French Revolution and Napoleon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

French Revolution and Napoleon - Essay Example The first and most important way in which he differed from the revolutionaries was that his idea of civil liberties was quite different from the ideals supported by them. He imposed strict controls over the press, used spying tactics on his own people to look for enemies within and even though he had made a civil code, he arrested people without having real causes and sent his enemies to jail without bringing proper charges or having trials (Spielvogel, 2005). In this manner, his actions were closer to the monarchical system than revolutionary equality. This violation of rights continued as he revoked the Declaration of the Rights of Man and established a system of hereditary privilege which would essentially bring back monarchy to the country and its various principalities. The brothers of Napoleon were made the rulers of areas such as Spain, Holland, Warsaw, and Switzerland. His best generals were given hereditary titles which made them immediate members of the nobility in France (Spielvogel, 2005). This was certainly a departure from the ideals of the revolution but Napoleon could do it because he was a dictator and he remained popular. In terms of religion, while the revolutionaries sought to break away from religion in all possible ways including changing the calendar and the number of days in a week, Napoleon saw no such need for removing the presence of the church from France. He made deals with the Catholic Church which allowed him to consolidate his power and give some concessions to the church at the same time. Of course, he did not snatch the land from the bourgeoisie to give back to the church but he did establish a system under which priests became government servants so they could receive a stipend from the national treasury to support their activities (Spielvogel, 2005). Â  

American Theme Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

American Theme - Essay Example These writers, while not as formally educated as the Brahmins, were taught by the twists and turns of real life experiences and drew their sustenance from the soil and the air of the country. The desire for freedom, both social and intellectual, seemed to be the most abiding passion for this intrepid tribe of realists. Though Philip Freneau had a fine education and was well versed in European romanticism, he willingly embraced democratic ideals and espoused liberal thoughts. He was against the imperialist designs of the British and fought against them in the Revolutionary War. He was captured in 1780 and almost died before being rescued by his family. As it is he was a bitter critic of the British and on top of it the torture he faced during imprisonment made him one of the most vociferous antagonists of the British Empire. His pen started spewing fire and brimstone and the fiery poem â€Å"The British Prison Ship† became his first condemnation of the British who were, he thought, out "to stain the world with gore." But this was just the beginning as "American Liberty", "A Political Litany" and "George the Thirds Soliloquy†, among several other such feisty outpourings, quickly cemented his place as the foremost poet of American Revolution and a diehard bearer of the flag of liberty an d independence. (Elliot 1982) With the help of Thomas Jefferson he established â€Å"National Gazette† in 1791 and became America’s one of the first crusading newspaper editors – an ideal that later day stalwarts like William Cullen Bryant, William Lloyd Garrison, and H.L. Mencken would emulate. Freneau was equally fluent in colloquial as well as pedantic styles and could evoke refined neoclassical lyricism with consummate ease. His collection of poems "The Wild Honeysuckle" is still considered one of the finest examples of neoclassical subtleties which could

How Firms Decide Between Risk Retention And Transfer Finance Essay

How Firms Decide Between Risk Retention And Transfer Finance Essay Generally, the purpose of risk management is value maximization for a for-profit organization. In other words, risk management aims to maximize value by minimizing the cost of risk. Total costs of pure risk include costs of control and costs of financing. This essay focuses on risk financing. There are two broad methods of risk financing: risk retention and risk transfer. Risk transfer contains insurance and other contractual risk transfers. At the beginning of this assay, I am going to introduce the concept of retention, insurance, and contractual risk transfers, and their advantages and disadvantages. Then I will discuss how a firm should decide between risk retention and risk transfer, if a captive insurer is not to be employed. Finally, I will discuss how a firm, having a captive insurer, should finance its pure risk losses. With retention, a business retains the obligation to pay for part or all of the losses. When coupled with a formal plan to fund losses for medium-to-large businesses, retention often is called self-insurance. (Harrington and Niehaus 1999 Page 12) Retention can be financed via a captive insurance company (an insurance company owned by a non-insurance company which is also its customer), a risk retention group, cash flows from ongoing activities, and general working capital (the excess of the firms liquid assets over its short-term liabilities). In addition, firms can also obtain funds by borrowing, loans, issuing new stock and selling other business asset, such as buildings and cars. Funds to pay retained losses should be large so that there is enough money to pay retained losses. In addition, the retained losses are unpredictable, and they may be large or small. However, there is an opportunity cost for a fund. The opportunity cost is the difference between the return on the fund and the firms normal rate of return. As a result of this, if funds are large, the opportunity costs will be large; if funds are small, they may fail to pay all losses. In addition, there may also be costs incurred in converting non-liquid assets into cash for settling losses. (Dr. David Ayling 2009) Risk transfer includes insurance and contractual risk transfers. Insurance is a form of risk management primarily. A firm could purchase insurance contacts to cover risk losses. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed and known small loss to prevent a large, possibly devastating loss. An insurer is a company selling the insurance; an insured or policyholder is the person or entity buying the insurance. (Web 1) Firms can transfer some of risk losses to insurance company by insurance contracts. According to Dr. David Ayling (2009), the benefits of insurance include reduction of uncertainty, loss control advice, liquidity of company protected, long term planning mire feasible, and access to large risk combination services. On the other hands, insurance does not cover loss of goodwill, loss of market share, lost customers and suppliers, and so no. In addition, some r isks are not insurable, such as risk losses are too large, risks are not measurable, risks are not predictable, and so on. Firms can also use some contractual risk transfers to transfer risk to another party. For example, if a firm wants to build a house, and hire a construction company to build the house, it could perform some task routinely into contracts, such as if workers or pedestrians are injured by accidence when the house is building, the construction company pay for these losses; and if the house crashes after it is completed, the construction company will be responsible for it. Having introduced risk retention and risk transfer, the following will discuss how a firm should decide between risk retention and risk transfer, if a captive insurer is not to be employed. Both risk retention and risk transfer is important and primary methods for risk financing. How should a firm decide the methods of risk management? The severity and frequency probability of risk losses determine which method should be used to finance risk losses. According to Dr. David Ayling (2009), when the frequency probabilities of pure risks are low and their severities are high, then the method of risk transfer would be better to finance the risk losses, because the severities are high, which means the risk losses may be large. If using risk retention, they need large funds to finance the risk losses so that the opportunity costs of the funds will be large. As a result, the risks could be transferred to insurer or another party by buying insurance or making contracts. However, risk retention may be better, if the frequency probabilities of pure risks are low and their severities are low. Because they need only small funds to cover the risks as both frequency probabilities and s everities are low. In addition, the insurance may be expensive; commonly the price of the insurance is high than the opportunity cost of retention. Even more, the risk losses may not be covered by insurance. When the frequency probabilities of risk losses are high, both retention and insurance are not better methods, because the risk losses will continually happen. As a result, if the severities of the risk losses are high, we should avoid these risks. In the other words, we should abandon these businesses, because they are too dangerous; if the severities of the risk losses are low, we should control it by increasing precautions and limits on risk activity designed to reduce the frequency and severity of accidents. (Harrington and Niehaus 1999 Page 23) There is an important factor that may affect firms decision between retention and insurance. The factor is tax. When calculating its taxable income, a noninsurance company can only deduct losses that were paid during the year. In contrast, an insurer can deduct the discounted value of incurred losses, which equals losses paid during the year plus the change during the year in the discounted value of its liability for unpaid claims. This distinction essentially allows insurers to deduct losses earlier than noninsurance companies, which all else equal increases the present value of expected tax deductions if a loss exposure is insured. Although the tax break is granted to insurers, competition among insurers for business will cause most or even the entire tax break to be given to policyholders through lower premiums. (Harrington and Niehaus 1999 Page 218) In practice, many large companies have established captive insurance companies. These companies make payment to their captive insurers, which then pay losses to the large companies. It is an important method of financing losses for large firms, and can be viewed as a special type of retention and self-insurance. If a firm has a captive insurer, the firm should finance risk losses by buy insurance from its captive insurer. A firm could benefit a lot by using a captive insurer. To begin with, the parent company could reduce expected tax payments relative to retention. As I have discussed before, insurance has a tax advantage compared with retention. In addition, Dr. David Ayling (2009) mentioned that the parent company could access to the reinsurance markets through its captive. The parent first buys insurance through its captive, which then purchases reinsurance. Finally, Harrington and Niehaus (1999) said captive also can be used to reduce risk. The parents risk exposures will be poo led with other unrelated companies exposures, if its captive sells insurance or reinsurance to other unrelated companies. Consequently, a large firm will benefit from its captive insurer in reducing expected tax payments, accessing to the reinsurance markets, and reducing risk through the captives transaction. In conclusion, as retention and insurance have their own advantages and disadvantages, the frequency probabilities and severities of risks determine which methods of risk financing should be used. Insurance is a good risk financing method for a low frequency and high severity risk; in contrast, retention is a good risk financing method for a low frequency and low severity risk. For many large companies, using a captive insurer becomes an important method of financing losses. Captives could benefit their parent company from reducing expected tax payments, accessing to the reinsurance markets, and reducing risk through the captives transaction. However, according to Dr. David Ayling (2009), if risk losses could be transferred to someone other than an insurer at a cheaper cost, or can be prevented or reduced at a cost cheaper than insurance, insurance and retention are not the best methods of risk losses financing, because risk management aims to maximize value by minimizing the cost of risk. Bibliography and Reference Dr. David Ayling (2009) Corporate Risk Managements handout, Bangor University. Harrington, S. E, Niehaus, G. R, (1999) Risk Management and Insurance, Boston: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Web 1: Wikipedia (2009) Insurance (Online) Wikimedia Foundations, Inc: USA. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance (Accessed 8/12/09)

