Vaccine Refusal Controversy

The subject that I’ve chosen as a controversial healthcare topic is vaccine refusal. The subject of vaccination has long been a controversial topic in healthcare. Universal vaccination initiatives have been met with resistance. There is scientific evidence supporting the benefits of vaccination however, parents and healthcare professionals continue to doubt the effectiveness and safety of vaccines. Vaccine preventable disease continues to be a threat to the public in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that during 2011, a total of 222 cases of measles were reported. 90% of those cases were associated with importations from other countries. (MMWR. 4/20/12). There are several factors as to why patients refuse vaccination. A misconception regarding side effects is a common reason for vaccine refusal. Parents and/or patients believe that the vaccine is made up of the live virus and can in turn make the recipient ill. They do not understand the process for manufacturing vaccines or the process for which the body creates antibodies. (Fraleigh, J. 5/1/09). Vaccine safety is another reason for vaccine refusal. There is a lack of trust in the federal government, which oversees the approval of vaccine released to be administered. An important factor to vaccine safety is not only the manufacturing process but also maintaining the cold chain for proper vaccine storage. Maintaining the cold chain is an important factor in ensuring that the vaccine being administered is viable. Maintaining the cold chain relies on more than one person or entity. The cold chain begins with the manufacturer and is then transferred to the delivery of the vaccine and the proper storage. The last phase of the cold chain is the administration of viable vaccine to the patient. There are several areas in this process that allow for vulnerabilities in this process as demonstrated by the Office of Inspector General Report from 2012, Vaccines for Children Program: Vulnerabilities in Vaccine Management (Levinson, D. . Regardless of patient and healthcare professional’s refusal to utilize vaccine there is clearly a benefit to vaccination. Vaccine preventable diseases are debilitating and deadly. A good portion of the general public has never seen some of the vaccine preventable diseases such as polio. Therefore, the existence of such diseases is not relevant to some. From 1960 to 1996, measles vaccines had reduced measles cases by 99. 95%. (HHS. 1997) References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MMWR, Measles-Unites States, 2011 (April 20, 2012 / 61(15);253-257). Department of Health and Human Services. 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2013 http://archive.hhs.gov/nvpo/concepts/intro6.htm Fraleigh, James M. Vaccination: Compliance and Controversy. May 1, 2009. Levinson, Daniel R. Inspector General. Vaccines for Children Program: Vulnerabilities in Vaccine Management, OEI-04-10-00430. June 2012.

Code of Ethics Comparison Essay

Differences and similarities were described in the Code of Ethics of the American Counseling Association and the American Association of Christian Counselors. The two codes are comparable in many ways. The American Association of Christian Counselors focus on the Christian aspect and the American Counseling Association is based on world views. It is important to understand that counselors should not impose their personal values on clients, however religion mainly consist of beliefs that individuals adapt and practice. All counselors should remain subtle when providing services clients and allow them to make the decision if they choose to adopt a certain value or religious belief to help them cope with life. The general similarities of the ethic codes American Counseling Association and American Association of Christian Counselors consists of providing help to clients who are in a crisis situation. According to the text, The ACA & AACC codes both encourage client growth and development which fosters healthy relationships. They both seek to avoid harm and personal values when assisting clients. They both inform clients of informed consent and protect clients to earn their trust so that they can create an ongoing partnership, by maintaining confidentiality. They both find it important to maintain trust in awareness of sensitivity regarding cultural diversity. Both ACA & AACC respect the rights of privacy of their clients (Corey, G, Corey M & Callanan, 2011, pg. 94). I feel it is essential for all counselors to understand a client’s cultural background, religious belief and values to effectively provide appropriate care when making decisions. This information will allow counselors to make better informed decisions and build a stronger partnership. According to the text, both ACA & AACC maintain records to ensure clients are provided with the best service which allows the counselor to maintain a continuity record for future sessions (Corey, G, Corey M & Callanan, 2011, pg. 173). The differences in the two ethics codes consist of the following: According to the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) mission is to bring honor to Jesus Christ and his church, promote excellence in Christian counseling, and bring unity to Christian counselors. A more detailed and behavior-specific ethical code is needed for Christian counselors simply because of incompetent services among Christian counselors, unprotected legal status, and the vitality and growing maturity of Christian counseling. This code shows four streams of influence which include the bible; standards of Christian counseling and the established mental health disciplines; Christian and mental health professions; current and developing standards derived from mental health and ministry-related law. According to the text, Christian counselors should maintain the highest standards of competence with integrity. Christian counselors are viewed truthful, educated, and experienced. Christian counselors do not disrespect other professional counselors, mental health professionals (Clinton & Ohlschlager, 2012, pg. 264). Comparing and contrast duties to client and to the Profession According to the American Association of Christian Counselors, Christian counselors will protect clients and do no harm which is the first rule of professional-ministerial ethical conduct. Christian counselors will express a loving care to any client, service-inquiring person, or anyone encountered in the course of practice or ministry, without regard to race, ethnicity, gender sexual behavior or orientation, socio-economic status, education, denomination, belief system, values or political affiliation. Christian counselors acknowledge that client conflicts are unavoidable. Christian counselors take proper action against the harmful behavior of other counselors and pastors. Clients will be protected against harm and danger wherever it is found. Christian counselors refuse to condone or advocate for abortion and the abortion-related activities of clients. All counselors will consider and inform clients of alternative means to abortion and as far as it is possible, will continue to serve clients and work compassionately with them through the abortion crisis. According to the American Association of Christian Counselors, Compared to other professionals, Christian counselors refuse to condone or advocate for the pursuit of or active involvement in homosexual, transgendered, and cross-dressing behavior, and in the adoption gay & lesbian & transgendered lifestyles by clients. Christian counselors will not advocate for or support clients who wish to die due to medical reasons, or support the use of drugs to be utilized to end a life. The death of a patient may occur however, initiating action to end a terminally ill patient’s pain is unethical. According to the American Association of Christian Counselors, Christian counselors do not provide counseling to close family or friends due to the conflict of interest. They presume that dual relations with other family members, acquaintances, and fraternal, club, association, or group members are potentially troublesome and best avoided. Often times, family and friends may get offended when offering professional assistance. Christian counselors along with other counselors will secure client consent for all counseling and related services. This may include video/audio taping of client sessions, the use of supervisory and consultative help, the application of special procedures and evaluations, and the communication of client data. According to the text, Christian counselors may refer clients who are beyond their ability or scope of practice or when consultation is inappropriate, unavailable, or unsuccessful. Referrals should be coordinated after the client is provided with informed choices of referrals (Clinton & Ohlschlager, 2012, pg. 264). According to the American Association of Christian Counselors, Christian counselors are encouraged, beyond their fee schedule, to make a portion of their time and services available without cost or at greatly reduced fee to those who are unable to pay. On the other hand, counselors may not provide services to clients without some form of payment. Often times, Christian counselors enjoy what they do and may avoid financial practices that could result in greed. Christian counselors feel negative toward high fees and prolonged treatment for monetary gains. According to the text, Christian counselors do not withhold services to anyone of a different faith, religion, denomination, or value system. It is essential for Christian counselors as ell as other counselors to understand the client’s belief system and cultural background in order to provide the best care possible (Clinton & Ohlschlager, 2012, pg. 273). Christian counselors should not impose their personal values however support the client’s values in a professional manner. It is important to understand that Christian counselors do not abandon clients. Services should never abruptly end without sufficient notice and proper notification for termination or referral.

