent with Abraham Lincoln though not to a matching degree where there is still the perception that Abraham stands out against the current president in matters off ideal as well as leadership. In many aspects, among the legendary American heroes, Abraham Lincoln is depicted as being the ‘American original’ from his deep conviction of the sovereignty of the state and all the inhibitors, not defined by race or state of life; slaves and or free (Penn, 2-4). In an evaluation to his life, much lays an inspiration to many following his determination to hail from a very humble background and to forge his way to the highest office in the land and to command great leadership of all the time. His ambition and great determination, which saw him, uphold great integrity are among the basic traits that illustrated the great ‘American’ in him. He represent ed the ‘self made’ person of his time as the nobility in his character is often described. Though he was raised from a poor background, he struggled his way through academics through self-sponsorship, which led him to his law career. Having been brought up in the countryside by his step mother (having lost own mother at the age of 9 years), Lincoln had great determination to acquire formal education. Despite the great challenges that came his way, his staunch determination saw him rise to the House of Commons and thus engaged in his political career (Abraham Lincoln, para 1). It is within his service in the state legislature of Illinois that he started voicing his against slavery, not only

Modern Architecture and Modernity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Modern Architecture and Modernity - Essay Example Modernists in architecture ignored existing material, eliminating them on the basis that they were outdated and impediments to true creativity and progress. The architecture of Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) is acclaimed for its distinctive nature and farsightedness. He is renowned as an American visionary, and an intellecutal of our times. The architect is a key innovator of the twentieth century in the fields of designing, architecture, engineering, invention, and philosophy (Gorman 2005). The other contemporary architect in this study is Oscar Niemeyer (born 1907) the Brazilian modernist, whose creativity aimed at reflecting his country’s progress. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the theme of â€Å"Progress† in the modernist work of the two architects Buckminster Fuller and Oscar Niemeyer. A detailed examination of three buildings created by each architect, and of their concepts of progress in building the future of cities, will be done. BUCKMINSTER FULLER’S DEPICTION OF PROGRESS IN MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE Buckminster Fuller’s architecture based on modernism was distinctive in style. He invented the geodesic dome and the octet truss, as well as a wide range of other â€Å"paradigm-shifting machines and structural systems† (Levine, Chaisuparasmikul, Yanarella et al, 2011). He was particularly interested in high-strength-to-weight designs with a minimum of material creating the maximum of utility. His designs, and various principles including his engineering philosophy based on the â€Å"trimtab† principle, are progressive and intended to create a sustainable and modern urban landscape. Even today, contemporary high-tech design aesthetics are based on Fuller’s designs and engineering principles. The architect’s philosophical analogy of being a Trim Tab or mover of big ships, for improving the way the world works is a unique one. A trim tab is â€Å"a small rudder used to turn the larger rudder of big ships, offering tremendous leverage in terms of steering and changing the direction of the ship† (Gabel & Walker 2006). Thus, the trim tab, according to Buckminster Fuller is a powerful metaphor for effective individual leadership, denoting that small and appropriate interventions are capable of leading to large-scale and profound progress. Fuller followed the principle of the trim tab in his own work, producing crucial innovations to aid further architectural developments. Fuller’s Philosophical Vision Related to Mobile Homes Among Buckminster Fuller’s innovative architectural projects are his mass produced homes, and transportable mobile houses as well as geodesic domes. For example, his geodesic domes have actually been airlifted by military helicopters. His buildings were characterized by their light weight and self sufficiency which facilitated travel, and could thereby cause tranformation in human behavior. The mobility and change of places would help people rid themselves of self-created boundaries between various regions, and other differentiations and discriminations, as well as help them achieve a more secular future of global unity (Gorman 2005). Buckminster Fuller’s prime goal was to design and construct an autonomous and practical individual home that could be transported by helicopter wherever the owner wished to move. This pertained to Fuller’s decision to â€Å"make the world work for one hundred percent of humanity, in the shortest

Centralised organisation Essay Example for Free

Centralised organisation Essay â€Å"Outline the main ways in which a large centralised organisation might achieve a more flexible organised structure. Using examples, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing greater organisational flexibility† â€Å"The structures that organisations adopt are usually aligned to one of five generic organisational structures. These are the simple structure, the functional structure, the divisional structure, the holding company structure and the matrix structure. (Capon, C. (2009) the business environment. Chapter 4: Inside organisations. This essay will explain the various ways of how a large centralised organisation achieves a more flexible structure through de-centralisation. This essay will analyse the benefits and drawbacks of the matrix structure and the functional structure. A flexible structure allows staff to take part in decision making thus making them feel more valued and motivated, this favours the organisation because efficiency and communication is improved. Centralised structures are often referred to as bureaucracies and have a long chain of command and a narrow span of control. They are tall structures designed so that directors, owners and management can achieve maximum control. Decision making is isolated within the top part of the hierarchy with a very autocratic style of management (none/very little shared decision making with employees further down the hierarchy). Centralised structures allow benchmarks and certain procedures to monitor quality closely. A clear path can be seen by employees in terms of promotion which often aids in motivation, in turn improving the productivity of staff. However there are some downsides to a centralised or bureaucratic structure, such as the fact that it’s time-consuming for decisions to be made because the decision has to come from the top of the organisation (CEO’s/Directors) all the way to the bottom through many levels before the employees actually get told what they need to do; because of this it is difficult for companies with a tall structure to quickly react to changes in the market that they operate in. In tall organisations there is a tendency for ‘red tape’ or excessive regulation which also slows down many processes within a business. Another problem with tall organisations is that there is a divide between the top managers and regular employees, which means that the workers lower down in the hierarchy feel excluded and less valued. This In turn leads to workers becoming less motivated. Because of all these difficulties big organisations are constantly attempting to increase flexibility by changing their structure. Decentralisation provides higher subordinate satisfaction and a quicker response to problems and may give workers a sense of ownership and greater levels of motivation in their work† (Ray French, Charlotte Rayner, Gary Rees and Sally Rumbles – (2008) Organizational behaviour ). De-centralised structures are desirable because they allow flexibility within a business, it is essentially a democratic management style of running an organisation, and this means that there is more feedback and input from staff regarding decision making. With a shorter chain of command, due to the flat hierarchical structure, and increased motivation of staff production can increase. The functional structure is relatively restrictive of flexibility, it is fairly rigid and centralised. The managers of the departments are given the responsibility to manage day-to-day problems and take part in decision making only in the short term. Decision making and power in the long term rests very much within the board of directors, thus slowing down communication within the organisation. The functional structure is mainly used by small businesses; large organisations tend to move away from this structure in the search for more flexibility. The reason for this is because of product or service diversification and larger target markets. The functional structure tends to have poor career prospects, high pressure on senior managers , quality monitoring is very difficult and there are skills shortages in the sense that job roles are set so skills cannot be shared within the departments. The matrix structure integrates two structures together, often geographical and multi product structures. For example, a company may have a department for a product A in Europe and for Product A in Asia. One of the advantages of the Matrix structure is the convenience of experts simplifying the sharing of knowledge between the goods. Another advantage of the matrix structure is intra-team communication, this allows ease of communication between the different functional product groups within the same organisation, and similarly there is less pressure on managers, quality monitoring is easier and skills are interchanged within departments of the same function thus improving efficiency. In the early 90’s the majority of IBM and the business press were convinced decentralisation would aid the company in terms of â€Å"flexibility, speed and entrepreneurial motivation†. They believed splitting up IBM into smaller companies would speed up processes and promote and enhance efficiency, which can be true of decentralisation. Lou Gerstner was appointed CEO of IBM in 1993. He was convinced IBM should remain centralised and to â€Å"use its unique size and capabilities to help customers integrate the diverse components of their information technology (IT) systems†. In the end IBM was loosened up but not completely decentralised. This worked tremendously well with IBM’s stock price rising by almost a factor of ten. (Thomas W. Malone Harvard Business School Archives (29/3/2004): Making the decision to decentralise. )From this we can conclude that de-centralisation improves organisational flexibility by speeding up the process of decision making, improving efficiency and communication and increasing job satisfaction for employees. Pursuing greater organisational flexibility could be complex in the sense that the organisation may become less efficient due to the change in structure and managerial span of control. Nonetheless changing from a tall centralised structure to a flat decentralised structure favours the organisation because there are fewer levels of hierarchy and a shorter chain of command which enables better communication. â€Å"Decentralisation, in theory, provides greater potential for motivating employees and, because decisions are taken nearer the place of work, the organisation can react faster and smarter†. Ian Brookes (2009): Organisational behaviour – individuals, groups and organisation 4th edition). However not all flat structures are decentralised; take for example the functional structure, despite being flat it is a rigid and centralised structure. The Matrix structure would enable a large organisation to achieve greater organisational flexibility because one of its main strengths is allowing ease of communication.