Leonardo da vinci Essay -- essays research papers fc

Leonardo Da Vinci   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leonardo Da Vinci was a man of many worlds. He was a great influence inhis time. Leonardo was known as many things. He was known as a sculptor, architect, writer, musician,philosopher, engineer, and scientist. But most of all he was known for his impressive paintings that influenced the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leonardo was born in Anchiano, Italy on April 15, 1452, to Piero Da Vinci, a prominent public official in Florence, and a peasant woman named Caterina. He was born out of wedlock and shortly after his birth they were married, but not to each other. As an infant, Leonardo was cared for by other family members; his uncles, grandmother, and Aunts. Later, his father took him into his own house where he was forced to join and get along with half-brothers and half-sisters. While living with his father, he was receiving the best education he could get and his talents and intelligence started to show at a very early age. In 1469, by the age of 17, his father sent him to study in the workshop of a well-known Italian Renaissance master named Andrea lV Errocchio. He remained there until 1476 and Leonardo had picked up a variety of skills. He spent several years there practicing a variety of things such as drafting engineering, architecture, and building, but most of all he studied painting and drawing. Leonardo was assigned to build a golden sphere and cross to sit on top of the domed ...

Assessment of Grandmother’s Character in ” a Good Man Is Hard to Find”

An Assessment of the Grandmother from â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor The grandmother who remains unnamed all throughout in the story is the protagonist and the central character of Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is hard to Find, a tragic story of a family who decided to go on vacation but got killed randomly on the road by a criminal on the loose named â€Å"The Misfit†. She is endowed with a joyful spirit, a passion in life in spite of her age. She is a non-stereotypical woman whose old fashion clothing and beliefs contradict her strong, manipulative mind, an opposite trait of a passive and complacent woman in her time. The Grandmother is a smart woman who knows how to assert herself by trying to use all the available resources around her and manipulating them by appealing to their morality. From this information we say that the grandmother is a round and dynamic character as her character changes from being a manipulative mother to her son Bailey, to a quirky, playful grandmother who ignite her grandchildren’s imagination by her stories, and finally, to a humble human being who experiences â€Å"awakening† and acceptance of defeat in her moral battle and failed manipulation scheme with The Misfit. Right from the beginning of the story, we are introduced to a powerful trait of the grandmother—her strong and manipulative character. She did not want to go to Florida, as her son Bailey has planned for the family. Instead she wanted to go to Tennessee to visit her old friends and â€Å"she was seizing at every chance to change Bailey’s mind† (356). She would use everything around her to complete her scheme and set things her way. She picks up a newspaper and shows him the news about a criminal on the loose from the Federal Penitentiary who is headed towards Florida, and attacks his conscience and morals by saying, †I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that a loose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscience if I did† (356). When her first attempt gets no response, she uses her grandchildren and hopes to convince Bailey’s mind this time by saying that the â€Å"children need to see the other parts of the world and be broad† (356). Finally, when she realizes defeat, the grandmother is the first one all set to go the next morning, an indication of the dynamism and flexibility of her character. This same manipulative character is so important in the development of the plot that it will set fire and conflict of the story. The grandmother persuades her son Bailey to make a detour and let the family see an old house off road. When Bailey says no, she again uses her grandchildren by telling them lies about the secret panel in the house where the old family that used to stay in that house hid their silver. The grandmother knows she ignites the children’s imagination and senses winning this time. This sends the children to a frantic tantrum and ultimately changes Bailey’s mind. The detour causes them an accident and their encounter with The Misfit. In her encounter with The Misfit, still high with power over her ability to changer her son’s mind, she does the same tactic to The Misfit, and hopes not to get killed by persuading The Misfit to change his ways. She evangelizes on his morality and flatters him by constantly telling him he is a good man and that he comes from a nice people (364). Her desperation is overwhelming as she desperately tries to reach out with The Misfit by calling him â€Å"one of her children† and touching him on his shoulders. This desperate action brings her to her death in the hands of The Misfit. Apparently, her manipulative scheme does not work with The Misfit, instead gets him more irritated and angry as he states, â€Å"She would have been a good woman†¦if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life† (368). Another indication of the grandmother’s unique personality is her clothing and style. The author presents her to us as being a prim and proper lady dressed in a navy blue suit with a matching navy blue sailor hat and white cotton gloves. What makes her clothing and style peculiar and interesting is its inappropriateness to the humid condition of her surroundings. The grandmother seems unmindful about it instead she focuses on her aristocratic and old-fashion views in life. She states, â€Å"In case of accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (357). Instead of viewing the grandmother as hypocrite and superficial, we could look at her as a lost spirit in a lost time frame and space. Her old-fashioned clothing, ways and thinking indicate her imprisonment and nostalgia for the old days. This is shown through her constant recalling of the past, her yearning to reconnect with her old friends in Tennessee, and her nostalgia with the old house in the hill. These are important indications of a suppressed spirit trapped in the pain and joys of unresolved past. Tragically, this constant yearning of the past will take her and her family to doom and death. Compared to the other characters in the story, the grandmother’s character is the most dynamic and vibrant just like how her choice of clothing stands out. Her son, Bailey, is a cold-hearted and self-absorbed individual whose character is just as boring as his yellow parrot shirt. He consciously defies his mother’s control and hates her sunny disposition,† The children’s mother put a dime in the machine and played ‘The Tennessee Waltz’, and the grandmother said that tune always made her want to dance. She asked Bailey if he would like to dance but he only glared at her†. Bailey’s wife on the other hand, is a passive character whose only obsession is to hold her baby day and night. To illustrate it more graphically, â€Å"the grandmother is a giant red rose in the midst of weathered weeds in a field†. It becomes more vibrant in her encounter with the antagonist of the story, The Misfit. The grandmother’s and The Misfit’s characters are both strong and contrast with each other and it is reflected in their opposing choice of clothing and differing views on morality. Reading between them is like watching the Battle of Endor in Star Wars-Return of the Jedi where the â€Å"good†Ã¢â‚¬â€Luke Skywalker battles with the â€Å"evil†Ã¢â‚¬â€Darth Vader. The encounter brings us to a hopeful anticipation whether the good will prevail evil and hopes that the grandmother will persuade The Misfit to spare her life and change his ways. But to no avail. The grandmother will be shot three times on her chest. The death of the grandmother in the hands of The Misfit will evoke us differing reactions. At first instance, we may feel vindictive for the grandmother, and that she only got what she deserved as payback for her selfishness and manipulative character. At the same time, we are also saddened of the evil’s triumph over goodness, a brush of reality that at times or most of the time, â€Å"guns are still mightier than words or even religion†. The story concludes with a life lesson that a man’s character and morality are so embedded in the individual that it cannot be changed overnight nor by the mere mention of God or religion. It has to be noted though that when the grandmother dies, the author describes her as â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky (368), as if full of peace and divine grace. This demonstrates O’Connor’s conviction on salvation through religion that everyone has the chance to be saved no matter how deceitful the individual’s actions may have been in the past. All throughout the story, our relationship with the grandmother fluctuates from hatred to love, anger to sadness. We love her for her playfulness, her sunny disposition, and nostalgia for the past, yet we hate her for resembling with our own grandmothers or mothers who never shut up at our homes and who seem to know everything in the world constantly asserting their power and dominance over us. This ability to evoke an ambivalent feeling and familiarity with reality is what makes this story worth reading all over again. References: O’ Connor, F. (1955). A Good Man Is Hard to Find. In G. Giola, & J. Kennedy (Ed. ), Backpack Literature (pp. 355-368). USA: Pearson

