Life Course Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Life Course Development - Essay Example This essay will mainly focus on biological, psychological and social development ofMr.H. The main purpose of this essay is to test our different possibilities and focusing on self-development and how to balance our life and work. . This essay will show the use different types of data collection techniques observation, interaction and interviewing, that were used to support this case study. Selection of the Participant The client has been selected on the basis of age, physical, social and biological factors. As I was studying a young adult so the participant was perfect for my case study. He also seemed to be in good physical health and in my initial observations he seemed to be having a thriving social life. I wanted to inquire the details behind the individual and thus selected him for the case study. Interviewing and Interaction Processes The first part of the interaction with the client was the informal interactions. These informal interactions took place whenever he came to visit my workplace. These informal interactions were prepared by me well in advance .I wanted to know him well before telling the purpose of my study. Some of the observations made by me during these informal interactions have been included by me in the appendix A. These reports were later shared with the client and he has given his permission to use the data even though the study was conducted without his knowledge. This was done in order to ensure that he does not become conscious and answers to my questions freely and without any prejudice. After informing him about my course objectives, an interview was fixed with him at his workplace. I reached the workplace two hours before the interview. This was done by me to finish the naturalistic observations before the interview. I also arranged a second interview with him at his home to differentiate between his behavior at work place and home. So the interview in the case was preceded by naturalistic observation which allowed me a chance to compare the two. Results of the naturalistic observations are provided in appendix B. The results of the interview have been provided by me in appendix C. Socio demographic Background Mr. is a 21 year young adult. He is currently pursuing Bachelor of Engineering from Edith Cowan University. He is an international student, he lives with her sister. He works at in a supermarket as checkout supervisor. Mr. is an Indian male. His height is 173 cm and weight in kg: 80. Therefore, his BMI is 26.7. The client comes from a middle class family. His family consists of four members and has one sibling. He and his sister, who is 18 years old, live by themselves in Australia. His parents are in India and he communicates with them once a week. His both parents are well settled and are educated. They are with each other since 35 years. The client’s father is a businessman and mother is a house-wife, while his sister just finished the school and starting her tertiary education next year. He is single but has girlfriend from his country. The neighbors are not much interactive as they are busy with their own work and life. Biological Development The Biological growth of the participant is observed to be normal. His birth weight was 3 kg while the gestational age at birth was 38 weeks. During his birth, no complications were

Human Resource Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Resource Management - Assignment Example According to Russell and Taylor (2006, p. 324), â€Å"Managing diversity is the process of creating and a work environment in which all employees can contribute to their full potential in order to achieve a company’s goals.† Diversity management is said to have originated in the United States with the Civil Rights Act, 1964 promoting equal employment opportunities (Mor-Barak, 2005). Realization of importance of diversity management through policies and legislation is a more recent affair in most of the countries. The main prerequisites of diversity management are equal rights legislation and affirmative/positive action policies in order to create social, legal and organisational environment conducive for diversity management (Mor-Barak, 2005; Russell & Taylor, 2006). Exemplified by IKEA in true sense, this concept reflects in their vision, ‘To create a better everyday life the many people.’ And, these people include employees, customer, as well as the community (Regani, 2008; p.707). Various initiatives supporting life balance and diversity were incorporated into the human resource management practices and were customized according to the needs of its employees and the organisation. For example, ‘flexibility’ as one initiative was adopted in allowing employees to choose their holiday schedule against the traditional standard holidays for all employees. Secondly, the initiative, ‘Paddle Your Own Canoe,† was employed as an employee self-assessment tool that helped the employees, with assistance from managers, to decide what kind of personal development and skills were required for them to perform well or grow to the next level. These efforts were meant to reinforce employee motivation and morale through manage ments’ decisions and practices. Kosek and Lobel’s model (1996) of diversity management approach employs diversity enlargement, diversity sensitivity, cultural audit and strategies for achieving organisational outcomes provide a

Analysis of UK Adoption Law

Analysis of UK Adoption Law â€Å"Critically analyse the law relating to adoption.† Adoption in this jurisdiction is â€Å"entirely the creature of statute†[1]. It was introduced by the Adoption of Children Act 1926 and is currently regulated by the Adoption and Children Act 2002 (replacing the outdated Adoption Act 1976) which after a lengthy period of gestation and passage through Parliament received Royal Assent on 7th November 2002. While the basic principle of adoption endures (â€Å"the legal process whereby a court irrevocably extinguishes the legal ties between a child and the natural parents or guardians and creates analogous ties between the child and the adopters†[2]) the character of adoption has changed from being predominantly a mechanism for the care of orphans and the abandoned. Contraception, abortion and the reduction of the stigma of single parenthood has given rise to the contemporary situation in which there are relatively few â€Å"unwanted† babies and adoption is most frequently a means of relocating children who are at risk or otherwise disadvantaged by their circumstances. Adoption may therefore now be regarded as a species of social engineering. The law has developed to meet the challenges of this new role. In 2000, the Prime Minister declared the Government’s commitment to modernising adoption and commissioned a report from the Performance and Innovation Unit[3]. This led to a White Paper[4] and the current legislation. The 2002 Act toughens emphasis upon the welfare of the child. Whereas s.6 of the Adoption Act 1976 required that â€Å"first consideration† be given to the need to safeguard and promote welfare during childhood, s.1 of the 2002 Act provides: â€Å"[W]henever a court or adoption agency is coming to a decision relating to the adoption of a child the paramount [emphasis supplied] consideration†¦must be the child’s welfare, throughout his life.† The Performance and Innovation Unit (Op. Cit., Executive Summary, para.6) highlighted the concern that â€Å"the lack of adopters is a key constraint in achieving an increase in the number of adoptions and it is clear that more people with the right skills need to be encouraged and supported†. Controversially, this has led to the ability of unmarried couples to adopt. A similar acknowledgement of the changing social landscape is found in the manner in which modern legislation addresses transnational adoptions. The â€Å"shortage of babies† and legitimate compassion for the plight of children in poor or repressive regimes had led to a dramatic increase in adoptions of children from overseas giving rise to concerns that â€Å"baby-trafficking† and even sales of infants were occurring resulting in inappropriate placements. Accordingly, the Adoption of Children from Overseas Regulations 2000 introduced a strict control framework under which local authorities must be notified of the entry of such a child into the country within a prescribed period. The child remains the subject of a private foster placement and thus under the supervision and control of the local authority with the latter under a duty to investigate and report to the court prior to the granting of an adoption order. Another step-change in the development of adoption law is to be found in the contemporary approach to the maintenance of contact with birth families. Historically, adoption had been a secretive process involving the total severance of contact with natural parents. While the right of the child to obtain knowledge of his natural parents and even, in due course, seek contact has long been recognised, there has been a signal lack of a countervailing right on the part of such parents. Recent studies have recognised the legitimate need of parents to know that the adoption to which they consented was successful[5]. Accordingly, it is now established that adoption plans should include arrangements for maintaining links with birth families where appropriate[6]. Nonetheless, a tension remains: although courts are empowered when making an adoption order to make a contact order under s.8 of the Children Act 1989, this never occurs in practice where there is resistance from the adoptive parents. Essentially, therefore, the continuation of contact remains in the gift of the adoptive parents. Similarly, a more relaxed approach is taken to the issue of adoption by relatives. Traditionally, this had been opposed on the grounds that family relationships might become distorted and it was considered that a residence order would always be the better alternative. However, s.1(6) of the 2002 Act now requires adoption to be the better option and controls are introduced equivalent to those to which â€Å"strangers† are subject. The 2002 legislation has also further developed the principle of â€Å"freeing† for adoption. This means of eliminating distressing contests with birth parents was first enacted by s.14 of the Children Act 1975 but not in fact implemented until 1984. The 2002 Act abolishes the previous freeing regime and empowers agencies to place children for adoption with parental consent. It is now possible for effective consent to adoption to be given at an early stage and a court is now longer required to approve such consent before an adoption order is made. The role of agencies in this process is enhanced. The effect of consent to placement for adoption is analogous to the making of a care order: parental responsibility is not extinguished but its exercised can be controlled by the agency. The emphasis of the new regime is upon ensuring that agencies diligently carry out their duty of appropriately matching the child and establishing with care that adoption is the subject of an independ ent and fully informed decision by the birth parent. A corollary of this is that consent to placement and adoption must now be witnessed by a CAFCASS officer (s.104). In parallel with the development of adoption law is the use and consequent regulation of surrogacy as a means of alleviating the consequences of infertility. Profit-making arrangements for both surrogacy and adoption are illegal. Adoption law has a part to play in that the commissioning parents can only acquire the legal status of parent by a court order analogous to those made in adoptions or indeed by adoption itself. It appears inevitable that adoption law will further develop to encompass surrogacy: there is a particular need to regulate agencies in the latter field in the manner that adoption agencies are currently controlled. Thus adoption law, while â€Å"a creature of statute† is a living and constantly evolving being, ever adapting to the changing social circumstances and mores of the times. Bibliography Adoption: a new approach, (2000), Cm. 5017 Cretney, S., Masson, J. Bailey-Harris, R., Principles of Family Law, (7th Ed., 2003) Hale, B., Pearl, D., Cooke, E., Bates, P., The Family, Law and Society, Cases Materials (5th Ed., 2002) Howe, D. Feast, J., Adoption, Search and Reunion (2000) Performance and Innovation Unit, Prime Minister’s review of Adoption, July 2000, www. number-10.gov.uk/su/adoption www.dfes.gov.uk/adoption www.hmso.gov.uk 1 Footnotes [1] Cretney, S., Masson, J. Bailey-Harris, R., Principles of Family Law, (7th Ed., 2003), 23-001 [2] Ibid., p.791 [3] Performance and Innovation Unit, Prime Minister’s review of Adoption, July 2000, www. number-10.gov.uk/su/adoption [4] Adoption: a new approach, (2000), Cm. 5017 [5] Howe, D. Feast, J., Adoption, Search and Reunion (2000) [6] Adoption Standards (2001) Standard A11, C4, D7

