Investing in IT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Investing in IT - Essay Example tened that our current human resource could not operate our kind of business without the backing of a well-established information systems department. Our technical department argued that with most of our business processes and transactions being computer based we had to take care of tasks such as system administrations, computer hardware engineering and networking, management of data and software and database design. The option of external sourcing for professionals to carry out these tasks for us was expensive and not viable in the long term for our business. According to Brynjolfsson (1994, p.6), investing in information technology does pay for a number of reasons and taking that into consideration, we have been able to reduce the workload on our workers while saving on time, grow our business further and make profits, deliver quality, effective and satisfactory service to our clients due to the increased positive feedback responses, improve our overall production in terms of output from our human resource, tracing of our business courses and document storage facilitation, control our transportation and communication related activities, thus cutting down on expenses involved, attract new businesses as a result of our new web augmentations such as blogs, client support structures, merchandise catalogs and newsletters as currently we are facing increased traffic and gain a competitive edge over our customers and increase the number of our customers. As Brynjolfsson reiterated on the importance of information technology (1993, p.66-78), we too have managed to measure the impact information technology has had on our business and so far it’s a positive one. We took a number of factors into consideration: Customers - We had a look at the number of new and return customers and we realized our numbers increased and so we seem to be heading in the right direction in terms of offering solutions to our customer needs. Were we able to describe their problem correctly

The novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Essay Example for Free

The novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Essay Dan Brown prepares the reader for the rest of the novel, The Da Vinci Code with a puzzling yet interesting prologue. The Da Vinci Code is the fourth novel by Dan Brown, a famous author who released his first novel Digital Fortress in 1998. I chose to read The Da Vinci Code because it has received excellent reviews and it explains philosophical concepts from the time of Jesus Christ. I was drawn to The Da Vinci Code as a film was released in 2006 and the first two novels had been excellent. I was attracted to the novel because the title gives a spooky and suspicious sense of atmosphere. The series is based in the modern world and the novels are based on code- breaking skills giving them a thriller nature. In this essay, I am going to be explaining anything confusing or puzzling that crop up in the prologue and how this may affect the readers sense of curiosity. Unlike the other novels, The Da Vinci Code begins with an action scene, leaving the reader curious. The title The Da Vinci Code indicates another code- breaking plot however it leaves readers wondering, what code is to be solved? The word code is quite vague and could imply there is a secret waiting to be unleashed. Dan Brown added the phrase The Da Vinci before code. Da Vinci is short for Leonardo da Vinci, a great painter, inventor and writer. A reader will be aware of this because Da Vinci is famous. Even though Da Vinci was regarded as a skilled engineer, none of his works linked to puzzles and codes. The title therefore leaves the reader in a puzzling state of confusion and the front cover shows a small portion of The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, confirming that Da Vinci is linked to the novel. Dan Brown has cleverly constructed the title and cover, leaving readers debating over the plot, causing them to feel curious, drawing readers in to read the book. The first sentence appeals to our sense of sight and causes readers to feel curious. The sentence reads: Renowned curator Jacques Sauniere staggered through the vaulted archway of the museums Grand Gallery. The sentence introduces a character, Curator Jacques Sauniere and this causes the reader to question, who is Jacques Sauniere? Why is he the curator of the museum and how is he famous? The second part of the sentence involves the curator staggering through a vaulted archway. This implies many possibilities: The curator could have simply tripped or he might have even been chased. This leaves readers in suspense because they would want to know who is chasing the curator and why. The word staggered stresses a sense of trouble. This is quite powerful because it is immediate and causes the reader to feel startled. The sentence as a whole allows readers to visualise the setting and confirms that the curator is in a museum; however the gallery of the museum was described as grand, indicating that the museum is well known, making readers wonder if there is trouble in the building. And if so, why have security guards not arrived at the scene. Being a prologue, Dan Brown does not introduce many of the main characters until the 1st chapter, however two characters are introduced. Brown introduces the Museums curator Jacques Sauniere. He is depicted to be famous, because he was described as renowned and readers visualise Sauniere to be weak and helpless as he found it extremely difficult to heave a masterpiece. However, we assume Sauniere is part of a hidden organization, possessing a truth: If I die, the truth will be lost for ever. The quote evokes readers sense of curiosity, therefore causing them to wonder: Who is Sauniere? The second character, Albino, is after the curator and eventually captures him. He was broad and tall, with ghost- pale skin and thinning white hair. His irises were pink with dark red pupils, Albino is pictured as a dark, suspicious character causing readers to be inquisitive. Readers feel sorry for the curator when he is shot by Albino for lying about not knowing the secret. Albino leaves quickly, illustrating that he will return in the novel. Brown was correct in leaving out the many of the main characters because the prologue was there to leave readers in suspense and to create background information for the novel, preparing the reader. Dan Brown allows the reader to know that the book belongs to the thriller genre: As he had anticipated, a thundering iron gate fell nearby, barricading the entrance to the suite. The parquet floor shook. Far off, an alarm began to ring. The sentence uses a number of powerful words, attracting the reader. Thundering Iron Gate fell nearby allow readers to visualise a gigantic, grand security system. From the phrase, you want to know why the Iron Gate fell and so this starts to quiz readers. Barricading stresses a sense of foreboding because readers dont understand why the curator would want to lock himself in a museum, leaving readers in suspense as they wonder if there is a purpose behind his action, contributing to the hunch that he could be in danger. Far off, an alarm began to ring give readers the impression that there is a robbery occurring although the assumption is not true. Other ways in which the author allows the reader to identify that the book belongs to the thriller genre is using words such as thundering, roared and wincing. These words all suggest a thriller due to the fact that it allows readers to visualise the scene, appealing to their sense of sight. The Gun roared is portrays a murder scene confirming the genre however, readers develop an idea that a mystery is being conjured. In the prologue, we are told of a mysterious character however the description is quite vague adding to the mystery. All of the quotes and words above allow readers to know the genre of the book, preparing them for the rest of the novel. Throughout the prologue, readers will feel confused. Immediately introducing the curator, Jacques Sauniere, the prologue bemuses readers, causing them to wonder and question. However, Brown introduces Sauniere describing him as renowned. The word is powerful in many contexts: It allows readers to know that he is famous but more importantly, it makes them feel that they already know the curator, allowing questions to leave readers minds. Albino, the ghostly figure in the prologue causes reader to be curious because they do not know who he is and why he is after the curator. This is considered effective because it creates suspense for readers. Albino mentions something: Now tell me where it is. The phrase causes reader to guess what this particular item is, perplexing readers as well as leaving them in suspense. Calling the item it gives it importance and classifies that the thing is special. Towards the end of the prologue, we are told that the item is actually a secret, intriguing readers, as they want to know what the secret holds. Although there are many other phrases and sentences that leave you anxious, you are still given a complete plot of the prologue because the setting is well-described. The author did this intently because it triggers readers imagination. Confusion is effective in the introduction because the author has time to pick up on topics which are necessary at a particular point and then build up on them when they are needed later, creating suspense, preparing readers for the rest of the novel. The Last two sentences of the prologue are very powerful, concluding the prologue efficiently: Wincing in pain, he summoned all of his faculties and strength. The desperate task before him, he knew, would require every remaining second of his life. Wincing, faculties and desperate are all effective words used in the last two lines and they are excellent at describing the curator, giving readers a visual image of him. Wincing justifies that the curator is extremely weak and adding in pain emphasises the fact that he is going to die. We are told that he has a task to do before he dies, however we do not know what it is, adding to the suspense. Readers are drawn to the ending phrase, every remaining second of his life because it denotes that the task is significant for the events in the novel. You feel sorry for the curator because he is innocent and didnt deserve to be shot whereas you feel vengeful towards Albino. The sentence ends abrupt, asking readers many questions. They want to know: Is Sauniere dead? What is the desperate task he wanted to complete and what has happened to Albino? A cliff-hanger is formed by ending abruptly, evoking readers sense of curiosity. Therefore, the last two sentences of the prologue are successful at preparing the reader for the rest of the novel. The introduction to The Da Vinci Code is brilliant for preparing the reader for the rest of the novel by setting a good theme. The introduction leaves you in suspense, generating an urge for you to read on. All aspects of the prologue contribute to its excellence. The prologue is kept as simplistic as possible, providing background knowledge for readers. I have deeply enjoyed the book so far and I can say that readers will continue to feel a sense of thrill as they progress through the novel.