Types of CAPTCHA

Types of CAPTCHA Text-Based CAPTCHAs CAPTCHA was at first conceived by Andrei Broder and his associates in 1997 and around the same time Altavista site utilized this technique as a HIP around the same time. This strategy utilized a contorted English word that a client was made a request to sort. The bended word was less demanding for clients to see however troublesome for bots to perceive utilizing OCR procedures. Content based CAPTCHAs are as a picture containing a hard to perceive content string to be distinguished and written by the client in a content box gave close to the CAPTCHA picture on the Web page. The CAPTCHA picture is of low quality with various types of clamor and solid debasement connected to it. Blum and Von Ahn in Collaboration with Yahoo contrived EZ-Gimpy and Gimpy CAPTCHA to shield talk rooms from spammers. These CAPTCHAs challenges have been broken by lexicon assaults which contained a predetermined number of words in them. A more secure sort of content based HIP, called reCAPTCHA has been proposed by similar creators. Confuse Text CAPTCHA is the Xerox Pato Alto Research Center (PARC) form of Gimpy test. Unmistakable content based CAPTCHA methods incorporate Scatter Type, Handwritten Word based CAPTCHA and Human Visual System veiling Characteristic CAPTCHA. Different specialist organizations on the Internet like PayPal, Hotmail and YouTube utilize their own forms of content construct CAPTCHAs considering their sites and overhaul them with more current forms every now and again. With a point of enhancing ease of use of content based CAPTCHAs, Richard Chow et al have proposed a nonexclusive system for changing over a literary CAPTCHA into an interactive CAPTCHA. It propos es situation of various content CAPTCHA pictures in a matrix among which some are English words while others are not. The client must tap on all legitimate English words to breeze through this CAPTCHA test. Image-Based CAPTCHAs Blum and Von Ahn proposed at first picture based CAPTCHA called ESP-PIX CAPTCHA. It utilized a bigger database of photos and energized pictures of ordinary items. The CAPTCHA framework gave a client an arrangement of pictures all connected with a similar question or idea. The client was required to enter the question or idea to which every one of the pictures had a place with e.g. the program may show pictures of Globe, Volleyball, Planet and baseball anticipating that the client should effectively relate every one of these photos with the word ball. When all is said in done picture based CAPTCHAs show a visual example or idea that the client needs to distinguish and act as needs be. Diverse picture based CAPTCHA plot utilizes distinctive examples or ideas which are anything but difficult to be perceived by the clients and troublesome for the bot projects to mimic. Other than a few others, this class of CAPTCHA strategies include: Microsoft Asirra, Image Generation for Internet Authe ntication, Image Block Exchange and Face Recognition CAPTCHAs. Mosaic-based Human Interactive Proof called MosaHIP proposes a CAPTCHA conspire for securing the download of asset against Web-bots. It utilizes a solitary bigger picture called mosaic picture which is made from littler and halfway covering genuine and fake pictures. The client needs to drag an asset communicated in type of versatile content protest on the site page and drop it onto the zone of the mosaic picture containing the picture showed in the CAPTCHA picture. Google has proposed a CAPTCHA strategy in which a client must alter randomly pivoted pictures to their upright positioning. As of late, an Image Flip CAPTCHA technique proposes utilization of a composite CAPTCHA picture involving flipped and non-flipped pictures. The client needs to tap on all pictures that show up as ordinary and with no flip connected to them. Audio-Based CAPTCHAs The main sound based CAPTCHA was actualized by Nancy Chan to give another option to content based CAPTCHAs for outwardly impeded individuals. Sound CAPTCHAs take an arbitrary grouping drawn from recordings of straightforward words or numbers, consolidate them and add some unsettling influence and clamor to it. This recording is played when the client clicks a catch gave on the website page. The CAPTCHA framework then requests that the client enter the words or potentially numbers in the recording. Sound CAPTCHAs are more hard to tackle, hard to internationalize and more requesting as far as time and endeavors in contrast with content and picture CAPTCHAs. Notwithstanding, sound based CAPTCHA tests have turned into an option for outwardly impeded individuals. Most Web administrations incorporate it notwithstanding content and picture CAPTCHAs. Different CAPTCHAs Besides above sorts of CAPTCHA tests, Collaborative Filtering and Implicit CAPTCHA challenge have been proposed in writing. Joint separation CAPTCHAs approaches contrast from others in the scenes that CAPTCHA creators dont know at first the right solution for their planned CAPTCHA, however measure it from human conclusion. Understood CAPTCHA proposes single tick difficulties recognized as fundamental perusing joins which can be replied through involvement of the setting of the Website.

