Setting the Stage for Strategic Compensation and Bases for Pay Essay

Setting the Stage for Strategic Compensation and Bases for Pay - Essay Example However, it is important that compensation structures are aligned with the strategic objectives of the business. Three of the main goals of compensation departments in organizations are to attract talented personnel from the industry and help provide a certain amount of flexibility to the needs of the department; improve morale of employees and motivate them to ensure the existence of an innovative and knowledgeable workforce; as well as maintain salary standards which are competitive in the industry. Contextual influence posing greatest and least challenge for companies’ competitiveness Some of the external, as well as internal, conditions of a firm can determine the nature of pay structure which it would design or which would be appropriate for it. Most importantly, the supply and demand of labour in the market would be a serious consideration while designing its pay structure. Shortage of a particular skill in the market might imply that the organization might have to pay a higher price for those skills, and vice versa. In fact the demand and supply of labour in the market is the determinant of the existing wage rates at that region too (Prakashan, 2009, p.14). The other very important factor which would pose serious challenge before an organization is the prevailing market rates. This can be also termed as the comparable wages or the ongoing wage rates. The compensation policy fixed by an organization must necessarily confirm to the wage rates paid by other competitors in the industry. Otherwise, it might result in employees leaving the organization getting attracted towards those with higher salary packages. The cost of living also accounts for an important criterion based on which organizations develop their compensation structures and plans. It is crucial to make adjustments in pay depending on the increases or decreases in the cost of living index. When organizations fail to reset their salary structures according to the changes in the living ind ex, it can face resistance from employees and unions demanding higher wages. This could be challenging for the organizations (Prakashan, 2009, p.14). Apart from the above serious threats there are certain issues which are also crucial for determining compensation structures but which pose challenges before organizations to a lesser extent. The ability of an organization to pay or its affordability is crucial to determine its pay structure. Degree of profits, costs of production, sales revenues are some aspects which must be evaluated before designing pay structures. Psychological and sociological factors greatly determine the extent to which an employee would be willing to put in effort in his job. A person’s psychological perception helps him equate his wage or salary levels as a measure of the extent of success he has earned. Lastly, rapid technological developments have been the main cause of rapid development of skills of employees. The level of wages of these employees h as also been changing correspondingly. Thus, it is important that organizations keep track of changes in skill levels and wage level of

Internal Assessment Front Sheet Essay Example for Free

Internal Assessment Front Sheet Essay

Romeo And Juliet Quote Essay :: essays research papers

Act 2; Scene 2; Lines 36-39 and 41-52 36  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  O Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  37  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deny thy father and refuse thy name, 38  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, 39  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   41  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy. 42  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thou art thyself, thou not a Montague. 43  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, 44  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nor arm, nor face, [nor any other part] 45  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Belonging to a man. O, be some other name! 46  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What’s in a name? That which we call a rose 47 By any other word would smell as sweet. 48 So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, 49 Retain that dear perfection which he owes 50 Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, 51 And, for thy name, which is no part of thee, 52 Take all myself. Lines 36-39 and 41-52 of Act 2; Scene 2, are significant to me because they have distinct levels of understanding and meaning to the play. Line 41 goes back to the original conflict that Romeo and Juliet are from feuding houses, the Capulets and the Montagues. It shows that Juliet does not want her family to fight the Montagues, and that she believes it is ridiculous because it is not the people they hate and fight it is their name, Montague. The section I chose reveals that the kids, Romeo and Juliet, feel that they can not have what they want because of the parents’ feuds. It makes you feel as helpless as they are, because you know that with their parents’ permission to get married, they would be happy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  William Shakespeare uses an analogy in the line “It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, [nor any other part] belonging to a man.'; to say that Montague is not any part belonging to a man, and that it is just a name. In the line “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'; there is a metaphor for explaining why the name is not important, that it is the person or thing that is what counts. These are both examples of imaging used in the lines I chose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This excerpt affects Juliet because she is finally admitting that her parents are not always right, mostly about the feuding, but also about selecting her a husband. She is showing an indication of rebellion in the line “Deny thy father and refuse thy name'; by saying “deny thy father';.

Is Pride to Blame in the Antigone Tragedy? Essay

The fate of Creon is sealed by his decision to make an example of his niece, and quickly becomes tragic in Antigone. Creon shows us his lack of leadership skills by creating situations in which he loses the respect of his advisors, and the love of his family. The inability to overcome foolish pride is Creon’s greatest fault and the direct cause of his fall from grace. Initially, the author uses foreshadowing to hint at the upcoming turn of events. Choragos statement during the Parodos â€Å"For God hates utterly The bray of bragging tongues;† warns that no man is above God’s wrath (Sophocles 1327-8). This prediction comes to fruition as the rotting corpse brings disease and wild beasts to Thebes. The deaths of Creon’s family can also be seen as God’s way of punishing him for his foolishness. Additionally, Sophocles uses irony to demonstrate why pride is considered a mortal sin. Creon’s belief that he controls the fate of his loyal subjects is shattered when his son takes his own life, followed by his wife. Only then does Creon realize how his blind fury over Antigone violating his decree has opened his mind to the callous and hurtful behavior he has exhibited. Also, the irony that his blind prophet has better vision than Creon and the Elders reinforces how foolish Creon has been. â€Å"Teiresias, Teiresias, how clearly you saw it all!† shouts Choragos upon learning of the Queen’s suicide (Sophocles 1349). Finally, the setting in the tragedy has strong correlations to how Creon’s perception changes. While amongst his cronies, Creon believes that his will is infallible. â€Å"And the City proposes to teach me how to rule? My voice is the one voice giving orders in the City!† argues Creon to Haimon’s pleadings for Antigone’s life to be spared (Sophocles 1339). However, once the setting moves away from the palace Creon starts to see things a little more clearly. Upon arriving at the tomb which he had Antigone imprisoned, Creon’s evils are unmasked to his eyes, and he now understands all too painfully what his pride has caused. There were many points in which Creon could have changed his decision on Antigone’s fate without losing the respect of his subjects or jeopardize his authority. Although Creon’s advisors, the sentries, and his subjects fear him more than they have ever respected him, crisis could have been averted by showing the kingdom he could be merciful. The image of a strong ruler Creon decided was of the utmost importance turns out to be just an image. So has been the fate of so many before King Creon, and so will be others that follow as long as they cannot overcome themselves. Work Cited Sophocles. Literature: Drama 3. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 10th ed. Boston/NY: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. 1324-52.

Marketing Plan Executive Summary Essay

{Insert Name Here} provides the best in patient centered healthcare North Decatur has to offer. {Insert} will provide quality healthcare in a number of specialties, having a primary focus on our Heart and Vascular Center services. As our hospital continues to grow, we are devoted to staying up to date and providing our patients with cutting edge technology options, while caring for them wholeheartedly. Many of our premier services we offer to our patients are those in our Heart and Vascular Center, where interventional procedures are taking place every day in order to prevent our patients from having to undergo open-heart surgeries and being transferred to tertiary facilities. The Heart & Vascular Center is equipped with state-of-the-art procedure rooms that offer patients the most advanced form of cardiovascular imaging in the area. We employ the latest heart care and vascular technology which provides the ability to perform both cardiac and peripheral vascular procedures on a singl e system. Our technology gives detailed diagnostic information that leads to effective treatments of heart and vascular diseases. This up to date equipment is at the fingertips of our physicians allowing them to perform intricate procedures such as placing balloons, stents and other therapeutic agents in vessels requiring treatment. By informing our service area and the general public of our competent and well educated cardiology specialists and elegant state-of-the-art amenities through grassroots outlets and direct contact, {Insert} will quickly gain more market share. We will also provide benchmarked customer service and flexibility. Targeted consumers of our services will be those individuals and families in nearby communities at higher risks of contracting cardiovascular diseases due to lifestyle choices, family history, and certain demographics. These patients are usually referred after admittance to our facility or by other health care professionals such as primary care physicians, outside specialists, or extended care facilities. Our hospital has already developed an excellent reputation with many of these professionals, but plans to align ourselves with even more community health providers in order to attract more patrons in our service area. We also will also utilize data obtained from the Georgia Hospital Association to solicit consumers in our service area  directly. There are currently two other hospitals that serve North Decatur. One is a research based hospital located less than ten miles away from our location. Due to the lack of highly skilled physicians specializing in interventional cardiovascular procedures, we believe that once this is communicated with our service network, interest in their cardiovascular services will decline greatly. The other hospital currently operating in our area only markets in to small number of our targeted zip codes; they also do not offer the unique blend of specialty care and patient engagement which {Insert} will be providing.Objectives Increase brand awareness, evidenced by an increase in unsolicited requests for services. Increase customer referrals by 7% per quarter.  80% of Customer Satisfaction Surveys returned indicating satisfaction with services. Respectable gross sales by the end of first year. Keys to Success Professional quality of services offered Reliability — being available through on-call, and adequate staffing Effective collaboration with other community professionals (physicians, extended care facilities, and other organizations) Steadfast engagement with our home community, organizations, and clubs

Experiment in Artificial Selection essays

Experiment in Artificial Selection essays In my study, I wanted to see if I could breed a trait (Longer petial stem length) in Brassaca rapa by following an artificial selection design. The study was also used in order to monitor the mechanisms of evolution. To do this, I wanted to see if cross pollinating plants with the trait I was looking for would show the selected trait I was looking for in the offspring. My experimental design was to record the data for the parent generation and then to cross-pollinate the ten plants with the longest petial stem length. Once the seeds were ripe, I planted on hundred seeds, even though many more were produced by the plants. After recording the data for the F1 generation (Selected Offspring) I compared the data with that of the parent generation (The first plants). The results were quite amazing. The data concluded that the F1 generation did in fact have longer petial stems compared to the parent generation. The experiment was a success. Before even beginning the experiment I knew very little if nothing at all about Brassica rapa, let alone that it even existed. I had, at the recommendation of the Teachers Assistant (Kelly Garron), done a little research on the Wisconsin Fast Plant by doing a short internet search which revealed some information. After learning a little background information on my test subject, I proceeded with the Experiment Brassaca rapa, other wise known as Wisconsin Fast Plants, has green foliage with the upper leaves partially clasping the stem. The stems are well branched, although the degree of branching depends on environmental conditions. The flowers are pale yellow, densely clustered at the top with open flowers at or above the level of terminal buds, and open upwards. B. rapa ¡Ã‚ ¯s pollination mechanics allow for self pollination (Asexual reproduction) as well as pollination from other B.rapa ¡Ã‚ ¯s. In the case of outside pollination, pollinating insects, in particular honey bees and bumble bees, are belie...