Safety measures in swimming

Safety measures in swimming Introduction Many young children like being around and in water, but proper safety measures should be taken, without which water can be dangerous for young children. One of the leading causes of death among children 1(one) to 4(four) years of age is drowning. According to Australian National Drowning report of 2007, 35 infants and toddlers lost their lives through drowning in the financial year ending 30 June 2007. Most often at home, babies and toddlers drown in swimming pools. Drowning can also happen in other standing water around the home like bathtubs, buckets and pails, especially 5-gallon buckets and diaper pails, ice chests with melted ice, toilets, hot tubs, spas ,and whirlpools, irrigation ditches, post holes, and wells, fish ponds and fountains among others. Drowning to young children is so easy as they can drown in as little as 4 cm(1.5inches) of water, this therefore means that drowning can happen where and when you would least expect it .While drowning can take only a second, it is almost always silent. For this reason therefore, adults must always watch young children when in or near water. Keeping Young Children Safe Young children need constant supervision when near water, whether the water is in a bathtub, a wading pool, an ornamental fish pond, a swimming pool, a spa, the beach or a lake. Several water and pool safety tips have been discussed below: One may ask the question whether swimming lessons prevent drowning among children. It is a good idea to learn how to swim and children older than 4 years should learn how to swim. However, according to researchers, there is no research to show that swimming lessons for children young than 4 years old can prevent drowning. This is because children are not old enough at this age to learn how to swim on their own. There are water survival skills that would help one in an emergency which are too hard for young children to react with. However the exact age when young children are ready to learn how to swim, there is not a lot of research about it, but research has shown that children do not have the skills to swim on their own until maybe at the age of 4 years old and above even if their swimming lessons start at a younger age. It should be however noted that one should not assume that a child who knows how to swim is not at risk for drowning. No matter what their swimming skill levels, i t is important to supervise young children while they are in the water. (World Health Organization, 2006) Whenever a child is near water, invest in proper-fitting, coast guard-approved flotation devices (life vests) and use them. Check the recommendations for the weight and size on the label, then to make sure that it fits snugly, have your child try it on. Choose a vest with a strap between the legs and head support for children young than 5 years old- the collar will keep the child’s head up and face out of the water. Arm devices such as water wings and inflatable vests are not effective protection against drowning. Water safety precautions start in the home, for example the bathroom is full of dangers for young children. A young child should never be left unattended in the bathroom especially while bathing even if the child appears to be well propped in a safety tub or bath ring. All hair dryers and other electrical appliances should be kept away to avoid the risk of electrocution to children. Hot water can also be dangerous, for the children who are young than 5 years in particular. Unlike older children and adults, young children have thinner skin, meaning that they burn more easily. Just 3 seconds exposure to hot tap water that’s 60 degrees Celsius can give a third degree burn to a child. To reduce the risk of scalding you can turn the water heater thermostat in your home down to 49 degree Celsius and by always testing the water with your wrist or elbow before placing your child in the bath. Child safety is not only to be found at home, your awareness of preventing accidents caused by water can go a long way outside the home. This can be done by finding out if there are water hazards’ in your neighbourhood. Find out whether there are pools or water spas, where the retaining ponds or creeks that may attract children are. Make neighbours who have pools aware that you have a young child and ask them to keep their gates locked. (World Health Organization, 2006) When it comes to safety issues at your own home, having a pool, pond, spa, or hot tub is a tremendous responsibility. Though hot tubs may feel great to adults, it is best not to let children use them at all because they can become dangerously overheated in them and even drown. Having a fence going a round the pool or spa between the water and your house is the best safety investment you can make and this can go a long way towards preventing pool-related drowning. According to consumer product safety commission (CPSC), fences for the pool should meet the following rules: First, fences should stand at least 4feet high with no foot or handrails for children to climb on, secondly the slats should be less than 4 inches apart so a child can not get through, or if chain link, should have no opening larger than50millimeters. Also gates should be self –closing and self-latching, and the latch should be out of the child’s reach. Other devices such as pool covers and alarms can be bought, but the American Academy of paediatrics (AAP) have not proved their effectiveness against drowning for very young children. The AAP strongly supports fencing as the best measure of protection. (United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2005) Another way of ensuring safety for young children is to teach them proper pool behaviour, and to make sure that you take the right precautions too. Young children should not run or push around the pool and should never dive in areas that are marked for diving. If there is lightning or if the weather generally turns bard, they should get out of the pool immediately. They should too know that they should contact the lifeguard or an adult if there is an emergency. Most important, supervise your children all the times. You should not assume that just because your child took swimming lessons or is using a floating device such as an inner tube or inflatable raft that there is no drowning risk. Sometimes it is very easy to be distracted for example when you are in a party, therefore designate an adult who will be responsible for watching the children. If in any case you leave your child with a babysitter, make sure he or she knows your rules for the pool. It is also vital understanding that when it comes to water emergencies seconds count, so take a cordless phone with you when you are watching children during water play. A quick dial feature keyed to your local emergency centre will also save additional seconds. If you receive a call while supervising children, be keen to keep your conversation brief to prevent being distracted. Make sure that you have safety equipment such as floatation devices that are in good shape and are close at hand when boating or swimming. Review your home for water hazards and plan what to do in case of an emergency once you have installed all your safety equipment. Also make sure that you have all post emergency numbers on all phones and ensure that all caregivers are aware of their locations. Be sure to remove all pool toys and put them away after your children have finished playing in the pool. This is because it has been noted that some children drown while trying to retrieve playthings left in the pool. (United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2005) Water safety should also be considered even after the swim season has passed. This is because some pools have covers and it is not safe in the sense that many children love attempt to walk on top of the covered pools and may get trapped underneath a pool cover. Pools are tempting play areas for young children so keep your pool gates locked and teach your children to stay away from water without your supervision. For the above-ground pools, to lock or to remove the ladder when the pool is not in use is a good idea. Although the biggest worry, drowning isn’t the only concern when young children are exposed to water. Infants in particular are highly susceptible to diseases that can be transmitted in water. When an infant is introduced in to a pool, thereafter dry the child’s ears carefully by use of a towel or cotton ball to help prevent swimmers ear (an ear infection caused by water). In order to remove pool chemicals, it’s a good idea to wash the baby and shampoo the hair. Water temperatures below 29 degree Celsius can cause babies to lose heat quickly and body temperatures drop below normal, causing hypothermia. Therefore any child who starts to shiver should be removed from water immediately, dried and kept in a towel. Inside the pools young children can also cause diseases. Cryptosporidium is a parasite which normally lives in the gastrointestinal tract and is found in faeces and it can therefore be released by babies with leaky diapers. Into pools and accidentally when swallowed by others can cause problems. The safest thing in this case is to keep your baby out of pools until he/she is toilet taught, and if the child must go to a pool use waterproof diapers and change them frequently. (World Health Organization, 2006) In Case of Emergency Always check the pool first whenever a child is missing. Remember that survival of the child depends on a quick rescue and restarting breathing as soon as possible. Get the child out immediately if you find it in water while calling loudly for help. If there is anyone else available let them call the emergency number for help. Check and make sure that the air passages of the child are clear. If the child is not breathing, do five cycles of rescue breathing and chest compressions for a bout two minutes or so. If the child is still not breathing, continue giving this first aid as you dial the emergency number to get help if someone hasn’t already called and follow any instructions provided by the emergency operators. Lay the child on his or her side it breathing starts-this will help keep the airway open and allow fluids to drain so that the child doesn’t choke. Keep the child on his or her back and brace the neck and shoulders with your hands and forearms, if you think t he child may have suffered a neck injury, until emergency help arrives. Do not move or let the child move. Also to keep the child comforted, speak in calm tones and continue to watch for adequate breathing. (United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2005) Conclusion It has been noted clearly that water can be a great source of fun for young children. However, if not well supervised, children can find themselves in great danger even to a point of death through drowning, commonly found in the family pools. Flotation devices or swimming skills cannot safe a child from drowning. Children in water can also pass risks like diseases to other pool users. It is also important to check the water temperature and the PH level to ensure safety of the children. All the discussed safety tips above should be put into consideration. Above all it should be noted that the only best way to ensure water and pool safety for young children is through adult supervision- the best way to supervise a child is by being within arms reach and engaging and interacting with your children when they are in, on, or around water. Do not let children to take care of their younger siblings. Reference Kebabjian, R. (1995): Disinfection of Public Pools and Management of Fecal Accidents: Journal of Environmental Health; 58 (1): 8-12 Minnesota Department of Health (2002): Recommended Guide for the Removal of Fecal Matter from a Swimming Pool for Consideration by Pool Owners and Operators New South Wales Health Department (1999): Protocol for Minimising the Risk of Cryptosporidium Contamination in Public Swimming Pools and Spa Pools Steinenger, J. (1991): Improving Pool Sanitation; Journal of Environmental Health; May/June 53(6): 26-28 United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (2005): Guidelines for Entrapment Hazards: Making Pools and Spas Safer World Health Organization (2006): Guidelines for safe recreational water environments: Vol. 2; Swimming pools and similar environments

Aristotle on Paideia of Principles :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Aristotle on Paideia of Principles ABSTRACT: Aristotle maintains that paideia enables one to judge the method used by a given speaker without judging the conclusions drawn as well (I.1 De Partibus Animalium). He contends that this "paideia of principles" requires three things: seeing that principles are not derived from one another; seeing that there is nothing before them within reason; and, seeing that they are the source of much knowledge. In order to grasp these principles, one must respectively learn to recognize what distinguishes the subject matters studied in different disciplines, see first principles as coming from experience and acquire the habit of seeking them in one’s experience and, finally, see first principles as being the source of conclusions. While the second and third points might at first seem to pertain to "nous" and science, respectively, rather than to paideia, the case can be made that paideia involves more of a firm grasp of principles than "nous" and a less perfect way of relating co nclusion to principles than science. Aristotle speaks explicitly of paideia of method, the most noteworthy passage being Bk. 1, c. 1 of The Parts of Animals. He also explicitly identifies certain thinkers as lacking paideia this sort of paideia. Paideia of method allows a person to judge the way a speaker is proceeding without for so much being able to judge his conclusions (639a15). What is less obvious is that Aristotle holds that there is paideia of principles. However, there is one passage which makes this fairly clear (NE 1098b5, cited below). In addition, careful examination of passages where Aristotle calls attention to judgments or misjudgments pertaining to paideia reveals that there is not one but many reasons for calling a method either good or bad, some of which reasons have to do with principles. This can be seen by contrasting the following two cases: Aristotle is critical of ethicists who insist on proceeding solely by demonstration because such rigor is inappropriate to ethical matters (NE 1094b20-28). However, the reason he criticizes Pythagoras for explaining moral virtue in terms of mathematical principles,(1) is that Pythagoras is starting from principles which are inadequate to explaining this matter. Of the two mistakes, that as to the starting point is plainly more serious. Every error as to starting point entails error as to one's subseque nt proceeding, but not vice versa. A principle is always a principle of something, and every method or orderly proceeding has a principle or starting point.