The Effect Of Globalisation On Health Environmental Sciences Essay

The Effect Of Globalisation On Health Environmental Sciences Essay The increased movement of both goods and people increases opportunities for the spread of disease around the world. There are also concerns about the following: potential public health problems due to market liberalisation, the emergence of new diseases globally and worsening of existing ones due to climate change and governmental oversight over economic policies that can affect spending on healthcare. International cooperation as a result of globalisation has also had a great impact on health practices in many countries including Europe. In this backdrop, as a healthcare management consultant working for an international organisation, you are asked to examine the implications and effects of globalisation on healthcare management. Identify the effects of globalisation on healthcare Globalization can be defined as a network of processes which nations, firms and business and people are getting more interdependent and connected across the global community through the increased and strengthened economic integration, exchange of communication, diffusion of the Western culture and travel as well as migration. We must give ample attention to the processes by which the connectivity and interdependence among nations are happening. Globalization is akin to a new phenomenon where basic human drive comes into action. The history of human kind has evolved through crossing borders, exploring new heights, expanding horizons, trading commodities, conquering territories and assimiliation of culture and social practices. Globalization involves people and their behaviours in a society. Similar to the trade and commerce benefits of globalization, the consequences and effects of globalization to healthcare is being magnified on a larger scale. The effects of globalization on healthcare might include the following: Tourism brings gaps among borders and increases awareness among cultural differences and practices. Global tourism starts to grow and a lot of countries have the liberalization of their airline industries which makes travelling more affordable. According to Sutherst,2004(Sutherst R (2004) Global change and human vulnerability to vector-borne diseases. Clin Microbiol Rev 17: 136à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢173) there are approximately one million international travellers every day and a significant percentage of these people are travelling between developed and developing countries which can facilitate the spread of communicable diseases. With the increasing number of travellers, the possibility of acquiring infections and diseases is greater than those countries who are not that inclined towards global travelling. Globalization can dramatically improve healthcare through the development of policies rooted on equality and allocation of resources for all members of the society especially those ser vices pertaining to health (UNDP, 1999; Ben-David et al., 1999; Cornia, 2001). Globalization can foster protectionist policies, allocate subsidies and preserve livelihoods and rural life by which the European Union frequently advances. The benefits of these are the quality and health of the people. If there is proper funding of health projects, it can result into a healthier citizenry who can function at their best and contribute to the development of the society. Through the process of globalization, healthcare settings are best influenced by the increased universal access to healthcare, legislation regarding exposure to hazardous wastes and environment. The stronger the economy, the better are the facilities for public health, water sanitation, health services and a lot more. Through the globalization, the application and profound recognition of health as a human right are being brought into the consciousness of people from across the globe. People are now more aware of the interdependence and interrelationship of health with the various types of human rights such as cultural, social, political, economic and civil rights. WORD COUNT: 459 Assess the influence of international institutions in healthcare settings The diversity of services in terms of health care has been immensely affected by globalization itself. Developing countries has the ability to attract customers by providing quality healthcare at a lower cost than the counterparts in their own country. Within a short period of time there are a lot of changes by which health and the people are most concerned off. The development of global standards of excellence and quality will also bring forth the rise of processes in the accreditation and licensing of medical and healthcare medical education. Through globalization, the circulation of services and goods are more efficient than before. Specific multilateral agreements between States often serve as a detrimental factor for countries of the developing world. Despite the economic benefits of globalization, there are several effects on the healthcare practices and settings from one country to the other. One of the best indicators in the level of development of a country is health. The reflection by which the resources and wealth of the country are being allocated to, shared equally by the entire population. International institutions can influence the delivery of health care through globalization. However, health itself cannot be assumed as significant similar to that of the basic needs of human. The movements of healthcare professionals, the exodus of the members of the health team are strongly related to the complex cultural, ethical, and human resources issues in their mother land. Thus it is imperative that health professional must promote health as a global human right. International institutions must be prepared before launching headlong into the challenges of globalization, M. Srinivasan,2006 et al. (Visualizing the Future: Technology Competency Development in Clinical Medicine, and Implications for Medical Education Acad Psychiatry, December  1,  2006; 30(6): 480 490.) The health practices being implored can be influenced by foreign relations and policies of a country. It is best that the challenges of globalization shall be faced with much ease and confidence so that there will be no room for errors which will compromise the health of the people. Developed countries are tapping their international institutions to recruit and acquire trained graduates from poorer countries. With the movement of professionals, healthcare settings are improved through the expertise and carative characteristics of people from the poorer countries. These countries are improving their immigration policies to accommodate the influx of various members of the health care team. Healthcare setting in developed countries are influenced by international institutions who are expecting reciprocity in terms of economic and social implications of globalizations. The increased of workers in the health care industry, can facilitate the health of the citizens. WORD COUNT: 434 Evaluate the impact of European Union membership on workplace health practices. Health will not transform how we think about the foreign policies and the health practices we implore. The establishment of the European Common Markets has brought about a lot of changes not only in free movement of goods and capitals but social and cultural aspects of the country. Through the European Union, services and persons are free to move. The principles of free movement can be applied in the health care industry as well. The members of the health sector have the following changes in terms of the influence of the European Union: Through the membership with EU they can allow the free incorporation and inclusion of health care providers and professionals as well as the cross-border delivery of health care services. Since the year 1970, the European Union (EU) has passed a myriad of regulations regarding health practices. One of the regulations is to reinforce the mutual recognition of nurses, physicians and other members of the healthcare professionals in terms of their qualifications. Through this, the Member States will recognize the professionals who hail from among the members of the European Union which is considered to be an indispensable precondition for the non-restrictive movement of services. Thus , in reference to the establishment of the European job market for the members of the health care team, it has not led to the extensive migration among the member of the European Union (EU). The accession of the Eastern and Central European countries to the European Union( EU)did hot stirred an alarm of brain drain. Brain drain is the major concern among authorities due to the imminent depletion of healthcare professionals to the better off countries located in the Northern and Western Europe. The numerous potential effects of the European Union (EU) on the social protection systems in the applicant countries due to the variations and differences between the type of health care systems among the 25 Member States. A lot of authorities are expecting mass exodus of professionals from the accession countries. Free movement of health care professionals and occupations has not paved the way into the expected transnational migration among the Member states of the European Union. The language barrier is one of the major reasons why the health care sector deal on a personal level and are quite sensitive about it. There are countries in Europe where English is not widely spoken. Thus, it will be very difficult to administer and render health care services. WORD COUNT: 411 WORD COUNT: 1314 Question 2 You are employed by Sahara Oil Company based in Qatar as their Occupational Health expert. The company produces and refines oil; it also explores gas deposits. There has not been a recent review of the environmental effects of the companys operations. You have responsibilities for the environmental health issues of Sahara Oils operations in Qatar. As well, one important responsibility you have been given is to be conversant with the impact of environmental legislation, directives and guidance and the processes that organisations need to adopt in order to provide health protection to the employees of the company, their families and the members of the local community who are affected by Sahara Oils operations in Qatar. Identify the economics of adopting a policy of environmental awareness in heath care settings. All of the above lead to improved QOL and increased life expectancy. However, all this come with a cost to human health and the environment. Effects on health: Such activities and their impact on the environment have serious effects on health of communities,, esp. Chdns health. However, there is uncertainty of the effects of such activities or technologies on health as there is no scientific evidence that directly links such activities to disease causation. E.g., there is still ongoing debate about the scientific evvidence linking greenhouse gases to global warming. Governments inaction is because they fear that taking action would affect trade. E.g. taking action to prevent bon-fossil fuels :-charcoal and oil burning- in order to reduce CO2 emission into the atmosphere by developing nations i.e., China and India would collapse their industries and economy. However, the economic cost of technological development on the environment and human health is higly significant. The Precautionary Principle states that in the case of serious or irreversible threats to the health of humans or the ecosystem, acknowledged scientific uncertainty should not be used as a reason to postpone preventive measures. The concept of a universal precautionary principle apparently has its origins in early German and Swedish thinking about environmental policy, particularly the need for policymakers to practice foresight in order to prevent long-range environmental problems. The concept was included in the Amsterdam Treatyan important step toward establishment of the European Unionbut the concept was left undefined and was applied only to environmental policy. In the past 20 years, there have been numerous references to precaution in various international treaties, statements of advocacy groups, and academic writings, but the significance of the principle in international law remains uncertain. The EIB considers the need for applying the precautionary principle when there is a risk that a project may cause significant and irreversible damage to the environment. In such cases, measures should be taken by the promoter to avoid in the first place and if a feasible alternative is not available to reduce that risk to an acceptable degree. Assess the actions that need to be taken by organisations to maintain the environment. Pollution of the aquatic environment occurs from many different sources including from oil refineries. Oil refinery effluents contain many different chemicals at different concentrations including ammonia, sulphides, phenol and hydrocarbons. The exact composition cannot however be generalised as it depends on the refinery and which units are in operation at any specific time. It is therefore difficult to predict what effects the effluent may have on the environment. Toxicity tests have shown that most refinery effluents are toxic but to varying extents. Some species are more sensitive and the toxicity may vary throughout the life cycle. Sublethal tests have found that not only can the effluents be lethal but also they can often have sublethal effects on growth and reproduction. Field studies have shown that oil refinery effluents often have an impact on the fauna, which is usually restricted to the area close to the outfall. The extent of the effect is dependent on the effluent compo sition, the outfalls position and the state of the recipient environment. It is possible to detect two effects that oil refinery effluent has on the environment. Firstly it has a toxic effect close to the outfall, which is seen by the absence of all or most species. Secondly there is an enrichment effect which can be distinguished as a peak in the abundance or biomass. These effects are not limited to just oil refinery effluents, which make it difficult to distinguish the effects an oil refinery effluent has from other pollution sources. The discharge from oil refineries has reduced in quantity and toxicity over recent decades, allowing many impacted environments in estuaries and coasts to make a substantial recovery. Specify the measures that exist to improve workplace health and safety practices When oil refineries do not practice workplace safety, it can result in numerous problems. These problems can force a refinery to trim production or shut down completely. For example, dozens of oil refineries were shut down in 2007 due to fires, leaks, spills and power failures. Crude Oil Pre-treatment (Desalting) Fire Prevention and Protection: The potential exists for a fire due to a leak or release of crude oil from heaters in the crude desalting unit. Low boiling point components of crude may also be released if a leak occurs. Safety: Inadequate desalting can cause fouling of heater tubes and heat exchangers throughout the refinery. Fouling restricts product flow and heat transfer and leads to failures due to increased pressures and temperatures. Corrosion, which occurs due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride, naphthenic (organic) acids, and other contaminants in the crude oil, also causes equipment failure. Neutralized salts (ammonium chlorides and sulfides), when moistened by condensed water, can cause corrosion. Overpressuring the unit is another potential hazard that causes failures. Health: Because this is a closed process, there is little potential for exposure to crude oil unless a leak or release occurs. Where elevated