Globalization in its earliest stages Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Globalization in its earliest stages - Assignment Example the Mongols, the European engagement with the Americas, the relevance of the sack of Constantinople and Aztecs, the link between trade, culture, contact and conquest and the link between Marco and Columbus. The Mongols is an ethno-linguistic group found in Northern and Central Asia that was conquered in the thirteenth century. This conquest is regarded as one of the deadliest conflicts in the history of humanity. It led to the creation of the Mongols Empire that covered the larger part of Eastern Europe and Asia, and impacted many societies globally. For example, the trade routes and exchange of new technologies, ideas and goods affected the way societies lived. The fear of Mongol conflict changed the manner the society lived.   Moreover, the information and ideas exchanged during the Mongol invasion was instrumental in the enlightenment and advancement of numerous societies.  Gunn suggests that the Mongolian invasions of Eurasia enabled globalization to spread through the peoples thus providing the last period of cultural exchange before the modern period (8). Early civilizations witnessed as a result of this conquest included the inception of calendar making, observational astronomy, higher skilled mathematics, use of bronze cannon and coal mining. Without globalization, these ideas may never have come easily to Europeans.   As a result, the Mongols’ conquest was a significant contribution to early globalization. The Sack of Constantinople in 1204 destroyed sections of the Byzantine Empire headquarters as the city was conquered by Venetian and Western European Crusaders. This conquest led to the introduction of new cultures, technology and ideas which contributed to globalization of societies. The Aztec Empire, on the other hand, located in North America; modern-day southern Mexico, was well-known for being religiously united in every boundary of the empire (9). However, it was conquered in 1520 by Cortez thus resulting in the exchange of religions between

BSC Flexibility & the Customer Perspective Essay

BSC Flexibility & the Customer Perspective - Essay Example David P. Norton and Dr. Robert S. Kaplan pioneered the approach in the 1990s. The case study is from the British Airport Authority (BAA) at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 project. They termed their balanced scorecard as the T5 BSC. T5 was a performance management system based on key performance indicators and measures. This paper also compares the Norton’s BSC approach to the T5 BSC approach. T5 BSC based on 5 key performance indicators, 10 key measures, and 37 performance data. The performance indicators were selected as high-level quality indicators to drive the project’s objectives & requirements, identify the stakeholders, agreement of benchmarks, performance of inspections and test from the begin to the completion of the project. The indicators related tot the key measures gave general directions of the project through enablers, monitoring progress, or ascertaining outcomes. The performance data were the metrics that were measured for each stage of the projec t. Team members did this in order to monitor performance. The key measures would be regularly reported and published (Basu, Little & Millard, 2009). The main objective of any measurement system should to encourage managers and other employees to work towards implementing the organization’s strategies. Through the translation of strategy into measure of the balanced scorecard, all parties can know objectives and goals. ... roject, key performance indicators and key measures of the project were made to meet the requirements of the T5 Agreement and its complexity, spanning road, rail, and air constructions. The T5 balanced scorecard has incorporated the balancing principles of Norton’s balanced scorecard fours aspects i.e. learning & growth, customer, internal processes and financial. In the T5 BSC, the leading indicators are given by the benchmarks agreed & the verifications planned and work supervised. On the other, in Norton’s BSC, the leading indicators are given by learning & growth aspect. Considering the outcome indicators, the handover agreed and work complete in T5 can be related to the customer aspect in Norton & Kaplan BSC. Norton and Kaplan’s BSC aspect of internal process can be related to T5’s inspected and protected, and compliance assured measurement indicators. On further analysis, not all the measures as groups in each of T5 indicators act according to Kaplan and Norton’s BSC aspects. For example, the financial aspect relates to the total estimated cost of NCRs, a key measure of the compliance assured performance indicator. It can also be argued that the T5 KPIs and key measures have gaps related to the growth and financial BSC aspects but the assembly and manufacturing level performance indicators would not be expected to counter this. Kaplan and Norton’s Balanced Scorecard Aspects T5 Balanced Scorecard Customer Handovers confirmed RFT Closed outstanding work items Confirmed O&M manuals Confirmed Maintenance work plans Learning & growth Agreed test & inspection plans agreed Supervisors RFT-trained Financial Set Samples/benchmarks Total estimated cost of NCRs Internal processes Inspections with respect to the set benchmark & quality standards Checks confirming

Cash Flow Statements: Indirect Method

Cash Flow Statements: Indirect Method a) International Accounting Standard 7 (IAS 7) lays down the standards expected by companies when presenting information about changes in cash or cash equivalents. Under IAS 7, a company is required to present a statement of cash flow showing the changes in cash and cash equivalents from the three key areas of operating, investing and financing (Wheetman, 2006)[1]. The definition of cash and cash equivalents includes cash, as well as any other investments that are considered high liquidity and can be easily converted into a known amount of cash. When presenting cash flow statements, there are two main ways that are recognised by IAS 7: direct and indirect, although a preference is shown for the direct method. The direct method involves reporting the cash flow gross, as it happens, so that all cash out and all cash in are simply taken gross without any adjustments made for other factors. On the other hand, the indirect method shows the net cash flows once all other factors have been taken into account. It is not necessary for companies to use the direct method and due to the costly process of looking through all receipts and expenses, it is much more common for companies to use the indirect method (Schwartz, 1996)[2] . b) China World Limited (CWL), as is the case with many large companies, has opted to report its cash flow statements in an indirect way. The cash flow statement in the published accounts year ended 31st December 2007 reflects this choice fully; however, there is no discussion as to why the direct method was not used. During the preparation of the accounts, CWL has made several assumptions in order to produces the cash flow statements. For example, depreciation is accounted for during the cash flow statement, as it is not a true expense. When the profit figure, which is the starting point for the cash flow statements, is calculated, the depreciation is taken into account based on the depreciation policies being followed by the company. In the case of CWL, the property owned by the company is depreciated over 20 years, fixtures and fittings over a range of 5 to 10 years and motor vehicles over a period of 5 years. As these amounts are merely policy choices and are done on a straight line method, the actual amount allocated to depreciation has no immediate bearing on the actual cash flow statement and is, therefore, added back on to the ultimate net profit figure during the indirect method calculation. A similar approach is taken with amortisation of intangible assets where the initial costs of thes e assets are spread across the expected life span of the asset. This is not an actual cash movement and is, therefore, added back on to the final profit figure during the cash flow statement (Mills, 1991)[3]. Additional adjustments are then made to include cash based transactions such as interest receivable in an attempt to show a truly accurate picture of cash flow movement. Changes in inventory levels are assumed to reflect the amount of cash available, directly. This is not necessarily the case and it is merely an assumption that CWL has made for the benefit of the cash flow statement (Mills Yanamura, 1998)[4]. Other assumptions that have been made are likely to have an impact on the cash flow. For example, when calculating the net profits, there is an allowance made for bad debtors. This figure is purely an estimate based on previous experiences and the perceived risks associated with the various creditors that are related to the company at any time. In using the indirect method, these assumptions will still bear some relevance to the bottom line, meaning that a change of policy or assumption can have a direct impact on the way in which the cash flow statement looks (Barth, 2006)[5]. As CWL has international operations, it has to deal with the currency fluctuations that occur throughout the year. As the consolidated accounts are presented in pounds sterling, cash values in local currency need to be converted at the exchange rate between the country in which the transaction occurs and British sterling. CWL takes the approach of averaging the exchange rate over the period in which the transactions took place. This assumption is necessary as it simply is not possible to take an accurate exchange rate at the exact point in which a transaction is undertaken. However, it does have a potentially misleading impact on the cash flow statement. Appendix 1 contains a copy of CWL’s accounts as they would appear, had the direct cash flow approach been taken. c) The cash flow statement is merely one aspect of the financial analysis of the company’s financial status. Although cash flow and the liquidity of the company is vital in the overall health of the company, it is not the only measure of success. Firstly, let us consider the liquidity of the liquidity position of CWL. One of the most commonly used ratios is that of the liquidity ratio known as the current ratio. This shows the company’s ability to meet its current liabilities with its current assets. For true financial health, a company wishes to see a ratio that is as high as possible, and at an absolute minimum at least 1:1. In the case of CWL the ratio in 2007 was 1.905, which in itself is particularly healthy and is even healthier when it is compared with the previous year’s figure of 1.734. This increase in the current ratio is primarily due to better management of the money owed by creditors to the company. A further liquidity test is that of the acid test, which is similar in nature to the current ratio but shows a much starker picture as it looks at the ability of the company to meet its current liabilities purely by the use of cash or cash equivalents. In reality, this is a more realistic view of the company’s liquidity position as its main aim is to be able to pay any liabilities that are imminently due, without the need to cash in any other assets, even if they are considered current. In analysing the acid ratio, it is possible to see a different picture of CWL. Although the current ratio shows a particularly healthy liquidity position, it is clear that much of the current assets of CWL are tied up in inventories or in receivables (Chirinko Schaller, 1995) [6]. CWL should aim to manage receivables and inventories better in order to bring the quick ratio closer to the desirable 1:1 position. Although the figure of 0.508 falls considerably short of this ideal ratio, it is a v ast improvement on the 2006 figure of 0.383. As well as liquidity the profitability of the company should be considered. This is the view of how well the company is using its assets to produce a suitable rate of return. The main profitability ratio is that of gross profit margin. As CWL is a manufacturing based company, it is expected that the figure will be at the lower end of the scale; however, the figure of 35.95% is relatively healthy and shows a good rate of profit. Despite this, attention should be given to the cost of sales relative to revenues as they have dropped substantially since 2006 where the figure was 50.19%. This could be attributed to the acquisition of a new subsidiary. Therefore, it is anticipated that, in time, better use of the cost of sales will be made and the gross profit margin will recover to a figure closer to 50%. A final ratio of importance is that of the return on equity. As CWL relies heavily on the shareholders’ equity, it is of considerable importance whether or not the shareholders are receiving a good return on their investment. In its broadest terms, the return on equity ratio shows how much return the company is generating in return for every pound that is put into the company. As a general rule, the higher the return on equity ratio, the better the company is doing, although it should be noted that some companies that require little in the way of financial investment such as consulting firms will almost always have a better return on equity ratio than manufacturing firms such as CWL (Costales Szurovy, 1994)[7]. Once again, in studying the return of equity in relation to CWL, a downward trend between 2006 and 2007 can be seen. This is almost entirely due to the new acquisitions. Therefore, the direct investment in the consolidated company is considerably higher; yet, there has been insufficient time to allow this cash injection to be suitably used to generate increased returns. In a similar way to the gross profit margin, it would be expected that this figure would return to the 2006 figure rapidly and would in the long term be an improvement on the 2006 figures. It should be noted that when looking at these ratios the consolidated accounts have been used. There was a large acquisition made during the year within the group and this has had an impact on the ratios, during 2007. The overall health of the company in terms of liquidity and profitability is good and the slight apparent wobble in the figures will be reversed in the years to come due to the increasing investments being put into the ongoing expansion of the company. The calculations and details of the ratios referred to above are contained in Appendix 2. Appendix 1  Direct Cash Flow Cash flows from operating activities Cash receipts from customers 2,336,967 Cash paid to suppliers and employees (1,496,917) Cash generated from operations (sum) 840,050 Interest paid (8,615) Income taxes paid (52,188) Net cash flows from operating activities 779,247 Cash flows from investing activities Proceeds from the sale of equipment/assets (60,247) Interest received 3,336 Acquisition of subsidiaries (88,209) Net cash flows from investing activities (145,120) Cash flows from financing activities Issue of ordinary share capital 202,500 Costs of issue (13,750) Investment from minority interests 48,360 Interest paid (8,615) Proceeds from bank borrowings 138,172 Net cash flows from financing activities  366,667 Appendix 2 – Ratios Relating to CWL Ratio Calculation Figures Result Current ratio 2007 Current assets / current liabilities 2,284,972 / 1,199,264 1.905 Current ratio 2006 Current assets / current liabilities 1,187,951 / 684,896 1.734 Quick Ratio 2007 Current assets (cash equivalents) / Current liabilities 609,391 / 1,199,264 0.508 Quick Ratio 2006 Current assets (cash equivalents) / Current liabilities 262,080 / 684,896 0.383 Gross Profit Margin 2007 (Revenue Cost of sales) / Revenue (2,336,967 -1,496,917) / 2,336,967 35.95% Gross Profit Margin 2006 (Revenue Cost of sales) / Revenue (1,064,479 530,234) / 1,064,479 50.19% Return on Equity 2007 Net income / total equity 266,372 / 3,148,576 8.46% Return on Equity 2006 Net income / total equity 155,506 / 1,133,966 13.71% Bibliography Barth, Mary E., Including Estimates of the Future in Todays Financial Statements, Accounting Horizons, Vol. 20, 2006 Carslaw, Charles A., Mills, John R., Developing Ratios for Effective Cash Flow Statement Analysis, Journal of Accountancy, Vol. 172, 1991 Chirinko, Robert S., Schaller, Huntley, Why Does Liquidity Matter in Investment Equations? Journal of Money, Credit Banking, Vol. 27, 1995 Costales, S.B., Szurovy, Geza, The Guide to Understanding Financial Statements, McGraw-Hill Professional, 1994 Elliott, Barry, Elliott, Jamie, Financial Accounting, Reporting and Analysis: International Edition, Pearson Education, 2006 Mills, John R., Yamamura, Jeanne H., The Power of Cash Flow Ratios, Journal of Accountancy, Vol. 186, 1998 Schwartz, Donald, The Future of Financial Accounting: Universal Standards,  Journal of Accountancy, Vol. 181, 1996 Shim, Jae K., Siegel, Joel G., Financial Management, Barrons Educational Series, 2000 Weetman, Pauline, Financial Accounting: An Introduction, Pearson Education, 2006 Footnotes [1] Weetman, Pauline, Financial Accounting: An Introduction, Pearson Education, 2006 [2] Schwartz, Donald, The Future of Financial Accounting: Universal Standards, Journal of Accountancy, Vol. 181, 1996 [3] Carslaw, Charles A., Mills, John R., Developing Ratios for Effective Cash Flow Statement Analysis, Journal of Accountancy, Vol. 172, 1991 [4] Mills, John R., Yamamura, Jeanne H., The Power of Cash Flow Ratios, Journal of Accountancy, Vol. 186, 1998 [5] Barth, Mary E., Including Estimates of the Future in Todays Financial Statements, Accounting Horizons, Vol. 20, 2006 [6] Chirinko, Robert S., Schaller, Huntley, Why Does Liquidity Matter in Investment Equations? Journal of Money, Credit Banking, Vol. 27, 1995 [7] Costales, S.B., Szurovy, Geza, The Guide to Understanding Financial Statements, McGraw-Hill Professional, 1994