Film Analysis Essay on Crash (2004)

The movie â€Å"Crash† – from director and producer Paul Haggis – pictures one day in the lives of various characters in Los Angeles, all of them from different social and racial backgrounds but nevertheless connected and intertwined throughout the story. The movie’s story is being told in a mostly chronological way, except that it puts one scene to the very beginning of the film and then cuts back to the day prior, indicated by the visual text â€Å"yesterday†.In this first sequence, detectives Graham Waters and his partner Ria have been rearended when they arrive at a crime scene, leading to a fight between Hispanic Ria and the accident responsible, furious Chinese Kim Lee, involving race-related insults towards each other. Breaking through the temporal order and showing everything that has happened prior to this fight gives the explanation why Kim Lee is so furious and why she was in such a hurry, as her husband is in hospital for being run over by a car.This strategy of playing with the viewer’s opinion and sympathy about the single characters is one that is central for the movie. Therefore a lot of prejudices are implicitly and explicitly presented through the narrative and the movie’s surface. Anthony and Peter for example are being pictured as two young adolescents just leaving a diner and discussing the (non-)discriminating treatment of the waitress. In Anthony’s opinion even other black people are racist towards Afro-Americans and that white people are scared of them although they are not even dressed like â€Å"gang-bangers†.This gives the impression of young people being worried and angry about ungrounded racial discrimination. Then the dialogue suddenly changes, both of them pull a gun and they steal the car from Rick and Jean Cabot – the two white people they just accused of having prejudices about them – leaving the viewer with a sudden change in the characterization they were given before. The movie continues like this when it shows the Hispanic locksmith Daniel Ruiz – mean-looking, tattooed and with a shaved head.Jean Cabot’s assumption about him being a Gang member who will sell the keys to their house as soon as he is out the door is consistent with his outward appearance. It is not until later in the movie, when he arrives at home taking loving care of his daughter, that the first impression is negated and turned into the opposite. Most of the characters in Crash turn out to be different than the first picture that is drawn of them all the time turning the story towards unanticipated events and revealing important information bout character backgrounds. Beyond that, it is important mentioning the complex net of connections and entanglements that occur between the characters and their stories and events. There is Jean Corbet, accusing her locksmith Daniel Ruiz of being a gang member, whose daughter is almost shot by the Persian sho p owner Farhad, whose daughter works in the mortuary where Detective Graham Waters dead brother is identified as Peter, who stole Jean Corbets car, making her change the locks in her house in the first place.This list of connections could be continued with for another while, as there are more characters involved with even more links between them. This motive of connection is also shown by the cuts from one scene to the next via an audible and/or a visual connection. For instance when Ria storms out of Graham Waters apartment and slams the door after her, the film cuts to Officer John Ryan lying in his bed – suddenly being woken up by his Crash – 2004 Identity and Diversity in American Film Miriam Keller – 05/30/2012 Miriam Keller – 05/30/2012 groaning father.To the viewer it looks like he is wakes up from the slamming door, although there is no diegetic connection. Another example is the cut from Anthony and Peter just having stolen the black navigator, t o the crime scene of the shooting between two drivers. As the car with Anthony and Peter drives through the picture it cuts to a police car passing by in exactly the same camera-shot and revealing the crime scene behind it. Match-cuts like this are a reoccurring stylistic element, emphasizing the just specified net of entanglements.The central topic of racism and prejudices in the movie Crash is shown from various different angles, pointing at the complexity of this issue. It states that nothing and no one can be easily characterized and the importance of looking at the bigger picture instead of pigeonholing someone. All the different characters with their intertwined stories make it clear that everyone is connected and the range of influence of one person’s behavior is further than one would expect.

The Lesson of the Moth

Do you feel like you live your life to questionable? Or do you feel that life is to short and you should take every beautiful moment? Similar situation to the poem â€Å"the lesson of the moth†, the moth, he takes life for granted and rather risk his life for one moment. As for the roach he likes to take things slow as in living a longer life. He wouldn’t just throw his life away for nothing, Quality over quantity (moth) v. quantity over quality (roach). The moth is suicidal and the cockroach is a pansy. My reaction to the poem is that I agree. Also, I was surprised at how the author used animals as examples, instead of humans. it should be a combination of the two, because you should do exciting things in life but at the same time be careful what you do that way you don’t live a short life, but it is exciting at the same time. Because it’s okay to take the risky side, but if you fail it’s on you. And like the roach you’re taking more steps to a better life without any worries. I think this story teaches the lesson that some people become so sucked in with what they want in life and what they believe will make them happy they let all their inhibitions go, and their sense of reason almost disappears. What we think will make us happy, doesn’t always turn out the way we predict it to. Man and the moth are trying to accomplish the same thing†¦ a better life. Man wishes to live his life with half of the happiness and live twice as long, while the moth would rather live its life to the fullest even if it means it will be cut short.

How Drugs Affect The Economy Essays - Substance Abuse, Free Essays

How Drugs Affect The Economy Essays - Substance Abuse, Free Essays How Drugs Affect The Economy The word drug is defined as any substance other than food that can affect the way your mind and body work. There are hundreds of different drugs, each with its particular effect on the bodys nervous system. For instance, narcotics are a series of drugs that affect the mind, causing mental changes. The United States Government will not allow new drugs to be prescribed by a doctor or sold by a pharmacist until the drug has been thoroughly tested and proven to be medically safe. These tests take as long as years to be approved for public use. Unstable drugs, referred to on the streets as Crack, PCP, Ice, LSD, Speed, and many others, are made up of several chemical substances which are produced illegally under poor circumstances. Unstable drugs are responsible for killing thousands of young people each year, those who escape death are sometimes confined to a mental institution. (http://netunlimited.net/cdapnc) . The topic of drug abuse prevention is a big one among the leaders in America. Kids as young as eleven years old experimenting with drugs. Signs to look for, for people getting into drugs, according to the D.A.R.E. Manual are dramatic changes in behavior, signs of physical deterioration, identification with drug culture, signs of paraphernalia, dramatic changes in school performance, these are only a few. We are taught as children to avoid danger, though it does not always come through in the end. And the sad thing is that the people who suffer from these killers (drugs) place them in their own bodies. The end result is the same. So what is the difference? (http://saynonow.org). Drugs are effecting the economy and America. I think we need to make a stand now, because the kids of America today, do not need this. We are the leaders of tomorrow. Drugs are affecting us by changing our feelings, thoughts, and emotions. If I was high right now, I couldnt write this paper. The economy is being effected as we speak because of substance abuse. People are spending their hard-earned money on Ice, Crack, LSD, and Dope!?! The money spent on drugs is less money for taxes to pay for the building of better schools, or making of better roads, money not being spent on helping a child, or even buying videocassette tapes. This takes us to the word opportunity cost, which means that the real cost of a product is not the amount of money spent, but the things that cannot be bought because money is spent. Now let me tell you this, when youre dealing with drugs, there is opportunity cost going on there. Lets relate to the younger generation: Youre walking down the street, its a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and theres a big anniversary date that night with your girlfriend. You see a guy you recognize and he offers you marijuana for $100.00. You accept the deal thinking nothing of it. Later that night the bill comes in at the Italian restaurant, that same restaurant wher e you had your first date at, and the bill comes out to $95.41. Now, the money you spent on drugs for Sunday would have bought you the meal, but instead you have to stay after and wash dishes to work off the money. I guess what Im trying to say in this paper, about how drugs affect the economy, is that the biggest stab is at the younger generation. I think we are the people of the new millenium. Being these people we do not need drugs to ruin the things that we will bring to the economy. Especially the things we bring that will make us the best for the next thousand years.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Maggie Fox writing for NBC News wrote that, if health care was banking it would take days to withdraw money from an ATM because records would be misplaced and if it were airline pilots would have to depend on their own intuitions to dictate which safety checks to carry out (Fox, 2012).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Well, not too harsh an assessment considering the mess that currently bedevils our health care system. As a matter of fact, the rain has not just started beating us now; the US health care system was declared broken and requiring fixing more than a decade ago. This underscores the recent spate of actions in terms of policy legislation that we are still yet to all agree on. That aside, there are serious issues with our health care system. Issues of priority such as access in terms of the uninsured, quality and cost in that ord er are the three most important things in a health care system (Nyman, 2003). I will highlight and discuss in detail each of the three in this paper. It is quite unfortunate that in the US the most developed economy in the world today access to health care is right now an issue yet to be addressed fully. Most recent statistics indicate that close to 40 million Americans in this day and era are uninsured and still have to struggle to meet their health care requirements (Squires, 2012). A few critics would argue that insurance and access cannot be taken as one since the uninsured could still walk into any health care facility and get medical attention at their own cost. However, this would be the narrowest thinking to look at this issue.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More With the ever escalating costs, upsurge of chronic diseases requiring complex and costly medical routi nes to prevent and cure, one can never go wrong in arguing that health insurance is an essential part of care access. Any sound and viable plan for the future to fix our health care system therefore must arise to this fact and promise to offer universal coverage that guarantees every American citizen right to basic health plan of their choice. Secondly, quality is an important aspect of a sound health care system. According to OECD health data database 2011, despite high health care costs and spending as well quality indicators of health in the US reflect variable performance and notably not any superior in comparison with other far less expensive systems of other countries in the study (Squires, 2012). Even though the US is notably rated among the best countries with the highest survival rates for certain chronic ailments in some other chronic diseases the same trend is not consistent with poor showing and in some instances below average performance. Given that in some of these chr onic conditions that the US records a poor showing make up and indeed constitute an increasing share of the disease burden casts doubts as to the quality of care accorded by our current system. Thirdly but not least is the cost of health care. With nearly $8,000 average spending on health per capita according to statistics carried out in 2009, the cost of health care in the US is arguably the most expensive in the world (Squires, 2012). This is in comparison with countries such as Japan and New Zealand spending one-third of that and Switzerland and Norway that spends about two-thirds of same. In fact if the trend is anything to go by, the US average per capita spending on health care continue to grow highest than any other economy (Squires, 2012).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More We need a health care system that can address these both in terms of reversing the unsustainable trend of escalating health associated costs and also reduce the current recorded spending on health care. It is important to note the Affordable Care Act of 2010 cognizant of each of the three major issues highlighted above was designed with specific attention to address them. Firstly with respect to access, the Act proposes universal health insurance coverage for all that would guarantee every citizen to a basic health plan of their choice effectively doing away with previously income-related payments that uninsured would have received. In addition, the ACA envisages an electronic medical record to store patients’ records and allows physicians via a tight security protocols this information effectively simplifying the health care system that hitherto preapproval requirement by authorities to gain access to this information. This measure also addresses the issue of quality of health care as both the physician and the patient can be able t o trend the medical history. Effectively patients would be able to demand quality care and physicians afraid to taint their careers offer better services. Having addressed both access and quality the issue of cost comes in automatically through improved system efficiencies and use of preventive rather than curative measures (Santerre Neun, 2013). In conclusion it will be interesting to see how the plan works given it will be difficult to eliminate the unnecessary services currently offered which compounds the cost of health care as well as the huge administrative challenges.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the downside, the plan as some critics point out are the unintended consequences in terms of tax burden which not until the current costs are brought down is a concern to many. On the upward side though, is an ambitious plan which if it works could lift up the welfare of all Americans and be a major reprieve of our ailing health care system. References Fox, M. (2012). US health care: Its officially a mess, institute says. Web. Nyman, J. A. (2003). The Theory of Demand for Health Insurance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Santerre, R. E. and Neun, S. P. (2013). Health Economics: Theories, Insights, and Industry Studies, 6th Edition, Mason, OH: South-Western. Squires, D. A. (2012). Explaining High Health Care Spending in the United States: An International Comparison of Supply, Utilization, Prices, and Quality. Commonwealth Fund pub. 1595, Vol. 10.

