Professional Portfolio and Self-Marketing Plan Term Paper

Professional Portfolio and Self-Marketing Plan - Term Paper Example Solid nursing experience that includes admissions, assessments, treatment, referral, and education for a broad range of patients. Widely recognized as an excellent care provider and patient advocate. Demonstrated ability to assist healthcare team members to provide quality patient care. Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills. Extreme accuracy in patient history, charting, and other documentations. Proficiencies: Patient care advocate Intravenous therapy Care plan administration Patient/family education Ante partum, Mother/Baby, and Pediatrics Status post surgical care Lactation counseling Career Experience Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA (Contractor) December 2008 to December, 2010 Registered Nurse in the Mother/Baby unit of the facility delivering a complete range of RN services and expertise in assessments, admissions, referrals, extensive plans of care, administer medications, assist physicians, IVs, IV antibiotics, blood transfusions, wound care, lacta tion counseling, education of patients/family members, and accurate documentation of patient history, medication, and treatment. Carteret General Hospital, Morehead City, NC September 2006 to October, 2008 Staff Nurse in Ante partum, Mother/Baby, and Pediatrics. ... Have experience in fetal monitoring, doppler, and fetal tracking. Prepared equipment/supplies and assisted physicians during examinations and treatment. When designated, acted in Charge Nurse capacity. Raleigh Children & Adolescents Medicine, Raleigh, NC October, 2001to August 2006 Delivered a complete range of RN service and expertise in the clinic environment. Accurately obtained and documented patient history and medication, assisted physicians during examinations/treatment, handled referrals and admissions, and extensive interaction with patients and family members, staff, and physicians. Rex Wellness Center, Raleigh, NC September, 2000 to May, 2003 Part-time lifeguard and receptionist at the wellness center. Covered the front desk, greeted clients, and assisted with membership enrollment of the center. Triangle Pool Management Company, Raleigh, NC May, 1996 to September 1999 Pool manager and lifeguard (part-time). Wal-Mart Pharmacy, Raleigh, NC February 1996 to May 1998 Pharmacy tech (part-time). Educational Background Bachelor of Science in Nursing, BSN (2001) Barton College Wilson, North Carolina Currently Enrolled in Masters Program in Nursing Licensure Licensed Registered Nurse (RN), State of North Carolina (License Number 193770) Course/Certifications Nursing Tutorial and Consulting Nurses in the New Decade Legal Issues in Nursing Advance Charge Nurse Development Stress, Depression, and Pain Basic Life Support Certification (BLS) Pediatric Advance Life Support Certification (PALS) NRP Certification Certified Lactation Counselor Honors/Awards Member of Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society of Nursing Numerous Customer Service Awards (Portsmouth Naval Medical Center) Admiral Commendation Letter Courses Completed NUR 553: Issues in Healthcare Informatics

Associate Program Material Essay Example for Free

Associate Program Material Essay Hard Drive Hard drives are complex storage devices in a computer. When installing a hard drive, you must consider numerous interface standards. You also must think about specific factors, such as the computer’s application, the type of motherboard, speed and noise, gigabyte barriers, subsystems, future storage needs, and archival issues. Refer to Ch. 8 of A+ Guide To Managing Maintaining Your PC for a deeper understanding of these issues. You may measure hard drive performance by looking at three different sources of information. The first is the data rate, the number of bytes per second the driver can deliver to the processor. The second is the seek time, the amount of time it takes when the processor requests information from the driver and the first byte of information is delivered to the processor. The third is the memory capacity of the hard drive. For this assignment, you replace the internal hard drives from the computer featured in the Computer Hardware Simulator (CHS). The current internal hard drives are old and starting to fail. You need to replace the current hard drives with similar drives or drives with more storage capacity. Search the Internet for three types of hard drives compatible with the CHS computer, and enter your information for each drive into the New Hard Drive Chart below. After comparing the two drives, make a recommendation on which you would purchase and justify your decision. You only have a budget of $45 to work with, so choose carefully.

Water Pollution In Trinidad And Tobago Environmental Sciences Essay

Water Pollution In Trinidad And Tobago Environmental Sciences Essay Water covers two thirds (2/3) of earths surface with over ninety seven percent (97%) in oceans and just three percent (3%) is freshwater from streams, lakes, aquifers and ground water, with most of it trapped in ice caps and glaciers. Less than one percent (1%) of all freshwater is readily accessible for human use. Water makes up sixty percent (60%) of our body, seventy percent (70%) of our brain and eighty percent (80%) of our blood. A human being can go almost a month without food, but you cannot survive more than one week without water. Water pollution can be defined as any chemical or physical change in water that is detrimental to living organism. There are two main sources of water pollution, point sources and non-point sources from which pollutants enter the environment (water bodies). Point sources are from a specific location e.g. drainpipes. They are more easily controlled because the nature of the pollutant and quantity can be easily determined. Unlike non-point source that are much harder to locate and control, it is associated with run-off from land, and has no specific discharge point. DISCUSSION In Trinidad and Tobago water is mostly used for domestic, agriculture and industrial purposes and our main sources of pollution are associated with them. Domestic raw sewage and solid waste (garbage), Agriculture run of from fields and crops containing fertilizers and pesticides. Industries water treatment, solid waste, lubricating oils, chemicals and Oil spills. There is a number of existing legislation for dealing with water pollution in Trinidad and Tobago below is a list of a few: Section 29(1)(j) of the Petroleum Act (chap.61:02) provides for the making of regulations to prevent water pollution and for compensation. Regulation 3 of the petroleum (pollution Compensation) Regulations made pursuant to Section 29 (1)(j) of the petroleum Act, outlines the offences of oil pollution. Regulation 42(2)(c) of the Petroleum Regulations, requires a license to take precaution to avoid pollution of tidal rivers. Regulation 11 of Part II of the Petroleum (Testing, Storage, etc.) Regulations, prohibits the escape of crude petroleum, petroleum or dangerous petroleum stored under the regulation into an inlet or drain communicating with a public drain or storage. Regulation 20(4) of the Drilling Regulations made pursuant to the Mines, Borings and quarries Plugging of wells that could pollute water. Second Schedule, Part IV , paragraph 8 of the Town and country Planning Act (chap 81:01) (rev. 1980) provides that development plans can make provisions for prohibiting of pollution of rivers etc. Litter Act (chap. 30:52) as amended by the Litter (Amendment) Act (1981), Section 3(1) states that littering occurs when a person without reasonable excuse deposits any litter in a public place other than an authorized collection point or receptacle i.e. public place which is everywhere that the public has access to including any water body. Section 2(1) of the Litter Act, premises includes natural watercourses and drains. Section 18 (1) of the Waterworks and Water conversation Act (chap. 54:44) prohibits pollution of waters. Public Health Ordinance Sections 36(1), 37, 55-60, 68,70 and 80- Sets our regime for dealing with water pollution. Municipal Corporation Act (no. 21 of 1990) section 232(e) construction and maintenance of all drains and watercourses except main water-courses and highway water courses falls under the Municipal Corporation. Section 145 prohibits impeding of water courses. Section 42 of the Water and Sewerage Authority Act (chap. 54:40) states that WASA is responsible for maintain and developing the waterworks; for administering the supply of water; promoting the conservation and proper use of water resources. Section 51(1) provisions for the making of regulations for protecting water resources from pollution. Prevention of Water Pollution (Quare River and Valencia) Bye Laws Section 53(1) sates any person who allows to be polluted any spring, well or adit, the water from which is used or likely to be used for human consumption, or domestic purposes, or for manufacturing food or drink for human consumption can be held liable. Standards Act No. 18 of 1997, Section 15(1) gives power to make environmental standards. Environmental Management Act . Section 52- Management of Water Pollution (1) The Authority shall, as soon as practicable after the commencement of this Act, investigate the environment generally and such premises and vehicles as it thinks necessary for the purposes of- (a) ascertaining the extent of water pollution and significant sources of water pollutants; and (b) characterising or describing that pollution 2) The Authority shall cause a register of water pollutants to be maintained as prescribed by rule, which shall contain data identifying the quantity, conditions or concentrations relevant to the identification of each pollutants. (3) The Authority shall develop and implement a programme for the management of such pollution which shall include the registration and further characterisation of significant sources of any ongoing or intermittent releases of water pollutants into the environment. Section 53 Water pollution Permits (1) The Authority may require and grant permits to authorise any process releasing water pollutants subject to such terms and conditions as it thinks fit. (2) The terms and conditions of a permit may relate to the design, construction, operation, maintenance and monitoring of the facilities and processes releasing water pollutants. (3) A person shall apply to the Authority for the grant of a water pollution permit in accordance with the form as determined by the Authority. Section 54 Prohibiting Water Pollution No person shall release or cause to be released any water pollutant into the environment which is in violation of any applicable standards, conditions or permit requirements under this Act. Water Pollution Rules 2001. Section 4(5) Unless otherwise authorized under sub-rules (1), (2) and (3), no person shall allow the release of a water pollutant from a registrable-facility. Section 4 (6) Sub-rules (1) and (2) do not apply to- (a) operational releases from motor vehicles; (b) releases from households except where such households contain industrial or commercial facilities; or (c) releases authorized by a competent governmental entity into sewerage facilities owned or operated by such competent governmental entity. Section 5. Prohibition against release of water pollutants. (1) A person shall not release a water pollutant into any water approved by a competent governmental entity for human consumption without treatment or where treatment has been limited solely to disinfection. (2) A person shall not release a water pollutant into groundwater where- (a) the groundwater is vulnerable to contamination because of the hydrological characteristics of the area under which the groundwater occurs; (b) no alternative source of drinking water is available to substantial current or future populations; (c) the aquifer provides the base flow for a sensitive ecological system; (d) the release of a water pollutant may destroy a unique habitat; or (e) the groundwater is a current or potential source of drinking water or has some other beneficial use. CONCLUSION The water pollution rules 2001 was laid in the House of Representatives on 20 September 2001 and later in the Senate on 29 September 2001 but did not go through the entire negative resolution process so the EMA has not treated the rules as law. Monitoring of water quality in Trinidad and Tobago has been given low priority and there is no coordination between agencies. Problems associated with enforcement of legislation are as follows: Insufficient resources financial resources for facilities, man power, laboratory equipment and research, Number of enforcement agencies in Trinidad and Tobago is great; this creates problems with overlapping of jurisdiction and lack of co-operation between agencies. Lax attitude and corruption little or no enforcement actions initiated under the various pieces of legislation and allegations of corruption with non-enforcement of relevant laws even though there has been no proof of misconduct the initial allegations are a matter of concern. Lack of punitive sanctions the penalties for breaking the law are so low that it appears to be more cost-effective to break the law and pay the fine than to stop from breaking the law. Limited public education programs -minimal or no public awareness of the harmful effects of human behavior on the environment. Trinidad and Tobago must reduce the volume of pollutants entering its water bodies, more enforcement of existing legislation and public awareness on the importance of conservation. We all need water to survive so why pollute our most basic need. Word Count: 1379 words

Eagle Poem Essay -- Literary Analysis

â€Å"Explication† In the poem by Joy Harjo called â€Å"Eagle Poem,† Harjo talks about prayer and life and how they revolve around mother-nature. She suggests that while being one with nature, we feel we are in a place in which we haven’t imagined and the things in which we would love to do in that magnificent and calming place. After one reads the poem, he/she enjoys the lyrical type of it. This is because â€Å"Eagle Poem† sticks to one idea and extends it throughout the entire poem. For instance, it talks about prayer, nature, and animals from start to finish. In the first three lines of the poem, Harjo talks about opening oneself up to nature where you feel yourself. She does this by connecting the human body to the sky, earth, sun, and moon. The next six lines talk about the concepts and aspects during prayer and how you are in a whole other place. In these first nine lines, Harjo uses repetition with prayer and shows parallelism with the peacefulness nature and prayer can bring to oneself. Harjo also uses similes in lines ten and twenty two. She compares the circle of life to that of the eagle as well as the eagle to an angle. Joy Harjo did a tremendous job in explaining to the reader that one can relax oneself through prayer and nature. We can all relate to the idea of allowing ourselves into places not yet imagined and feeling at peace. She connects the idea of peacefulness with nature and prayer in a well thought language that allows her to still connect herself to her Native American ancestry. Harjos metaphors and images of nature and prayer are effective in getting her point across as well as making a deeper connection with her Muskogee Creek heritage. Before reading this poem, one might not be too intrigued by its title, but ... ...t really catch the readers’ attention. Although she wasn’t writing in the major eras, she did write in the era where the style of writing was changing. This allowed her to be able to write freely and truly express herself through her words and illusions. Works Cited "Characteristics of Modern Poetry - Poetry - Questions & Answers." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. . "Eagle Poem." Poetry Out Loud. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. . "HARJO, JOY (1951- )." Oklahoma State University - Library - Home. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. . "Joy Harjo: The Poetry Foundation." Poetry Foundation. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. .