Defining Millennials and Theyre Role in the Workforce

Defining Millennials and Theyre Role in the Workforce Millennials, like baby boomers, are a group defined by their birth dates. A millennial refers to someone who was born after 1980. More specifically, Millennials are those born between 1977 and 1995 or 1980 and 2000, depending on who is writing about this generation at the moment. Also referred to as Generation Y, Generation Why, Generation Next, and Echo Boomers, this group is quickly taking over the American workforce. As of 2016, nearly half of the countrys employees fall between the ages of 20 and 44 years old. Estimated at 80 million, millennials outnumber baby boomers (73 million) and Generation X (49 million). How Millennials Grew Up The nickname Generation Why refers to the questioning nature of millennials. They have been taught to not take everything at face value  but to really understand the reason why something is. An increase in available information thanks to the internet has only fueled this desire. Some of this is due to the fact that this is the first generation to have grown up entirely with computers. Even many born in those disputed years of 1977 to 1981 had their first interactions with computers in elementary school. Technology has played a great role in their lives and it progressed quickly as they grew up. For this reason, Millennials are at the forefront of all things tech. Raised during The Decade of the Child, Millennials also benefitted from greater parental attention than in generations past. Quite often, this included fathers who were more involved in their childrens lives. Their childhoods have influenced their understanding of gender roles in the home and the workplace as well as their future expectations. The Desire for Meaningful Work Millennials are expected to create a cultural shift in the workplace. Already, Millennials have expressed a desire to pursue work that is personally meaningful. They tend to resist corporate hierarchy  and are accustomed to getting work done in a variety of environments- not simply sitting at their desks.   Flexible scheduling is of great appeal to millennials who place a high value on work-life balance. Many companies are following this trend by providing an employee-centered workplace that is flexible in both place and time. This generation is also changing the traditional approach to management. Millennials are known as multitasking team players who thrive on encouragement and feedback. Companies that can appeal to these attributes often see great gains in productivity. Millennials Are Closing the Wage Gap The millennials may also be the generation that closes the gender wage gap by the time they retire. Although women typically earn 80 cents for every dollar a man makes, among the millennials that gap is closing tighter.   Every year since 1979, the U.S. Department of Labor has issued a report on the annual average of womens earnings compared to that of men. In 1979, women earned just 62.3 percent of what men did and by 2015, that reached 81.1 percent. In that same 2015 report, women in the millennial generation were earning as much, if not more, on average each week than older women. This trend shows a significant increase in skilled labor jobs that have opened up for women in the workforce. It also tells us that millennial women are competing more and more with their male counterparts in a technologically-driven society. Source Highlights of womens earnings in 2015. November 2016. Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor.  https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-earnings/2015/home.htm

The Duryea Brothers of Automobile History

The Duryea Brothers of Automobile History Americas first gasoline powered commercial car manufacturers were two brothers, Charles Duryea and Frank Duryea. The brothers were bicycle makers who became interested in the new gasoline engines and automobiles. Charles Duryea and Frank Duryea were the first Americans to build a successful commercial automobile and the first to incorporate an American business for the expressed purpose of building automobiles for sale to the public. Duryea Motor Wagon Company On September 20, 1893, the Duryea brothers first automobile was constructed and successfully tested on the public streets of Springfield, Massachusetts. Charles Duryea founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in 1896, the first company to manufacture and sell gasoline powered vehicles. By 1896, the company had sold thirteen cars of the model Duryea, an expensive limousine, which remained in production into the 1920s. Americas First Automobile Race At 8:55 am on November 28, 1895, six motor cars left Chicagos Jackson Park for a 54-mile race to Evanston, Illinois and back through the snow. Car Number 5 driven by inventor Frank Duryea, won the race in just over 10 hours at an average speed of 7.3 mph. The winner earned $2,000, the enthusiast from the crowd who gave the horseless vehicles the new name of motorcycles won $500, and the Chicago Times-Herald Newspaper that sponsored the race wrote, Persons who are inclined to decry the development of the horseless carriage will be forced to recognize it as an admitted mechanical achievement, highly adapted to some of the most urgent needs of our civilization. Americas First Recorded Automobile Accident In March 1896, Charles and Frank Duryea offered for sale the first commercial automobile, the Duryea motor wagon. Two months later, New York City motorist Henry Wells hit a bicyclist with his new Duryea. The rider suffered a broken leg, Wells spent a night in jail and the nations first traffic accident was recorded. Charles Duryea (1861 - 1938)Frank Duryea (1870 - 1967)

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 12

Project Management - Essay Example These activity lists proposes all the scheduled activity which will help to complete the project quickly. Implementation of work package during project leads concurrent work on various different mechanism of a project at the equivalent time by multiple teams. Most of the times, the completion of work package has been overseen by the managers or supervisor or a team leader of a project team. Moreover work packages reduce the activity cost and other indirect costs like cost of material, cost of transportation, cost of labor etc. Work breakdown structure is a deliverable and oriented decomposition of a specific project into smaller components. One of the important uses of work breakdown structure is that this structure proposes cost control standard for the future project activities which may or may not be similar. Moreover work breakdown structure starts off with a generalized goal in a quality planning process and helps to identify the progressive narrow level of action that is needed in order to achieve the project objectives. While implementation of work breakdown structure the team should have in depth understanding of the tasks required. Work breakdown structure is the critical input which identifies the risks subsequently in macro and micro level of work packages. To identify the cost variances and scheduled variances, project managers quite often use the performance measurement baseline. The performance management baseline is the collection of work packages that estimates work effort and duration of every work packages. Moreover it controls cost of resources. After determination of scopes and approaches towards a project, work breakdown structure is constructed to complete the work packages efficiently. These will help a project team to identify the project activities. The key elements are required to construct a project work that is the resources. Project managers need to apply

Democratization in the Third Wave European Countries Essay

Democratization in the Third Wave European Countries - Essay Example There have been three waves of democratization. The first wave started in the 1820’s, as suffrage widened and more citizens in Europe demanded their rights (Huntington 1991, p.3). It started in the US and then spread across the British dominion (Huntington 1984, p.196). However, in 1922 Mussolini came to power, which marked the return to autocracies. By the end of World War II, only 12 democracies were left, in comparison to 29 beforehand (Huntington 1991, p.3). The second wave was supported, and imposed by the Allied Forces after World War II. In 1962, the zenith was reached with 36 democracies (Huntington 1991, p.3). Many of them were also former colonies (Huntington 1991, p. 31 – 108). After 1962, democracy again experienced a decline (Jaggers & Gurr 1995, 477). In 1974, the third wave started. This wave was marked by the shifts to democracy in Portugal, Greece and Spain (Huntington, 1991, p.4). The Catholic Church became an opponent of autocracies in the 1960’s (Huntington 1991, p.77). The European Union (EU), then known as the European Community (EC), conditioned the benefits of access to their markets on democratization. Greece joined EC in 1981, and Spain and Portugal followed. By 1994, according to Jaggers and Gurr (1995, p.479), there were 50 percent democracies and only 18 percent autocracies in the world. However, they also classified countries into incoherent systems, claiming that 19 percent countries were autocracies and 13 percent democracies (Jaggers & Gurr, 1995, p.479).... 31 – 108). After 1962, democracy again experienced a decline (Jaggers & Gurr 1995, 477). In 1974, the third wave started. This wave was marked by the shifts to democracy in Portugal, Greece and Spain (Huntington, 1991, p.4). The Catholic Church became an opponent of autocracies in the 1960’s (Huntington 1991, p.77). The European Union (EU), then known as the European Community (EC), conditioned the benefits of access to their markets on democratization. Greece joined EC in 1981, and Spain and Portugal followed. By 1994, according to Jaggers and Gurr (1995, p.479), there were 50 percent democracies and only 18 percent autocracies in the world. However, they also classified countries into incoherent systems, claiming that 19 percent countries were autocracies and 13 percent democracies (Jaggers & Gurr, 1995, p.479). These are less stable than coherent systems. Papaioannou and Siourounis (2008, p.384) determined that among 174 countries between 1960 and 2005, there were 63 democratic transitions and 3 reverse transitions from relatively stable democracy to autocracy. In the 1990’s, it was questionable whether young democracies were going to survive. According to Shin (1994, p.137), since governments depend on people or demos, democracy can only survive if people support it. However, at the time, newly democratic countries lacked factors that facilitate democratization such as civic organizations and market economies (Shin 1994, p.137). According to Rose and Shin (2001, p.334), â€Å"[w]hile the third wave has increased by 77 per cent the number of countries holding competitive elections, the number of countries recognizing political and civil liberties has increased by only 40 per cent.† As a result, the third wave in many