operating temperatures are used when desalting sour crudes, hydrogen sulfide will be present. There is the possibility of exposure to ammonia, dry chemical demulsifiers, caustics, and/or acids during this operation. Safe work practices and/or the use of appropriate personal protective equipment may be needed for exposures to chemicals and other hazards such as heat, and during process sampling, inspection, maintenance, and turnaround activities. Depending on the crude feedstock and the treatment chemicals used, the wastewater will contain varying amounts of chlorides, sulfides, bicarbonates, ammonia, hydrocarbons, phenol, and suspended solids. If diatomaceous earth is used in filtration, exposures should be minimized or controlled. Diatomaceous earth can contain silica in very fine particle size, making this a potential respiratory hazard. Crude Oil Distillation (Fractionation) Fire Prevention and Protection: Even though these are closed processes, heaters and exchangers in the atmospheric and vacuum distillation units could provide a source of ignition, and the potential for a fire exists should a leak or release occur. Safety: An excursion in pressure, temperature, or liquid levels may occur if automatic control devices fail. Control of temperature, pressure, and reflux within operating parameters is needed to prevent thermal cracking within the distillation towers. Relief systems should be provided for overpressure and operations monitored to prevent crude from entering the reformer charge. The sections of the process susceptible to corrosion include (but may not be limited to) preheat exchanger (hydrogen chloride (HCl) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S)), preheat furnace and bottoms exchanger (H2S and sulfur compounds), atmospheric tower and vacuum furnace (H2S, sulfur compounds, and organic acids), vacuum tower (H2S and organic acids), and overhead (H2S, HCl, and water). Where sour crudes are processed, severe corrosion can occur in furnace tubing and in both atmospheric and vacuum towers where metal temperatures exceed 450 ° F. Wet H2S also will cause cracks in steel. When processing high-nitrogen crudes, nitrogen oxides can form in the flue gases of furnaces. Nitrogen oxides are corrosive to steel when cooled to low temperatures in the presence of water. Chemicals are used to control corrosion by hydrochloric acid produced in distillation units. Ammonia may be injected into the overhead stream prior to initial condensation and/or an alkaline solution may be carefully injected into the hot crude oil feed. If sufficient wash-water is not injected, deposits of ammonium chloride can form and cause serious corrosion. Crude feedstock may contain appreciable amounts of water in suspension which can separate during startup and, along with water remaining in the tower from steam purging, settle in the bottom of the tower. This water can be heated to the boiling point and create an instantaneous vaporization explosion upon contact with the oil in the unit. Health: Atmospheric and vacuum distillation are closed processes and exposures are expected to be minimal. When sour (high-sulfur) crudes are processed, there is potential for exposure to hydrogen sulfide in the preheat exchanger and furnace, tower flash zone and overhead system, vacuum furnace and tower, and bottoms exchanger. Hydrogen chloride may be present in the preheat exchanger, tower top zones, and overheads. Wastewater may contain water-soluble sulfides in high concentrations and other water-soluble compounds such as ammonia, chlorides, phenol, mercaptans, etc., depending upon the crude feedstock and the treatment chemicals. Safe work practices and/or the use of appropriate personal protective equipment may be needed for exposures to chemicals and other hazards such as heat and noise, and during sampling, inspection, maintenance, and turnaround activities. Solvent Extraction and Dewaxing Fire Prevention and Protection: Solvent treatment is essentially a closed process and, although operating pressures are relatively low, the potential exists for fire from a leak or spill contacting a source of ignition such as the drier or extraction heater. In solvent dewaxing, disruption of the vacuum will create a potential fire hazard by allowing air to enter the unit. Health: Because solvent extraction is a closed process, exposures are expected to be minimal under normal operating conditions. However, there is a potential for exposure to extraction solvents such as phenol, furfural, glycols, methyl ethyl ketone, amines, and other process chemicals. Safe work practices and/or the use of appropriate personal protective equipment may be needed for exposures to chemicals and other hazards such as noise and heat, and during repair, inspection, maintenance, and turnaround activities. Thermal Cracking Fire Protection and Prevention: Because thermal cracking is a closed process, the primary potential for fire is from leaks or releases of liquids, gases, or vapors reaching an ignition source such as a heater. The potential for fire is present in coking operations due to vapor or product leaks. Should coking temperatures get out of control, an exothermic reaction could occur within the coker. Safety: In thermal cracking when sour crudes are processed, corrosion can occur where metal temperatures are between 450 ° and 900 ° F. Above 900 ° F coke forms a protective layer on the metal. The furnace, soaking drums, lower part of the tower, and high-temperature exchangers are usually subject to corrosion. Hydrogen sulfide corrosion in coking can also occur when temperatures are not properly controlled above 900 ° F. Continuous thermal changes can lead to bulging and cracking of coke drum shells. In coking, temperature control must often be held within a 10 °-20 ° F range, as high temperatures will produce coke that is too hard to cut out of the drum. Conversely, temperatures that are too low will result in a high asphaltic-content slurry. Water or steam injection may be used to prevent buildup of coke in delayed coker furnace tubes. Water must be completely drained from the coker, so as not to cause an explosion upon recharging with hot coke. Provisions for alternate means of egress from the working platform on top of coke drums are important in the event of an emergency. Health: The potential exists for exposure to hazardous gases such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide, and trace polynuclear aromatics (PNAs) associated with coking operations. When coke is moved as a slurry, oxygen depletion may occur within confined spaces such as storage silos, since wet carbon will adsorb oxygen. Wastewater may be highly alkaline and contain oil, sulfides, ammonia, and/or phenol. The potential exists in the coking process for exposure to burns when handling hot coke or in the event of a steam-line leak, or from steam, hot water, hot coke, or hot slurry that may be expelled when opening cokers. Safe work practices and/or the use of appropriate personal protective equipment may be needed for exposures to chemicals and other hazards such as heat and noise, and during process sampling, inspection, maintenance, and turnaround activities. (Note: coke produced from petroleum is a different product from that generated in the steel-industry coking process.) Fire Prevention and Protection: The potential exists for a fire due to a leak or release of crude oil from heaters in the crude desalting unit. Low boiling point components of crude may also be released if a leak occurs. Safety: Inadequate desalting can cause fouling of heater tubes and heat exchangers throughout the refinery. Fouling restricts product flow and heat transfer and leads to failures due to increased pressures and temperatures. Corrosion, which occurs due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride, naphthenic (organic) acids, and other contaminants in the crude oil, also causes equipment failure. Neutralized salts (ammonium chlorides and sulfides), when moistened by condensed water, can cause corrosion. Overpressuring the unit is another potential hazard that causes failures. Health: Because this is a closed process, there is little potential for exposure to crude oil unless a leak or release occurs. Where elevated operating temperatures are used when desalting sour crudes, hydrogen sulfide will be present. There is the possibility of exposure to ammonia, dry chemical demulsifiers, caustics, and/or acids during this operation. Safe work practices and/or the use of appropriate personal protective equipment may be needed for exposures to chemicals and other hazards such as heat, and during process sampling, inspection, maintenance, and turnaround activities. Depending on the crude feedstock and the treatment chemicals used, the wastewater will contain varying amounts of chlorides, sulfides, bicarbonates, ammonia, hydrocarbons, phenol, and suspended solids. If diatomaceous earth is used in filtration, exposures should be minimized or controlled. Diatomaceous earth can contain silica in very fine particle size, making this a potential respiratory hazard. ( Word count :1300 ) Question 3 You have been appointed consultant to a pharmaceutical company in Mumbai that sources clinical trial contracts from abroad, especially the United States of America and western Europe. Because of its international operations, the work force of the company is also varied with employees from various countries around the world. You are asked to explore the issues that affect the companys operations in the current economic environment when implementing healthcare management practices. Analyse the responsibilities of organisations in improving work place health and safety. The following are recommended practical activities that executives can do at each stage of their personal journey to understanding the value of diversity. 1. Discovery. Executives must become aware of the need to view racial and ethnic diversity as a significant strategic issue. They should thoroughly read this timely study and review many of the excellent references outlined at the end of the study. 2. Assessment. Executives must determine where their organizations are on the road to capitalizing on racial and ethnic diversity. The Tables in the article present a series of best practices against which an organization can benchmark its responsiveness to diversity practices. Another useful exercise during the assessment stage would be to determine what data their organizations have access to regarding the diversity of the population of the community they serve, their organizations patient demographics, and their organizations workforce. A scarcer and more diverse workforce. As a result, healthcare organizations (HCOs) must develop policies and practices aimed at recruiting, retaining, and managing a diverse workforce and must meet the demands of a more diverse patient population by providing culturally appropriate care and improving access to care for racial/ethnic minorities. Ultimately, the goal of managing diversity is to enhance workforce and customer satisfaction, to improve communication among members of the workforce, and to further improve organizational performance. Research on diversity management practices in HCOs is scarce, providing few guidelines for practitioners. This study attempted to close that gap. Results show that hospitals in Pennsylvania have been relatively inactive with employing diversity management practices, and equal employment requirements are the main driver of diversity management policy. The number and scope of diversity management practices used were not influenced by organizational or market characteristics. The results suggest that hospitals need to adopt diversity management practices for their workforces and need to pay particular attention to marketing and service planning activities that meet the needs of a diverse patient population. Diversity has become a crucial subject in the field of management as organizations pay increased attention to major demographic shifts in the U.S. population. As of 1999, 28 percent of the U.S. population was a member of a racial or ethnic minority group, and it is projected that by 2030, 40 percent of the U.S. population will be members of a racial or ethnic minority group (U.S. Census Bureau 1999). These changes are resulting in an increasingly diverse labor pool and customer base. Policymakers are also being more attentive to racial/ethnic disparities in access to care and health status. While such disparities are well documented, relatively less is known about the underlying causes for the disparities. Researchers have examined financial barriers, racism and discrimination, and patient preferences as potential sources of these disparities (Williams and Rucker 2000). To respond to the demographic shifts of the workforce and patient population and address racial/ethnic disparities in access and outcomes of care, healthcare organizations (HCOs) will need to become culturally competent organizations. Cultural competency has been defined as an ongoing commitment or institutionalization of appropriate practice and policies for diverse populations (Brach and Fraser 2000). While cultural competence is the goal, diversity management is the process leading to culturally competent organizations. Diversity management is .a strategically driven process whose emphasis is on building skills and creating policies that will address the changing demographics of the workforce and patient populations (Svehla 1994). Diversity management and leadership practices are known to enhance workforce and customer satisfaction, to improve communication among members of the workforce, and to further improve organizational performance (Cox 1994; Dreachslin 1996). However, only some organizations choose to respond to workforce and customer demographics by initiating diversity management practices and becoming diversity leaders (Dreachslin 1999). Others resist, making only those changes necessary to comply with affirmative action guidelines. A recent survey on career attainment among healthcare executives across different races/ethnicities confirms that much improvement is still needed in the cultural and diversity climates of HCOs (De Anda et al. 1998). Research examining diversity management practices in HCOs is scarce. To date, only three prior studies have examined diversity management practices in HCOs-one using case study methodology (Muller and Haase 1994) and two others using survey methodology (Motwani, Hodge, and Crampton 1995; Wallace, Ermer, and Motshabi 1996). These studies have focused on human resources issues in diversity management. Each of the three studies found that relatively few hospitals had implemented diversity management programs even when hospitals considered diversity management an important organizational issue. Furthermore, Muller and Haase (1994) found that all hospitals in their study fitted the pluralistic profile in which they were not actively managing diversity but employing diversity management policies and programs that were primarily compliance-oriented strategies. Compare organisational approaches to ensuring positive policies of work place diversity. Cultural diversity in the workplace is not only the right thing to do, it is the expeditious thing to do. It ensures responsiveness and responsiveness is synonymous with survival. Diversity in the workplace is important because of its contribution to organization decisionmaking, effectiveness, and responsiveness. Those from diverse populations have experiences, insights, approaches, and values from which can come many different perspectives on and alternative approaches to problems, and knowledge about consequences of each alternative. From a leadership position (for example, an executive, managerial, and/or supervisory position), suggestions and recommendations of such alternatives and