Career Guidance

WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE A COUNTRY'S STANDARD OF LIVING? Judy Newsome Purpose: Students will examine geographic information to make inferences about the factors that influence a country's economic development and standard of living. Objectives: The student will be able to: 1. analyze information on a map to generalize a country's economic status. 2. compare geographic information and develop hypotheses about the economic development and standard of living in various countries. 3. examine geographic information to test hypotheses. 4. make inferences about other factors that influence the economic development/ standard of living of a country.Standards: 1,11,15,16 Skills: 1,2,4,5 Materials: Maps showing resources Map of Africa Chart showing per capita GNP Pictures to stimulate discussion Procedures: PREPARATION: 1. Label 10 x 13 size envelopes (3 per group) as follows: Group 1 Envelope A Group 1 Envelope B Group 1 Envelope C. Repeat for groups 2 – 7. 2. Copy the attached copy of th e seven individual countries seven times and make a transparency of it. Cut out the seven map keys and one copy of each individual country. Attach one country and the map key to half a sheet of construction paper and laminate if possible.Place country A in Envelope A for Group 1, country B in Envelope A for Group 2, etc. 3. Make seven copies of a blackline map of Africa and seven copies of a chart showing per capita GNP figures for Africa. Mount the map and the chart on construction paper and also laminate, if possible. Place a copy of the map and the chart in Envelope B for each group. 4. Find pictures to represent the various factors to be discussed (as many as possible). You would need seven pictures to represent each factor (one for each group) or seven copies. Mount these on construction paper and laminate.Place pictures in Envelope C for each group. 71 GROUPS: Divide the class into groups (up to 7). QUESTION: Ask: When you hear the term standard of living, what does it mean to you? After the Discussion, which should include the definition of standard of living (see definitions), explain that the first factor that influences a country's standard of living is the material wealth as evidenced by a country's natural resources and agricultural products. BRAINSTORM: Distribute the 3 envelopes to each group but ask them not to open any of them until they are asked to do so.Tell them that Envelope A contains the map of an individual country and the map key. All names have been removed so that they will not be able to bring any prior knowledge to this activity. Have them open Envelope A and examine the map and the key. List the resources and products shown and then brainstorm about what can be done with those resources and products and how to obtain anything they need but don't have. (approximately 5 minutes) MAKE COMPARISONS: Show transparencies of all seven countries. Let each group report. Write their finding on the transparency beside the appropriate country or on the chalkboard.HYPOTHESIZE: Based on the brainstorming, which country is wealthiest? Rate them from 1 to (varies). (Depends on number of groups used). Write the ratings on the transparency. INTRODUCE VOCABULARY: Explain that the reason you examined the resources and products of each country first is that a country's resources and products influence the material wealth and therefore the economic development and standard of living of a country. One measure of a country's standard of living is per capita GNP. Define per capita GNP. (See definitions) EXAMINE MAP AND CHART: Tell your groups to open Envelope B.Compare the map of Africa and identify the particular country they were working with. They should raise their hands and tell you so you can mark it on the transparency as soon as they find it. Then ask them to look up their country's per capita GNP and add it to the information already on the transparency. Now check your hypotheses. How do the countries really rate? If all is well, you should have them rated incorrectly so you can point out that there are other factors that playa part. (See introduction. ) EXAMINE PICTURES: In Envelope C, which may be opened now, you will find pictures related to a country's standard of living.Take about 2 minutes to identify the factor each picture represents. Put a list on the overhead and tell your groups that they are now going to draw some conclusions about these factors and how they influence a country's standard of living. (If you made copies of pictures you may want to put the originals up in the room and/or make transparencies of them). 72 DRAW CONCLUSIONS: Have groups discuss and come to some conclusions about how each of the factors influence a country's economic development/standard of living. Then ask about any other factors they can think of. See attached list as a hint but there may be others). VOCABULARY: Economic systems – the approach or technique that a country uses to deal with scarcity and ach ieve its economic goals. Standard of Living -ca measure of the amount of good and services an individual or group considers essential to well-being. GNP or gross national product – a measure of the value of all the good and services produced by a nation in a given time period, usually one year. Per capita GNP – GNP is divided by the population. The amount of money per person the people of a country or in a certain region earn.Life expectancy – the average number of years people can be expected to live. Literacy rate – the ratio of the number of people in a population who can read and write of the total number of persons in a population. Birth rate – the ratio of the number of live births during one year to the total population, expressed as the number of births per year per 1000 population. Death rate (mortality rate) – the ratio of the number of deaths during one year to the total population, expressed as the number of deaths per year per 1 000 population.Infant mortality rate – the ratio consisting of the annual number of deaths of infants not over one year old to the total number of live births during that year. Infrastructure – the basic structure of services, installations, and facilities needed to support industrial, and other economic development; included are transport and communications, along with water, power, and other public utilities. Natural increase – the number of births in a country minus the number of deaths Population growth rate – natural increase plus migration into a country minus migration out ofa country. o FACTORS INTRODUCED IN PICTURES: . 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Water (affects the economic and agricultural development) Sanitation (affects health and life expectancy) Health care (affects life expectancy, infant mortality rate, birth rate, death rate) Population growth (natural increase and population growth rate) Nutrition (affects health and life expectancy) Education (affec ts literacy rate) SOME OTHER POSSIBLE FACTORS: 1. War 2. Infrastructure 3. Political instability 4. Environment/topography 73 o L I o I I iii , I 200 400 600 ! , , 800 Miles I I 400 800 Kilometers 74 Activity 2 † 1 V' ~ cattle Coal Cocoa Coffee .. /Itt:; ?'Diamonds FISh Gold . Grapes Iron Ore · c:::J e P8Irn Oil Peanuts RIce Sheep e .! i't .0 a ~. ~ Com Cotton Copper Oat.. I 1 †¢ † ~ dfI Lumber Oil Other City IA , †¢ Tea Tobacco Identify each country based on shape and resources Note: Shapes are accurate but country size is not to scale Wheat Capital 75 Western Sahara Tunisia Sudan Libya · Morocco Egypt N. AFRICA Algeria 0. 25 9. 619 29. 49 . 5. 114 28. 778 68. 344 31. 471 173 Population mid ·2000 (millions) 2. 86 1. 58 2. 16 1. 69 2. 48 1. 98 2. 36 2 Natural Increase (annual %) 24 44 32 41 28 35 29 34 â€Å"Doubling Time† in years 150 35 69. 5 37 33. 3 52. 44 51 Infant Mortality Rate 0 B C B B B B Data Availability Code 61 N/A 27 54 86 44 49 46 Pe rcent Urban 47 69 51 69 75 65 69 64 Life Expectancy at Birth, Total 35 N/A 43 34 40 37 39 38 Percent of Population of Age < 15 2060 N/A 290 1240 1290 nla 1550 1200 GNP Per Capita, 1998 USD Population mid ·2000 (millions) Natural Increase (annual %) â€Å"Doubling Time† in years Infant Mortality Rate Data Availability Code Percent Urban Life Expectancy at Birth, Total Percent of Population of Age < 15 GNP Per Capita, 1998 USO Guinea Ghana Burk. Faso Cape Verele Cote d'lvoirE Gambia W. AFRICA Benin 19. 534 1. 05 15. 98 0. 401 11. 946 6. 396 234. 456 2. 4 2. 41 2. 19 2. 82 2. 94 2. 83 2. 8 29 29 32 25 24 24 25 56. 2 130 76. 9 112. 2 105. 3 93. 9 89 C C B B C B B 37 37 46 44 15 38 35 58 45 47 68 47 50 51 3 3 3 3 6 3 3 340 390 700 240 1200 380 340 7. 466 2. 38 29 98 ~ 26 45 3 530 N. AFRICA Population mid ·2000 (millions) Continued Natural Increase (annual %) â€Å"Doubling Time† in years Infant Mortality Rate Data Availability Code Percent Urban Life Expectancy at Birth , Total Percent of Population of Age < 15 GNP Per Capita, 1998 USO Nigeria Senegal Mali Mauritania Niger Liberia G. Bissau 10. 076 11. 234 2. 7 123. 338 3. 164 1. 213 2. 97 3. 23 3. 1 2. 72 2. 84 2. 22 25 23 21 22 24 31 123. 1 139. 1 122. 5 92 77. 2 130 C C C C C C C 45 26 54 17 22 36 50 53 54 41 45 52 4 4 3 2 4 3 410 200 160 N/A 250 300 ————— 9. 481 2. 79 25 67. 7 41 52 3 520 â€Å"†'–‘—–~-~~————————————– Congo, Oem. Equatorial Guinea Congo Cameroon Cen. Af. Rep Chad MID ·AFRICA Angola 0. 453 51. 965 2. 831 3. 513 7. 977 15. 422 Population mld ·2000 (millions) 96. 425 12. 878 2. 4S 2. 4 3. 19 3. 29 Natural Increase (annual %) 2. 58  ·2. 03 2. 96 3 28 29 22 21 â€Å"Doubling Time† in years 34 27 23 23 108. 108 108. 6 109. 8 Infant Mortality Rate 96. 7 125 77 106 C 0 C B C Data Availability Code C 0 41 29 37 Perce nt Urban 44 39 22 32 32 48 49 50 Life Expectancy at Birth, Total 48 55 45 47 49 43 48 43 Percent of Population of Age < 15 44 43 44 46 48 GNP Per Capita, 1998 USD 680 110 610 300 230 1110 320 380 Namibia South Africa MID_AFRICA Gabon Sao Tome S. AFRICA Botswana Lesotho 2. 143 1. 771 Population mid ·2000 (millions) 0. 16 49. 915 1. 576 continued 1. 226 2. 07 1. 667 Natural Increase (annual %) 3. 4 1. 3 1. 55 2. 16 33 45 42 â€Å"Doubling Time† in years 20 52 32 84. 5 68. 3 57. 50. 8 51 Infant Mortality Rate 87 C B B Data Availability Code C C B Percent Urban 16 49 73 44 42 27 Life Expectancy at Birth, Total 53 64 54 44 46 52 Percent of Population of Age < 15 47 41 35 41 44 39 GNP Per Capita, 1998 USD 270 570 4170 3100 3070 1940 I 43. 421 1. 27 55 45. 4 i 45 551 34 3310 (:: S. AFRICA  ·Populatlon mld ·2000 (millions) continued Natural Increase (annual %) â€Å"Doubling Time† in years Infant Mortality Rate Data Availability Code Percent- Urban Life Expectancy at Bir th, Total Percent of Population of Age < 15 GNP Per Capita, 1998 USD Swaziland 1. 004 1. 5 37 107. 7 C 22 38 47  ·1400 —- ——— N. AFRICA Population mid-2000 (millions) continued Natural Increase (annual %) â€Å"Doubling Time† in years Infant Mortality Rate Data Availability Code Percent Urban Life Expectancy at Birth, Total Percent of Population of Age < 15 GNP Per Capita, 1998 USD Sierra Leone Togo E. AFRICA Burundi Comoros Djibouti Eritrea 5. 019 246. 235 0. 578 0. 638 5. 233 6. 054 2. 78 2. 64 3. 07 2. 4 2. 28 2. 49 23 25 26 29 28 30 79. 7 157 102 74. 8 77. 3 115 C C B 0 C C 31 37 20 29 8 83 49 45 46 59 48 47 . 48 3 45 42 3 41 370 N/A 140 3~0 140 4. 14~ 2. 9~ 2~ 1. S 1e 55 43 200 Population mid-2000 . (millions) Natural Increase (annual %) â€Å"Doubling Time† In years Infant Mortality Rate Data Availability Code Percent Urban Life Expectancy at Birth, Total Percent of Population of Age < 15 GNP Per Capita, 1998 USD E. AFRICA continued Madagascar Malawi Mauritus Mozambique Reunion Kenya Ethiopia 30. 34 14. 858 1. 189 19. 105 10. 385 64. 117 2. 105 2. 943 2. 19 2. 4 1. 91 ‘1. 05 33 29 24 36 66 32 73. 7 96. 3 126. 8 19. 4 133. 9 116 B C A B B C B 20 43 28 15 22 20 49 46 52 39 70 40 N/A 46 45 26 45 46 46 350 260 100 3730 210 210 N/A 0. 716 1. 1 49 9 73 30. ~ E. AFRICA Population mld-2000 (millions) continued Natural Increase (annual %) I†Doubling Time† in years Infant Mortality Rate Data Availability Code Percent Urban Life Expectancy at Birth, Total Percent of Population of Age < 15 GNP Per Capita, 1998 USD Seychelles Somalia Uganda Rwanda Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe 0. 082 7. 229 7. 253 35. 306 23. 318 9. 582 2. 29 1. 07 2. 87 2. 86 2. 88 1. 96 65 30 24 24 24 35 120. 9 8. 5 125. 8 98. 8 81. 3 109 0 0 B C B B B 5 59 24 20 15 38 39 N/A 46 53 42 37 28 45 44 49 45 45 6420 N/A 230 220 310 330 11. 343 1 69 80 32 40 44 620

Increase Productivity and Safety at Night Shift Research Proposal

Increase Productivity and Safety at Night Shift - Research Proposal Example Production department is the most important section for the successful operation of the business. Business organizations strive on the efficiency and capability of its production team who provide quality and quantity goods and services to the customers of organization. As the demands for the products grow in numbers, it has become necessary for the organizations to operate 24/7 and employ more number of people so that the market demand could be met easily. As Coleman (1995) pointed out that businesses can run 24 hours for various reasons which includes customers demand, can be considered as the most economical option or the process requires it. Even in organizations where the operations run on continuous basis without switching the process, the workload is balanced in every shift so as to increase the efficiency of processing during the night hours. Working on the night shifts is more difficult than the day shift. This is because there is the issue of fatigue and loss of concentratio n that affect quality. Aside this, there are also safety issues that relate to concerns about going to work, staying safe at work and going back home from work, if one is on the night shift. The present research proposes to conduct an intensive study into the measures and facilities that could be improved and developed to increase the safety and production capacity during night shifts Statement of the Problem Why there is a need to study the ill effects of working during night shifts; is a critical and serious question. ... Also, Thorpy & Billiard (2011, p412) identified that many motor accidents that occur before daybreak can be attributed to tired drivers who have worked through the night. In view of these risks associated with night shifts and it’s continuance in manufacturing industries in spite of so many tragic incidents, it is clear that maintaining a night shift enables a manufacturing company to do more and increase production volumes. It is therefore an important element of organizations and must be kept as productive as the daytime shift. The research therefore examines the issues with safety, security and productivity with the night shift and how these issues can be handled by management of a manufacturing entity. Problems with the Night Shift Demand for increased production due to global competition and just in time manufacturing methods have forced most of the companies to adopt 24 hours working schedule in order to stay economically active and meet the consumer demand. Operating in dustrial processes around the clock forces the employees to remain awake at night contrary to their normal biological rhythms resulting in increased fatigue and reduced alertness and productivity (Gupta, 2006). According to Sharman and Sharman (2008) working during night time upsets the body’s natural process and health effects go far beyond sleep deprivation, decreased concentration, creativity short term memory and decision making ability. According to Folkard and Tucker (2003) the number of people at work and nature of their work vary across shifts as long runs were often saved for night shift with reduced supervision of operations. It is further analyzed on the basis of three different studies on real job measures for 24 hour day operated organization