Vegetarianism Essay -- Healthy Lifestyle Essay

â€Å"Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.† stated Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, 460-377 BC (Silverstone 15). Every American should live by this quote, but things have drastically changed since Hippocrates voiced that divine statement . Nowadays peoples personification of health has nothing to do with what we consume on an everyday basis. Our generation, most certainly will drive straight to McDonalds’s for a Big Mac without hesitation of the harm it is doing to your body. Education of health is essential; people need to learn what they are eating and how it will affect them in the long run. Due to mega rich corporations and institutions, they are keeping all of us in this denial because of pouring millions of dollars into efforts to keep us from knowing what is truly going on (Silverstone 16). Whether it’s to help reduce your risk of diseases, or purely to attain better health, leaving farmed animals entirely out of your diet is an effortless decision with life-long benefits. Plant-based diets will strengthen your immune system, beautify your skin, increase your energy, and reduce risk of various diseases (Silverstone 1). Being vegetarian is a step in the right direction by protecting your health, animals, and the environment. As a human being, by nature are we meant to be meat-eaters? Giehl et al. argues that â€Å"It has been discovered that the diet of any animal in its natural state fits to its anatomical structure and established body functions. With attentive analysis, it is evident that humans are not naturally suited to a diet which includes flesh.† For example, when you look at meat animals such as wolfs, lions, hyenas, etc their fang teeth are built to rip flesh and devour meat. It would be vir... ... only do I feel fitter on daily basis, my body hasn't been seriously sick since being vegetarian. I actually was convinced to finally give up meat after reading the book â€Å"The Kind Diet† by Alicia Silverstone. I have never been fond of killing animals but once educating myself I knew I could never go back to consuming meat. Being healthy, protecting animals, and saving the environment are the key reasons to become a vegetarian. Adapting to a vegetarian lifestyle will benefit you in several ways and contribute to making our society more livable. Your making a difference, and taking a stand for what you believe in. There are plenty of appetizing recipes for a vegetarian, you will never lack from inefficient amount of food. If you choose to eat meat or not, taking vegetarianism into consideration can only feed your body with nutrients and elongate your delicate life.

Nature of childhood Essay

There are many aspects of early years practice which have their origins in the past and which reflect particular ideas about the nature of childhood. It can be argued that it is important to identify these aspects so as to understand current interpretations of early years practice. Discuss with reference to the philosophies of two key historical figures. Current early years practices such as play, a stimulating environment, the role of the practitioner, and recognising the child’s parents as playing a key role in their education originate from theories that were made in the past. The following pages will outline the influential ideas of Friedrich Froebel and Dr. Maria Montessori and discuss them in relation to the current ideas relating to the above topics. Before the nineteenth century, childhood was not seen as a stage of life separate from adulthood. Instead, the concept of childhood was regarded as an immature form of adulthood (Wood, E. 1996) children were regarded as being naturally evil and so education was not prioritised. Most children learnt the values of life through labouring alongside adults. Into the nineteenth century, and with the concept of original sin dropped, three different views of childhood and education arose. The nativist view is the view that children are born with a pre-programmed development pathway. The empiricist view believes that each child is an empty vessel waiting to be filled, and the interactionist view recognises that children do have pre-programmed ideas whilst understanding the influence that the child’s socio-cultural surrounding has on his education. (Bruce, T. 1997) At the moment, the interactionist view is the most popular method of educating children (Ibid) and professionals regard both Friedrich Froebel and Maria Montessori as interactionists. However, both approached the development of childhood from a very different angle. Friedrich Froebel believed that The human being is born for research; and he is to practice it even as a child (Anonymous, 2000,p1) He assumed that children have to investigate the inner properties of things in order to discover hidden influences and causes. Froebel also considered children as being naturally good suggesting that this goodness could be harnessed and fostered through nurture care and education. (ibid) and so developed a special environment where children could grow and learn. This he called his Kindergarten or garden for the children. Froebel also considered the spiritual, physical, feeling and intellectual aspects of a child as a whole and believed that within his special environment (which will be discussed further on) allowing children free playful, conversational experiences would build and shape all of a child’s senses. Like Froebel, Dr. Montessori believe that the best way to educate a child was to design a method that would track the natural physiological and physical development of the child and allow touch, movement and freedom to aid the child to learn. (Montessori, 1964). Maria Montessori however did not regard her method of education as instigating play claiming; If I were persuaded that children need to play, I would provide a proper apparatus, but I am not so persuaded. (Ibid) The Dr. claimed that a child’s mind was most absorbent between the ages of 0-6 years, and that children learn best through movement and senses although this should not be regarded as play. She also viewed the child as a whole however, in contrast to Froebel’s theories, she believed that each sense should be isolated and developed separately. To achieve this Montessori developed thematic activities based on real life experiences, and allowed her children to work individually or as part of a group. Again, a special environment was set up where children could move about freely and pick and plan there own method of self education using apparatus that could only be utilised one way.

Go and Catch a Falling Star

The poem â€Å"Song: Go and catch a falling star† was written by the cherished poet, John Donne. In this satirical poem, through a series of images, he conveys his belief on the faithfulness, or rather the unfaithfulness of women.Donne’s use of diction, allusion, imagery, sound effects, and tone create a unique richness in the language of the poem, which make it enjoyable to read. The denotations and connotations of this poem create more depth and richness. In line 5, the word â€Å"mermaid† denotes a beautiful, mythical creature. The first connotation that comes to mind is the myth because mermaids are usually thought to be fictional.This goes along with Donne’s message because he believes that finding a woman so perfect is impossible. The other connotation of the term â€Å"mermaids† is more negative because they can also connote death. Mermaids have been used in other literature to lead someone, usually men, to their downfall and death due to the ir initial innocent and alluring appearance. This connotation of mermaids goes along with Donne’s theme because the line where he hears â€Å"mermaids singing† is representing of the beauty of women luring men in false hope.Other instances of the multiple connotations are in lines 3 and 4 with â€Å"a mandrake root† and â€Å"the devil’s foot†. Both a mandrake root and a devil’s foot are mythical plants. A mandrake is a plant that, when pulled out of the ground, lets out a piercing scream that can kill someone if heard. A devil’s foot is a plant that, when powdered and lit on fire, creates a noxious smoke that can kill someone if inhaled. One connotation of these is that they have very unrealistic properties, which is similar to Donne’s belief that faithfulness is unheard of in females.The line when â€Å"get with child a mandrake root† is stated is an obvious example of an impossible task, like Donne’s belief of finding a perfect woman. A connotation of a devil’s foot is satanic because it could be thought of a part of the devil. This can be interpreted so that a woman is like the devil, a true being and bringer of evil. Another connotation of the mandrake root is sexual because the root is known to be used to help with fertility; this word is often linked with women.Also, mandrake root can appear to look like a deformed human figure, which could represent the innocent plant when the root is buried; however, once it is brought up from the ground, one can see the true appearance, which is unappealing and ugly.Allusion is very prominent in Donne’s poem. In the first stanza, there are two allusions. The first allusion is the mermaids. The mermaids mentioned in the poem allude to the Odyssey. In the Odyssey, there were mermaids sitting near a dark cave, and their voices were beautiful and alluring. When ships would sail by the cave, the sailors would hear their voices.Some crew me mbers would jump off the ship and would either drown or get pulled down by the mermaids. John Donne used the phrase â€Å"mermaids singing† to allude to Homer’s mermaids in the Odyssey because he believed that no woman had good intentions, no matter how beautiful they were.The next allusion is the mandrake root. Although a mandrake root is a real plant, it is also often used in myths that involve magic and wiccans. In the play Mandragola by Machiavelli, the mandrake root was used to create a potion. This potion was used to trick and to take advantage of a person in bed.This can be related to John Donne’s poem because he felt that women were unfaithful and would do anything to get what they want. Another allusion of the mandrake is to numerous of Shakespeare’s plays, which use the mandrake root as well. In Antony and Cleopatra, the line â€Å"Give me to drink mandragora that I might sleep out this great gap of time† and in Othello, the line â€Å"N ot poppy, nor mandragora, nor all the drowsy syrups in the world, shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep† alludes to the mandrake roots’ magical properties of making someone drowsy or bringing them to an eternal sleep.The connotation of the mandrake root where it is deadly alludes to the line in Romeo and Juliet, â€Å"Shrieks like mandrakes’ torn out of the earth† and in King Henry VI, the line â€Å"Would curses kill, as doth a mandrakes’ groan. † The imagery in the poem is used to explain how impossible it is to find a faithful woman and to over exaggerate finding this kind of lady. The mandrake root, devil’s foot, and mermaid are obvious examples of impossibility. The title of the poem, â€Å"Go and catch a falling star† is another example of something that is thought of as unfeasible and almost magical.The lines â€Å"Ride ten thousand days and nights, Till age snow white hairs on thee† are used as a hyperbole. Donne uses these lines as an exaggeration to explain that it does not matter how long a man searches for an honest woman because even if he looks for one for a thousand days and nights, he will never find one. Another use of a hyperbole is in the lines â€Å"Go and catch a falling star, Though she were true, when you met her, Yet she will be false†. Donne used these lines to overstate that every woman, although innocent at one time, will become corrupted.The sound effects used in the poem include assonance, alliteration, and rhyming scheme. In the phrase â€Å"Go and catch a falling star†, there is a repeated ‘a’ sound that is an example of assonance. The alliteration is heard in the line â€Å"If thou be’st born to strange sights† with ‘b’ and ‘s’. There is also a rhyming pattern throughout the entire poem, where the first and third lines rhyme, the second and fourth lines rhyme, the fifth and sixth lines rhyme, an d the last three lines of each stanza rhyme. These auditory devices are used to keep the readers’ attention and in order to make the overall poem to sound more flowing and lyrical.