How do the media portray applied psychology Essay

How do the media portray applied psychology - Essay Example (Fryer, 1950) Media is an important vehicle for getting the message across to the right frame of audience at the right time and in the right capacity possible. It would not be wrong here to suggest that the role of media in any field is more than any other social and cultural domain that has come of age in the recent times. Media can literally shake the very basis of the disciplines and professions which are existent in the current times and it would not be long before we find out for our own selves that the media would take over our lives and start ruling us like none other. The question however present here is of understanding the relationship between the applied psychology and the representation of the same in the different media forms like electronic, print, outdoors and others. (Guilford, 1950) The relation between the different forms of media and the psychological basis depends entirely on the way the dependents, i.e. the consumers and end viewers think of it. It means the values attached with the media portrayals are important in their relation of the psychological self. The role of media in the ranks of the applied psychology brings into consideration the intricate aspects of gender portrayal as well as identity crisis at times. With this, there is the question of understanding the media activities and the players who actually run the whole show. (Groome, 2004) Applied psychology applies both at the industrial level within the media and also goes down towards the organizational basis. What this means is that the media stands at the crossroads of both of these significant areas. Media has a much larger role than it is perceivable at any point in time. Applied psychology regards the role of the media in the same light as it would give to any other significant feature within the cultural and social perspective. In all essence, applied psychology studies the mental processes

Business ethics. Social enterprise and business and poverty Essay

Business ethics. Social enterprise and business and poverty. Responsible investment - Essay Example This essay describes action of SELCO in her social entrepreneurship responsibility. SELCO has set example in social entrepreneurship both in India and worldwide. The company successfully presented solar electricity for lighting and power to the less privileged persons in the society. SELCO faced several challenges before succeeding in her operations and objectives in helping the poor. It initially grew purposely through gaining of enough capital and experience thus making it to attempt expanding her networks, which greatly interfered with her financial status. The company then increased the price of the solar panels thus causing a serious decline in the sales and the general operations of the company. Investors were not impressed by the decline of the business and forced the company to lay off employees and contract the business in 2000s. In 2008, SELCO acquired finance from the World Bank and International Finance Corporation to streamline the company although the company remained a for profit organization. However, the director of the company was able to obtain new investors who were aligned with the mission of the company thus making the company to keep her sales and service organization intact. The director was also able to boost the morale of the company’s employee who helped it to continue devising innovative solar solutions. The company successfully devised the solar system that could suite specific needs of the needy urban and rural persons. This was indeed a very good way of achieving social entrepreneurship objective of fulfilling the society needs. SELCO was able to design solar panels that exactly met the needs of the society by beginning with a broad needs assessment of specific part or activity of the underprivileged people in the society (Crane and Matten 2010, p. 474-476). The company ensured that they designed solar panels for street vendors, midwives and even the rural farmers who were in dire of the solar panel. The redesigning process involved many different activities that would ensure that the needs of particular markets were met. The company ensured that her operations were client based thus causing it to restructure and redesign her solar panels. SELCO was able to acquire funds from the World Bank and IMF perhaps due to her social objectives. It also gained publication due to her social entrepreneurship objectives. The company also arranged for financial assistance for the rural people who could not afford to buy even the cheap user customized solar panels. This slowed the company’s growth and made it to earn small levels of profit. The company could also not align her social objectives with the investors needs. Responsible Investment Responsible investment is one of the optimistic emerging trends in the financial world that integrates financial goals with positive business values that shapes the society future. Responsible investments vary because some companies may invest in the environmental factor s, employees’ welfare or society effects such as smoking. Responsible investment is a very vital area in doing business since sustainable society is crucial to the company’s values. Although it is important for organizations to reconcile society’s needs and the business objectives, the main problem is linking the economic, social, and environmental advantages with the

12 Years A Slave Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

12 Years A Slave - Movie Review Example Ruthless slave masters such as Edwin Epps go as far as reading scriptures to the slaves. He quotes the book of Luke as he warns the disobedient servants â€Å"shall be beaten with many stripes.† Further, as a bad harvest looms, he blames the slaves as he attributes it to an Old Testament plague. With this reason, he sends away the slaves for a season until such a time that his crops will find favour in God’s eyes. In the course of slavery, Northup and fellow slaves console themselves in slavery. In moments of despair and pain, they sing spiritual hymns with profound sense of acceptance and surrender. Essentially, the Christian teachings do not support the ways and modes of slavery. According to Walter (4), it proved to be problematic as he tried to compare influence of religion on the attributes of slavery. His research compared the northern and southern states of antebellum in America.in his book ‘The church and slavery† Albert Barnes claims the general cou rse of the churches has been against slavery and that slave holders were a minority among the Christians. The churches would eventually detach themselves from slavery leading to its abolition. Cruelty in the film is given a grim picture in the event that Northup is made to mete out punishment to Epps’ prized slave girl. He is made to whip Patsey and portrayed as an inverted Christ figure. When confronted on his actions, Epps says there is no sin and justifies that a man can do what he wishes with his slaves.

Managing in Multinational Companies Research Paper

Managing in Multinational Companies - Research Paper Example Culture refers to a set of gained knowledge that some individuals may employ to make meaning of experiences towards generating a unique set of behavior. Different business establishments engage diverse cultures in their setups. These cultures are necessary for guiding the entire organization towards a common objective, by promoting a uniform way of thinking and acting. In other words, an organization prevents the subjectivity of decisions and behaviors in an organization, which promotes uniformity and team working spirit. On the other hand, countries will have different cultures that organizations have to respect, which are inherent in the views and values of such a country. A multinational company setting its operations in the US will need to observe a relatively diverse organizational culture compared to one setting operations in Mexico. An organization has to respect and observe a country’s culture while designing its organizational culture. This report investigates the dif fering views and beliefs surrounding overtimes and how the issue differs across the two countries. In this investigation, the report will illustrate that national cultures have a role to play in shaping organizational cultures.  A common aspect in both countries is that a company will consider other types of employment other than permanent employment to save on labor costs, to achieve flexibility and to benefit from workers for a short period (JILPT, 2009). Such an approach is common in short-term specialized jobs. In addition, there is a major variation in hourly pay rates between permanent and part-time workers in Japan compared to Germany (Smith 2000). Part-time employees have fewer benefits in bonuses offered compared to their full-time colleagues in Japan than in Germany where bonuses are not of much importance. Germany has more part-time employees than in Japan due to the working time variation. There are two reasons to explain the prevalence of part-time working in Germany than in Japan. One, such part-time workers are found in the tertiary sector, which bore the brunt of economic crises than the manufacturing sector, which has motivated employers to source more part-time workers (Smith, 2000). Part-time working in both countries has mainly improved because of structural changes in the economy towards a service economy. In Japan, non-regular employees get much fewer salaries with the difference increasing when the bonuses and one-off payments are considered in permanent employment (Ishiguro 2008). In Germany, on the other hand, part-time employees and regular employees have fewer differences in their wages; a part-time worker earns almost like a regular worker (Smith, 2000), with part-time workers taking advantage of overtime payments to bridge this salary gap. These are some of the factors differentiating working patterns between the two countries.

12 Years A Slave Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

12 Years A Slave - Movie Review Example Ruthless slave masters such as Edwin Epps go as far as reading scriptures to the slaves. He quotes the book of Luke as he warns the disobedient servants â€Å"shall be beaten with many stripes.† Further, as a bad harvest looms, he blames the slaves as he attributes it to an Old Testament plague. With this reason, he sends away the slaves for a season until such a time that his crops will find favour in God’s eyes. In the course of slavery, Northup and fellow slaves console themselves in slavery. In moments of despair and pain, they sing spiritual hymns with profound sense of acceptance and surrender. Essentially, the Christian teachings do not support the ways and modes of slavery. According to Walter (4), it proved to be problematic as he tried to compare influence of religion on the attributes of slavery. His research compared the northern and southern states of antebellum in America.in his book ‘The church and slavery† Albert Barnes claims the general cou rse of the churches has been against slavery and that slave holders were a minority among the Christians. The churches would eventually detach themselves from slavery leading to its abolition. Cruelty in the film is given a grim picture in the event that Northup is made to mete out punishment to Epps’ prized slave girl. He is made to whip Patsey and portrayed as an inverted Christ figure. When confronted on his actions, Epps says there is no sin and justifies that a man can do what he wishes with his slaves.