Paper on Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Paper on Speech - Essay Example I informed her the abstracts of these videos and shared to her the links so she can view them. She confirmed that the nationality of those people featured in the Chicken a la Carte film is Filipinos from the Philippines. As she herself is a Filipino, she confirmed that these incidents really happen in their country. There was even featured news commentary that previously broadcasted the situation in their national television. We both agreed that the situation was indeed very sad and heavy to reflect on. The issues presented on the Miniature Earth confirmed the inequality experienced by peoples around the globe in terms of economic wealth and human rights. However, the sorry state of global inequality has been known for decades but not one government has enacted laws and legislations to improve the welfare of mankind. Even international organizations fail to address critical concerns of social poverty, economic inequalities, human injustice, racisms, chronic and epidemic illnesses, and environmental destruction, among others. Even the most developed countries in the world contain issues of poverty, unequal distribution of economic wealth, and violations of human rights. Their governments remain to shift their priorities to military weapons and expenditures rather than focusing on developmental assistance promoting education, good health, food production, and prevention of diseases. Emily even shed tears when she saw the short film presentation. She agreed on the contentions presented and mentioned that more and more governments all over the world have shifted their agenda towards enriching their own selfish interests and turning their backs on the more pressing and obvious dilemmas on inequality and poverty that pervades human life. Further, she said that parents must train their children to be more appreciative of what they have. The little things that each and every family could do to assist in improving the plight of human welfare must be done to

How Do We Create a Set of Priorities in Relation to Population and Assignment

How Do We Create a Set of Priorities in Relation to Population and Environment - Assignment Example It has got to do with the anticipated returns, the risk that becomes potentially faced and the timing of the returns (McMullin-Messier 34). To be able to create a set of priorities, one must have the ability to see what tasks are more vital at each moment and give such tasks more of their energy, time and attention. When one focuses his or her efforts on those top value activities, one can have meaningful and significant, long term consequences. Provision of healthcare should become a priority for all nations worldwide. This is because a great percentage of loss of life is as a result of either lack of or poor health care. This issue also gets surrounded by many political, institutional and environmental constraints. This influences decision making in the health care section because, during the process, there are numerous interest groups and weaknesses in democratic voting mechanisms. If health care does not become a priority, then many parties manipulate the decisions that pertain to the provision of health care and vary the quality of care distributed among the population. This may be extremely risky for a nation because if the population is not healthy then there is a reduction in production. Prioritizing healthcare will lead to better care, affordable care, and healthy people. This will improve health outcomes and increase the effectiveness of care for all populations (McMullin-Messier 89). More resources should be alloc ated to the healthcare sector in terms of money, manpower, machines, and researchers. More opportunities should also get provided for those that are interested to study medicine in order to avail more manpower for this sector. Environmental movements worldwide should also be prioritized because the key goal of such organizations improves the environment and maintain what is still good. They tackle environmental issues worldwide that deal with climate change, air pollution, water pollution, human encroachment, and deforestation.

The Best Airline in the United Kingdom and Europe Research Paper

The Best Airline in the United Kingdom and Europe - Research Paper Example The airline schedules are today subjected to strict regulatory measures, which limits the flying time across Europe as a whole. To remain viable in the market, British airways must implement security and regulatory measures as stipulated by the control acts. The level of security measures that an airline puts in place also influences customer confidence and trust. Consequentially, British Airways must enforce the political security regulatory measures that are put in place by global airline control (O’Connell & Williamson, 2011). A number of economic events in the global market have also affected the performance and vibrancy of the airline industry. For example, the global economic crisis of 2008 affected a number of businesses based in the United Kingdom, which further reduced the level of airline schedules. The growth of the industry following this crisis has not significantly picked up and is currently pegged at 2% yearly. Apart from the global financial crunch, the dwindling strength of the euro has also had a significant bearing on the performance of the airline sector (Punzel, 2011). The euro has continued to weaken against the pound and this has affected the performance of British Airways. To mitigate the challenges created by the meltdown, most businesses and individuals in the United Kingdom and the United States have cut down on their spending and travels, a situation that has affected the performance of the airline. The high cost of fuels, which has led to an increase in the cost of air travel, has also forced companies to adopt other cheaper alternatives such as teleconferencing (Balmer, Stuart & Greyser, 2009).

Hybrid buildings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hybrid buildings - Essay Example Ancient hybridity began by home owners using animal skin amongst other animal and nature products to beautify their homes. Hybridity also began with experiments on human beings by cross-culturing different genes. It was later that this concept was brought to the design of homes such that homes in urban areas could have the richness and wholeness of nature (Joseph, 35). Homes in urban areas also laced space to extend their gardens and some architecture went as far as placing magnificent gardens on rooftops. The cost of land has continued to soar to sky high prices hence people have less land to beatify their compounds (Joseph 20). Programs have been developed to help make office space have auditoriums to enhance the greenery of the environment. Building serve more than one purpose such as office buildings having car parks too and even malls being developed to house various activities such as housing exhibition halls, hotels, clubs, swimming pool, libraries, among others. Making buildings multi-functional has helped ease congestion on land and reduce the cost of acquiring separate space for other activities (Joseph, 30). Many hybrid types have been and are still being developed. It is this ingenuity of architects that will help transform this century into something admirable for future generations (Joseph

Government 2301 Executive Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Government 2301 Executive Project - Essay Example This helpful act was brought into law by George W. Bush on December 3, 2004. This act has helped out and benefitted 6.8 children and youths suffering from disabilities (OELP). In order to gain a better understanding of the Office of Special Education Programs, it is important to take a closer look at the act, IDEA. IDEA has had a profound effect on individuals with disabilities. It was actually preceded by a different act, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) put into law on Nov. 29, 1975 (IDEA’s Impact). This law was made in order to protect the rights of the needs of individuals with disabilities, as well as assisting their families. Before IDEA, many people with disabilities were not able to obtain the types of necessary opportunities to educate themselves successfully (IDEA’s Impact). A report in 1970 showed that several United States schools would not permit certain students with disabilities to enter the school (IDEA’s Impact). This, of course, greatly harmed the education of these individuals while at the same time making education seem like something these people did not deserve. However, in a fai r country with public education, shouldn’t everybody have access to it? This is why IDEA was formed. The act initiated programs that could discover disabilities relatively early on in order to assist students. This education would then be molded to fit these individuals’ basic needs, whether they were deaf, blind, mentally retarded, or suffered from some other type of disability. This has created an opportunity for children with disabilities to take advantage of their public schools (IDEA’s Impact). Thus, the schools have responded to this with different ideas. Some students have separate classes with different teachers, while others are learning with their non-disabled

Cost of Opportunity Essay Example for Free

Cost of Opportunity Essay Assuming the best choice is made, it is the cost incurred by not enjoying the benefit that would be had by taking the second best choice available. [1] The New Oxford American Dictionary defines it as the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen. Opportunity cost is a key concept in economics, and has been described as expressing the basic relationship between scarcity and choice. [2] The notion of opportunity cost plays a crucial part in ensuring that scarce resources are used efficiently. [3] Thus, opportunity costs are not restricted to monetary or financial costs: the real cost of output forgone, lost time, pleasure or any other benefit that provides utility should also be considered opportunity costs. Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Opportunity costs in consumption 3 Opportunity costs in production 3. 1 Explicit costs Implicit costs 4 Non-monetary opportunity costs 5 Evaluation 6 See also 7 References 8 External links History [edit] The term was coined in 1914 by Austrian economist Friedrich von Wieser in his book Theorie der gesellschaftlichen Wirtschaft. [4] It was first described in 1848 by French classical economist Frederic Bastiat in his essay What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen. Opportunity costs in consumption [edit] Opportunity cost may be expressed in terms of anything which is of value. For example, an individual might decide to use a period of vacation time for  travel rather than to do household repairs. The opportunity cost of the trip could be said to be the forgone home renovation. [citation needed] Opportunity costs in production [edit] Opportunity costs may be assessed in the decision-making process of production. If the workers on a farm can produce either one million pounds of wheat or two million pounds of barley, then the opportunity cost of producing one pound of wheat is th e two pounds of barley forgone (assuming the production possibilities frontier is linear). Firms would make rational decisions by weighing the sacrifices involved. Explicit costs [edit] Explicit costs are opportunity costs that involve direct monetary payment by producers. The opportunity cost of the factors of production not already owned by a producer is the price that the producer has to pay for them. For instance, a firm spends $100 on electrical power consumed, their opportunity cost is $100. The firm has sacrificed $100, which could have been spent on other factors of production. Implicit costs [edit] Implicit costs are the opportunity costs in factors of production that a producer already owns. They are equivalent to what the factors could earn for the firm in alternative uses, either operated within the firm or rent out to other firms. For example, a firm pays $300 a month all year for rent on a warehouse that only holds product for six months each year. The firm could rent the warehouse out for the unused six months, at any price (assuming a year-long lease requirement), and that would be the cost that could be spent on other factors of production. Non-monetary opportunity costs [edit] Opportunity costs are not always monetary units or being able to produce one good over another. The opportunity cost can also be unknown, or spawn a series of infinite sub opportunity costs. For instance, an individual could choose not to ask a girl out on a date, in an attempt to make her more interested (playing hard to get), but the opportunity cost could be that they get ignored which could result in other opportunities being lost. Evaluation [edit] Note that opportunity cost is not the sum of the available alternatives when those alternatives are, in turn, mutually exclusive to each other – it is the value of the next best use. The opportunity cost of a citys decision to build the hospital on its vacant land is the loss of the land for a sporting center, or the inability to use the land for a parking lot, or the money which could have been made from selling the land. Use for any one of those purposes would preclude the possibility to implement any of the other. See also [edit] Economics portal Budget constraint Economic value added Opportunity cost of capital Parable of the broken window Production-possibility frontier There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch Time management Trade-off