Kpop Intro Essay

Seo Taeji and the boys introduced rap, rock and techno in the music. Ever since then, many other idols or young singers have been coming out with these types of songs. Kim Bum Soo was also the first singer from South Korea to get into the Billboard hot 100 chart and ranked 51st in 2001 (North East Cricket Forum). Ever since Kim Bum Soo entered the Billboard chart, many other singers and idols also started to enter the charts. Then soon after, Wonder Girls made it into the Billboard chart with the song ‘Nobody’. Also, many of the singers go abroad to perform, like Japan, China, Philippines, Paris, USA, etc.Many of the singers are already performing in many other countries besides Korea. â€Å"Girls’ Generation signed with Interscope Records to release the group’s latest album in the United States last autumn and made its American television debut on David Letterman’s â€Å"Late Show† in January† (nytimes). Many others concerts were held in the US including SM Town New York, SM Town LA and the Google concert, which was held in San Francisco. Just to participate, all the singers that performed probably had many hours of training, but not all the singers in Korea came to perform. Only the popular singers performed.In order to rank high in the charts, or get into the Billboard charts, the singers and idols had to get months or years of training. The singers also have to wait in order to get a call from these countries saying to come over. The idols have about 12-17 hours of training each day for over a few months to years. The smallest amount of training in Exo-K was Baekhyun with about a year of training (Ohkpop). Suho had the longest amount of training in Exo-K, with about 7 years (Ohkpop). Jo kwon also had about 7 years of training in order to debut into the group 2AM (Seoul beats).However, IU only had about 10 months of training before debuting as a solo singer. â€Å"Trainees train almost nonstop for an average o f two to five years before being allowed to debut. † (Seoul beat) Trainees have to train a lot in order to debut and have to work hard or they get cut from the entertainment (Seoul beat). Entertainments usually train idols in order to perfect the skills. â€Å"The goal of the training period is to build up a potential K-pop group member’s stamina in terms of both singing and dancing. † (Seoul beat) In Korean entertainments, training is a must and it is focused on mostly dancing and singing.The idols train in order to perfect the synchronization. Many of the idols or singers were casted since elementary, junior high school or high school years. The more famous the singers are, the more money there is. â€Å"Up until the 3rd quarter of 2011, Girls’ Generation raked in a grand total of $19. 3 million USD. † (allkpop) Girls Generation has even entered the billboard charts and have performed in Paris, USA, other parts of Asia, etc alongside DBSK, Shinee, F(x), Kangta, Super Junior, etc. â€Å"Over that same time frame (up until the 3rd quarter of 2011), Super Junior earned $12. 25 million USD, TVXQ earned $10. million USD, SHINee earned $5 million USD, and f(x) earned $3. 3 million USD. † (Allkpop) These singers had many years of training and some of the members had different amount from the others, but got to debut in the same group as each other. Just because some of the trainees had more training than the other does not necessarily mean that they will be more popular. In an idol group called Beast, Junhyung makes the most money, yet another one of his members named Yoseob trained the longest out of all of them (Allkpop). Out of all the idols, G. Dragon from Big Bang makes the most money and IU is third yet she had only 10 months of training.Jo Kwon from 2AM is in thirteenth place and yet he had about 7 years of training (Allkpop). Some of the idol groups, like Beast takes the money that was earned from personal work and s plit it equally with the members. â€Å"The boys guested on the latest episode of  MBC TV‘s ‘Radio Star‘, where they  revealed that their wages were split equally, regardless of who appeared on variety shows, dramas, or commercials. † (allkpop). â€Å"However, Junhyung’s income from his composing and writing is exempt from this equal distribution because it’s his own work, a benefit of his creative license. † (allkpop)A lot of the singers were dropped from past entertainments like Hyunseong from Beast was in Yg entertainment. However, the staff dropped him at the last minute and went into Cube entertainment in order to train again and debut. â€Å"A trainee can be dropped by their company at any point in time if they are not good enough. † (Seoul beat) However, many of the trainees get sent to other entertainment companies in order to train and debut, so their amount of time training gets even longer. Doojoon from Beast went f rom JYP entertainment to Cube entertainment and had to focus on dance in order to perfect it.

Supercuts’ Market Segmentation

All of our target market segments are either of American, Canadian, British, or Puerto Rican nationality and come from lower to middle social classes. Segment 1: 18-50 years old men Supercuts have identified several target market segments that will be pursued. The largest market segment (65%1) are male customers aged between 18 and 50 years old who want to have a current look at an affordable price in a convenient location. These mostly urban area citizens are usually in hurry and aren't too picky with the design of their hair cut. These customers come to the salon on average every two weeks to let their hair cut.They hardly ever buy hair products from the company. Estimate of market size: 42. 3 million (32 million for US only) Support requirements: Supercuts have reasonable prices and have a lot of salons which are located in strip malls to maximize visibility and convenience. With the company, no appointments are necessary so a customer can get his hair done whenever he has few min utes of free time. Positioning statement: â€Å"Quick and fashionable haircut will move you faster on your way to success. † How to reach the segment: * Promotion via email, newsletters * Billboards on freeways, in malls Articles or advertisements in newspapers, magazines * Free haircut events in the malls * Reference rewards Price sensitivity: Because they are coming from lower or middle income category, the customers could be sensitive if the prices rise. However, if the company is loyal to them and they become long-time customers, they will most likely remain with Supercuts because to find a new good salon would take too much effort and time which these men don’t have. Segment 2: Parents of 3-13 years old children Another segment of their target market would be parents of usually younger children, between 3-13 years old.These parents want to get a cute haircut for their children. They require fast service for good price. They expect to bring their kids, get the hair cut done in 5 minutes, and leave. Children don’t like waiting. They require action or entertainment otherwise they will get bored and they will start crying or misbehave. What the parents are looking for is a nice hairdresser who will talk to the child, or who will give them a toy to play while she/he will be working on the child’s haircut. By this both the hairdresser and the parent will avoid stress from having to make the child calmer when he/she doesn’t want to get haircut.Going to hairdresser with a child should be from now a pleasant situation where a parent can relax with a cup of coffee and magazine in the hands, and doesn’t have to feel any negative feelings, inconvenience, or stress. Regarding necessity of getting a haircut, little boys usually need it once in a month or two, girl from two months to a year depending on the haircut. Estimate of market size: 33. 5 million (25 million for US only) Support requirements: Company’s priorities a re to be fast and convenient for an affordable price which will catch the attention of many parents.Hairdressers are very talkative and nice so children will not feel afraid of getting a haircut with them. Supercuts’ staff is trying to build loyalty with their little customers so when they grow up they continue using their services. Positioning Statement: â€Å"With us you can tranquilly drink your cup of coffee while we will be taking care of your child. † How to reach the segment: * TV commercials, advertisements in magazines * Billboards on freeways, in malls * Advertisements directly to mail box Free haircut events for children at elementary and middle schools, sporting ; extracurricular events while having parents present * Reference rewards Price sensitivity: Parents appreciate the convenience of having a stress-free salon visit with their child more than possibly higher prices. On the other hand, Supercuts still must consider the families’ lower or middle class background. Segment 3: Busy parents Third segment would be mothers or fathers with children requiring a lot of attention, especially employed parents for who time is money and who have to take care of their children at the same time, no matter if it is the man or oman taking care. They need to find few minutes in their busy schedule and get a new haircut for themselves. More than for complicated designs, they are looking for an easy haircut. At the same time, they still want to look chic. Estimate of market size: 29 million (23. 5 million for US only) Support requirements: Supercuts’ benefits are an easy access, parking, and the salon’s proximity to other big stores or supermarkets like Wal-Mart and Target. Customers can get their fast haircuts and do household shopping at once.From another point of view, Supercuts are known for staying on top of hairstyle trends, therefore the popularity of these salons increased by the interest of customers who would like to l ook fashionable. Keeping up with the changing trends is essential to the company. â€Å"We added ‘Supercolor’ quick color services since so many customers are now interested in getting highlights† says Alan Storry, the vice president of  Franchise  Development for Regis Corp. 2 At Supercuts, the staff often offer free samples of hair products which especially a lot of women appreciates. Positioning Statement: â€Å"Look chic in less than 20 minutes. How to reach the segment: * Promotion via email, SMS * Advertisements and discount cards in magazines, newspapers * Billboards on freeways, in malls * Reference rewards Price sensitivity: Lower prices are expected for this segment, but it might differ from family to family. Some families have a lot of children therefore they cannot afford getting expensive haircuts, some families have just one child, so even though the parents can still be really busy, they could pay for their haircut a bit more. Sources: 1 http: //www. wikinvest. com/stock/Regis_(RGS)/Supercuts 2 http://www. bison. com/profile_Supercuts_06012007

Charles Darwins Finches and the Theory of Evolution

Charles Darwins Finches and the Theory of Evolution Charles Darwin is known as the father of evolution. When he was a young man, Darwin set out on a voyage on the HMS Beagle. The ship sailed from England in late December of 1831 with Charles Darwin aboard as the crews naturalist. The voyage was to take the ship around South America with many stops along the way. It was Darwins job to study the local flora and fauna, collecting samples and making observations he could take back to Europe with him of such a diverse and tropical location. The crew made it to South America in a few short months, after a brief stop in the Canary Islands. Darwin spent most of his time on land collecting data. They stayed for more than three years on the continent of South America before venturing on to other locations. The next celebrated stop for the HMS Beagle was the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. Galapagos Islands Charles Darwin and the rest of the HMS Beagle crew spent only five weeks in the Galapagos Islands, but the research performed there and the species Darwin brought back to England were instrumental in the formation of a core part of the original theory of evolution and Darwins ideas on natural selection which he published in his first book . Darwin studied the geology of the region along with giant tortoises that were indigenous to the area. Perhaps the best known of Darwins species he collected while on the Galapagos Islands were what are now called Darwins Finches. In reality, these birds are not really part of the finch family and are thought to probably actually be some sort of blackbird or mockingbird. However, Darwin was not very familiar with birds, so he killed and preserved the specimens to take back to England with him where he could collaborate with an ornithologist. Finches and Evolution The HMS Beagle continued to sail on to as far away lands as New Zealand before returning to England in 1836. It was back in Europe when he enlisted in the help of John Gould, a celebrated ornithologist in England. Gould was surprised to see the differences in the beaks of the birds and identified the 14 different specimens as actual different species - 12 of which were brand new species. He had not seen these species anywhere else before and concluded they were unique to the Galapagos Islands. The other, similar, birds Darwin had brought back from the South American mainland were much more common but different than the new Galapagos species. Charles Darwin did not come up with the Theory of Evolution on this voyage. As a matter of fact, his grandfather Erasmus Darwin had already instilled the idea that species change through time in Charles. However, the Galapagos finches helped Darwin solidify his idea of natural selection. The favorable adaptations of Darwins Finches beaks were selected for over generations until they all branched out to make new species. These birds, although nearly identical in all other ways to mainland finches, had different beaks. Their beaks had adapted to the type of food they ate in order to fill different niches on the Galapagos Islands. Their isolation on the islands over long periods of time made them undergo speciation. Charles Darwin then began to disregard the previous thoughts on evolution put forth by Jean Baptiste Lamarck who claimed species spontaneously generated from nothingness. Darwin wrote about his travels in the book The Voyage of the Beagle and fully explored the information he gained from the Galapagos Finches in his most famous book On the Origin of Species. It was in that publication that he first discussed how species changed over time, including divergent evolution, or adaptive radiation, of the Galapagos finches.

