the lottery Essay Example For Students

the lottery Essay The Lottery Shirley Jacksons The Lottery portrays a small town in which the citizens gather for a yearly lottery. Unlike the typical lottery, this is not one you would want to win. Throughout The Lottery, Jackson focuses on families from the village in order to demonstrate the role of separation of genders. Gender is defined as the sexual identity of a person, especially in relation to society or culture. Gender divisions exist within the community in The Lottery and issues of gender help to explain the characters action and thoughts. During the lottery, everyone is equal and the society is genderless. Although the men draw as the head of the household, the women partake in the final rounds and the stoning of the victim. We will write a custom essay on the lottery specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now This is evident when Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands(200). This shows that even though women did not normally participate in town events, the lottery was an exception to the rule. Young girls were also equal to young boys during this event. Both the girls and the boys stoned the victim along with the rest of the community, regardless of gender. This suggests that the lottery serves as a great equalizer abolishing all forms of separation of gender. Despite this equality during the lottery, gender does drive this story. Division of labor is evidence that a separation of gender exists. Due to the fact that Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves are men in the village, they are given the opportunity to administer the lotter. By having this chance, they gain the ability to prove to the people in the community that men are the holders of the highest positions. In his making of the list, Mr. Summers imposes his power upon the community, by determining who will draw from the box first. Gender plays a role in the purpose of the lottery. The lottery is set up to show women that by producing more children, they will lessen their chances of being chosen. This is due to the fact that in larger families, the chance of one person being chosen is reduced significantly with each additional member of teh family. The opposite is true for small families. Because women are the producers of children, they are the main target of the lottery. They are encouraged to produce more children, thereby taking upon even more responsibilities as a housewife. The social status of women in this society shows that division of gender exists. Contrary to the superiority of men, women were disenfranchised in this village. The role of women in this society is that they are to be at home with their children while their husbands work. Jackson portrays women as wearing faded house dresses and sweaters. ..standing by their husbands(195). This shows their lack of power and low placement in society. Bill Hutchinson proves his authority over his wife when he forced the slip of paper out of his wifes hand in order to determine who in his family would be the victim(200). They were thought of as housewives and were not given the privilege of representing their family under most circumstances. This, of course, puts women at a disadvantage. Another disadvantage for the women is that when they marry, they must draw with their husbands famliy in the lottery. Since the men are to chose the slip, the women have no say in their own fate and must accept the responsibility if their family is chosen. Only if her family is chosen, is she allowed to pick a slip, determining if she will be stoned to death. This is evident when Mr. Summers asks Mrs. .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d , .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d .postImageUrl , .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d , .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d:hover , .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d:visited , .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d:active { border:0!important; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d:active , .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uda7a1583a08a1f757952e8faee96c55d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The World I Come From Essay Dunbar who will be drawing for her husband due to his absence in the lottery. She replies Me, I guess. Mr. Summers answers with astonishment, wife draws for husband, dont you have a grown boy to do it for you(196-7). The same is true of Mrs. Hutchinson who leaves her housework in order to attend the lottery. Mrs. Hutchinson, forgetting what day it was, dried her hands on her apron and hurried to be with the rest of the people from the village(196). Before attending the lottery, she is required to

why canada should legalize pot essays

why canada should legalize pot essays Canadian society has always been raised on the fact that marijuana is evil. It is an outlawed drug only for dropouts, criminals and life failures, with no economic value or reasons for its existence. Recently in Canada, the issue of legalizing this so called gateway drug is being seriously taken into consideration and debated upon by the countries leaders. Canadians began to change their perspective of this plant as they become more informed of its benefits to society. Over the last decade many conservative citizens would never waste their time fighting for the legalization of marijuana but now it is as if Canadians believe this drug is no longer a threat but more a boost to society, and the consequences relating to marijuana are too harsh. Marijuana is an illegal substance and however it could benefit Canadian society if it was legalized. When Canada entered confederation in 1867 marijuana was a legal substance. It was not until the 1923 Opium and Drug act was signed that Canada was a marijuana free country. Throughout the next seventy-seven years this plant was being illegally smoked by many citizens while scientists underwent the studies of its positive characteristics. They discovered that the main chemical in the cannabis plant was THC. THC acts as a medication or treatment for many illnesses. In 2000 Canadians argued the Federal Court over the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes and won. It was legalized for medicinal purposes based on the fact that it violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms [section 7]. On July 31st, 2002 Canada became the first country to legalize marijuana for medicinal uses. This law was recently changed on October 7th, 2003 when the Ontario Court Appeal (OCA) abused the system and let almost any citizen claim they were in need of marijuana for medicinal purposes w ithout thorough inspection. To solve the problem a new product was created in a Winnipeg lab called ...

Project Modelling and Decision Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project Modelling and Decision Methods - Essay Example The approach is primarily to evaluate property realistically of a specific location. In this exercise, we capture the trends in the past, make relevant assumptions of the future, address some challenges that can be foreseen and arrive at a conclusion. The simulation and the spread sheet model rationalize the decision and support the analysis to strengthen the reasoning behind potential investments and an assessment of the associated risks, if any. This paper applies structural methodology to estimating and forecasting the Central London office market. We assemble a time series covering for over a decade and estimate equations for net space absorption, movements in rents, and new building orders and other facilities along with new flourishing businesses. We also estimate a typical supply and demand relationship that yields a dynamically stable system. A spreadsheet model is an effective instrument for quantitative estimates based on a specific framework. The excel sheet embedded in this article is an illustrative version for capturing similar data for any property identified with required criteria in the prime location of Central London. While it a conscious decision not to engage in advanced computerization as it is not a pre-requisite, but ideally one of the outcomes of good asset management. The spreadsheet model suggested here is a methodological tool for understanding and improving the assessor's ability to consider all factors in Real Estate Project Modeling and deriving decisions accordingly which will also facilitate the process of financial planning and expectations. The logic of the framework and the attached spreadsheet model is fairly simple and follows the approach tested and used by Project owners. At the very outset, we should make quantified entry assumptions about parameters that define the total cost of office p roperty in Central Location. The model calculates the estimated cost and the anticipated returns. The key assumptions cover the following: Various costs per unit (such as land acquisition price per square feet, construction cost per square feet, costs of various furniture pieces, etc.) Space needed for Office Equipment and furniture required Costs of each component (Furniture, Total capital cost (land, building, equipment/furniture) For all the apparent simplicity of this framework, it still establishes a clear hierarchy of parameters: thus, the area of the location (i) Prevailing rate per square feet area and (ii) space utilization 3. Assess Investment The whole exercise is primarily to assess investment and every smart investment provides long-term capital appreciation and immediate, consistent rental yields however while modeling the project we need to have all the facts at our disposal. The prevailing rates of property based on the location chosen Establishment costs will always be significant, with stamp duty, legal and surveying fees and related costs