Job application letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job application letter - Essay Example Some of the courses that I have taken during my Bachelor’s course include Business Skills and Environment, Introduction to Corporate Finance, Investment Management, International Finance, and Risk and Insurance Management. I am qualified in the use of a wide range of softwares and computer programs including MS Power Point, MS Word, MS Excel. I also have an introductory knowledge of the Financial Ratio Analysis Software. During my internship at Masdar, I have been exposed to the Investment Lifecycle Management that acquainted me with the skills of tracking and preparing an investment Due Diligence with the team under the office of the CEO. This experience not only inculcated the necessary knowledge of the design and management of investment, but also provided me with an opportunity to work as part of a team so that I attain the teamwork skills required to excel in a culturally diverse and dynamic workplace. I have been a distinguished student throughout my academic career. This reflects in my GPA which is 3.732, as well as the fact that I received the Distinguished Students Scholarship, by the Scholarship Office- SCO (Abu Dhabi), and the USA-Phi Sigma Theta National Honor Society. In addition to my technical capabilities, I also have myriad of skills that make me an excellent professional. One of my most weighty skills is knowledge of multiple languages. I can communicate both verbally and textually in English, and Arabic, though I also understand French. During the three weeks that I spent as an intern at Masdar, I happened to communicate with coworkers belonging to different ethnicities. Having worked in such a diverse work environment, my confidence that I can adjust well in a challenging environment increased manifolds. Besides, I have also taken a course of Technical Communications at the Ohio State University. I have a strong knowledge of work ethics which enables me to optimize on my potential to deliver my best both as an individual and as part of a

Spotify highlights Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Spotify highlights - Article Example New songs that have been released need to be promoted for people to listen. Spotify creates awareness for those songs in so doing the song can become a trending song and a benefit to both the artist and Spotify as a whole. For instance, the use of YouTube to promote new songs has enhanced the accessibility of songs and rating. Artists are paid depending on the number of views a song has attracted. The song â€Å"The blacker the berry† by Kendrick Lamar is nice and not all his fan were able to grab an audio copy of the song. On YouTube the song, it had three million views in a span of one day. This clearly shows social media has an influential capacity to songs. The reason Spotify has added users rapidly is because of its tie-ups with social media sites (Bostrà ¶m, Raoul, Kieran, Bidisha, Juan, and Skee, 2). Social media is the marketing platform for Spotify and, therefore, will require its users to own a social media account. 75% of Americans own a social media account, and this is beneficial for Spotify in creating awareness for new songs across different age-group. Communicating with the users need to be two-way traffic a feature that is supported by the social medias. For instance, a dislike or a like from the consumer side is easily shared using on-line platform. Spotify has capitalized on Facebook and tweeter as an on-line platform to share opinions from either side. Opinions and suggestions from users make it easy for Spotify to identify the areas which they need to improve for better service delivery. Artists whose songs are in YouTube will read reviews from their fans and spot area that needs improvement or in some cases listeners appreciate the work of the

Espionage Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Espionage - Term Paper Example It is commonly regarded as spying that entails secretly gathering of information about a competing industry or a foreign government without the holder’s consent of the information. The term can be a reference to economic, political, or business decisions. However, espionage is common to government defensive and foreign policy. Espionage is intrinsically taken for granted, and in many cases punishable by law. Generally, many associates the term with state spying for military purpose that play a crucial role in planning combat phases. The term is an old ancient craft used throughout history in various instances such as in the Bible in the book of numbers when leaders sent spies to scrutinize a country. Still, the cold war relied on intense espionage activities that helped to establish the nuclear weapons secrets. Following this, one can affirm that large corporations and governments make use of espionage to varying degrees. This paper seeks to discuss the origins of Espionage, i ts’ famous cases, targets, and various agents and techniques used to collect this information. Espionage is one of the most known activities of treason. It categorized as political crime that involves transmitting and gathering information correlated to the intent of national defence. Espionage events are well acknowledged throughout history and recorded in ancient documents such as the Bible (Buckley, 2010). In the Bible, one can trace the term in the book of Numbers when Israelites secretly surveyed the country of the Canaanites. Moses dispatched some spies from each Israelites tribe to survey the land of Canaanites for forty days. The intended purpose was to gather information about agriculture and events of the country and efficiently use this information to conquer the land. This was the land promised by God to Abraham that he would posses for future generations, Isaac. Eventually, the

Discussion Questions In Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion Questions In Class - Essay Example A limited liability partnership is an organization in which a number of partners or all of them have limited liability. It is true that this type of organization provides the protection of limited liability, characteristics of a corporation and tax advantages of a partnership, and that there exists many similarities between the limited liability corporation and this kind of partnership. According to Sutton (2001), the limited liability corporation reports its income on a â€Å"schedule corporation tax form and computes its self-employment tax on a schedule self employment tax form†. In the case of multiple member liability limited corporation, self employment tax is paid on the member’s allocations on profits. The corporation’s income is reported separately on a 1065 tax return for partnership with each partner computing the bills for self employment tax on their allocations of partnership gains on the schedule self employment tax forms that go along with the 1040 returns on personal tax (Clifford and Warner 2008). It is therefore not true to say that the profit is not subject to self employment tax. A corporation is taxed and also files taxes. It is also important to note that individuals in the partnership are protected against joint liability in the case of one partner or many in the business commits an act of malpractice or misconduct. It is only the assets of the member who has been proofed to have caused failure due to negligence which are attached in case of business failure (Sutton 2001). When it is treated as a corporation, pay self employment tax is not charged on the corporation’s profit. However, according to Sutton (2001), the 1120 of the liability Limited Corporation reports the corporate income tax that is subjected on the profits. The corporation is usually limited by the shares. Non U.S. residents are allowed to own limited liability corporations. It is

Sky Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Sky - Essay Example Ltd, a Chinese car manufacturer that wishes to expand its business internationally with the help of mergers and acquisitions with existing company in host country. For the company, I suggest a business expansion in Mexico country through merger with Mastretta, a Mexican car manufacturer. This company established in 1987 and produced self-developed cars and sports cars with the help of experienced engineers and designers of Mexico. On the other hand, Chery is founded in 1997 and it produced passenger cars, minivans and SUVs (Chery International, 2010). On the basis of output, it is the ninth largest automaker in China. It exports around 25% of total production around the world. The company has various factories in different countries such as Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, Middle East, Russia, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand and many more that produces Chery vehicles (Chery International, 2010). Now, the company wants to expand its business in Mexico. In this, various reasons to expand business in this country, factors that influence the transfer of business and marketing mix for Mexican market will be discussed. Along with this, environmental analysis of Mexico country will be done with the help of evidence and examples. Analysis In the overseas business expansion, companies has faced various issues regarding different political and economic conditions, cyber risks, corruption, different culture, labor laws, education system, infrastructure and ethics. In order to select a country or location for business expansion, various factors are considered such as commute patterns, infrastructure, land availability and labor availability (Russell and Cohn, 2012). According to these factors, US is best choice but in other countries, company can face issues of changes in government and laws, tax systems, labor cost and labor laws. Along with this, timeline, rights and preservation of workers, incentives, working hours organizational and culture management techniques are different in overseas business expansion. Reasoning Chery, a Chinese car manufacturer company wants to expand its business in Mexico. The company selects this country for business expansion because the automotive industry of Mexico is growing industry. It is attractive for automotive manufacturing companies due to proximity to the US and it is the world’s largest automotive market (Contreras, 2008). Along with this, various automobile companies from US, Japan and Europe shifted their plants in this country to get the benefits of strategic location, low labor cost and NAFTA (Moreno and Kellogg, 1996). The automotive industry in Mexico contributes 18% in manufacturing GDP and creates around 56,000 jobs (ProMexico, 2013). Apart from this, there are various reasons to select this country for business expansion such as: Free trade: This country has more free trade agreements as compared to other countries and USA. For example, Mexico has free trade agreements with EU that is helpful to save 1 0% tariff. Along with this, Central Mexico is the highest growth area for the production of vehicles and it is not only for US and Canadian market but also for global production (Russell and Cohn, 2012). Apart from this, due to suitable business conditions, various automakers announced $7.8 billion of investment in Mexico within two years (See: appendix 1). So, this country is good for the business expansion

Small Groups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Small Groups - Essay Example The great thing was that we coped well without her because we already knew what points we needed to make. It was sometimes unexpected when one group member couldn’t make it, but the rest of us knew our roles and we also helped pitched in to make up for the lack of a group member I would say that the reason why our group was so successful was because there were many different cultures, styles, and personalities. There were times when some group members clashed, but the main advantage to working with such a diverse group is that everyone can offer a different opinion. More than that, everyone was open to the other group members expressing their own opinion and they were not shot down for it. This helped to create a sense of trust within the group and it also helped our meetings run smoother because we were able to work quite quickly. There were not too many factors that contributed to the group’s problems, but if I had to name one I would probably say that we were too relaxed at times. It was good that we all got on well as a group, but sometimes this togetherness would lead to going off topic because we had no one to keep us on track. I would not change the fact that we were friendly with each other, but there could have been a leader appointed at the beginning so that there was someone to keep us all in check. The first time I met Trish I thought that she was a time-orientated person. She just had a look on her face that showed determination and focus. My impression of Trish has stayed relatively the same because for our group she was the one to organize everything even though there was not a group leader. For Paul, I did not know him that well but I saw him as someone who could be useful as a conversation starter. He turned out to be the joker of the group because he would lighten the atmosphere at tense moments, but he was also