Jollibee International Expansion Essay Example

Jollibee International Expansion Essay Example Jollibee International Expansion Paper Jollibee International Expansion Paper JOLIBEE CASE ANALYSIS Summary Jollibee, a fast food chain, based in Philippines was able to obtain a competitive advantage in its local market by keeping tight control over the operations and catering to the taste and appetite of the local people. With the success in the home country, the company then expanded its operations into other countries under the leadership of Tony Kitchner. When Noli Tingzon joined the company, it was at a critical point, where it began to revisit its strategies to expand its international operations and explore new markets. Advantages in the Filipino market Jollibee’s early strategy in the Philippines market was to concentrate on the taste of the burgers. The taste and the size of the Jollibee’s burgers were made for the Philippine market. The taste of their burger appealed to the local people. Jollibee entered the fast food business in 1977. When McDonald entered the Philippine market in 1981, Jollibee already had a brand name for itself. This gave the first mover advantage over McDonalds. MacDonald with its money power moved very quickly. Jollibee’s, having had some success with its burgers; start expanding quickly to compete with McDonalds. They build volume on the reputation they had earned before McDonalds entered their market. One more advantage Jollibee had in the Philippine market was that they were the local company. The people could associate themselves with the company. This was emphasized in 1983 when the political climate in the country became instable. Jollibee continued to expand where as McDonald slowed down its investment in this market. The subsequent rise in the nationalism and local pride helped Jollibee secure a dominant position in the Philippine market. International Expansion under Tony Kitchner When Tony Kitchner joined the company as the first head of the international division, Jollibee already had a few failed attempts to entry into international markets. Kitchner was very efficient in creating the international division and implementing his strategy. He was instrumental in getting partners with good market connection for Jollibee. This was one of the major problems for Jollibee in its initial shot at international expansion. Kitchner implemented a two-part international strategy which comprised of â€Å"targeting expats† and â€Å"planting the flag. † The idea behind the targeting expats was to ease the company into the unfamiliar market. Although the segment was very small, its success allowed the company to generate momentum for further expansion in the market. By targeting the niche market, Kitchner was trying to take advantage of the brand recognition in the home market. On the other hand, â€Å"plant the flag† proved to be a executed poorly. Kitchner wanted to create big organization under his leadership. In the haste to entry the markets quickly, Kitchner did not study the market thoroughly before entering it. Planting the flag did have competitive first mover advantage like the company found out in its local market. However, there is a need to study the market before entering it. The unprofitable venture in the Middle East could have been avoided has research been done prior to entering. Also, Kitchner neglected the high cost of establishing market in new countries. While Kitchner created the new division to higher international standard there was a growing distance between the local and the international division. The local team were looked down up on by the member in the international division. This did affect the day operational efficiency of the company. Kitchner could have taken some step to curb the growing distance between the two divisions. Future International expansion The undeveloped Papua Guinea market provides the best option to leverage the company’s organizational skills. However, the country is not big enough to support 20 stores which the company thinks is critical mass for a new country. Even though the perspective partner was willing to invest all the money for the stores, Jollibee would have its brand value at risk if the stores don’t work. The profits being offered by the partner is uncertain and understandably low, the company would be better off staying away from this market. The fourth store in Hong Kong can give Jollibee the brand awareness to expand its operations in the country. This could be useful in attracting better partners. However given that the current stores were unable to attract Chinese customers as well as employees, the success of a fourth store is highly unlikely. It would be better for Jollibee to concentrate on improving the operations of the current store than opening a new one at this juncture. The Daly City is currently best opportunity for expansion for Jollibee. With a huge affluent Philippine population and relatively less competition prospects for the success of this store were bright. Also, like in Guam, California has a large population of Asian American which the company could target with changing the menu a lot.

English Linguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

English Linguistics - Essay Example In conversation, linguists have viewed informal conversation as rather disorderly, the ubiquitous inexplicitness in usage; predominant from one country to another, frivolous use of subject matter and postulated with a high proportion of grammatical errors. Informal talk is of course largely unplanned because it comes spontaneously, without the speaker pausing for a moment to think. Welcome to the world of spoken English. Spoken and written English texts can differ from each other linguistically. There is a high percentage of local language influence in the way a person talks or writes. Besides, a look at an informal conversation exposes the linguistic difference between the medium of speech and letters. The conversation between Julie and her tutor (Cheepen and Monaghan, 1990, p.199) reflect the depth of variation in an informal conversation, when recorded on paper. Before we proceed to dissect two examples; one written, and the other spoken, a few points that characterize fundamental changes in writing and speech are: While in speech, one has the facility to change intonation pattern to convey moods, the same cannot be said of the written channel. In order to bring some semblance to such a theory, effort is made through underling, parenthesizing, punctuating and denoting of words and letters through capital letters. Speech is accompanied by gestures and movement to express situations. This is nowhere possible in written media. However, various styles of writing do try to bring an analogy to such situations. Where a speaker uses pauses and silence, an identical situation is created through the use of gaps and dots. There are no direct equivalents to names or places as seen in written, where Capital Letters start a sentence or names. Though there is a likeness to writing of spoken English, the differences are too conspicuous to be hidden under the rug. There is a spectrum of difference between spoken and written English linguistically (Czerniewska, Differences in structure and function, 1985). 2.0 Analysis In order to understand the difference between written and spoken language, the following sources; one written and the other spoken have been selected for analysis: 1. letter sent to G.D. Jayalakshmi Well; both Chi, Sow, Sukanye and I, are very pleased to learn that the children liked the toys I posted. This time I have sent a few books which they may like. We are pleased to learn that Dr. Lakani was very much impressed by their progress in speech. We are also happy to hear that the children, they are standing erect and trying to move in the erect positive. We are eagerly awaiting to see their later photos. Town, Chi-ry, Jaggu has safely landed in GAINSVILLG. We heard that the he landed safely at New-York and had to stay their for the night as he did not have time to catch his flight to Orlando. Perhaps, he

Management coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management coursework - Essay Example Some of their aspirations: housing, public facilities, schools, hospitals, religious centres, cultural and recreational centres. People work hard for these aspirations, for these reflect one special characteristic of man – survival. Survival also involves the psychological, spiritual, physical and mental needs. Political situation in the community or country where port is located has to be looked out and given much importance. Political aspects vary from port to port or from country to country. Local authorities may provide different procedures, and may not be very cooperative when it comes to the development of business. Diplomatic procedures have to be in place to gain cooperation from local authorities. Careful study has to be done on particular ports and terminals in other countries, particularly Asian countries. These areas have different laws and political situations which can not be treated the same with more advanced countries. They have situations that are sometimes unstable, and laws and procedures which seem, at first, hostile to a new organisation. However, with recent trends, more and more countries, like Asian countries, are encouraging investors to conduct business into their lands. In most instances, local authorities support development of business in their area. They entice businessman to venture in their lands for economic growth. They become cooperative and encourage businesses to invest more. They do this with some special tax reductions and incentives to foreign businesses. Countries have different laws and procedures for business, especially if that business is for big ports, so called the nodal points of commerce where ships and other forms of transportation are interconnected. Laws naturally affect the operations of these terminals. Management must be able to give a thorough study of these ports. Port law is a branch of law which makes use of the general

Occupational stress in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Occupational stress in Nursing - Essay Example It is important to note that nursing is one of the crucial subjects of the occupational stress studies. A large number of studies have been conducted to understand and bring to knowledge the reasons resulting in the causation of stress and the factors that can help lower the possibility of presence of these stress inducers. The present paper considers the contribution of some recently published papers to the growing body of knowledge on the subject of stress at work place. The paper examines the complex issue of stress from different important facets and presents a constructive criticism of the research done on the topic in view. We shall focus our attention to the recently published important scientific studies that have contributed to the understanding of occupational stress in nursing. Our objective is to analyze the studies as per their level of relevance and objectivity of application to the subject. One such important study was performed by Stordeur and experts (2001). They worked to characterize the presence of stress based on the severity of its induction. Thus, the severity of stress induction has been ranked as the amount of workload, disharmony with other colleagues (nurses, physicians), lack of completeness in knowledge and thus possible blurring of the tasks required to be performed or goal expected to be achieved. A ranking was also given to the head nurse who is responsible to closely monitor the performance of the staff members to locate the spot of deficiency in service provision and thereby plan and implement corrective measures for better and more competent performance. However, in additio n to the identification of the sources of stress inducers, it is also important to distinguish between the factors that are probably responsible to results in emotional exhaustion and job disengagement. It should be noted that this important feature was not included in the studies and research performed by Stondeur and his colleagues. Demerouti (2000) made an address to this feature in his article. The published paper adds to the knowledge the facts not presented by Stordeur' in his article on occupational stress. Sirkka Billeter-Koponen Hfa (2005) and colleagues in a qualitative interview studied about nurses' experiences of long-term stress, burnout, and patient-nurse relations. The objective behind this study was to obtain an in-depth knowledge about the mechanism of long-lasting stress and burnout induction in the nurses. The focus of research was held on professionalism and patient-nurse relations. In order to analyze the open interviews, the Grounded Theory methodology was used. The participants selected for the study were 10 nurses belonging to the age group of 36 to 61 years. The nurses were holding their professional status in different care

Steps you can take to make online system safe for customers Research Paper

Steps you can take to make online system safe for customers - Research Paper Example The sectors which were highly benefitted with the advancement of technology include healthcare, education, communication and retail business. In spite of having so many positive elements, technology still suffers from certain flaw which involves too much dependency on technology which in turn lessens the value of human labors. However, the biggest disadvantage of technology that has become a topic of discussion these days refers to the security threats faced by the users of the advanced technologies. We shall discuss further how to overcome these threats from the viewpoint of an IT manager of an organization. Steps to ensure secured online transaction for the customers According to the Computer Crime and Security Survey of 2009- 2010, Malware infection was regarded as the most common type of security attack, with almost 67.1% people reporting it. Also around 45.6% of the people reported that they had been the target of at least one security threat. Many had faced financial losses due to poor security system and therefore they didn’t mention the amount of loss they had suffered. These incidents however make the general people aware as well as lose confidence in the benefits of online business opportunities. The various business organizations are continuously making efforts to make the customers feel secured from the potential threats that might arise from cyber crimes. For this purpose, the organizations have taken several steps which are inevitably influenced by the guidelines of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The steps include- 1. Accountability- The first and foremost step towards a secured technology structure would involve the accountability of the providers, owners and customers towards the security of the system. Anything doubtful should be immediately communicated. 2. Awareness- In order to encourage increased and safe usage of technology, its expected from the owners, customers and service providers that they shoul d be informed and aware about the existence and limit of security measures available in an organization. They should be alert while using their accounts and should not forget to sign out each time after their work is done. 3. Ethics- The owners of the organizations as well as the service providers should follow an ethical code of conduct in which, if a customer is found unaware of the technology threats, they should be taken proper care of by guiding them throughout the entire procedure. 4. Multidisciplinary- The security measures should be formed keeping in consideration the fields of law, society, technology, education, administration and politics, so that the system becomes safe in all terms letting the customers to trust the organization with confidence. (Loader and Thomas, 1) 5. Timeliness- When the customer finds anything suspicious, then, their issues need to be addressed instantly. Delay and negligence might cause the cyber crime to take place and then the customer would nev er trust online transaction any more. 6. Antivirus software- The system of the organization should be secured with the implementation of software that detects potential threats including virus, spam and firewall. 7. Encryption of software- Encryption is the process of specially encoding the data in a system which is impossible to access without the exact key or code. This can be done with the appointment of expert software professionals. An encrypted