Business Letter of Reference :: Business Reference Letters

October 11, 2014 2987 Strawberry Lane Suite 1555 Somewhere, ST 01234 To Whom It May Concern: RE: Customer Reference - Cool Arts Inc. I have been asked to write this letter of reference because our company will no longer be operating its printing plant that has served Cool Arts Inc. for more than two decades. Cool Arts has been one of our top customers for the past 22 years. Accordingly, I have no hesitation in recommending them as a company with which to do business. In addition to doing business with his company for many years, I have known the president and founder of Cool Arts, Pablo Picasso, for over 25 years. We were classmates and teammates at Somewhere University in the mid 1970s. Knowing him for so long I am quite comfortable in vouching for him as a great individual as well as a concerned and active citizen in this community. As far as a company to do business with, Cool Arts Inc. is one of the best that we have ever dealt with. Its practice has always been to pay our printing invoices within the 30-day time limit. We did significant amounts of business, especially during the past 8 years, and I cannot recall a late-payment situation involving the company. Billing disputes were rare, and those only required some minor additional documentation for clarification and resolution. Cool Arts was one of the best companies that I have ever dealt with from a change-order and work scheduling perspective. We maintained close communication with the company's production people and they always kept us apprised of their upcoming workload. Thus, scheduling jobs on our presses was never a problem.

John Updike :: essays research papers

â€Å"But for a few phrases from his letters and an odd line or two of his verse, the poet walks gagged through his own biography.† John Updike, for one of the most famous and creative poets in the world, has had a very normal life. His biography and life story as a person is not all too interesting besides the fact that it expresses his utter genius and complete intelligence in almost everything he has ever done and his determination to succeed in the tasks he sets before himself. For the man who has a quote for just about everything and an IQ above many, there is little to be said about the events in his own time, but it is an existence full of accomplishments. John Hoyer Updike was born on March 18, 1932 in Reading, Pennsylvania. He was son of Linda Grace (Hoyer) and Wesley Russell Updike and raised Presbyterian. In 1932 he began attending school at Shillington. John remained in school there from 1932 until 1950. In 1945, on Halloween day, he moved to an 80-acre farm in the country, near Plowville, Pennsylvania where his mother was born. It was eleven miles from Shillington. He stayed at the same school where his father was teaching junior and senior high school mathematics. In 1950 he graduated president and co-valedictorian of the senior class at Shillington High School. The next summer and the two following summers, he worked as a copy boy for the Reading Eagle, writing a few feature stories for money. In the fall he entered Harvard University on a tuition scholarship. He then began drawing and writing at the same time for a humorous magazine called the Harvard Lampoon. He was eventually elected president of the magazine. Shortly after this he received his major in English Literature. While enrolled in Harvard he met Mary E. Pennington, a fine arts major from Radcliffe, and on June 26, 1953 they decided to get married. In September of that same year, sadly, his close maternal grandfather, John F. Hoyer, died. John’s senior year he wrote a paper on Robert Herrick, the seventeenth-century English poet: "Non-Horatian Elements in Robert Herrick's Imitations and Echoes of Horace." He graduated in 1954 as summa cum laude from Harvard. In one of his most famous quotes he states, â€Å"Four years was enough of Harvard. I still had a lot to learn, but had been given the liberating notion that now I could teach myself.