Ismg 3000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Ismg 3000 - Essay Example Conversely, Barton himself was hired as a function of the belief that he could inject some fresh blood and new perspective into the way that the organization operates. Due to the fact that the same tired techniques had been tried over and over under Davies’ leadership with little to no affect, Barton was ultimately viewed as a way in which a blank slate could be created and the organization could move forward from a fresh point without the baggage that Davies engendered. This is due to the fact that IT touches so many different aspects of the firm in somewhat imperceptible ways. Whereas the affect of a new marketing strategy can be uniformly measured, the effect of procurement of new and more efficient IT systems and the integration of a greater level of IT expertise within the field means that the overall synergy that is created is something that is difficult to narrow down to but a few statistics and figures. Moreover, when one realizes that the rate of expenditure as compared to the rate of return, this too is problematic due to the fact that the rate of return on investment is not immediately or rapidly realized. Ultimately, it does matter due to the fact that as soon as key functions of IT are removed, the organization itself would necessarily come stumbling to a halt. An example of this can be seen in the way that a firm would no longer be able to support a key data package that is necessary for operational effectiveness. With such an integral and key component of the firm no longer operations, the means by which business is conducted is necessarily reduced; thereby reducing the competitive advantage of the firm and the total outreach and scope that it could hope to appeal to. With regards to my current firm, this can best be described as an IT situation that is strategic. Rather than providing a support function or merely aiding the organization in developing a product, my firm is one that provides a hands

Littlebrook Power Station Essay Example for Free

Littlebrook Power Station Essay Littlebrook is an oil-fired power station, which uses oil to produce electricity. The oil is transported by the sea. It is powered by heavy fuel oil this means it has to bring tonnes of oil from other countries. Littlebrook is located on the banks of the river Thames in Dartford. In the 1990s the CEGB was privatised from that came out npower RWE Innogy from that two companies came out international power. RWE then took over which made RWE npower. There has to be lots of work done in the power station like: Finance the finance department is probably the most important in the power station. Marketing Team this would include a team which goes to the market to buy and sell the electricity on the market. The company has to also buy electricity from other companies at a cheaper rate so they dont lose profit. The marketing team also have to buy supplies from other countries i.e. at the moment most of the oil in the world is in the Middle East and in Latin America. The company dont have to pay that much for transportation because there are next to the River Thames. In the power station there are about 120 people working this includes the workers the receptionists, catering, security and also the actual worker who are in the power station. In a power station all kinds of people work there. One of the main ones is people like: Security are there to protect the worker and also the visitors from other people who trespass the property they also look at the CCTV to check for people who are not meant to be there. Receptionist they greet the people who come to see the power station visitors or the workers they all. Caters they provide food and drink for everybody who visits or works there. Touring staff are the people who help the visitors to go around the power station safely. Including these there are people like scientist and engineers who work here. These people are set into departments like: * Operations the operation departments is divided into two one is no specific skills and also Engineers 1. Engineers to work as an engineer in a power station you will have to have GCSE, A levels and also a good degree to work in the power station 2. No specific skills This job requires you to have GCSEs and A levels, also you do not need a specific skills i.e. engineer this came means you can do more than one job. * Maintenance the maintenance departments is divided into two as well, which consist of Fitter and Apprentices. 1. Fitter For you to work as a fitter you need to have a NVQ qualification to get this you need to do practices and then when you pass your exam you can get this qualification and work at the power station. Apprentices For you to be an apprentice at the power station you need to have good GCSE results and met the requirement they ask for. * Engineering is also divided into two different paths this consist of a degree and a good degree. 1. Degree in engineering you can get a degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Computing Control this might be getting a bachelor of engineering degree or other degrees. 2. Good Degree to get this job you will need to have a master degree in engineering this involves a more skilled and a person which has more knowledge about engineering. * Chemistry Environment to do this job you simply need to get a standard degree in engineering to do this work. * Administration and Finance/Procurement Commercial to be able to do this work you need to have a wide range of knowledge and skills to do it. To do this job you need to have good GCSE results and also a good degree. * Managers to work as the manger of the power station you need to have a good degree. When the oil has been transported form other countries to the power station it is then transferred this to the 4 tanks near the bank, where the oil is filtered then because the oil is heavy and thick it has to be pushed at a high pressure to move it the oil preparation to the boiler. Then in the boiler chamber it has 3 boilers in there and each boiler can burn up to 4,500 tonnes of oil each day. Then when oil is heated then it will create heat and then this heat would be able to heat the water and then change it to steam, this would be able to turn the turbines to make this efficient the steam will be going through the turbines twice. After the turbine is moving the generator starts to move the rotor then takes affect and then creates an electric current. Then after the steam has finished it moves in to the condenser which turns the steam into water where there are pipes with cold water from the river Thames to condense the steam. After all of this electric current is made at a volta ge of 23,500. To make this more efficient the voltage has been increased when it is sent into the National Grid system. ICT in the power station is used a lot, when I first visited Littlebrook Power Station I thought there would be more than a thousand workers then when I heard they were only 120 I was shocked. So ICT in the power plant is very important. First of all ICT is used for communication from the main room to the lower rooms. The machines in the big hall have to also be computerised because the things you have to do are lots that humans can do.

Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues - The Churchs Program for Homosexuality :: Argumentative Persuasive Essay Examples

Homosexuality: the Church's Program    This essay conveys the Church's traditional, 2,000-year-old teaching on homosexuality, considers other related information, then states what is available for enabling the homosexual man or woman to be inactive and refrain from homosexual acts - which is the Twelve Step Method.    Homosexuality refers to relations between men, or between women, who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which always presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, Church Tradition has always declared that 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.' They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfil God's will in their lives and if they are Christians to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.    Surrender, Healing, Growth and Transformation    Along with the Rosary, Mass, Eucharist, and Reconciliation, the Twelve Steps Method is recommended for attaining healing and spiritual growth. The First Step: We admitted we were powerless over our condition - that our lives had become unmanageable. Who wants to admit that we are powerless or that our lives are unmanageable? But the truth is, we do not come to such a program unless we realize that something is wrong; something is missing; something is out of kilter. We will do anything but look inside ourselves. It gets worse. When all else fails - we are ready for the first step. We admit that we are powerless over these emotions - we feel defeated.    This is now the end of one phase of our life and the beginning of another.

Problems with The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Essay -- Geopolitic

The world changed June 6, 1945 when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and then again, Aug 9, 1945 on Nagasaki. The actions by the United States evoked a cataclysmic spiral in the morals and methods of how warfare is carried out. Officials within the United States government through both memorandums and meeting voiced their concerns with the use of nuclear technology. They worked tirelessly to persuade President Truman that the atomic bomb was a weapon of destruction far beyond the span of normal warfare. Truman and Japan were looking toward peaceful resolutions under their own separate terms, but each struggled with the definition of â€Å"unconditional surrender†. The decision to drop the bomb was faulty and skewed judgment on the part of President Truman, which cost the lives of innocent civilians in Japan. The recourse in not dropping the atomic bomb was made available to President Truman and the leaders of America; unfortunately no one can go back and disentangle what was done that day in Japan. Even after the first bomb was dropped, U.S. Army Chief Staff General Marshal met at the White House on June 18, 1945, with President Truman and brought to light three alternatives to the use of the atomic bomb; â€Å"1) destruction already route by air bombardment and sea blockade, coupled by 2) a landing on Japan indicating the firmness of our resolution, perhaps coupled with 3) the entry of threat entry of Russia into the war.† General Marshal also stated that the entrance of Russia into the war might be just the leverage needed to bring the Japanese to terms of surrender, rather than the use of the bomb. This memo displayed that President Truman had alternatives to consider, but yet decided to go against the ideas that ... ...mmanding General’s File, 24 Tab D ,Document (a). Henry Stimson, Memorandum discussed with the President, April 25, 1945, Henry Stimson Diary, Manuscripts and Archives, Henry Lewis Stimson Papers, Yale University, (New Haven, CT.), Document(b). Joint Chief of Staff, "Minutes of Meeting Held at the White House†, 18 June 1945†, RG 77, MED Records, H-B files, folder no. 76, Document 20. President Harry Truman, Truman's Potsdam Diary, Barton J. Bernstein, "Truman At Potsdam: His Secret Diary," Foreign Service Journal, July/August 1980, Document 38. Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, Diary Entry, April 25, 1945, Henry Stimson Diary, Sterling Library, Yale University, Document (d). Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal, Diary Entry, July 24, 1945, "Japanese Peace Feelers", Naval Historical Center, Operational Archives, James Forrestal Diaries, Document 23.