Engineering Environmental Sustainability- Take Home FINAL EXAM Assignment

Engineering Environmental Sustainability- Take Home FINAL EXAM - Assignment Example been subjected to uniform surcharge of 50kPa applied on the surface of soil deposit, which was later removed causing both the sand and clay layers in the current states to be over consolidated. For a 15-m- long, 500-mm drilled shaft and a geometrically identical closed-end steel pipe pile, calculate (a) the shaft capacity due to the clay layer ( divide the clay into ten sub layers of equal thickness in your calculations), (b) The shaft capacity due to the sand layer, (c) the total shaft capacity, (d) the ultimate base capacity, (e)the ultimate load capacity of the pile, (f) the allowable load based on a suitable factor of safety (without consideration of the strength of the pile cross-section), and (g) the allowable load if the compressive strength of the concrete is 15 MPa. Let us first divide the clay layer into 10 sub layers. The current vertical effective stress at each layer and past maximum vertical effective stress for each sub layer can be calculated from given data. The allowable axial load for the drilled shaft from geotechnical consideration is less than the allowable structural load, so, integrity of the cross section is not a concern. Therefore, the final allowable load of drilled shaft is obtained as We can now calculate the fundamental soil properties (undrained shear strength for clay and relative density for the sand layers.) Let us first calculate undrained shear strength of the clay layers. Following

The form and function of Concept Store Literature review

The form and function of Concept Store - Literature review Example The subsequent section provides a detailed overview of concept stores, thus giving insight into the inception of this retail store concept and the principal features that characterize it. This chapter also covers the factors that contribute to the widespread adoption of concept stores in the fashion sector, under the key drivers section. Other factors addressed under this literary analysis segment include the format of a conventional concept store, the potential size and popular locations of these retail stores, as well as, the distribution hierarchy adopted by most concept stores. The latter section provides information on strategic function, design or architectural form of a concept store, and the overall language concept of this category of stores. The concluding part of the literature review chapter identifies research gaps that exist in study information available on concept stores, their design and overall operation. The physical environment of a store is one of the principal issues that retailers are supposed to take into account when launching a business venture. This is because it plays a significant role in affecting consumers’ decision to purchase and experience the entire shopping experience. Management of a store’ retail setting, therefore, affects both parties with the store owners’ enjoying increased revenues from enhanced customer loyalty, and shoppers gaining pleasure from the ambient shopping environs. Referred to as â€Å"atmospherics† the concept of managing the physical environs of a store was initially proposed by Kotler (1973). In this case, management of the atmosphere of a store is delineated as concerted effort to conceptualize a design that evokes certain emotions, which increase purchasing probability. Stimuli spurred by in-store setting directly correlates with the amount of pleasure that customers derive from shopping at the store. Ambient aspects related to the physical background of a store usually

Steps you can take to make online system safe for customers Research Paper

Steps you can take to make online system safe for customers - Research Paper Example The sectors which were highly benefitted with the advancement of technology include healthcare, education, communication and retail business. In spite of having so many positive elements, technology still suffers from certain flaw which involves too much dependency on technology which in turn lessens the value of human labors. However, the biggest disadvantage of technology that has become a topic of discussion these days refers to the security threats faced by the users of the advanced technologies. We shall discuss further how to overcome these threats from the viewpoint of an IT manager of an organization. Steps to ensure secured online transaction for the customers According to the Computer Crime and Security Survey of 2009- 2010, Malware infection was regarded as the most common type of security attack, with almost 67.1% people reporting it. Also around 45.6% of the people reported that they had been the target of at least one security threat. Many had faced financial losses due to poor security system and therefore they didn’t mention the amount of loss they had suffered. These incidents however make the general people aware as well as lose confidence in the benefits of online business opportunities. The various business organizations are continuously making efforts to make the customers feel secured from the potential threats that might arise from cyber crimes. For this purpose, the organizations have taken several steps which are inevitably influenced by the guidelines of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The steps include- 1. Accountability- The first and foremost step towards a secured technology structure would involve the accountability of the providers, owners and customers towards the security of the system. Anything doubtful should be immediately communicated. 2. Awareness- In order to encourage increased and safe usage of technology, its expected from the owners, customers and service providers that they shoul d be informed and aware about the existence and limit of security measures available in an organization. They should be alert while using their accounts and should not forget to sign out each time after their work is done. 3. Ethics- The owners of the organizations as well as the service providers should follow an ethical code of conduct in which, if a customer is found unaware of the technology threats, they should be taken proper care of by guiding them throughout the entire procedure. 4. Multidisciplinary- The security measures should be formed keeping in consideration the fields of law, society, technology, education, administration and politics, so that the system becomes safe in all terms letting the customers to trust the organization with confidence. (Loader and Thomas, 1) 5. Timeliness- When the customer finds anything suspicious, then, their issues need to be addressed instantly. Delay and negligence might cause the cyber crime to take place and then the customer would nev er trust online transaction any more. 6. Antivirus software- The system of the organization should be secured with the implementation of software that detects potential threats including virus, spam and firewall. 7. Encryption of software- Encryption is the process of specially encoding the data in a system which is impossible to access without the exact key or code. This can be done with the appointment of expert software professionals. An encrypted

The form and function of Concept Store Literature review

The form and function of Concept Store - Literature review Example The subsequent section provides a detailed overview of concept stores, thus giving insight into the inception of this retail store concept and the principal features that characterize it. This chapter also covers the factors that contribute to the widespread adoption of concept stores in the fashion sector, under the key drivers section. Other factors addressed under this literary analysis segment include the format of a conventional concept store, the potential size and popular locations of these retail stores, as well as, the distribution hierarchy adopted by most concept stores. The latter section provides information on strategic function, design or architectural form of a concept store, and the overall language concept of this category of stores. The concluding part of the literature review chapter identifies research gaps that exist in study information available on concept stores, their design and overall operation. The physical environment of a store is one of the principal issues that retailers are supposed to take into account when launching a business venture. This is because it plays a significant role in affecting consumers’ decision to purchase and experience the entire shopping experience. Management of a store’ retail setting, therefore, affects both parties with the store owners’ enjoying increased revenues from enhanced customer loyalty, and shoppers gaining pleasure from the ambient shopping environs. Referred to as â€Å"atmospherics† the concept of managing the physical environs of a store was initially proposed by Kotler (1973). In this case, management of the atmosphere of a store is delineated as concerted effort to conceptualize a design that evokes certain emotions, which increase purchasing probability. Stimuli spurred by in-store setting directly correlates with the amount of pleasure that customers derive from shopping at the store. Ambient aspects related to the physical background of a store usually

Short stories Essay Example for Free

Short stories Essay Traditional detective stories fall into three groups, whodunit murders,mysteries with a twist in the tale and locked room stories.  A whodunit mystery is a story where the detective has to find out who commited the murder by unravelling a series of clues that will eventually lead him to the murderer.There are usually a group of characters who are potential suspects because they have either a method or a motive for the crime.As the story moves on the detective slowly eliminates all the suspects in his mind until only one remains. The detective then usually calls all the suspects together and reveals the perpetrator.When the villain is taken away the detective them goes on to explain how he assembled all the clues and how they led him to the murderer. An example of how Conan Doyle exploits this is in the Cardboard Box when a cardboard package is sent to Miss Susan Cushing with a pair of preserved human ears in it and no-one knows why or who the ears belong to.Conan Doyle exploits this by removing the elimination process and turning it into a hunt for who the ears belong to and who must have killed the owners. After using his powers of observation, I percieved that her ear corresponded exactly with the female ear which I had just inspected. The matter twas entirely beyond coincidence.There was the same shortening if the pinna,the sam broad curve of the upper lobe,the same convolution of the inner cartilage.In all essentials it was the same ear. He comes to the conclusion, that one of Miss Cushings sisters, who is mentioned at the beginning of the story, and her lover were killed by her jealous husband.He was driven back to drinking by the rumours spread about him by the third of the Cushing sisters. The Mystery with a twist is a story that appears to follow the traditional lines of a murder or a crime story but then has an unexpected twist at the end.An example of how Conan Doyle exploits this is in the Silver Blaze story.In Silver Blaze a prize winning horse has been stolen and its trainer murdered.Sherlock Holmes is then called in and after following a series of clues he comes to the startling conclusion that Silver Blazes trainer,John Straker was not murdered but was kicked in the head by his horse when trying to sabotage its chances in its next race. The horse had then run away from its stables and was picked up by a rival stable owner; then kept hidden by painting it brown and passing it off as one of his own horses.A long series of clues were pieced together to lead to this conclusion.So the twist in this tale was that there was no murder when from the start all the evidence make it appear so. The locked room story type is a story where a murder has been commited in a locked room but there is no murderer,no murder weapon and no evidence of a suicide.In the Speckled Band a murder was commited two years ago but no-one knows how or why the girl died because she was in a locked room with barred windows and there was no evidence to show how she died apart from fright.Conan Doyle exploits this by having Holmes be visited by the sister of the murderd girl and say that she is afraid that the same thing will happen to her. Yet if the lady is correct in saying that the flooring and walls are sound,and that the door,window,and chimney are impassable,the her sister must have undoubtedly been alone when she met her mysterious end. Holmes is trying to find out from the beginning how a murder could take place in a locked room with no way to enter. After visiting the house, Holmes and Watson decided to stay in Ms.Stoners room and while they are there a snake drops through the ventilation shaft, which was intended to kill Ms.Stoner.The snake then retreats back through the ventilation shaft and bites Dr.Gimesby Roylott the owner of the snake.It can seem very obvious from the beginnning of the story that Dr.Roylott has something to do with the murder but there is no evidence to prove this.Holmes then using his powers of deduction and observation uncovers Dr.Roylotts plans but inadvertantly causes his death. The genre used in the Red Headed League is that of a simple mystery.At the beginning it is not obvious that a crime is being commited but it is obvious that something very strange is happening.Conan Doyle exploits this by not giving us a target to point our suspicions at because there is no murderer that needs to be found or stolen property that needs to be recovered.There is just a simple mystery that leads on to a much larger one. The mystery is that a Mr.Wilson had been admitted to this organisation called the Red Headed league who would pay him four pounds per week to copy out the Encylopaedia Britannica. He thought this a bit odd but carried on with it for a number of weeks until one day the offices of the League were closed.He then went to see Sherlock Holemes,who after investigating the mystery found out that a much larger plot was at work. Mr.Wilsons apprentice pawnbroker Vincent Spaulding is really a wanted criminal who set up the League with a friend as a way of getting Mr.Wilson to leave his shop for a few hours a day.During that time they were digging a tunnel from the basement of the shop to a nearby bank.This kind of mystery cannot be solved from the start and readers can only suspect that the apprentice has anything to do with the mystery. This kind of plot could be called a Hidden-crime mystery. In conclusion I would say that Arthur Conan Doyle exploits many different kinds of traditional detecitve stories and gives them his own unique twist.He uses logic mixed with intricate plots and a sometimes a few red herrings, as in the Red Headed League.Some devoted readers prefer his earlier stories when Sherlock Holmes performed his observational miracles,however,one can only say that which ever you prefer Conan Doyles work is still read and admired today.