Contemporary Performance Issue Essay -- essays research papers fc

A Contemporary Performance Issue   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Commuting is a perfect example of a contemporary performance issue, â€Å"traffic congestion can steal valuable time from employees’ personal lives† (Wells par. 1). The typical employee is concerned with the time lost in commuting to work and not spent at home with their family. The family could be spouse, children, pets, parents, siblings etc.†¦If your everyday lifestyle started with the concern and time wasted just for commuting to and from work, you already started the day with a strike against you. In the past, this was not an issue with the employer. The employer was concerned with what they had control over at the workplace, if you had other problems, leave them at the door. Lately, it has been pointed out that more can be done for the employee in the field of Human Resources (HR). For example, instead of open parking for everyone at the work place, initiate a preferred parking area for those using some type of car pool. This encourages a social environment to and from work, as well as relieving some employee stress. If all of the employees are in some type of rotating pool, then an extra load of stress is being relieved from some of the employees all of the time, or all of the employees some of the time. Either way you look at it, you can hope to see an increase in concentration and performance. As an added incentive, â€Å"The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), enacted in June 1998, allows employers to offer workers either cash or tax-free reimbursements for parking, mass transit fares and van pooling expensesâ€Å" (Wells par. 3). This is further enhanced for the employer since the Clean Air Act of 1990. There are about 100 metropolitan areas that mandate air quality goals by reducing vehicle emissions that cause pollution. Some states like California have districts that require employers with 250 or more employees to adopt clean air measures to include trip-reduction programs. All of this results in employees no longer being concerned with traffic or parking or fuel expenses. This is an attractive incentive for retention and also as a recruiting tool. The advantages of adopting a strong program as part of an overall benefits package are clear. Here are some examples of how some organizations have put this to use: ? Bethesda, Md.-based Calvert Group Ltd. estimates that it cut emp... ...’ flex schedules. A third of the companies surveyed by Mercer, up from just 6 percent as recently as 1993, offer employees the option of working at home, with modem-equipped computers linking them to the office. More than a fifth say they are considering such a program. Retailer J.C. Penney, for example, has found that home-based telecommuters are the answer to its on-call operations. Recruited in-house from the company’s telemarketing staff, the part-time workers are supervised by phone, e-mail and twice-monthly visits. Prediction: Between 7.5 million and 15 million workers will telecommute three to four days a week by 2002, according to projections by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (Wells par. 5). I think that with today’s traffic congestion, both the employee and the employer would benefit by having some type of incentive that is geared to commuting. HR is no longer just at the work place. Maybe it never was. Today, we can find all sorts of programs as incentives for the work force. Are they new or are we just no longer thinking in the box? Works Cited Wells, S. J. (1999), â€Å"Using rush hour to your advantage.† HR Magazine, March 1999.

Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange

The essential conflict in Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange exists between the individual and the social order. Philip E. Ray, cites early critics of A Clockwork Orange such as A.A. DeVitis, Carol M. Dix, and Robert K. Morris who suggest that â€Å"the theme of the novel is the conflict between the natural and untainted Individual and the artificial and corrupt State† (479).More importantly, A Clockwork Orange seems to address the individual's ability to express his or her free will within the context of the collective society, and, particularly, poses the interesting question of whether the individual's primary expression of free will is through acts of violence. Through the depiction of a dystopian future, the novel interrogates the interrelationships and conflicts among the individual, society, violence, and free will, thus requiring the reader to do the same.The novel opens with Alex, the narrator and main character, sitting at a bar with his gang of droogs posing the q uestion, â€Å"What's it going to be then, eh?† (Burgess 1). Alex poses this question eleven times throughout the novel. In fact, the novel is book-ended by this question, as it is the first line of the first chapter and the first line of the last.This question seems to present the reader with a declaration of free will. Essentially, Alex seems to be announcing his ability to choose any action he wishes. According to Veronica Hollinger, â€Å"the question itself implies the power of the individual to make choices† (Hollinger 86). The power to choose is the power of free will, and for Alex, choice and free will must be expressed through violence. Even Burgess writes of â€Å"a free and violent will† (Burgess xii) in his introduction to A Clockwork Orange.The first act of violence perpetrated by Alex occurs within the first chapter when the narrator and his group of â€Å"droogs† attack a man in the streets. They proceed to beat the man and destroy his prop erty. The group of youths revels in their violent outburst against the social machine, which is embodied for them in this adult. Within the first thirty pages, Alex and his gang are responsible for four different instances of extreme violence, while the powers-that-be only make a brief appearance and are easily outwitted.The futuristic society of A Clockwork Orange is an extension of our society of commoditization. From clothing to drugs, every possible outlet for the expression of individual free will has been turned into a commodity of the society. The youth seems to be left without any possible expression of individualistic will. Alex seems to see violence as the last non-commercialized expression of individualistic free will available to him; thus, it appears the individual must be in violent conflict with the social order in order to express free will.After the initial scenes of what Alex refers to as â€Å"ultra-violence,† the novel proceeds towards a series of collisio ns between the two main players of the novel: Alex and his society. The social order, embodied in several select social institutions, uses a variety of methods to control Alex's violence in order to maintain its own stability.Alex is eventually captured after he invades the home of a young woman and beats her to death, and the social order, in the form of governmentally funded scientists, begins the process of reforming Alex. The scientists remove Alex from prison and attempt to inhibit his ability to act violently through a chemically induced Pavlovian conditioning designed to make him sick at the very thought of violence. After the experiment is concluded, Alex is completely reformed and cannot stand to enact violence or be witness to violence.When Alex loses his ability to choose violence, he also seems to lose any expression of will. The relationship between free will and violence is expressed through the musings of the prison chaplain who eventually poses the question, â€Å"I s a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed on him?† (Burgess 106).Essentially, the chaplain worries that Alex cannot be truly human and good if he cannot make a choice to be, or not be, violent. After Alex is conditioned and his violent free will is removed, he undergoes a series of hardships, ending in his near suicide.From the moment Alex loses his violent will, the reader must watch him undergo torments in the form of rejection by his parents, beatings by his previous friends, and torture at the hands of a radical anti-government writer.   Further, Alex is pushed around from place to place and seems to have no will of his own. The loss of a violent will seems to be the loss of free will and individuality.Violence in A Clockwork Orange appears to function as synecdoche for all individual expression. If the only way for Alex to express himself effectively is to engage in violent acts, then the violence-less Alex is a tragic cr eature because he lacks any expression at all. The destruction of violence by society is the destruction of the individual and expressions of free will.Despite the evidence that violence is only an expression of the individual and free will, the text is also full of examples that point towards violence as a mechanism of society. In fact, the society seems to need violence just as much as Alex, as a representation of the individual, does. Violence is exhibited as a tool of the social order in several key scenes—notably a police brutality scene after Alex is released from prison and the novel's original, final chapter.

Of Media and Press Freedom

Fahrenheit 9/11, a documentary film which debuted in the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, was produced, written, and directed by the now controversial Michael Moore. It has – and continues to – create waves in American society for its liberal and litigious perspectives. Although the title includes the fateful numbers 9 and 11, the documentary was not really about September 11, but it did touch briefly on that doomful day for all Americans; especially since it was pivotal for the discussion of what was really the movie’s main target. The film provided not only the American people but also the world over a critical look on George W. Bush’s presidency and his War on Terrorism. Moore, admittedly a liberal, is not exactly fond of President George W. Bush. And this is apparent in his works, especially with the documentary film now in question. In fact, Fahrenheit 9/11 was mostly an attack on W. Bush and the way he handled the 9/11 attacks and the pressing threat of terrorism on America. Moore contends that W. Bush was not exactly an inept president; au contraire, he was a really smart one who knew just how influential his position is. Released in America under the presidency of the very man it sought to destroy, Fahrenheit 9/11 was the perfect example of just how much democracy can be – and, sometimes, should be – very lenient on the media. With the media being branded as a ‘watchdog’, serving as the citizens’ omnipotent eye on the goings-on of politics and everything else that concerns them, it is very necessary to let the media speak as freely as it should. Even with moves to censor and even discredit Moore and his claims in this documentary, the Bush administration had to let the movie be shown as completely hiding Fahrenheit 9/11 from the public will be a cause for questioning the government’s commitment to freedom of speech, which is clearly stated in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Yet with the admirable way Fahrenheit 9/11 demonstrated our country’s committal to press freedom, the Palme d’Or recipient also painted just how media can also go overboard and abuse its function as a watchdog. Even with the guise of being a look into how a president can abuse his powers, Fahrenheit 9/11 was made in a manner that can cause discord. Made and exhibited at a time when Americans are still healing from the wounds of September 11 and the movie painfully refreshed the hurt that the events caused the American people. As the now popular Spiderman saying goes, â€Å"With great power comes great responsibility.† This only means that people behind the media know just when propagandas and destructive materials should be kept to a minimum. Assuming that Moore did get his facts right in the movie and his claims in his award-winning documentary have basis and are deserving of being exposed to the people, we can still see just how abusive media can be of its powers – this time, we’ll see it in the stories that Moore weaved. Media’s insolent nature is most apparent in the part where the movie’s director/writer portrayed the news networks’ contribution to the ‘fear’ propaganda. Moore claims that the launching of a war in Iraq had no basis, just W. Bush’s own ‘fear’ propaganda, which (as was also stated by Member of the Congress Jim McDermott) was spurred by the media’s willing coverage of the Bush administration’s feed of the ‘constant’ threat of terrorism even though there were no specific details handed out. And so in a way, Moore also momentarily paints a tirade on American media’s eagerness to become a voice of the Bush administration by presenting the terror threat and even the Iraqi war in a non-rationale way, going with what the W. Bush administration wanted them to cover. For Moore, a lot of lies and cover-ups happened with the War on Terrorism coverage. Indeed, Fahrenheit 9/11 may have torn the nation into two – some believing its theories wholeheartedly, and some reserving their trust to the Bush administration. But for any political science student, the movie is a perfect look as to how important a role and responsibility the media posses in a democratic society. The movie also throws in the glaring fact that the media – with all its freedom and responsibility – should take extra care in handling its affairs. References Fahrenheit 9/11. Dir. Michael Moore. 2004, June 25. DVD. Lion Gates Films, 2004.

Social Security Number Allocations by Location

Social Security Number Allocations by Location The first three digits of a persons Social Security number numbers can often help you to determine where your ancestor may have possibly been living when his/her SSN was issued (see exceptions below). These numbers can also be helpful in determining which listings in the SSDI may belong to your ancestor. The first three digits of a persons Social Security number were, prior to 1973, determined by the state where the person applied fo their social security card. Since that time, the first three digits have been assigned based on the ZIP Code of the mailing address on the Social Security number application. The chart below shows the first 3 digits of the social security numbers assigned throughout the United States and its possessions. SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER STATE CODES * The same number, when shown with more than one area, means that certain numbers have been transferred from one State to another, or that an area has been divided for use among certain geographic locations. Learn more about the other numbers in the Social Security Numbering Scheme.