Ceremony “Tayo’s Conflicts” Essay

In Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko writes an interesting novel with many conflicting issues on the main characters side, Tayo. One of Tayo’s main conflicts is about his culture and how he is not well accepted by some of the people who coexist with him in his daily life. Other terrifying conflicts that Tayo had were the ones about Josiah and Rocky’s way of dying, which in Tayo’s conscious he declared himself guilty for their death. Therefore, he would have unhealthy psychological flashbacks. Problems compounded with his friends even more when he started hanging out with them after the war. Getting drunk, picking up women and bragging about his war heroics would never make Tayo completely comfortable, instead problems would soon initiate. With these conflicts in mind, Tayo would soon have to resign himself to find the way to recover from his psychological problems. Tayo’s mixed race between an Indian and Mexican was not well accepted by his native society, therefore Tayo experienced a great deal of cultural conflict. With Tayo being both white and Native American his life was surrounded by a great deal of neglect. He did not identify or felt completely part of one culture or the other, which made him struggle with a lack of knowing where he really belong. Eventually, Tayo improves and is able to better connect with both cultures. He acknowledges the influence of white American culture on his traditional Native American heritage. With his acceptance, Tayo’s life becomes better as he is able to harmonize the two cultures he was born into. With the death of both his Uncle Josiah and cousin Rocky, Tayo’s mental problems became worst. Tayo became disoriented believing that the man in the Japanese uniform was his Uncle Josiah. When Tayo saw this, he started screaming while Rocky attempted to calm him down, but Rockies words were not helping Tayo settle; for Tayo, his uncle was dead. Tayo faced the same dilemma after his cousin Rocky’s death. He experienced great guilt when Rocky died in a death march in the Pacific. Tayo was very hard on himself because he could not prevent his cousin Rocky from being killed in the war. Although Tayo never fully recovers from this conflict, gradually he will learn to reestablish himself from this drawback. Getting drunk, picking up women and bragging about his war heroics with his  friends, was making Tayo experience more psychological traumas. His problems turn out to be compounded by his friends. Harley and Leroy encourage him to use alcohol as a way to escape from life. However because of Tayo’s deep spirituality, he gets frustrated by his friend’s destructive behavior. When Emo, another Native American veteran starts to brag about how he enjoyed killing people during the war, Tayo’s tension erupts into violent anger and attacks Emo. Luckily Harley and Leroy stopped him before killing Emo. This attempt to fight violence with violence further aggravates Tayo’s psychological alienation. What I think about Tayo’s frustrating conflicts is that they don’t clarify progress at any point. Tayo will struggle throughout the ceremony because I believe that people that go to war never fully recover psychologically, especially because of what Tayo believed to have seen and lived during and after the war. Because the story goes back and forth, from past to present it confuses the reader. Also, the reader has to understand that stories about people who go to war will always make us have different opinions for the simple reason that people who fought in the line of duty will not come back home well mentally recovered. This is the case with the soldier narrator who plays his part hallucinating throughout the war. The reader faces whether to believe him or his partner who is more conscious and aware of what is really going on. What is your opinion?

Why Video Games Are Good

A kid plops down in front of the television and powers up his video game console. As he reaches for his controller, his mother has one point of view in her mind, more time wasted, another day wasted, video games rot my children’s brain. Or do they? Video games have a horrible stigma of â€Å"rotting our brain’s† because many believe that they are pumping our children’s minds with senseless violence and explicit content. Although many video games do include a substantial amount of violence, it comes second to the fact they can actually make you smarter according to many scientists and academics. They are seen to be good learning devices because of the problem solving and strategic thinking that is utilized to play video games. While there is obviously no substitute for classroom learning, video games can exercise the brain in many different ways. Most kids would rather pick up a joystick than pick up a textbook. Much to they’re unknowing they are exercising their brains. While traveling and discovering this exciting virtual world, they begin to figure out the rules and understand their goals in order beat the game and win. What might seem like a mindless zombie sitting on the couch for hours is actually someone solving a profuse amount of puzzles that are instilled in their video game. Someone playing a video game must solve and complete direct conflicts while keeping their overall goal in perspective. Playing a video game is similar to solving a science problem. Video gamers must come up with a hypothesis while trying to accomplish a goal, much like a student conducting a lab would do. For example: if a gamer is searching for a hidden item and they hypothesize that the item is in a dragon’s belly, they will attack the dragon and discover whether their hypothesis was correct or false. If they don’t find the item they must modify their hypothesis the next time they play. Video games are driven by goals and objectives, which are essential for learning. Scientific studies have shown that the brain can change with practice. If you train yourself to complete a certain objective, the part of you’re brain that you are using can actually growth in size and operation. Another cientific study has shown that those who constantly challenge their brain have almost a 50% less chance of developing dementia. Video games are all about interactive and active exploration, unlike leisurely reading a novel. A video game requires your brain to make immediate decisions. While reading a novel will exercise your creativity and imagination, video games will make your bra in weigh circumstances and evidence, examine situations, reflect on your overall goal and forge a decision. It is not about what you’re thinking about when playing a video game, it is the way your thinking that challenges your brain. Video games make learning easier, comfortable, achievable and enjoyable. Any kid would rather learn how to slay a dragon than learn there times tables. This is simply because games offer more immediate and visible rewards. Memorizing and studying terms and theories may get you a good mark on your test, while beating the final boss will end the game. Gamers can also create their own adventure and decide their own unique fate and decided where they want to go and how they want to get there, within the restrictions of the game. It becomes their adventure. This is all played from the safety of their home, which prevents fears of making a mistake in front of others. If they lose, they can simply restart and try again without the feeling of embarrassment. This encourages gamers to take risks and expand their exploration opportunities. Although video games are no substitute for classroom learning, they have beneficial outcomes that can improve our brains activity making it healthier and function more efficiently. So next time you contemplate purchasing a video game, think about it not as endless hours waiting to be wasted, but rather as a large time investment for better of your mind.

The Communication Phenomena: Ideas and Definitions

It is acceptable then to say a definition of communication phenomena is the exchange of thoughts and ideas that are observable or observed and takes place In remarkable or arc There isn't a more powerful example of a communication phenomenon in modern times than the coloratura evolution that has been brought on by the advent Of the mobile telephone. Beginning with the bulky, primitive models of the past and continuing on with today's advanced smartness, this communication phenomenon has not only had a significant impact on the urban lifestyle, it has also reshaped the urban landscape.Small group communication, a subfield within the broad field of communication, has been changed significantly in large urban cities because of the mobile telephone. In the times before that technology was available, it was a challenge for an individual to acquire basic information such as the location of the closest bus stop that is still operating in the direction they need to go or even what time the n ext bus will arrive. This difficulty was amplified if the individual was alone and could not find anyone else to ask, as commonly happens during the late night & early morning hours.Equipped with a data enabled smartened, an individual simply loads an application or visits a mobile website to find out he basic information they wanted. Additionally, detailed information is available such as GAPS map and navigation data, weather information along the route or even if a particular store along the way has something they are interested in on sale. Even if an individual doesn't have a complex smart phone there's a good chance the information will be available via voice- response systems.Another communication phenomenon that is taking place in both urban centers and rural areas is changes in the efficiency and scope of public address communication systems. Historically, whenever the need arose to communicate information rapidly to a large group of people it was handled in traditional ways. Depending on the time period those methods ranged from men on horses with bullhorns, smoke signals, sirens, radio and eventually broadcast television. While they were considered effective for their time, those methods had varying weaknesses.Some suffered from large coverage area gaps while others relied on the target audience being within close proximity to the source of the announcement. Mobile telephones have enabled instantaneous nationwide communication via voice and text messaging for the first time in history. Even after satellite technology allowed for nationwide television broadcasts, nothing has been able to specifically target groups of individuals across such vast land areas as quickly and efficiently as mobile telephones are able to.United States national security has even been bolstered by the newly created Presidential Alert System. Amazingly the President and other designated individuals can compose a message and send it to almost every single smartened in less than 5 minutes. One might think that modern methods of communication using advanced smart devices have caused the biggest communication phenomena in recent decades. However that title has been earned by the first generations of cellular phones that were adopted very quickly by society after they were born in the AT&T Labs in 1983.Even though they were bulky and the very early models even had separate battery packs, they allowed mankind to finally â€Å"cut the cord† thus creating a communication phenomenon so large that caused a technological and social paradigm shift which changed how unmans interact forever. An interesting side-effect of this digital revolution is the negative interpersonal communications phenomena that occur. Prior to information being so easily accessible and available, people communicated verbally with one another in almost every situation in their day to day lives.Word of mouth was a very common way information was spread. It was not uncommon to barely be ab le to hear yourself think over the din of conversation anywhere people would congregate such as subway cars, train stations and even busy street corners. Now most people rely on their devices and new media sources for the same information they would get from verbal communication with other people or print media like newspapers.It's an almost eerie sight to be on a packed subway car where the only noise you hear is the clicking and notification sounds of smartness supplying the masses with the information they so desire. Occasionally though, as if the energy of times past was able to manifest itself, there will be an event significant enough to cause many people on that train to be notified at once. Then you start to hear muffled conversation confirming the information with a fellow passenger. That muffled verbal communication quickly turns into an all-out discussion of the event.For a brief period of time it's as if the devices didn't exist, however almost as quickly as it started, the passengers realize that they want more information and grow silent as they head back to their various digital streams of information. Utilizing the Non research methods of quasi-experiments & pre-experiments from our textbook, there are several different ways to explore how the communications phenomena that mobile loopholes have created effects the process and outcome of scenarios in daily life.Using the quasi-experiment method, which uses pre-tests to see where subjects are in reference to the variables tested, our two subjects are both in a large city around BPML and have to locate a bus Stop where they can catch a bus heading in their required direction of travel. Subject A has a smartened with all the current technology such as GAPS sensors, navigation technology and a â€Å"Find my Bus† type application provided by the local transportation authority. Subject B has no cell phone or means to communicate outside of the people and places in her immediate vicinity.They ar e both less than a mile away from a bus stop in a safe well-lit area that will get them a direct bus to their destination. Subject A is in their office getting ready to leave for the day. They decide they want to stop at a restaurant on their way home and get some take-out food for dinner and surprise their family. In order to accomplish this goal, they simply take out their smartened and enter in the destination addresses of their home and the assistant.The application(s) plot the locations of all relevant bus stops that are close along with the connecting bus information when they reach the restaurant. Simple walking directions are also provided in relation to their location. Since the closest bus stop is only a 10 minute walk away they are able to stay in their office until right before they have to head out, When the time comes they leave their office and have an uneventful walk to the bus stop and make it to the restaurant on time to pick up the food and make it to their connec ting bus home.