Campus Safety essays

Campus Safety essays Do you know how to remain safe on campus? There has been a rise in campus crime over the years due the increased dorm population, according to Maj. Susan Norred, assistant director of safety and security for the University Police Department. Norred, a police officer for approximately 17 years, has primary concern for students that walk or jog alone at night. She has served in her current position for two years. Whenever a person is out alone at night, they are providing an opportunity for an assault or a robbery, she said. A person increases their vulnerability by wearing a headset while they are walking or jogging, she said. To prevent themselves from being a target for criminals, both female and male students should use the buddy system. They also should let someone know where they are going and when they can be expected to return. Another serious safety issue that has been brought to Norreds attention deals with campus parking. Students will often be spotted returning to their cars after class and they will be offered a ride to their car so that the other person can have their parking space. This practice is a very, very dangerous practice for students to participate in and a person should never, under any circumstance, accept a ride from a stranger, she said. You never know who you are getting in the car with, Norred said. Meeting new people and trusting them very quickly is another personal safety issue that Norred addressed. Learn to build up trust before you actually entrust your life with them, she said. She advises meeting new people in a group setting, preferably with a good friend. Have your own transportation so that you do not have to rely on that person to take you back home, she said. Theft is also a personal safety issue at UF. Bicycles are the most commonly stolen item and they account for 40 percent of all thefts, Norred said. ...

Avatar Film Review Essay Example

Avatar Film Review Essay Example Avatar Film Review Essay Example Avatar Film Review Essay Example Avatar is a fictional film produced in America in 2009 by James Cameron and starring Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Michelle Rodriguez, Stephen Lang, and Sigourney Weaver (French, 2010). It is about the human colonization of Pandora, a fictional land in the star system inhabited by ape-like beings called Navi. The environment of the place is not suitable for human life, and the interest of the colonialists was only mining mineral deposits of unobtanium. The film is significant as it depicts things that happen in the real human societies such as the scramble for Africa by the European powers that implied the invasion, occupation, colonization, and annexation of territories (Chamberlain, 2014). Avatar thus reflects on the real life situations in a number of ways. The Comparison of the Fictional Treatment of Na’vi to Real Life Cases The native inhabitants of Pandora lived in a wilderness setting, and they coexisted with their ecosystem that included a dense forest (Horwitz, 2009). The colonialists from the Earth land there with the interests of mining the unobtanium minerals, and this threatens the forest as well as the indigenous population. Just like in the film, the European powers such as Britain, Portugal, Spain, and France among others invaded Africa and destroyed forests to pave the way for mining of minerals such as copper, construction of roads and farming among other uses (Shillington, 2005). In Avatar, the colonizers send spies to gather information about the Hometree, a sacred place where the Na’vis used to pray, after discovering the possibility of the presence of mineral deposits under the tree. They later send a bulldozer to destroy the shrine and pave the way for mining (Cameron, 2010). The European colonial masters also destroyed African forests and shrines in a bid to exploit the resources of their interest (Chamberlain, 2014). The humans forcefully evict the Navis from their lands doing this is through bloodshed that led to deaths of the locals and some of their leaders. They also disregard the Navis deity by destroying the shrines and trying to change their wilderness culture and life (Cameron, 2010). However, the Navis begin to resists the human oppression, and they wage rebellions that lead to the expulsion of people from Pandora. In Africa, the European colonial masters forcefully ejected native inhabitants from their lands and confined them in reserves. They also disregarded the native religion and tried to introduce Christianity (Shillington 2005). In the film, the humans had no intentions of settlement and thus they were just interested in destroying the forests and mining the unobtanium minerals (Cameron, 2010). European colonialists in Africa, in their turn, had the intentions of displacing the natives and settling on their lands for large scale farming. These distinctions clearly differentiate the interests of the invading parties in both instances. On the one hand, in Avatar, the invasion of Pandora was purely economic because the human had the interests of mining the unobtanium minerals (Cameron, 2010). The European invasion of Africa, on the other hand, was a combination of both the economic and political purposes. Apart from mining and farming, the powers were interested in establishing the direct rule, annexing territories, and obtaining fighters to support their armies during the world wars (Chamberlain, 2010). The invasion also fuelled slave trade that saw the capturing and transportation of Africans to foreign continents as slave workers. Security Contractors Security contractors work under the incentive of making profit, and they have no moral obligation to the civilians. Due to the greed for money, they tend to promote a culture of violence as opposed to the official government militaries that work to promote peace, and they have a duty of serving the nationals in their given jurisdiction (Gomez del Prado, 2008). Unlike the military officers, private security guards work under little or no oversight and thus they tend to violate the rights of the civilians to maximize their profit gains. It was very unethical for the guards in the Avatar film to open fire on Jake and Grace, and that shows how the private officers disregard the lives of their comrades (Cameron, 2010). The private guards also tend to use excessive force against non-combatants, and this may involve indiscriminative shootings. For instance, in the Avatar film, the Resource Development authority’s private security officers killed the non-combatant Na’vis in a b id to expel them from their shrines (Cameron, 2010). Military officers, in their turn, work under regulations and thus they rarely violate the rights of civilians due to strict oversight (Gomez del Prado, 2008). Private security guards, on the one hand, operate using unidentified vehicles, and this makes it easy for them to engage in misconduct. On the other hand, the military has branded vehicles that are easy to be identified (Gomez del Prado, 2008). The governments of various jurisdictions need to regulate the private security firms to prevent them from engaging in crime as well as violating the rights of civilians in their areas of assignments (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2014). There is the need for oversight to hold the officers accountable for their actions and this could assist in taming them. Regulations are also necessary to limit the number of private security companies because their aim is not serving the public but to maximize their profits while disregarding the civilian rights (Gomez del Prado, 2008). According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2014), regulations are inevitable to prevent the possibility of corruption amongst the private security officers as well as their companies. Cameron’s Message on Environmental Sustainability and Corporate Greed Cameron uses the film to blame business organizations for the wanton destruction of the environment as well as the depletion of natural resources. He demonstrates a scenario in 2154 when there is an energy problem due to the exhaustion of natural resources, and this might compel the scientist to try other options, for instance, the metaphor of human beings mining unobtanium in the Pandora space that is beyond the planet earth (Horwitz, 2009). The resistance by the natives as well as the final expulsion of the human from the planet shows that most options in the projected time will not be fruitful, and this might lead to the collapse of all industries. The film is, therefore, an eye opener to corporations to be mindful of the future when they exploit the natural resources. In the movie, the invasion and the attempts to mine unobtanium on the Pandora planet threaten the forests and the lives of the natives and thus the indigenous population resists the move (Horwitz, 2009). Cameron tries to explain that the greed for resources diminishes people and has the potential to lead the investors outside the planet of Earth. The fictitious conflict between the Resources Development Authority and the Pandora is an imagery of what happens to business organizations and their host communities. In extreme situations, people directly attack the businesses or launch demonstrations against the same organizations to expel them from their land. Cameron also intended to pass the message that corporations should respect the culture of the natives of their areas of operation. The Resources Development Authority destroys the Pandora forests that houses the Na’vis shrines and this is a total disregard of the hosts’ culture, religion and their deity (Horwitz, 2009). The result is the rebellion war that leads to mysterious intervention of wild animals for the Navis, and this forces the human beings out of Pandora. This fictitious image shows that organizations must respect the hosts’ culture for them to succeed in that setting. Cameron also indirectly speaks about the corporate social responsibility that entails organizational acts of giving back to the societies in their vicinities as a sign of appreciation for their accommodating nature. The Resources Development Authority’s (RDA) action of clearing forests and destroying shrines in Pandora as well as killing the locals represents how the modern business organizations harm the host communities in various ways such as destruction of the environment and the indirect killing of people through air and water pollution among others. Just like the RDAs expulsion from Pandora, every modern industry that disregards the welfare of the host population is doomed to fail. Cameron tries to pass the message that corporate firms are to be blamed for the environmental deterioration as well as the depletion of natural resources. He visualizes an energy problem in 2154 where industries will have all the resources exhausted. He strengthens his argument through the fictitious Pandora example whereby the RDA mining activities threaten the lives of the natives as well as their eco-system. Cameron portrays the arrogance of such organizations through the RDA’s act of using force against the hosts and destroying their shrines. His message is that organizations must reverse the energy use trend as well as the exploitation of the non-fuel resources to save them for the future use. In conclusion, Avatar is a fiction film but it depicts the immorality that takes place in the real life situations. For instance, the RDAs greed of mining unobtanium in the Pandora in disregard of the environment and the welfare of the natives represent what modern industries do. The unprofessional behaviour of the security guards in the film is a replica of how modern security guards operate. Avatar bears a warning to the industrialists to take care of the host communities as well as their environment as otherwise, sooner or later, their businesses will collapse.