Primark Performance Management,

Primark Performance Management, Executive Summary: Company Introduction: Primark is a leading retail group in the value sector and operates a total of 187 stores in UK, Ireland (Penneys brand), Holland, Spain and Germany. Primark employs in excess of 27,500 people. In GB, in terms of market share, TNS ranks Primark as GBs second largest clothing retailer by volume and Verdict Research now places Primark as the leading retailer in value clothing. Primark was voted Best Value High Street Fashion by GMTV and ITV viewers. Strategic Aims and Objectives of Primark: Primark is mainly focuses on young people, those are less than 35 year offering them a superior quality and fashion trends at the value of their money. A strong consumer proposition has been developed for the Primark brand and embodied in the line Look Good, Pay Lesswhich communicates Primarks value-based offering in a precise manner, to its core target audience. Primark is offering to one of the high quality merchandise to their customers, at value for money, is supported by service promised by Primark. Its a mission of Primark staff and management to supply quality and class clothing and merchandize at the worth professed. Super competitive prices (the result of innovative technology, supply and volume buying, efficient distribution) Mainstream market product quality, clear focus on the target market, superior store fit, and high street locations. Primark is a high street retailer which has a family of brands and focuses much more on buying, logistics and supply chain managementrather than branding. 1. Set the performance targets of teams to meet strategic objectives. 1.1 Access the link between team performance and strategic objectives. Performance Management: Performance management is an integrated approach enabling managers to set targets, measure and review performance and re-define goals, giving a clear indication whether the activities undertaken by individuals and the organisation are achieving the organisations key objectives. â€Å"Management is a process of directing and supporting employees to work as effectively and efficiently as possible in line with the needs of the organisation.† (Walters) Performance management will look different in different places, but effective organisations share some common characteristics. These are: real-time, regular and robust performance data can-do culture inspired by strong leadership agreed lines of individual accountability clear performance management review, combining challenge and support transparent set of performance rewards and sanctions Effective performance management requires: Aims, objectives, priorities and targets Improvement, action or service plans Performance measures Performance reporting These plans and actions fit within a framework that we summarise as plan, do, review, revise. Through this framework, learning can be harnessed in a continuous cycle of improvement. 1.2 Evaluate tools and techniques available to set team performance targets. â€Å"When you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in numbers, you know something about it.† (Kelvin) Some are the following techniques and tools used for setting the team performance targets. Six Sigma Just in Time (JIT) Kanban Kaizen Six Sigma Six Sigma is a method to achieve near perfect quality. Any service or element of production can be focused by six sigma analysis and has a strong emphasis on statistical analysis in design, manufacturing and customer-oriented activities. The UK Department for Trade and Industry (2005) Just in Time (JIT) To grasp the concept JIT is very simple for example for my journey to college I could have left the house just in time to catch the train. JIT can also be defined as producing the necessary units, with the required quality, in the necessary quantities, at the last safe moment. It means that company can manage with their own resources and allocate them very easily. Kanban Kanban system is Japanese concept. Simply described a â€Å"pull† production or manufacturing   system that controls the flow of work through a factory by only releasing materials into production according to customer demands i.e. only when they are needed. Within the production field, the Kanban process is the most significant of these services. Kaizen Kaizen is also Japanese management method of incremental change. This philosophy assumes that every aspect of our lives needs to be improved. The key elements of Kaizen are: Effort Quality Communication Willingness to change Involvement of all employees 1.3 Access the value of team performance tools to measure future team performance. Primark focus on supply chain management concept in their business to deliver their merchandize to their stores from warehouses in right time, right quantity and right location. Right now for Primark Just in time (JIT) concept works with full swing their one of the most strong business strategy that is Supply chain management of their products. They believe that JIT concept can provides the company huge and diverse benefits. JIT has helped a lot in the following way. Reduced set up times in warehouse the company in this case can focuses on other processes that might need improvement. Improved flows of goods in/through/out warehouse, employees will be able to process goods faster. Employees who possess multi-skills are utilized more efficiently. The company can use workers in situations when they are needed, when there is a shortage of workers and a high demand for a particular product. Better consistency of scheduling and consistency of employee work hours. This can save the company money by not having to pay workers for a job not completed or could have them focus on other jobs around the warehouse that would not necessarily be done on a normal day. Increased emphasis on supplier relationships having a trusting supplier relationship is important for the company because it is possible to rely on goods being there when they are needed. Supplies continue around the clock keeping workers productive and businesses focused on turnover employees will work hard to meet the company goals. 2. Be able to agree team performance targets to contribute to meeting strategic objectives. 2.1 Analyse how to determine the required performance targets within teams against current performance. Performance criteria what so ever the aims and objective of the organisation it should be falling in SMART criteria. S-Specific M-Measureable A-Achievable R-Realistic T-Time bound In order to ensure what you aims and objectives have set by the management either they are realistic achievable and measureable against the required level of objectives and company strategies. Company should having a system on different hierarchical levels to access. Discussion of hierarchy and their responsibilities. Employee Responsibilities Manager Responsibilities Dedication and struggle for the achievement of company goals and objectives. Documentation of the work Ongoing requests for feedback and training Observations and step for improvement at work Communication with seniors, supervisor and managers Get the feedback Insurance of quality of work and professionalism Using of resource at right time and right place Collecting and sharing performance data and analysis Reinforcement and backup Preparing for performance reviews and promotions Provide essential training Strategic objectives and performance measurement systems Reviewing the performance of an organisation is also an important step when formulating the direction of the strategic activities. The main reasons are: Ensure that customer requirements have been met To give standards for establishing comparisons To be able to set sensible objectives and comply with them To highlight quality problems and determine areas for priority attention To provide feedback for driving the improvement effort Primark core strategic objectives and performance indicators Strategic core objectives Performance indicators Focusing on logistic, supply chain management of the goods rather than branding. Primark is a family of brands, they have more than 20 brands name in their stores. This clearly indicates that they are focusing on continuing supply of their good in the store. Focusing on labour laws for their suppliers in different part of the world. They have implemented the ethical trading initiative rules and regulation in the suppliers factories to ensure the labours laws caring and obligations. Maintaining financial suitability To maintain a healthy profit margin they always buy in bulk, whenever you buy in bulk your production cost goes down. Always giving and focusing good quality product to their customers in cheap prices. Mostly people ask how Primark keep low their prices. Primark is focusing on following five things. 1. They do not go for big advertisement. 2. They are buying in bulk. 3. They are just producing most popular sizes. 4. Designs are simple not much complicated. 5.They do not third part interaction in the business. Primark distinguish the blow of environment on its business. Release to air, let go to water, and land filling of solid wastes. Expansion of business in Europe. They are opening 2 new stores in Germany and Belgium. In future they are planning to open store in France. 2.2 Discuss the need to encourage individual commitment to team performance in achievement of organisational objectives. Concept of team: Mullins (2007) â€Å"Team occur when a number of people have a common goal and recognize that their personal success is dependent on the success of others. They are an interdependent.† Motivation: The following definitions of motivation were gleaned from a variety of psychology textbooks and reflect the general consensus that motivation is an internal state or condition that activates behaviour and gives it direction desire or want that energizes and directs goal-oriented behaviour influence of needs and desires on the intensity and direction of behaviour (Kleinginna and Kleinginna, 1981) Primark is basically a retail company, in case of it every employee or team member is depended the work of other team members. For example a task is given by the night manager to ensure the availability of new lines in the department till 7 AM. To complete this task supervisor need 6 staff members but he is having only 4 members, 2 are on sick leave. In this case all the remaining for people has to do some extra effort for the completion of task. Team needs to be motivated to put more energy in achieving their targets. This motivation can be done by fulfilling the needs of the employees so that they get more devoted to the goals or targets. This can be done by giving bonuses i.e. cash, promotion or any other facilities for their social needs. 2.3 Relate the application of delegation, mentoring and coaching to the achievement of organisational objectives. Delegation: The process of entrusting somebody else with the appropriate responsibility and authority for the accomplishment of a particular activity. Delegation involves briefing somebody else to perform a task for which the delegator holds individual responsibility, but which need not be executed by him or her. (BNET Business Dictionary) Primark is growing company having a good number of managers they should need to much more focus on their strategic way of decision making and delegate to fulfilment of their operational and statistical responsibilities. This will help them to open the new way of decision making, project and task sharing. This will reflect the positive and effective way for employees and workers they will start building the trust; the delegation should make the objective clear. Training and guidance should be given. It should also be reviewed and monitored but too much control will not fulfil the idea of delegation. Monitoring and coaching: Actually monitoring an coaching is the way to support those who are in learning and trying process and want to learn and try to achieve something for the prospectus of the organisational goals and objectives. It really plays an important role for the achievement of the common objectives, who are in learning stage. Learners employees get a chance to explore their views and ideas and then they take guidance from experienced and skilled staff or people. This will help them learn the skills and attributes which may help them achieve the Primark goals. 2.4 Evaluate a team performance plan to meet organisational objectives. Thus far, the nature of management has been examined primarily from the point of view of the individual manager. It has been shown how management as the board responsibility for a work process, together with the management functions of planning, allocating, motivating, co-ordination and controlling work are separated from the execution of work itself and dispersed through different managerial positions. Analysis of the common features and variations in managerial work showed that much of what managers do reflects their responsibility for planning, allocating, motivating, co-ordinating and controlling the work of others and the inherently problematic nature of this responsibility. An Initial Performance Plan is a detailed plan for either an individual or a team and is used to: Identify the desired performance levels Identify how these performance levels will be achieved Provide guidance and direction Measure progress towards the desired performance levels Individual and team Performance Plans should align with the organisations overall objectives. This can be achieved by aligning the: Performance Plans with the Team Operational Plan Team Operational Plan with the Team Purpose Team Purpose with the organisations Strategic Plan 3. Monitor actions and activities defined to improve team performance 3.1 Access the process for monitoring team performance and initiate changes where necessary. Monitoring Team Performance: Monitoring the team is one of the most critical aspects of performance management.   This involves not only managing internal staff but also managing any customer personnel and subcontractors assigned to the project team.   Key aspects of effective people management include: Delegating responsibility for work assignments and witnessing the commitment of each team member. Building co-operative working relationships and ensuring effective communications among all members of the project team. Monitoring team morale and taking action to correct problem areas. Providing effective performance review and appraisal to motivate staff and facilitate career development. The processes for monitoring are: Set Up Standards and Procedures for Team Performance Assign Responsibilities Meet with Team Recognize Success Monitor Team Morale Conduct Team Performance and Reviews In Primark high level management and managers are responsible for monitoring of the performance of teams and employees. The main and basic idea includes fro monitoring to ensure that: All the assigned responsibilities are being full filled as per required goals, To identify the opportunities and chance for improvement in the work, To make out the progress against the goals, Evaluate the progress against the internal and external standards. Feedback and reviews: Harry Levinson (1996) The greater the emphasis on measurement and quantification, the more likely the subtle, non-measureable elements of the task will be sacrificed. Quality of performance frequently, therefore, loses out to quantification. Feedback is a message which tells the team how it is performing. Feedback is essential for a team to improve its performance. If the team doesnt get feedback, it has no objective measure to guide it. The managers of Primark are responsible for seeking of feedback from their employees and customers. It is very important to know what the company is delivering in term of their objectives and goals are satisfying in real means to the people or not. The employee feedback should be in the form of asking them whether they are satisfied with the current policies of the company, the environment of work, facilities they are being given by the company and are they being over burdened of the work. Performance evaluation: McKinseys 7-S model is a helpful framework for exploring why a performance deviation might have occurred. The model starts on the premise that an organization is not just Structure, but consists of seven elements: Strategy Plans for the allocation of a firms scarce resources, over time, to reach identified goals. Environment, competition, customers. Structure The way the organizations units relate to each other: centralized, functional divisions (top-down); decentralized (the trend in larger organizations); matrix, network, holding, etc. Systems The procedures, processes and routines that characterize how important work is to be done: financial systems; hiring, promotion and performance appraisal systems; information systems. Skills Distinctive capabilities of personnel or of the organization as a whole. Staff Numbers and types of personnel within the organization. Style Cultural style of the organization and how key managers behave in achieving the organizations goals. Shared Value The interconnecting centre of McKinseys model is: Shared Values. What the organization stands for and what it believes in. Central beliefs and attitudes. 3.2 Evaluate a team performance against agreed objectives of the plan. Assessing the performance can be done by taking the feedback and comparing it with the planned targets. Amending or changing it according to the need. Inform the team their areas of responsibilities and where focus or change is needed. Motivating them and keeping record of all the documents. At Primark there is group of manager who are responsible for the evaluation of team. What they do? Access the daily based achieved targets against the given tasks. Monitor the individual participation for the purpose of promotions. Get feedback from new employees and their contribution in doing job. Do analysis of required documentation related to work and their presentation. Access the planning of job and alignment for achievement of goals. Judge the interest and commitment of employees for doing the job. Monitor the allocated resources for particular task are they enough or not. Do give the awards and appraisals for the motivation and dedication of employees. 3.3 Evaluate the impact of the team performance in contributing to meeting strategic objectives. Team performances in contributing the strategic objectives have a great impact by doing this team performance can enhance. Team performance measures can be set: The objectives and targets for the teams Customer satisfaction targets Commitment with the company and objectives Skill and expertise levels for the teams Primark management is keeping proper record and control of the overall objective of the company whether they are being achieved by team or not. Are the customers being satisfied by the service provided by the companys employees? Are the staff members doing their responsibilities as a team member i.e. achieving targets, following company policy, time punctuality and absenteeism etc., and the level of skill for doing job. If any of these things is not being achieved then positive steps should be taken in order to achieve the company objective and maintain the standards and policies. Use of Key Performance Indicators (KPI): Defined Measurable/quantifiable Aligned with goals Can be used as a benchmark Reasons for Variance: Lack of training work and motivation Insufficient resources at work place Socio Political environment Unexpected working circumstances Bad KPIs It is the liability of the management of Primarkto execute and bring any needs compulsory for the better performance and achieving of company goals. Have to check is there any lack of training or motivation, reasons should be sought and proper and required training should be given to the staff. Proper resources to be arranged for the like providing proper uniform and working tools and stuff. Working environment should be examined on periodic basis to avoid any misshape related to health and safety, any strikes or resignation of the workers. If the Key performance indicators are not as per requirement they should be replaced and should introduce reworking realistic and achievable standards. 4. Apply influencing and persuading skills, to the dynamics and politics of personal interactions. 4.1 Determine influencing and persuading methodologies to gain the commitment of individuals to a course of action. Influence is defined here as the attempt to modify others behaviour through the mobilization of or reference to power resources. Leaders are the people who have influence with power having clear focus on the company objectives; they can motivate the employees and can change or modified the company strategies accordingly. There is no single method of influencing or persuading everyone. Working climate: There are two types of climate sunny stormy.   Sunnyteam climate mean people are allowed to take initiatives and understand their contribution to do good performance. People know their abilities, skill, and motivation of team members are recognized. There is a clear direction and good communication. Workload is distributed evenly. Physical work environment is conducive to good performance. Stormyteam climate mean people are not allowed to take initiative and they do not understand their contribution to do good performance. People have little understanding of their role. There are conflicting goals and mixed messages. Work is spread unevenly amongst the team. Physical environment prevents good performance. Improvement factor: Climate in team can be improved by Create a shared vision Improve the physical environment changes Use ideas from the team to make improvements Consider peoples skills, abilities and aspirations Influence and Power: Deploying power to influence others behavior is only rarely an obvious, straightforward, visible process: influence mat take a variety of different forms. First, power resources may used to influence behavior either positively, in the sense of providing the resources to the benefit of the recipient, or negatively, in the sense of withdrawing or withholding the resources to the cost of the recipient. There should be a balance between the power and influence taking the example of Primark if the managers of the Primark are having power and authority but no influence to the employees and supervisors than this can be the lost of the company and resources to achieve the strategic objectives of the company. Motivational Value System: Elias Porter, everyone has a basic desire to feel good about themselves, but we achieve that in different ways. Philanthropic person is motivated and most rewarded by helping others. An analytical person will find reward in carful analysis of a problem and minimizing risks. People feel empowered when they are able to express their natural style. Individual impacts on others: Understanding the individual impacts on the others; get feedback from colleagues. A questionnaire is used that is called 360 °. 360 ° Feedback The idea of 360-degree feedback is that the performance of an individual is rated by people who are related to the individuals work. This could include reports, peers, managers, customers or clients, colleagues etc. 360-degree feedback gives the employee of the veterinary practice insight into how peers and other relations perceive him. It increases self awareness and position in the context. 360-degree feedback encourages self-development. It increases understanding of the behaviours required to improve personal and organisational effectiveness.   It increases communication within the veterinary practice. Its a powerful trigger for change.