Comparison Of Taoism V Socrates

Comparison Of Taoism V Socrates Historically, Oriental and western philosophies developed in isolation from each other. The geographical and cultural distance between oriental and western civilization determined substantial differences between oriental and western philosophies. On the other hand, works of ancient Greek philosophers, such as Socrates, and some oriental philosophies, such as Taoism, do have some common ideas and concepts, although, regardless of some similarities, differences between oriental and western philosophies are distinctive. In this regard, it is possible to dwell upon the philosophy developed by Socrates and Taoism as two different philosophies, which respected the strife of individuals for the improvement of their life and self-perfection but still had quite different views, beliefs and concepts. In such a way, Taoism worshiped Toa as the first-cause of the universe and developed the philosophy, which worshiped Tao and promoted the self-perfection of individuals to meet Taoist ideals, wher eas Socrates stood on the ground that individuals should seek for wisdom as the way of self-perfection, taking care of their souls to reach harmony and spiritual balance. Socrates principles As the matter of fact, Socrates is one of the most influential philosophers of ancient Greece that defined, to a significant extent, the development of not only ancient philosophy but also the western philosophy at large. Socrates laid the foundation to basic principles of western philosophy, which were modified, changed and adapted by other philosophers. At the same time, his views were, in a way, universal because Socrates focused on the development of ideas, concepts and values which were universal and applicable to different cultures. Hence, Socrates philosophy persisted throughout times and places for centuries. In such a context, it is important to dwell upon basic principles of Socrates philosophy and to compare them to fundamental principles of Taoist philosophy. First of all, Socrates stressed the importance of wisdom and knowledge. He insisted that people should learn the surrounding world, themselves and phenomena around them. He developed the idea that the unexamined life is not worth living. At the same time, he remained very critical in regard to himself and his knowledge. On analyzing his knowledge he estimated I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. In such a way, Socrates stood on the ground that human mind can hardly become absolutely wise. In other words, Socrates had doubts that people could know everything. At this point, his views were close to Taoism, which respected Tao as the wisest deity, whose wisdom is not achievable for ordinary humans. In such a context, it is worth mentioning the fact that Socrates insisted that wisdom should not be the ultimate goal of human life but what made the life purposeful was the search for wisdom, learning: I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean. At the same time, Socrates argued that the most important task in life is caring for the soul: All mens souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine. Therefore, Socrates argued that people should take care of their souls and lead a virtuous life to be good and happy. Socrates places emphasis on the fact that people should work on their self-improvement and self-perfection to take care of their soul and to live a happy life. At this point, another principle of Socrates is of the utmost importance. Socrates believed that a good person could not be harmed by other people. In this regard, the material well-being of a person was not important for Socrates since: He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature. Therefore, Socrates believed that it is through the virtuous life people could be happy and live in harmony with their self and with other people. Principles of Taoism In fact, fundamental principles of Taoism are, in a way, similar to that of Socrates, although Taoist principles are built up on the religious ground. To put it more precisely, Taoist believe that Tao is the first-cause of the universe: We believe in the formless and eternal Tao, and we recognize all personified deities as being mere human constructs. We reject hatred, intolerance, and unnecessary violence, and embrace harmony, love and learning, as we are taught by Nature. We place our trust and our lives in the Tao, that we may live in peace and balance with the Universe, both in this mortal life and beyond. In this regard, Taoist views are quite different from that of Socrates because Taoist viewed Tao as the Supreme Being, deity that rules the world and humans, whereas Socrates insisted on the power of human mind. Therefore, Socrates was more anthropocentric compared to Taoists who viewed Tao as the supreme deity. At the same time, goals of human life and existence in Taoism were, in a way, similar to that of Socrates. Taoist stood on the ground that a believers goal was to harmonize themselves with Tao. This means that Taoist are supposed to seek for harmony and self-perfection to harmonize with Tao as Socrates suggested to seek for knowledge and self-perfection to take care of the soul. At the same time, Socrates was apparently concerned with the spiritual life of people above all, whereas physical aspects of human existence were secondary to him. He insisted on the necessity to develop knowledge and wisdom of humans. In contrast, Taoism stressed the importance of health and vitality in contrast to Socrates soul. In such a way, Taoist believed that the happiness is impossible without health and vitality, whereas Socrates was more concerned with knowledge, wisdom and soul of people, instead of their physical body, health and vitality. Nevertheless, Taoist developed believes which were close to Socrates philosophy. To put it more precisely, Taoist viewed the development of virtue as ones chief task. What is meant here is the fact that Taoist should lead a virtuous lifestyle to reach the harmony with Toa. In contrast, sinful life lead to misfortunes and problems people could not cope with in their life. Hence, Taoist developed the belief that people should plan in advance and consider carefully their actions before making them. In this regard, the belief of planning human actions is intertwined with Socrates emphasis on the importance of wisdom in human life. On the other hand, Taoist focus on the importance of actions planning were determined by the belief that actions tend to be reciprocated that means that good actions of an individual lead to good actions committed by other people in regard to the individual and, vice versa, bad actions provoke misfortunes and bad actions committed in regard to the individual. Similarity between Taoism and Socrates Socrates and Toaism still have some similarities. For instance, both Socrates and Taoism believed that a person with great wisdom can still be uninformed And to act on that ignorance under the pretense that it is knowledge, both held, is folly that leads not to progress and betterment within the individual and society but to the opposite effect (Moore Bruder, 2005, p. 503). Therefore, wisdom is not achievable but worth striving for, while, in case of Socrates, striving for wisdom makes the life of people purposeful. At the same time, both Socrates and Taoism stressed the importance of the virtuous life. Socrates insisted on the virtuous life as a part of caring for the soul, whereas Taoist viewed virtuous life as a way to reach harmony with Tao. In such a way, both philosophies viewed virtuous life as essential because without virtuous lifestyle people could not be happy in their life. At this point, the virtuous life is one of the fundamental concepts of both philosophies. On the other hand, it is worth mentioning the fact that the ways of the achievement of the virtuous life and happiness differed in Socrates and Taoist philosophy. To put it more precisely, Socrates believed in wisdom and knowledge as the main tool with the help of which people could become virtuous, whereas Taoist believed that it was through worshipping of Tao and respecting principles of Taoism people can be virtuous and, therefore, happy. Conclusion Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that Socrates and Taoism developed philosophies, which had both similarities and differences. At first glance, Socrates philosophy and Taoism are absolutely different, especially in regard to the role of religious beliefs in the life of people. On the one hand, Socrates viewed knowledge and wisdom as issues worth living of and without which human life is pointless. On the other hand, Taoism viewed worshipping of Tao and living according to principles of Taoism as the only way of life for true Taoists. In such a situation, it is quite noteworthy that Socrates and Taoists developed views, which were, to a certain extent, similar. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the fact that both Socrates and Taoism viewed virtuous life as essential concepts for the happiness of people. At the same time, both Socrates and Taoism agreed that people, in spite of their efforts to learn and strife for knowle dge, cannot always be wise and wise people can be uninformed.

White-Collar Crime in South Africa Essay -- financial crimes, corruptio

It would be nearly impossible to find a South African who has not been affected by crime in one way or another. â€Å"White-collar crime,† a term first used by Edwin Sutherland in 1939, describes crime that is non-violent, but for the purpose of personal financial gain. This type of crime, including fraud and corruption, is becoming a greater problem in South Africa every year, and it is negatively affecting the country as a whole. Although they are not violent, fraud and corruption cause as much harm as any other types of crime, and a great effort must be made soon to stop them. All over the world, financial crimes are wreaking havoc. People have been scamming others, taking bribes, and doing other greedy things forever. It’s human nature, but in today’s society, it’s unacceptable. In just one fiscal year (2012/2013), the South African government’s Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) recovered over 1.1 billion rand from the illicit economy. This money came from the proceeds of fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, corruption, and other financial crimes. One billion rand may seem like a lot, and its recovery is a great achievement, but that is only a fraction of what was lost. No one knows how much wasn’t recovered, but it’s safe to guess that it’s in the billions It is not easy to detect fraud, and criminals have been getting away with it for decades. With the birth of the internet, it has become even easier to scam people, communicate with other criminals all over the world, and hide your profits. It wasn’t until 2008 that South Africa created their Financial Intelligence Centre to help combat white-collar crimes. Most financial crime in South Africa is international, so the FIC collaborates with global organizations like the Fin... ...rime. â€Å"Corruption Watch. Defining the real meaning of corruption.† Sunday Times, The (Johannesburg, South Africa), February 3, 2013. Accessed March 2, 2014. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.libdb.belmont-hill.org:2048/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=14440CF59A86A640&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=6. â€Å"Countries.† Financial Action Task Force. Accessed February 27, 2014. http://www.fatf-gafi.org/countries/. â€Å"Jordan, South Africa and Tunisia join the movement.† Transparency International. Last modified December 18, 2013. Accessed March 1, 2014. http://www.transparency.org/news/feature/jordan_south_africa_and_tunisia_join_the_movement. â€Å"South Africa Country Profile.† Business Anti-Corruption Portal. Accessed March 1, 2014. http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/sub-saharan-africa/south-africa/general-information.aspx.

Definition of Science Fiction Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perhaps one of the most versatile genres in films, television, books, artwork and any number of things today is science fiction. Many times I have seen a sci-fi movie filed under comedy or drama. That is one of the major things that has led to my love for science fiction, the simple fact that it can be so much more than just science fiction. I would like to present a definition of what science fiction is in this paper. My definition will not be exact, because so many people have a different idea of what counts as sci-fi and, not only that, but we may have found yet another venue for science fiction by the time this paper is complete. In order to define what science fiction is and to support my definition, I am going to give some examples of stories that I think fall into this genre first and then give a semi-solid definition of what I think science fiction is. The first example of science fiction I’d like to take a look at is Alien. A prime example of straightforward science fiction would be this movie. Space miners (or merchants†¦something like that) are awakened from their cryogenic sleep-state much earlier than was originally planned. A distress/warning beacon on an unfamiliar planet caused their ship to awaken them so that help could be dispatched. Of course, it turns out to be a ship that was taken over by the Aliens and the Earthlings’ ship was soon to be infested. No questions about this one; it is most definitely science fiction. Humans meeting up with aliens and, of course, space travel, instantly places this film into the science fiction category. Another example of science fiction, and one that proves science-fiction’s elusive nature, is Tarzan. This is a fantastic example of a popular story that nobody would normally think of as being sci-fi. Everyone knows the story: A baby is lost in the jungle, raised by apes, and then is discovered years later by some jungle-adventurers. It sounds sort of questionable as to whether this should be considered science fiction, but it remains a fact that this story takes place on Earth and involves a character that has adopted ape-like qualities. One could argue that this is just a fictional story or even fantasy, but it still retains an element of science and, therefore, falls into the category of science fiction. Time travel: is it really science fiction? Some people would not agre... ... is. Science fiction (adj.) [sy-ens fik-shun]: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some fictional event that was brought about using logical, scientific methods or caused by logical, scientific events. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sentence use: I watched this science fiction movie the other day that scared the heebie-jeebies out of me! Needless to say, science fiction is a wonderful genre that encompasses a vast number of stories, even ones that we don’t really think of as sci-fi at first. As I have illustrated in these examples, science fiction can be the major genre of a story or it can be merely a piece within a story. Such a debatable concept as this one can be extremely difficult to completely define. For now, we’ll have to settle for a general definition such as the one I have written above, but perhaps in the future someone will define science fiction more clearly. Of course, if we limit the term science fiction to a clear-cut definition, will science fiction have such wonderful stories as it does now or will they end up being bland, repetitive stories? I believe that science fiction will never have a single definition because that just happens to be the nature of the genre.