Original Writing: How Grave Am I

How grave I am, for sprouting the seed of my loins, little knowing the ill fate that you would ultimately suffer, my son. If I was able to gather my thoughts and brag to how life was golden, I wouldn't be able to, as your life ended as soon as it started in a way, as you were not even given the opportunity to live it; now you leave me with a loneliness feeling like a long descent into nothingness – I am empty. No justice, no peace, the pain and suffering have forcibly left me unable to eat or sleep; as with each passing moment I cannot stop thinking about you and missing you. The attempts to block out this ache have been in vain because of the fact that I cannot and will not stop thinking about you and that day. Let's face it; my own guilt has been the driving force behind my state now. My ignorance was your downfall and I blame myself; now you are up there with your head in the clouds looking over me, a broken man. You're looking over me and seeing that the one father you used to look up to has been influenced into an all but complete state of insanity since I am now finding myself sitting in a room as dark as where this nightmare lives within me. Stuck in between a rock and a hard place, is what I am, this has given me the feeling that death is a necessity and a journey should not last forever. However, death can be an end; a time to let go. The latter of which is easier said than done, as whenever I see your pictures on the wall, it's drowned out into the weeping walls. Your eyes in these photos have been gone to be filled with hope and innocence into vicious oceans of darkness and sorrow. Your death has broken my heart and the border between my guilt and regret, but one thing that that the passing of you cannot break is the memories of all those happy times we had together and the bond we have. From this, I'm left thinking to myself, why did it not happen to me? I remember him at the tender age of six, his smile and eyes aglow, he was the light from the sun. What I wouldn't give to have you in my arms again, I reminisce over when you were younger, the days where I watched you sleep to see your chest fall and rise and how I always used to feel your heart beat underneath my touch as you slept, to hear the harmony that would also send me gently to slumber; the rhythm was magnetizing. At this age you were so very innocent, hadn't a clue about the world around you. I recall the days where I could hear you playing outside and your childlike giggling would make my heart melt like the steel at a blacksmiths. And after a hard day, seeing your face and the smile you softly used to fill the silence like a speech made my day a whole lot better. But as they do, his heart grew cold as if it were the cold breath of his grave. With age comes detachment, by the time he was in his teens we were two separated souls; it was like the end of infinity. It was as if the chapter of all our memories and brilliant times together had been finished and disposed of as if it were a book that was slashed and torn like a broken saw. But, I had to respect that an unwritten chapter had began for him, until that fateful day. All I could imagine what had happened was that the memories of his smile and his face filled with bliss had reverted into a shadowy face, which showed his emotions in a whirlwind of his worst nightmares. I'm left to dwell over, why did it not happen to me? I got introduced to heartbreak on that day. I was so proud of him, when he was alive he had the heart of a lion, however I suspect on that day, he had that heart trod on and spat out by his own fear. I blame myself. If it hadn't been for my own ignorance and plain stupidity, he would still be here right now. If I had not argued with him that morning, then it may not have happened. Over an insignificant argument, he went to college that day and didn't want to come back home, and paid for it, as did I. It is so unjust; it reminds us, of just how worthless our lives are to the justice system. When will scum like this get off the streets? Getting caught up in someone else's business is the worst way to die – dying from crossfire of bullets during a petty gang war. How could this happen? He was only seventeen in a mad man's dream and an innocent boy's nightmare. His life had just begun; all of a sudden it was taken away, fading like a cloud in the horizon. Only God could see what happened to him, but I can imagine the vicious blood-curdling scream of anguish, set out to break his soul. A sense of fear must have run through his nerves like the chill of an icy wind, it must have felt like a moment of obscurity, where all of his worst nightmares were realised in a blur, sending him into his grave. Thinking about the way you died, will drive me even closer to insanity and my eventual demise, it has left me reeling. Your nightmare has become my most horrible nightmare which will never leave me as it is engraved within my soul. I will never stop thinking about you and missing you, and thinking about the way you died, it was so unfair. This nightmare is breaking the bond between me and you, but I will not stand down, as I will remain a soldier until the war is won, and your spirit will live long in the memory. If only it wasn't a memory. You could still have been here reminding me of the hopes I had for you, with your face lit up by a smile like a pale wintry sunshine. But I'm left pondering, why did it not happen to me? I am in a state of darkness where negative thoughts of pain and sorrow are clouding my judgement; I'm being forced to sit in a room and dwell on my regrets. This state of darkness is all I know at the moment. All I hope is that he is in a better place; at Heaven's Gate which is made of the finest threads of gold, glistening into the shimmering silver which lines each and every cloud in this picturesque place. I envision the face of God himself as clear as I would in a mirror, taking care of my son in a manner in which I'll be proud of. God and death are similar; they both come forth to carry you home, so I thank you God for that. However, there is another face to God and death; it's a velvet cloak, impossible to resist thus disguising the revealing truth that being with gods in the clouds can bring such misery and sadness to the people below them that can break down any man. I ask you God, why did have to be him? I wish it was me now. I wish it was my soul resting up there. Hope is sometimes all we have and that is when people look to you God. But, you always give people false hope as the truth is, you have the grimmest face, like a carved mask and all you bring to people is misery and sorrow as sad as seeing your own son die. Coping is something I am unable to do. My state is one of insanity and it's been expressed in this entry. To end my son, your spirit will always live on in the memory and I will endeavour to not let your death phase me, and I will live my life in peace and harmony. I will never forget the times we had together, even though we drifted more and more apart, I still can never forget your face at that young age, so full of hope and promise. I love you.

Ways Reporters Can Avoid Conflicts of Interest

Ways Reporters Can Avoid Conflicts of Interest Hard-news reporters should approach stories objectively, setting their own prejudices and preconceptions aside in order to discover the truth about whatever theyre covering. An important part of objectivity is avoiding conflicts of interest that might influence a reporters work. Examples of Conflict of Interest Avoiding conflict of interest is sometimes easier said than done. Heres an example: Lets say you cover city hall, and over time you get to know the mayor well because hes a big part of your beat. You may even grow to like him and secretly wish for him to be successful as the towns chief executive. Theres nothing wrong with that per se, but if your feelings begin to color your coverage of the mayor, or renders you unable to write about him critically when necessary, then clearly theres a conflict of interest - one that must be resolved. Why must reporters be mindful of this? Because sources often try to influence journalists in order to get more positive coverage. For example, after interviewing the CEO of a major airline for a profile, I got a call from one of the airlines public relations people. She asked how the article was going, then offered me two round-trip tickets to London, courtesy of the airline. Its hard to say no to free airline tickets, but of course, I had to refuse. Accepting them would have been a big-time conflict of interest, one that might have affected the way I wrote the story. In short, avoiding conflicts of interest requires a conscious effort on the part of a reporter, day in and day out. How to Avoid Conflicts of Interest Here are six ways to avoid such conflicts: Dont Accept Freebies or Gifts From Sources. People will often try to curry favor with reporters by offering them gifts of various sorts. But taking such freebies opens the reporter up to the charge that he can be bought.Dont Donate Money to Political or Activist Groups. Many news organizations have rules against this for obvious reasons - it telegraphs where the reporter stands politically and erodes the confidence readers have in the reporter as an impartial observer. Even opinion journalists can get into trouble for giving money to political groups or candidates, as Keith Olbermann did in 2010.Dont Engage in Political Activity. This goes along with No. 2. Dont attend rallies, wave signs or otherwise publicly lend your support to groups or causes that have a political bent. Non-political charitable work is fine.Dont Get Too Chummy With the People You Cover. Its important to establish a good working relationship with the sources on your beat. But theres a fine line between a working relationship and a true friendship. If you become best friends with a source youre not likely to cover that source objectively. The best way to avoid such pitfalls? Dont socialize with sources outside of work. Dont Cover Friends or Family Members. If you have a friend or relative who is in the public spotlight - lets say your sister is a member of the city council - you must recuse yourself from covering that person as a reporter. Readers simply wont believe that youll be as tough on that person as you are on everyone else - and theyll probably be right.Avoid Financial Conflicts. If you cover a prominent local company as part of your beat, you shouldnt own any of that companys stock. More broadly, if you cover a certain industry, say, drug companies or computer software makers, then you shouldnt own stock in those kinds of companies.

Free Essays on Patriot

Though historically controversial, "The Patriot" tells the story of the American Revolutionary War and the struggle to form the first true democracy since the ancient Greeks. The movie wisely focuses upon common folk rather than prominent figures and makes a sincere effort to address some of the complex issues that faced the men who decided to take up arms against the British. This is no more evident than it is in the films main character, Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson). The first opening sequence highlights two parts of personality, leadership and vulnerability, themes that are echoed threw ought the rest of this three-hour epic. As the film opens Benjamin is poetically seen unsuccessfully trying to fashion a rocking chair from which he can watch his kids grow on his South Carolina plantation. Hidden from sight, his daughter laughs as he tosses the disfigured chair into a pile of other attempts. This illustrates Benjamin’s vulnerability and the fact that he now leads a more passive life than what the viewer may have been expecting. In the same opening sequence mail arrives at the Martin house, and the boys couldn’t be more anxious to see what the letter carrier has brought. Thomas begins filing through the letters but is warned away by his oldest brother Gabriel to wait for father. Both boys wait patiently well into darkness for Benjamin. This fortitude and patients demonstrates Benjamin’s qualities as a leader. Benjamin is a former warrior and hero of French and Indian War who has seen too much blood and is now a dedicated pacifist. But the times don't easily accommodate such a position. It's 1776, eight of the 13 American colonies have decided to back the rebellion provoked by King George's "taxation without representation" policy, and a Declaration of Independence is expected to be issued shortly from Philadelphia. Now the assembly at Charleston must decide what it will do, and Benjamin speaks out against it. He foreshadows ... Free Essays on Patriot Free Essays on Patriot Though historically controversial, "The Patriot" tells the story of the American Revolutionary War and the struggle to form the first true democracy since the ancient Greeks. The movie wisely focuses upon common folk rather than prominent figures and makes a sincere effort to address some of the complex issues that faced the men who decided to take up arms against the British. This is no more evident than it is in the films main character, Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson). The first opening sequence highlights two parts of personality, leadership and vulnerability, themes that are echoed threw ought the rest of this three-hour epic. As the film opens Benjamin is poetically seen unsuccessfully trying to fashion a rocking chair from which he can watch his kids grow on his South Carolina plantation. Hidden from sight, his daughter laughs as he tosses the disfigured chair into a pile of other attempts. This illustrates Benjamin’s vulnerability and the fact that he now leads a more passive life than what the viewer may have been expecting. In the same opening sequence mail arrives at the Martin house, and the boys couldn’t be more anxious to see what the letter carrier has brought. Thomas begins filing through the letters but is warned away by his oldest brother Gabriel to wait for father. Both boys wait patiently well into darkness for Benjamin. This fortitude and patients demonstrates Benjamin’s qualities as a leader. Benjamin is a former warrior and hero of French and Indian War who has seen too much blood and is now a dedicated pacifist. But the times don't easily accommodate such a position. It's 1776, eight of the 13 American colonies have decided to back the rebellion provoked by King George's "taxation without representation" policy, and a Declaration of Independence is expected to be issued shortly from Philadelphia. Now the assembly at Charleston must decide what it will do, and Benjamin speaks out against it. He foreshadows ...