Homicide Case Study: Homicide Patterns in the UK

Homicide Case Study: Homicide Patterns in the UK murder is when a man of sound memory and of the age of discretion, unlawfully killeth within any country of the realm any reasonable creature in rerum natura under the kings peace, with malice aforethought, either expressed by the party or implied law, so as the party wounded or hurt, etc, die of the wound or hurt, within a year and a day of the same. The aim of this essay is to determine whether the case study is typical of homicides and also to analyse in general and to clarify if it is an example of a particular type of murder and how does it fit into the general pattern of homicides in England and Wales. The author will look at typical cases of homicide and how it fits in with the case study, the general patterns of homicide in England and Wales. And finally we will analyse the biology, psychological and sociology state of Ryan with reference to the case study and the racial motive for the crime. The case study of Ryan is class as a typical homicide and also heavily involves racial violence leading to the homicide of Ryans victim. The criminological literature suggests some key behaviour traits that have been identified as potential contributors to violence and, thus, homicide. Such behaviours include physical aggression which often starts early in life (Ryan line 21 22) and can lead to homicidal violence later in life (Ryan line 40). Drug and alcohol abuse and criminal gang membership where with-in group norms can support violence and criminal activity. The number of homicides recorded by the police in 2011/12 (550) fell by 14 per cent compared with 2010/11. Homicide is at its lowest level since 1983 (when 550 were also recorded). The reducing trend in murder and homicide is reflected in a reduction in attempted murder, which is down 8 % and serious Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH) and Actual Bodily Harm also down 8 % across England and Wales. Home Office data concluded that in 2011/12; more than two-thirds of homicide victims were male. The most common method of killing continues to be by sharp instrument. Female victims were more likely to be killed by someone they knew. In most of these cases, female victim were killed by a current or ex-partner while male victims were most likely to be killed by a friend or acquaintance. Victims aged 16 years were most likely to be killed by a parent or step- parent. There is a growing body of evidence about factors that place individuals at risk of criminal offending. The theoretical approaches towards biological, psychological and sociology attempt to explain the relationship between those risk factors and criminal behaviour related to Ryan. There is no consensus on the relative merit of these theories and it may be that the casual mechanisms are more or less significant for different individuals. The study of criminology theory is an opportunity to analyse crime through explanations for the creation of criminals and criminal behaviour. Each theory explains a reason for crime, making logic of the causes for the criminal appeal. Making sense of the dilemmas that impact social structure, behaviour, and change make it easier to understand what needs to be done to prevent the behaviour and actions of the criminal. Classical and biological theories of thought explain crime through two different considerations that are necessary for the rationalization of deviant behaviour. Most homicides are committed by one of the three major types of perpetrators; the victim has a relationship with the perpetrator, lovers, and spouses, children, neighbours, or co-workers. The victim is engaged in the use, purchase, sale, storage, or distribution of illegal drugs. The victim is either an innocent target or is either an innocent target or is engaged in socially marginal activities, such as prostitution, gang behaviour. These with are classed as typical types of homicide. Homicides committed by serial killers, psychotic killers, and perpetrators who do not fit into one of the three major types are atypical homicides. Racist violence in the UK came under sharp public interest following the murder of a Black teenager, Stephen Lawrence, by a gang of racist white youths in 1993 and the subsequent public inquiry that was reported in 1999 (Macpherson 1999). Among the UK police it resulted in the creation of many new practices, training, and requirements to report, record and act on allegations of racist harassment and assault. (Bowling 2002) The targeting of racist violence, along with domestic and homophobic violence is part of a wider social and legal agenda to tackle the hate or bias crimes where the victim is selected on the grounds of their social status. As a result of this, the numbers of recorded racist attacks in England and Wales has risen from 15,000 in 1988 to 25,000 in 1999, and 54,351 in 2003. (Home Office 2002). Mesner (1989) stated that alongside inequality, an aggravating factor would be the mechanism by which inequality was reproduced, so that inequality based on racist exclusion woul d result in high levels of diffuse hostility and a high homicide rate. The elements of criminal behaviour are no means a simple equation. A small percentage of crime is attributed to abnormality or genetics. Criminal activity can be explained in terms of the learning of societal norms were an individual has mistaken or been influenced to develop a way of living that is not compatible with the laws of a given society, therefore a conflict is created that may lead to a criminal confrontation. Another aspect though is that a small percentage of a given societies people will suffer from abnormalities or mental infirmities that are actually the predominant cause of an individuals criminal conduct. This is exasperated by the social phenomena of stereotyping, prejudice and racism that that heavily contribute to social injustice (McKnight et al 1994) ( RYAN line 33). Seen in the light of frustration (Bartol 1999) and escalation (Bartol 1999) theories it can be seen that biological explanations of behaviour are far too limited in that it is next to impossible for a person to change their genetic structures. Normal criminals and abnormal criminals are better accounted for their behaviour by both biological and psychological theory though the more comprehensive theory is psychological as this takes into account biological factors as well as environment, the individual, cognitive processes and social and group processes. To explain these concepts of criminal behaviour theories from biological, learning and social cognition are outlined and evidence is presented that shows why more than just biological determinants of criminal behaviour are important. Lombrosos work is a biological theory, which he believed accounted for why criminals committed crimes. (Bartol 1999) in unison with the contemporary views makes the statement that Lombrusos work did not fully account for criminal behaviour. While the important role of psychosocial factors in the development of criminal behaviour has long been acknowledged, there has been an increasing interest in the neurobiological basis of aggression and crime over the past decade, boosted by methodological advances in genetics (Sterzer et al 2009). Researchers recognised the potential role of biological factors in the etiology of criminal behaviour and analysed whether abnormal fear conditioning predisposes to crime (Gao et al 2010). Fear conditioning is a basic form of learning in which fear is associated with a previously neutral stimulus. In relation to Ryan fear conditioning could of being a big part in his early life and this factor could have played a major part of this individuals biological make-up. In imitational learning, behaviour is observed and imitated and is maintained depending on the extent of re-enforcement that occurs. When aggression is observed it may lead to a swing in the norm of aggression as unacceptable to b eing acceptable. According to (Bandura 1995) behaviour that is learned can also be relearned with more appropriate responses, however (Bartol 1999) argued that cognitive scripts are resistant to change and they are subject to observational learning and reinforcement theory. Therefore, the age at which a given behaviour is learned is dependent on the rewards it brings when it is imitated and the length of time it is maintained before it is the form of criminal confrontation. The problem is that the behaviour that is causing the criminal confrontation will be more resistant to change the longer it went undetected, reinforced and maintained therefore this behaviour will be more resistant to being replaced with a more appropriate behaviour. In theory the better a young person is raised with good models of social normality the less likely the individual is going to adapt antisocial behaviour. Crime is a multifaceted behavioural outcome of complex interactions among multiple biological an d environmental factors and cannot possibly be explained by a single neurobiological factor such as fear conditioning. The degree to which criminal behaviour is controllable and correctable is determined by many connecting factors none of which alone can explain crime. The approaches of psychological learning theories are the subsequent developments are more comprehensive biological theories are far too simple and do not account for all areas of individual and social behaviour. The biological theories emphasise the values on a complicated issue that demands attention to detail and a broad minded approach that is willing to account for human behaviour and how they do or dont commit deviant behaviour in society. One in three men in the UK will have a conviction for a serious offence by the age of 31. (Newburn et al 1994) states that the most significant fact about crime is that it is almost always committed by men (Ryan was 22). There are many social and cultural theories of violent behaviour, stressing social learning (Hearn 1998). Through violence men attempt to affirm a positive self-concept, enhance self- esteem and reclaim personal power (Campbell 1993). Male violence reflects patterns of socialization in which the male role involves greater readiness to use violence as a means of control and assertion of power. The theory of hegemonic masculinity (Connell 1995 Messerschmidts 1997), masculinity is viewed as a crucial part of intersection of different sources and forms of power, stratification, desire and identity. Connell (1995) states that performance and choice rather than passively learnt behaviour. Violent behaviour is chosen while calling upon dominant discourses of masculinity fo r support and legitimation. In Ryans case, Ryan in fact made the informed choice to commit and act upon his own violent behaviour towards his victim (Ryan lines 30-46). In conclusion, Ryan just adds to the Home Office statistics of young male men who commit homicide in todays society, and unfortunately fits into the general pattern of homicides in England and Wales. Ryans actions on that night out will have a drastic effect on Ryan for the rest of this young mans life forever. Ryans act of homicide is labelled as a typical type of homicide. Ryans vicious attack on his victim will probably result in a typical murder charge and Ryan will be looking at a lengthy custodial sentence. It is unlikely Ryan could plead manslaughter due to the fact that Ryans actions on that night out, do not meet any of the criteria for a lesser charge of manslaughter. Ryans actions that night have destroyed so many lifes, his victim, his friend (who will also probably be charged with murder), and Ryans young life. Ryans decision to commit that vicious attack that lead to homicide will also have an effect on all family members of those mentioned.