Renewable Energy and Combustion Process Assignment - 5

Renewable Energy and Combustion Process - Assignment Example Question 4, b: The age of the shoe is about 112 years. Question 4, c. the huge disparity in the quantity of carbon in both the shoe and the shoelace validates the claim that the lace does not belong to the shoe. Question 5: taking a tour of Okuma city is a safer choice owing to the fact that she will wear protective gear unlike in the dinner date where she is likely to eat fish exposed to the active radioactive substance. Question 6, a: The energy released every second is 2.55Ãâ€" 10−13 Joules. Question 6, b: the amount of energy released in the context is higher than the energy consumed by a 100W bulb. Question 6, c: Shutting down the reactor stops the reaction but the core would still emit energy amounting to 1.55Ãâ€" 10−13 Joules owing to the constant rate of reaction daily. Question 7, a: The capacity of the dam is likely to increase with the increase in the amount of water in its reserve. Question 7, b: Renewable energy is often unreliable owing to climatic disparities. Question 8: Furthermore, the two types of fuels just as any other renewable energy does not pollute the environment since they emit unstable yet harmless gaseous components that readily react with the oxygen in the atmosphere to form water vapor. Question 8: Biodiesels and is renewable because just as the name suggests the key raw material in its manufacture are plants, which grow just like any other. The same is the case with ethanol whose manufacture relies on plants that act as the raw materials.  

Assignment #3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Assignment #3 - Essay Example l and means by which to reproduce. This he named ‘natural selection ‘ or the survival of the fittest.’ The theory proposed that those individuals with the more successful adaptations would be able to get more food, and so would be healthier, live longer, and have more success at reproduction. The scientific world of the time was aware of variation, but the first principle of Darwin’s theory is that individuals vary in their heritable traits, so much so that that no two living beings are exactly similar. He first became aware of this because of his close observations of the various plant and animal species collected by him from the remote Galapagos Islands. He realised that although the species there resembled those from elsewhere they were actually unique to the islands, and in many cases to particular islands. Following the expedition he concluded that the environment affected evolution.. The organisms best suited to particular environment not only survive, but also become more and more sophisticated and specialized. Darwin noticed that variation was a characteristic belonging to all living beings and that through reproduction these traits would continue down the generations, the principle of genetics. He wrote about species adapting to its environment over time, giving it perhaps a genetic advantage over and above competitors, whether of the same species or from a different genus. Such a successful trait would be passed on to off spring. He also became aware that some species did not survive. In 1859 he wrote his famous book ‘ On the Origin of Species’. He wrote:- Thus, from the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows.( Dennet.(1995). p. 64) Darwin also described how, through many millions of years and because of the

Culture awarness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Culture awarness - Essay Example The course was designed according to what the students wanted and needed. The students wanted to learn about the cultures of certain countries and specifically, the way business is conducted in these countries (Vollmer, Alnuaimi and Macku 3). A flaw in our needs assessment design was our failure to determine the student’s level of awareness. We failed to ask questions concerning much they already knew about the cultures of the different countries. In hindsight, we forgone general awareness questions because we gave the students the choice of which countries they would like to learn about. Doing this made it difficult to assess any prior knowledge of the countries the students may have had. Another flaw within our course was we realized in hindsight more emphasis could have been given to the industries that have the greatest potential in the country. We now realize we could have been more industry specific within our presentation since most of the students communicated their concerns about jobs and business. Information about how to perform during business meetings within the different countries was included in the course because the survey results indicated the students agreed upon the importance of learning about different cultures in light of the recent globalization of the business world. Dining etiquette and dress codes were also included within the course because of unanimous agreement within our group that both topics are extremely significant to a country’s culture and therefore should be included within cultural awareness training. Based on research evidence, students realize the need for cultural awareness especially with the trend of business moving towards globalization. Students agreed that they will need the necessary skills to be able to prepare for expatriatism. Two-thirds of the students, deem it important to be aware of the different cultures of the world because they will need that knowledge and skill base for their future jobs. The

Research and critical evaluation on the M&M (Modigliani and Miller) Essay

Research and critical evaluation on the M&M (Modigliani and Miller) models and the production of a report - Essay Example The paper presents the elementary propositions of the Miller-Modigliani approach and after presenting their models, put forward a categorical analysis and criticism with respect to optimization for shareholders’ returns in the context of arbitrage scenario (Chandra, 2002, pp.411-412, 417-418). Financial Decision Making in Achievement of Specified Business Objectives Financial Decision Making The financial decisions taken by a business firm to meet financial objectives must also fulfill the goals of specified business objectives. Finance is considered to be the lifeblood of a business concern. Hence management of the financial resources for an organization must be conducted in a manner as to satisfy the organizational goals. The gamut of financial decisions focus on key activities like planning, organizing, directing the capital requirements and the usages of the funds incorporated in a business organization. These financial activities must be pursued in order to meet key finan cial objectives like achieving a strong rate of return on the amount of capital invested. The business must target at achieving such levels of profits as would not only help in meeting the amount of investments made but also for helping the business to accumulate funds for the future. However, organizations must not only focus on achieving huge profits to augment the capital value of the stakeholders but must generate a holistic view in bettering the economic position of the firm (Joseph, 2005, pp.170-172).. The short term financial needs of a firm center on acquiring of short-term business assets in meeting the short-term liabilities of the concern. This aspect is known as the management of working capital, which is conducted to take care of the current solvent position of the concern (Chandra, 2002, pp.4-5). Maximizing Shareholder Value Most business organizations render importance to the issue of augmenting the value of the owners and shareholders of a business firm. The value of the owners or shareholders of a business firm reflects on the market value of the total amount of stock possessed by such. Market value of the stocks refers to the price quotes of such while being traded in stock exchanges. Wealth of the shareholders is maximized by the business organization through the augmentation of the present value of some future returns expected by the owners. Future returns depend on the accrual of dividends or of future sale proceeds of company stocks. The present value of such future income is calculated based on a specific rate of discount accounted on receiving cash dividends in the future period (Moyer, McGuigan, & Kretlow, 2008, p.5). Financial Strategy A business organization to perform effectively must formulate an adequate financial strategy to satisfy the business goals. An effective financial strategy drawn by any concern revolves around accomplishing two specific business needs. Firstly it endeavors to cite the sectors from which the firm can dra w in adequate amount of funds to meet its business needs. Secondly, it sets guidelines for the proper management of such funds within the organization to generate an efficient financial structure. The business organization must also look forward in maximizing the return on the investments made and in minimizing the rate of risks adhered to it (Bender & Ward, 2008, pp.4-6). The

Platos Lysis with Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics Essay

Platos Lysis with Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics - Essay Example Lysis is Plato’s dialogues discussing the nature of friendship whereas Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics also discusses the nature and concept of friendship and its importance in the lives of human beings. Plato and Aristotle are the Greek philosophers that have covered several important subjects in their writings. They contradict as well as support each others’ view point on certain matters however, the conception of friendship is perceived differently by these philosophers and they provide the understanding of the nature of friendship.The Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics has been regarded as Aristotle’s best work on friendship and ethics. It is the most important philosophical work that drew significant impacts upon the European middle age societies because the medieval philosophy was widely based upon the concepts presented in Nicomachean Ethics. The conception of friendship presented by Aristotle basically depicts his thinking about the nature of fri endship and why people need friends in their lives (Crisp, p76). He believes that there is no person that would like to live a friend less life because being a social animal man always like situations and circumstances where he has a friend. Plato Lysis also talks about the importance of friendship but he has not much focused upon the importance and role of friendship in the lives of people from social and emotional perspective (Cooper, p290). The dynamics of friendship are also explored by Plato in one of his most engaging puzzling dialogues Lysis. These dialogues are rich mixtures of stable arguments, theories and literature in which Plato presented his views regarding friendship. Plato discusses the nature of friendship in these dialogues using the main characters of Socrates and two boys and friends Lysis and Menexunun. Another character of the dialogue was Hipplothales who had unrequited love with Lysis. In Lysis, Plato explained the conception of friendship in detail and depth and says that true friendship is based upon four basic conditions. At first, friendship could develop between the people that are similar and good man. Secondly, friendship occurs between dissimilar people. Thirdly, people who are neither good nor bad could also become friend and fourthly the relatives develop gradual friendship with each others because it is in the nature of the human beings to become friend of others (Annas, p532). The Lysis are often being regarded as philosophical failure because several arguments depicted in the dialogues are not convincing and due to these bad dialogues it has been regarded as a philosophical failure. It is found that Lysis fails to provide satisfying answers to certain important questions associated with the nature of the friendship. It is often been argues that Lysis actually didn’t answer the question that what friendship is. It shows dialogues between Socrates, Lysis and menexenus arguing about the friendship where Socrates asked Lysis and Menexunun that when a person loves another who is friend the lover