Edgar Allen Poe Essay

Five Paragraph Essay Have you ever wondered about Edgar Allen Poe’s literary elements or themes? Read the stories called † The Tell-Tale Heart † , † The Cask of Amontillado â€Å", † Annabell Lee†, and † The Bells â€Å". Poe’s desired effects was to scare the audience from the story, Poe used a writing style called gothic horror. The first literary element seen by Poe was death. In the story of † The Cask Of Amontillado † the Fortunado suffocates . Another death occurs in the story of † The Tell-Tale Heart â€Å", when the narrator kills the old man in the middle of the night. The story called † The Bells† the mother died of a disease. Poe creates horror because the deaths in the stories are unexpected. The second literary element seen by Poe was obsession. † The Cask of Amontillado † the Montresor is obsessed with getting his revenge. In † The Tell-Tale Heart † the narrator is obsessed over the old man’s eye. The story of † Annabell Lee † he was obsessed with his wife. This creates horror because obsession is not a usual thing seen in other stories. The third literary element seen by Poe was insanity. The Tell-Tale Heart † the narrator goes insane over the old man’s eye. The story † The Bells â€Å", the people in the town grow insanity from bells chiming.

Case Vignettes in Acid-Base Balance Essay

A 14-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis has complained of an increased cough productive of green sputum over the last week. She also complained of being increasingly short of breath, and she is noticeably wheezing on physical examination. Arterial blood was drawn and sampled, revealing the following values: Questions: 1. How would you classify this girl’s acid-base status? 2. How does cystic fibrosis cause this acid-base imbalance? 3. How would the kidneys try to compensate for the girl’s acid-base imbalance? 4. List some other causes of this type of acid-base disturbance. Vignette #2: A 76-year-old man complained to his wife of severe sub-sternal chest pains that radiated down the inside of his left arm. Shortly afterward, he collapsed on the living room floor. Paramedics arriving at his house just minutes later found him unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse. CPR and electroconvulsive shock were required to start his heart beating again. Upon arrival at the Emergency Room, the man started to regain consciousness, complaining of severe shortness of breath (dyspnea) and continued chest pain. On physical examination, his vital signs were as follows: Systemic blood 85 mm Hg / 50 mm pressure Hg Heart rate 175 beats / minute Respiratory rate 32 breaths / minute Temperature 99.2o F His breathing was labored, his pulses were rapid and weak everywhere, and his skin was cold and clammy. An ECG was done, revealing significant â€Å"Q† waves in most of the leads. Blood testing revealed markedly elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels of cardiac muscle origin. Arterial blood was sampled and revealed the following: pH 7.22 pCO2 30 mm Hg pO2 70 mm Hg Hemoglobin – O2 saturation 88 % [HCO3-] 2 meq / liter Questions: 5. What is the diagnosis? What evidence supports your diagnosis? 6. How would you classify his acid-base status? What specifically caused this acidbase disturbance? 7. How has his body started to compensate for this acid-base disturbance? 8. List some other causes of this type of acid-base disturbance. Vignette #3: An elderly gentleman is in a coma after suffering a severe stroke. He is in the intensive care unit and has been placed on a ventilator. Arterial blood gas measurements from the patient reveal the following: pH 7.50 pCO2 30 mm Hg pO2 100 mm Hg Hemoglobin – O2 saturation 98% [HCO3-] 24 meq / liter Questions: 9. How would you classify this patient’s acid-base status? 10. How does this patient’s hyperventilation pattern raise the pH of the blood? 11. How might the kidneys respond to this acid-base disturbance? 12. List some other causes of this type of acid-base disturbance.

Causes And Effects Of Air Pollution

When air gets polluted with dust, smoke, motor vehicles, mills and factories etc. is called air pollution. We know that air is an important element of our environment. But it is a matter of great regret that it is being polluted day by day in different reasons. Causes of Air pollution:There are different kinds of reasons of air pollution. The causes of air pollution are described below.1. Using poison in agriculture: In agricultural sectors, farmers often use insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers etc. These get mixed with air and causes air pollution. Besides, Ammonia is a very common by product from agriculture related activities and is one of the most hazardous gases in the atmosphere. âž ¢ Air Pollution-Paragraph2. Burning of Fossil Fuels: Burning of fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and other factory combustibles is one the major causes of air pollution. Smoke emitting from vehicles like buses, trucks, jeeps, cars, trains, airplanes etc. causes air pollution.3. Industrial sm oke: In mills and factories, large amount of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and chemicals is emitted that causes air pollution. It is true that mills and factories can be found at every corner of the world that cause a huge amount of harmful gases that are the major causes of air pollution.4. Indoor activities: Different kinds of household activities like cleaning products, washing, painting etc. emit different kinds of toxic chemicals in the air and cause air pollution.Effects of Air pollution: There are different kinds of negative and harmful effects of air pollution. The effects of air pollution are described below.1. Global warming: Air pollution causes global warming in a great scale. With  increased temperatures world wide, increase in sea levels and melting of ice from colder regions and icebergs, displacement and loss of habitat have already signaled an impending disaster if actions for preservation and normalization aren't undertaken soon.2. Causes dise ases: The effects of Air pollution are very harmful for health. It causes different kinds of respiratory diseases like heart attack, Cancer, bronchitis etc. Every year millions of people of all over the world die due to direct or indirect effects of air pollution.3. Acid Rain:Acid raining is another effects of air pollution. Harmful gases like nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are released into the atmosphere during the burning of fossil fuels. When it rains, the water droplets combines with these air pollutants, becomes acidic and then falls on the ground in the form of acid rain. Acid rain can cause great damage to human, animals and crops.4. Depletion of Ozone layer:Air pollution depletes Ozone layer. Ozone exists in earth’s stratosphere and is responsible for protecting humans from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Earth’s ozone layer is depleting due to the presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. As ozone layer will go thin, it w ill emit harmful rays back on earth and can cause skin and eye related problems. UV rays also have the capability to affect crops.5. Harms to the wild life:Air pollution harms the wilderness. Humans and animals face a lot of devastating effects due to air pollution. Toxic chemicals present in the air can force wildlife species to move to new place and change their habitat. The toxic pollutants deposit over the surface of the water and can also affect sea animals.6. Depletion of Ozone layer:Air pollution depletes Ozone layer. Ozone exists in earth’s stratosphere and is responsible for protecting humans from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.  Earth’s ozone layer is depleting due to the presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. As ozone layer will go thin, it will emit harmful rays back on earth and can cause skin and eye related problems. UV rays also have the capability to affect crops.Conclusion:In the long run, it can be said that it is the right time to protect air pollution. To create a better place to live in for the human being and wilderness we have stop air pollution.