I Went to College :: Personal Narrative Essays

Narrative - I Went to College "Well, wish her good luck for me." I said. "Oh. It's none of it luck. She's got the Lord's blessing, and she's all right with that. There's no luck involved." I muttered a reply and walked away. Grandmothers. You just can't say anything to shake their confidence in their grandchildren. This one was trying to get to band camp by selling her artwork. It was clearly work by a fourteen-year-old, but it showed talent and promise. At five dollars a print, it wasn't too expensive. Of course, I can get a print of Escher for five dollars. She clearly likes flowers, that's for sure. She must have painted these in art class; there is a definite progression in her skill. The lumpily-colored frog looks pretty sad, but the lighthouse painting displays detail and careful effort in the lighting. Oh. there's her picture. Nice smile. This average-looking fourteen year old girl expects to pay for band camp by selling five dollar prints of amateur artwork. Wow. They were out of prints of several paintings already. If I wanted one that wasn't in the box, I could special order one. Five dollars. She plays multiple band instruments, with names Grandma doesn't remember. Talent and promise. I know what those are. I once showed talent and promise, back when I was fourteen. I played the trumpet, but I never went to band camp. I was too busy cultivating my stage magic and juggling skills, showing first hints of competence in computer programming, and letting go of my obesity through rigorous physical exercise. I wonder what my Grandma said back then. There was a time that I said "opportunity is my currency." Although I started out at a hardware store, I picked up a few programming jobs, started an Internet publication, and began and independent consultant programming job. Talent was my middle name, and Promise was the name of the pen I signed it with. I was going to live comfortably, maybe even have enough money to help my brother out; his medical costs are very high. I joined a local community band. She wants to become a forensic scientist. There you go, folks. Kids watch a television show about forensic scientists, and suddenly everyone wants to lead the exciting life of sorting through the physical remains of dead people and writing reports about it. On the other hand, maybe she can use her future skills to figure out what ever happened to me; by the time she graduates, I might well be dead.

Hunchback of Notre Dame :: essays research papers

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME In Paris, under the reign of Louis XI, the annual Festival of Fools is underway. From atop the mighty Notre Dame cathedral, Quasimodo, a deformed hunchback who rings the bells, looks down on the crowd in contempt. Also in the crowd is Dom Claude, the kindly priest of Notre Dame, and his evil brother, Jehan. Clopin, a gypsy who has been crowned "King of the Beggars," calls for his adopted daughter Esmeralda to dance for the group. As Esmeralda passes by the window of Gudule, the old woman curses her, for years before her daughter had been stolen by gypsies. Esmeralda dances for the crowd, while high above in the palace of Louis XI, Phoebus, a young captain of the guard, admires the pretty girl, though he is betrothed to Fleur de Lis, the niece of Madame de Gondelaurier. That night, Jehan has Quasimodo abduct Esmeralda for him, but Phoebus is on patrol and thwarts the attempt. Phoebus takes Esmeralda out for a late supper and attempts to ensnare her with his charms. She is we aring a necklace given to her by her mother when she was a baby which she says protects her from all evil. Phoebus has a change of heart and decides not to force his attentions on the girl, though she appears to be willing. The Court of Miracles is the hideout for all the beggars of Paris, so named because here the blind see, and the lame walk. Gringoire, a harmless poet, has stumbled into the Court and is about to be hanged by the mob, but Esmeralda intercedes and he is released. Hereafter, Gringoire becomes her faithful servant. Quasimodo is tried for his attack on Esmeralda and is ordered to be lashed for an hour in the public square. He is beaten brutally and at the end of the time, he cries for water. Esmeralda, pitying the poor beast brings him a drink and Quasimodo is forever in her debt. Quasimodo also does not forget how Jehan betrayed him, and he hates him thereafter. Madame Gondelaurier gives a ball and Phoebus brings Esmeralda, dressed in the finest of clothes, and introduces her as a Princess of Egypt. Clopin has learned that Phoebus has taken Esmeralda as his plaything, and he breaks into the ball demanding her return. To prevent bloodshed, Esmeralda leaves with Clopin, broken hearted. Esmeralda has Gringoire bring a note to Phoebus asking him to meet her one last time at

All the Wrong Moves Case Essay

What’s the right decision –making process for Nutrorim? I think, it is necessary to change democratic management for authoritative management. Because Mr. Don nobody takes. It is very democratic, loyal to employees, he tries to listen to all and make the right decision. And his employees do not perceive it. You need to change his style of management. The democratic leadership style is a very open and collegial style of running a team. Ideas move freely amongst the group and are discussed openly. Everyone is given a seat at the table, and discussion is relatively free-flowing. Some managers adopt democratic leadership to please their subordinates but fail to follow the technique in its entirety. They might simply take in all the ideas and end up never implementing them. Disadvantages: Employees might take advantage of the situation, The decision making process is very time consuming due to the need for consensus and agreement and this can be risky in the situations when a quick decision needs to be taken. One way, and one way only. That is the nature of the style of the authoritarian leader. Employees must do precisely what they are told to do by the leader, without any questions or creative input. This style of leadership is most often used when a company needs to make a quick decision, or with a large number of workers who are poorly skilled and who need to be controlled. The authoritative style of leadership carries many disadvantages, including a high risk of hostile divisions, lack of motivation and absence of new and diverse ideas in a team. But for Don currently need this style of management. From this it can make a quick decision. Or he can in the process of developing the decision to use the democratic style of management, and in the decision is the authoritarian style.

Born or Made Essay

In other words, I’m hitting two birds with one stone: watching the movie and relating it with my reaction paper on leaders being born or made. I’m talking about Captain America and Iron Man. What about them? Captain America was a hero in the past. He joined the military. Because of his diminutive size, he wasn’t given much attention in the army. In other words, he was a nobody until he was asked to be part of the experiment. From a small soldier to a buffy one, he has become a man of power and strength. He has become Captain America! On the other hand, Tony Sparks, commonly known as Iron Man, was a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist. Because of his intelligence, he was able to make inventions that helped mankind and eventually made him Iron Man. Both have the same goal: to help and save mankind. Now, how is this related to the main topic of this paper? As I was observing the two heroes, my personal opinion would be: Captain America has innate abilities of being a leader while Iron Man has acquired the abilities, so to speak. So, are leaders born or made? II. Synopsis In the article written by Bottger (2010), he mentioned that the question â€Å"Are leaders born or made? † may not even be relevant. He claimed that it is a question that has obsessed many leadership scholars over the years and is often posed by executives in development programs. According to him, it’s â€Å"a bad question which begets bad answers†. â€Å"As many decades of leadership writing shows, this is a question that cannot yield a satisfactory response, especially for aspiring leaders. Understandably, the line taken by management educators tends to be that most leadership qualities can be developed, given adequate amounts of key personal characteristics, notably intelligence and physical energy. But the fact is that you do not know what you are born with until you try very hard to express it. Actually, the question illuminates little, as it fails to deal with a basic point, namely the degree of responsibility sought. What level of leadership responsibility does the person aspire to? The highest levels of leadership responsibilities present tasks that are massive, complex and conflictual. The playing field, the boundaries and the rules become less certain. Indeed, it is the leader’s job to shape these choices. † Bottger proposes three questions to assess one’s leadership potential: How far do you want to go? What are you willing to invest? How will you keep it up? III. Reaction/Insights Throughout history, we have learned many great people and great leaders. Napoleon Bonaparte, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , our very own Dr. Jose P. Rizal to name a few. They indeed proved their worth, thus making them part of the great men in history. But, how about now? How about me? Humbly speaking, I would say I’m not born to lead, but I’m sure made to lead and serve. If I were to trace my leadership roadmap, I would gather my playmates and acted like I was their teacher. In grade school, I was an active member of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, I even became a Patrol Leader. In high school, I was a class officer. When I reached college, I became a class mayor. Now that I’m teaching, I have been a co-moderator of our school’s Student Council. Working with young leaders is indeed a challenging yet rewarding experience for me. I have learned so much from my council leaders. Young as they are, they have a lot to share. I can see the spirit of service in them strong. Eventually, they will become our nation’s future leaders. If I am made to lead, so are they. It is a humbling experience to be working with these young leaders because I get to realize my strengths and limitations. The leadership trainings and workshops I was exposed to eventually helped me become effective in my assignments. There is no doubt that with proper training and exposure, a person who is willing to learn and even learn from his mistakes, will become a good leader. Indeed, everything can be learned, but the leader-wanna-be should be willing to learn. But how come others seem to learn faster than the rest even if they are all willing to learn? One important factor would be intelligence. We have different IQ’s. Some learn faster, some need more time to grasp what is being taught to them. Another factor would be the environment they were or are exposed with. A person may be early on exposed to dealing with other people, say, employees of his parents in their family business. His parents may have already exposed him at a young age on how to deal with their staff and the different responsibilities involved in their business. Another person may have been exposed to a leadership in a basketball team. Being a varsity member and the team captain, he exercised responsibilities of a leader. I believe that openness to growth is very important especially to aspiring leaders. As an aspiring leader, how far do I want to go? Honestly, I love being in the academe. For as long as my superiors put their trust in me, I would love to stay for a higher position in the academe. What am I willing to invest? Pursuing my graduate studies is one step I am taking. I understand there’s still so much I have to learn. How will I keep it up? I need to be more open to criticisms, resistance and setbacks. It’s tough, I know. But I believe I can make it. Knowing that the Greatest Leader is there to guide me, I will really be able to do things right. I believe I am made to lead and serve for God’s greater glory. IV. Conclusion Are leaders born or made? I would rather say leaders are made. I believe that if a person already has innate leadership abilities, but isn’t open to growth, he or she will never become an effective leader. However, if someone has shown such leadership potential and shows willingness to be trained and is really open to learning more, he or she will become an effective one. Furthermore, the important question is: what are you willing to do – or to sacrifice – to become the best leader you can be? V. Source Bottger, P. C. & Barsoux, J. (2010, March). Are leaders born or made? Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www. imd. ch

Twist and Shout

The way companies are now packaging their products, makes me think, their ideas must have come straight from the mind of a second grade twelve year old. A senior with arthritis; the person for whom the drug was bottled, needs to have a pair of pliers, a flat head screwdriver, and plenty of muscle to open a bottle of pain medication. By the way, shouldn’t that be anti-pain medicine? But then why do we call the little candies that relief our cough, cough drops and not, anti-cough drops? Getting back to safety caps on medicine bottles, It is next to impossible to open one of those lids. One medicine bottle says, follow the arrows to open, press down and turn. This sounds easy enough if you are built like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The problem with easy open bottles is the person in need of the medication is probably built more like Kermit the frog with Typhoid Fever. It’s ridiculous when you need to purchase TNT to blow off the cap of the pain medication container. The â€Å"safety† cap is designed to keep kids from opening the bottle and swallowing the meds. The problem is a child can open them much easier than a senior citizen under the best of conditions. I can see it now. â€Å"Grampa, give me the bottle, I’ll open it for you. † â€Å"But, you are only five†¦ and this cap is attached to the bottle with super glue. † I guarantee you; the five year old will have that top off before you can pronounce the name of the medication. The list of side effects on some of these meds is multitudinous. These bottles site every contraindication known to man, including, the inability to move, or think clearly, which may provoke, one to think; maybe it would be better if I laid down and died. This medication, the label states, may cause dizziness, light headedness, Vertigo, cramps, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, ear aches, Gingivitis, Gout, fainting spells, stomach pains, thoughts of suicide, and even death. For goodness sake, I’m only taking it for a headache, not preparing for cremation. I guess we can’t blame the drug companies for listing everything that can happen to a person if they take their medicine. People today, through all media, are urged to sue for everything. The advent of television advertising has branched out in these last few years allowing lawyers to advertise their services. Television advertising has become a haven for ambulance chasers and their ilk. I heard the story of a man who sued a motor coach company for damages caused when his vehicle crashed. He claimed he was driving down a stretch of road, in his new motor coach, when he decided he’d go back to the kitchen area and brew a pot of coffee. He put the vehicle on cruise control. The coach crashed, and he was injured, the vehicle demolished. He sued the company for not writing in their brochures that you couldn’t leave the driver’s seat while the vehicle was in motion. He won the case and was awarded a sum of money and a new coach. You are advised to think before you buy any product, read the label; However, the print is so small, you need a magnifying glass the size of a manhole cover to read the instructions on the bottle. Some meds have the side effects written on four sheets of paper inside the box in which the medicine came. All of this inane nonsense is due to sue happy people looking to make a quick buck. Some people play the lottery while others sue companies; the odds in winning are about the same. If you do win in court, the attorney takes his share off the top, probably around sixty percent, and you get the rest after court costs and taxes. Don’t give up your day job. Oh, not you, I’m talking to you, the plaintiff, not your lawyer. Mr Attorney, you are doing just fine in the finance department. That ad on TV has really paid off, hasn’t it? Here’s my idea for packaging medicine. Put a paper seal on the medicine bottle with a written three number code (not in succession). Break the seal, dial the number and open the bottle. As for side effects simply write: Take at your own risk, may cause a myriad of diseases and possibly death. Talk to your physician. Don’t sue us, we told you what could happen. As for manufacturers of motor coaches, all they need to write is; â€Å"Hey stupid if you want a cup of coffee stop at a roadside diner. † This is one I love as I recall going to the drug store for my mother. She had, over the years, adopted a poor sleeping habit, and needed a medication to help her sleep. As the pharmacist passed me the bottle of sleeping medication, I read the label that had been attached to the little brown bottle. It read; ‘may cause dizziness, restlessness, insomnia and drowsiness. If it causes insomnia, why would anyone want to use the drug in the first place? And one can only hope it does cause drowsiness, after all, that’s why you bought it in the first place, isn’t it? There are other stumbling blocks to the senior population; with a skull and crossbones emblem emblazoned on the label; a universal sign denoting it is a dangerous material. We should look und er the emblem, there we will find, in small print, ‘for external use only. ’ What makes the manufacturer of a product with enough chemicals to start World War III write ‘for external use only’ on their bottle. Are they afraid someone is going to use it as a mixer at their cocktail party? If it’s ammonia, you won’t be able to get it past your nose in the first place. Speaking of dangerous things. How many of you have swallowed a capful of mouthwash? Did you know it is unhealthy? The label says do not swallow. Why on earth are you gargling with a product, that if you swallow it by mistake it could kill you, or at the very least make you sick? That’s like putting dynamite, on which is written, beware dangerous material, in your back pocket and then backing up to a campfire to warm your backsides. It’s the same thing you know†¦ too close for comfort either way. What makes a citizen a senior? Answer: age. Though some of us don’t want people to know we are getting along in years, the wrinkles belie our vanity. Face lifts make the recipient look like a monster out of a 1950’s horror movie. I am not ashamed I have made it to three quarters of a century. I thank God my eyes are still the same color as they were when I was twenty, only slightly dimmer. The hair on my head is moving south at a quickening pace, but it has only transferred from the top of my head to my ears and nose. I can’t run any more; my walking pace has slowed almost to a crawl, but inside I am still twenty years old. Until I was forty I didn’t know what a doctor was, or what they did for work. After I had reached fifty, I was asked to become an associate member of the American Medical Association’s Who’s Who of most frequent doctor’s visits list. My mind hasn’t grasped the fact my body has aged. It says to me at times; ‘get up†¦ go for a four mile run, come home take a shower, ride a bike for sixty minutes, eat lunch, skip rope and climb a small mountain. My body answers for me; ‘you have got to be kidding me. ’ There are two fellows whose job it is to see that I remain idle; The Ritis Brothers, of which Artha is the outspoken one, and then there is always Mr Meniere. Mr Meniere’s contribution affects my inner ear; my balance. I reel like a drunken pirate with a pine log peg leg†¦ teetering back and forth with a dizzying gait; But I guess old age is the better of the two alternatives; I always say. As long as you are able to get up in the morning and get out of bed; you are still this side of the dirt. I have God to thank for my being able to get up in the morning, for it is by His grace that I live and move, and have my being. Without His help, I would be nothing but dust and dirt, present, but useless to anyone or anything. These are the golden years, and gold does not tarnish; it is always bright and shiny. Our smiles should be the reflection of our souls. As the little girl said to the grumpy old church deacon. â€Å"Are you happy to be a Christian? † He replied, â€Å"yes I am. † â€Å"Then tell your face. †