Discussion Questions In Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion Questions In Class - Essay Example A limited liability partnership is an organization in which a number of partners or all of them have limited liability. It is true that this type of organization provides the protection of limited liability, characteristics of a corporation and tax advantages of a partnership, and that there exists many similarities between the limited liability corporation and this kind of partnership. According to Sutton (2001), the limited liability corporation reports its income on a â€Å"schedule corporation tax form and computes its self-employment tax on a schedule self employment tax form†. In the case of multiple member liability limited corporation, self employment tax is paid on the member’s allocations on profits. The corporation’s income is reported separately on a 1065 tax return for partnership with each partner computing the bills for self employment tax on their allocations of partnership gains on the schedule self employment tax forms that go along with the 1040 returns on personal tax (Clifford and Warner 2008). It is therefore not true to say that the profit is not subject to self employment tax. A corporation is taxed and also files taxes. It is also important to note that individuals in the partnership are protected against joint liability in the case of one partner or many in the business commits an act of malpractice or misconduct. It is only the assets of the member who has been proofed to have caused failure due to negligence which are attached in case of business failure (Sutton 2001). When it is treated as a corporation, pay self employment tax is not charged on the corporation’s profit. However, according to Sutton (2001), the 1120 of the liability Limited Corporation reports the corporate income tax that is subjected on the profits. The corporation is usually limited by the shares. Non U.S. residents are allowed to own limited liability corporations. It is

Small Groups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Small Groups - Essay Example The great thing was that we coped well without her because we already knew what points we needed to make. It was sometimes unexpected when one group member couldn’t make it, but the rest of us knew our roles and we also helped pitched in to make up for the lack of a group member I would say that the reason why our group was so successful was because there were many different cultures, styles, and personalities. There were times when some group members clashed, but the main advantage to working with such a diverse group is that everyone can offer a different opinion. More than that, everyone was open to the other group members expressing their own opinion and they were not shot down for it. This helped to create a sense of trust within the group and it also helped our meetings run smoother because we were able to work quite quickly. There were not too many factors that contributed to the group’s problems, but if I had to name one I would probably say that we were too relaxed at times. It was good that we all got on well as a group, but sometimes this togetherness would lead to going off topic because we had no one to keep us on track. I would not change the fact that we were friendly with each other, but there could have been a leader appointed at the beginning so that there was someone to keep us all in check. The first time I met Trish I thought that she was a time-orientated person. She just had a look on her face that showed determination and focus. My impression of Trish has stayed relatively the same because for our group she was the one to organize everything even though there was not a group leader. For Paul, I did not know him that well but I saw him as someone who could be useful as a conversation starter. He turned out to be the joker of the group because he would lighten the atmosphere at tense moments, but he was also

Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway Essay Example for Free

Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway Essay Hemingways story Hills Like White Elephants appears on the surface as a brief and unremarkable vignette written almost all in dialogue, with minimal action and an unclear final resolution, the story is actually a watershed of narrative invention and a radical shift from Hemingways usual perspective, as it is most often defined by readers and critics. As Alan Cheuse remarks in his essay Reflections on Dialogue: How Dyuh Get tEighteent Avenoo and Sixty-Sevent Street? American writers, possess an acute ability to create skeins of seemingly natural language that make up a world out of human speech (Cheuse) and also represent a special gift for create entire worlds through dialogue, as is readily manifest in Hills Like White Elephants. Hemingways style of natural language is an elementary base of his technique in Hills Like White Elephants. Another narrative strategy is that he strips away the expository writing or the direct information to the reader which would help the reader to place the action of the story in context. Rather than weigh down the narrative, Hemingway leaves his story lean and bare, primarily relying on conflict-charged dialogue between the storys two main characters. By refusing to included background information or even internal monologue on behalf of the two characters, Hemingway leaves virtually everything, even what is at issue between the girl and the American, for the reader to figure out, and this strategy includes the storys final resolution: whether or not the girl in story opts to have the couples child or whether she chooses as is the mans desire, to have an abortion. The lack of final resolution is notable enough that even critics are left to their own devices to decide what happens to finish the story and conclude the conflict between the two characters. As one scholar commented, the ending has seemed stubbornly indeterminate (Renner); however, the same critic, Renner, has forwarded a compelling theory as to how the resolution of Hills Like White Elephants can be deduced from a careful study of its narrative form, imagery, and symbolism, The conflict in the title: the burden of something unwanted a white elephant merged with the symbol of hills suggesting rich fertility extends throughout the story, forms its basic theme, and functions as an axis on which the changing attitudes and evolving conflict between the characters spins. In order to integrate the various levels of narrative along Renners theoretical lines in order to find the storys true resolution, the piece must be examined from a formal perspective with due note given to its imagery and symbolism a well as the nuances contained in the storys plentiful dialogue, (Renner) which leaves the reader able to deduce that the man in the story has indeed been sensitive to the womans situation. According to Renner, the story takes place in four distinct movements and these movements are the key components to understanding the resolution of the story. Renners distinction of the four movements follows an ascending structure of character development and character conflict: In the first movement we are shown the stereotypical passive female, not even knowing her own mind, accustomed to following a masterful male for her direction in life, the next movement illustrates the girls character development toward a dramatic realization of her own mind-her own welfare, dreams, and values; by the third movement, the girl begins to assert herself, and by the fourth and final movement, we see the result of her development toward self-realization which Renner insists reveals, also, the actual conclusion of the story, (Renner). To extrapolate a probable resolution for the conflict in Hills Like White Elephants it becomes necessary to examine the conflict which lies under the overt abortion-question of the story. If the story is, indeed, about the capitulation of the girl, then her refusal to capitulate is evident form the action of the story. When the girl says Would you please, please, please, please, please, please, please stop talking, her victory is indicated. The abortion will not be performed and the realization of her independence form the man has been attained. In this way, Hemingways story reveals a feminine point of view and a feminine dominance which is usually not associated with his fiction (Renner). Works Cited Cheuse, Alan. Reflections on Dialogue: How Dyuh Get tEighteent Avenoo and Sixty-Sevent Street? . The Antioch Review Spring 2005: 222+. Meyers, Jeffrey, ed. Ernest Hemingway: The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge, 1997. Renner, Stanley. Moving to the Girls Side of Hills like White Elephants. . The Hemingway Review 15. 1 (1995): 27+.