Ethics Essay Primark Essay

This essay shall look at the cost to human life and lifestyle through the demand of low cost clothing in the UK. This will be undertaken specifically looking at Primark and the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, observed as modern day slavery, having a â€Å"race to the bottom† characteristics, occurring as a consequence of globalisation. This essay will analyse differing ethical approaches including Virtue, Kantian and Utilitarian ethics. An overview of the findings will be given, using the Rana Plaza Factory in Bangladesh as a case study, along with an analysis of Primark’s supply chain. Bangaldesh has for many years has been used for outsourcing, attractive to western clothing companies supply chains due to low costs. Bangladeshi’s economy is almost entirely reliant upon these export sales (80%) in the cloth trade (Jacob, 2012). Given this, it is clear that the Rana Plaza disaster (2013) killing more than 1000 workers did not have only a local effect, but a global one, with it raising many questions. It has been attested that those who died, did so as a consequence of poor operations management. The disaster further served to highlight that conditions of many factories were poor and often illegal. Large fashion brands including Primark, were seemingly happy to ignore such factors, to continue to gain profit, observed by the lack of procedures in place to ensure that standards of health and safety were met. This alongside the knowledge that child labour was often used, has led to many questions regarding irresponsibility of western companies. Despite the cost of life in one of the major disasters (the Rana Plaza collapse) of the fashion industry, Primark has made huge profits (44 % higher than in 2012) highlighting that cost rather than ethics is at the forefront of the stakeholders. The race to the bottom characteristics1 of Bangladesh have facilitated giant western companies, cheaper labour and goods. Furthermore the lack of enforcement of the limited laws and regulations, along with the Bangladesh’s class system, to some extent has allowed large companies to exploit these loopholes, given that Bangladesh’s economy is dependent on the textile industry, worth one billion dollars in 1985 and now estimated to be worth over 20 billion dollars (Young, 2013). What has been debated is whether or companies such as Primark are ensuring, and not just assuming, that all in their supply change are acting ethically. The focus of this  study will be on Primark. Fast Fashion â€Å"That bastion of fast fashion, scorned and idolised by the British public – indeed, all of Europe† (Joy, et al., 2012). Fast fashion may be described as inexpensive clothing which mimics catwalk fashion trends, lasting only the trend, thus part of the throwaway culture leading to unsustainability. This is supported by Joy et al. (2012) who express that fashion trends run their course, with today’s styles outdoing yesterdays, with yesterday’s having already been relegated as trash (Joy, et al., 2012), this is Primark’s main business model offering competitive advantage and success. For example, fast fashion results in consumers having at least 30% of unworn clothing (worth  £30 million) with approximately  £140 million of used clothing going to landfill annually (WRAP, 2014). Changing trends have shown that in the 1900s, 15 % was spent on clothing in comparison to 2.8 % (2010), although a greater number of items were purchased with the onset of time, indicating that the majority of purchases were low-cost items. Packard (REF) refers to â€Å"consumerism† in negative way, highlighting the role of advertising in the creation of â€Å"consumption for consumption’s sake â€Å", which leads to mindless consumerism, whereby individuals are â€Å"more wasteful, imprudent, and carefree† in their habits. As a consequence natural resources are utilised unnecessarily at an alarming rate. Therefore indicating that all stakeholders of Primark, including consumers are participants of â€Å"mindless consumerism†. Stakeholder theory Initially, Milton Friedman’s stakeholder theory will be utilised, Friedman is known for his famous quote of â€Å"business of business is business†. He claims that there is one, and only one social responsibility of business, to use it resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits, so long as it stays within the rules of the game, therefore â€Å"engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud.† REF he furthers this by expressing what does it mean to say that â€Å"business† has responsibilities?, only people have responsibilities. As articulated by Friedman (1970), a corporation is an artificial person and in this sense may have artificial  responsibilities, but â€Å"business† as a whole cannot be said to have responsibilities, even in this vague sense’ .Milton. Ref â€Å"The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits.† New York Times Magazine, 13 September 1970. Identifying that Milton Friedman thinks that businesses should only look at the shareholders in the organisation, their priorities and needs. For instance, as with Primark low prices, to maximise profits for shareholders. Freeman Alternatively, Freeman contradicts Friedman’s theory through the stakeholder theory (Freeman, 1984). Freeman states that business will only maximize profit over the long-term, if it takes into account its social responsibilities Businesses that are seen to ignore the interests of the wider community and to fail to protect society’s welfare will pay in terms of damage to image and reputation. Although it is evident that Freeman’s theory did not hold, as despite the Rana Plaza disaster, and associated unethical practices, Primark has continued to be successful. As Freedman states Primark should not only look at their shareholders interest but should also proactively engage with stakeholders. Responsibilities of supply chains and due diligence Due diligence is the procedure by which companies monitor and review actions of a company, prior to signing a contract. Intrinsically this procedure is used to identify whether the â€Å"business partner† is working to a standard which complies with that required by the investor (Brown et al). Therefore identifying if a company is adhering to its own code of ethics, as they would have prior knowledge of the proposed outsourcer and their standards, allowing them to make an informed choice. This is undertaken by â€Å"best practice† of due diligence, in doing this Primark could obtain information that could be critically evaluated to ensure that their business partners in the supply chain are acting responsibly. Highlighting a lack of due diligence by Primark, in place at the time of the Rana Plaza disaster. Supply chain With the onset of globalisation, many difficulties as well as advantages have  arisen. One of the main difficulties associated with globalisation is the lack of visibility and transparency of the supply chain, which may lead to risk, as highlighted by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) who disclosed that within at least 11 % of UK business, it was highly probable that â€Å"modern slavery† exists within the supply chain. As emphasised by the Rana Plaza collapse, the problems of lack of visibility are inherent, due to extensive supply chains, with many of the associated problems as a consequence undisclosed to buyers. Researched by the CIPS states, ~72% of British supply chain professionals have no visibility of their supply chains beyond the second level with only 11% having complete visibility of the chain (Noble, 2014). It is not understood whether Primark was fully aware of the problems at the Rana Plaza factory, although they could still be considered at fault, due to ineffective checks and monitoring of subcontractors, highlighted by Panorama (date). Alternatively it could be assumed that Primark was indeed aware and was willing to take the risk, for profitability, at what cost? Irresponsible behaviour analysis Fast fashion underpins the entire fashion merchandising industry. Children and adults are used to produce such fashion items, primarily in underdeveloped countries including Bangladesh. These individuals work in very poor, and often dangerous conditions, earning very small amounts of money. In working, the young children are unable to access education. The workers have limited rights and are general thankful to be able to earn any amount of money whatsoever. Western society often views such circumstances as being exploitative and unethical. There are several theories of ethics which have differing viewpoints. These include a Utilitarian, Kantian and Virtue ethics. Utilitarian ethics relate to benefiting the majority of society, focussing not upon individuals but a collective whole. Many businesses utilise this approach as a basis to provide guidelines for ethical decision making for the greater good. The outcome is that the majority of stakeholders benefit. Utilitarianism looks to fi t well into a company’s business strategy, connecting ethical responsibility with business and society, in their focus of striving and justifying their approach as being for the greater good for the majority Gustafson, 2013).. Therefore  from a consequential (Utalitarian approach) perspective, whereby an act is deemed to be right or wrong, is judged using two principles. Initially determining the outcome, with the proviso that the greatest good for the greatest number of individuals is attained, limiting harm and maximising overall good (Hartman & DesJardins, 2011). Therefore from a consequentialist viewpoint Primark did not appropriately undertake a cost versus benefit analysis, by not accounting for their lenient attitude in respect of their suppliers. Knowledge of poor working and safety conditions were widely known prior to the collapse of the Rana Plaza (BBC News, 2013), indicating that Primark had no regard with respect to risk factors, that could be caused by the absence of due diligence. Therefore, Primark did not act ethically, from a consequentialist viewpoint, exploiting workers for financial gain and simultaneously failing to achieve â€Å"the greatest good† for the â€Å"greatest num bers†. However, if the example of workers at the Rana Plaza factory is considered, working on behalf of Primark, it may be seen that these stakeholders suffered at the hands of a Utilitarian approach. This is due to the main driver of Primark’s business being profitability, along with a demand for cheap clothing by UK consumers, therefore the greater good does not incorporate the workers in the factories, paid low wages to keep production costs down. Despite this, it may be argued that without work, those effectively excluded from Utilitarian ethics would be left in an even more difficult position, having no finances whatsoever. Since Capitalist societies in general dominate the fast fashion market, the actions of these corporations