4 interview mistakes youre making in the first ten minutes

4 interview mistakes youre making in the first ten minutes By: Biron Clark Most employers spend days or even weeks deciding if they want to hire you, but it only takes them a few seconds to rule you out. As an Executive Recruiter, I’ve seen first-hand some crucial missteps from interviewees that have cost them the job.Here are four overlooked interview mistakes that are costing you job offers in the first 10 minutes of your interview.You’re trying to decide mid-interview if you want the jobYou should have one goal in your interview – sell yourself and get invited to the next round in the process. Here’s where many job seekers go wrong: They start trying to decide if they want the job while also trying to sell them self and impress the interviewer.You can gather facts and ask questions to find out about the role (in fact you absolutely should), but never try to decide mid-interview if you’re interested or not. You’ll be distracted and won’t sell yourself as effectively.I’ve seen this hap pen over and over as a Recruiter with the people I’ve coached and helped.For example, you might hear something that worries you about the job, and your energy level will drop. You might stop trying to impress them. Later in the interview, you might hear  a few great things and decide you are interested, but it’s too late – you didn’t seem excited about most of the interview and they’re not going to invite you to continue.It’s better to get invited to continue interviewing at companies you’re not interested in than lose a single job offer you wanted because of this mistake. Wait until you’re home to decide whether you are interested in their job.You don’t seem confidentPeople gather a first impression visually before anything else. Within the first one or two seconds of seeing you, the interviewer is judging you – even if they don’t realize it. By the time you’ve followed them down the hallway and s at down with them, they’ve already gathered a strong impression of you – whether it’s positive or negative.This is the importance of a good handshake, posture and overall body language.This isn’t something you can turn on-and-off at will; especially when you’re tense and nervous in an interview. So start thinking about body language in everyday conversations to prepare for your interviews. Try to keep your shoulders back and your head up straight. When you sit down, avoid tapping your hands or feet or doing anything else that will distract the interviewer. Practice maintaining eye contact before your interview too, especially while talking (most people find it easy to hold eye contact while listening, but much more difficult while talking).Finally, make sure to show confidence in your abilities and your expertise when answering their questions.You’re the expert in your field of work. If not, why would they hire you?So show them you have grea t ideas to contribute and are ready to make an impact and use what you know to help them. This is what top employers look for.You’re worrying if the interviewer likes you or notPeople ask me all the time, â€Å"how will I know if my interview is going well?† Here’s what I tell them: Don’t try.Always assume it’s going well and the company is interested in you. If you start to worry, you’ll lose confidence and then you will do badly (even if you were doing fine before). Some interviewers are friendly to everyone, even if they have no interest in hiring you. Other interviewers show little or no emotion even if they think you’re the perfect fit for them.So stop worrying, and just assume you’re giving great answers from start to finish. It’ll be one less thing to worry about and will make your answers come out better.You didn’t ask enough questionsNow, you might be thinking, â€Å"hold on, Biron. I thought this articl e was about the first 10 minutes of the interview. I’m supposed to ask my questions at the end, right?†That’s correct, but you should also ask questions throughout the interview.Asking questions and gathering information shows them you’re confident in your ability to find a job, and picky about which employer you choose to work for (both good things!) So you want to mix questions into the conversation naturally, rather than waiting for them to invite you to do it. The simplest way to do this is to end some of your answers with a question directed back at them.Here’s an example of how this might look:Interviewer: â€Å"Why do you think you’re a good fit for this job?†You: â€Å"Well, my biggest strength is in financial reporting, and from the job description, it seems like that’s an area you need help with right now. Is that right? And if so, can you tell me a little more about the team’s needs?†Interviewer: â€Å" Yes, that’s right. Our biggest expert just retired and we don’t have enough people to do the work. We also need to make our reporting processes far more efficient.†You: â€Å"Very interesting! My last company actually had a pretty inefficient reporting process when I joined three years ago and I worked with them to improve it. Do you have a sense of where the process can be improved most?†This creates a natural dialogue where you can share your knowledge and start to be seen as an expert. You don’t need to do this with every question, but try to do it once within the first 10 minutes, and two or three times in each interview.If you follow the advice above, you’ll stick in employers’ minds and make them much more likely to hire you.  About the author: Biron is a career advice author, Founder of CareerSidekick.com, and former Executive Recruiter for more than 40 companies, including venture-funded tech startups  and Fortune 500 compa nies across the US and Europe.

Production in the Long Run Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Production in the Long Run - Essay Example When it comes to marginal product, change in production is registered after the addition of capital employed. (Steinemann 11) This could be an added employee. The major point about the long run is that all the factors pertaining to production are assumed to be variable. The term ‘Returns to Scale’ is a term used to refer to the process by which a firms output, responds to change factors input. An example of this is as outlined in the table below; Labor Input Plant 1 Plant 2 Plant 3 Plant 4 10 40 100 130 150 20 100 120 150 173 30 120 140 175 199 40 130 170 200 231 50 150 190 230 260 Capital Input 10 20 30 40 Courtesy of (http://tutor2u.net/) From the above chart, Plant 1, business increases to 40 working with labor input 10 and capital input of 10. This demonstrates increase in returns to scale, resulting to a fall in the total cost of production. Generally, the scale of production can be increased or reduced. This is due to the variability of all factors. As a result, th e firm moves to new average cost curves. Every firm has an equivalent short run average cost curve, with the firms’ expansion, it moves on to different short run average cost curves. Economies of scale result after the expanded scale output leads to a lower average cost for each level of output. The overhead costs relative to the running costs will probably be high in industries where big networks and national distribution are necessary. This leaves only little room for the company to exploit the returns of scale available in the market. When the cost disadvantage of operation is small, the companies/firms may operate at a profit. This also happens in price differentiation allowing small suppliers to sell their produce at premium price to the market average, on the advantage, willingness and ability for the consumers to pay high prices to cover the cost per unit. A high level of industry concentration is likely, where the minimum efficient scale of production is high as compa red to overall market demand. The time duration required for the long run id different from one sector to another. For example, in the nuclear power industry, it can take so many years to commission a new power plant or improve capacity. The law of diminishing marginal returns is the only critical difference between long run and short run (Tutor2u par 4). This law only applies to short run, which has a fixed output unlike the case of long run where it’s output are variable. Difference between the short and long run could differ depending on the period; some producers may operate at short run over a minimal period while others may operate at short run over a long time. Variability in the long run also applies to the quantity of capital. This means that, the company can not only adjust manpower in the industry but can also increase the size of the factory. For example, if the currently used factory is used beyond capacity, then a bigger one is constructed in the long run to acc ommodate more output. In the case where the factory has used space, it is possible to relocate to a smaller factory in the long run. The major concerns in the long run production, is how producers adjust the inputs under their control considering changes in prices. All production activities include input that is beyond the producer’s control. This includes the Government and its regulations, forces of nature, weather, and social customs and institutions. These variables are not

Comparison between the Indiana Constitution and the United States Essay

Comparison between the Indiana Constitution and the United States Constitution - Essay Example The United States Constitution has 7 articles whereas the Indiana Constitution has 16 articles. There are similarities in the articles; each article has sections that elaborate it further. Some articles discuss the same content such the legislative, the judicial and the executive. Differences in the articles: the order in which the article appear is not similar; in the Indiana Constitution the first article is the Bill of Rights whereas in the United States Constitution, the first article is The Legislative Branch. In Indiana Constitution, the Bill of Rights is located in Article 1 and in the United States Constitution the Bill of Rights is located in the Amendments. There are some similarities in the rights explicated; for example, there is right to freedom of press, expression and religion, the right to trial by a jury in a civil case and the quartering of soldiers. Rights not held in common: the right to no slavery or involuntary servitude is not held in common by the two constitutions; Indiana Constitution considers it as a Bill of Rights. In the Indiana Constitution, the distribution of powers is found in Article 3 whereas in the United States Constitution the distribution of powers is found in Articles 1, 2 and 3. Article 3 of the United States Constitution describes the Supreme Court and Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution describes the Supreme Court. Similarities in the article; all the judicial powers are vested in the Supreme Court. Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution gives a thorough description of the roles of the people in the judiciary; the United States Constitution does not. Amendment to the Indiana Constitution is proposed by any branches of the General Assembly. In the United States Constitution, proposal to the amendment of the Constitution can be done when two thirds of each of the houses finds it necessary. The United States Constitution has been amended