DNA Sequence Analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

DNA Sequence Analysis - Coursework Example Open reading frames (ORFs) shall be selected from he solution of suggested on the web based platform. Before then the linear DNA sequence is checked and the first graph shows us the location of restriction enzymes and their point of action. What follows is the choice of primers that would match the segment of DNA sequence chosen for this case wasEL784663 from our observation the following primers would be the most appropriate:- At a temperature of between 50-65oC, the pUC18 plasmid vector is digested by any of the restriction enzymes found at the multiple cloning sites (MCS) to make a single cut in the plasmid. This shall make the otherwise circular dsDNA module to become linear which will enhance its ability to coalesce with the DNA sequence that has been cut with the same restriction enzymes. The ORFs are then cloned in the amplified into the pUC18 to ensure that the DNA is transformed into chemically competent E. coli. During cloning EcoRI (5... GA  A  T  TC ...  3) site was preferred because it matches both the MCS restriction enzymes and the restriction enzymes of the linear graph of the DNA sequence chosen. However it is not in the sequence it is just outside the chosen sequence. This means that the selected primers require additional bases so that the EcoRI cuts the two sites at the same time during the Polymerase Chain Reaction. The protein has several biological functions and of importance is for example in biological folding, regulation of transcription, DNA binding, heat shock protein binding. The protein is usually in existence during the transcription stage of DNA sequencing and polymerase chain reaction. In protein folding process it’s where functional shapes of proteins are shaped from the constituent polypeptides. It involves the use of both covalent and non covalent bonds are made to coalesce in the required shape. This protein is in the DNA and is usually instrumental in this kind of process (Kieleczawa,

Employment Law for Managers ( See Assignment Criteria ) Essay

Employment Law for Managers ( See Assignment Criteria ) - Essay Example For one to be eligible to the claim that employee must have completed the qualifying or probationary period if the employer is small business type or six months in case the employer is a large enterprise (FWA, 2009). Claims are normally made to the Fair Work Australia and this should be within 14 days of being dismissed is the dismissal is unfair. This matter is then put to review by the conciliation conference where most of the issues that are involved in the case are normally resolved between the two feuding parties. If not solved at this level, then the applicant reserves the right to request for a proceeding of the case to a further full hearing (Elizabeth, 2009, pp.1-4). Unfair dismissal occurs if the FWA is convinced that the worker has actually been dismissed; it was harsh or unreasonable; was inconsistent with Small Business Fair Dismissal Code; and that it was not genuine redundancy case. Dismissal is simply the termination of one’s employment at the will of the employer and this does not include demotion. It also does not include a reduction from the person’s salary or duties in a significant manner and the person still is employed by the employer that did effect the demotion. In accordance with the current provisions various matters would be considered while addressing the issues of whether a given dismissal was harsh, unjust or unreasonable. These considerations do include taking into account the reason for dismissal and whether this was valid or not for that dismissal that is duly related to the capacity of a given person or his/her conduct; in case that person being dismissed was actually given notice of the reasons that pertain to his or her dismissal; whether such a dismissed person was given a reasonable chance or opportunity to lodge a response to any of the reasons put forward that are related to the conduct or capacity of the person; if there are any unreasonable refusal by the person’s