Sample College Admissions Essay on Teaching Summer Camp

Sample College Admissions Essay on Teaching Summer Camp Many college applicants have had summer camp experiences. In this Common Application essay, Max discusses his challenging relationship with a difficult student who ends up having a lot to contribute.   The Essay Prompt Maxs essay was originally written for the pre-2013 Common Application essay prompt that states,  Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.  The influential person option no longer exists, but there are many ways to write about an important person with the current seven essay options on the 2018-19 Common Application. Maxs essay has recently been revised to fit the new 650-word length limit of the current Common Application, and it would work nicely with the 2018-19 prompt #2:  The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? The essay would also work well with Common Application essay option #5,  Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. Max's Common Application Essay Student Teacher Anthony was neither a leader nor a role model. In fact, his teachers and his parents were constantly chastising him because he was disruptive, ate too much, and had a hard time staying focused. I met Anthony when I was a counselor at a local summer camp. The counselors had the usual duties of keeping kids from smoking, drowning, and killing each other. We made God’s eyes, friendship bracelets, collages, and other clichà ©s. We rode horses, sailed boats, and hunted snipe. Each counselor also had to teach a three-week course that was supposed to be a little more â€Å"academic† than the usual camp fare. I created a class called â€Å"Things that Fly.† I met with fifteen students for an hour a day as we designed, built, and flew kites, model rockets, and balsawood airplanes. Anthony signed up for my class. He was not a strong student. He had been kept back a year at his school, and he was larger and louder than the other middle school kids. He talked out of turn and lost interest when others were talking. In my class, Anthony got some good laughs when he smashed his kite and threw the pieces into the wind. His rocket never made it to the launch pad because he crumpled it in a fit of frustration when a fin fell off. In the final week, when we were making airplanes, Anthony surprised me when he drew a sketch of a sweep-wing jet and told me he wanted to make a â€Å"really cool plane.† Like many of Anthony’s teachers, and perhaps even his parents, I had largely given up on him. Now he suddenly showed a spark of interest. I didn’t think the interest would last, but I helped Anthony get started on a scale blueprint for his plane. I worked one-on-one with Anthony and had him use his project to demonstrate to his classmates how to cut, glue and mount the balsawood framework. When the frames were complete, we covered them with tissue paper. We mounted propellers and rubber bands. Anthony, with all his thumbs, created something that looked a bit like his original drawing despite some wrinkles and extra glue. Our first test flight saw Anthony’s plane nose-dive straight into the ground. His plane had a lot of wing area in the back and too much weight in the front. I expected Anthony to grind his plane into the earth with his boot. He didn’t. He wanted to make his creation work. The class returned to the classroom to make adjustments, and Anthony added some big flaps to the wings. Our second test flight surprised the whole class. As many of the planes stalled, twisted, and nose-dived, Anthony’s flew straight out from the hillside and landed gently a good 50 yards away. I’m not writing about Anthony to suggest that I was a good teacher. I wasn’t. In fact, I had quickly dismissed Anthony like many of his teachers before me. At best, I had viewed him as a distraction in my class, and I felt my job was to keep him from sabotaging the experience for the other students. Anthony’s ultimate success was a result of his own motivation, not my instruction. Anthony’s success wasn’t just his plane. He had succeeded in making me aware of my own failures. Here was a student who was never taken seriously and had developed a bunch of behavioral issues as a result. I never stopped to look for his potential, discover his interests, or get to know the kid beneath the facade. I had grossly underestimated Anthony, and I am grateful that he was able to disillusion me. I like to think that I’m an open-minded, liberal, and non-judgmental person. Anthony taught me that I’m not there yet. Critique of Max's Common Application Essay In general, Max has written a strong essay for the Common Application, but it does take a few risks. Below youll find a discussion of the essays strengths and weaknesses. The Topic Essays on important or influential people can quickly become predictable and clichà © when they focus on  the typical heroes of high school students: a parent, a brother or sister, a coach, a teacher. From the first sentence, we know that Maxs essay is going to be different: Anthony was neither a leader nor a role model. Maxs strategy is a good one, and the admissions folks who read the essay will most likely be pleased to read an essay that isnt about how Dad is the greatest role model or Coach is the greatest mentor. Also, essays on influential people often conclude with the writers explaining how theyve become a better people or owe all of their success to the mentor. Max takes the idea in a different direction - Anthony has made Max realize that he isnt as good of a person as he had thought, that he still has much to learn. The humility and self-critique is refreshing. The Title Theres no one rule for writing a winning essay title, but Maxs title is perhaps a little too clever. Student Teacher immediately suggests a student who is teaching (something that Max is doing in his narrative), but the true meaning is that Maxs student taught him an important lesson. Thus, both Anthony and Max are student teachers. However, that double meaning is not apparent until after one has read the essay. The title by itself does not immediately grab our attention, nor does it clearly tell use what the essay will be about. The Tone For the most part, Max maintains a pretty serious tone throughout the essay. The first paragraph does have a nice touch in the way that it pokes fun at all the clichà © activities that are typical of summer camp. The real strength of the essay, however, is that Max manages the tone to avoid sounding like he is bragging about his accomplishments. The self-criticism of the essays conclusion may seem like a risk, but it arguably works to Maxs advantage. The admissions counselors know that no student is perfect, so Maxs awareness of his own short-comings will probably be interpreted as a sign of maturity, not as red flag highlighting a defect in character. The Essay Length At 631 words, Maxs essay is at the upper end of the Common Application length requirement  of 250 to 650 words. This is not a bad thing. If a college is requesting an essay, it is because the admissions folks want to get to know the applicant better. They can learn more from you with a 600-word essay than with a 300-word essay. You may encounter counselors who argue that admissions officers are extremely busy, so shorter is always better. This little evidence to support such a claim, and youll find very few applicants to top-tier colleges (such as the Ivy League schools) being admitted with essays that dont take advantage of the space allowed. The ideal essay length is certainly subjective and depends in part on the applicant and the story being narrated, but Maxs essay length is absolutely fine.  This is particularly true because the prose is never wordy, flowery, or excessive. The sentences tend to be short and clear, so the overall reading experience isnt labored. The Writing The opening sentence grabs our attention because it isnt what we expect from an essay. The conclusion is also pleasingly surprising. Many students would be tempted to make themselves the hero of the essay and state what a profound impact they had on Anthony. Max turns it around, highlights his own failures, and gives the credit to Anthony. The balance of the essay isnt perfect. Maxs essay spends far more time describing Anthony than it does describing Anthonys influence. Ideally, Max could cut a couple sentences from the middle of the essay and then develop a little further the two short concluding paragraphs. Final Thoughts Maxs essay, like  Felicitys essay, takes some risks. Its possible an admissions officer would judge Max negatively for exposing his biases. But this is unlikely. In the end, Max presents himself as someone who is a leader (he is designing and teaching a class, after all) and as someone who is aware that he still has much to learn. These are qualities that should be attractive to most college admissions folks. After all, colleges want to admit students who are eager to learn and who have the self-awareness to recognize that they have room for a lot more personal growth.

Android Applications with Artificial Intelligence in Mobile Phones

Every company is willing to provide new features and easy to use interface to their customers. But perfection is a thing which comes with time. This paper will include various features, advantages, lacking of major mobile operating systems which includes iOS by Apple, Android by Google and Symbian of Nokia. With the analysis, I have found that once a major market share holder Symbian is now on a verge to be history, while new operating systems are at a boom due to new technology and features, iOS has still been able to conserve its market share with frequent updations. KEYWORDS: Android, Symbian, iOS, Mobile Operating System I. With increasing craze of mobile phones in customers, we often see a wave of confusion for selection of best phone in their minds. Hundreds of brands with different operating systems, providing tons of features to customers seems to be a mind boggling market. A mind-boggling bazaar of competing manufacturers and overlapping technologies -William D. Marbach Competition in mobile industry is increasing day by day. Every mobile company wants to provide best features in their mobiles During 1940s Motorola developed a two way Walkie-Talkie and a two way radio for military which is very big in size. What is an Operating System? An OS is the most critical software element on any running processor-based device[2]. The OS manages the hardware and software resources within a device and performs and manages basic tasks such as the recognition of input from the device keyboard and generation of output to the device’s screen. It also ensures that different programs running at the same time do not interfere with each other. It is responsible for the management of memory and for communication within the device. OSs may be extended to add additional complexity and hence functionality to the code. In the mobile world, the more complex OSs will contain, for example, UI (User Interface) elements as these become increasingly important as the devices become more complex. The OS is purposely hidden from the user who, as a general rule, will have no direct interaction with it. It is, rather, a base onto which the applications required by the user are loaded. The OS is not only a key element in terms of the tasks it performs but the choice of OS will constrain or enable the functionality of the end device in two key respects; firstly that which is technically possible with any given OS and secondly that which is available, i. e. what applications have been developed for that OS. The OS, provides a software platform on top of which other application programs can run. The application programs have to be written for a particular OS so the choice of OS, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications that can be offered on the end device. The OS also provides a consistent interface for applications, regardless of the hardware it is loaded on. Communication between the OS and the applications is done through an API (Application Program Interface) which allows a software developer to write an application for one device and have a high level of confidence that it will run on another running the same OS. III. Â  The Mobile OSs [4]can be differentiated, based on the existing operating systems used by computers. a. Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) Real-Time Operating System which responds to inputs, immediately and generates results, instantly. This type of system is usually used to control scientific devices and similar small instruments where memory and resources are crucial and constricted. This type of devices have very limited or zero-end user utilities, so more effort goes into making the OS really memory efficient and fast (less coding), so as to minimize the execution time ,in turn saving on power as well. e. g. : 8086 etc. b. Single user, single tasking operation system This type of OS is better version of Real time OS, where one user can do effectively one thing at a time, which means that doing more than one thing at a time is difficult in this type of OS.

Criminal Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Law - Essay Example The main purposes of having criminal laws are just twofold: to state public morality and to set the boundaries within the society. In a society, there are various non-verbal practices that have been put to law, because the members of the society deem it as offending or inappropriate. So when an individual violates a rule which is establish by the society, or perhaps a public moral, then that individual would be punished for intentionally breaking the rule, because his action implies that he is intentionally causing disharmony to the society. Law, or criminal law in this case, seeks to have these individuals accountable for the criminal actions they have committed. This is done through having legal actions against them, like imprisonment or fines. Criminal law is based on many written sources, all of them from laws. These are constitutional, administrative, statutory, common and case laws. Constitutional law deals with the U.S. Constitution: how it has to be interpreted and implemente d. All the laws are subordinate of the constitution. If, say, a law is in conflict with the Constitution, the Supreme Court acts on it and deem it unconstitutional. Administrative laws are made by the government offices, agencies and commissions. They are semi-judicial or semi-legislative in character but they often have criminal penalties. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are examples of administrative agencies that make this kind of laws. They can also formulate rules and investigations and also impose sanctions. Statutory laws are those which are passed as statutes by the Congress and other state legislative bodies. The federal government has its own set of statutory laws as well as the state government. Federal law sometimes overlaps with the federal law. Common law is based on the universal practices and notions of the society. It is also known as judge-made law, where the judges created the common law by r uling that certain actions are deemed as crimes and they are punishable. The judges also defined that certain offenses like rape and murder are crimes against the state. This originated in England in the twelfth century. Case laws are laws that laws that have resulted from court decisions and interpretations of statutory law. This is often the result when certain court decisions have not yet been codified. One of the most common justification and excuse defense used is self-defense and insanity. A justification or excuse in jurisprudence is a defense against criminal charges and it’s commonly used as a means to grant exception for a person which may have criminal liabilities (excuse) or as a means to vindicate an act (justice). These defenses have similar but different functions. Justification was already seen in Early English law but they were for remission of the criminal’s punishments, which is basically just a dismissal of criminal charges. Justification also means that criminal charges be dismissed because an individual enforcement of the law or for the benefit of the public. Excuse began as a plea for mercy and often used psychology to support the acts of crime. Therefore, justification implies that it is for the common good, and for the uniformity of the people in the society while excuse is a highly individualized defense, depending on the accused psychological assessment. For example, self-defense is commonly used as

The Summary Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Summary Report - Essay Example igation in different terms, policies and steps to prevent the change, and some other crucial factors that pose hinders in the way of the mitigation of climate change. In the context of growing concern for the global warming â€Å"Summery For Policymakers† is an attempt to save the environment from further disasters caused by global warming. During the recent years the changes that are evidenced in the climate of the world, are a matter of great concern for the scientists and the common people of the world. The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report attempts to find out the ways of mitigation of climate change. For the sake of conveniences, the report renders various aspects of climate change, such as social, environmental, economic aspects, in order to accomplish the task of mitigation fruitfully. The report mainly focuses on the following topics: the trend in the emission of Greenhouse Gas, its mitigation in different terms, policies and steps to prevent the change, and some other crucial factors that pose hinders in the way of the mitigation of climate change. Studies show that emissions of Greenhouse Gas have increased seventy percent over the years from 1970 to 2004. Both man-made and natural factors are responsible for the increase of the emission of the Greenhouse gas. Among the human activity related factors development of science and increasing use of technologies are the major factors that are the most responsible for the apparently abrupt growth rate of green house gases- carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, etc. â€Å"The emissions of these gases have increased at different rates† (IPCC, 2007, p. 3). In the study, a thing is remarkable that the emission of greenhouse gases was violent around the years from 1990 to 2004. During these years the violent emissions of Greenhouse gases occurred mainly in the energy supply sector. The emission rate is about 145 percent. The emission scenario is as following: 120 percent from transport, from industry 65 percent, from

Microbiology Bioremediation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Microbiology Bioremediation - Essay Example [1] There are a number of cost/efficiency advantages to bioremediation, which can be employed in areas that are inaccessible without excavation. [1] Like hydrocarbon spills or oil spills (specifically, petrol spills) or certain chlorinated solvents may contaminate groundwater, and introducing the appropriate electron acceptor or electron donor amendment, as appropriate, may significantly reduce contaminant concentrations after a lag time allowing for acclimation. [1] An oil spill is the unintentional release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment as a result of human activity. [2] After a spill, hydrocarbons are subjected to physicochemical processes such as evaporation or photochemical oxidation which produce changes in oil composition. But the most important process acting on the spilled oil is biodegradation. [3] There are several ways to clean-up an oil spill in the given scenario and in situ treatment. Microbial Biodegradation through Methanogenesis, using the glycolysis pathway is one way. Bioremediation and Biotransformation methods endeavor to harness the astonishing, naturally occurring, microbial catabolic diversity to degrade, transform or accumulate a huge range of compounds including hydrocarbons such as oil. [1] Bacteria are minute unicellular microorganism, the smallest one having all the necessary protoplasmic equipment for growth and self-multiplication at the expense of available food stuff (Smith,1980) such as hydrocarbon fuel. Every bacterium is covered with a cell membrane known as the plasma membrane which separates it from the cytoplasm of the bacterial cell. Composed of phospholipids and proteins, the plasma membrane is the site of important enzyme systems, including the respiratory enzyme systems or cytochrome enzymes (Smith,1980). In regulating the passage of food materials, like oil, and metabolic by-products between the interior of the cell (where metabolic activities are carried on) and the

Should I vote for a second fiscal stimulus bill Essay

Should I vote for a second fiscal stimulus bill - Essay Example l investments by performing two things: cutting taxes levied on households and firms, thus increasing disposable income, the money that consumers can spend on goods and services and increasing the incentives of creating new businesses; or it may itself spend more to increase the level of demand. Since a fiscal stimulus translates to an increase in government purchases, our focus is on the latter policy. Now consider an increase in government purchases: An increase in government purchases increases planned expenditure, which then in turn stimulates the production of goods and services and thus increases income. In a pragmatist fashion, when the government spends to create livelihood projects, the number of jobs increases and so does the production of goods and services. This however has ramifications because as people have more income, their demand for products increase, thus they would want to spend more and save less. This in turn increases the interest rate to give people more incentive to save in banks. However, this interest rate however is the same interest rate that firms consider before borrowing money from the bank and investing in a business venture. And this is where the trade-off stems from because the higher the interest rate, the less likely firms will build new businesses and contribute to the increase in output of goods and services and, of course, to economic output or income. Hence, just by simple deduction, a fiscal stimulus really swings both ways in affecting our gross domestic product. To put things in perspective, according to the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the unemployment rate decreased from 10.2 percent last October to 10.00 percent this November. Productivity increased from 6.9 percent during the 2nd quarter of 2009, to 8.1 percent during the 3rd quarter of the same year. Also, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics also reports a projection of total employment to increase by 15.3 million, or 10.1

Internationa Economics, migration and refugee Assignment

Internationa Economics, migration and refugee - Assignment Example Theres need to establish credible establishments that can access and also equitably send out these types of methods in order that the nation to gain the greatest value from its aspect endowment. The learning resource curse, generally known as paradox of lots, is a non-desirable predicament that will comes up in the event the establishments trusted with the country’s endowment don’t possess sound policies (Piros & Christopher, 2013). It is common knowledge that international locations and also areas having an abundance of natural resources, specifically point-source non-renewable resources like naturally occurring mineral deposits and fuel energy, are apt to have less economic development and also more serious development functionality compared to international locations having much less natural resources. That is hypothesized to be initiated by various causes, which include although not limited to decrease in competitive power of other economic sections, instability connected with income through the normal learning resource industry due to vulnerability for you to worldwide product current market swings, govt mismanagement connected with resources, or corrupte d establishments that provide an easy path for revenue to be diverted away illegally. Resource scarcity may sometimes be absolute or even relative. Absolute scarcity identifies where by you will find basically not enough amounts of resource to meet current need. We are unable to possess any extra resources irrespective of how we extend. General scarcity however, identifies an instance where by there might be actual amounts of any resource present yet scarcity is out there due to issues with regards to offer or even submitting or even distribution(Lin, Justin & Chang, 2009). Achieving the need for your resource may well indicate discovering reduced quality of resources. A vintage example inside focusing the purpose played by establishments/institutions inside making a states

WAL-MART ORGANIZATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

WAL-MART ORGANIZATION - Essay Example Nevertheless, history has a different story in the waves the organization has had to face on the way to today’s position as a global player. The organization internal environment business model is based on value proposition, which rides of offering everyday low price. Distribution efforts in the organization are effectively planned to have the organization have direct contact with customers through media adverts as well as through such cheap means as internet. The organization has also effective customer relations through self-service as well as automated services for efficiency and effectiveness. It highly esteems basic resources spanning from the physical ones including logistics and physical stores, human resources as well as the organizational culture. The organization acknowledges the role of the forces of internal as well as external business environments in shaping the success of the business. Despite the internal organizational structure, the organization holds own emp loyees with esteem as critical part of the internal environment of the organization. Competition as an external factor has continuously influenced the operations of the organization with special attention being taken for the sake of monitoring and keeping pace with competitive developments in the industry (Davis, 2007). Among other notable strengths of Wal-Mart organization are growth and high returns through customer satisfaction, creating profits as well as enhancing value for shareholders. The capacity of the organization to expand continuously into new markets and opening new stores, integrating new online channels as well as upholding great success in innovation and... The great vision and dedication of the top management of the Wal-Mart organization ever since its establishment has been acknowledged to play a critical role in the success of the organization. Leadership has been seen to play a great role in the performance of the organization despite the competition pressures that have been pointed out to form the basis of derailing the organization from realizing the guiding mission. This would form my basis of recommendation to the management of the organization. Competition has become quite dynamic in almost all aspects of business dealings and no one business or industry is immune to the challenge. In this understanding, adoption of rather dynamic management practices is inevitable for an organization to keep pace with the global trends. Adoption of centralized inventory system through which management of the various chain stores of the organization is inevitable in order to have the organization realizes the strategic objectives and goals. I p ropose to the owner of Wal-Mart to uphold high levels of innovation and creativity in management practices in order to cut on the rising costs and command a competitive niche through continuously offering lower prices. This is because other competitors in the industry would rise in competition through exploiting these competitive niches while the Wal-Mart organization does not.

Internationa Economics, migration and refugee Assignment

Internationa Economics, migration and refugee - Assignment Example Theres need to establish credible establishments that can access and also equitably send out these types of methods in order that the nation to gain the greatest value from its aspect endowment. The learning resource curse, generally known as paradox of lots, is a non-desirable predicament that will comes up in the event the establishments trusted with the country’s endowment don’t possess sound policies (Piros & Christopher, 2013). It is common knowledge that international locations and also areas having an abundance of natural resources, specifically point-source non-renewable resources like naturally occurring mineral deposits and fuel energy, are apt to have less economic development and also more serious development functionality compared to international locations having much less natural resources. That is hypothesized to be initiated by various causes, which include although not limited to decrease in competitive power of other economic sections, instability connected with income through the normal learning resource industry due to vulnerability for you to worldwide product current market swings, govt mismanagement connected with resources, or corrupte d establishments that provide an easy path for revenue to be diverted away illegally. Resource scarcity may sometimes be absolute or even relative. Absolute scarcity identifies where by you will find basically not enough amounts of resource to meet current need. We are unable to possess any extra resources irrespective of how we extend. General scarcity however, identifies an instance where by there might be actual amounts of any resource present yet scarcity is out there due to issues with regards to offer or even submitting or even distribution(Lin, Justin & Chang, 2009). Achieving the need for your resource may well indicate discovering reduced quality of resources. A vintage example inside focusing the purpose played by establishments/institutions inside making a states

How to Empower Employees Essay Example for Free

How to Empower Employees Essay In today’s marketplace it is more important than ever to implement employee empowerment policies in order to keep a competitive advantage. An empowered employee feels in control of their position, as well as a valued member of their organization. These employees have a sense of job enrichment which creates a more productive work environment for them, as well as their coworkers. Employee empowerment is a way to allot power in the company while raising productivity and creating job fulfillment in the organization. This helps to offer some valuable advantages to the organization and lowers the employee turnover rate (Korkmaz, 2012). There are many different ways a company can increase employee empowerment. A few important examples are by allowing for a large degree of autonomy, creating jobs with significance and areas for future advancement, giving and receiving employee feedback, and having a competitive benefit and compensation program for employees. These enrichment techniques will help to improve productivity, create higher employee morale, relieve some of the pressure on management, and help to recruit high-skilled individuals for employment (Gerhart, Hollenbeck, Noe, 2011). The most important technique with regards to employee enrichment is Autonomy, which is adding more freedom in the decision making ability an employee holds. This is a great way to empower an employee. Two examples of this would be giving an employee the ability to decide the best process for creating a project, rather than instructing them on definite steps to take. One may also receive the authority to handle customer complaints. These critical thinking practices will make an employee much more involved in their position, while helping to relieve management of the constant supervision of less important tasks (Hardrà © Reeve, 2009). Another effective method would be creating a position which conveys a sense of importance, as well as having the possibility for promotion. This is a great way to create a long lasting relationship with an employee, while also encouraging them to strive for future advancement. Stressing the importance of the job at hand will motivate the employee, while giving them a greater sense of pride in the position they hold. This could be demonstrated by getting the employee involved in the bigger picture of what a company is trying to accomplish (Gerhart et al, 2011). Another technique with regards to employee enrichment is giving and receiving employee feedback. This action helps to motivate the employee by constructing positive reinforcement on the favorable aspects of their performance. This aids in guiding the employee with direct future expectations and goals, while also verbally rewarding them for their positive characteristics. This is a very motivating, yet cost effective technique that will benefit both the employee and the company. By also allowing the employee to give feedback regarding management and production, the employee gains a feeling that their opinion is meaningful and beneficial to the operations of the company(Harms Roebuck, 2010). The last example for creating employee empowerment is to have a competitive benefit plan for employees. Along with some of the benefits included in a standard plan, some examples of benefits that empower employees could include letting an employee create their own schedule, giving extra time off for meeting certain requirements, and the ability to choose certain assignments over others. Other ways to empower employees through benefits would be to allow each member to pick and choose what benefits are right for them based on their specific lifestyles. (Gerhart et al, 2011). Empowering employees is an important aspect for any company. There are many enrichment techniques that can be implemented to improve productivity, raise employee morale, and recruit high skilled employees for future success. By applying these techniques, management gives their company the competitive advantage over the rest, while creating long lasting relationships with their employees. References Gerhart, B., Hollenbeck, J., Noe, R., Wright, P. (2011). Analyzing Work and Designing Jobs. Fundamentals of Human Resource Management, 95-116, 390-404. Hardrà ©, P. L., Reeve, J. (2009). Training corporate managers to adopt a more autonomy-supportive motivating style toward employees: an intervention study. International Journal Of Training Development, 13(3), 165-184. Harms, P. L., Roebuck, D. (2010). Teaching the Art and Craft of Giving and Receiving Feedback. Business Communication Quarterly, 73(4), 413-431. Korkmaz, O. (2012). Differences in Employees Perception of Employee Empowerment Practices. European Journal Of Social Science, 34(1), 43-57.

Use And Problems Of Expert Witnesses In Court Law Essay

Use And Problems Of Expert Witnesses In Court Law Essay It is an ancient common law rule that on a subject requiring special knowledge and competence, evidence is admissible from witnesses who have acquired the necessary expertise on that matter, and such witnesses are known as experts.  [1]  The foundation of the use of expert witness in court was laid down by Lord Mansfield in Folkes v. Chadd  [2]  that the opinion of scientific men upon proven facts may be given within their own science. Although opinion evidence is inadmissible as a general rule, the main exception to this rule is the opinion of an expert on matters resting within his expertise, and this exception applies in both civil and criminal cases. Regarding the civil proceedings, the statutory recognition of the exception is reflected by section 58(1) of the Evidence Ordinance (Cap 8) that an experts opinion is admissible on any relevant matter on which he is qualified to give expert evidence. However, there is an issue of potential conflict of interest on the expert w itness.  [3]  On one hand, an expert witness has a paramount duty to assist the court; on the other hand, he is remunerated for his services by one of the parties under the adversary system, which assumed a more partisan role for them at the expense of impartiality.  [4]   This essay aims to examine whether the aspiration of expert objectivity is realistic in our adversary system. In the next part, we shall discuss the problem of adversarial bias as well as the duties of expert witnesses. In part 3, the applicability of court appointed experts in Hong Kong will be examined with reference to the inquisitorial system. In part 4, we will explore the problems associated with the small population of potential experts in Hong Kong, followed by the courts power in dealing with expert disagreements in part 5. Finally, a conclusion will be drawn in the last part of this paper. The problems associated with expert witness It is often said that the principal danger of adversary expertise is motivational bias.  [5]  As expert witnesses are employed by one of the parties to the litigation and they would purposely mould their views to fit their clients proceedings. In fact, the problem of lack of objectivity in expert evidence is not a new phenomenon. As early as in Lord Abinger v. Ashton  [6]  , Sir George Jessel said: Undoubtedly there is a natural bias to do something serviceable for those who employ you and adequately remunerate you, and expert witness may even considered themselves as the paid agents of their employers. The problem of adversarial bias is also widespread in Hong Kong.  [7]  As identified in the Interim Report of the Working Party on Civil Justice Reform, a major problem concerning expert evidence is the partisanship and lack of independence among experts.  [8]  Thus, it is suggested by Professor Gary Edmond that partisanship may be an unavoidable feature of knowledge p roduction and expert opinion.  [9]   Another reason for lack of objective expert evidence is due to the problem of expert shopping, which is a process of selecting opinions from one expert after another, until the most favourable opinion to the partys case is found.  [10]  Since the choice of experts lies with the parties, the expert evidence is selected on the basis that would serve the best interests of their clients cases. Consequently the court does not necessarily obtain the most independent or objective expert evidence. The practice of selecting the most favorable expert is indeed a distortion of the rationale behind expert evidence as well as a discredit to the administration of justice. 2.1 The duties of expert witness Due to the concern about the failure of experts to provide an independent and objective opinion, a developed code of conduct has been set out in National Justice Compania Naviera SA v. Prudential Assurance Co. Ltd. (The Ikarian Reefer)  [11]  to clarify the duties of an expert witness. The most important parts are the first two numbered paragraphs, which stated that: 1) Expert evidence presented to the Court should be the independent product of the expert uninfluenced as to form or content by the exigencies of litigation  [12]  ; 2) An expert witness should provide independent assistance to the Court by way of objective unbiased opinion in relation to matters within his expertise  [13]  . The Ikarian Reefer guidelines remain a good law in Hong Kong, and the relevant principles were set out in paragraph L1/58/7 of Hong Kong Civil Procedure 2009. The expert witnesss overriding duty to provide independent and unbiased assistance to court is also reflected in Order 38, rule 3 5A of the Rules of the High Court (RHC) as well as the Code of Conduct for Expert Witness in Appendix D of RHC. Further guidance is provided in Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd. v. Commissioner of Rating and Valuation  [14]  that an expert also needs to ensure no omission of material facts that could divert from his concluded opinion. Although the adversary system may not have provided an ideal environment for the expert witnesses to maintain their independence and objectivity from their clients, I believed that the promulgation of code of conduct would have raised awareness of the expert witnesses in meeting the courts expectations, so that they will be less easily manipulated by lawyers, which can tend to rein in the widespread problem of expert bias in Hong Kong. Court-appointed experts Apart from a code of conduct for expert witnesses, some commentators have recommended other ways to reduce the problem of expert bias, and one of them is the appointment of court experts with reference to the inquisitorial system. It is common for the court to appoint experts in many continental jurisdictions, such as Belgium, Germany and France. Unlike the way to appoint experts under the adversarial system, the expert witnesses are selected and remunerated by an independent authority, usually the court rather than the parties, which may avoid the problem of adversarial bias.  [15]  Take an example of the French system of expertise, the judge would normally commission the expert witnesses from a list of official experts, and they will be questioned by the judge.  [16]  The major distinction between the adversarial and inquisitorial system of justice is that the parties play a minimal role in locating evidence and they need not actively engage with the expert witness in court , as the expert witness is infrequently cross-examined by the defendants. As the court-appointed expert has little interaction with the parties, they are more likely to give an objective and unbiased opinion to the Court. Nevertheless, it is argued that the appointment of court experts under the inquisitorial system is contrary to the principles of the adversarial system of justice. Apart from the loss of right for parties to select their own expert witnesses, there are a number of arguments that go against the inquisitorial court-appointed experts. First of all, the main problem is that the court may place undue reliance on the evidence provided by the court-appointed expert, which may lead to an ultimate result that it would be the court-appointed expert instead of the judge who decides the case.  [17]  This is also highlighted by Lord Denning in In re Saxton that the appointment of a court expert in England is a rare thing, as the litigants realize that the court would attach great weight to the report of a court expert, and are reluctant to leave the decision of the case so much in his hands.  [18]   Second, it is difficult to ensure the validity or test the applicability of the expert evidence in inquisitorial systems due to lack of cross-examination and involvement of more expert opinion, which are fundamental features of the adversarial system. In the absence of challenges to expert evidence, its quality and reliability is therefore doubtful as there is no way to test the correctness of the expert conclusion.  [19]  Moreover, the exercise of courts power to appoint an expert is rare under Order 40 of RHC in Hong Kong. It is indicated in the case of Nguyen Ho Others v. Director of Immigration  [20]  that the Court of Appeal has declined an invitation to appoint a court expert. Consequently, the inquisitorial court-appointed expert is difficult to integrate in our adversarial system, especially the important feature of cross-examination which encourages critical scrutiny of the expert evidence is lacking under the inquisitorial system.  [21]  It is also of my view that the adversarial expertise may benefit the fact-finder in another way by providing a range of perspectives or interpretations that allows verification of the validity and accuracy of the expert evidence in Court. Problems with small population of potential experts As Hong Kong is confronted with the problem of parties obtaining hired gun experts,  [22]  the concern of expert bias may also arise when the employer of the expert witness is the prosecution. This is particularly the case for criminal prosecutions, where the expert witnesses are commonly and closely connected with the police or prosecution authorities. In fact, the small population of available experts in Hong Kong would render the reliance on expert witnesses employed by the prosecution inevitable, for instance, police officers may be called by the prosecution as witnesses to give evidence in drug cases regarding the average dosage of drug addictsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc. One may nonetheless argue that relying on the prosecutions own officers as expert witnesses to provide opinion evidence would prima facie cast a doubt on their independence and objectivity in that case. Thus, it raises the problem of whether it is possible to restrict the officers of the prosecution from giving opin ion evidence as an expert in his field to support the prosecutions case. In R v. Chung Chen Hsin  [23]  (Chung), a police officer ballistics expert, who was possibly connected with the investigation, was called by the prosecution as witness to testify for them that the unusual weapon found in the defendants hand luggage was a firearm. The court has made some important points regarding the right of the prosecution authority to call its own officers as expert witnesses to offer opinion evidence. It is held that there is no requirement in a criminal proceeding where the expert witness ought to be independent of the prosecution authority, but a witness who is competent and properly qualified to provide his expertise would suffice.  [24]  Judge Stuart Moore also challenged the judgment in R v. Kai Tai Construction Engineering Company Ltd.  [25]  by claiming that it was not a material irregularity for the prosecution to have called a properly qualified expert from the same department responsible for that prosecution, and there must be powerful reaso ns to cast a doubt on the expert called by the prosecution in order to justify the refusal to allow the prosecutions own officers as expert witnesses.  [26]  Moreover, even the expert witness is so closely connected to the case that he may be biased in favour of the prosecution, it is ultimately a matter remained for the jury to assess the weight to be attached to his testimony and the question of admissibility is irrelevant. The rationale in Chung was reaffirmed in many recent cases, such as Tang Ping Choi Another v. Secretary for Transport  [27]  , where the court held that an experts evidence was not inadmissible merely due to the fact that he or she was an employee of one of the parties to the case. With limited human resources in Hong Kong, the fact that many expert witnesses have been employed by the party calling them is nearly inevitable, especially for the technical matters that require highly specialized experts to offer their opinion evidence. Despite the possible lack of independence of the expert witnesses employed by the prosecution, it has been made clear by the Hong Kong courts that the expert evidence would not be excluded merely on that basis. Even though the expert witness may have produced a biased opinion due to his or her vested interest in the outcome of the case, it is only relevant to the weight to be attached to that experts testimony rather than the admissibility of evidence. Expert disagreement With one of more expert witnesses giving opinion evidence at court, it is possible to have a clash of opinion between opposing experts. In fact, we may divide the discussion into two parts: one is the role the judge if this situation happens at the trial; while the other is the judges powers to limit the extent of expert disagreement before the trial. First of all, if there are conflicting experts opinions during the trial, the judge will need to direct the jury correctly. It is held by the Court of Appeal in Plait  [28]  that the judge should not direct the jury in a way that it is a case of choosing between their opinion evidence. Rather, the jury should consider if there is a reasonable possibility that either the opinion of the prosecution or defence expert, when taken in conjunction with all the other evidence, is correct; then the jury should proceed on that basis. For the second part, the introduction of Civil Justice Reform in Hong Kong has offered the courts more control over the expert evidence, including measures to reduce the expert disagreement before the trial. The most common way for the court to narrow expert disagreement is to direct an expert meeting and joint report  [29]  , where the experts of both sides will meet before the trial and indicate clearly in the joint report the reason for their disagreement with each other. The direction is supported by Justice Wood that experts moderate their opposing views in the expert meeting, or even reach agreement on the controversial aspects of their expertise.  [30]  It is also noticed that the experts have a duty to attend this pre-trial meeting and conclude with a proper joint report, or otherwise, the defaulting expert would have breached paragraph 12 of the Code of Conduct for Expert Witness. Furthermore, the court has an option to order the appointment of a single joint expert under Order 38, rule 4A of RHC. Under this scheme, parties may jointly choose the single joint expert, or the court can select from a list prepared by the parties or any manner as the court may direct. Although the use of single joint expert may allow the fact-finder to have a simpler and less-biased picture over the technical matter, it is stressed in the Woolfs final report that the appointment of a single joint expert is mainly used to deal with the problem of excessive and inappropriate use of experts instead of bridging the differences of opinion between experts.  [31]   As a result, it is believed that the direction of pre-trial expert meeting and joint report will be more useful to narrow the conflicting opinion between experts rather than the appointment of a single joint expert. Conclusion With increasing technological sophistication of issues in courts, it is no doubt that the expert witness is playing a more significant role in the judicial process. Unlike other witnesses, the expert witness has an overriding duty to the court to provide objective and unbiased opinion evidence. An absence of independence and objectivity on the part of the expert witness would be prejudicial to the court, and consequently lead to a devaluing role of the expert witness in the court proceedings. It is opined that the introduction of the code of conduct as well as the new rules under the Civil Justice Reform in Hong Kong have evolved new roles for the expert witness. By setting court expectations in respect of the expert evidence, the expert witness would strive to meet the high standards and adhere to their duties and responsibilities listed in the rules. Despite the effort of the expert witness, I believe the concerted efforts by all streams of the judicial system are also vital to restore not only the credibility of the role of expert witness, but also publics confidence in the administration of justice. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS M. R. Damaska, Evidence Law Adrift (New Haven London: Yale University Press, 1997) Mike Redmayne, Expert Evidence and Criminal Justice (OUP, Oxford 2001) Peter Murphy, Murphy on Evidence (10th edn OUP, Oxford 2008) Simon NM Young, Hong Kong Evidence Casebook (Sweet Maxwell Asia, Hong Kong 2004) ARTICLES REPORTS Charles Pugh Marcus Pilgerstorfer, Expert Evidence: The Requirement of Independence (2008) Journal of Personal Injury Law 224. Chief Justices Working Party on Civil Justice Reform, Civil Justice Reform: Interim Report and Consultative Paper (2001) Gary Edmond, After Objectivity: Expert Evidence and Procedural Reform 25 Sydney Law Review 131. Gary Edmond, Judicial Representations of Scientific Evidence (2000) 63 Modern Law Review 216. J.R Spencer, Court Experts and Expert Witnesses: Have We a Lesson to Learn from the French? (1992) 45 Current Legal Problems 213. Lord Woolf MR, Access to Justice: Final Report to the Lord Chancellor on the Civil Justice System in England and Wales (HMSO, London 1996) Peter Alldridge, Forensic Science and Expert Evidence (1994) 21 Journal of Law and Society 136. Samuel Gross, Expert Evidence (1991) Wisconsin Law Review 1113. NEWSPAPER Cliff Buddle, Judge calls expert witness mercenary SCMP (22 March 2002) EDT 7. ELECTRONIC RESOURCES Justice Sperling, Expert Evidence: The Problem of Bias and Other Things (1999): accessed 13 March 2011. Justice Garry Downes AM, Expert Evidence: The Value of Single or Court-Appointed Experts (2005): accessed 13 March 2011. Michael Wilkinson, Recent Developments Affecting Expert Evidence in Law Lectures for Practitioners (1991): accessed 13 March 2011. CASES Folkes v. Chadd [1782] 99 ER 589 Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd. v. Commissioner of Rating and Valuation [2004] 2 HKLRD 702 In re Saxton [1962] 1 WLR 968 Lord Abinger v. Ashton [1874] 22 WR 582 National Justice Compania Naviera SA v. Prudential Assurance Co. Ltd. [1993] 2 Lloyds Rep. 68 Nguyen Ho Others v. Director of Immigration [1990] Civ App No 135 of 1990 Plait [1981] CrimLR 332 Polivitte Ltd. V. Commercial Union Assurance [1987] 1 Lloyds Rep. 379 R v. Chung Chen Hsin [1996] 1 HKCLR 120 R v. Kai Tai Construction Engineering Company Ltd. [1996] 2 HKCLR 26 Tang Ping Choi Another v. Secretary for Transport [2004] 2 HKLRD 284 Whitehouse v. Jordan [1981] 1 WLR 246

A Worn Path by Eudora Welty :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What was intriguing to me about this story was how detailed it was. The author paints a clear picture of what the setting is and the character. The first paragraph of the story is a great example of the author describing the character and the setting. â€Å"It was December-a bright frozen day in the early morning. Far out there was an old Negro woman with her head tied in a red rag, coming along a path through the pinewoods. She was very old and small and she walked slowly in the dark pine shadows, moving a little from side to side in her steps, with the balanced heaviness and lightness of a pendulum in a grandfather clock. She carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept the frozen earth in front of her. This made a grave and persistent noise in the still that seemed meditative like the chirping of a solitary little bird.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The emotions I felt were both happy and sad. As I was getting close to end of the story I felt sad when I read that Phoenix Jackson was living alone with her grandson, who is sick, and that he’s waiting for her alone back home. I also felt sad for her because she went through some obstacles during her journey to town such as going under a barbed-wire fence, coming across a man and his dog and passed through some thorny bush. I was happy when she reached her destination and got the medicine that she needed for her grandson. Although at her elderly age she was still witty when she tricked the hunter and took the nickle for herself. Phoenix accomplished something that she wanted to do and that brought a smile to my face.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you look into a dictionary the meaning of Phoenix is a unique bird that periodically burned itself on a funeral pyre and was born again from the ashes. Maybe that says something about Phoenix Jackson. Her funeral was the path and she was born again when she reached the office.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I saw Phoenix Jackson as a positive, strong person who is very determined and doesn’t let anything get in the way of her path.

Cults :: essays research papers

Cults Types of cults Two main kinds of cults exist today: Messianic Cults This is a cult that has a leader. Whatever the leader orders his members to do must be done, whether it would be sacrifice or murder, it must be done. In return the leader of the cult would "save" his followers. Mellenarian Cults This is a type of cult that refers to the 1,000 year reign of Christ. These groups believe that dramatic events, such as the end of the world or judgment day, will occur at the turn of the century. Traits of cults A feeling and a certainty of belief. A single strong and powerful leader. A tendency to control communication. A totalistic outlook; a view that spiritual life in the group must be present 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This would not allow a member to do any hobbies, work or interests outside of the cult. People who join cults There are four different types of people who participate in cults. The first type of people are normal people who come from intact families and turn to cults at a moment of difficulty in there life. These people haven't had any other problems previously. The second group of people are people who had problems in there past in development and emotion. The third and smallest group of cult members are psychotic individuals. The fourth group of people feel as if they don't fit into society. Different cults Charles Manson was never close to his parents, for he never met his father and his mother was an alcoholic. This lead Manson through a confusing age. He was always getting in trouble with the law. After he got out of prison he began to experiment with the psychedelic drug LSD. In San Francisco he learned how to talk like a hippie and sounded very wise, to lost and confused young men and woman. He always looked for sad or disordered young women. As he found them he talked to them, and they quickly trusted him deeply. In a short time he had gathered up enough young women to be his slaves and do whatever he asked. This is were Charles Manson began his cult leadership. Manson told four of his followers to break into a wealthy home in Los Angeles and kill everyone

15 Uses of the Tooth Paste that you Never Know

Beauty Uses Toothpaste contains many useful ingredients that can be soothing and healing to the skin. For this reason, you'll be able to use toothpaste to help you with the following issues: 1) Pimples. Reduce redness and the size of your pimples with a dab of toothpaste. Let it sit overnight, then rinse away in the morning for a noticeable difference. 2) Brittle fingernails. Since our nails are made of the same enamel as teeth, toothpaste can do a lot to help them.Simply give your nails a good scrub with some oothpaste for cleaner, shinier, stronger nails. You'll also get that dirt out from underneath them in no time! 3) Fly-away hair. A gel toothpaste is largely made with the same ingredients as basic hair gels, so you'll be able to substitute easily here. Just use a little dab and apply like a hair gel when needed. First Aid Uses Beyond beauty care, you'll also find helpful ways to use toothpaste in that first aid kit. Keep a small tube tucked inside your kit for these emergencies : 4) Bites, sores, and blisters.Apply toothpaste to areas of skin irritation to reduce tching, swelling, and irritation. Toothpaste will dry them up quickly and help them heal faster. 5) Burns. For minor burns with no open sores, a quick toothpaste application can give you instant relief. The cooling properties get to work right away, relieving that painful sting. In the long-term, toothpaste will keep the burn from becoming a painful, oozing blister. 6) Bruises. For large bruises that take forever to fade, use a little toothpaste and a wide-tooth comb.Apply the toothpaste and gently comb the bruise in one direction o break up the blood clotting beneath the skin. Toothpaste helps with circulation and fghts off the inflammation. Fashion Uses the average tube of toothpaste. Give these a try: 7) Jewelry cleaner. Before you pay for someone else to clean it, rub toothpaste onto your silver Jewelry and leave it overnight, the wipe it clean with a soft cloth. Give a light scrubbing to your diamonds to see them sparkle again, Just be sure to rinse thoroughly. Avoid using toothpaste on pearls. Show care.Scuffed or dirty shoes can look new again with a little toothpaste. Apply it irectly to the dull, dirty, or scuffed parts of the shoe, scrub with a brush, and wipe them clean. Ta-da! 9) Clothing stains. Tough stains will disappear with a little toothpaste and some brisk scrubbing. Squeeze it right on the stain and rub until it disappears, then wash as normal. If using whitening toothpaste, be advised that this can have a bleaching effect on some colors and fabrics. Household uses : Toothpaste can save you money around the house by helping with some very basic tasks: 10) Computer cleaner.Scrub away fingerprints from your keyboard with a white, aking soda-based toothpaste. Follow up with a damp cloth and your keys are good as new! 1 1) Iron cleaner. Take away the â€Å"crusties† from the bottom of your clothes iron with a quick toothpaste rinse. Just be sure to rem ove all the toothpaste before you start ironing again. 12) Baby bottles. To freshen up baby bottles and remove that sour-milk smell, put some toothpaste on your bottle scrubber and give them a quick wash. Always rinse them very well afterwards. 13) Piano keys.Like computer keys, piano keys get grubby with repeated use from the irt, oil, and grime on our fingertips. Use a damp cloth and some toothpaste to rub down the keys, then wipe them clean with a dry cloth. 14) Crayon stains. Undo your kids' damage to the walls with a damp cloth and some toothpaste. Rub it in gentle circles and watch the crayon fade away. 1 5) Odor removal. After cooking with â€Å"stinky† foods in the kitchen (fish, garlic, onions, etc. ), getting the smell out of the skin is a challenge. Wash your hands thoroughly with water and toothpaste for a quick and easy remedy.

Critical Thinking Scenario Essay

The skills that you cultivate as a critical thinker are intended to help you think your way through all of life’s situations. One of the most challenging and complex of life’s areas is moral issues and decisions. Every day of your life you make moral choices, decisions that reflect your own core moral compass. Often we are not aware of the deeper moral values that drive our choices, and we may even be ignorant to the fact that the choices we are making have a moral factor. Critical thinking plays a major role in assisting us in developing values, using moral reasoning, and to make ethical conclusions. The steps involved. Critical thinking is defined as having the means to articulate what you study, being open to all possibilities and able to draw your own conclusions based on what you have learned. There are six steps to the critical thinking process. The first is knowledge; you are able to identify with what you hear and read, the topic, issues, and main points. Step t wo is comprehension, being able to relate to the information and put it into your own words. Step three is application, taking what you have learned and apply it to an actual situation. Step four is analysis, which means breaking the information down to see how they are connected to other ideas. The final step is evaluation, this occurs when you understand with supporting details and you are able to form a conclusion. According to â€Å"Ethical Reasoning: A Key Capability† (2013), ethical reasoning is the â€Å"ability to reflect on moral issues in the abstract and in historical narratives within particular traditions. Ethical reasoning is the ability to identify, assess, and develop ethical arguments from a variety of ethical positions† (What Counts As Ethical Reasoning?). The principles and rules of critical thinking are applicable to ethical reasoning because they both allow individuals to distinguish more than one side of a dilemma. If everyone followed the rules and guidelines of logic, there would still be a need for ethical decision making because compliance depends on an individual’s desire to avoid punishment. When an organization or so ciety  relies on that method of doing the right thing to avoid severe consequences, the focus of its effort to promote ethical conduct undermines the effort by promoting misperception. The participants in the Blood Money scenario consists of the Media, The U.S. Government, China, Transplant Traffickers, Doctors, Victims, Prisoners and Army agencies. The medical profession is responsible for actively promoting ethical standards in medicine to ensure the best practices. The government and military have a responsibility to set forth laws that protect all individuals, prisoners and all. Healthcare workers, should also specify the dangers of organ trafficking and the health risks involved. The ones that are conducting the sales should understand that that could be them in the position of the prisoners and their organs are taken without their permission. The victims responsibility is to make sure their physician is highly regarded and against those practices. The stakeholders have also failed morally, as they would have prevented this from happening by not involving their interests into that area of spotlight. The moral dilemma is that is it right to take an organ from a prisoner who has done wrong and that be the ultimate punishment? Or, is it wrong to make money off the actions and build a thriving underground business? The conflict is that there are so many waiting for organ transplant that it does not seem harmful for those that will be killed or dead that no longer would have a use for the organs. The best outcome would be to set laws that protect the military from negotiating standards with hospitals to award them with immediate access to organs. Initiate programs within the country that people sign whether or not if they would like to donate their organs to someone in the event they die. After reading the transcripts and watching the video I was able to get supporting details from all characters that were involved. The relevance of the criteria was that the government knows about what is happening but they tend to turn the other cheek with no regard for human life. Sacrificing human beings is considered a taboo in many countries, but many would not want to believe that’s what it is. The possible courses of action would be to contact the government officials and deal with the consequences head-on. Ethically we all have to identify with the three main principles of life; justice, sufficiency, and solidarity. I was able to see the viewpoints of each side and that helped me reach my conclusion without being bias. The critical thinking process is important  because, it allows a neutral standpoint and able to reach a conclusion and determine based solely on the facts. References Ethical Reasoning: A Key Capability. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.wesleyan.edu/ethics/reason.html Pearson Learning Solutions (2014). Award-Winning Investigation: Blood Money [Video file]. Retrieved from Pearson website: https://media.pearsoncmg.com/pls/us/phoenix/1269738887/ANN_11-20-06_BloodMoney.html Ruggiero, V.R. (2015). Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.