Case Study †AES Corporation Essay

Dennis Bakke, the CEO of AES, a company that develops, builds and operates electric power plants, sat in his office late in 1996 and thought about the question that was perennially posed to him: could AES, soon to have some 25,000 people located literally all over the world following a recent purchase of power plants in Kazakhstan, continue to operate with virtually no staff functions and, specifically, without any human resource staff anywhere in the corporation? The absence of centralized staff — or, for that matter, much staff at all — had been one of the themes guiding the design and operation of the corporation since its founding. The company, in addition to having no personnel department, had no public relations, legal, environmental, or strategic planning departments. Its chief financial officer, Barry Sharp, saw his job not so much as running a centralized finance function but rather as helping all the AES employees as they made important decisions about financi ng and investments in a very capital intensive business. But the company was becoming much larger and increasingly geographically dispersed. Perhaps those early decisions needed to be rethought. Could what worked for so long continue to work as the corporation grew and operated increasingly on a global basis? Could the advantages of flexibility and having virtually every employee feel responsible for almost all aspects of the corporation’s operations continue to outweigh the costs of an absence of specialization and the need to have people always learning new tasks and new things? Was this continuous learning of new things really a disadvantage at all, or as Bakke thought, how one created a real â€Å"learning organization?† What Bakke recognized was that AES was different from most other corporations. How different should and could it remain? And if it remained different, how should it deal with the strains that growth and geographic differentiation would inevitably place on an organization that had always been managed by a strong set of values and a shared culture? This case was  prepared by Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Support for this case was provided by the Human Resources Initiative of the Graduate School of Business. The author would also like to acknowledge Robert Waterman for his introduction to the company. BACKGROUND AND HISTORY AES (originally called Applied Energy Services) was founded in 1981 by Roger Sant and Dennis Bakke. Originally supplying consulting services to the energy industry, the company began operating its first power plant in Houston in 1986 and went public as AES in 1991. By the end of its 1995 fiscal year, AES was selling electricity to customers in the United States, England, Northern Ireland, Argentina, and China, and had plants under construction in Pakistan. A list of AES operating facilities, their size, and fuel source, is provided in Exhibit 1. The company saw itself as â€Å"the global power company† and had as its mission â€Å"supplying electricity to customers world-wide in a socially responsible way.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ The electric power generation business has always been very competitive and the competition was increasing. Many subsidiaries of large oil and gas companies, organizations with substantial financial resources, were entering the business. The business was also complex. Building or purchasing existing power plants was a process that was heavily influenced by governmental decisions and actions, and often took two to four years at least to complete. AES owned and operated its plants under a number of different financial arrangements. Some plants were whollyowned by AES. Others were owned under various joint venture arrangements. For instance, the Medway plant in England was joint venture between AES and two privatized British utilities, Southern Electric and SEE-BOARD. The plant in San Nicolas, Argentina was owned by a partnership in which AES held 70% interest and Community Energy Alternatives, Inc. and the people at the plant held the rest. AES’s operations in China were conducted by a separate subsidiary, AES  China Generating Company Ltd., that was capitalized in February, 1994 with funds from AES and an initial public offering. The company was traded on the over-the-counter market, but recently AES had announced plans to purchase the interest in the subsidiary it did not own. Thus, financing and ownership arrangements were varied and often required protracted negotiations and the ability to work with a number of different partners. Most of the growth in demand for electricity, as well as most of the privatization opportunities, were occurring in developing or emerging economies and three-quarters of AES’s development people and financial resources were focused on those markets in 1996. AES saw as its competitive advantage against larger and better financed competitors its agility or speed and its ability to commit corporate equity and to arrange complex financial transactions. It also had some â€Å"disadvantages,† particularly its emphasis on integrity that precluded the company from doing some things to obtain business that not all of its competitors were as reluctant to do. The company’s two founders both had extensive experience in government prior to founding AES, and to some extent this helped steel their determination to avoid creating a bureaucratic organization resembling the government. Bakke, a 1970 MBA graduate from Harvard Business School, had worked following graduation at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and then in the Office of Management and Budget before moving to the Mellon Institute’s Energy Productivity Center in Washington, D.C. There, he and Sant, another Harvard MBA who had headed the Ford administration’s energy conservation efforts, worked together and AES 1995 Annual Report, p. 1. wrote a book, Creating Abundance: America’s Least-Cost Energy Strategy. Out of the research for that book and their work on energy policy for the Ford and Carter administrations came the idea to start AES as a participant in the new independent power producer industry. Both Bakke and Sant are individuals with strong moral convictions and indeed both have a touch of the missionary in them. Bakke is very active in both charitable and  Christian church (Baptist) activities. This social conscience and sense of a higher purpose or calling has pervaded the operation and management of AES since its inception. For example, Bakke’s description of the purpose or mission of AES is â€Å"to steward resources to meet the needs of society.† 2 From the beginning, AES has had a strong set of core values and beliefs about people that it works hard to operationalize on a continuing basis. The four core values are: Integrity †¦ Integrity comes from the Latin word, `integra,’ which means `wholeness.’ By carefully weighing all factors–ethical concerns, stakeholder interests, and societal needs–AES strives to act with integrity in all of its activities. Fairness . . . the term `fairness’ means `justice.’ Often `fairness’ is confused with `sameness’ †¦ We don’t mean that. AES aspires to give everyone special treatment. Everyone is unique †¦ And the effects of treating people justly in corporate systems and organizations can be profound. Social responsibility. The most socially responsible thing a corporation can do is to do a superb job of meeting a need in society. Therefore, companies must carefully manage capital, employees and intellect to meet a societal need. For AES, the first step in this process is to ensure that every generating plant is operated in a clean, reliable, safe, and cost-effective manner. But we have chosen to go beyond these essentials †¦ That is why we plant millions of trees to offset carbon dioxide and build new schools and take numerous other steps to improve our environment and build communities. Fun †¦ For us, `fun’ means establishing an environment in which people can use their gifts and skills to make a difference in society without fear of being squelched. Creating a fun workplace environment requires a positive view of humanity that begins with the people who work in the corporation.3 AES also has a set. of core assumptions about people that it tries to use in design ing and managing its organization. These assumptions are that AES people: 1) Are creative, thinking individuals–capable of learning and making decisions, like to control their environment and can be trusted; 2) Are responsible–can be held accountable; An important element of AES is its commitment to four major â€Å"shared† values .. . AES believes that earning a fair profit is an important result of providing a quality product to its customers. However, if the Company perceives a conflict between these values and profits, the Company will try to adhere to its values–even though doing so might result in diminished profits or foregone opportunities. Moreover, the Company seeks to adhere to these values not as a means to achieve economic success, but because adherence is a worthwhile goal in and of itself The Company intends to continue these policies after this offering.s To AES, simply maximizing profits is not the primary objective of the corporation. Dennis Bakke has written: Where do profits fit? Profits . . . are not any corporation’s main goal. Profits are to a corporation much like breathing is to life. Breathing is not the goal of life, but without breath, life ends. Similarly, without turning a profit, a corporation, too, will cease to exist. . . . At AES we strive not to make profits the ultimate driver of the corporation (although I admit we slip from time to time in this regard). My desire is that the principles to which we strive would take preeminence.6 AES operationalizes its values and its commitment to them in myriad operating policies and practices. An example, drawn from a common stock offering prospectus in 1993, helps to illustrate how the company turns its values into actions: Most of the Company’s plants operate without shift supervisors. The project subsidiaries are responsible for all major facility-specific business functions, including financing and capital expenditures†¦. Every AES person has been encouraged to participate  in strategic planning and new plant design for the Company. The Company has generally organized itself into multi-skilled teams to develop projects, rather than forming `staff’ groups †¦ to carry out specialized functions. Two examples illustrate these principles of decentralization and empowerment in action. Most financial decisions at this financially-leveraged company are not made by the chief financial officer, Barry Sharp, but rather by AES project teams comprised largely of people with no formal training in finance. For instance, â€Å"hard as it is to imagine, CFO Sharp has raised less than $300 million of the approximately $3.5 billion of funding for AES’s 10 power plants. The multidisciplinary project team working on each new plant is charged with that task, even if the team has little finance experience. Bankers phone Sharp expecting him to call the shots, but he demurs and instead gives the bankers a list of the team members so the bankers can call them directly. At the AES plant in Thames, Connecticut, a task force including front-line people invest the plant’s debt reserves, negotiating directly with investment bankers and, in the process, learning a lot about finance and fi nancial markets. Pam Strunk, the financial superintendent at the plant, said that it was important that â€Å"they have the fun and novelty of doing something that’s different from what they do all day. If we lose 100 basis points for a few days, then that’s the price we pay.† 8 Another example comes from a description of how the corporation built a $404 million project in Cumberland, Maryland. The project took ten years to put together and was handled by a team of 10 people who â€Å"secured 36 separate permit approvals involving two dozen regulatory agencies and arranged financing that involved tax-exempt bonds and 10 lenders. Normally, such projects require hundreds of workers, each with small specific tasks to perform within large corporations.†9 What is particularly noteworthy is the composition of the team. With two exceptions, they were all under 40 years old and many had little or no previous experience doing what they did on the project. Paul Burdick, a mechanical engineer with no MBA or any formal training in finance, handled the complex financing of the project. Ann Murtlow, the team leader, was a thirty-five year old chemical engineer who also did not have an MBA degree. The composition and operation of the team illustrates a core AES concept of allowing people to try new things. Although eschewing the pursuit of profits or maximizing shareholder value as the primary objective of the company and, in fact, doing numerous things to operate according to the four core values, the company has nonetheless been very financially successful. As seen in Exhibit 2 using data drawn from its 1995 Annual Report, the firm enjoyed a 105% growth in revenues between 1991 and 1995 and during that period grew its earnings per share more than 113% while its total assets grew almost 70% and its shareholders’ equity grew 289%. The annual report also illustrates some other unique things about the company and how it views itself. The document lists by name each of the 1,258 people who work for the company on pages 49-53. The discussion of operations in the letter to the shareholders has, as its first section, one on Shared Values/Principles. That section reported on the results of the annual employee survey and discussed both improvements (â€Å"there is less concern this year about an imbalance between shareholder and other stakeholder interests. There is also less fear that our principles will erode as we create businesses in many nations†) as well as problems (â€Å"Some of our people at Thames . In eight years, the value of a share of AES stock went from $2 to $250, and $10,000 invested in AES in 1982 would now be worth $10 million. In late 1996, the company’s shares were near an alltime high and were selling at a multiple of about 30 times earnings, indicating that Wall Street appreciated — even if it did not always fully understand — at least the financial aspects of the AES story. THE THAMES, CONNECTICUT PLANT Although no plant at AES is exactly like any other, in part because of the value placed on decentralization, the operation in Connecticut is typical of AES. The Thames plant is located in Uncasville, Connecticut, near New London, and about 45 minutes from Providence, Rhode Island. The plant is located on only seven acres and is in close proximity to neighboring houses. The plant cost $260 million to construct and uses coal for fuel. It began commercial operations in March, 1990, supplying 181 megawatts of electricity to Connecticut Light and Power and up to 100,000 pounds of steam per hour to Stone Container’s paper recycling plant that is adjacent to AESThames. The plant has operated on average at over 95 percent of capacity since it opened, compared to 83 percent for the industry as a whole. Consistent with the AES value of social responsibility, the plant strives to be a â€Å"good neighbor† to those living nearby. A visitor to the plant is immediately struck by its cleanliness, and the people who work in the plant are proud of its appearance. The walls of the plant exterior are very light colored (off-white), so that any dirt would be immediately visible. The color of the walls was intentionally chosen to encourage respect for the physical environment and cleanliness. The place where the coal is unloaded from the barges that bring it up the Connecticut River is also immaculate. The coal handling system is covered to  avoid excess dust or debris getting into the surroundings and the unloading dock and surrounding area is swept by a mechanical sweeper after the once a week delivery. There is no smell of sulfur in the air, and in fact, no odor at all. The attitude of cleanliness extends inside the plant as well. For instance, there are two â€Å"lunch rooms,† although both have stoves, and one has a microwave oven, cooktops, refrigerator, and   dishwasher as well, which makes them more than a typical plant eating area. Quite elaborate meals are cooked there. Both lunch rooms are clean with no dirty dishes sitting around. The cabinetry is of excellent quality and appearance as are the appliances. The turbine rooms are also imma culate. In keeping with AES’s social responsibility and concern for the environment, the AES Thames plant has funded a project to plant 52 million trees in Guatemala, designed to reduce the greenhouse effect produced by the burning of coal to produce power. The number of trees was selected based on estimates of the number required to absorb the entire amount of carbon dioxide produced in the plant during its anticipated 40-year life span. In the fall of 1996, Thames employed a total of 59 people, including five in adininistration, seven area superintendents, nine in maintenance, five in material handling and processing, eight instrument and electrical repair technicians, and 20 operations technicians. The full staffing level for the plant is 63 positions, and hiring was occurring at the time. A number of the plant’s employees had previously worked either for the Navy or General Dynamics at the nearby Groton, Connecticut shipyard. About 20% of the people in the plant have college degrees, including Associate’s degrees. Recall, these are the people that are handling the investment of the plant’s debt reserves of several millions of dollars and essentially making all of the decisions in a collaborative environment. There is very little emphasis on  formal credentials in the hiring process. And this is true throughout AES. The company has about twenty to thirty MBAs, many of whom have been in the company a while. Most have come from their home (non-U.S.) countries. At AES, no one gets hired into the company at a senior level, and the company tends not to use headhunters for jobs at any level. The company also has tried not to hire directly into project director (new development) positions. AES-Thames has an extremely low turnover rate, as does AES generally. One of the reasons for the low turnover is that AES is a different and special place and people know it and value that fact. To be written about in the Wall Street Journal and other publications, to receive many visits, reinforces the pride and feeling of uniqueness that AES people share. People do often move within the company. Out of perhaps 70 people who were in the Thames plant when it began, only 4-5 people have left the company in seven or eight years. The low turnover is also because, as one person put it, â€Å"we all have the ability to expand what we do.† The plant organization has three levels — the plant manager, the seven area superintendents, and the front-line people. Because the facility operates continuously, there is some shift work. After some experimentation, people now work three twelve-hour shifts and then have three days off. They then rotate between the night and day shifts. The first shift is from 6:30 in the morning until 6:30 at night, and the second shift is from 6:30 P.M. to 6:30 A.M. Maintenance has a standard 40 hour week but the individuals have pagers, and they rotate responsibility for off-hours coverage.