Macro and Micro Environment Analysis of McDonalds

Macro and Micro Environment Analysis of McDonalds 2. Literature Review This section provides a broad picture of the dissertation that includes setting up the arameters and limits to the field of inquiry going into the research. Its aim is to identify key ideas, marketing theories applicable and marketing case studies that impinge upon the area of this investigation. It makes an effective starting point leading into the introduction and the background of the dissertation. 2.1 Macro Environment Analysis of McDonalds The analysis is done using a top down approach where first the Macro Environment and then the Micro environment has been examined, in which McDonalds operates. 2.1.2 Internal Anlaysis Internal Analysis is done using Value Chain analysis. The term ‘value chain was used by Michael Porter (1985) in his book â€Å"competitive advantage; creating and sustaining superior performance†. Brown (1997),â€Å"described value chain as a tool to disaggregate a business in to strategically relevant activities†. In McDonalds case, the key value adding activities are inbound logistics, operation, outbound logistics, marketing sales and service. McDonalds logistics function is to buy food on behalf of its operator (franchisee) and arrange delivery in to their restaurants. McDonalds logistics includes; the procurement and shipment of raw materials in to suppliers, the procurement and shipment of finished goods between the suppliers and the distribution centres, together with the warehousing at each distribution centre, the ordering and the delivery to restaurants of all food, packaging and operating supplies. To improve its logistics operation, McDonalds combines a number of food-processing plants dedicated to its operation only. The establishment of â€Å"food towns† consisting of a distribution centre and a bakery, a meat plant, a sauce plant and a chicken plant, gives McDonalds competitive advantage. The supporting activities that can be identified are procurement, human resources development and technology. McDonalds uses electronic procurement system. It had set logistics trends for restaurants with its online ordering system. It was noted that more than 12% of McDonalds franchisees ordered food supplier electronically. Revamping its supply chain with software and technology made it easy to respond quickly and efficiently to customers needs. With the online ordering system, McDonalds had a return on investment of 23.2% in 2008. However, the human resource development at McDonalds is excellent. McDonalds uses a high-engagement approach to improving both their operations, leadership pipeline and employee satisfaction with their career growth. Every management staff at McDonalds receives training at one of the regional training centres and at the national centre, Hamburger University in East Finchley. Training all employees to work in one best way (quick-service culture) made McDo nalds to gain customers loyalty continuously leading to a competitive advantage. 2.1.3 External Anlaysis PEST analysis is applied for an in depth understanding of macro environment in fast food industry where McDonalds operated. Kotler (1998) claims that PEST analysis is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations. POLITICAL The operations of McDonalds are affected by the government policies on the regulations of fast food operation. Currently government are controlling the marketing of fast food restaurant because of health concern such as cardiovascular and cholesterol issue and obesity among the young and children in the country. Governments also control the license given for open the fast food restaurant and other business regulation need to follow such as for a franchise business. Good relationship with government in giving mutual benefits such as employment and tax is a must for the company to succeed in any foreign market. McDonalds should also protect its workers by ensuring all the hiring, compensation, training or repatriation is according to UK and European Labour Law and the Middle Eastern Labour Laws as stipulated. ECONOMICS As a business entity, McDonalds need to face a lot of economic variables outside its company or its macro environment. Dealing with international sourcing for its material McDonalds should be aware on the global supply and currencies exchange. Remember, McDonalds import most of its raw material such as beef and potatoes due to local market cannot supply in abundant to meet the demand of its product. Any upside of currencies especially dollar will be impacting its cost of purchase. Working on the local country, McDonalds must face government regulations on tax of profit where it gains from the operation and other tax such as entertainment and restaurant service tax. Each country may have different scale or types of tax available and McDonalds should follow the regulation if it wants to continue the operation. As a franchise, McDonalds should also pay certain percentage of the revenue to the parent company in United States. The economic condition and growth of the country also is an important indicator to the demand of products that McDonalds offered. As the food priced slightly above normal foods, not many people will have the income range to consume the products. Moreover if the economy is bad and income percapita is affected, the demand of McDonalds product will certainly going down. On the other hand the good economy also means disposable income is more and people can spend more on more expensive food at fast food restaurant. SOCIAL/CULTURAL The changing lifestyles of Malaysia due to development of Malaysian economy should be also taking into consideration. While more people are able financially to eat at more expensive outlet such as fast food restaurant, they have higher expectation. They want to have quality in services and more conveniences that can differentiate one restaurant from another. Young urban consumers want technology in their life and facilities such as credit card payment, wireless internet, cozy and relaxing ambient place, and other attraction for their hangout and eating. All these needs should also be taken into consideration. There is not much difference between cultural and the purchase of products in a single country but for different countries cultural sensitivity should be upheld. For example in India people (Hindu) do not take beef, Muslim countries do not take pork, German like beers, Finnish like fish type of food menu, Chinese like to associate food with something good (for ex ample prosperity), Asian like rice and Americans eat in big-sized menu. So far McDonalds has shown good efforts in localization of its menu to suit local taste but it should constantly survey and learn about local culture to better understand and design the best product for them. TECHNOLOGY For a fast food restaurant, technology does not give a very high impact on the company and it is not a significant macro environment variables. However McDonalds should be looking to competitors innovation and improve itself in term of integrating technology in managing its operation. For example in inventory system, supply chain management system to manage its supply, easy payment and ordering systems for its customers and wireless internet technology. Implementation of technology can make the management more effective and cost saving in the long term. This will also make customer happy if cost savings results in price reduction or promotional campaign discount which will benefits them from time to time. LEGAL As a certified fast food operator, there are many regulations and procedures that McDonalds should follow. For example is the Halal certification that becomes a concern to Muslim consumers. McDonalds should protect its integrity and consumer confidence by ensuring all materials and process are as claimed or must followed. Other legal requirement that the business owner should follow as stipulated in laws are such as operating hours, business registration, tax requirement, labor and employment laws and quality environment certification (such as ISO) in which the outlet has been certified. The legal requirement is important because the offenders will be fined or have their business prohibited from operating which can be disastrous. ENVIRONMENT As one of world largest consumer of beef, potatoes and chicken, McDonalds always had been critics for world environmentalist. This is because high consumption of beef causing the green house effect by methane gasses coming from the cows ranch. Large scale plantation has effect the environment and lost of green forest opening for plantation activities. Vegetarian environmentalist criticizes the fast-food giant for cruelty to animals and slaughtering. In Japan, once McDonalds want to introduce whale burger causing uproar because whales are endangered species. Before using paper packaging, once McDonalds also had been criticized for being insensitive to pollution because using polystyrene based packaging for its foods. Imagine millions of people purchase from fast food operator and how is the impact to world environment by throwing away those hard to recycle packaging. Our world is getting concern on environment issue and business operating here should not just care for prof it, but careful usage of world resources for sustainable development and care for environment safety and health for our future generation. Critics and concern from all public or activist should be review and support if necessary to ensure we play our social responsibility better. 2.2 Market Position McDonalds is operating in a very competitive market. In order to maintain on the top position of the competition, it is important to understand the companys industry environment to be prepared for actions. Porters 5 Forces is a useful model for analysing the industry environment, it identifies five competitive forces that shape every single industry and market. Supplier Power If suppliers have strong bargaining power, competitive pressure will be greater (Pearce and Robinson, 2004). McDonalds works in partnership with most of their suppliers to protect the quality of their foods and minimise the bargaining power of suppliers. Buyer Power Consumers buying power in the food market is high. With the continuously changes in tastes and the increased concern in healthy eating, companies in the food market has to make changes and improvements to satisfy its customers. Otherwise there is a high possibility in getting bad publicity and lost in profit. Threat of Substitute The threat of substitute is high in the fast food market due to the strong competition and the increasing amount of ready to eat foods. Customers have many choices other than McDonalds, and ready to eat meals are cheaper and convenient. Competition The competition in the fast food market is very high. McDonalds has to compete with strong competitors like Burger King, Pizza Hut, Wendy and KFC. Threat of Entry The threat of new entrant is low in the fast food industry because of the amount of competition with the big players in the market. New entrants will not likely to win due to lack ok economic of scale. The fast food industry is highly competitive. Taking one step further from the internal analysis, in this chapter, external analysis was done so as to determine where McDonalds I positioned in the market, given the intensive rivalry. PESTLE is used to gather data for completion of this analysis. From the data using PESTLE, swot analysis is done to determine how McDonalds strong market position as the largest foodservice and fast-food retailing chain in the world is bolstered by robust all-round growth witnessed by the company. By analyzing PEST and SWOT an understanding of overall of the companys power and how it can grow, is established. This was done keeping the focus on Western European Market and the Middle east. Hence the impact of European Regulations and turbulence caused by ter rorism and Iraq war is also taken as a significant point as part of analysis. Porters five forces model is used as the tool to analyse the market competition in the European and the middle east market. The existing rivalry in the industry is already strong although McDonalds is in a dominant market position. The above analysis helps to conclude MCDonalds competitive advantage and its uniqueness to gain broad target in the aforementioned markets. 2.3 : Marketing Strategy and Mix Every organisations need to identify their strategic aims to be able to have a direct focus of what and when to achieve it within a given time. This is usually based on the organisations limited resources and capabilities. As (Barney 1991), â€Å"stated an organisation could extend their limited resources and capabilities through organisational learning, sharing, generation of knowledge, redeployment of existing resources in an effective and efficient ways†. In this section, the strategic aim of McDonalds is discussed. This is used for evaluating the way it has implemented its objectives and the effectiveness of the global and local marketing strategies. This was important to fully understand its market and environment in order to evaluate its right marketing plans and the adopted strategies. After analysing the market and environment of McDonalds, this chapter focuses on the plans and strategies adopted by the company to overcome its weaknesses and avoid the threats. It uses various survey results to determine the effectiveness of its marketing mix. In the year 2003, when, McDonalds had been having problems on losing market share, reducing profit and bad publicity, the company started aligning their global system around a common mission with a common set of customer focused goal oriented actions. It was called â€Å"McDonalds Plan to Win† which was to put the companys concentration on the five drivers of exceptional customer experiences Product, People, Place, Promotion and Price. This plan was aimed to increase profits by improving its services to increase customers. These 5 variables are also known as the Retail Marketing Mix or the 5 Ps. They are the variables that marketing managers can control in order to best satisfy customers in the target market. This cha pter discusses and evaluates the way McDonalds has established its revitalisation plan in the European and the Middle East markets. While doing the research on the five Ps, McDonalds relationship marketing is also examined, that is viewed as an asset and the companys marketing goal is to attract, maintain, and enhance customer relationships. Then there is an argument on whether the combination of five Ps with the relationship marketing is enough to stay on the competition or is there any other areas to be focussed as well. In the aspect of marketing sales McDonalds adopted the concept of 7ps of marketing mix formulated by McCarthy (1975) and Gilligan Fifield (1996). These 7ps includes; product, place, price, promotion, people, process, physical. With these 7ps McDonalds was able to create a uniformity of items that taste the same in different countries. McDonalds realises that although there is cost savings in standardisation but success can be achieved by being able to adapt to a specific environment. It has a pricing strategy that enables it to cope with a particular market. In setting price, McDonalds looks at the elasticity of demand for its product in response to price. Considering the diverse range of culture, custom in different countries, McDonalds has localised its marketing communication strategy using different promotion and advertisement. For instance McDonalds uses the England footballer Alan Shearer as a logo to advertise its hamburgers in the UK and in France