Challenges to the Apparel Industry in Sri Lanka

Challenges to the Apparel Industry in Sri Lanka Apparel Industry of Sri Lanka â€Å"Garments Without Guilt† 1.0 Objectives of the Assignment Study and analyze a Sri Lankan export oriented apparel industry in order to Identify the nature and the challenges faced by the apparel industry. Identify the domestic and international policies in relation to the apparel industry Make recommendations based on the future trends for the sustenance of the industry. 2.0 The Apparel Industry of Sri Lanka at a Glance Figure 1: Fashion Garments from Srilanka Source: Next Annual Report, 2010The textile and the garment industry of Sri Lanka, established in the 1950s as an import substitution industry initially catered to the domestic consumption. With the introduction of the open economy and liberalization policies in year 1977 paved the way for the textile and the garment industry to enter the world market. The supportive measures adopted by the government by granting concessions, duty rebates, free import of raw material and machinery, lowe r taxes and tax holidays as well as the establishment of Free Trade Zones in the areas of Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala contributed to the expansion of export apparel industry of Sri Lanka. C:UsersuserDesktopnext-clothing.jpg Being one of the leading exporting industries in Sri Lanka, the industry itself at present contributes to US $3.2 billion to the net foreign earnings in 2009. The GDP contribution from the industry in year 2009 is 10%. At the present context 350 – 400 factories are existent, providing direct employment opportunities to 330,000 which amount to 5% of the total workforce of the county. 3.0 Challenges Faced by the Apparel Industry of Sri Lanka Besides the withdrawal of the quota system & trade policies, inflexible labour markets, high competition from the other foreign countries, the apparel industry of Sri Lanka should survive and sustain its position in the world market. We have identified the below mentioned to be challenges faced by the apparel indust ry. 3.1 Over Dependence on Few Export Markets The apparel industry of Sri Lanka is only focusing on few export markets which consists of countries such as USA (64%) and European Union (30%). The other export markets accounts for 4% of the total apparel exports to Canada, Australia, China, Japan, Switzerland and Israel. Though, over 94% of supply is to USA and EU, Sri Lanka’s garment exports account only for 2.3% and 0.9% of USA and EU apparel import volumes respectively. With the prevailing global economic recession, faced by the main two above countries, the demand for apparel export has severely declined in the recent past, and a drastic reduction in the volumes consumed has been noted. 3.2 Insufficient Product Diversification Unavailability of diversified range of products in the apparel sector is identified as another major issue at present. The garments exports accounts for more than 90% of the total exports of the industry and has been identified to be a similar figure for the past two decades. Source: Brandix Annual Report, 2009 Figure 2: Production Section Sri Lanka yet focuses on four major types of items in the product coverage, which can be identified as shirts, blouses, trousers and jackets. Though 50 new items were introduced to the product coverage in year 2000, still the industry is highly concentrated on a few product categories. The quota restrictions imposed by major importers now limit the export of these popular items further.C:UsersuserDesktopimages.jpg

Personal Development, Self-Management and Reflection Essay - 1

Personal Development, Self-Management and Reflection - Essay Example physical, attitudinal, and structural barriers) as well as the components of a more successful process of learning (e.g. time management, acquiring relevant information). Thus, realizations regarding one’s personal and professional aspects are highlighted. Introduction Personal and professional development is an important concept that significantly involves the growth and advancements of an individual. This suggests that every person has an untapped potential and should be able to get more out of life through learning and growing. Setting measurable goals, overcoming negativity and failures, learning from experiences, and becoming better individuals along the way greatly contribute to their growth and development. People have relied on their unique personal characteristics, particularly their strong points and competencies, to gain advancements in both their personal and professional lives. Thus, building development plans for both an individual’s personal and professio nal aspect can assist in identifying and reinforcing strengths, as well as improving on weaknesses. Task 1 Personal development pertains to a whole host of activities that help improve self-awareness and self-mastery (Aubrey, 2010). On the other hand, professional development refers to the process through which skills and knowledge are attained towards both personal development and advancement in one’s career (National Professional Development Center on Inclusion, 2008). After taking the Applied Personal and Professional Development Evaluation, I realized that knowledge and meeting deadlines are not the only things to be considered in pursuing successful higher education learning. Quality of work is also important, and one means to measure this is through other people’s feedback. In having the best quality work, we should consider other factors such as social and personal relationship with other people, self-confidence, right motivation, willingness to learn, practical and critical thinking and of course, patience and perseverance. Personally, I am good at getting along with other people. I respect their points of views and I try not to offend them by choosing the right words to say. I am very much willing to learn, both old and new things. I also practice practical and critical thinking in my everyday life. I think first before I act most of the time. My practice of patience and perseverance are relative, depending how I assess a given situation and what I judge as appropriate. What I really need to work on, however, is self-confidence and public speaking and having the right motivation for the right job. Gaining self-confidence and being able to speak publicly needs a lot of work. It is related to one’s personality and beliefs. My environment and how I am raised also contribute to my self-confidence. If people sense strong self-confidence and self-efficacy from me, then there is a huge probability that I will be successful and effective at the job-related tasks entrusted to me. Public speaking is a common source of stress for everyone. I have reflected on the principles taught by Orman (1996) and find them handy. First, I have to believe in myself, especially since speaking in public is essentially stressful for many. If others can do it, so can I. Next, I realized that I do not have to be exceptionally brilliant to deliver a presentation. Rather, I

Adding, and organize Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Adding, and organize - Assignment Example The involvement of United States in the gulf war was to condemn the actions of Iraq. From the article, the main reason to why Iraq conceded the gulf war was because of air and missile combat. The author of the article â€Å"The Impact of the Gulf War† expounds on how the war led to a long list of slaughters on the Basra road. The gulf war was regarded as a great victory to the United States military. This war was considered inevitable. The strategies that were put forward by Saddam Hussein to fight the imperialists were a mere fantasy of a dictatorial leader that did not work. In connection to this, Hill in his article asserts that the main reason for the Gulf War was to bar Hussein from becoming the dominant power in that region as well as from controlling OPEC. From the gulf war, it was noted that despite the military success that was recorded in the war, the experience of the Gulf war changed the viewing point of the military towards the society and the status of the military in the society. The morale of the military will be a lasting influence of the gulf war. It has been noted that no conclusions can be made on the abilities of the soviet equipment from the gulf war. Despite the fact, the Iraqis were using the equipment from the soviet and were trained by the soviet they were not using the soviet tactics and strategies. According to Nordhaus, the author of â€Å"The Economic Consequences of a War with Iraq† the war also led to the disarming of Iraq of its deadly weapons as well as removing leadership that was posing challenge to the U.S. the Saddam Hussein regime had been as disastrous for the economy of Iraq and other aspects of the Iraqi society. The economy of Iraq was tumbled to a disastrous state. Initially, most of the Iraqi economy was dependent much on the production of oil. Iraqi oil production peaked during those periods when the country was not constrained

The Effects of Reading Skills on Elementary School Students With Research Proposal

The Effects of Reading Skills on Elementary School Students With Program Development - Research Proposal Example This essay stresses that disorders in reading skills are a common problem for students, specifically because of the curricula that are expected to continue to be used by teachers. The persistence of the problem is linked to psychological, behavioral, emotional and developmental associations, making it difficult for students to increase their skills. The teacher responses are also often limited because of expectations with meeting specific standards, pressures associated with the classroom format and links to the expectations with the curricula that are used. The examination of disorders that are specific to reading skills is one which holds specific attributes. This paper makes a conclusion that Tte problem which is associated with reading skills and disorders is based on the gap from teachers and administrators with meeting the need of children. Currently, policies and standards have been put into place that is based on the needs and development of those interested in creating reading skills. This is combined with the need to have more resources and tools for teachers while finding ways to fill the gaps with students who are suffering from reading disorders. The lack of information available, difficulties with those who are working with the policies and the associations that are created from the development which is expected is the main way in which the problem arises with those who are suffering from disabilities with reading. ... This is furthered with the diverse needs which are associated with learning disabilities. This particular study will look at the gaps as well as opportunities that are associated with specific reading disabilities among students. With this study, teachers will be able to develop more opportunities for students to have capacities to learn to read, even with learning disorders. Definition of Terms Reading Disorder: Difficulty in reading based on neurological alterations in the mind. Dyslexia: Decoding of words which is not created in order. Developmental impairments: Psychological factors which link directly to the reading abilities of students, such as ADD or ADHD. Literature Review The examination of disorders that are specific to reading skills is one which holds specific attributes. General learning disorders are now divided according to ways in which individuals react and the associations which are created toward the disorders. When looking at the standards and expectations, it is noted that there are common reading disorders that many children are now focused on. This relates to cognitive and psychological dysfunctions that hinder the learning process. The problem with the disorders furthers with the teacher and administrative standards and expectations as well as the inability to continue to change the curriculum because of these standards. This is furthered with the classification differences for the learning disorders and the expected intervention programs which often don’t have the correct link to solving the disorders. Developing the needed alterations with the learning disorders and understanding how this is continuing to develop creates a firm basis to finding improved solutions to help

Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Music - Essay Example is first work 9 Variations in C Minor† was published in 1782, when his age was 12.At the age of 14 he was the organist in the court of â€Å"Maximillian Franz, Elector of Cologne.† His meeting with Mozart took place in â€Å"Vienna in 1787.† Mozart highly appreciated the musical talents of Beethoven. In Vienna, he took music lessons from masters like Haydan, Salieri and Albrechtsberger. His talents won him admiration in the music circles of Vienna. â€Å"He composed Opus 1, the Trios for Piano,† in the year 1794. In 1795, he gave â€Å"his first public performance† in an academy known as Vienna and then began his tour to Prague, Leipzig, Dresden, berlin and Budapest. Notwithstanding his music talents, as a person, he was known for â€Å"his impulsive behavior.† â€Å"In 1800 in a new concert at Vienna† he presented â€Å"his first symphony.† With his innovations he was crossing the established norms â€Å"of music.† In 1801, he began to realize that he was turning deaf. This health issue turned him cynical and his life was useless and purposeless with this deficiency, he thought. But his passion for music was too strong and he kept pushing to the front. He engaged himself in what is known as Beethoven music, Sonatas for Piano, the second and the third symphonies, The Eroica and in due course many such creations. He wrote his 3rd symphony in honor of Bonaparte. On April, 7, 1805, the Erocia symphony was played for the first time. His creativity began to flourish. Pastora, Coriolan Overtue and Letter for Elise are some of his immortal creations. He fell in love with several of his students. Beethoven was given an annual grant of 4,000 florins, by his rich admirers and with that assistance it was possible for him to function as an independent composer. He was free to compose what he wanted, a true freelancer, under the command of nobody. When Archduke Rudolph became Cardinal, Beethoven began to composing his mass in D. The ninth symphony was completed in 1823. Soon,