Managing Organizational Change Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing Organizational Change - Term Paper Example Through this report the necessity of a change in organization will be uncovered. Along with it the forces which are responsible for the change will be also identified. Once the requirement of a change is identified the most important task is to implement it successfully. Change is a continuous process and involves several stages. A successful change passes through a number of sequential stages. In simple words, change is defined as the way of making things different. In the context of an organization, change is considered as inevitable. Nowadays, organizations operate in a dynamic business environment and to get adapted with the situation they are forced to implement changes in their system (El-Farra & Badawi, 2012, p.161). The major forces of change in an organization are mainly technological factor, political factor, economical factor, legal factor, social factor, and most importantly the labor market environment (Lewis, 2011, p.5). According to Barney & Griffin (1992), the primary rationale behind the poor performance and reduced productivity of an organization is the failure of the managers to properly identify required change. Therefore to some extent change within organizations is necessary otherwise the organizations may find it difficult to survive in the marketplace. Throughout the world organizations have to deal with certain internal resistance which prohibits the implementation of change. Therefore managing the change or properly implementing the change within the organization is of utmost importance. This report will highlight the rationale behind the organizational change. Apart from that the forces which are responsible for making the changes will also be highlighted. In addition, the project will also shed light on the type of changes, the resistances to changes and how the change can be properly managed and sustained. Finally, based on the findings from the study a conclusion will be drawn. Rationales behind Organizational Change Change is important for any organization as without any change, businesses are likely to lose the competitive edge and eventually fail to meet the needs of the customers. The principal rationale of an organization to embrace change in their current state is mainly the customer needs, economical impact, and growt h opportunities among others. Economical Impact: - Economy can impact an organization, both in a positive and negative way. Increasing demand and a strong economy indicates that the company needs to expand thereby facilitating a change in the organization. Customer Needs: - Companies need to change their strategies in order to meet the multi dimensional need of the customers. Opportunities of Growth: - One of the most significant rationales behind implementing change in organizations is the opportunity of growth. Employees are able to learn new skills, and can explore opportunities in order to exercise their creativity. This in turn helps organizations to increase their productivity (Hagel, 2002, p.18). Forces of Organizational Change Organizations change due to a number of forces operating in its environment. The forces are both internal as well as external to the organization. Any change in these factors

Financial Management Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Management Assignment - Essay Example The majority stakeholders were Vodafone Group Plc and Verizon Communications holding 45 percent and 55 percent stakes respectively. In the past both groups have tried to acquire higher stake in the entity. But the negotiations between them failed multiple times due to failure in arriving at right price for the deal. At one point of time Verizon suspended dividend payout to Vodafone for 6 years which many analysts perceive as a move that was aimed at pushing Vodafone to exit the venture. The primary reason for such motive was get higher ownership in Verizon Wireless that had become the third largest telecom entity in United States in very small amount of time. the negotiations regarding stake sale failed in the past because Verizon Communication estimated that true value of Verizon Wireless was approximately $100 billion and it was willing to pay this amount to Vodafone to exit the venture. But, Vodafone estimates that after including the intangible aspects and future potential of Ver izon Wireless in ever growing US and European markets should be much higher (approx $130 billion). Thus, the deal was successfully struck that was close to a decade in the making (Financial Times, 2013). The terms and conditions of the deal are so agreed upon between the two entities that the change in ownership structure will not impact the services to odd 100 million customers of Verizon Wireless. The stock markets reacted positively to the deal announcement. The share prices of Vodafone surged to 12 year high in the international stock markets thereby increasing shareholders’ wealth by taking total market capitalisation of the company to all new highs (Reuters, 2013). In contrast the share prices of Verizon Communications rose by approximately 3 percent on the day when Vodafone officially announced the deal. More specific details of the deal reveals that Vodafone will get about $59.8 billion in cash; remaining $60.1 billion

Intelligence Failure and Politicization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Intelligence Failure and Politicization - Essay Example Intelligence failure in the US context is defined by Stephen Marrin as something that has a negative impact on the country’s national security as well as an unpredicted international incident that previously escaped intelligence gathering and came about as a surprise to the international community. An example of this, according to Marrin is the India nuclear weapon test. As can be gleaned, the concept of surprise is allied to the concept of intelligence failure because surprise can only occur as a result of the latter (2004 p. 657). Robert Gates, former CIA head, defined politicization in the context of intelligence operations as involving intentionally distorted analysis or judgment leaning and favouring a certain line of thinking despite insufficient evidence to support it (1992 p. 5). 2.0 Vietnam and the Tet OffensiveThe Vietnam War was a battle between the once French-ruled south and the Communist north. The US’ engagement in the Vietnam War was considered one of th e most controversial ever in its history marked by relentless protests at home and the mind-boggling defeat of its forces in the battlefield. Three of the articles examined by this paper dealt with, amongst others, the US engagement in the Vietnam War and the controversies surrounding the seeming failure of its intelligence units in predicting the extent of the strength of the North Vietnamese forces.James Wirtz’s article â€Å"Intelligence to Please? The Order of Battle Controversy during the War,† dealt with the issue of the controversy.... As can be gleaned, the concept of surprise is allied to the concept of intelligence failure because surprise can only occur as a result of the latter (2004 p. 657). Robert Gates, former CIA head, defined politicization in the context of intelligence operations as involving intentionally distorted analysis or judgment leaning and favouring a certain line of thinking despite insufficient evidence to support it (1992 p. 5). 2.0 Vietnam and the Tet Offensive The Vietnam War was a battle between the once French-ruled south and the Communist north. The US’ engagement in the Vietnam War was considered one of the most controversial ever in its history marked by relentless protests at home and the mind-boggling defeat of its forces in the battlefield. Three of the articles examined by this paper dealt with, amongst others, the US engagement in the Vietnam War and the controversies surrounding the seeming failure of its intelligence units in predicting the extent of the strength of the North Vietnamese forces. James Wirtz’s article â€Å"Intelligence to Please? The Order of Battle Controversy during the War,† dealt with the issue of the controversy of the disparity between the figures cited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) in the Order of Battle and the ensuing clash between their respective analysts. The most controversial aspect of this controversy was the charge by Sam Adams, a junior CIA analyst, of the existence of â€Å"a conspiracy at the highest levels of American military intelligence† (1991 p. 239), an allegation that became highly publicised and was featured in magazines, television and in a subsequent Senate hearing for that issue. This allegation stemmed

In what ways was globalisation not a peaceful process Assignment

In what ways was globalisation not a peaceful process - Assignment Example Globalisation can be stated as an accelerator of the social change and may act as a vehicle for conflict aggravating the tensions in any known society along with even generating new ones. It is a qualitative shift towards a worldwide economic system which is no longer dependent on independent national economies but on a consolidated global marketplace for production, distribution & consumption. It has opened the door for liberalisation, but the concerned process created a number of conflicts globally. For this reason, globalisation can be termed as a conflicting process. Globalisation and conflict, both are interconnected phenomenon. Though the process of globalisation serves the entire globe in terms of facilitating in comprehensive and multi-faceted development but over the past two decades it has created a number of issues or conflicts as well. Multiculturalism comes with the facet of globalisation but it at times brings a conflicting situation around it. In addition to this, migr ation has had a major role to play in relation to developing a problematic scenario for the countries. Globalisation leaves various impacts towards the society such as various diseases related to human, animal and plant can easily spread at a rapid speed due to its affect. For example, imports of the bird flu affected chickens can affect the country which particularly makes an import of those chickens. Globalisation promotes easy transfers of the foreign business nationals from one country to another which amplifies the threat of transfer of diseases. Peace of any country can be destroyed if that particular country does not enjoy equality in global affairs. Globalisation over the years has been continuously increasing the gap between the poor and rich in terms of earnings (from both country-wise and individual perspectives). It can be viewed that only developed countries generally enjoy the advantages that originate from globalisation. In general, representatives from developed coun tries largely participate in building policies with regard to globalisation. Consequently, poor countries such as African countries get poorer (Manitoba, n.d.). With these considerations, the research study particularly aims to provide an explanation to the fact which suggests that globalisation was not a peaceful process. The various ways in which globalisation can be said to be not a peaceful process have been determined. In this regard, various examples related to the conflict generated during the process acclimatising globalisation have been depicted that support the fact that globalisation was not a peaceful process. Moreover, the study also exemplifies certain criticisms and arguments against globalisation. Conflicts Associated with Globalisation There have been various conflicts in and around the process of globalisation. The greater proportion of proponents of this global economic policy primarily came from the most powerful and richest countries. Contextually, the US govern ment set globalisation as an official objective of its economic and foreign policy about eight long years ago. More or less each country of the globe has faced the negative facets of globalisation. For example, owing to globalisation, a large number of employees have lost their jobs overnight on a global basis especially in the developed nations as their jobs had been outsourced to the countries such as India as well as China where cost of operations is

Intelligence Failure and Politicization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Intelligence Failure and Politicization - Essay Example Intelligence failure in the US context is defined by Stephen Marrin as something that has a negative impact on the country’s national security as well as an unpredicted international incident that previously escaped intelligence gathering and came about as a surprise to the international community. An example of this, according to Marrin is the India nuclear weapon test. As can be gleaned, the concept of surprise is allied to the concept of intelligence failure because surprise can only occur as a result of the latter (2004 p. 657). Robert Gates, former CIA head, defined politicization in the context of intelligence operations as involving intentionally distorted analysis or judgment leaning and favouring a certain line of thinking despite insufficient evidence to support it (1992 p. 5). 2.0 Vietnam and the Tet OffensiveThe Vietnam War was a battle between the once French-ruled south and the Communist north. The US’ engagement in the Vietnam War was considered one of th e most controversial ever in its history marked by relentless protests at home and the mind-boggling defeat of its forces in the battlefield. Three of the articles examined by this paper dealt with, amongst others, the US engagement in the Vietnam War and the controversies surrounding the seeming failure of its intelligence units in predicting the extent of the strength of the North Vietnamese forces.James Wirtz’s article â€Å"Intelligence to Please? The Order of Battle Controversy during the War,† dealt with the issue of the controversy.... As can be gleaned, the concept of surprise is allied to the concept of intelligence failure because surprise can only occur as a result of the latter (2004 p. 657). Robert Gates, former CIA head, defined politicization in the context of intelligence operations as involving intentionally distorted analysis or judgment leaning and favouring a certain line of thinking despite insufficient evidence to support it (1992 p. 5). 2.0 Vietnam and the Tet Offensive The Vietnam War was a battle between the once French-ruled south and the Communist north. The US’ engagement in the Vietnam War was considered one of the most controversial ever in its history marked by relentless protests at home and the mind-boggling defeat of its forces in the battlefield. Three of the articles examined by this paper dealt with, amongst others, the US engagement in the Vietnam War and the controversies surrounding the seeming failure of its intelligence units in predicting the extent of the strength of the North Vietnamese forces. James Wirtz’s article â€Å"Intelligence to Please? The Order of Battle Controversy during the War,† dealt with the issue of the controversy of the disparity between the figures cited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) in the Order of Battle and the ensuing clash between their respective analysts. The most controversial aspect of this controversy was the charge by Sam Adams, a junior CIA analyst, of the existence of â€Å"a conspiracy at the highest levels of American military intelligence† (1991 p. 239), an allegation that became highly publicised and was featured in magazines, television and in a subsequent Senate hearing for that issue. This allegation stemmed