its uses Fabien Barthez, t he French international goalkeeper. Obviously, McDonalds uses a number of styles to attract customers. After analysing the market and environment of McDonalds, this chapter will be focusing on the plans and strategies adopted by the company to overcome its weaknesses and avoid the threats. In the past few years, McDonalds has been having problems on losing market share, reducing profit and bad publicity. In the year 2003, the company have aligned their global system around a common mission with a common set of customer focused goal oriented actions. It is called â€Å"McDonalds Plan to Win† which was to put the companys concentration on the five drivers of exceptional customer experiences Product, People, Place, Promotion and Price. This plan was aimed to increase profits by improving its services to increase customers. These 5 variables are also known as the Retail Marketing Mix or the 5 Ps. They are the variables that marketing managers can control in order to best satisfy customers in the target market. (Please refer to appendix 2 for further information on the 5 Ps) Product The following are the strategies applied by McDonalds on their Products: To satisfy customers desire for premium products at affordable prices. More choices on the Happy Meal such as fruit options and milk for the kids. To address the desire for foods that fit into todays lifestyle. McDonalds has added new choices like meal-size salads, fruit options and sandwiches in order to fit the increased concern on health eating. McDonalds is controlling the quality of the foods by working in partnership with its suppliers and to work closely with food experts to ensure the quality is in the highest standard. People The following are the marketing strategies adopted by McDonalds on its People: Speeding up service by simplifying the restaurant environment for their staff and customers. Ensuring the restaurant staffs are focused on being friendly, as well as fast with hospitality training. Providing cost-efficient, relevant training for their world-wide workforce. There are more than 1.6 million people worldwide working for McDonalds. McDonalds has placed emphasis on the training and development of its employees, aiming to provide career opportunities for people to achieve their potential. McDonalds has five commitments to their employees, which are: Respect and Recognition Values and Leadership Behaviours Competitive Pay and Benefits Learning, Development and Personal Growth Resources to Get the Job Done Place McDonalds has over 30,000 restaurants in 119 countries. It opens in places where has high consumer flows such as high street, shopping malls, train station, airports, retail parks, gas stations, and even schools. Freestanding restaurants are positioned so that customers are never more than a few minutes away by foot in the city or by car. The following are McDonalds strategies on Place: To make the environment the gold standard for cleanliness. They have recalibrated their standards and are consistently enforcing them. McDonalds has added additional service to customers by providing Wi-Fi accessibility in some of the restaurants so customers can stay connected to the internet while enjoying their foods. Giving customers more reasons to visit McDonalds by adding more products offering such as coffee and to locate in the right place. Relocating, renovating and rebuilding some of the restaurants to give McDonalds a fresh edge. Promotion Every year McDonalds spent huge amount of money on promotion. The company has been trying to maximise the impact of the advertising spending and broaden their reach through public relations and by placing adverts in media well beyond the traditional prime-time network television format. The objective of spending so much money on promotion is to build brand loyalty and bonds of trust. The following are the strategies: The new creative brand direction â€Å"Im Lovin It!† is designed to connect with customers around the world, especially young adults, moms and kids. It has became McDonalds signature brand voice in 119 countries, generating awareness figures as high as 96% in some parts of the world. Appealing to young adults with relevant advertising. McDonalds is bringing top creative teams from around the world to gather ideas, study trends and find inspiration to create world-class advertising. Price McDonalds has a rigorous pricing process that is used to determine the price for that particular market in each country. The reason is to be able to offer affordable prices to customers and also to be profitable for the company. The following are the process which sets out the basic framework that allows the company to set localised pricing: Selecting the price objective Determining demand Estimating costs Analysing competitors costs, prices and offers Selecting a pricing method Selecting a final price (www.mcdonalds.com) 2.4 : Performance Measurement Quality is an important issue in services due to the features of inseparability, intangibility and perishability. That which can not be stored and is intangible cannot be checked for defects before ‘delivery to customers. In addition each individual involved in the exchange process brings with them varying levels of expectations and levels of satisfaction in addition to the unpredictable nature of human beings. It is this dominant role of human interaction in services that shape customers expectations and create difficulties in understanding and implementing quality initiatives (Behara Gundersen (2001)). Officially McDonalds names three elements in their strategy to be the worlds best quick service restaurant: People (being the best employer), Customers (providing them excellence) and System Growth (for owners/operators, suppliers and company). ‘McDonalds has always been a franchising Company and has relied on its franchisees to play a major role in its success. McDonalds remains committed to franchising as a predominant way of doing business. Approximately 70% of McDonalds worldwide restaurant businesses are owned and operated by independent businessmen and women, our franchisees. Usually, McDonalds offers franchises to poor performing restaurants in order to sustain profitability. Advertising is used to differentiate McDonalds products from competitors and as a means of branding: Advertising Spend in 2001 amounted to  £39m (KFC:  £14m, Burger King:  £8.6m, Pizza Hut:  £7.4m). Furthermore, McDonalds is involved in various high profile sponsorship schemes (e.g. major Sponsor of FIFA World Cup, ‘gold sponsor and official restaurant of the Olympic Games) that secures them favourable PR. Recently McDonalds acquired Boston Market Chicken restaurants, the Donatos pizza chain and Chipotle Mexican Grill. In the UK, it purchased the Aroma coffee chain and 33% of Pret A Manger. This demonstrates that McDonalds has diversified into other segments of the fast food/ convenience /take away market. McDonalds is the worlds largest food service organisation. It has the greatest market share of the breakfast, lunch and dinner market and holds 67% of the UK Burger Market. McDonalds golden arches are the worlds biggest brand with higher awareness than Coca-Cola. McDonalds is constantly introducing new products, usually for a limited period of time. This is because management recognise that consumers like variety as well as a continuation of good products such as Big Macs and Cheeseburgers. Also, they are well aware that if McDonalds has too many products running at the same time then the speed of customer service will deteriorate. However, McDonalds has not introduced healthier products in response to growing concerns about obesity. It is difficult to evaluate the extent to which McDonalds fulfils customers demands. In the 2001 consumer survey conducted by Sandelman Associates, McDonalds was ranked as last out of 60 chains for taste. Statistics that describe McDonalds cleanliness are not available and therefore the achievement of this objective is difficult to examine, but anecdotal evidence suggests that suitable policies are in place to meet that objective. Customer service quality is difficult to assess but it is renowned for being quick. 2.5 : Ethical Criticism Ethical behaviour has come up as one of the most important aspect of any organisation. By ‘Doing the right thing internally and externally, businesses created a good working atmosphere, while also benefiting society and the environment. However many ethical issues are subjective and based on ones values and beliefs. As a result, they are often difficult to enforce and easy to neglect. The result of this is that ‘when the costs are added up, the social balance sheet contains enormous debts to society (McEwan, 2001). This chapter discusses the ethical issues that McDonalds have been facing over a period of time and how effectively it addressing its corporate social responsibility. The 2008 corporate social responsibility report has been critically evaluated and based on that it is determined, whether much of its efforts are just descriptive or has been realistic. It uses various results from the data set based on the primary and secondary research to determine the effectives. It is the notion of an organizations ‘debts to society, which led to the branch of ethics known as ‘corporate social responsibility. This refers to ‘the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic expectations placed on organizations by society at a given point in time (Carroll and Buchholtz, 2000). This theory of responsibility to society is based around two headings, stated by Wells (1998). Social Responsibility deals with ‘the purposes for which companies should act (Wells, 1998), and Corporate Responsibility is the ‘liability attached to a company for actions done in its name (Wells, 1998). On 2002, McDonalds published its first Corporate Responsibility Report and this was followed up with an updated version in 2004. Neverthless many critics of McDonalds still believe that this, like many Corporate Responsibility Reports, is simply a medley of generalities and assumptions, that do not provide hard metrics of the company, its activities or its impacts on society and the environment (Hawken, 2002), and is ‘peripheral to the core interests of an organization (Strategic Direction, 2002). Consequentially, there is a need to analyse the claims made towards McDonalds, and whether they have been resolved within the two Corporate Responsibility Report. The incident which has done the most damage to McDonalds ethical reputation was the ‘McLibel trial, where the company expected a quick conclusion to its action against activists who had distributed a pamphlet, Whats Wrong with McDonalds?. Instead it ran for two and a half years and became the longest ever English trial , upon its completion in June 1997 (McSpotlight.org: The McLibel Trial, 2005). One of the main ethical criticisms consistently faced by McDonalds over the last 30 years relates to the food offered in its stores. Critics claim that McDonalds is a major contributing factor to the ver-increasing levels of obesity in the UK and European countries. Medical studies show that ‘waistlines are expanding faster in the UK than in any other European country†¦with 1 in 5 adults dangerously overweight (Walsh, 2003), while in 2001 it was reported that 300,000 deaths a year in the U.S. are related to obesity compared to 400,000 through cigarette smoking (McMans Depression and Bipolar Weekly, 2004). McDonalds contribution is a result of the unhealthy nature of fast food. For example, a meal of a Big Mac and medium fries would provide you with ‘910 calories, as well as 46g of fat, 13g of which are saturated (McDonalds.com, 2005). Considering the fact that this is half the Recommended Daily Allowance for a female adult, it is clear that McDonalds does not meet U. S. dietary requirements. Apart from obesity, ‘diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and some forms of cancer are related to a diet high in fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar (Inside the McLibel trial, 1995). The impacts of a McDonalds diet were clearly shown in Morgan Spurlocks controversial film ‘Super Size Me, where he ate nothing but McDonalds for one month. Although this was an extreme example, the impacts on Spurlock were dramatic. ‘Spurlock gained 25 pounds, raised his cholesterol by 60 points, dropped his libido and turned his liver into pate (McMans Depression and Bipolar Weekly, 2004). He also experienced headaches and depression, and actually became addicted to the products. The impact of a McDonalds diet on children is also a major ethical concern, as an increasing number of children are faced with obesity problems. ‘Every month, 90 percent of the children between 3 and 9 in America visit a McDonalds (Schlosser, 2001). McDonalds has been cri ticised for exploiting children with advertising. They have traditionally aimed themselves towards children with collectable toys in ‘Happy Meals, as well as colorful advertising campaigns and promotions in schools. Most criticized is the use of the Ronald McDonald clown character, which has been seen as a ‘cynical exploitation of children to use a clown to drum up business (Inside the McLibel trial, 1995). These marketing tactics contribute to the increasing unhealthy diet of many children. Stakeholders in a corporation may not only be human because animals are also seen as an important part of society and deserve the same treatment as humans. McDonalds has been criticized for the way it treats animals before they are killed and turned into fast food. ‘The corporation is the worlds largest promoter of meat-based products, the largest user of beef and the second largest user of chicken (McSpotlight.org: McDonalds and Animals, 2005), and thus is faced with the usual claims aimed at slaughterhouses. It is claimed that ‘chickens were crammed into sheds with less than one square foot of space per bird and no daylight (Inside the McLibel trial, 1995). As a result, ‘44% had leg abnormalities and other health problems (Inside the McLibel trial, 1995). This treatment was not just reserved for chicken but also other animals involved in McDonalds fast food products. 40% of piglets were held in indoor breeding units, and half had tails docked for no apparent reason (Inside the McLibel trial, 1995). Ethical criticism is also aimed at the methods for killing the animals. ‘14% of chickens received pre-stun shocks, which caused undue stress, while 1% (1,350 per day) were decapitated before being stunned (Inside the McLibel trial, 1995). As well as social ethical issues, corporations must also consider environmental ethics, which means treating natural resources not just as commodities, but as part of the ecological whole. It is important because it affects the image of the company and consumers perceptions. For example, ‘a Wall Street Journal poll in 1991 claimed that 53% of people avoided purchasing a product because of environmental concerns about a product or manufacturer (Hawken, 2002). The most famous environmental issue is the suggestion that McDonalds has destroyed hundreds of acres of Brazilian rainforest to make way for large-scale cattle ranching. This not only removes a valuable natural resource, but also has an impact on global warming, as the rainforest is an essential mechanism for the absorption of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. McDonalds also ‘annually produces over a million tons of packaging used for just a few minutes before being discarded (McSpotlight.org: Environment, 2005). Traditionally a number of ozone depleting gasses were used in polystyrene foam packaging. In the 21st century, McDonalds uses almo

Ishmael, the Sacrifice of Abraham :: Islam History Religion Religious Papers

Ishmael, the Sacrifice of Abraham Introduction The tragedy of strained relations between Islamic and Judeo-Christian countries is a part of everyday life. One need only pick up a newspaper or check the news story of the day via television, radio, or internet to learn of the latest violent attack by a suicide bomber or military retaliation on such an attack. The terrorist attacks have been perpetrated by countries that are predominantly Islamic with the counter attacks coming from a well-armed Israel, supported by US arms sales as well as US silence. Arecent CNN talk show byline queried, â€Å"Are we at war with Islam?† One does sometimes wonder. Israel has long held a policy of counter attack to deal with terrorists harbored by governments of neighboring countries. Following 9/11, the United States government adopted this policy. As part of this new policy the US military went after terrorists in Afghanistan and destroyed the country’s infrastructure as well as innocent civilians in the process. In early 2003, Iraq was attacked for the same reasons, with the same resulting damage. Terrorism directed against Iraqis and Coalition forces as well as military retaliation by Coalition forces continues to make the headlines in occupied Iraq. The cycle of violence continues. To say the cause of political friction in the Middle East is due to religious differences is too simplistic as well as unduly inflammatory. Other things come into play, such as protection of US interests involving energy production, and even control of the water supply by Israel and its neighboring countries. However, to say the violence has nothing to do with religious differences denies the past 4,000 years of history. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, three of the world’s great religions, have their roots as well their â€Å"holiest places† in the Middle East. All three religions revere Abraham as a common ancestor. Yet all three have had bloody interchanges throughout history. How and why did Abraham’s children become such a dysfunctional family? Where is God in this â€Å"family feud?† Finding answers to these theological questions that could help provide a peaceful future are important for all. Conflicts surrounding this â€Å"family of God† involve more people and places than were involved even 50 years ago. For example, currently there are more Muslims living in the United States than Methodists (Geisler and Saleeb, 2001).1 The Story of Ishmael One must wonder what event or events provided such fertile ground for violence and bad feelings to thrive?