must be evaluated and the significance of their impact considered. Given that such corporations are driven primarily by profit, many may suggest that the lack of provision of education and improved living and working conditions, is indicative of the fact that company’s do not consider if their actions are moral or not. Instead they do what they want, without thought of the negative impacts, to drive their goal, in Primark’s case the provision of cheap fashionable clothing. This is a clear demonstration of a company taking a Utilitarian approach, marginalising the minority whilst providing for the majority. However, from a deontological viewpoint, whereby dutiful obligation plays the greatest role, in which regardless of consequence all individuals are expected to do â€Å"the right thing† , with these actions deemed to be ethical, only if they have the  possibility to become general law (Fisher et al., 2013). In order to be a part of society, there are accepted social norms and laws that individuals must follow (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2014). Primark (supposedly) partakes in the following of societal norms, clearly stated within their ethical guidelines (2011), where they explicitly state amongst other norms, that Primark will not tolerate either unsafe or unhygienic working environments? Despite the inclusion of these norms within their guidelines, their failure to adhere to them is clearly visible. Despite Primark’s duty to do the â€Å"right thing†, they did not, from a deontological ethics viewpoint. Had Primark acted ethically in a deontological way, consideration of workers well-being, happiness and other rights would have been considered. Likewise Kantian ethics (1785), have the expectation that individuals are able to distinguish right from wrong, based on an individual’s beliefs and moral, not via legal laws. It is clear that no individual would consider working 19 hour shifts for very low wages an acceptable scenario, and allowing individuals to do so in the factories of Bangladesh, brings into question Primark’s ethical judgement, or lack of, based on Kantian ethics. However Kantian ethics is seen as opposing Utilitarianism, its core values emphasise treating employees as individuals, having equal value. Furthering this, Kantian ethics incorporates within its ethos that employees should not be treated ‘as a means to an end’ (Driver, 2006) and that each should have individual rights, whilst not being viewed only as a source of labour (Smith and Dubbink, 2011). The Kantian approach involves the decision-maker being detached from personal motives when making a judgement (Smith and Dubbink, 2011). In this approach, no external factors are considered. However, due to the personal emphasis on profit in the current climate, companies are unable to detach themselves from the personal motive of profit and cannot adhere to Kantian ethics (Driver, 2006). Virtue ethics focus on personal characteristics and whether or not they acted in a virtuous manner when making a decision (Driver, 2006). â€Å"Justice and generosity† are often agreed to be such traits that are employed to pursue good practice (Audi, 2012). Paralleling this to a company, a company would be deemed virtuous, and therefore acting ethically, if their intention was  to achieve a caring environment and general positivity of employees, rather than maximising profits alone. Once again, Primark based on virtue ethics is not observed, acted with no regard to safety or well-being. Recent initiatives to improve due diligence in the supply chain have been undertaken as a consequence of the Rana Plaza disaster, however consequential actions do not follow the rules of virtue ethics, actions must be commonly practiced. Evaluation of ethical theories and Primark Adam Smith states that â€Å"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest†. (1776, Wealth of Nations PAGE NUMBER). He attests that in engaging in self-interest that individuals also bring about greater good for the society as a whole. Smith furthers this in expressing that should an invisible hand be guiding the economy, then competitive producers would produce goods required at the lowest cost, leading to a self-regulatory economy, a free market. There are limited regulations with regards to Health and Safety in particular, in Bangladesh in comparison to the UK. Had Health and Safety been at the level of UK standards, with workers not having been used as a means to an end, as described by Kant, it is unlikely that the Rana Plaza tragedy would have occurred. However, in respect of a Utilitarian approach and cost-base analysis, without cheap labour, working in poor conditions, the outcome would not have been as required and consumers would not obtain cheap fast fashion goods, nor would shareholders resultantly be rewarded as expected. In this respect as the greater good is generally attained, individuals in Bangaldesh have employment, shareholders have profits and consumers have the latest cheap fast fashion. Therefore it may be criticised that no moral/ethical behaviour is taken into consideration within Smith’s theory (Mill, n.d.). Based on Kant’s theory it may be argued that the above scenario is in fact unethical, as the workers’ rights are not taken into consideration and that they are viewed only as a means to an end (Bowie, 2002), prioritising productivity and therefore profits, whilst viewing the employee only as a form of labour. When comparing a Kantian viewpoint to that of an Utalitarian perspective, then the Kantian standpoint does not consider a situation to be unethical even if it is for the greater  good, as in the case of an Utalitarian approach. Furthermore any gains made by a company that are achieved through any activity which does not take an employee’s rights into consideration is regarded as unethical (Bowie, 2002). However, for some consumers ethical responsibility of a company may influence whether they purchase a product, which may af fect profitability and could also affect brand and brand image. Damage to a brand is often irreversible. However, in the case of Primark after the factory collapse, due to unsafe and unethical practices; for example workers were locked in, unable to escape, luckily this potentially disastrous impact on brand image, had in reality little impact. Initially there was uproar and disgust expressed by western society, although this negative and damaging event slowly faded from the press and media, and rapidly from the minds of the consumer. Therefore highlighting that western consumers, although horrified and shocked about the conditions, seem not to care and have no moral stance and may be described as egoethical. Egoethical characteristics include self-interest without consideration of the consequences of the demand for cheap goods. Given the recent increase in interest regarding business ethics, it may be deemed that having an â€Å"ethical† business can lead to competitive advantage, attracting business from â€Å"ethical† consumers. Although in reality this may be a tool, used solely for the purpose of increasing profits rather than benefiting employees (Schwartz, 2011). The power of business in today’s society along with the time individuals spend in employment, necessitates the need for an ethical environment ( Mishra & Crampton, 1998) . Primark’s response and actions to improve ethics Balch (2013) expresses that companies are ethically responsible to deal with problems when and wherever they are highlighted. Ruggies (2010) framework in respect of human rights and business advocates that if a ‘problem’ arises within the supply chain, the inclusion of this part of the supply chain must be considered in respect of a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to define whether inclusion is crucial. Should it be considered crucial, the company must seek to safeguard that ethical practices are improved, if not critical, an alternative should be sought. Primark based on a consequentialist perspective as mentioned earlier, plays a large role in  Bangladesh’s economy, by the employment of many workers as part of its supply chain, with this it may be argued that Primark is supporting a reduction in poverty rates. Additionally as described by Primark’s Ethical Trading (2013), 85% of its Bangladeshi workforce are female, offering oppor tunity and developing their independence. Consequently it may be argued that if Primark removed its outsourcing from Bangladesh elsewhere, this would be extremely detrimental, and would add to the high numbers already living below the national poverty line , 49.8 % in 2002 (ILO, 2009), highlighting that despite many ethical reservations Primark impacts the country and the people of Bangladesh in a positive way. From a deontological perspective, almost immediately after then Rana Plaza disaster Primark was seen to be improving, observed by Primark’s assessment of structural integrity of the factories and also via their joining the Accord on Fire and Building Safety (Bangladesh Accord, 2013). Furthermore Primark later terminated contracts with factories that were investigated and were considered at risk of collapse. Primark attests that there is due diligence throughout its supply chain which is undertaken irrespective of consequence. From a virtuous perspective Primark immediately acknowledged its responsibility and responded instantaneously to the catastrophe of the Rana Plaza collapse (providing financial and food aid to victims and their relatives), in comparison to other major fashion chains also using the factory (Primark, 2013). Primark’s actions were virtuous, in that not only did they support â€Å"their† workers (and relatives), they supported those employed by other fashion chains within the Rana Plaza factory. Additionally it may be seen tthat Primark is working towards provision of improved well-being and education via projects such as their Health Enables Returns (HERproject) for female employees (Primark, 2011), enabling employees to have a better standard of living. Furthermore Primark is working towards suppliers increasing wages to give employees a â€Å"living wage† and to improve working conditions (Siegle, 2013). Conclusion Having evaluated and analysed Primark’s responsibilities and ethical considerations regarding their contribution to the Rana Plaza disaster, primarily based on a lack of due diligence in the supply chain, using a wide  variety of ethical theories, that presented a variety of perspectives. These have highlighted that Primark’s ethical standards were deficient and questionable, however subsequently Primark has identified its poor practice and is working towards sustainability, via a variety of ethical considerations, improving overall standards for its employees in the supply chain, demonstrating positive CSR. Although to what extent Primark may achieve and sustain these goals in the future, whilst still focussing on profitability may be uncertain.