American Airlines Case Study Essay

Executive Summary With 1988 operating income of $801 million on a revenue of $8.55 billion, American Airlines, Inc. (American), principal subsidiary of Dallas/Fort Worth-based AMR Corporation, was the largest airline in the United States. At year-end 1988 American operated 468 aircraft on 2,200 flights daily to 151 destinations in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, France, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela, and West Germany. The objective of American Airlines revenue management effort was to maximize passenger revenues by selling the right seats to the right customers at the right prices. As the decision maker of American Airlines, I recommend introducing Upgraded Computerized Reservation System to replace current SABRE system to keep the company leader of the industry while maximizing profit. Part 2: Issues Identification Immediate Issue Low load factors for Chicago – West Coast Nature: tactic Timing: short term In 1987, in the nonstop markets, American and United competed on the basis of fares, flight schedules, and factors such as quality of service. In the connecting markets, American, United, and Continental also competed on the basis of fares and flight schedules. Once again American and United matched each  other’s fares, while Continental, with its post-Chapter 11 reorganization and low-cost structure, was the low-price provider. So, United had a superior flight schedule, and Continental cheaper fares. As for American, our load factors were down to an unacceptable level. Deep discount for New York – San Juan Nature: tactic Timing: short term New York-San Juan was American’s largest market, measured in revenue passenger miles. The market was fairly evenly divided into three categories. The first category consisted of business passengers; business travel occurred year-round. Leisure passengers made up the second category; leisure travel peaked in the summer. Passengers of Caribbean origin either coming to the United States or returning to the Caribbean to visit friends and relatives constituted the third category. Eastern periodically offered deep discounts to stimulate demand during traditional slow seasons. In September 1988 Eastern introduced a restricted round-trip fare of $198 midweek and $238 weekend. The fare was applicable for travel until December 14, 1988. American had to decide if and how to respond. Systemic Issue Complicity of Yield Management Nature: Strategic Timing: long term American Airlines broadly described the function of yield management as â€Å"selling the right seats to the right customers at the right prices.† At American Airlines, almost everything is automated because the yield-management decision-making process is too large and therefore too complex to be processed manually. Part 3: Environmental & Root Cause Analysis In the past, under regulations, airlines were not allowed to set their ticket prices at will. Rather, all fares had to be approved by the government. Normally, fares were set on a cost plus basis in order to guarantee airlines a minimum return. On the one hand, airlines had no incentive to reduce costs by streaming operations and increasing productivity. Essentially, price discrimination under regulation was based on the assumption of two distinct  and easily separable types of customers: price-insensitive, yet very time-sensitive business travelers, normally flying on expenses, and price sensitive, yet-time-insensitive leisure travelers, typically paying for their own trips. The deregulation of the airline industry has opened up many opportunities to seize market share and revenues. American needs to identify and develop a detailed revenue management and yield management plan to capitalize on this opportunity. Airline deregulation in 1979 led to additional complexity in the practice of yield management. Two major changes took place. First, the number and variety of discount fares increased. Second, airline began offering connecting service, using centrally located airports as hubs, to serve more of the traveling public and provide national service. The resulting airline environment is very complex. The following factors complicated the yield management task: (1) the demand for full- and discount-fare seats on any given flight was uncertain; (2) the demand was variable over time; (3) in certain cases, for example leisure flights, the demand was also â€Å"lumpy†; (4) there was a bewildering multitude of fare types and restrictions; (5) the hub-and-spoke system made some customers in one fare type more attractive than other customers in the same fare type; (6) some customers booked seats but did not show up for their flights. Part 4: Alternatives and Options Below is a detailed breakdown of the alternatives and options for the issues identified above. Option 1: Marketing American Airlines could focus its priorities on marketing in order to realize its full potential from a demand, capacity and yield perspective. Offering last minute vacation packages or more aggressive pricing policies for flights that look increasingly like they will not reach capacity would be another way to help fill vacant spots. Pros: a. To sell deeply discounted seats at the last minute could make additional profit. b. American Airlines could be known to offer fantastic last minute vacations periodically. Cons: a. Focusing solely on marketing in an industry that is undergoing rapid  change could be extremely costly in the long run. b. Marketing would provide short term benefits but concrete improvements by other airlines may leave American behind. c. Another drawback to an aggressive marketing focus is would skew yield management regression models, most notably overbooking. Option 2: Upgrade Computerized Reservation System American Airlines’ â€Å"store front† is the computerized reservations system, SABRE (semi-automated business research environment). All sale and cancellation transactions, whether from American Airlines reservations agents or travel agents, pass through SABRE, updating reservations inventory for all affected flights. Because the yield management decision-making process is so large and complex at American Airlines, effective control of the inventory of seats can be accomplished only with more advanced automated models. Pros: a. Increase the productivity of yield-management specialists and the reduction in work load can allow them to spend more time reviewing only critical flights thus making better revenue decisions. b. Instead of being a price follower, the system could guide the company make better pricing strategies. c. Keep American Airlines leader position in the industry. Cons: a. It takes time and capital investment of new system. b. There is a learning curve for new system and takes time to get used to new system. Part 5: Recommendations Critical to an airline’s operation is the effective use of its reservations inventory. American Airlines currently has the most advanced computerized reservations system – SABRE. To increase the responsiveness and effectiveness of yield-management strategies and to coordinate reservations inventory decision with SABRE, it is recommended that option 2 is applied. Because the yield-management decision-making process is so large and complex at American Airlines, effective control of the inventory of seats can be accomplished only with more advanced automated models. The new model is aiming at handling overbooking control, discount allocation and traffic management. Part 6: Implementation Plan Step 1: Acquire buy-in from stake holders and management. Step 2: Set up target and create budget. Step 3: Establish a team to do the development of new system. Part 7: Monitor and Control Yield management performance is difficult to measure because of the dynamic nature of the marketplace. Decision Technologies developed a reliable and credible method of measuring performance that we believe is unique in the airline industry. In order to gauge the success of implementing this process certain KPIs need to be established to compare against previous system: Load factor Revenue yield per passenger mile Operating expense per available passenger seat mile

Internationalisation and the European Nation State Essay

Question 1 It is undeniable that the state of world affairs has dramatically evolved since the end of the Second World War. More specifically, the surge of development in IT has been the chief reason that our world has become less a mosaic of nation-states and more a melting pot of societies, cultures, and associations whereby nation-states are inevitably bound to trans-national phenomena. As Cox notes, â€Å"globalization [generates] a more complex multi-level world political system, which implicitly challenges the old Westphalian assumption that ‘a state is a state is a state'† (Cox, in Pierson, p.181). This work shall support this notion of globalization by highlighting two problems from Pierson, namely decreased anarchy in the global political arena, and the influence of the global economy on nation-states. These issues will be defined and then discussed in relation to Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s conceptions of Realist democracy and Communitarian democracy respectively. Decreased anarchy refers to the marginalization of the autonomy of nation-states in the international order. The growing interdependence between nations across the globe has resulted in a redirection of respective national interests towards the sphere of global rather than domestic (Pierson 174). What this means for realist democracy is a skewed orientation of political candidates; they become no longer dedicated to domestic issues but those of an international nature instead. The problem with this lies in the fact that the success of the Realist democratic concept (in Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s view) is dependent upon the competition of political leaders to win approval (via votes) from the citizens. There is a problem if politicians win a seat in office with a platform claiming to be ‘for the people,’ and then redirect their interests after election to the international sphere. The welfare of the citizens is left on the sidelines in place of external issues, and the fruits of Realist democracy are not enjoyed by the people who voted for it, thus the legitimacy of the democratic process diminishes. This is especially a danger in realist democracy since representation by political actors replaces active participation by the citizens; â€Å"[Realist democracy] thus does not entail, cannot entail, governance by the people in a real sense. It can only entail the people having the possibility to accept or reject pretenders, i.e. elect those that govern† (Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 3). These elected representatives, are in turn subjected to a political framework where, â€Å"†¦international institutions, conventions and regimes moderate the extent to which inter-state relations can be conceived as genuinely and ‘actively’ anarchic† (Pierson 175). Thus, the validity of Realist democracy is compromised seeing as though anarchy is its cornerstone. Similarly, Communitarian democracy is also restricted by the over-arching nature of the international order. Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s conception of Communitarian democracy requires nations to be able to pursue interests in a collective manner, with its citizens as an intrinsic part of the democracy (Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 11). There is a great emphasis placed on compromise – a sort of give and take to realize the maximum of individual ideals in a collective manner. This sort of idyllic outlook on forming a democratic community would be difficult to practice even in the small, cohesive communities of Ancient Greece. The decreased anarchy of the international order today magnifies the difficulty of assimilating different people, groups, and ideas under a collective banner. To imagine what Lindensjà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ refers to as a ‘homelike community’ seems like a far stretch seeing that an increasingly interdependent world melds such a sheer mass of different people, outlooks, and traditions. The scale of interdependency in today’s world most certainly underpins the ‘homelike’ values necessary for effective Communitarian democracy especially where individuals’ interests are drawn outside the domestic sphere. Perhaps the most influential factor working against the Westphalian concept of global politics is the nature of modern global markets. Today, domestic economies cannot escape the forces of the international economy (Pierson 171). As Cox notes, â€Å"†¦economic globalization has placed constraints upon the autonomy of states and, increasingly, states must become the instruments for adjusting national economic activities to the exigencies of the global economy† (Cox, in Pierson 179). This excerpt makes a direct reference to a lessening of state autonomy due to global economies. For this reason, it is clear that Realist democracy is challenged by the world’s economy and market forces that compromise autonomy. The economic implications of globalization mirror those associated with decreased anarchy; for example, if economic reforms are made to comply with the international system, this results in states focusing on international economic policies over domestic ones. The working class will most certainly lose out to those who hold political positions – the elites, who will mold economic reforms around the international order and, more often than not, their own interests. For Communitarian democracies, global economics impedes the possibility of creating cohesive and collective communities. With economic concerns subjected to the influences of global markets, Communitarian democracies cannot set there own economic agenda. Moreover, the Communitarian ideal of setting a collective goal as to what the ‘good life’ should be is nearly impossible since the international economic order infiltrates domestic affairs. As Pierson notes, â€Å"In practice, state organizations have multiple points of interaction with both domestic and trans-national actors and these interactions are very far from disclosing a single and unified will† (Pierson 185). By imposing an influence on states, global market forces combat the Communitarian ideal of forming a collective vision of the ‘good life.’ Chapter 8 of Holden, entitled The United Nations as an agency of global democracy (Falk) and Chapter 10, Global civil society and the democratic prospect (Archibugi, Balduini, Donati) both focus on the idea of strengthening and broadening the influence of civil society to combat (what Falk refers to as) globalization-from-above. The Archibugi, Balduini, and Donati text focuses on the Agenda proposed by Boutros Boutros-Ghali, which in turn places a large focus on the democratization of the international community as the key to better international relations. The Realist conception of democracy would embrace this sort of change. With a system that provides â€Å"a relevant representation of society† and de-monopolizes intergovernmental relations as the sole means of international relations, the citizenry of the world will realize a new possibility to voice concerns on an international level (Archibugi et al, in Holden 137). For people in Realist democracies this means that political involvement that was once only a mere ‘handing-over of power’ to a representative is now a legitimate voice to be heard beyond the confines of the state. An important feature of Ghali’s vision was the creation of UN Regional Organizations that would cater to civil society and make civil interests a higher priority. Falk’s concept of stronger social activism (globalization-from-below) to combat global market forces (globalization-from-above) would assist the Communitarian goal of correcting the growing imbalance between private and public goods (Falk, in Holden 163,173). Communitarians would support the equalizing aspects of this arrangement since it would contribute better to the philosophy of allowing a community to form its objectives without external influences. For Falk, the reformation of states to find a better balance, â€Å"†¦between the logic of capital and priorities of its peoples† is paramount in the effort to promote more effective democracy. In both the Communitarian and Realist views, a reform of the international political order in this manner would be a step in the right direction. BIBLIOGRAPHY Goldmann, Kjell, 2001. Transforming the European Nation-State. London: Sage Publications. Holden, Barry (ed.), 2000. Global Democracy. London: Routledge. Pierson, Christopher, 1996. The Modern State. London: Routledge. Stevenson, Nick, 1999. The Transformation of the Media: Globalization, Morality, and Ethics. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Swedish Government, 2002. The Swedish Government’s EU Policy Goals for 2002.

Academic dishonesty Essay Example for Free (#6)

Academic dishonesty Essay ? The primary objective of Phil 1010 (which fulfills an Area B requirement in the Core) is to help you improve your critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is the skill of recognizing, composing and evaluating arguments. All college courses rely on arguments. Examples include: arguments about business plans, arguments about the qualities of a novel, arguments about the significance of historical events, and arguments about the nature and function of genetic material. Doing well in this course should increase your chances of successfully completing the core curriculum, the courses required by your major, and other courses required to earn your degree. This course is not intended to be an introduction to philosophy and it does not focus on ideas discussed in most philosophy classes (e. g. , justice, knowledge, mind). For an introduction to philosophy, take Phil 2010, Introduction to Philosophy (which fulfills an Area C requirement in the core). Phil 1010 is not a prerequisite for Phil 2010. Prerequisites: There are no other courses required for taking this course; however a significant portion of the course grade involves writing in English, so completion of English composition courses is recommended. REQUIRED MATERIALS: Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument, 2nd custom edition. Rainbolt & Dwyer, ISBN 9781133269458 There are used copies of this book available online and in the bookstore. Aplia for Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument PURCHASE ONLINE ONLY at Aplia. com. Other handouts will be sent electronically. IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE VARIOUS EDITIONS OF THE TEXT: There are four different versions of the textbook, but of course you only need one of them. Two are GSU custom editions, and two are national editions. The GSU custom editions are exactly the same as the national editions except that they are printed in black and white and have chapter six removed, since we do not teach chapter six here at GSU. The GSU custom editions were made to save students money and are typically cheaper when purchased new, but the opposite may be the case with used copies, as there are many more used copies of the national edition available for purchase online. As indicated above, I will use the 2nd custom edition, and I recommend that you get this version as well. You may purchase the 1st national edition, however, if you find a copy. Here’s where it gets weird. The 2nd custom edition corresponds to the 1st national edition. If you get either of these texts, you’ll be okay. The 2nd national edition is brand new and has changes in almost every chapter that make it substantially different from the text you need. Do NOT get the 2nd national edition, and do NOT get the 1st custom edition. Specifically, here are the points you need to keep in mind: 1. Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument, 2nd custom edition. (RECOMMENDED, you should purchase this text) Cover picture: the roof of a Greek Temple http://www. amazon. com/Critical-Thinking-Argumet-Edition-University/dp/1133269451 2. Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument, 1st custom edition. (DO NOT PURCHASE) Cover picture: phrenology diagram (four cartoon heads appear on the cover) http://www. amazon. com/Philosophy-Critical-Thinking-Georgia-University/dp/0536864853 3. Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument, 2nd edition (National edition, DO NOT PURCHASE) Cover Picture: a bridge http://www. cengagebrain. com/shop/isbn/9781285197197 4. Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument, 1st edition. (National edition, you may purchase, but NOT recommended) Cover Picture: a bisected nautilus on the cover (a nautilus is a spiral sea shell) http://www. cengagebrain. com/shop/isbn/9780495501572 The links presented above are not purchasing recommendations. I have only provided them so that you can see a picture of books in question. The bookstore is often more expensive than many popular websites. Hunt around for good deals. The authors of this textbook do not receive any money from the sale of the textbook or other course materials to GSU students. GRADE COMPOSITION 1. Components By Weight: Supplemental Instruction Sessions (SIs)10%2 per month minimum, January excluded. Quizzes/Attendance10% Aplia Exercises10% Midterm10% S&E 1 10% S&E 2 10%Note that later assignments are weighted more to give S&E 320%students credit for improvement and to minimize any Final Exam20%penalty for not knowing the material earlier in the term. 2. Grading Scale Assignments in this class are scored on a scale from 1 to 100. Scores transfer to point scale and letter grades as follows: A+4. 398 – 100C+2. 3 77 – 79 A 4. 00 93 – 97C2. 00 73 – 76. A-3. 7 90 – 92C-1. 7 70 – 72 B+3. 3 87 – 89D1. 0060 – 69 B3. 00 83 – 86F0. 000 – 59 B-2. 7 80 – 82 3. To pass the course, students must earn an overall average of 60, get least a 60 on either the midterm or the final, and complete the final, and the S&Es. 4. I reserve the right to withdraw any student who, prior to March 4, 2014, misses more than 2 exercises or misses more than 2 quizzes/classes. However, missing more than 2 exercises or 2 quizzes/classes does not guarantee that I will withdraw you. If you want to withdraw, you need to do that yourself via GoSOLAR. 5. If you are not doing as well as you would like in this or any of your other courses, consider making an appointment with the Undergraduate Studies Office, Sparks 224. It offers one-on-one academic coaching, as well as workshops and tutorials on study skills. Important Tip: It is hard to get less than a C in this course if you take all the quizzes, come to all of the class sessions, do all the exercises, take both exams, and complete all three S&Es. It is easy to get an F if you miss more than 2 quizzes or class periods, miss more than 2 sets of exercises, miss an exam, or miss an S&E. In other words, effort counts. S&Es: â€Å"S&E† stands for â€Å"Standardize and Evaluate an Argument. † These will be discussed in detail in class. I reserve the right to use any student’s S&E for pedagogical purposes. Students’ names and any other identifying marks will be removed to ensure anonymity. Quizzes: Some class meetings will begin with a quiz. The quizzes will begin promptly and last precisely 5 minutes. They will be composed of two multiple-choice questions that cover the reading assigned for that day’s class. The questions will be easy if you have done the reading. For merely taking the quiz and remaining in class for the full 50 minutes, you will get 50 of a possible 100 points. You will get 75 of 100 if you get one question right, and 100 of 100 if you get both questions right. This is an ideal opportunity to get an A on 10% of your course grade. Exercises & Aplia: Exercises are completed electronically via Aplia. You must purchase the software at Aplia. They are due once a week by or before 11:45 pm on Sunday Eastern Time (be careful not to choose Pacific time! ). Note that the computer will close at precisely that time so you need to be sure your exercises are submitted before that time. See the handout on page 6 for accessing Exercises on Aplia. Your grade on each set of exercises is the percentage of the questions you get right. For example, if there are eight questions in an exercise set, and you get six of them right, your grade on that set is a 75. However, your actual Aplia grade will be based on your good faith effort. If you attempt to do all of the questions on the exercises every week, and you average between 60—93%, your total Aplia grade will be set at 93. Scores over 93% will be recorded as they are. This is an ideal opportunity to get an A on 10% of your course grade. Make-Ups: 1. Late assignments and absences are excused only when there is a sufficiently documented, last minute significant emergency. 2. There are no make-ups for daily quizzes. If you have an excused absence on that day, that day’s quiz will simply be dropped from the calculation of your quiz grade. Email: 1. Email is the best way to contact me. 2. You should check your official Georgia State email at least once every 24 hours. 3. By University policy, I must use your official Georgia State student email address. If you send an email from a non-GSU email account, I cannot respond. 4. If you email me from your GSU account and have not received a reply within 24 hours, you should assume that I did not receive the message. Contact me in person. 5. If you turn in any assignment by email, it is your responsibility to confirm that I received it on time. You will know that I got it because I reply to all student emails. If I do not receive it on time, you will not get credit for the assignment without time-stamped email proof that you sent it before it was due. Having trouble with your email, computer, or ISP is not an excuse for a late assignment. Attendance: Everyone’s presence is an intrinsic and vital feature of the class. Even if you do not speak, your presence has an effect on what is said by others. Attendance can be the deciding factor for course grades on the borderline. Class Format: The class will be a combination of lecture, discussion, and practice. This format demands that students be well prepared for class. You do not have to understand all the readings before class, but you need to read all the readings before class and be prepared to ask questions about what you do not understand. Electronic Devices: No computers, cell phones, smart phones, PDAs, pagers, or other electronic devices may be used in the classroom. Please turn off all devices before class begins. Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability that may impair your ability to successfully complete this course, contact your instructor as soon as possible to arrange accommodations. GSU has two programs that provide supports services to students with disabilities. Office of Disability Services – http://www2. gsu. edu/~wwwods/ – 404. 413-1560 Accessibility At GSU – http://www2. gsu. edu/~wwwada/ – 404. 464-9044 Students who wish to request accommodation for a disability may do so by registering with the Office of Disability Services (second floor in the Student Center; dismail@gsu. edu). Students may be accommodated only upon issuance by the Office of Disability Services of a signed Accommodation Plan and are responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all classes in which accommodations are sought. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Failure of the course is the default departmental penalty for plagiarism, cheating on a test, copying someone else’s work, letting someone else copy your work, or any other form of academic dishonesty. For example, copying someone else’s standardization of an argument is a case of plagiarism and will result in failure of the course. You are encouraged to study for tests with your classmates, but all work turned in for credit must be either your own work, or correctly cited. If you use even a small part of a classmate’s work or a line from an online source, you must use proper citation. If you don’t, you have violated GSU’s academic honesty policy. Finally, note that on assignments in this class, no outside sources are permitted for in-class tests or S&Es. Moreover, you are liable for further administrative action, which might include expulsion with notation on your permanent record. See the GSU Policy on Academic Dishonesty attached to this syllabus, available in the University Student Handbook, and found online at http://www2. gsu. edu/~wwwcam/overview/index. html In addition, be sure you give due consideration to what it means to be a good friend! Not infrequently, students draw the natural but erroneous conclusion that allowing or facilitating a friend’s cheating is somehow helping that friend. FAR FROM IT! Good friends, truly good friends, help us to avoid cheating and any other kind of dishonesty. HOW TO DO WELL IN THIS COURSE: Come to Class and Come on Time: Because of the way grades are computed, and the fact that so much of the course is discussion based, your grade will suffer if you are not present for discussions, and your grade will be favorably affected if you are present. Study Outside of Class: 1. A normal expectation is that undergraduate students will spend a minimum of two hours studying outside of class for every hour spent in class. 2. Since this course meets for 2 hours of class time each week, you should plan on spending at least 4 hours outside of class each week studying the material. It is also likely that it will take more than that amount of time to complete the readings in a manner sufficient to understand the material. Remember in Summer session, every day is equivalent to one week in a Fall or Spring term! Read the Assignments Multiple Times: Philosophy is demanding reading. I expect you to do all the readings before class and after class. We will not read a great many pages, but some of the readings might be dense or difficult to follow. First, read the work through quickly to get the general idea and to circle any words you don’t understand. Then look up all the words you don’t know and read the work again slowly. Third, after we cover the reading in class, read it again, slowly. Read. Rinse. Repeat. Final Notes: The course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary. Everything in this syllabus can change (and something always does). You are responsible for all changes announced in class, on PAWS, and via email. Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at Georgia State. Upon completing the course, please take time to fill out the online course evaluation. How to access your Aplia course PHIL 1010- Critical Thinking – Spring 2014 Instructor: George Rainbolt Start Date: 01/13/2014End Date: 05/11/2014 Course Key: 5N6Q-MHZW-NQNX Registration Aplia is part of CengageBrain, which allows you to sign in to a single site to access your Cengage materials and courses. 1. Connect to http://login. cengagebrain. com/ 2. If you already have an account, sign in. From your Dashboard, enter your course key (5N6Q-MHZW-NQNX) in the box provided, and click the Register button. If you don’t have an account, click the Create a New Account button, and enter your course key when prompted: 5N6Q-MHZW-NQNX. Continue to follow the on-screen instructions. Payment Online Only: http://www. cengagebrain. com/micro/gsuphil1010 After registering, you can buy access to Aplia from myhome. cengagebrain. com. Aplia is NOT available from bookstore. Purchase it online only to get special discount price. If you choose to pay later, you can use Aplia without paying until 11:59 PM on 02/02/2014. After paying, you will have the option to purchase a physical book at a discounted price. For more information on registering for Aplia, please visit http://www. cengagebrain. com/aplia/. Phil 1010TENTATIVE Schedule of AssignmentsSpring 2014. January T 1/14Chap 1, What is Critical Thinking, What is an Argument, Why Think Critically, pp. 4-13 R 1/16Chap 1, Finding Arguments, pp. 13-26; Begin Putting in Standard Form Right Away. F 1/17No class, but last day to Add/Drop S 1/19APLIA DUE: How to Use Aplia Due before 11:45pm T 1/21Chap 1, Putting Arguments into Standard Form, pp. 31-36 R 1/23Chap 1, Standardization Practice S 1/26APLIA DUE Ch 1, Sets 1 and 2, before 11:45pm T 1/28S&E1 (standardize a passage in class) R 1/30Chap 2, Two Characteristics of a Good Argument, True Premises, and Proper Form, pp. 42-48 and 51-53 February. S 2/2APLIA DUE Ch 1, Set 3, and Ch 2, Set 1, before 11:45pm T 2/4Chap 2, Deductive and Inductive Arguments and Relevance, Fallacies pp. 55-64 and 70-79 R 2/6Chap 3, Three Kinds of Premises, pp. 86-102 S 2/9APLIA DUE Ch 2, Set 22, before 11:45pm T 2/11S&E 2 (standardizing and evaluating a passage in class) R 2/13Chap 5, Identifying Propositional Statements, pp. 146-156 S 2/16APLIA DUE Ch 2, Set 3, before 11:45pm T 2/18Chap 5, Evaluating Propositional Arguments, pp. 159-169 R 2/20Chap 5, How PF test differs for Deductive and Inductive Arguments S 2/23APLIA DUE Ch 3, Set 1, before 11:45pm T 2/25Review. R 2/27Midterm in class March S 3/2APLIA DUE Ch 5, Set 1, before 11:45pm T 3/4Chap 7, Identifying Analogical Arguments, pp. 228-234 Last day to withdraw with a W R 3/6Chap 7, Evaluating Analogical Arguments, pp. 244-256 S 3/9APLIA DUE Ch 5, Set 2, and Ch 7, Set 1, before 11:45pm T 3/11Chap 8, Descriptive Statistics, pp. 258-275 R 3/13Chap 8 Identifying Statistical Arguments, pp. 275-278 S 3/16APLIA DUE Ch 7, Set 2, and Ch 8, Set 1, before 11:45pm T3/18 & R 3/20NO CLASS SPRING BREAK T 3/25Chap 8, Evaluating Statistical Arguments, pp. 281-285 R 3/27Chap 8, Evaluating Statistical Arguments continued. S 3/30APLIA DUE Ch 8, Sets 2 and 3, before 11:45pm April T 4/1No Fooling! Chap 9, The Many Meanings of â€Å"Cause† and Identifying Causal Arguments, pp. 294-303 R 4/3Chap 9, Evaluating Causal Arguments, pp. 306-314 S 4/6APLIA DUE Ch 9, Set 1, before 11:45pm T 4/8Chap 9, Evaluating Causal Arguments Continued, pp. 316-321 R 4/10Chap 9, The Scientific Method, pp. 326-331 S 4/13APLIA DUE Ch 9, Sets 2 and 3, before 11:45pm T 4/15S&E 3 in class (standardizing and evaluating a passage in class) R 4/17Chap 10, Identifying Moral Arguments, pp. 342-345 S 4/20APLIA DUE Ch 9, Set 4, before 11:45pm. T 4/22Chap 10, Evaluating Moral Arguments, Consequentialist Arguments, pp. 351-358 R 4/24Chap 10, Deontic and Aretaic Moral Arguments, pp. 359-366 F 5/2Friday, May 2, 2014, Common Final Exam, 1:30-4:00pm. Room TBA Department of Philosophy General Syllabus Statement Spring 2014 This syllabus provides a general plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary. The last day to withdraw from a course with the possibility of receiving a W is Tuesday, March 4. Students are responsible for confirming that they are attending the course section for which they are registered. Failure to do so may result in an F for the course. By University policy and to respect the confidentiality of all students, final grades may not be posted or given out over the phone. To see your grades, use PAWS. The customary penalty for a violation of the academic honesty rules is an â€Å"F† in the course. See the University Policy on Academic Honesty on the reverse of this sheet. Copying or using material from the internet without citation is a violation of the academic honesty rules. A student may be awarded a grade of â€Å"W† no more than 6 times in their careers at Georgia State. After 6 Ws, a withdrawal is recorded as a WF on the student’s record. A WF counts as an F in a GPA. Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at Georgia State University. Upon completing the course, please take the time to fill out the online course evaluation. Students who wish to request accommodation for a disability must do so by registering with the Office of Disability Services in Suite 230 of the Student Center. Students may only be accommodated upon issuance by the Office of Disability Services of a singed Accommodation Plan and are responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all classes in which an accommodation is sought. Subscribe to one of our department listservs for current information and events: 1. Undergraduate Students: www2. gsu. edu/~wwwphi/2131. html 2. Graduate Students: www2. gsu. edu/~wwwphi/2109. html For more information on the philosophy program visit: www. gsu. edu/philosophy Policy on Academic Honesty, from the GSU Catalog As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The university assumes as a basic and minimum standard of conduct in academic matters that students be honest and that they submit for credit only the products of their own efforts. Both the ideals of scholarship and the need for fairness require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit. They also require that students refrain from any and all forms of dishonor? able or unethical conduct related to their academic work. The university’s policy on academic honesty is published in the Faculty Handbook and On Campus: The Student Handbook and is available to all members of the university community. The policy represents a core value of the university, and all members of the university community are responsible for abiding by its tenets. Lack of knowledge of this policy is not an acceptable defense to any charge of academic dishonesty. All members of the academic community—students, faculty, and staff—are expected to report violations of these standards of academic conduct to the appropriate authorities. The procedures for such reporting are on file in the offices of the deans of each college, the office of the dean of students, and the office of the provost. In an effort to foster an environment of academic integrity and to prevent academic dishonesty, students are expected to discuss with faculty the expectations regarding course assignments and standards of conduct. Students are encouraged to discuss freely with faculty, academic advisers, and other members of the university community any questions pertaining to the provisions of this policy. In addition, students are encouraged to avail themselves of programs in establishing personal standards and ethics offered through the university’s Counseling Center. Definitions and Examples The examples and definitions given below are intended to clarify the standards by which academic honesty and academically honorable conduct are to be judged. The list is merely illustrative of the kinds of infractions that may occur, and it is not intended to be exhaustive. Moreover, the definitions and examples suggest conditions under which unacceptable behavior of the indicated types normally occurs; however, there may be unusual cases that fall outside these conditions that also will be judged unacceptable by the academic community. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is presenting another person’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism includes any para? phrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including the submitting of another student’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism frequently involves a failure to acknowledge  in the text, notes, or footnotes the quotation of the paragraphs, sentences, or even a few phrases written or spoken by someone else. The submission of research or completed papers or projects by someone else is plagiarism, as is the unacknowledged use of research sources gathered by someone else when that use is specifically forbidden by the faculty member. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one’s reliance on other sources is also a form of plagiarism. Any work, in whole or in part, taken from the Internet or other computer-based resource without properly referencing the source (for example, the URL) is considered plagiarism. A complete reference is required in order that all parties may locate and view the original source. Finally, there may be forms of plagiarism that are unique to an individual discipline or course, examples of which should be provided in advance by the faculty member. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly or creative indebtedness, and the consequences of violating this responsibility. Cheating on Examinations: Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination. Examples of unauthorized help include the use of notes, computer-based resources, texts, or â€Å"crib sheets† during an examination (unless specifically approved by the faculty member), or sharing information with another student during an examination (unless specifically approved by the faculty member). Other examples include intentionally allowing another student to view one’s own examination and collaboration before or after an examination if such collaboration is specifically forbidden by the faculty member. Unauthorized Collaboration: Submission for academic credit of a work product, or a part thereof, represented as its being one’s own effort, which has been developed in substantial collaboration with another person or source or with a computer-based resource is a violation of academic honesty. It is also a violation of academic honesty knowingly to provide such assistance. Collaborative work specifically authorized by a faculty member is allowed. Falsification: It is a violation of academic honesty to misrepresent material or fabricate information in an academic exercise, assignment or proceeding (e. g. , false or misleading citation of sources, falsification of the results of experiments or computer data, false or misleading information in an academic context in order to gain an unfair advantage). Multiple Submissions: It is a violation of academic honesty to submit substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once without the explicit consent of the faculty member(s) to whom the material is submitted for additional credit. In cases in which there is a natural development of research or knowledge in a sequence of courses, use of prior work may be desirable, even required; however the student is responsible for indicating in writing, as a part of such use, that the current work submitted for credit is cumulative in nature. ID SHEET Please print or write legibly PRINT NAME GSU EMAIL ADDRESS CELL PHONE EMERGENCY CONTACT Name EMERGENCY CONTACT Phone Freshman, Soph, Jr, Sr, PostBac? Number of credit hours completed MAJOR 2ND MAJOR. MINOR 2ND MINOR PREVIOUS PHIL COURSES Intro to Phil or Great Questions? Others at GSU? Phil Courses taken elsewhere? If so what and where? Check reason(s) for taking this course (a) Fulfills Area B Core Reqmt (b) Fulfills another reqmt (C) Good time of day (d) Phil major or minor (e) Other reason: specify Give a definition of Critical Thinking Why are you here? (at least one paragraph, continue on next page) ***********************************TEAR OFF HERE***************************************** Complete the following before or on the first day you attend class, and turn it to your instructor. NAME______________________________DATE__________________ I have received, read, or will read, and accept responsibility for following the policies noted in the syllabus. I have also received, read, or will read, and accept responsibility for fulfilling the requirements outlined in the schedule of assignments. I understand that not following the course policies or not completing all assignments can negatively affect my grade in the course. I also understand that FAILURE OF THE COURSE is the departmental default policy for cases of academic dishonesty, including, but not limited to plagiarism, cheating on a test, copying someone else’s exercises or other work, letting someone else copy my exercises or other work, or any other form of academic dishonesty. I also understand that I am responsible for using and checking my GSU email account daily, and that my instructor is required by university policy to use my GSU email account for all academic correspondence. Academic dishonesty. (2016, Sep 23).