Job Evaluation

Table of Contents Acknowledgement Executive Summary Outline the merits and limitations of Crop Banks proposed reward system for the managers and staff. Develop an alternative reward system for bank employees and explain why it is superior to the proposed reward system Conclusions Crop Bank has become a most strategic Bank in the field. It has faced a strong competition from both Government sector and local private and foreign banks. To face these challenges Crop Bank always has to introduce new technology, new financial products and new reward system to their employees and to their customers.The reward system is mainly concern thing within the Corp. Bank. Reward system for the Manager mainly based on the Customer satisfaction and leadership qualities. For the staff the reward system is based on customer satisfaction. These categories evaluated within three criteria. Within the Board meeting Bank CEO accept this rewarding system. Within this case study we have to find; 1. Outlining of Merits and Limitation of Crop Banks propose rewarding system for the manager and staff 2. Develop an alternative reward system for Crop Banks employees and explain why it is superior to the proposed reward system 1 .Outline the merits and limitations of Crop Banks proposed reward system for the managers and staff. Job Evaluation Methods: The essence of compensation administration is Job evaluation and the establishment of the pay structure. By Job evaluation we mean using the information in Job analysis to systematically determine the value of each Job in relation to all Jobs with in the organization. In short, Job evaluation seeks to rank all the Jobs in the organization and place them in a hierarchy that will reflect the relative worth of each. We must first understand what are the Merits and Limitations within the Crop Banks' current Nanking method.Merits 1 . It is a simple method; current ranking method is a simple one. It only based on â€Å"How much was the customer is satis fied†. So as we can see it is the easiest way of ranking. And the ranking method limits to only three categories they are â€Å"1 . Not meeting customer expectation, 2. Meeting Customer expectation, 3. Far Exceeding Customer expectation†. This is a simplest method on ranking. 2. This current ranking method is a low cost method; as we can see this is a simple ranking system, because of that this cost a low budget. 3. The current rating system can be used in service based organization.In the banking sector such as Corp. Bank they provide a service as for this current ranking method is based on customer service it can be a lot of help to a serviced based organization such as Banks. 4. Ranking method that is currently using by Corp. Bank can be use daily basis because it mainly concern about the Customer satisfaction. Limitations As we can see the Merits within the current reward system there are also Limitation within this. 1. Can't clearly measure the categories; the rewa rding system clearly based on the Customer Satisfaction. And it is only rated by â€Å"1 . Not meeting customer expectation, 2. Meeting Customer expectation, 3.Far Exceeding Customer expectation†. There is no guideline how to evaluate. This is a limitation occurred in current reward system in Corp. Bank. 2. As the above mention rewarding system is clearly based on customer satisfaction. From this we are facing a problem â€Å"Only Customer Satisfaction is enough? † As a developing Bank it is a limitation that Corp. Bank is only concern about the Customer satisfaction when there are more facts that should taken for ranking 3. When concentrating about the Customer Satisfaction factor we are clearly facing a halogen, how can we identify the customer satisfaction because Human is dynamic creature.Some Customers can be satisfied and some customers can never be satisfied because there needs and wants are clearly different. As Abraham Moscow has described there are different needs and want and there are different motivators. As we can see Human can not be easily satisfied. 4. Managers can not always control their subordinates. This is another limitation in the current ranking method in Crop Bank. Managers will not be able to control their subordinates; subordinates will always use their personal feelings within the aerospace. Managers can't always control this.Reward system only concerns about the customer satisfaction this because of the subordinates work Managers may have to pay the price. 5. The current reward system of the Crop Bank will not effect to the entire bank. Customer satisfaction will be only effect to the front office where the customers usually go. But when it comes to the back office customer satisfaction is not enough. For an example Accountants Job can't be evaluated from Customer satisfaction. So as we can see current rewarding system is not enough to evaluate the entire banking industries. 6.In the case study it is clearly mention f rom this reward system only the salary of the employees will go up. But not all people will get motivate from financial benefits. According to Herbage's theory everyone is not motivated by Money. 2. Develop an alternative reward system for bank employees and explain why it is superior to the proposed reward system There are four main Job Ranking Methods. We must first identify what is the most suitable ranking method for the Crop Bank. A. Ranking method: Raters examine the description of each Job being evaluated and arrange the Jobs in order according to their value to the company.This method requires a committee, typically composed of both management and employee representative to arrange Job in a simple rank order from highest to lowest. No attempts are made to break down the Jobs by specific weighted criteria. The committee members merely compare two jobs and Judge which one is more important, or more difficult to perform. Then they compare the other Job with the first two, and s o on until all the Jobs have been evaluated and ranked. The most obvious limitation to the ranking method is its sheer inability to be managed when there are a large number of Jobs.Other drawbacks to be considered are the subjectivity of the method- there are no definite or consistent standards by which to Justify the rankings- and the fact that because Jobs are only ranked in terms of order, we have no knowledge of the distance between the ranks. B. Classification method: A Job evaluation method by which a number of classes or grades are defined to describe a group of Jobs is known as Classification method. The classifications are created by identifying some common denominator skills, knowledge, responsibilities tit the desired goal being the criterion of a number of distinct classes or grades of jobs.Once the classifications are established, they are ranked in an overall order of importance according to the criteria chosen, and each Job is placed in its appropriate classification. This later action is generally done by comparing each position's Job description against the classification description and benchmark Jobs. The classification method shares most of the disadvantages of the ranking approach, plus the difficulty of writing classification descriptions, Judging which Jobs go where, and leaning with Jobs that appear to fall into more than one classification. . Factor comparison method: Raters need not keep the entire Job in mind as they evaluate; instead, they make decisions on separate aspects, or factors, of the Job. A basic underlying assumption is that there are five universal Job factors: (1) Mental Requirements, (2) Skills, (3) Physical Requirements, (4) Responsibilities, and (5) Working Conditions. The committee first rank each of the selected benchmark Jobs on the relative degree of difficulty for each of the five factors.Then, the committee allocates the total pay rates or each Job to each factor based on the importance of the respective factor to the job. A Job comparison scale, reflecting rankings and money allocations, is developed next. The raters compare each Job, factor by factor, with those appearing on the Job comparison scale. Then, they place the Jobs on the chart in an appropriate position. D. Point method: Raters assign numerical values to specific Job components, and the sum of these values provides a quantitative assessment of a Job's relative worth.The point method requires selection of Job factors according to the nature of the specific group of Jobs Ewing evaluated. After determining the group of Jobs to be studied, analysts conduct job analysis and write Job descriptions. Next, the analysts select and define the factors to be used in measuring Job value and which become the standards used for the evaluation of Jobs. Education, experience, Job knowledge, mental effort, physical effort, responsibility, and working conditions are examples of factors typically used.The committee establishes factor weights ac cording to their relative importance in the Jobs being evaluated, and then determines the total number of points to be used in the plan. A distribution of the point values to Job factor degrees is made, with the next step being the preparation of a Job evaluation manual. Point Rating method will be the most effective way for the Corp. Bank. It can be identify step by step. Determine the cluster of Jobs to be evaluated First we have to identify what are the Job categories in the bank.We can identify there are two categories in the bank as Front Office and the Back Office. Corp. Bank Front Office -Manager (Chief Manager) -Personal Banking Officer -Customer Service Manager -Executive Officer -Tellers Collect the Job Information Back Office -Operation Managers -Banking Assistant -Clerk Identify a clear knowledge about Job. We can prepare Job Analysis to identify about the Job. Now we can briefly identify Duties and Responsibilities about above mention job categories. Front Office:- Cust omer Handling. Opening Accounts, Updating and Issuing Pass books. Collecting cheeses and Drafts.Cash and Queue withdrawal. NRC Accounts handling Back Office:- Issuing Loans Issuing Credit Cards Loan Recoveries Other clerical works As we can see these two Job categories plays different roles within the same bank. Be equity towards both parties we have to identify Compensable factors that can evaluate both parties equally and fairly. Selecting Main Compensable factors and Sub Compensable factors To identify the value of the Job, we must select some main compensable factors that are common for every Job within the Crop Bank such as Skills, Effort, and Responsibilities.After identifying these main factors, we must identifying sub compensable factors that elaborate use of the main factors. Showing below is a model for the Crop Bank reward system Skills Education Training Experience Effort Mental Physical Complexity of Duties and Responsibility Job Condition bib Diseases, Stress) bib Dise ases are the ones occurred from the current Job for an example employee who daily working with the computers gradually have a bad eyesight. ) Dividing Grades After we have identified main and sub Compensable factors.We have to identify the Grades. From Job to Job above mention factors may defer, for an example: – Under Skills there is a factor called Education. Education can be divided several grades according to the Jobs within the bank Grade 1 Passed Advance Level Grade 2:- Diploma Holder Grade 3:- Degree from a recognized University or equal qualification Grade 4:- Post Graduate Degree holder As we can see to establish an effective Job evaluation system several grades must be issued.In the Crop Bank we can categories to 4 grades according to Jobs within the bank Grade 1 Tellers Clerk Banking Assistant Grade 2:- Personal Banking Officers Executive Officers Grade 3:- Grade 4:- Customer Service Manager Manager (Chief Manager) Valuing According to Grades Factor Degree and Poin ts 2nd 3rd 4th Education Skills 20 35 50 2 3 15 45 4 Mental Effort 10 30 5 Physical Effort Duties/Responsibilities 7 Job Condition Total 200 300 Preparing a Guide book to Evaluate Points There should be a Guide Book to instruct the evaluator.The guide book should contain details about Compensable factors and guidelines about how to evaluate the employees properly. This should help the evaluator to do his duty properly. Evaluation Finally the Job should be evaluated properly and the points should be afforded according to the Guide book. Below is the model example sheet Evaluation Sheet Name of the Job -? Date: / Details Marks Total(Total Value of the Job)

Sacco Vanzetti essays

Sacco Vanzetti essays Post World War I nativism was expected and to some extent justified, but was taken to an extreme in the Sacco and Vanzetti case. At this time people were terrified of foreigners and disregarded the fact that any American citizen came to America from either them immigrating or a relative who did. People feared immigrants immensely and viewed many of them as communists. The Sacco and Vanzetti case is a prime example of how people react in prejudiced times. Several factors contributed to Nativism. Propaganda helped contribute to the popular belief of nativism. The Red Scare contributed to Nativism as well. Anything out of the normal way of life or so to speak going against the grain was labeled as communist and struck panic into the country. American people believed what they were told without even considering other options. An example of this is the Judge in the Sacco and Vanzetti case. He was already was prejudiced against them before he heard what they had to say. This lead to the extension of their sentence and unjustifiable deaths. Nativism has many consequences. Many immigrants were taken to Ellis Island, which served as almost a prison for them because people were scared that they were communists and were here to destroy America. The dangers of nativism are really important because it turned neighbors against neighbors and spread a general distrust among everyone. The country was getting divided because of race, religion and beliefs. Terrible things happened because of peoples ignorance and they were too blind to see that nativism threw everyones perspective on the world off. If there werent prejudiced against foreigners then Sacco and Vanzetti may have had a fair trial and could have proved their innocence. Nativism was a terrible thing, but it is only natural to fear the unknown. ...