Industrial Placement Report Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Industrial Placement Report - Case Study Example It comprises of work orders, scheduling, service requirements, data collection, parts and inventory management, and forecasting of parts and inventory needs. When a piece of manufacturing equipment needs regular servicing, that task automatically appears on a list of work to be done, and a plant technician will perform the work, making a note in the system that it was done, by whom, and when. Engineering department is also recording all variations in production and quality and organizes the remedial actions. I work in the packaging department ( the Department.) In this report 1) I shall give my view, both, on the Department side and on the production (i.e. manufacturing) side of the Company. I will discuss three important elements of a successful operation of any pharmaceutical firm: Quality Assurance (QA), Safety procedures (SP) and, above all, Information Technology. As Information Technology (IT) and automation is involved in virtually every production and quality assurance (QA) process, I shall mention the IT role in individual processes as I will keep describing them further on in this report. The Company produces only tablets and capsules. A high degree of automation exists in the production side of the Company. ... These finished chemicals are combined and processed further in mixing machines. The mixed ingredients may then be mechanically capsulated, pressed into tablets. Our part of the ( packaging) Department works only with tablets, but the Company produces capsules as well. The workers in the Company fall into one of two occupational groups: Production workers who operate drug-producing equipment, inspect products, and install, maintain, and repair production equipment; and transportation and material moving workers who package and transport the drugs. This is the role of our Department. Generally, I can characterize the technology in our Department as being medium-automated. Since the Company has three tablet-producing, fully automated, lines, we are packaging three different types of tablets.For that, our part of the Department has three packaging lines, each consisting of one blister packing machine, one cartoner and an overwrapper. These three units are all connected into a series. The inputs into this three-machine series are: tablets, cartons and leaflets and at the end, as output, comes packaged product, already in cartons with proper labels attached. Then we further pack the cartons into outerboxes. 3. Good Manufacturing and Production Practices There are several major items that we see important in our work space: Generally, working conditions in pharmaceutical plants are better than those in most other manufacturing plants. In the Company, there is a stress on keeping equipment and work areas clean because of the danger of contamination. We work in air-conditioned, well lighted, and quiet place. Health and safety regulations ( to be discussed later in

Beach Sediments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Beach Sediments - Essay Example Some beaches are built to great widths by sediments washed to the sea by episodic floods, gradually eroding until the next major flood replenishes the sand ("Beach Formation and Types of Beaches and Sand"). Beach sediments are delivered per year in million cubic yards through longshore transport. Different beaches have different colors and textures because of the various sediments that make them up. There are beaches made up of eroded shale cliffs, multicolored agates ground and polished by the surf, feldspar minerals, ground quartz, and even iron minerals. The various make up of the sediments determine the origin of these sand beaches which help researchers know more information about a particular coast. Mechanical sediments, also known as clastic sediments, came from the erosion of oceanic rocks formed during the earlier times. These sediments are carried by streams or waves to the place where they are deposited. Ocean sediments, especially in the form of turbidites, are usually carried over and deposited at the bottom of continental slopes ("The Columbia Encyclopedia" 42907). Chemical reactions in seawater form chemical sediments which results in the precipitation of small mineral crystals that settle to the floor of the sea and finally form a chemically pure layer of sediment somehow. Organic sediments are formed from plant or animal actions. ... There are also some traces of windblown volcanic and continental dusts found in organic sediments. Properties of Sediments Sediments have different properties which are being studied by researchers for different purposes such as coastal engineering. One property of sediments is its physical form. Sediments can be loose, fluid, hard or firm. Examples of loose sediments are sand and silt; mud is a form of fluid sediment. There are also sand forms that are firm and stiff as clay. Hard sediments are those rocks and coral pieces that can be found in some beaches. Sediments can also be classified in terms of their cohesiveness. Sediments can be cohesive, non-cohesive or mitigated. Sediments such as clay and firm sand are highly cohesive as each particle stick closely together. Mud and loose sands, as well as rocks and other loose particles, are non-cohesive. Mitigated sediments are mainly non-cohesive sediments with a little mix of clay. Non-cohesive sediment behavior in water is mainly controlled by mechanical forces. The hydrodynamics of a particle refer to its ability to remain still or become entrained if on the bed surface, or to remain in suspension or to cease movement if in motion ("Sedimentation Investigations of Rivers and Reservoirs" 7-1). The properties that crucially affect the non-cohesive particle's hydrodynamics are its size, shape and specific gravity. The behavior of cohesive sediments, on the other hand, is controlled by electrochemical forces and dependent on the particle size, sediment mineralogy, and water chemistry. Particle size is considered to be the most important property of non-cohesive sediments. The size of the particle can be defined by any of the four methods: a) Nominal diameter - with this

Industrial Placement Report Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Industrial Placement Report - Case Study Example It comprises of work orders, scheduling, service requirements, data collection, parts and inventory management, and forecasting of parts and inventory needs. When a piece of manufacturing equipment needs regular servicing, that task automatically appears on a list of work to be done, and a plant technician will perform the work, making a note in the system that it was done, by whom, and when. Engineering department is also recording all variations in production and quality and organizes the remedial actions. I work in the packaging department ( the Department.) In this report 1) I shall give my view, both, on the Department side and on the production (i.e. manufacturing) side of the Company. I will discuss three important elements of a successful operation of any pharmaceutical firm: Quality Assurance (QA), Safety procedures (SP) and, above all, Information Technology. As Information Technology (IT) and automation is involved in virtually every production and quality assurance (QA) process, I shall mention the IT role in individual processes as I will keep describing them further on in this report. The Company produces only tablets and capsules. A high degree of automation exists in the production side of the Company. ... These finished chemicals are combined and processed further in mixing machines. The mixed ingredients may then be mechanically capsulated, pressed into tablets. Our part of the ( packaging) Department works only with tablets, but the Company produces capsules as well. The workers in the Company fall into one of two occupational groups: Production workers who operate drug-producing equipment, inspect products, and install, maintain, and repair production equipment; and transportation and material moving workers who package and transport the drugs. This is the role of our Department. Generally, I can characterize the technology in our Department as being medium-automated. Since the Company has three tablet-producing, fully automated, lines, we are packaging three different types of tablets.For that, our part of the Department has three packaging lines, each consisting of one blister packing machine, one cartoner and an overwrapper. These three units are all connected into a series. The inputs into this three-machine series are: tablets, cartons and leaflets and at the end, as output, comes packaged product, already in cartons with proper labels attached. Then we further pack the cartons into outerboxes. 3. Good Manufacturing and Production Practices There are several major items that we see important in our work space: Generally, working conditions in pharmaceutical plants are better than those in most other manufacturing plants. In the Company, there is a stress on keeping equipment and work areas clean because of the danger of contamination. We work in air-conditioned, well lighted, and quiet place. Health and safety regulations ( to be discussed later in

Gorn Chapter Essay Example for Free

Gorn Chapter Essay What powers awarded to congress in the Constitution of 1787 would an Anti- Federalist be most likely to oppose? Anti- Federalist were against the Constitution all together but most of all, I think the Anti-Federalist were against the fact that the state government’s would no longer have as much power like it did with the Articles of Confederation. The constitution supported the idea of a powerful and strong central government. The congress had the power to tax people, and make rules and regulations as it says in document two. With liberty being the Anti-Federalist’s biggest argument, the federalist got the idea that with all the power congress had, their freedom and rights would be threatened or even taken away and that’s what they feared most. 2. According to the Constitution of 1787, what are the eligibility prerequisites and selection processes for a) members of the House of Representatives Members of the House of Representatives are chosen every two years by the people and the number of representatives each state gets is proportional to the population. The members has to be twenty-five years of age or older, has been a citizen of the United States for at least seven years and shall not be, when elected, an Inhabitant of the State in which he is representing. b) members of the Senate, and Each state has two senators serving a six year term. In the Constitution of 1787, the senate was appointed by the Legislature and must have at least one vote. Members of the Senate must be 30 years of age, been a citizen of the U. S. for nine years, and should not be an Inhabitant of that State. ) the president and vice president? Both the President and Vice president serve in the same term of four years. The person running for president and vice president had to be a citizen of the United States for 14 years and naturally born in the U. S. and they had to be at least 35 years of age. The president had to have a majority vote for a guarantee to be president if not the House of Representatives chose in other situations. 3. Critique the provisions co ntained in the Constitution of 1787 from the point of view of each of the following groups: I think all together the only people who felt they would benefit from the Constitution was the smaller populated states and the African Americans. The smaller States would gain more of a say then being overlooked by the larger States, although in the Constitution they would only have a few representatives for their state, it still was a good outcome because they would at least have some sort of say and opinion in what laws were passed due to the power of their representative’s votes. The Constitution’s main goal was to make sure all states were equal and with that being said, it led up to the African American’s being free and gave a sense of something they had never felt, which was equality. The Anglos and Native American’s had to have a sense of anger because not only did they feel like their territory was being taken away, they also now had to have treaties with America if they were beyond the boundaries of the States, in order to trade or do any business with the U. S. The larger states were probably not as approving of the Constitution because with the greater amount of population in their states’, their governments got to do whatever and all the people had to follow their rules they set for themselves. In the Constitution, Congress is given the power over the whole Country, if a state wanted to make something a law or tax people, they had to get the approval of congress. 4. In which of the six objectives designated in the preamble has the Constitution of 1787 lived up to its promises? In what areas has it not fully achieved its goals? The Constitution was truly meant to be looked upon as a good thing, it was not suppose to cause any harm or uneasiness in the States. I think out of the preamble, the Constitution did eventually achieve success in all six objectives but the biggest issure that most Anti-Federalist had was the constitution not establishing justice or secure the blessings of liberty. If you really think about how the Constitution was made, it was illegal. The writers were only allowed to fix the Articles of Confederation, not make a whole new Government. I think that’s why Anti-Federalist were not convinced about the Constitution because it was done out of secrecy and the writers did not allow for the Anti-Federalist to make a common ground and make the Constitution mutual on both sides, that alone made it seem like the writers were just trying to take over America and make rules that seemed to take away the rights that were important to them. In the Constitution there were specific laws for people’s safety, different forces were to be formed in case of any attack or just to promote general welfare. Although, the army had not been figured out yet on how each state’s army would form together, the idea of the forces coming together for safety was in tact. 5. If you were a delegate to a state ratifying convention, would you have voted for or against the Constitution of 1787? Explain the reasons for your vote. If I was a delegate to a state ratifying convention, I would have voted for the constitution of 1787. The United States were at the point of time were reformation was needed. Although many people at the time were against the Constitution, I think overall it put the United States in a more successful path compared to the problems they were already facing as a nation. At the time prior to the Constitution, State’s had set there own laws that were to be abided by which made the outlook on the country as a whole, unorganized. The United State’s needed a more stable government, with the Articles of Confederation, it was basically like there was no government or any uniformed army in place in case of any attacks from other countries. The Constitution made the United States come together in the long run and a good authority with a fair amount of power was needed in order to get America straightened out. 6. Did the writers of the Constitution of 1787 desire to create a democracy or aristocracy? According to what I read, I think the Constriction of 1787 was desired to be a aristocracy government. It was not until the Bill of Rights came into Constitution that made the United States a democracy. The constriction was first made with no checks and balance system which made the strong central government, have more power than it has today. The government in the Constitution had the power to do many things that the Anti-Federalist felt shouldn’t have the right to have. Many of the people living in the state’s felt their unalienable rights were being taken away slowly so many Anti-Federalist decided to push and continue to get the Bill of Rights passed so the government wouldn’t gain too much power, that everyone felt they wanted.