Social Cognitive Theories Essay Example for Free

Social Cognitive Theories Essay SOCIAL COGNITIVE LEARNING THEORIES Social Cognitive views have been influenced by the humanist idea of uniqueness of human beings, that human beings are decision makers, planners and evaluators of behavior. Key Concepts: Social cognitive learning theorists emphasize the importance of both the influences of other people’s behavior and of a person’s own expectancies on learning, and also that observational learning, modeling can lead to the formation of patterns of personality. Thought and behavior are closely interlined with the situation the person is in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory: Introduction: Albert Bandura a modern theorist helped reshape the theoretical landscape of behaviorism. Bandura believes that three factors influence one another in determint of behavior: the environment, the behavior itself and personal or cognitive factors that the person brings into situation from earlier experience. Key Terms: 1. Cognitive Processes and Reciprocal Determinism 2. Observational Learning 3. Self Regulation 4. Self Efficacy Cognitive Processes and Reciprocal Determinism: Bandura and like-minded theorists call their modified brand of behaviorism social learning theory or social cognitive theory. Bandura (1982-1986) agrees with the fundamental thrust of behaviorism in that he believes that personality is largely shaped through learning. However, he contends that conditioning is not a mechanical process in which people are passive participants. Instead, he maintains that â€Å"people are self-organizing, proactive, self-reflecting and self-regulating, not just reactive organisms shaped and shepherded by external events†. Bandura advocates a position called reciprocal determinism. According to this notion, the environment does determine behavior (as skinner would argue). However, behavior also determines the environment (in other words, people can act to alter their environment). Moreover, personal factors (cognitive structures such as beliefs and expectancies) determine and are determined by both behavior and the environment. Thus, reciprocal determinism is the idea that internal mental events, external environmental events, and over behavior all influence one another. According to Bandura, humans are neither masters of their own destiny nor hapless victims buffered about by the environment. Instead, the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes. ENVIRONMENT BEHAVIOR PERSONAL / COGNITIVE FACTORS (EXPECTATIONS, BELIEFS, SELF-EFFICACY BANDURA’S RECEIPROCAL DETERMINISM Observational Learning: Bandura’s foremost theoretical contribution has been his description of observational learning. Observational learning occurs when an organism’s responding is influenced by the observation of others, who are called models. According to Bandura, both classical and operant conditioning can occur vicariously when one person observes another’s conditioning. For example, watching your sister get burned by a bounced check upon selling her old stereo could strengthen your tendency to be suspicious of others. Although your sister would be the one actually experiencing the negative consequences, they might also influence you – through observational learning. Bandura maintains that people’s characteristic patterns of behavior are shaped by the models that they are exposed to. He isn’t referring to the fashion models who dominate the mass media – although they do qualify. In observational learning, a model is a person whose behavior is observed by another. At one time or another, everyone serve as a model for others. As social learning theory has been refined, it has become apparent that some models are more influential than others. Both children and adults tend to imitate people they like or respect more than people they don’t. People are also especially prone to imitate the behavior of people whom they consider attractive or powerful. Self-regulation: Bandura notes, human beings often demonstrate an impressive capacity for the self-regulation of their own behavior. While people may often respond to external factors such as positive reinforcement and punishment, they sometimes choose to ignore these and to operate in terms of internal standards and values. We set our own goals, and we often provide our own rewards when we reach them – a process Bandura describes as self-reinforcement. Self-Efficacy: Bandura discusses how a variety of personal factors (aspects of personality) govern behavior. In recent years, the factor he has emphasized most is self-efficacy. Self-efficacy refers to one’s belief about one’s ability to perform behaviors that should lead to expected outcomes. When self-efficacy is high, individuals feel confident that they can execute the responses necessary to earn reinforcers. When self-efficacy is low, individuals worry that the necessary responses may be beyond their abilities. Perceptions of self-efficacy are subjective and specific to certain kinds of tasks. For instance, you might feel extremely confident about your ability to handle difficult social situations but doubtful about your ability to handle academic challenges. Perceptions of self-efficacy can influence which challenges people tackle and how well they perform. Studies have found that feelings of greater self-efficacy are associated with greater success in giving up smoking; greater adherence to an exercise regimen; more success in coping with pain; greater persistence and effort in academic pursuits; higher levels of academic performance; enhanced performance in athletic competition; greater receptiveness to technological training and higher work-related performance, among many other things. What are the developmental antecedent of high self-efficacy? Schneewind asserts that parents can foster self-efficacy by providing a stimulating environment and by being responsive to their children’s behavior. An emphasis on warm support for children, early independence training, and non-punitive disciplinary techniques is also helpful. In contrast, parents who are authoritarian, intrusive, overprotective, or neglectful are likely to undermine self-efficacy in their offspring. Julian Rotter’s Social Learning Theory: Introduction: Rotter suggested that the likelihood of a given behavior occurring in a specific situation depends on the individuals expectancies concerning the outcomes the behavior will produce and the reinforcement value they attach to such outcomes – the degree to which the prefer one reinforcement to another. Key Terms: 1. Expectancies 2. Locus of Control Rotter developed his Social Learning Theory to incorporate cognitive factors. Rotter recognized that most the reinforcers we strive to obtain one social (e.g. Hugs, attention and that most learning occurs in social situation) Expectancies: The concept of expectancy is one of the most important elements of Rotter’s theory. When you take an exam apply for a job or ask for a date, you have some notion of the likelihood of success or failure. What you expect to happen has a powerful influence on your behavior, thought, feelings and in turn personality. Locus of Control: Locus of control involves the extent to which individuals believe that they or that external factors control their lives. Rotter focused on whether people place their locus of control inside themselves (internal) or in their environments (external). Locus of control influences how people view the world and how they identify the causes of success or failure in their lives. In an important way, people’s locus of control reflects their personality – their view of, and reactions to, the world. People with an external locus of control believe that they have little control over their lives. A college student may attribute his or her poor grade to a lousy teacher, feeling there was nothing he or she could have done to get an A. In contrast, individuals who develop an internal locus of control feel that they can master any course they take because they believe that through hard work they can do well in any subject. People develop expectations based on their beliefs about the sources of reinforcement in their environments. These expectations lead to specific behaviors described as personality. Reinforcement of these behaviors in turn strengthens expectancy and leads to increased belief in internal or external control.

Taxation System In Pakistan

Taxation System In Pakistan Taxation in Pakistan is a very complex system including more than 70 different taxes and nearly 37 different government agencies administer the tax system. Around 10 million people are registered to pay taxes but only 1.9 million people pay taxes [1]. In 2002, Transparency International studied 256 respondents, among which 99% were facing corruption regarding to taxation. Furthermore, 32% of respondents were paying bribes to lower their tax assessment, and around 14% reported receiving fictitious tax assessments [2]. Pakistan is one of the developing countries where tax to GDP ratio is very low. (Exhibit 1) From 1947 the sales tax was introduced at provincial level which was covering a limited area of commercial activities. In 1951 it was converted into a federal tax in 1951. The Government of Pakistan setup a National Tax Reforms Commission in 1985 to provide recommendations to improve the taxation system in Pakistan. The Commission submitted its final report in December 1986. As a result, the Sales Tax Act was introduced in 1990, it was a value added version named as General Sales Tax (GST). In 1995-96, GST was transformed into a complete VAT mode tax with its basic structures. In 1997-98 the tax base was extended to importers, retailers and wholesalers. GST was only covering the goods before 1990, which later on covered the services sector also. Tax collection was increased from 1990s to 2000s collecting US$ 2.67 billion in the recent years. Comparing With Some Similar Economies [3] The Indian economy is the 2nd fastest growing economy of the world and 12thlargest in term of exchange rate. Although, India does not have impressive track record in the growth of revenues, rising from6.8% of GDP in 1950s to 10.3% in 1990s and maximum of 12.9% in 2009. But the important thing is that the tax-to-GDP ratio is increasing constantly from 2004 onward. On the other hand, tax-to-GDP ratio in Pakistan has a declining trend from peak 13.2% to 8.9 in 2009. (Exhibit 2) Sri Lanka has been facing a worsened law and order situation since early 80sand economy of Sri Lanka showed a very low GDP growth. Although, tax revenues as compared to GDP has decreased in Sri Lanka but still they have high rate of 14.3% which is higher than Pakistan. Sri Lanka has coped with the problems in economy by focusing on its Tea exports, Tourism sector. Furthermore, government has also tried to improve the revenue collection. (Exhibit 3). Sweden is considered to have highest tax-to-GDP ratio in the world. Tax revenues in Sweden have touched a highest level over 50% of GDP. The personal income tax rate is highest in Sweden which is about 56.4%. Tax rate is progressive for the personal income in Sweden while in Pakistan we are facing a regressive taxation. (Exhibit 4) Reasons of low tax to GDP ratio in Pakistan There are several reasons why we are unable to collect the tax. Corruption is one of the important aspects which are casting great hindrance in taxation system. Other important reason is low literacy rate, which is very low as compared to many countries in the world.(Exhibit-5Literacy).Demography of a country also play an important role in the tax to GDP ratio. Pakistan has about 36.7% population which is 14 years of age or below. Hence working class is not growing to generate taxes. Terrorism, law and order situation, poverty and unemployment are also playing important role in low tax collection. Tax base in Pakistan is stable at 1%, on the other hand tax base in USA is about 24% and it is 20% in Malaysia. Tax policy is also not suitable in order to generate taxes and to extend the tax net. Another problem that we are facing is documentation of economy; nearly 52% of our economy is undocumented. Audit and enforcement is so weak in Pakistan that the audit agencies themselves are invo lved in corruption. Looking at different sectors, we can see agriculture has above 20% share in GDP but tax collected from this sector are only 1% of total tax collection. In this way contribution of different sectors is not properly distributed. Political influence is also a big hurdle in the taxation system. [4] Main Concern of Pakistans Tax Policy Government collect taxes from its people in order to spend the collection on the welfare of its people which includes national defense, debt servicing and other welfare related issues. While designing the tax policy a country should account the equity and justice for its people because a system is most effective when it is designed on the bases of equal and fair treatment of each tax-payer. But in case of Pakistan the situation is bit different, as a nation we are in debt by the foreign and domestic lenders which is due to our extra expenses incurred due to recent war on terror, our habit of corruption at national and international level and we are also tax averse society in which we dont feel ourselves responsible to pay taxes. Our current tax collection system is very weak which comprises of loopholes in the system accompanied by the corruption of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officers which speaks about the justice and equity of our government officials for their people [5]. After analyzing the height of corruption, special favor given to government officials or their friends, our undocumented economy and failure to increase tax net it has become necessary for any lender to set the target in order to continue the money lending and to make sure that their borrowed money can be repaid by the borrower. Initially the foreign lenders did not set any targets for us because they somehow believed in our commitments and also felt that we will pay them back their money as per the signed agreement but after the several failures of debt servicing, lenders started to analyze the root cause of this issue in which they found our tax collection system complied with old methodology of taxation i.e. General Sales Tax (GST) in which all the tax collected at the last stage which makes them aware of the fact that as a corrupt nation and low tax net economy it will become more difficult for them to collect their lent amount from us which lead IMF to set targets for us[6]. The reason they feel our system is outdated because now most of the countries in the world including the developing countries are eliminating the loopholes in tax collection system by introducing the Value Added Tax (VAT) and by increasing the tax net through VAT. Now the question arises what are the reasons for government to obey the rules set by International Monetary Fund (IMF). Firstly, we do not have enough liable system and funds by which we can manage our economy because of which we need IMFs support so that we can run our affairs smoothly. Secondly, reforming Pakistani taxation; certain actions such as reestablishment of the State Tax Organization, restructuring the law of direct taxation, introducing and implementing the value added tax, as a complimentary to the reformation of the existing law of direct  taxation and as an efficient and co-ordinate tool with the economic situation of the country has been taken in to account. Also, In General Sales Tax (GST) which is based on the percentage of sales, State loses 100 percent when someone evades tax whereas in Value Added Tax (VAT), a taxation system in which tax is applied in production process whenever the value is added to the product, if tax is evaded at one value addition stage government loses only some part of the tax Another reason for suggesting implementation of the value added tax is that, it is a suitable substitute for many other duties and indirect taxes, which has vast distortion effects  on the productive sectors and on the welfare and behavior of the consumers. Omission of the indirect taxes and duties causes  great decrease in the government revenues. Thus, the value added tax, in addition to compensating the income decrease of the government, can also increase the government tax  revenues. VAT also justifies itself more effectively because by implementing VAT it will result in the increase of tax revenues and also help to decrease the pressure on taxation for production sector also better for the investment by the adjustments in the income tax rates. It will also reduce the time and costs related to tax collection and also bring the sense of participation among the peoples [7]. On the proposal for introducing VAT in Pakistan by the government officials there was a huge resistance from the opposition parties because the main negative effect of VAT in economy of Pakistan is the need of accounting which needs to be done which will also effect on the accounting which business might need to perform. It affects small businesses because such business may lack in terms of accounting proficient peoples in order to track the tax of business. It is also highlighted by opposition that VAT will also result as a regressive tax policy in which rich person will get a fair deal by transferring their tax burden upon the poor people which will ultimately cost a lot for the poorer one but after analyzing the research paper of so many author we came to understanding that initially at the time of imposing VAT for the first time such problems do occur but there are also some ways by which government can address these issues. And it is also the reason that some of the critics of VAT states that it will also lead to inflationary price level which will hurt the economy as a whole but this is not as much true because the rationale behind VAT states that it will create the deflationary effect on the economy which will result in stable or low price as the time passes. And to respond the previous critic of VAT about being regressive policy, we can compensate the low salary class of people by introducing new tax policies which could help the m particularly [8]. The main concern of Pakistans tax policy is to increase the tax revenue which can only be done through applying VAT in which tax can be collected at every level whenever the value has been added. Its positive effects are more as compare to the reasons for resistance which government is facing in order to reinforce it and these resistance are natural because if we see other countries who are same as Pakistan have also faced the similar kind of issues while implying their tax system from GST to VAT and not just that but also we are running out of funds for which we have to comply with the requirement of Foreign Lenders i.e. IMF so that we can manage our economical issues comfortably. In the long run perspective, the VAT will not just increase our tax net but also make us self sufficient in terms of managing our self and we will also be able to service our debts which will results us as a freedom from the loan from IMF in the coming time period. Only critical fact which needs to be address while setting the tax policy on VAT is the corruption related matters which can be minimized by the VAT by its own self but government should also take some initiative while dealing with VAT implementation face because its more easy and possible to cheat if VAT is the system but on the other hand it will just miss the percent of Value Addition while on the other hand GST miss the whole hit if the tax payers manage to get rid of tax. Comparison of Complex VAT with Simpler GST As we know, in GST, tax is charged as a fixed rate at the end of supply chain where as in Value Added Tax system, tax is charged at every value addition stage so suppliers/vendors in the middle stages of production can evade tax by not registering with Financial Bureau of statistics. In VAT system, for example If a stage two supplier is not registered with FBR and supplies goods to third level in value addition and FBR takes information about the production of good from level three vendor, the tax evader at level will be tracked sooner or later. The world experience has showed that VAT induces a strong tax culture. Under GST system, due to tax evasion, tax gap in 2010-2011 was 79 percent [9]. One way to stop organizations from evading tax is heavily penalizing them. For example if the organization has already filed a tax return and fails to pay the tax liability or evades it should be penalized on daily basis. If a person registered with VAT fails to file return, under section 88 of the Federal VAT Bill 2010, value added tax liability will increase. If the tax return is not filed within fifteen days of due date, the supplier would have a penalty of Rs.1, 000/- for every day of default. Penalties on failing to pay the taxes would help collecting tax and there would be an incentive for organizations to pay taxes on time because if they do not they will be charged more [10]. Also the suppliers in the supply chain who are not registered with FBR will not be in a position to claim the tax paid at purchase levels. The in-built invoice based credit of VAT will promote economic documentation. Tax invoice is the most important and significant feature of VAT-induced documentation. VAT has self-assessment features and records business transactions through tax invoicing. Today Pakistan is facing a problem of undocumented and black economy. More than 30 %, calculated by electricity consumption approach, of Pakistans total economy is undocumented resulting in low tax revenues which in turn results in increasing tax rate and increasing tax burden on people who fairly pay their tax dues [11] see exhibit 7. VAT, with its features of penalizing and mandatory documentation of business activity, will help eradicate the norm of black economy from the nation. When in 2010 implementation of VAT was proposed, online registration of tax payers was also proposed. Difficult and rigorous registration is also one reason of people and businessmen not registering for tax. Historically as well as in present registration, under GST, has been a troublesome process because of which people avoid it hence huge amount of revenue is lost by government. If VAT is introduced, registration would become easy and those who do not register just because of the complicated process would start listing themselves which would eventually increase government revenues and its ability to pay off debt. It is also a general concern of people that the cost of compliance would increase dramatically if the VAT is implemented; this however, is not true. There will be no effect or increase in compliance cost of producers already registered/operating under GST regime and will automatically switch to VAT. But the new taxpayers who are not yet registered will have to pay nominal expense for VAT compliance. Because of IT- based VAT processes, cost of VAT compliance usually remains low for the taxpayers who release their tax obligations regularly on fair lines. [12] One of the reasons Pakistan has not been able to progress as much as other emerging countries have is because of the lack of proper infrastructure, low quality of education, and lack of governments ability to spend on public welfare. Almost all of the tax collected by government is spent on either defense or on debt servicing. The stage has come when Pakistan needs loan to pay its loan payments. With VAT the state would be able to collect more taxes with which Pakistan will be able to repay its loans sooner. Once Pakistan pays off all the loans it will be able to spend on infrastructure and improve quality of education. Better infrastructure and education would attract foreign investments which will increase GDP and eventually increasing the tax base; there has been a decrease of more than 3000 million $ from fiscal year 2007-2008 to 2009-20010 in FDI see exhibit 6. According to VAT law there is no difference between retailers and wholesalers. It also does not define manufacturer or manufacture. Every person, who is part of the production supply chain, is required to get registered with VAT if he/she is engaged in carrying out business activity of making supplies of taxable goods/services. Under GST only some of the industries are charged tax. For example, cellular services account for more than 80% of the total GST collected, rest of the countrys industries pay less than 20% of the GST revenue.[13] See Exhibit 5 . Now one problem could be that organizations tend to avoid taxes especially when VAT is practiced in the economy. But with the negative effects, payment of taxes has positive consequences as well; paying taxes improves the credibility of organization. People tend to purchase from organization that are ethical enough to pay its due taxes, it is most beneficial for small companies. If small organizations mention on their sites that the company is a regular tax payer, it will not just improves its credibility but will also enhance its ability to compete with larger firms. Tax refund is also a major problem under GST regime, VAT, however has a solution to it. Under VAT system refunds will be paid through speedy Refund Payment System. The system has already been set-up for exporters from the tax period April, 2010 onwards. Under this upgraded system electronic refund payments will be made directly in the bank accounts of the taxpayers. This new refund system will be expanded to cover all other classes of refund claimants in due time. Thus, VAT is the most appropriate tax system for Pakistan as it has the ability to deal with tax refunds without taking much time, its ability to track un-registered business entities, and its ability to increase government revenues and reduce tax gap.

Free Bluest Eye Essays - Toni Morrison Helped Me Find Myself :: Bluest Eye Essays

The Bluest Eye   - Toni Morrison Helped Me Find Myself          Toni Morrison, I owe you my deepest thanks for helping me to appreciate the image I see in the mirror, the voice I hear when I speak, and the rhythm in my step as I walk. Many attitudes remain the same as they were in my parent's youth. Some people still stare at others because they are different and some still carry hatred and anger in their hearts because another person's skin color is not the same as theirs. Yet, there are those who do not carry such hate in their hearts, but allow themselves to be influenced by the bold intimidation of those who do. Those without hate often change their personalities and ways of thinking in order to become a part of an attitude which appears to be strong. However, this hatred is based on fear, it is weak.       While reading The Bluest Eyes, a complex of emotions filled within me. I found myself putting my emotions and all of my heart into the lives of two girls, Claudia and Pecola, who both struggled to truly find themselves. Although I can not say this book and these two young girls mirror my life completely, I can say the strength found in Claudia and the wanting to be accepted in Pecola's heart was not only their own, but mine as well.    Being a black author, you forced me to relate myself to your words on a greater level than any other because of our similar skin tones and life experiences. You then caused me to ask questions about the strength of my heart, and if I could handle the pressure of never thinking I was good enough. In The Bluest Eyes, Pecola regrets the way she looks, calling herself ugly and wanting to fit in. During her tribulations, my heart yearned for some understanding of how she could not search into her own soul and find the beauty and love that was placed within. I then realized, I needed to do the same. Growing up in my neighborhood, children that shared my ancestry were very scarce. In middle school I became active in various organizations, and in high school I became a part colorguard, yet I still was not happy.

Genie: Social Isolation :: Free Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This was one of the most interesting cases in my opinion, which we have so far learned about. It was amazing to me first of all how a person could go undetected in those conditions for that amount of time. It was also extremely mind boggling how people could treat their own child like that, which really made me wonder the type of morals and views that those parents were brought up with. It made me extremely sad to realize all of the wonders of life that Genie was deprived of. She had been locked in that room for over ten years, which means she was practically nonexistent to the world, and had never experienced things we all take for granted every day. I truly do not know how she survived in that type of torturous confinement for ten years. However, it was encouraging to see the efforts of all the people who truly became wrapped up in Genie’s case, and the hope that she would have a learning capacity. It was amazing to me to know that she was really a fourt een year old girl, yet to hear her speak she sounded like a toddler. I found it interesting to see her progress from knowing no English words, to being fascinated by the labeling with words of all the new objects around her. It seemed to me as if she knew a language existed for everything, but was frustrated because she could not realize her goal and put words to objects quickly enough. I found it interesting to see Genie pick up the patterns of language recognition, but not commonly as it happens in children, however, it seemed as though you were teaching an old dog new tricks. I was disappointed at the ending of the film, because for me there was no good conclusion, or happy fairy tale ending that I expected.

Alliant Health System: A Vision of Total Quality Essay

1. Is Alliant’s strategy Sound? What does it have to do well to succeed? a. No strategy is totally sound.b. On paper, Alliant’s strategy would seem sound but, even though over the past five years they have made progress, Alliant has hit a few snags along the way that has prevented their strategy from becoming truly sound. i. They have only been able to lay down a foundation.c. Alliant is faced with â€Å"a culture and a climate that is inhospitable to the TQM philosophy.† ii. CEO Wolford states the he cannot â€Å"point to any one area that demonstate[s] we are substantially better than our competition.†d. â€Å"Alliant had achieved breakthroughs in organizational learning at each step in their TQM journey.† e. CARES+ – â€Å"basic outline for quality goal-setting and review†; bureaucraticf. EQUIP – â€Å"employees used it as a substitute for talking to their managers about day-to-day issues† g. Quality Improvement Teams – weren’t able to â€Å"bite off little pieces† and instead tried to solve â€Å"world hunger† problems; only able to come up with programs but was not capable implementing them; some have been â€Å"going on for over a year with nothing to show for it† h. Critical Paths – Unable to monitor rate of compliance, statistics was anywhere from 2% to 70% i. Have to do well to succeed:iii. Alliant needs to get everybody on board with Total Quality Management (TQM) for their strategy to succeed. 1. The quality process still needs a jumpstart.2. Some physicians are reluctant to adopt the new way of thinking. iv. Implement an IT system that â€Å"support[s] TQM and provide[s] Alliant with the information it need[s] to manage its evolution into the health care organization of the future.† v. Create a central quality organization that could come up with programs and implement them. 2. How well have they implemented the quality strategy? j. Alliant came up with guiding principles and a 10-point action plan to help introduce TQM to the organization through quality management teams (QMT). vi. Alliant was thorough in making sure their quality strategy was implemented systematically through targeted programs and processes that would help their â€Å"organization achieve a competitive advantage based on the management of quality. â€Å" vii. They implemented the quality stategy well in the first year because after Petersdorf died in 1987, â€Å"quality had already taken root† and â€Å"one of the board’s primary selectin criteria for Petersdorf’s replacement was a commitment to total quality management.† k. In the second year of implementation, Alliant saw their most profitable year in the history of the company. l. Four components of TQM strategy were implemented pretty well: viii. CARES+ process â€Å"diffused rapidly across Alliant†; Were â€Å"making the transition from traditional planning to quality improvement†; found quality planning process to be highly effective ix. EQUIP allowed employees to voice their ideas; helped communicate between employees, managers, and executives x. Quality Improvement Teams â€Å"prescribed specific analytical tools and walked a team from problem statement through actions, results, and future plans†; drilled right to the core of performance issues; applied statistical process control techniques to cash flow to bring the receivables range down xi. Critical Paths worked; was able to shorten length of hospital stay for coronary artery bypass graft surgeries from 17 days to 13 days and reduced average costs from $41,863 to $35,843; saved Alliant almost $1 million in 1990; moves process along if everyone works with the same time frame in mind 3.  Assess Alliant’s information technology agenda/strategy. m. Believed information technology (I/T) is a key in the future strength of TQM n. Need â€Å"expert systems – computers to help the mind†Ã‚  o. â€Å"Was a shift in focus: to patient-oriented systems rather than functional, â€Å"stove pipe† applications that met narrow departmental needs. p. Physicians, clinical support professionals, and administrators could share information and drive continuous improvement in service q. â€Å"HELP offered advice on possible diagnoses, cost-effective treatments, resource scheduling, and drug contraindications.† r. New I/T strategy offered significant advantages over Alliant’s existing patchwork of stand-alone systems: xii. System worked concurrently – advice was available as patient was being treated xiii. Had the potential to improve coordination dramatically by collecting data from  all corners of the hospital into a single patient-centered system 3. This would minimize patient costs and stay and the quality of care would be improved by eliminating â€Å"inappropriate procedures, unnecessary waiting time, and ineffective treatments.† 4. Would you proceed with HELP? s. Yes xiv. HELP would bring together Alliant’s hospitals and technically make it one working unit by providing a single patient-oriented system that had all data of a patient from every area of the hospital in one computer making Alliant efficient, productive, and quality focused. xv. This would allow information to be shared and eliminate all repeat and unnecessary procedures and allow a shorter waiting time because information would not have to be collected again. xvi. In effect, HELP would improve quality. 5. What would you do to make sure the implementation is successful? t. Make sure that the process works for us rather than us work for the process u. Take everything one step at a time; analyze little by little instead of taking in everything at once v. Make sure everybody was on board with Total Quality Management by restructuring the culture and climate in making TQM more hospitable w. Train managers with a familiar interface as that of HELP  xvii. This would help with a smooth short-term transition and involve fewer hiccups. xviii. â€Å"Stabilize the existing infrastructure, lay the foundation for HELP, and begin to make some progress on automating support for TQM†