Oil Spill Essays

Oil Spill Essays Oil Spill Essay Oil Spill Essay Effects to the water quality Oils consist of a complex mixture of hydrogen and carbon which is used for fuel, lubrication, plastics manufacturing, and many other purposes. These petroleum products get into water mainly by means of accidental spills from ships, tanker trucks, pipelines, and leaky underground storage tanks Petroleum products affect surface water, impairing water quality with hydrocarbons, salts, nutrients, a host of organic compounds, and various heavy metals. Immediately after a spill, Oil slicks on the surface water producing a thick mousse.A large portion of the oil also forms emulsions or dissolves in the water. Some heavy portions will settle into to the bottom. Oxygen can be relatively easily obtained in the slick oil spill, but the nutrients are sometimes limited. In the warm waters of the equatorial and tropical oceans, it has been observed that this evaporation will remove as much as 40% of the spill during the first 24 hr. Oil will also be oxidised by dissolved oxygen at the rate of 1 mg of oil per 3 mg of oxygen consumption. Microbial degradation will account for 2g of oil per square meter per day.Around 1% of the spilled oil will be dissolved or dispersed in water. In addition, photo-oxidation by solar radiation will also degrade a part of the oil. Thus, it can be expected that around 45-50% of any oil spill will be removed during the first 24 hr in the warm zone of the ocean. The heavier fractions of the spill will form drifting patches being split up by the prevailing winds and currents. These patches will ultimately end up as floating tar particles Oil is an intimidating mixture of thousands of compounds, and every oil is different.All petroleum-based fuels, including the gasoline we pump into our cars, begin with crude oil that is pulled from the ground and processed at a refinery, where it is heated and separated into the different products we use. As crude oil is heated, lighter compounds evaporate and are collected and sold as gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel, and lubricating oil (motor oil). Different types of oil have different environmental effects. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), scientists broadly categorize oil types into light and heavy. When lighter oils, such as gas and diesel, spill out onto the water, they evaporate rather quickly and only remain in the environment for a short time. They are, however, highly toxic and highly flammable. Coming in contact with the oil or breathing the fumes can kill animals and plants. The oil can also ignite and explode. Heavier oils, such as those used to power ships, are not as toxic as light oils, but they can remain in the environment for years. They can harden after coming ashore, at which point they are less toxic to plants and animals. Heavy oil spills harm plants and animals by smothering them.Chemical Constituents Commonly Found in oil spills Benzene| Colorless, sweet smelling liquid and vapor. Evaporates very quickly and dissolves slightly in water. | Toluene aka Methylbenzene| Toluene is a clear, colorless liquid and vapor that smells like gasoline. Toluene occurs naturally in crude oil. | Ethyl benzene| Ethyl benzene is a colorless liquid. It is highly flammable and smells like gasoline. It is naturally found in coal tar and petroleum. | Generic alkanes(including octane,hexane, nonane)| Alkanes are colorless liquids or vapors that smell like gasoline.They are present in crude oil and petroleum products. They are highly flammable and evaporate easily| Xylene| Xylene is a colorless, sweet-smelling liquidand vapor. It is highly flammable and evaporates easily. It occurs naturally in petroleum and coal tar. | Amoco Cadiz and Exxon Valdez The Amoco Cadiz and Exxon Valdez oil spills caused much of the present interestboth from the public and the scientific community. Attention has been focused on the possible effects of oil spills on coastlines and benthic, neritic, and pelagic organisms. The problem of floating oil will increase with tanker traffic.But it is not the only source of problems. Rig blow-outs can create massive oil spills , and these rigs are usually near a coastal region. The presence of tar and oil slicks are the most conspicuous effects. Tar may seriously soil beaches, and the clean-up may bring, as a secondary effect, beach erosion. Both oil and gas drilling and petroleum pollution affect water quality, accumulate in sediments, change the distribution of marine organisms, and cause illness to marine organisms and human beingsthat is, similar effects as from inland waste disposal. Effects to the waterWhen oil gets in the water, hydrocarbons will linger on the surface and after time, some of them may be broken down or evaporate, but they all wont go away (Rice, 1984). Looking in the sediment on the bottom of the water or looking closely at water you can still see its traces. Once it is in the water it is difficult to remove. Some studies claim that it has little impact on the environment. However, during the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, numerous studies made it apparent that hydrocarbons can cause great damage to the ecosystem. In fact, there are lasting effects that we are just starting to see.In Valdez, Alaska at the oil terminal, they have to pump out ballast water from boats and oil tankers which has to be treated to remove contaminants. However, they use a treatment process which takes out 99% of hydrocarbons, but due to the large amount of ballast water being used (10-15 million gallons a day), a large amount of hydrocarbons are still being pumped into the ocean (Rice, 1984). This problem can be seen locally. The hydrocarbons found in oil released into our local harbor have the potential to cause the same harmful effects on the environment.US Environmental Protection Agency EPA deployed field teams to collect a small number of samples of oily debris, tar balls, mousse oil and other petroleum waste products that have washed up on the shore or were present on the surface of the water along the Coasts. Preliminary results have only shown chemical constituents that are usually found in petroleum products and therefore typical health precautions should be taken. Samples were collected at multiple locations to determine the chemical makeup of the oil washing up on shorelines.Oil has been washing up in various physical forms and samples were taken accordingly of tarballs, weathered oil, oil mousse, and grease. The oil from the Exxon Valdez has killed and injured many of the marine life in that area. Attempts to clean up an oil spill can indirectly harm some of the resources we are trying to protect. For example, using hot water or chemicals to remove oil can harm plants and animals, and simply sending a team of cleanup workers into an oiled area can trample sensitive organisms and mix oil more deeply into a beach.The experts who respond to oil spills must consider all of these potential problems when evaluating the trade-offs of how far to go in removing spilled oil. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Cleanup Methods on the Water Boom It comes in many sizes, shapes, and types and is used primarily to deflect and/or collect oil. Burning Fresh oil contains gases which are very volatile. By igniting these gases whole oil slicks can be reduced to tarry residue. Dispersants It disperses. They are chemicals that break-up oil into smaller and smaller concentrations.Potentially into individual molecules. Skimming a mechanical system for removing oil from the surface. This process was created based on the reality that oil is lighter than water. It should be kept in mind that it is not the duty of the people living around this area that should be cleaning. But it is the oil companies’ responsibility to prevent spills and to clean them up when they happen. Organisms affected by the contaminated water Oil spills are considered forms of pollution that gives highly adverse effects on the environment.These oil spills greatly affect animals and marine plants. You can also be exposed to crude oil if you live where there is an oil spill or leak nearby. You may be exposed to crude oil from an oil spill through tarballs at a beach or shoreline. Winds and waves can tear patches of spilled oil into smaller pieces called tarballs. Tarballs are small pieces of oil that are remnants of oil spills and can stick to rocks, sand, or marine animals. Oil contaminants may stick to the fur of pets, which can transfer the contamination to people.Exposure at work can occur through contact with the skin, ingestion, or breathing crude oil liquid, drops, or fumes. Studies have shown that the environmental damage of oil spills are far greater than originally thought. The hydrocarbon in petroleum-based oil is able to negatively impact marine life at concentrations as low as one part per billion. The heavier components of crude oil such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons cause the most damage. Although being less toxic then lighter components such as benzene and toluene, unlike these components they are not volatile and do not evaporate easily.The oil mixes deeply into pebbles or sandy beaches, and remains there for months or years. The chemicals include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide , and volatile organic compounds. Breathing in both ethylbenzene and benzene can cause cancer and reproductive effects, while breathing in n-hexane can damage the nervous system and usher in numbness in the extremities, muscular weakness, blurred vision, headaches, and fatigue.Exposure to crude oil may irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. It may cause dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches, confusion, and anemia. Prolonged skin contact with crude oil may cause skin reddening, edema, and burning of the skin. If you think your health has been affected by exposure to crude oil, contact your health care professional. The oil also affects the plants under the sea, it forms a thick layer on the water surface, and this layer blocks out light and prevents gaseous exchange.When this happens, not only will the plants not be able to photosynthesise, animals underneath the affected area will find that the supply of oxygen slowly diminishes, and is unable to be continuously replenished by the environment. When plants cannot photosynthesise, they eventually die, leading to a vicious effect on the food chain, ultimately affecting all animals. Animals such as Seabirds, Sea Otters, Killer Whales, and other marine life are also affected by this because oil spills causes blindness, hypothermia, inducing low body temperatures.Oil may also enter the lungs or livers of animals, in turn poisoning the animals. Animals Oil spills affect small organisms living in the sea, such as plankton, and larval fish, as well as bottom-dwelling organisms like oysters, seaweed, mussels. When these organisms die due to the oil, this affects the food chain. Fish that prey on these animals will have difficulty finding food, and may die. This will in turn affect their predators and so on. Prevention Avoid contact with the oil. Keep children and animals away from the spill.If possible, put a fence around the area and post a warning sign. Use a source of water upstream from the spill. Even if you have to walk a long way, it is worth it to prevent health problems. Where oil has spilled, rainwater may be the only safe water to drink. Avoid eating animals that live in water such as crabs, shrimp, and snails near the spill and areas downstream. They soak up toxins like sponges. Avoid bathing in affected water. If somebody falls in the water, they should wash right away with strong soap and clean water.Notify neighbors, government officials, the press, and NGOs that are concerned about health and the environment. Teach people about the dangers of oil at schools and community gatherings. In conclusion, the dangers oil spills pose to the environment are numerous and highly dangerous, hence, greater effort should be taken to ensure such oil spills are minimized in the future.Resources: http://geology. uprm. edu whoi. edu http://seagrant. uaf. edu http://drs. nio. org http://en. hesperian. org http://www3. imperial. ac. uk epa. gov bt. cdc. gov http://toxtown. nlm. nih. gov

Social Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Identity - Essay Example Today the communicative society becomes international and the role of foreign languages arises. The language using allows a speaker not only to express but to create a representation of himself in relation to others with whom he is cooperating. To show a respect is an aspect of the broader relationship between power and language. Power is the degree to which one companion is able to control the behavior of the other. There are many personal characteristics that are potential bases of power in relationships between people they are: physical strength, age, wealth, sex, profession, or institutionalized role in the church, government, or family.. Another important degree of relationship in sociolinguistic cooperation is solidarity. It has reciprocal linguistic forms and creates the relationship of solidarity in the contrast to power. Using non-solidary forms express distance and formality, while solidary forms express intimacy and familiarity. Solidarity can be achieved in cooperation where communicators share some common attribute - for instance, attendance at the same school, wo rk in the same profession, membership in the same family and others.

Should the tax laws be reformed to encourage saving(pro and con) Essay

Should the tax laws be reformed to encourage saving(pro and con) - Essay Example When similar activities are subjected to different tax treatments, households and businesses respond to the tax code rather than the underlying economic fundamentals. Economic efficiency is increased by broadening of the tax base and lowering of the tax rates. The costs of distortions caused by high tax rates will be reduced. These are approximately proportional to the square of the tax rate. Also, a simpler tax code would reduce the considerable resources which are presently devoted to complying with current tax laws; and the freed-up resources could be used for more productive purposes. Another important principle is that some predictability in the tax code would facilitate better forward-looking economic decision-making by households and businesses. (Greenspan, Allan: Chairman 2005) The tax code includes many incentives intended to increase savings to finance retirement, health care, higher education, and so on. These savings incentives, which exempt some income from tax, have moved the current tax system in the direction of a consumption base. Researchers have raised questions about how much if any, net new savings they stimulate. (21st Century Challenges†¦p.73). If designing a tax system from scratch, one based on consumption rather than income, would be better for promoting economic growth. A consumtion tax is likely to encourage saving and capital formation. The retail sales tax, value added taxes, the personal consumption tax and the flat tax are all types of consumption taxes. They vary in their collection points and structure. In future it will become increasingly important for the nation to boost resources available, through greater national saving and enhanced incentives for participation in the labor force. The tax system has the potential to con tribute importantly to those goals, and so at the very least tax reform should not hinder the achievement of those objectives. Importantly, fundamental, thorough tax reform include difficult choices