Conceptual Framework in Accounting Board

Conceptual Framework in Accounting Board Introduction A conceptual framework has its basis in a set of concepts. These concepts are linked to a system of methods, behaviors, functions, relationships and objects. The conceptual framework for financial reporting â€Å"†¦..seeks to identify the nature, subject, purpose and broad content of general-purpose financial reporting and the qualitative characteristics that financial information should possess†. (Deegan, 2005, p.1184). It is of fundamental importance to the future development of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Conceptual framework of an Accounting Board: Defines the objective of financial statements Identifies the qualitative characteristics that make information in financial statements useful Defines the basic elements of financial statements Specify how the elements are recognised and measured in financial statements. The focus of this essay is on conceptual frameworks propounded by Accounting Standards Board (ASB), the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and also the improvements proposed in the IASB and FASB Joint Discussion Paper. ASB is a subsidiary company of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) responsible for formulating Financial Reporting Standards. FASB is an Accounting Board that establishes rules governing accounting practices throughout the US. The mission of the FASB is to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of financial information. IASB is the youngest Accounting Board of the three. It was founded on April 1, 2001 as the successor of International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) based in London, UK. IASB is responsible for setting International Accounting Standards. IASB has adopted many of the regulations of its predecessor. It uses IASCs 1989 ‘Framework for the Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements’. Thus, IASB’s conceptual framework of accounting standards are outdated as the accounting standards prescribed by IASB reflect the accounting thought in1989. In contrast, ASB pronouncements are more contemporary. IASB and FASB Joint Discussion Paper In October 2004, US FASB and the IASB accepted that their existing frameworks move in different directions and were not complete and up to date. They decided to develop a single common conceptual framework that converges and improves the existing individual conceptual frameworks of the boards. They published a consultative document in 2006 setting out their preliminary views on an enhanced conceptual framework. Differences between Conceptual Frameworks The conceptual frameworks put forward by the three Boards can be compared on the basis of: Purpose of the framework Objectives of financial statements Qualitative characteristics Elements of financial statements Recognition and measurement criteria These are examined in detail below: Purpose of the Framework The three conceptual frameworks have similar purpose. The purpose of each framework is described below: ASB: The framework seeks to describe the fundamental approach propounded by ASB to strengthen the financial statements of profit-oriented entities. It provides a reference point to help ASB in developing new accounting standards and reviewing existing ones. IASB: Like ASB, IASB’s framework also serves as a guide to the Board in developing accounting standards. It also acts as a guide to resolving accounting issues that are not addressed directly in an IAS or IFRS or Interpretation. With a revision to IAS 8 in 2003, the importance of conceptual framework has increased further. The IASB framework applies to all business entities both in the private or public sector. FASB: The purpose of the FASB framework is also to assist standard setters in developing and revising accounting standards. The framework does not override accounting standards, and therefore in this respect it has a lower status than specific accounting standards. The FASB framework applies to both business and not-for-profit entities in the private sector. Despite the similar purpose of all frameworks, the emphasis of the framework differs from board to board. For instance, the IASB framework has a broader purpose than the FASB framework. The IASB framework not only assists IASB in developing or revising accounting standards but also assists preparers, auditors, and users of financial statements. There is also a difference in the status of the frameworks. For instance, the IASB framework is considered at a higher level in its GAAP hierarchy than the FASB framework in the U.S. GAAP hierarchy. The management of entities preparing financial statements under IFRS is expressly required to follow the IASB framework. IASB and FASB Joint Discussion Paper: The Discussion Paper states the purpose of conceptual framework to establish a common framework of the concepts that underlie financial reporting. The common framework is expected to suit the requirements of both FASB and IASB. However, this may lead to a problem. If the arguments contained in the discussion paper are adopted as the common framework, this will distance preparers and auditors as the framework will become theoretical and long and act only as a reference manual for standard setters. Objectives of Financial Statements Conceptual frameworks put forward by Accounting Boards put forward similar objectives of financial statement. ASB: According to ASB â€Å"†¦the objective of financial statements is to provide information about the financial position, performance and the financial adaptability of an enterprise that is useful to a wide range of users† (1999:1) FASB: The FASB framework specify objectives for business entities and non-business entities. According to FASB in SFAC 1 â€Å"†¦financial reporting is not an end in itself but is intended to provide information that is useful in making business and economic decisions†. (1978:9) IASB: According to the IASB’s Framework for the Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements â€Å"†¦the objective of financial statements is to provide information about the financial position, performance and changes in financial position of an enterprise that is useful to a wide range of users in making economic decisions.† (2001:12)Unlike FASB framework, the IASB framework has a more limited scope. It discusses objectives in the context of business entities only. IASB and FASB Joint Discussion Paper: The discussion paper states that the objectives of financial reporting are to provide information: Useful to present and potential investors and creditors and others in making investment, credit, and similar resource allocation decisions. Useful in assessing cash flow prospects About an entity’s resources, claims to those resources, and changes in resources and claims Despite the similarity of objectives propounded by the various frameworks, the differences may arise due to the focus on users. The focus depends on the body producing the statements and establishing parameters. Qualitative characteristics The conceptual frameworks identify primarily four principal qualitative characteristics in common: Understandability Relevance, Reliability and Comparability. However there are differences in terms of what constitute ‘relevant’ and ‘reliable’ information and which characteristic is more important than others. ASB: The ASB narrow down the scope of their conceptual framework by establishing parameters which clearly defines the inclusions and exclusions. It defines the qualitative characteristics of the information which merits inclusion, for example, relevance, reliability, and comparability. UK ASB treats information to be reliable if it is free from material errors. Though freedom from material error is included as a sub-quality of reliability, the framework excludes verifiability as an essential element for reliability of information. The conceptual framework of ASB favours relevance over reliability if there is a conflict between relevance and reliability concept. IASB: According to IASB, information is relevant when it influences the economic decisions of users and is reliable if it is free from material error and bias and can be depended upon by users to represent events and transactions faithfully. IASB framework treats all four qualitative characteristics as primary qualitative characteristics. It treats materiality of information and its timeliness as a component of relevance. IASB does not give importance to one characteristic over the other. There is sometimes a tradeoff between relevance and reliability and judgement is required to provide the appropriate balance. IASB expects management to exercise prudence or conservatism to provide this balance. FASB: Unlike IASB, FASB framework set out the qualitative characteristics in a hierarchy, treating understandability as a user-specific quality separate from the others, relevance and reliability as the primary qualities, and comparability as a secondary quality. IASB and FASB Joint Discussion Paper: The discussion paper proposes replacing the qualitative characteristic of ‘reliability’ in the current frameworks with ‘faithful representation’. The paper also highlights areas where the qualitative characteristics of both IASB and FASB conceptual framework can be improved. For example, both frameworks emphasise neutrality, prudence or conservatism and expect that the exercise of prudence or conservatism does not allow the deliberate understatement of net assets and profits. However, the hard fact is that a concept of prudence or conservatism is inconsistent with the concept of neutrality. Elements of Financial Statements There are differences, though not major, between frameworks in relation to elements of financial statements ASB: ASB classifies transactions and other events into 5 elements: assets, liabilities, ownership interests, gains and losses. Assets, liabilities and ownership interest are included in the Balance Sheet and gains and losses in the Profit Loss Account. IASB: Like ASB, IASB framework also has 5 elements of financial statements: Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Liabilities, Income and Expenses. The first three elements form a part of the Balance Sheet and the last two a part of the Income Statement or Profit Loss Account. The assets, defined as a resource controlled by the enterprise as a result of past events and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the enterprise, has a central role. All other element definitions are based on the definition of assets. FASB: FASB framework has seven elements in all. Elements, such as assets, liabilities, and equity are for describing the financial position. Unlike two elements for IASB, the FASB framework includes five elements relating to financial performance: revenue, gains, expenses, losses, and comprehensive income. Though assets definition is still primary, there are differences in terms of how assets are defined by IASB and FASB. The FASB framework includes â€Å"probable† as part of the definition of assets and liabilities, whereas the IASB framework includes the term in its recognition criteria, and the meaning of the word is not the same. In addition to this, as per IASB, the asset is the resource from which future economic benefits are expected to flow, whereas as per FASB, the asset is the future economic benefits themselves. IASB and FASB Joint Discussion Paper: The discussion paper finds gaps in the existing frameworks in respect of the following aspects of elements of financial statements and requires the converged conceptual framework to focus on these: The distinction between liabilities and equity Definition of a liability The effect of conditions, contingencies, or uncertainties Accounting for contractual rights and obligations Recognition criteria for financial reporting The objective of financial statements is achieved by depicting in the primary financial statements the effects that transactions and other events have on the elements. This process is known as recognition. Frameworks differ with regard to recognition of effects of transactions. ASB: According to ASB framework, if a transaction leads to creation of a new asset or liability or to adds to an existing asset or liability, the effect will be recognised in the balance sheet. This recognition will happen only if there is sufficient evidence that the asset or liability exists and can be measured reliably enough in monetary terms. Except when there has been no change in the total net assets or the whole of the change is the result of capital contributions or distributions, a gain or loss will be recognised at the same time. ASB does not take into account probable effects. IASB: Unlike ASB, IASB framework includes ‘probable’ test for recognizing effects of transactions. For example, the IASB framework requires that an asset is recognised in the balance sheet when it is probable that the future economic benefits will flow to the enterprise and the asset has a cost or value that can be measured reliably. Similarly, a liability is recognised in the balance sheet when it is probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits will result from the settlement of a present obligation and the amount at which the settlement will take place can be measured reliably. FASB: FASB framework also specifies a criteria to be satisfied before items are recognized in the financial statements. The framework also requires that only items that are relevant should be recognised. Like ASB, FASB framework also does not include probability as a recognition criterion. Measurement of the Elements of Financial Statements Measurement of elements of financial statements means assigning a monetary value to it. Frameworks differ on this account. ASB: ASB uses ‘value to the business’ (VTB), or ‘deprival value’ of the asset for measurement of asset. Similarly, liabilities are measured on the basis of the ‘relief value’. Moreover, ASB adopts mixed measurement system as against outdated frameworks that adopt a single consistent system. Mixed measurement system is flexible and allows the historical cost and current value to be changed as accounting thought develops and markets evolve. This implies that the use of current value will become more prevalent as markets develop and evolve. This approach is used by the majority of large UK listed companies and involves measuring some balance sheet categories at historical cost and some at current value. IASB: The IASB Framework acknowledges different measurement bases including: historical cost, current cost, net realisable value, present value. However, it does not recommend a preferred technique for measurement of assets and liabilities. The most common basis of measurement adopted by the framework is historical cost. Thus, there is no formal recognition of a ‘mixed measurement’ system in the framework. This is its biggest drawback and makes it an outdated framework as it belongs to a different period. This approach was abandoned by the ASB in favour of a ‘mixed measurement’ system. Even though many existing IFRSs are based on the concept of ‘fair value’, it is not referred to in the Framework. Again, such an omission suggests that the international framework measurement provisions are limited and out-of-date. FASB: Like IASB, measurement is one of the most underdeveloped areas of FASB framework. FASB frameworks also provides a list of measurement attributes similar to ones prescribed by IASB that are used in practice. However, like IASB, FASB framework does not recommend measurement criteria for any element. In other words, it too lacks fully developed measurement concepts. IASB and FASB Joint Discussion Paper: The discussion paper clearly highlights a need to consider whether the conceptual framework should include not just measurement concepts, but also guidance on the techniques of measurement. Conclusion The conceptual framework(s) contained in the ASB, the FASB, and the IASB have formed the basis of accounting standards for some time. The current IASB and FASB frameworks are increasingly out-of-date, as they ignore many of the developments that have been undertaken by national standards. There are certain limitations that need to addressed in a way that issues that cross-cut across standards are taken care of. For instance, a new framework is required which is not based on a single value-based model but a ‘mixed measurement system’. References Accounting Standards Board. (1999), An Introduction to the Statement of Principles for Financial Reporting, ASB Publications, London. Financial Accounting Standards Board, (2001- 2004) ‘Business Combinations: Purchase Method Procedures and (including Combinations between Mutual Enterprises) Certain Issues Related to the Accounting for and Reporting of Noncontrolling (Minority) Interests Solomons, D. (1988), Guidelines for financial reporting London, UK: ICAEW. Hines, R. (1991). The FASBs conceptual framework, financial accounting and the maintenance of the social world. Accounting, Organisations and Society, 16, 313-331. Research Memorandum (April 2004), Standard-setting and the myth of neutrality : Boundaries, discourse and the exercise of power, accessed from http://www.hull.ac.uk/hubs/05/research/memoranda/Memorandum%2047.pdf, accessed on 18 January 2007.