Gang Violence in American Schools Essay Example for Free

Gang Violence in American Schools Essay Did you ever have to move because your kids were bullied at school? Is the community you are living in is unsafe with gang violence and you were afraid your kids will grow up to be a notorious gangster? You believe the ideal place to raise a family is in a higher income suburban area where the school system is better and your kids will be free from violence. You might want to think again. In fact, youth â€Å"gangs, now more violent than ever, are spreading to new locations† (Gaustad, 1 ) all across the country, including public schools. Gangs are moving suburban areas to recruit more members to expand their gang group. They are using new members to distribute drugs because it is appealing to young children and profitable. It is causing an increase in violence in schools because other gang group does not get along with another set of gang. Kids are scared to go to school because they are afraid they might get bullied and attack. The dropout rates has increase, more weapons are being brought to school endangering lives. School properties are being vandalized with school logos and teachers are getting injured from trying to intervene (Capozzoli and McVey, 81). Gang violence in school are getting worse that school officials, community members, and law enforcements are coming together to figure out solutions. The three solutions that seems to be showing a great impact in reducing gang violence in American schools are school uniforms, peer mediation programs, and after school programs. School uniforms are the first solution that will help cut back gang violence in American schools. Gangs use colors, certain types of clothing, and bandanas to symbolize what group they are from or associate themselves with. Students that are not involved in gangs are unable to walk down the school hallway without being accuse they are involve with a rival gang due to the color shirt he or she may be wearing. School uniforms are typically seen in private or foreign country’s schools to indicate a business-like atmosphere ( Skiba, 10). Now it is becoming more common in public schools because it keeps pupils in similar clothing. The typical school uniforms usually consist of khaki pants and collar shirts. Female pupils are sometimes in a skirt that goes down past their knees. The colors of the collar shirts vary depending on what schools students attend. School uniforms will end gang members from wearing clothing indicating what group they are from. This will help reduce violence between rival gangs because it will be difficult to point out what gang another student associate themselves with. Students will be able to concentrate more on learning than worrying about getting attack. Not only does uniform help reduce the violence but it also help schools bring unity together and help pupils who come from a family with financial difficulty feel less pressure to dress a certain way to fit in (Lopez, 4). The Long Beach Unified School District decided to establish a school uniform policy during the 1990’s to help pupils further their education in an elementary school. The school district had supports from parents who feared for their child’s safety while they were walking to school and mistaken to be a rival gang member due to the color clothing they were wearing. Violence has dropped 86% after the school uniform policy been established for 5 years (Lopez, 4). Murray states,† higher student ratings of the quality of school climate in schools with a uniform policy† after studies was done on two North Carolina schools (qtd. in Zero Tolerance, Zero Evidence, 10). The second solution are peer mediation programs. Peer mediation is a program that involves people who are chosen and educated to resolves issues between individuals that has dispute with one another. The program is used in schools, youth centers, and juvenile justice setting to help young people learn how to solve their conflict through talking it out instead of using violence. Peer mediation programs are used to help decrease lockdowns, suspensions, detentions, and to bring positive atmosphere. Instead of adults trying to diffuse the conflict between young people, the program gives students the ability to help their peer s figure out a solution to their conflict with one another. It also allows the disputers to be more open and able to express why they are conflicting with the other student. Young people tend to feel more comfortable and connect better with people their own age because they feel they won’t be judged. Students are the initiator of confrontations among other students. They have to be neutral and must go through training so they can understand the process. The process of peer mediation are broken down into six steps where the facilitator has to come up with rules that must be followed, hear both sides of the story, determine if it is the same issue causing the problem, suggest solutions that will fix the problem, make sure solution fits the goal of the outcome, and help dispute agree on a solution (Crawford and Bodine, 23). Classical high school in Lynn, Massachusetts has been using peer mediation program for 14 years now and feel that the program will help decrease violence in schools. The program is very important to the school that students have to put an application in and go through an interview process by the coordinator of the program, Miriam Markowitz to become a mediator. Student who have conflict dispute with one another are brought into a private room where the student mediator tries to resolve their issues by easing the pressure off the disputers to act a certain way if they were around their friends. Classical high school reported a â€Å"90 percent success rate† (Weber, 9). When school is out; kids can keep themselves occupied and out of trouble by going to an after school program. After school program is a safe place where kids are supervised, kept busy to drift them away from negative behaviors like gangs and drugs. A lot of the kids who goes to the after school programs lacks adult guidance, or come from a low income family that the parents are working a 12 hour shift and cannot be around to supervise their every move. The staffs at after school programs don’t just help kids with their homework but they build relationships with them and try to guide them in the right direction (after – school activities and clubs). After school programs are not just programs where kids come to do home works and activities, it is also a place where they learn about gang violence, how to prevent involvement. Council for Unity is an after school program located in Riverhead, New York that was developed by Riverhead high school. The program consist of students from different ethnic backgrounds that come together every Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to talk about what issues are going on in the community, ways to prevent the violence in their schools and to learn about gang violence prevention. The coordinator, Mr. Desenna ask special guest to come by to talk and educate the kids (Council for Unity). Another after school program that is a major success and has been around since 1988 is Roca located in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Roca is a nonprofit organization that works with young people from ages 14 to 24 to help them stay away from gang, teen pregnancy, being incarcerated and graduate high schools. Roca work very closely with young people who are involved in gangs. Staffs from Roca have a program that they call outreach that consist of them walking the streets and trying to build relationships with the gang members. Most of the staffs have gone through incarceration or is an ex-gang member that has turned their lives around and using their experience to influence youths in a positive way. The program â€Å"helped more than 15,000 young people make positive, profound changes in their lives† (rocain.org) Gang violence in American schools is not going to go away overnight but if efforts are put in like: establishing school uniforms, peer mediation programs and providing more free after school programs, it soon will not be an issue facing the school systems. Having positive young people trying to influence their peers will help tremendously. Works Cited Capozzoli, Thomas, and R. Steve. McVey. Gangs and Schools. Kids Killing Kids: Managing Violence and Gangs in Schools. Boca Raton, FL: St. Lucie, 2000. 81-82. Print. Council For Unity. Riverhead.net. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. http://www.riverhead.net/html/RHSnewscouncilunity.html. Crawford, Donna, and Richard Bodine. Conflict Resolution Education. Rep. Champaign,IL: Research, 1996. Print. Gaustad, Joan. Gangs.ERIC Digest. Ericdigests.org. 2005. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9216/gangs.htm. Lopez, Rebecca A. The Long Beach Unified School District Uniform Initiative: A Prevention-Strategy for Urban Schools. The Journal of Negro Education 72.4 (2003). The Long Beach Unified School District Uniform Initiative: A Prevention-Strategy for Urban Schools. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. http://elibrary.bigchalk.com.proxy6.noblenet.org/elibweb/elib/do/document. Project, – Key. Roca : Who We Are. Welcome to Roca. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. http://www.rocainc.org/about.php. Skiba, Russel J. Zero To lerance, Zero Evidence. Rep. 2000. Print. Weber, Gretchen. Peace among Peers. The Lynn Educator 2008. Print.

Effect Of Temperature On The Digestive Enzyme Pepsin Biology Essay

Effect Of Temperature On The Digestive Enzyme Pepsin Biology Essay In this study an experiment was carried out to determine if varied temperatures affect the rate at which enzymes function. Enzymes are biological catalysts; catalysts are substances that increase the rate of chemical reactions without being used up (BBC, 2010), without these catalysts it would take an extremely long time for these reactions to take place. The enzyme used in this particular experiment was pepsin; pepsin is a zymogen of pepsinogen. Pepsinogen is activated by hydrochloric acid, which is released from parietal cells in the stomach lining. The hormone gastrin and the vagus nerve trigger the release of both pepsinogen and hydrochloric acid from the stomach lining when food is ingested. Hydrochloric acid creates an acidic environment, which allows pepsinogen to unfold and cleave itself in an autocatalytic fashion, generating pepsin. (Life Science Network, 2010) A lot can be learnt about enzymes by studying the rate of enzyme catalyzed reactions, these rates of reaction can be studied in various ways. In this experiment, using a range of different temperatures, the enzyme pepsin will be mixed with egg albumen. This is high in protein and bound to the dye Coomassie blue to gain a light absorbance reading using a spectrophotometer and in effect see how much protein has been digested by the pepsin. Egg albumen was used as the protein source in this study as although it is composed mainly of around 80% water it has about 15% of its total mass made up from approximately 40 different types of proteins, mainly Ovalbumin (54%) (Edin Formatics, 1999). A spectrophotometer is a device used for measuring light intensity and will be used to determine the amount of protein in each mixture, it works by measuring the light intensity as a function of the colour or more specifically the wavelength of light (Global Water Instrumentation Inc, 2007) (Appendix 2). Therefore the lower the reading means less light has been absorbed by the solution being tested indicating in this case that more protein (egg albumen) has been digested by the enzyme (pepsin) and the lower the reading the faster the enzyme reaction rate. If enzyme reactions are affected by temperature, then changes in temperature may bring about different absorbances of light readings related to how much protein has been broken down by the enzyme. As pepsin is found in the stomach it would seem only logical to assume the optimum temperature for this particular enzyme would be around 37Â °c, human body temperature. Method A cuvette was filled with 0.5ml of distilled water and placed in a spectrophotometer, then the machine was calibrated by pressing the zero button with the spectrophotometer set to a wavelength of 595nm. After calibration 0.5ml of egg albumen (2mg.cm-Â ³) was added to a test tube using a glass pipette and incubated in a pre heated water bath at a temperature of 10Â °c (then 20Â °c, 30Â °c, 40Â °c, 50Â °c, 60Â °c, 70Â °c) for five minutes. 0.5ml of pepsin (0.1%) was then added to the test tube and incubated at the same temperature for a further ten minutes. After this incubation period 2.0ml of Coomassie blue reagent was added to the test tube and immediately mixed by capping the test tube with parafilm and inverting several times. After the test tubes contents had been mixed they were carefully poured into a cuvette and placed into the spectrophotometer with the light absorbance levels being recorded at a wavelength of 595nm. The experiment was carried out three times at each temperature to achieve reliable data. Results The results documented in Table 1 are the light absorbance reading averages of three separate experiments carried out at each temperature. A full set of results can be seen in Appendix 1. Figure 1 shows the averaged results plotted on a scatter graph. Table 1 Temperature (Degrees Celsius) Average light absorbance at 595nm 10 2.501 20 2.550 30 2.516 40 2.403 50 2.543 60 2.740 70 2.806 Fig 1 Change absorbance Discussion The results in Table 1 as well as the bell curve graph (Fig 1) show that the optimum temperature as predicted in the hypothesis seems to be 40Â °c, close to human body temperature. These results also show that temperature has a definite effect on the rate the enzyme reacts to breakdown the protein in the egg albumen. Table 1 shows that at 10Â °c, 20Â °c and 30Â °c the light absorbed by the solution is more than at 40Â °c, this is because the pepsin has not broken down as much of the egg albumen at lower temperatures as it has at 40Â °c so the spectrophotometer is picking up more undigested protein particles in these readouts. The same applies to the temperatures above 40Â °c and indicates 40Â °c is the best temperature range for pepsin to be active. Enzymes are made up of amino acids; amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins consisting of a basic amino group, a carboxyl group, a hydrogen atom and an organic side group attached to the carbon atom (Biology Online, 2010). When an enzyme is formed it is made by stringing together between 100 to 1,000 amino acids in a specific and unique order defining the three dimensional shape of the enzyme and its particular chemical reactivity (Brain, M. 2000). The lock and key theory explains how an enzyme may work, it utilizes the concept of an active site on the enzyme. The theory is that a particular part of the enzymes surface has a strong affinity to the substrate (protein). The substrate is held in such a way that its conversion to the reaction products is more favorable. If you consider the enzyme is the lock and the substrate is the key, the key is inserted in the lock and turns it to open the door letting the reaction proceed (Worthington Biochemical Corporation, 2010) (Appendix 3). However, the induced fit theory expands on the rigid lock and key theory. This updated view of enzymology proposes that the substrate causes a conformational change in the enzyme so the active site achieves the exact configuration for a reaction to occur, the overall effect being a tighter binding between the enzyme and substrate (Allaby, M. 1999) (Appendix 4). The benefit of this tighter binding would be a faster reaction rate as more surface area of the enzyme would be in contact with the substrate. The kinetic collision theory describes temperature affects on a system as the amount of kinetic energy it has, a lower temperature will provide less kinetic energy than a higher temperature. When molecules collide the kinetic energy can be converted into chemical potential energy, if the chemical potential is great enough the activation energy or energy required for an enzyme to work can be reached. The more chemical potential energy molecules have when they collide, a greater number of molecules per unit time will reach the activation energy needed to bind the enzymes active site to the protein resulting in a quicker rate of reaction. If the temperature gets too high some of the weak bonds that determine the shape of a protein and its active site could be broken resulting in the enzyme becoming denatured and decreasing the rate of reaction sometimes rendering the enzyme inactive (Brooklyn College, 2010). Figure 1 shows that after 50Â °c the enzyme reaction rate slows down considera bly, the enzyme is denaturising at a faster rate than it is below 30Â °c. This change in enzyme reaction rate may be due to the fact that pepsins are stored at low temperatures to prevent the enzyme destroying itself, therefore pepsin is less active at lower temperatures until it reaches its activation energy around 30Â °c and anything beyond around 50Â °c 55Â °c will rapidly denature the pepsin so the molecules in the active site can no longer bind to the protein and produce a reaction, rendering the enzyme inactive permanently. Once the pepsin has digested the egg albumen it would still be difficult to analyse the amount of protein left at each temperature, this is why Coomassie was added before taking a reading. In an acidic environment the protein will bind to Coomassie causing a spectral shift from a reddish/brown colour with a low absorbance maximum of 465nm to a light blue colour with a higher maximum absorbance of 610nm with the difference of the two colours greatest at 595nm, an optimal wavelength (Thermo Fisher Scientific, 2010). The binding of the Coomassie takes place when the red form donates its free electron to the ionisable groups on the protein causing a disruption of the proteins normal state and revealing its hydrophobic pockets. These pockets, via Van der Waals forces (attractive and repulsive forces between molecules) bind to the non polar region of the dye, putting the positive amine groups close to the negative charge of the dye, creating a strong bond. Binding of the protein stabilizes the blue form of Coomassie dye, thus the amount of complex present in solution is a measure for the protein concentration by use of an absorbance reading. (Bradford M, 1976, P248-254) Although this experiment has produced reliable accurate data that has proven the hypothesis right, many things could affect the results and readings obtained. When using such an accurate way of recording the data such as a spectrophotometer a number of things could affect the reliability of the results. Things like minor differences in volumes of substances added to the test tubes or inattentive timing methods could be damaging to the results obtained. Simple human error could possibly influence any results with any fingerprints or water on the cuvette affecting the absorbance readings. Conclusion In conclusion, the study carried out was adequate for the data required and indicated that temperature definitely affects the rate at which an enzyme reacts. As long as the method is executed well this is a great experiment to look at temperature and its effect on enzyme activity however as with any scientific study human input is a crucial factor and could affect the quality of results. Another experiment may need to be carried out to determine what the optimum temperature is on a more specific scale, something closer to body temperature would help to discover a more precise optimum temperature, 35Â °c 40Â °c for example. As well as finding out an exact optimum temperature a further study to find out the optimum pH of pepsin could be done to further enhance the enzymes rate of reaction, focused around the acidic pH in the human stomach. Appendices Appendix 1 Temperature (Â °c) Absorbance at 595nm (Reading 1) Absorbance at 595nm (Reading 2) Absorbance at 595nm (Reading 3) 10 2.430 2.550 2.520 20 2.480 2.530 2.640 30 2.500 2.510 2.540 40 2.360 2.400 2.450 50 2.520 2.560 2.550 60 2.660 2.780 2.780 70 2.800 2.820 2.800 Appendix 2 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spetrophotometer-en.svg Appendix 3 http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~edudev/LabTutorials/Carboxypeptidase/images/lockkey.jpg Appendix 4 http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Induced_fit_diagram.svg/450px-Induced_fit_diagram.svg.png

Human Genome Project Essay -- Genetics Science Biology Essays

Human Genome Project Human curiosity is one of the most powerful engines that drive new knowledge, development, advancements and life improvements today. Some 100,000 or 200,000 years ago Homo sapiens emerged, and up to today humans are still searching for answers such as what we are and where we came from. For all of the diversity of the world's more than five billion people, full of creativity and contradictions, every human mind and body is built and runs with fewer than 100,000 kinds of protein molecules. And for each of the proteins, a single corresponding gene is responsible to ensure an adequate and timely supply. Genes are often described as the biological blueprints or recipes for life and are found in the DNA, carrying the genetic information from one generation to the next. Many people are convinced that genes are special, that they contain a person's essence, which has enormous spiritual and commercial value. In the deepest sense, we are who we are because of our genes, and therefore it is essential to gain knowledge about the manifold mysteries of life, our genes, and our biological inheritance in full ultimate molecular detail. With advances in molecular genetics, it became possible to launch the Human Genome Project (HGP) - a sequencing project that determines the genetic makeup of an organism by reading off the sequence of the three billion DNA bases, which encode all of the information necessary for the life of the organism. Profits, curiosity and dreams of better methods to prevent and treat diseases are driving efforts to find and decode human genes. The sequence of our genome will ultimately allow us to discover the secrets of life's processes, the biochemical basis of our senses and our memory, our dev... ...n genome project in disease prevention. Preventive Medicine. 23:591-594. Koenig, R. 1997. Watson urges "put Hitler behind us'. Science 276:892. Maddox, J. 1995. Directory to the human genome. Nature. 376:459-460. McConkey, E. 1993. The Human Genome Project. In: Human genetics. The molecular revolution. E. McConkey (ed.). England. Jones and Bartlett Publishers Inc. 306-317. Pearson, M. L. and D. Sà ¶ll. 1991. The Human Genome Project: a paradigm for information management in the life sciences. FASEB. 5:35-39. Velà ¡zquez A. and H. Bourges. 1999. Implications of the Human Genome Project for understanding gene-environment interactions. Nutrition Reviews. 57 (5):S39-41. Wade, N. Dr. J. Craig Venter: The genome's combative entrepreneur. Obtained from www 10-16-1999: http://search.nytimes.com/search/daily/bin/fastweb?getdoc+site+site+25726+0+wAAA+Craig%7EVenter