Importance Of National And Organisational Culture Management Essay

Importance Of National And Organisational Culture Management Essay With the recent acquisition of Nexen Inc. by CNOOC Limited, the problem of managing cross cultural challenges arises. This is because of the cultural differences between China and Canada which both companies represent. This management report addresses the envisaged challenges of national and organisational culture arising from CNOOC acquisition of Nexen, by applying Hofstede cultural models. The report commences with introduction, followed by background of CNOOC acquisition of Nexen. It also discusses meaning and importance NC and OC culture; it then discusses the challenges and management strategies. It would conclude and make recommendations on how to mitigate the challenges. WORD COUNT: 2,498 PRESENTED TO: MS. Gillian Pallis CONTRACT CONCERNING PLAGIARISM I have read the code of practice regarding plagiarism contained in the students introductory Handbook. I realize that this code governs the way in which the Centre for Energy, and Mineral Law and Policy regards and treats the issue of plagiarism. I have understood the code and in particular I am aware of the consequences, which may follow if, I breach the code. I also authorize the centre to scan the e-copy of my research paper through the plagiarism detection software to detect plagiarism. SIGNED: ___________________________________ Date: TERMS OF REFERENCE This is a report by 110024120 an MSC student in International Oil and Gas Management, University of Dundee, Centre for Energy, Petroleum Law and Policy (CEPMLP). The report has been prepared exclusively for and at the request of the Senior Strategy Team of CNOOC Limited to address potential management challenges to the continued effective control of business arising from the acquisition of Nexen Inc. This report is focused on the perspective of delivering suitable management practices in meeting the envisaged challenges. The aim of the report is to present a critical and informed analysis of appropriate managerial strategies and practices for the challenges of national and organisational culture differences in post-acquisition performance. It concludes with some recommendations for consideration by the Senior Strategy Team of CNOOC and Nexen. TABLE OF CONTENTS TERMS OF REFERENCE 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 4 KIFs Knowledge Intensive Firms 4 KIWs Knowledge Intensive Workers 4 CHAPTER ONE 5 1. INTRODUCTION 5 CHAPTER TWO 6 2. BACKGROUND OF CNOOC ACQUISITION OF NEXEN 6 CHAPTER THREE 7 3. MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE 7 CHAPTER FOUR 8 4. THE CHALLENGES OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE 8 4.1. HOFSTEDE FOUR DIMENSIONS MODELS FOR NATIONAL CULTURE 8 4.2. HOFSTEDE SIX DIMENSION MODEL FOR ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE 9 4.3. ANALYSIS OF THE MODELS AND CHALLENGES OF NC AND OC DIFFERENCES 10 4.4. STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING CULTURAL CHALLENGES 11 13 13 13 13 13 CHAPTER FIVE 13 5. CONCLUSION 13 CHAPTER SIX 14 6. RECOMMENDATION 14 BIBLOGRAPHY 15 APPENDIX 18 HOFSTEDS CULTURAL INDEX, SCORES FOR SELECTED COUNTRIES 18 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS NC National Culture OC Organisational Culture NXY New York Stock Exchange KIFs Knowledge Intensive Firms KIWs Knowledge Intensive Workers CHAPTER ONE 1. INTRODUCTION CNOOC Limited made global headlines on July 23, 2012 when it announced the acquisition of NEXEN, a Canadian based oil and Gas Company at the cost of $15.1 Billion. The acquisition is seen as Chinas largest Oil and Gas Company overseas acquisition Lauren (2012). NEXEN was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Nexen is a global energy company and is listed on the Toronto and New Yorks stock exchange under the symbol of NXY (www.nexeninc.com). Nexen is strategically located in different regions of the world; it has over 3,067 employees that add value for shareholders through successful oil and gas exploration and development. Consequent to the acquisition of Nexen, CNOOC Limited is now among one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world (www.cnooc.com). According to Barney (1988) many international acquisitions creates value for the acquirer through cooperation and integration to enhance sustainable growth. The objective of acquisition is to bring companies together and increase their competitive advantage through knowledge transfer, innovations and management skills. This is also a justification for an acquisition Fitzgibbon Seeger (2002). However, most international acquisitions come with complex management challenges Hitt, Harrison and Ireland (2001). Many factors are responsible for these challenges. Thus, this management report is aimed to address the envisaged challenges of national and organisational culture to the effective business performance in CNOOC acquisition of Nexen. This report will apply Hofstede (1980) four dimensions models and Hofstede (1990) six dimensions models as literature to argue that the challenges of NC and OC will affect post acquisition performance. The application of the two models is in line with a separate model developed by Hofstede for comparing OC differences. This is also consistent with Schein (1985) argument that organisational culture differences are not the same with national culture. The report will discuss the background of CNOOC acquisition of Nexen. It also discusses the meaning and importance of NC and OC culture; it then discusses the challenges and management strategies. It would conclude and make recommendations on how to mitigate the challenges. CHAPTER TWO 2. BACKGROUND OF CNOOC ACQUISITION OF NEXEN CNOOC Limited was established in 1999 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange in 2001 and is 70 percent owned by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (www.cnoocltd.com). CNOOC is one of Chinas largest producers of oil and natural gas and is also among the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production Companies in the world (www.cnoocltd.com). According to the chairman Mr Wang Yilin, based on the strategic business objective to expand CNOOC overseas business and deliver sustainable growth, thus complementing the large offshore production footprint in China. Extending its global presence to oil rich region like Western Canada, and other parts of the world are mandates for management to achieve. Consequently, the opportunity for the acquisition of NEXEN is an important part in CNOOC international business growth platform as mentioned by Chief Executive Officer of CNOOC Mr Li Fanrong, CNOOC Press release (2012). The acquisition of NEXEN by CNOOC Limited was announced on July 23, 2012 and approved by NEXEN shareholders on September 20, 2012 at the cost of $15.1 Billion (www.nexeninc.com). The acquisition will bring in benefits for both firms. CNOOC brings in a reassurance of stable company and strong financial base for investment, while Nexen Inc. will play an important part in international business growth platform. However, securing approval and making purchase does not end acquisition challenges. The challenges of acquisition may be ahead of what happens afterwards, the issues after takeover Lauren (2012). For NEXEN a Canadian company with western values and culture, the management and staff are accustomed to working independently. But with the acquisition, they will align with CNOOC as their new Chinese owner with a different culture and orientation Lauren (2012). As both companies are knowledge intensive firms (KIFs) with knowledge intensive workers (KIW) there will be challenging issues on NC and OC differences Alvesson (2004). Thus, this report addresses the challenges of NC and OC in CNOOC acquisition of NEXEN. We will proceed by looking at the meaning and importance of NC and OC. CHAPTER THREE 3. MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE NATIONAL CULTURE This was defined as the collective programming of the mind acquired by growing up in a particular country Hofstede (1991). National culture is reflected in basic values, such as feelings of right and wrong, good and evil, beautiful and ugly, rational and irrational Olie (1990). NC impacts many forms of organisational behaviour, ranging from decision-making styles and human resources management to behaviour in groups Kirkman, Love Gibson (2006). NC is treated as a relatively stable feature that changes very slowly Erez Earley, 1993; Hofstede (2001). ORGANSATIONAL CULTURE Hofstede (1980) defined organisational culture as the collective programming of the mind that differentiates the members of one organisation from others. Trice and Beyer (1984) views it is a system of publicly accepted meanings which operate for a group at a particular time; it is a pattern of shared basic assumptions developed by a group or organisation on how to cope with its environment, that are stable and difficult to change, and difficult to observe because many important parts of culture are invisible Schein (1985); and more so it can simply imply the way we do things around here Deal and Kennedy (1982). IMPORTANCE The importance of national and organisational culture in international acquisition cannot be disregarded Hatch, 1993; Schein, 1985 and Hofstede (1980). Managing international business or acquisition means handling and understanding both cultural differences at the same time. Knowledge of cultural practices across borders is significant for multinationals in order to hold the company together. National cultures are embedded in values, whereas organisational cultures are embedded in practices, when both cultures are ignored there could create challenges that affects post-acquisition performance. CHAPTER FOUR 4. THE CHALLENGES OF NATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE For the purpose of analysing the challenges of national and organisational culture, this report applies Hofstede cultural models to illustrate the major cultural differences which CNOOC of China and Nexen of Canada represent. Canada reflects the western cultural values wheras China reflects the Oriental Confucian group. The models are identified as follows: 4.1. HOFSTEDE FOUR DIMENSIONS MODELS FOR NATIONAL CULTURE INDIVIDUALISM/COLLECTIVISM This implies disharmony of interests on personal and collective goals Parsons and Shils (1951). Hofstede (1980) culture index (from the appendix) scored Canada 80 while China scored 20. This shows that the Canadians are highly independent of their organizations, preferring personal time, freedom, and challenge, whereas the Chinese employees have a stronger sense of belonging to their organization. POWER DISTANCE This refers to how different societies find different solutions on social inequality Mauk (1977). China scored 80 while Canada scored 39, indicating that Chinese employees are more comfortable with structured hierarchical levels and supervisors who make decisions. Canadians, on the other hand, prefer a more participatory style. UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE This implies the degree to which cultural members are willing to accept and deal with risky situations or unknown future Hofstede (1980). China scored 30 while Canada scored 48, meaning that the Chinese try to avoid risk and anxiety, while the Canadians neither seek nor avoid ambiguous situations. MASCULINITY/FEMININITY This refers to stereotyping gender expectations in organisations Hofstede (1984). China scored 66 while Canada scored 52, meaning that China has medium/high masculinity culture; whereas Canada has a medium/low masculinity culture. 4.2. HOFSTEDE SIX DIMENSION MODEL FOR ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE PROCESS ORIENTED VERSUS RESULT ORIENTED Process oriented cultures are dominated by technical and bureaucratic routines, while results oriented by a common concern for outcomes. In results-oriented units, everybody perceived their practices in about the same way; in process-oriented units, vast differences exist in perception among different levels and parts of the unit Hofstede (2011). JOB ORIENTED VERSUS EMPLOYEE ORIENTED Job oriented assumes responsibility for the employees job performance, while employee-oriented cultures assume a broad responsibility for their members wellbeing. At the level of individual managers, the distinction between job orientation and employee orientation has been popularized Blake and Moutons Managerial Grid (1964). PROFESSIONAL VERSUS PAROCHIAL Professionals usually imply the highly educated members identified primarily with their profession; while in Parochial, the members derive their identity from the organization for which they work. This is widely known as local versus cosmopolitan. OPEN SYSTEM VERSUS CLOSED SYSTEMS This dimension refers to the common style of internal and external communication, and to the ease with which outsiders and newcomers are admitted. It shows that organizational openness is a societal characteristic which means organization cultures also contain elements from national culture differences. TIGHT VERSUS LOOSE CONTROL This dimension deals with the degree of formality and punctuality within the organization; it is partly a function of the units technology: as most companies tend to show tight control, while others like advertising agencies show loose control. PRAGMATIC VERSUS NORMATIVE This last dimension describes the prevailing way of being flexible or rigid in dealing with the environment, particularly with customers. This dimension measures the degree of customer orientation, which is a highly popular topic in the marketing literature Hofstede et al. (1990). 4.3. ANALYSIS OF THE MODELS AND CHALLENGES OF NC AND OC DIFFERENCES By analysing the above cultural models as postulated by Hofstede, in the four dimension models we can identify differences in power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism/collectivism and femininity/masculinity between Canada and China which both companies represent. For the six dimensions models, CNOOC has process oriented culture with beurocratic routines while Nexen is more result oriented having concern for outcomes (www.nexeninc.com). Also Nexen culture are more job oriented while CNOOC have employee oriented culture with broad responsibility for their members wellbeing (www.cnoocltd.com). These cultural differences as illustrated creates challenges of conflicts, costs, and difficulties Hosted (1980; 2001). The cultural differences are also responsible for challenges and obstacles to achieving integration benefits Bjorkman, Stahl, Vaara (2007). It leads to decrease in shareholders value Datta and Puia (1995). It can complicate post acquisition integration and resource sharing Brock (2005). It causes human resource challenges like feeling of uncertainty and insecurity, causing culture clash and negative emotional reactions of employees towards acquisition Elsass and Veiga (1994) and culture collision Cartwright and Cooper (1993). They also lead to communication problems, ego clashes, inter-group conflicts, low employee morale, poor performance and ultimately retention Adkins and Caldwell (2004). However, these challenges can be mitigated by applying management practices and strategies. 4.4. STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING CULTURAL CHALLENGES Managing the challenges of national and organisational culture involves applying management practices or strategies by managers to reduce the challenges. The strategies are as follows: CULTURE INTEGRATION It involves the varying extent to which we can integrate more than one cultural perspective, mind-set, and behaviour into ones identity and worldview. It implies being able to move easily among cultures. It highlights the central importance of developing leaders and managers to the point where they have an ethno-relative experience of cultural difference Randy and Jacob (2009). SYNERGY APPROACH The approach involves adopting the strategy of managing the differences in culture. This implies recognising the challenges and using them to their advantage, rather than ignoring or allowing the challenges to cause problems Adler (1997). Managers therefore should be taught how to respect culture differences at work and how to work with them to maximise the contribution of each employee Cascio (1998). RESPECT FOR HOST COUNTRY CULTURE This means accepting the cultural difference without any judgment. No particular culture should claim perfection over the other culture. Cultures are different and for people they represent the ability to manage life situations and conditions the way they are familiar with for a long time Anisha (2011). IGNORING THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES The strategy implies a stage where the managers ignore the differences. It later becomes irrelevant as the managers and employees would be having good understanding about each others cultures and practices and they would have to respect the cultures. The employees and managers in this strategy feel that our way is the only way Adler (1997). CULTURAL ADAPTATION This strategy involves mutual understanding and simplification of complicated demanding processes of behaving in a different cultural condition. This step does not mean that the participating partner should give up their cultural background, but rather they should use their knowledge of their own culture to gain knowledge about the partners culture Anisha (2011). CHAPTER FIVE 5. CONCLUSION The challenges of national and organisational culture remain crucial in post-acquisition performance. Although CNOOC may experience many complex problems during the integration process, however the challenges of national and organisational culture differences can be very devastating. This is because most successes and failures of international acquisitions have been attributed to the challenges of cultural differences ( From the analysis of Hofstede cultural models we identify cultural differences between China and Canada which CNOOC and Nexen represent. For individualism/collectivism, it implies that Canadian employees are more independent of their organization, preferring freedom, whereas Chineese employees have a stronger sense of belonging to their organization. In power distance, China employees are more comfortable with structured hierarchical levels while Canada, on the other hand, prefer a more participatory style. With respect to uncertainty avoidance, Chineese tries to avoid risk and anxiety, while Canadians neither seek nor avoid ambiguous situations. In masculinity/femininity, China has medium/high masculinity culture whereas Canada has a medium/low masculinity culture. In terms of the organisational culture six dimensions models; there are cultural disparities between CNOOC and Nexen in the OC. Consequently, we can surmise that national and organisational culture differences are the biggest challenges that could affect international acquisition performance Hofstede (2001) such as that of CNOOC and Nexen. Thus, in order to mitigate these challenges, the recommendations below are made for the senior strategic team to adopt. CHAPTER SIX 6. RECOMMENDATION For CNOOC to enjoy sustained business performance in the acquisition of Nexen, the following recommendations are made to mitigate the challenges of NC and OC: Firstly, CNOOC should adopt culture management approach. This implies the process of developing or reinforcing an appropriate culture in the organisation Pretorius (2004). Culture management is also concerned with culture change, culture reinforcement, implementation and change management. The approach will achieve effective control of cultural difference challenges between CNOOC and Nexen. Secondly, culture training for employees is vital. It will sensitize them to the discriminations, biases and negative feelings of the diverse employees in the organisation Farren and Nelson (1999). Through training, employees can understand cultural diversity that exists between CNOOC and Nexen. Cultural training will also promote cooperation and coordination among employees to enable them live harmoniously and work comfortably. Thirdly, CNOOC should create awareness on cross cultural communication. This is because all levels of communication are affected by cultural dimensions like words, language, body language, gestures, etiquette dos and donts, clothing, gift giving, dining, customs and protocols William (2005). The knowledge of cross cultural communication is necessary because what may be considered perfectly acceptable and natural in China, can be uncultured or offensive in Canada. BIBLOGRAPHY BOOKS SOURCE Alvessson, M. (2004). Knowledge Work and Knowledge Intensive Firms. Oxford University Press, May 20th , 2004. pg102. Deal, T. E. and Kennedy, A. A. (1982). Corporate cultures: The rites and rituals of corporate life. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley. Cited in; Management An Introduction, by David Boddy with Steve Paton. Pearson Education Limited, 2011, Fifth Ed. Pg. 79. Hitt, M., Harrison, J. and Ireland, R. (2001). Mergers and acquisitions: A guide to creating value for stakeholders. Newyork: Oxford University Press. Copyright 2001, Pg5-6. Hofstede, G. (1984). International Differences in Work Related Values (2nd ed.) Beverly Hills CA: SAGE Publications. ISBN 0-8039-1444-X Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures Consequences: International differences in work related values, 1980, p.25, Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. JOURNALS AND ARTICLE SOURCE Adler, N. J. (1997). International Dimensions of Organisational Behaviour, Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Publishing. Adkins, B. and Caldwell, D. (2004). Firm or subgroup culture: Where does fitting in matter most? Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 25 (8) pp. 969-978. Barney, J. (1988). Returns to biding firms in merger and acquisitions: Reconsidering the relatedness hypothesis. Strategic Management Journal, 9(S1), 71-78. Bjorkman, I., Stahl, G., and Vaara, E. (2007). Impact of cultural differences on capability transfer in acquisitions: The mediating roles of capability complementarity, absorptive capacity, and social integration. Journal of International Business Studies, 38: 658-672. Brock, D. M. (2005). Multinational acquisition integration: the role of national culture in creating synergies. International Business Review, 14(3): 269-288. Cascio, W. F. (1998). Managing Human Resources Productivity, Quality of work Life, Profits, Boston: McGraw Hill. Cartwright, S. and Cooper, C. L. (1993). The role of culture compatibility in successful organisational marriage. Academy of Management Executive, 7(2): 57-70. Datta, D. K. and Puia, G. (1995). Cross border acquisitions: An examination of the influence of the relatedness and cultural fit on shareholder value creation in U.S. acquiring firms. Management International Review, 35: 337-359. Elsass, P. M. and Veiga, J. F. (1994) Acculturation in acquired organisations: A force-field perspective. Human Relations, 47(4): 431-454. Erez, M. and Earley, P.C. (1993). Culture, Self Identity, and Work. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fitzgibbon, J. E. and Seeger, M. W. (2002). Audience and metaphor of globalization in the Daimler Chrysler AG merger. Communication Studies, 53(1), 40-55. Hatch, M. (1993). The dynamics of organisational culture. Academy of Management Review 18: 657-694. Hofstede, G. and Bond, M. H. (1988). The Confucius connection: From cultural roots to economic growth. Organisational Dynamics, 14, 483-503. Hofstede et al., (1990). Attitude, Values and Organisational Culture: Disentangling the concepts. Geert Hofstede. Institute research on Intercultural Cooperation, Maastricht and Tilburg, the Netherlands. Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and Organisations: Software of mind. Intellectual Cooperation and its Importance for survival, Harper Collins, 1991, pp. 79. Kirkman, B. L., Lowe, K. B. and Gibson, C. B. (2006). A Quarter Century of Cultures Consequences: A Review of Emperical Research Incorporating Hofstedes Cultural Values Framework. Journal of International Business Studies; Washington, 37(3), 285-320. Lodorfos, G. and Boateng, A. (2006). The Role of Culture in the Merger and Acquisition Process. Management Decision, 44(10), 1405-1421. Marks, M. L. and Marvis, P. M. (1986). The Merger Syndrome. Psychology today, 20 (10), 36-42. Mauk, G. (1977). The daily power game, Martinus Nijhoff Social Sciences Division. Olie, R. (1990) Culture and Integration Problems in International Mergers and Acquisitions. European Management Journal, 8 (2), 206-215 Parsons,T and Shils, E. (1951). Toward a General Theory of Action, reprinted as Talcott, Shils, Tolman, Stouffer and Kluckhohohn et al., Towards a General Theory of Action: Theoretical foundations of social Sciencies, Transaction Publishers, 2001. Schein, E, H. (1985). Organisational Culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Schein, E. (1990). Organisational Culture. American Psychologist, 45 (2), 109-119. Trice, H. M. and Beyer, J. M. (1984). Studying organisational culture through rites and rituals. Academy of Management Review, 9, 653-669. Trompenaars, F. and Hampden-Turner, C. (1980). Riding the waves of culture: understanding cultural diversity in global business. New York: McGraw Hill. INTERNET SOURCE Anisha, C. (2011). Managing Cross Cultural Differences: Strategies to overcome differences. Dept. of management Studies and Research, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga, Karnataka. June 30, 2011. http://www.indianmba.com/Occasional_Papers/OP252/op252.html last visited January 06th, 2013. CNOOC, Press release, (2012). CNOOC Limited enters into definitive agreement to acquire Nexen Inc. http://www.cnoocltd.com/encnoocltd/newszx/news/2012/2062.shtml last visited January 16th, 2013. Farren, C. and Nelson, B. (1999). Retaining Diversity, Executive Excellence, New Delhi: Sage, July, pg.7. http://www.delhibusinessreview.org/v_2n2/dbrv2n2e.pdf last visited January 12th, 2013. Lauren, K. (2012). Nexen to be acquired by Chinas CNOOC for $ 15.1B cash. July 23, 2012 http://www.therecord.com/news/business/article/766128nexen-to-be-acquired-by-china-s-cnooc-for-15-1b-cash last visited January 14th, 2013. Hofstede, G. (2001). Cultures Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviours, Institutions and Organizations across Nations. Sage Publications. http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html last visited January 18th, 2013. Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, Unit 2. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol2/iss1/8 last visited January 13th, 2013. Nexen Inc, About us; CNOOC Acquisition of Nexen. http://www.nexeninc.com/en/AboutUs/CNOOCAcquisition.aspx last visited January 18th, 2013. Pretorious, W. (2004). The impact of organisational culture on effectiveness. May 08, 2005. http://www.upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd_3162004_131828 last visited January 15th, 2013. Randy, M. and Jacob, M. (2009). Leadership Practice for a Global Society, NASPA Pre-Conference Workshop, March 8th, 2009. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/77255010/Managing-Cultural-Differences-Global-Leadership-Strategies-for-the-21St-Century last visited January 17th, 2013. William Wardrobe, (2005). Beyond Hofstede: Cultural applications for communication with Latin American, Association for Business Communication Annual Convention. http://www.businesscommunication.org/convensionsnew/proceedingsnew/2005new/pdfs/13abc05.pdf last visited January 14th, 2013.