Gender and Our Judicial System Essay -- Law

The ambiguous language and aim of the constitution has allowed for numerous interpretations of the law. There have been several instances, where our limited perception and interpretation of the constitution has warranted change due to cases that do not fit the ruling party’s ideology of equality. In those cases, we amended our constitution and included clear diction to award rights to those subjected to subordination, so in going forward a clear distinction would not allow room for interpretations that perpetuated further discrimination. Over the course of history, we have followed this path to incorporate our societies changing paradigm that was dissimilar to our founding fathers’. Interestingly so, the rights they deemed as inalienable are the ones that have required a clear distinction in order for them to apply to all. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a necessary requirement for women as well as others who are subject to sex-based discrimination. Although the rights of women are somewhat protected by the constitution, without the clear diction of the ERA, those who face this type of discrimination, are left in a precarious position. The passage of the ERA would necessitate pragmatic consequences in judicial equality, highlight the pervasiveness of modern inequality, and enact change in society’s paradigm of equality. The loose interpretation of the notion of gender in our judicial system is subject to filtration through outdated ideologies, stereotypes, and gender bias. As the law currently stands, the interpretation of cases that involve gender or sexual discrimination are filtered through constitutional acts or amendments that only partially protect. An example of this partial protection would be the 14th amendment. T... ...122). Macmillan General Reference. Sexism in language. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.upou.edu.ph/gender/gender_fair. Lithwick, D. (2011, June 20). Class dismissed. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2011/06/class_dismissed.html Terkel, A. (2011). Scalia: Women don't have constitutional protection against discrimination. Huffington Post, Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/03/scalia-women-discrimination-constitution_n_803813.html Cotter, D., Hermsen, J., Ovadia, S., & Vanneman, R. (2001). The glass ceiling effect. Informally published manuscript, University of North Carolina, North Carolina. Retrieved from http://www.bsos.umd.edu/socy/vanneman/papers/CotterHOV01.pdf Wood, J. T. (2008). Gendered lives, communication, gender, and culture. (8th ed.). Wadsworth Pub Co. U.S. Const. amend. XIV, Â § 1

Free Nature vs. Nurture Essay :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Nature vs. Nurture There has always been a large controversy over whether inherited genes or the environment influences and effects our personality, development, behavior, intelligence and ability. This controversy is most often recognized as the nature verses nurture conflict. Some people believe that it is strictly genes that effect our ways of life, others believe that it is the environment that effects us, and some believe that both of these influence our behavior. Either way, social scientists have been struggling for centuries deciding whether our personalities are born or made. Tests are done often on identical twins that were separated to see how they are each influenced by their separate environments. In the past twenty years, it has been discovered that there is a genetic component to every human trait and behavior. However, genetic influence on traits and behavior is partial because genetics account on average for half of the variation of most traits. Urie Bronfrenbrenner, who studies genetics, said, "It is not nature vs. nurture, but the interaction of nature and nurture that drives development." Researchers are finding that the balance between genetic and environmental influences for certain traits change as people get older. Also, people may react to us in a certain way because of a genetically influenced personality and, we may choose certain experiences because they fit best with our instinctive preferences. This means that our experiences may be influenced by our genetic tendencies. One way researchers study the development of traits and behaviors is by measuring the influence of genetics through out ones life span, and it is found to be that the genetic influence on certain trait increase as people age. A research was done to see whether a trait would show up in a child if it was environmentally influenced or genetically influenced. A child was given more negative attention than another was, and it increased the chances of the child having depressive symptoms and anti-social behavior. But these symptoms disappeared when accounted for genetic influences and how parents treat their children. There are three types of gene/environment relations. The first one is called a passive correlation. It is to be explained as, for example, if a musical ability was genetic, and a child was passed a musical ability trait, than the child would most likely have musically inclined parents. Their parents then would provide them with the genes