Case Study for AcuScan, Inc :: Business Management Essays

Case Study for AcuScan, Inc I am the newly hired Vice President of Organizational Development. My responsibilities include creating the Organizational Development Department. I look forward to working with all of you especially with finding a new and improved product based on our already developed retinal scanning system iScanner. First of all I am going to discuss assumptions made by Kelly Thomas, Pat Lambert, Cliff O’Connor and Chris Martinas. After each employee assumptions will be their arguments and my evaluation of whether the argument is sound or unsound and why. Kelly Thomas – Senior Engineer, Product Development 1. Assumed that Pat, Director of Marketing knew nothing about QC (quality control). 2. Assumed that all the features for the retinal scanner could not be developed in the time frame allotted. 3. Assumed that due to lay-offs last year they would not have the staff to develop a new product. 4. Assumed the customer would be â€Å"short changed† because the company may not be able to comply with the customers expectations. 5. Assumed Pat did not have any technology experience because his past experience was with the cereal business. 6. Assumed Pat was going behind his back because Pat spoke to the programmers first without consulting with Kelly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kelly argued that new product was much more complicated to produce than Pat had implied. He also argued that Pat had no understanding as to how the iScanner worked and would have a better understanding if Pat took the time to involve him in other areas of the business not just marketing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kelly’s argument was logical and sound because he based his decision on the time it took the staff to develop the iScanner. Past history of creating a new product can give you an idea of how long it would take to produce a new product. He also did not want to jeopardize his reputation or the company’s by producing and inadequate product. Pat Lambert – Director of Marketing 1. Assumed the new product would be a simple addition to the new product. 2. Assumed programmers had plenty of time to work on new product even though he knew staff was cut last year. 3. Assumed because they were not agreeing with him they were not committed to the new product. 4. Assumed that the job could be done by outside contractors in the specified time frame. Also with money being a problem. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assumed a meeting would resolve all problems. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assumed the customer would be happy with whatever product was developed and launched.

Penalties for Atheletes Using Performance-enhancing Drugs :: essays research papers

Imagine, just for one minute that you were at the peak of you career, in a competition that would determines whether you sink of swim. You have the choice to go out all natural, or to give yourself a little boost, so it is definite that you will swim. What would you do? Would you run the risk of getting caught? The athletes that stoop to this level are cheats. They are afraid of losing. And as the old saying goes, â€Å"cheaters never prosper†. They are putting so many things at risk in their lives. They face being suspended and completely thrown out of their sport, they put their lives at risk, no to mention giving sport a bad name. Testosterone can build muscle and strength, reduce fatigue and improve recovery time after exercise. To many athletes this sounds better than sliced bread. But in reality they are running a huge risk to them selves and their country. Athletes can be tempted to boost the naturally occurring levels of the steroid to enhance their performance – but there are side effects. High levels of steroids can cause jaundice, liver damage, acne, heart problems, euphoria, mood swings, depression and paranoia. The normal testosterone to epitestosterone in urine varies between individuals, but on average is one to one. The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority says the ratio does not vary significantly within an individual unless there has been a replacement of it from an unknown source. Naturally occurring ratios of 6:1 are rare. Any athlete who returns a urine test of 4:1 are said to have committed an offence unless there are biological evidence to prove other wise. They are taking high doses of naturally occurring hormones, and other banned substances to enhance their performance. This is cheating. Ever since we were 5 we knew that it was wrong. When ever some one cheated in a game, you would kick up a stink to try making it fair, because you were cheated. And no one likes a cheater. These athletes deserve more than just a wrap on the knuckles and having to give up some of their pocket money. They ran the risk, and they were caught. They deserve what they get. In our judicial system, persons found guilty of using banned substances have to pay the following consequences, (1) fines of many thousands of dollars. (2) Intensive correction orders. Penalties for Atheletes Using Performance-enhancing Drugs :: essays research papers Imagine, just for one minute that you were at the peak of you career, in a competition that would determines whether you sink of swim. You have the choice to go out all natural, or to give yourself a little boost, so it is definite that you will swim. What would you do? Would you run the risk of getting caught? The athletes that stoop to this level are cheats. They are afraid of losing. And as the old saying goes, â€Å"cheaters never prosper†. They are putting so many things at risk in their lives. They face being suspended and completely thrown out of their sport, they put their lives at risk, no to mention giving sport a bad name. Testosterone can build muscle and strength, reduce fatigue and improve recovery time after exercise. To many athletes this sounds better than sliced bread. But in reality they are running a huge risk to them selves and their country. Athletes can be tempted to boost the naturally occurring levels of the steroid to enhance their performance – but there are side effects. High levels of steroids can cause jaundice, liver damage, acne, heart problems, euphoria, mood swings, depression and paranoia. The normal testosterone to epitestosterone in urine varies between individuals, but on average is one to one. The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority says the ratio does not vary significantly within an individual unless there has been a replacement of it from an unknown source. Naturally occurring ratios of 6:1 are rare. Any athlete who returns a urine test of 4:1 are said to have committed an offence unless there are biological evidence to prove other wise. They are taking high doses of naturally occurring hormones, and other banned substances to enhance their performance. This is cheating. Ever since we were 5 we knew that it was wrong. When ever some one cheated in a game, you would kick up a stink to try making it fair, because you were cheated. And no one likes a cheater. These athletes deserve more than just a wrap on the knuckles and having to give up some of their pocket money. They ran the risk, and they were caught. They deserve what they get. In our judicial system, persons found guilty of using banned substances have to pay the following consequences, (1) fines of many thousands of dollars. (2) Intensive correction orders.

Living in Texas vs Louisiana Essay

Texas is the second most populous and the second-largest of the 50 states in the United States of America, and the largest state in the 48 contiguous United States (Wikipedia, Texas, 2013). Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America and is the 31st most extensive and the 25th most populous of the 50 United States ((Wikipedia, Louisiana, 2013). Texas and Louisiana are two different areas in the United States to live that have many diverse ways of living. Between both states, Texas is easier to live in than Louisiana because of the differences in culture, economy, and climate. The name Texas is based on the Caddo word tejas meaning â€Å"friends† or â€Å"allies†and was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in East Texas (Wikipedia, Etymology, 2013). Texas has many variations of cultures that reside within the state and these culture’s range from caucasian (white), african american (black), and spanish american (hispanic). The state also has other forms of cultures too but the ones I named are the main ethnicity that you see on a daily basis. Texas has many assortments of cultures which makes the state a equal opportunity for many cultures to advance in numerous areas of employment. The cultures in Texas always interacted with one another in different areas of living and would live in the same areas has another race and would become friends. They would go to school together and enjoy it, grocery shop at the same stores with no problems, and get gas at the same gas stations as everyone else. The races in Texas might have their differences between one another but would still except the fact that everyone has to do the same daily activities as anyone else. Louisiana was named after Louis XIV, King of France from 1643–1715. Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claimed the territory drained by the Mississippi River for France, and named it La Louisiane, meaning â€Å"Land of Louis† (Wikipedia, Toponym, 2013). Louisiana is mainly made up of caucasian’s and african american’s and the races do not mix very well. The way that I remember it when I live in Tallulah, Louisiana was that their was a railroad track that divided the small town into two different sections. The black’s lived on one side of the railroad tracks and the whites lived on the other side. There is only a few ways that the races interacted with one another and they were by achieving the same education from the same small town schools, grocery shopping at the only grocery store in the town, and at the few gas stations that were by the main highway. The ways the cultures had to interact with one another were not by choice but by having to so they could live their life’s and meet their ways of living in society. You would never see the cultures become friends and if they did they only showed it in the areas that they were allowed to be around each other in the town and that would consist of the places I named that you would see the two cultures together but not by choice. I was friends with everyone and did not understand why this small town lived the way that it did. I would love to go back to that town today to see if the ways of living has changed at all or if it stayed the same. I was only in fourth and fifth grade when I lived there. Texas’s large population, abundance of natural resources, thriving cities and leading centers of higher education have contributed to a large and diverse economy. Since oil was discovered, the state’s economy has reflected the state of the petroleum industry. In 2010, Site Selection Magazine ranked Texas as the most business-friendly state in the nation, in part because of the state’s three-billion-dollar Texas Enterprise Fund. Texas has the joint-highest number of Fortune 500 company headquarters in the United States, along with California. As of 2010, Texas had a gross state product (GSP) of $1. 207 trillion, is the second highest in the U.  S. , and is the fourth-largest of any country subdivision globally. As of April 2012, the state’s unemployment rate is only at 6. 5% (Wikipedia, Economy of Texas, 2013). Texas’s economy has went through the recession just like any other state but has started to rise out of the recession because of the land of oil industry that has hit its highest point since when I lasted lived in the state. The state of Texas I think is the busiest of many states because of its high demand of employment for the oil industry. The jobs are anywhere from secretary employment to a derrick man on the rig itself drilling the oil out of the ground. Every position has its own way of being very important. I miss living in this state because of how big the state is and the different areas of employment that is available. Texas does hit rock bottom but will always find a way out to rise above other states. Louisiana’s state principal is agricultural products which include seafood, cotton, soybeans, cattle, sugarcane, poultry and eggs, dairy products, and rice. The seafood industry is its biggest producer of crawfish in the world, supplying approximately 90% and directly supports an estimated 16,000 jobs. Louisiana industry generates chemical products, petroleum and coal products, processed foods and transportation equipment, and paper products. Tourism is an important element in the economy, especially in the New Orleans area. The total gross state product in 2010 for Louisiana was US $213. 6 billion, placing it 24th in the nation. Its per capita personal income is $30,952, ranking 41st in the United States. As of January 2010, the state’s unemployment rate was 7. 4% and an African American is three times as likely as a white person to be unemployed in Louisiana (Wikipedia, Economy, 2013). In Louisiana the Caucasian race has a higher play in job placement before African Americans which I do not think is right but every state has its differences. The white race runs most of the environment in Louisiana but the black’s make up the other part that is left to run. When you walk into different stores in Louisiana most of them are owned by Caucasians but blacks may be a part of the team by being an employee. If you do see a black own a place in Louisiana it is only because he fought and showed his abilities to become somebody. Seafood is a way to isolated Louisiana from any other state and it makes a lot of income from producing there different seafood products throughout the United States but the seafood industry does not pay as high as the oil field industry does in Texas. The large size of Texas and its location at the intersection of multiple climate zones gives the state highly variable weather. The Panhandle of the state has colder winters than North Texas, while the Gulf Coast has mild winters. Texas has wide variations in precipitation patterns (Wikipedia, Climate of Texas, 2013). The city I lived in was San Antonio, the summers were hot and the winters were mild. The rainy season is between the months of January and February. I loved the summers of Southern Texas because they are longer than the winters and are able to wear light clothing. The winters sometimes would get really cold but for the most part it was mild and easy to convert over to the climate change. In San Antonio it has only snowed a few times and since I have been born I only remember once when it snowed and it only stayed for a couple of hours because the climate in Southern Texas is warmer than other states. Louisiana has a humid subtropical climate, perhaps the most â€Å"classic† example of a humid subtropical climate of all the South-central states. It has long, hot, humid summers and short, mild winters (Wikipedia, Climate, 2013). The summers and winters are similar in ways to Texas but the winters could be very cold and it does snow in Louisiana and the temperatures in the winter are a lot colder than in Texas. I remember when my mom drove in the snow in Louisiana but I cannot recall a time when she has ever driven in the snow in Texas where we lived. It does snow in Texas but in the northern part by the Panhandle.