Quality Management within Toyota Motor Company Essay

Abstract This paper explores multiple published articles discussing Toyota Motor Company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A review of Toyota’s decisions to hide important information prior to recalls leads us to a discussion of where Toyota can go from here. The paper includes recommendations for Toyota Motor Company in order to move forward after their 2010 recalls. In addition, organizational changes will assist Toyota Motor Company in overcoming their recall problems. Quality Management within Toyota Motor Company After a number of discouraging recalls at Toyota Motor Company in 2010, a number of quality management techniques were implemented. Toyota Motor Company’s SWOT Analysis played into the newly implemented quality management techniques. Toyota’s strengths allowed them to fight back quickly against these recalls that could have ultimately led to Toyota’s fall from one of the top motor company’s. Toyota Motor Company’s strengths include dominant position in the marketplace, strong brand recognition, strong focus on research and development, and broad production and distribution network. In addition to Toyota’s strengths, their weaknesses were reviewed in order to find opportunities to capitalize upon. The recalls were obviously a large weakness at Toyota. Opportunities were reviewed which included the growth of the global automotive industry. Last, Toyota’s threats were reviewed. Here it was found that powerful competition is a worry for To yota Motor Company. After the review of Toyota Motor Company’s SWOT Analysis, the issue of the recalls was assessed. Analysis shows the issue within Toyota Motor Company did not appear overnight. However, secretive management styles let the company astray. A diagram was created by functional area to summarize how Toyota has responded to these recall problems. The functional areas reviewed include management, production design and safety, quality, and manufacturing. Last, the analysis of Toyota Motor Company’s recall and quality management issues are discussed from a point of solving the problem. Recommendations are discussed that will help Toyota Motor Company to turn their weaknesses into strengths. Method Discussion SWOT Analysis Internal Factors Strengths Weaknesses Product †¢ Dominant position in the marketplace †¢ Strong brand recognition †¢ Strong focus on Research & Development †¢ Broad production and distribution network †¢ Product recalls have the ability to negatively affect brand image †¢ Declining sales in crucial geographic areas External Factors Opportunities Threats Competition †¢ Growth of the global automotive industry †¢ Potential benefit from partnering with BMW †¢The outlook for the new global car market is strong †¢ Powerful competition †¢ Appreciation of the Japanese Yen †¢ Environmental regulations †¢Natural disasters Strengths. Toyota has a number of internal product strengths as noted in the SWOT Analysis table above. Toyota’s market share in 2011 was 16.5 percent,  its highest market share in 4 years. This strong market share allowed Toyota to hold a competitive advantage against their competition. In addition to holding a dominant position in the marketplace, Toyota possesses strong brand recognition through a number of brands. These brands include Toyota, Lexus, Prius, Corolla, Yaris, Camry, Sequoia, 4Runner, Scion tC, Highlander, Land Cruiser, and a number of other brand names. These brands are some of the most desired premium brands in the world according to the Company Profile report for Toyota Motor Company documented by MarketLine. Another strength of Toyota is their strong attention to research and development. According to the Company Profile report, Toyota’s focus on research and development is pointed towards the creation of new and improved products. Research and development operations are conducted at 14 facilities located around the world. This strength has allowed Toyota to increase the technology included in existing products. One of these products, a Pre-collision System (PCS) helps drivers avoid collisions. Overall, the strong focus on research and development has been a big strength for Toyota. Last, Toyota’s production and distribution network has been a big strength for the company. Toyota produces automobiles, related parts, and other components through more than 50 manufacturing companies throughout 27 countries and regions, not including Japan. As mentioned on the Toyota Motor Company website, major locations include Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Thailand, China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil. As reported by Toyota Motor Company, during fiscal year 2013 the company had consolidated vehicle sales totals of 8.871 million units (TCM, 2013). As reported by Toyota Motor Company, this was an increase of 1.519 million units compared to the previous fiscal year. In addition to the widespread production of Toyota products, the company has a large distribution network. Toyota’s distribution network is one of the largest in Japan encompassing four sales channels (Toyota, Toyopet, Corolla, and Netz). In 2012 the distribution network of these channels was comprised of 283 dealers. In addition to this network, Toyota operates over 170 Lexus sales channels in Japan. As reported by Toyota Motor Company, in fiscal year 2013 these networks accounted for the following vehicle sales: Japan sales totaled 2.279 million units In North America vehicle sales totaled 2.469 million units In Europe vehicle sales totaled 799,085 units Asia came in at total vehicle sales of 1.684 million units Central and South America, Oceania and Africa came in at 1.640 million units As you can see, Toyota’s distribution network is widespread allowing for diversification and a wide reach of clientele, ultimately boosting revenues and sales. Weaknesses. A large focus of the case study focuses on the weakness of Toyota’s product recalls. As many are aware, Toyota has encountered a number of recalls in the recent past. It is a concern that these recalls could negatively affect Toyota’s brand imagine ultimately leading to decreased sales for the company. When searching for Toyota recalls it was easy to find a few recent recalls. The most recent is a recall of 700,000 Toyota Prius models which were recalled over electronic issues in the United States (csmonitor.com, 2014). Another very recent recall includes certain versions of the Lexus RX crossover. In this case, more than 261,000 vehicles are being recalled due to a brake issue (csmonitor.com, 2014). In addition to the many recalls, Toyota has been involved in a number of lawsuits. In December 2012, Toyota settled a suit by paying $17.4 million to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to settle claims related to the June 2012 recall of potential accelerator pedal entrapment issues. This bad press will ultimately result in a negative effect on consumer’s confidence in Toyota’s brand. In addition, the settlement of suits ultimately decreases Toyota’s profits. As a result of this bad press Toyota saw a decline in 2012 sales in important geographic areas. Declining sales in fiscal year 2012 were seen across North America, Asia, and Europe. Opportunities. As reported by the article, Global automotive industry to experience modest growth in 2012, a number of opportunities exist in the global automotive industry (2012). The Japanese auto industry responded from natural disasters which had caused reduced inventories and production. It is forecasted that the industry will continue to grow increasing Toyota revenues. In June of 2012, BMW and Toyota signed a long-term partnership. The two companies are partnering on the developments that will help to increase market share and sales. This relationship is expected to increase technology between the two companies as  well as result in new product development. In addition to these opportunities, the new car market is experiencing moderate growth which will assist in increased sales and profits. Threats. Intense competition in the worldwide car market has become very competitive. This competition will likely increase in the upcoming years as competitors add more technology and increase developments. In addition to the intense competition, the appreciating Japanese Yen has become a big concern for Toyota. Last, environment regulations have the potential to increase production costs. Emissions regulations that are updated periodically could cause issues in new car production. Evolvement of Quality Management Issues At first glance, it seems that Toyota’s gas pedal issue appeared overnight. However, upon further research, evidence was found to prove the opposite. As reported in the article Secretive Culture Let Toyota Astray, evidence that Toyota cars could suddenly speed up had been piling up for years (2010). At the time of the recalls, Toyota had known about this gas pedal problem for more than a year. The problem was stated to be Toyota’s secretive corporate culture in Japan which ultimately conflicted with United States requirements that auto makers disclose safety threats. New initiatives brought to the table by Toyota have attempted to correct the previous secretive culture of Toyota. Total quality management initiatives have been put in place to assist in better customer service and safety and repair issues. According to Jacobs and Chase, total quality management can be defined as managing the entire organization so that it excels on all dimensions of products and services that are important to the customer (Chase and Jacobs, 2014, p. 296). The table following this discussion addresses the steps Toyota has taken in response to its recent quality recall problems. Functional Area Quality Management Steps Management †¢ Managing Director names to oversee any safety-related issues †¢ Top down management approach Product Design & Safety †¢ Troubleshooting teams known as Swift Market Analysis Response Teams work to  find any safety issues that need to be reported Quality †¢ TAQIC – Toyota Advanced Quality Information Center staffed by a group of employees who compile repair reports from dealerships worldwide †¢ 1000 engineers hired to spot-check quality Manufacturing †¢ No drastic changes to assembly lines Results/Discussion Problem Solution As discussed in the diagram above, there were many opportunities for Toyota after their encounter with the recall situation. Akio Toyoda, the head of the company, acted quickly by implementing a top down management approach instead of the more popular Japanese â€Å"bottom up† approach that slows down the decision making. In addition, Akio cut board of directors by fifty percent and cut out management layers. Akio also began meeting with his top five advisers on a weekly basis. In these meetings decisions were made quickly. Akio pushed his team to make â€Å"always better cars.† This change in the way the organization is managed helped Toyota to stay on top even through the recalls. Recommendations Many recommendations have been made to assist Toyota Motor Company in improving the recall situation they encountered in 2011. Some recommendations Toyota should follow include as recommended by the North American Quality Advisory Panel include the following: Give North American operations more independence in making recall decisions Strengthen quality control processes Extend development time of new products to include more safety tests Create a role of Chief Safety Technology Officer Create and launch a Safety Research Center focused on protecting the most important clientele (children, teens, and seniors) These ideas follow the concept of total quality management which focuses on two fundamental goals: Careful design of the product (in the case of Toyota Motor Company, the vehicle) Ensure that Toyota Motor Company systems can produce this design  in a consistent manner Quality at the source seems to be a great way for Toyota Motor Company to proceed. Quality at the source means that the person who is doing the work is taking the responsibility for making sure the work meets specifications. As previously discussed, safety control will be a huge initiative for Toyota Motor Company going forward. If implemented, these recommendations can do a lot to help Toyota Motor Company increase their organizational effectiveness. As previously discussed, many organizational steps were taken by Akio Toyoda after these recalls. It seems that Toyota could greatly benefit from organizational learning. As stated by Operations and Supply Chain Management, â€Å"it has been argued that organizational learning is critical to sustaining a competitive advantage† (Chase and Jacobs, 2014, p. 138). Organizational realignment was important to Toyota Motor Company after the 2010 and 2011 recalls. According to a Toyota news release in December of 2008 organizational changes include the establishment of the below: A Government and Public Affairs Group which was focused on quick response to inquiries from around the world while also unifying public affairs functions. An Accounting Group aimed at strengthening the business management and financial management system of Toyota Motor Company. A Europe and Africa Operations Group intended to assist with business planning in African and Central Asia. The group was also established to conduct business promotion events in both Europe and Africa. A Production Engineering Group aimed at increasing the strength of the quality control system for semiconductors for hybrid vehicles. The recommendations made are important to Toyota’s future. Reorganization and creation of new groups within the organization will help Toyota to overcome these recalls. References Ingram, A. (2014, Feb 12). Toyota recall: 1.9 million Prius vehicles recalled to fix software glitch. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2014/0212/Toyota-recall-1.9-million-Prius-vehicles-recalled-to-fix-software-glitch Jacobs, F. R., & Chase, R. (2014). Operations and supply chain management. (14 ed.). New York, NY: