Congress U3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Congress U3 - Essay Example According to the U.S. Constitution the Congress retains the power to declare was and through its control of the purse strings can bring about a termination in a war, but it has no control over the actual conduct of the war, the power of which is retained by the President, and through this power defines the military strategy and troop deployments. (2). This separation of power shows that the Congress has a strong control over the purse strings or the expenditure that a President wants for the various agendas that the President believes is required for the nation. Given the current mindset of the Congress, President Obama will find pushing through his agenda will not be easy. Dilution of the agenda is a strong possibility. This is a not a novel situation. Examples of the failure of President Carter to push through his energy agenda, or President Clinton his healthcare agenda, or President Bush his agenda to privatize Social Security highlight the role that Congress can play in making o r breaking the agenda of a President. President Johnson’s success in getting Congressional support for his agenda can be an inspiration to President Obama. Close interaction between President Johnson and his staff with the congress defines the strategy adopted by President Johnson.

The Sin Tax Bill How Its Affect the Bar Industry in the Philippines Essay Example for Free

The Sin Tax Bill How Its Affect the Bar Industry in the Philippines Essay In 2011, there was a tax increase on alcoholic beverages. The tax increase depended on the alcohol content and the net retail price of the beverage. This however had little effect on bars/pubs in the Philippines because the tax increase was not significant. Many consumers did not feel the price change too much because of the relatively high mark-ups at bars/pubs. PROSPECTS In 2011, the Philippine government was reviewing a bill which proposes to increase alcohol and tobacco taxes quite significantly in the Philippines. If the bill is passed, this may negatively impact sales in bars/pubs in the Philippines. The higher prices of alcohol may result in less alcohol consumption by consumers when they dine-in at bars/pubs. INTRODUCTION MANILA, Philippines—A sin tax on cigarettes and alcohol dampened the New Year party spirit when it was introduced in the Philippines Tuesday, as part of a government bid to boost finances. Many stores started selling tobacco and drink at inflated prices before midnight, ahead of the official implementation of the tax hikes on January 1, 2013 hitting partygoers in the pocket. Tax on cigarettes will gradually be raised to P30 ($0.72) per pack by 2017, roughly doubling the current price to around 52 pesos. Duty on alcohol will also increase gradually until 2017, increasing the price of a bottle of beer by 23.50 pesos, with varying levels for other drinks including wine and spirits. It will be further increased by four percent each year thereafter. The new prices compared to countries like Singapore, for example, are still low, but for the ordinary Filipinos they are expensive, said Laudemer Angeles, a 33-year-old shop owner in the town of Bacoor, south of Manila. Many of my customers were complaining about the higher prices and were not too happy when they bought their booze and smokes for their parties last night. Anti-smoking campaigner Emer Rojas said he hoped the new taxes would lead to a gradual decline in the number of people suffering from tobacco-related illness. I think the sin taxes should even be raised higher, he told AFP. But we commend President Aquino for showing his resolve in signing the law. The government has said that the country of 100 million has the highest incidence of smoking in the region, with tobacco-related diseases costing the country P177 billion ($4.3 billion) last year. The new taxes aim to raise P33 billion ($800 million) this year alone, gradually increasing over the coming years. A large percentage of the money will go towards the government’s healthcare program. The government first asked Congress to raise taxes on â€Å"sin† products as early as 1997, but a strong lobby by tobacco manufacturers stifled change. The lobby included members of Congress representing tobacco-growing regions as well as powerful cigarette companies that enjoyed one of the lowest tobacco taxes in Southeast Asia. Published on Tuesday, January 1st, 2013 Link: http://www.euromonitor.com/cafes-bars-in-the-philippines/report http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/333451/philippines-sin-tax-introduced-dampens-new-year-fun

Comparing Power in Cask of Amontillado, Rappaccinis Daughter, and Bart

Power in Poe's Cask of Amontillado, Hawthorne's Rappaccini's Daughter, Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener, Phelps' Angel over the Right Shoulder and Child's The Quadroon In Poe's The Cask of Amontillado Montressor seeks his revenge (for an imagined offense) on Fortunado. He manipulates Fortunado into beliving that he is a friend and that they are going through the crypt. He uses Fortunado's "weak point" --his love of alcohol-- against him. He creates the illusion of concern by insisting that they turn around to save poor Fortunado's health. Montressor manipulates the entire situation from beginning to end. His greatest achievement is that Fortunado would know what was happening to him by dying a slow death and more importantly, he would know who was behind the elaborate plan for his death. Montressor (who is mentally unstable) is a corrupt man who thrives off of the power he has (had) over Fortunado. In Hawthorne's Rappaccini's Daughter we find two instances of a power struggle and manipulation. The Scientist has used his daughter in an experimental attempt to give her a one-of-a-kind gift. Failing in his attempt he has in a sense "cursed" his daughter. He has taken away her power to choose her own life--she is at the mercy of her "gift" and is suffering the results of his ambition. Baglioni uses Giovanni in a different way. He uses Giovanni to gain power over Rappaccini. He manipulates Giovanni into thinking that Rappaccini is corrupt and that Beatrice can be saved by his antidote. Rappaccini is corrupt because he uses his daughter to practice his scientific experiments. If his intention to enable her with a gift was indeed genuine then he may not be as "wicked" as Baglioni. Baglioni's intentions were purely evil. He man... ... the characters in this story are all manipulated and repressed by the power of the social code of the time regarding quadroons. Everything in the story hinges not only on the social pressures, but also on the fragility of love. She belives that he will love her (even though he is not legally bound to her) and together they could face the injustice of the world or merely hide from it. Due to his ambition, he betrays her and leaves her and his daughter. He does no service to either of the three women--his common-law wife by breaking her heart and leaving her to cope with a child, the child left without a father and a social outcast, and his new wife by marrying her just for the social and economic position it would bring him and especially since she learns that he is still in love with the other woman. The victims in this story are manipulated by one man's ambition.

Leadership Interview Essay

Leaders-like can be found everywhere but effective leaders are going extinction. Yes, in this world, where people are able to express their own ideas, anyone can be chosen as a leader because he or she possesses a certain characteristics that resembles a leader – outspoken, intelligent, or the ability to express ideas in a single sentence (Ricketts, 2009). However, the leader characteristics are not always an assurance of becoming an effective leader. As according to IAAP (2009), effective leadership is the key to success of organizations. Effective leader are somewhat hard to classify in terms of characteristics – but one thing is for sure, he /she is able to lead the group without imposing authority among members. In simple terms, effective leaders are those people who are seen working just like an ordinary member of the groups but the outcome or output of the group is highly commendable. This is because, he works hand in hand with his people and the atmosphere when e verybody’s working is as cool as ice. Works or jobs are growing freely with the flow, without noticing that they have already solved the problem together. Being able to lead people is leadership – by definition, Leadership is simply being able to influence other people in a positive way, and inspire subordinates to work hard for success of the organization (IAAP, 2009). Having this thought in mind about leaders and leadership, the first person that came into my mind as a potential to be interviewed for this assignment is one of our dear family friend, Mr. Karl Fuentes. Mr. Fuentes is of Filipino-descend but is living in the United States for quite some time. He is the manager of one of the McDonalds Store in Modesto California. McDonalds is headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, U.S. It is one of the largest fast food chains in the world and started its operation in 1940, and it is currently present in over 120 countries worldwide serving billions of consumer a day (Yahoo Finance, 2012). He started as a part time service crew for the store and after few years of working since he was already working full time, he got promoted as a manager of the branch. Mr. Fuentes, now 23 is still a student at California State University and he became a manager at the age of 19. According to him, he did not expect to be promoted as a manager because he is only an immigrant. However, since God was on his side and good luck was born with him, he accepted the promotion without having second thought. According to him, the responsibilities of a service crew and a manager are can be compared to David and Goliath – little and huge. As a service crew, your responsibilities was only to serve the food to the customer’s table, clean the store such as wiping the table and mop the floor; and sometimes, immediate person to handle customer complaints – simple and linear. However, according to Mr. Fuentes, when he became the manager, responsibilities did overwhelm him and shaken his confidence. You are the one responsible for the whole store, from inventory to management functions, to handling customer complaints and even monitoring and hitting sales quotas. You also need to assure the quality of the food, the cleanliness of the whole store as well as the marketing side of the store. All of that, you need to manage, monitor and maintain. Personally, I already have known the concepts or theories behind the responsibilities of a manager, but seeing the facial and bodily expression of Mr. Fuentes, I came to realize that it really isn’t easy. There are a lot of sacrifices you need to do to cope with the duties and responsibilities of being a manager or as the leader in the store. Well, before going deeper into personal experiences of Mr. Fuentes, I asked his opinion on the word â€Å"Leader†. In the back of my mind, I was thinking actually that he will go into deep explanation like theories from books, or any other materials. I didn’t expect that his answers will be â€Å"A leader should be a good follower and an active listener†. This sentence is extremely a clichà ©, but after he expounds his answer, like a leader should need to follow rules so his subordinate should follow him as well, I came to realize that a clichà © will never be a clichà © if it’s not true, or if it has not worked for many. Another question that pops out my mind after hearing his answer was also a clichà © question – A leader is born or made? As expected, the answer was also a clichà © – â€Å"it can be both† depending on the reference point. It can also be due to some luck, which made both of us laugh. Yes. It is true. I had also t his opportunity to ask him if how would he differentiated a leader from others and if he believes that certain characteristics are needed to become a leader. According to him, a leader is someone who is willing to listen to other’s opinion and but is actively participating on the tasks, discussion or problem solving. From the expert’s point of view, there is no specific characteristic that is required in order to be named as leader – it’s just being true to you and being able to discern what’s good or bad for your people and company. What I enjoyed in the whole part of interview was when he revealed the challenges he had undergone as a leader and the strategy he used to overcome such challenge. As according to him, in every level of the organization, there is always a challenge. It just so happened that the challenges passed on managers or leaders are really big as compared to low level employees. When he told me his toughest challenge so far – which is to maintain the legacy of the store he is managing, and his strategy – engaging everyone in idea generation, planning and implementation ha s inspired me and I have seen his sincere as well as passionate side as a leader. Though it was simple, his effective leadership has made the big difference. When asked regarding his approached on leadership and management of his branch, he just can’t utter an appropriate word to describe his style. According to him, it was actually combination of different styles, but he personally set the goal to become a charismatic-visionary leader while being a leader by objectives. By definition, a charismatic-visionary leader is someone that influences his people though a single vision (Goleman, Daniel, 2000, p-82-83) and the style is basically engaging the people to work with him. Leadership or management by objective is somehow similar to visionary only that the style is more directed to betterment of the people, fulfilling the pre-assigned objectives as well as coaching people in the workplace (Goleman, Daniel, 2000, p-82-83). Having said that, I suddenly remembered a scenario where in we had a dinner together few years back and someone asked him if who was his inspiration as a person, then he said, â€Å"Nelson Mandela†. Indeed, w hen I asked him if who was his inspiration as a leader, he named the same person. According to him, Nelson Mandela is one of the best examples of a charismatic-visionary leader as he was able to move people by one Vision, which is to help the country to move forward, lessening the poverty and eliminating racism. Such attitude and vision like giving your whole self to save the country have inspired a lot of people and has led him to be the first South African leader to be elected via a democratic election (The Nobel Foundation, 1993). By then, there are a lot of things running on my mind just by observing him, listening to his intelligent answers, jokes, and his non-verbal actions. Before the start of the interview, my connotation of a leader is always serious, task oriented with stern appearance and the like, however, while doing the interview, I came to realize that my connotation before was â€Å"very bookish† as they say. Leaders are still human and are able to laugh, joke around and sometimes, act childish. Indeed, I was partly wrong back then. Being inspired by the answers of Mr. Fuentes to my simple questions, I did not pass the chance to ask for some advice on how to be an effective leader. His advice was, just be you, lead by example, know how to listen to your members and of course, respect other’s opinion. As time goes by, the interview also went on, and I must say that I really learned a lot from him. I came to realize that a leader has this charisma that when he speaks, you are drive to listen to whatever it is. It was like being mesmerized to what he has achieved in life and at the same time, I was inspired to be somehow like him. The overview interview went smoothly as expected and also filled with humour, which did contribute to my learning subconsciously. I truly learned a lot from the leadership interview and I gained knowledge not only on textbook but from the expert himself which is a very overwhelming experience in my part. I must say that learning from the textbook and articles about leadership is re ally not enough. Books, and other printed sources will only help you understand the concept of leadership especially on the theory part, but it leaves you the thinking or imagine what a leader would really be like. Therefore, the formulation of a leader image depends on the use of words written and dependent on the person’s creative imagination. We should keep in mind that there is no perfect person, and since our backgrounds are diverse, we might interpret a single word differently, thus, our connotation of the word leader, leadership and management also varies. Though they mind be the basis for some, readings, textbooks and articles are only a guide in defining the concept of leader, leadership and management, also, since it is based on majority or most leaders really posses this attitude, it may then become a standard qualification for the concept. However, we must keep in mind that each leader or person is exposed to different stimuli and reacts differently under certain circumstances, therefore, in order to know the traits of a leader, it is better to consult a leader itself and witness with your own eyes the qualities that he/she possess as a leader. Thus, this experience of being able to interview a true leader in his field or designation, made me witness the real persona of a leader – the way he act, the coolness when he answers the questions and the substance of every word that came out in his mind. References: * Goleman, Daniel,. (March-April 2000). Leadership that Gets Results. Harvard Business Review, p. 82-83. * IAAP. (April 28, 2009). Leadership Theories and Styles. 2009 Administrative Professionals Week, 1-5. * McDonald’s. (2010-2013). McDonald’s: Our History. Retrieved from mcdonalds.com: http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_history.html * The Nobel Foundation. (1993). Nelson Mandela – Biography. Retrieved from Nobelprize.org: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1993/mandela-bio.html * Ricketts, K. G. (2009). Leadership vs. Management. UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE. Interview Questions and Answers: 1. Please introduce you, current job and position. I’m Karl Fuentes and I am a manager of one of the McDonalds branch in Modesto California. 2. What are your lines of responsibilities in the company? I started as a service crew at the restaurant, and got promoted as a manager few years ago. My lines of responsibilities from a service crew and as a manager are really different. Working as a service crew, I just need to get the order from the kitchen, and then deliver it to the customer, clean the table and the place. As simple as it sound, isn’t it? However, now being a manager, my responsibilities have become bigger which does not only concerns you but the whole branch as well from employees performance, to sales, to inventories, customer complaints, and a lot more. As a manager, you need to coordinate all the functions which really need a lot of effort. 3. In your own opinion, what is a leader? For me, as a leader, you also need to be a good follower. You need to follow rules and regulations set by the company and act in accordance to that rules. A leader also needs to be a good listener. A leader needs to listen to his subordinates not only to resolve the problems or glitches right away based on fair judgment and also to solicit opinion from them. Through listening to subordinates or people around you, you will learn a lot like from their own experiences and stuffs like that. Thus, in order to understand each and every one, you need to listen to them first. 4. What’s your stand on this issue, â€Å"A leader is Born or Made†? Wow. What a clichà © question. Well, I’ve came across this question often times even when I was in school. My personal opinion for that point is actually, it can be both. There are leaders in our society who were born as leaders – meaning, the leader lineage in their family is very evident. In simple sense, being leaderâ₠¬â„¢s runs in their blood. However, there are also leaders in our society or even in school that were just made as leader. The reason also varies from person to person. It may be influenced by their peers, level of education, innate passion or just luck. Let me give you an example, Mark Zuckerburg is the CEO of Apple right? What is his status before becoming a leader of a multi-billion company? Isn’t it that he was just an a weirdo student at Harvard who often locked in his room, go to classes, drinks beer with his friends and the like? He’s just a typical Harvard Student. Who would have thought that he will be a well-known CEO in the future? In my opinion he is one of the examples of people who have become leader by luck. Though he is really an intelligent guy, his intelligence isn’t enough to achieve the stop where he is now. In my opinion, it was actually out of luck that the website he developed became a hit. 5. How would you differentiate a leader from a bystander, a follower, an initiator or an outspoken person? Leader is someone who listens, take part or participate in a forum, discussion and the like. Bystanders are people who always on the side, though they are physically present, they themselves are mentally absent. Followers are those people who always follow someone without complain. Initiators are the ones who initiate the thought but are unable to finish it. Outspoken are those people who are just talking endlessly without considering others opinion. 6. From your own experience, what are the challenges of being a leader? Are there also opportunities of being a leader what are those? Being a leader is no joke. You need to think less of yourself and think more of others. In our store, it’s inevitable that there are always conflicts between subordinates, shortage in inventory, deficit in sales and a lot of customer complaints. As the manager of the store, you are expected to face these challenges and solve it in any means. What I did was, to hear each side of the coin and plan the action. Planning comes first as it directs the implementation to a clear and single line. A leader does not always face negative circumstances, sometimes; it allows you to discover other things that you yourself cannot imagine that you can do it. If you are a leader, you have subordinates, thus, tasks assigned will be done faster because there are a lot of brains working. You can also express yourself well as you do a lot of coordination, talking and mediating. Leaders really offer a lot of opportunities for a person. 7. In your own experience, what was the most difficult obstacle or challenges you have faced as a leader ad how you were able to resolve it? In all McDonalds store, there is actually that competition every year ends on being the â€Å"Most Outstanding Store† in the area. Before my team, our store was always the winner. During my leadership, there are actually lots of hardship that the store had undergone including fiscal crisis, lots of worker lay-offs, and others which have threaten the sale of the store. It was November then when I and my team realized that we might fall short on the qualification criteria since our sales is not peaking up. As a leader, what I did was, after shift, I gathered my team and discussed possible turn-around strategy that we could do for the store to spike up the sales. I solicited opinions from each of my members and they all contributed their own ideas. After hearing each opinion, we have grouped alike opinions into one category and categorized it according to objectives. Then, each of us chose the best idea and the idea that gathered most of the votes were the one implemented. Luckily, the promotion or strategy that we have implemented did really help us to qualify for the award and later on, won the award. So I guess the best strategy that I did as a leader was soli citing ideas from my members and make them feel that they are part of the company, so, we need to go hand in hand to solve the problem. 8. Are there any special traits, abilities or knowledge that a person should possess in order to become a leader? I don’t think there is. Everyone can be a leader in their own ways. 9. Personally, what are your Philosophies towards leadership and management? Basically, I don’t really have those Philosophies when it comes to leadership and management topic. I just do what I think and my members are right as long as it will be beneficial for the store. 10. I’m sure you are aware of the management or leadership styles, of all, what do you think are your leadership style? How? Yes. I am aware of it. Me? I actually don’t know my leadership styles but since then I am trying really hard to become charismatic-visionary leader and a management by objective at the same time. 11. Having experienced being a follower and a leader, which do you think is the most convenient to your lifestyle or attitude? For me, I guess, it is becoming a leader. It’s not because o f the power or authority I have acquired of becoming a leader, but a sense of responsibility that I have acquired. I have always been very independent since and according to people around me – I am very responsible. I am mindful of my actions and can become a perfectionist at the same time. 12. Is there a specific leader that you look up to? Who and Why? When a word â€Å"Leader† is mentioned, there’s this one person that immediately pops out of my mind – Nelson Mandela. He is very charismatic leader and down to earth. He has vision for his country and was able to revive the spirit of his countrymen. I guess, those qualities has made me more curious about him and in the end, I became his fan. 13. Lastly, what would you advise me so that I would become an effective leader as you are? Advise as a leader? Hmmm. I don’t really have any. But I guess, to become an effective leader, you should know how to listen to other people’s opinion, Motivate people to work hard because you yourself are working hard. Generally, live as an example. You should act, look and think like a leader for others to respect and follow your orders.

Driving Under the Influence of a Cell Phone

Driving Under the Influence of a Cell Phone Dameatrius McCreary, age 5 was killed when he was hit by a driver that had reached down to pick up a ringing cell-phone that had fallen to the floor of the car. Dameatrius had just gotten off a school bus that was dropping him off. The school bus was parked, had its warning lights flashing and a stop sign out when he was hit by the vehicle (11 Reasons to ban). Each year in the United States, talking on a cell phone while driving causes an estimated 2600 motor vehicle-related deaths and 330,000 moderate to critical injuries (Lissy).Driving is a complex task at the best of times. A driver speeds up and slows down, steers, changes lanes, scans the road for hazards, checks mirrors, merges, and brakes. When in traffic, drivers must process a great deal of information in a very short time. Talking on a cell phone while driving greatly impacts ones’ ability to drive safely. Despite the known risk, many people still use a cell phone while dr iving. Cell phones are not only cognitively distracting, but they affect peripheral vision and cause reaction time to become much slower.By banning cell-phone usage while driving, the number of deaths and injuries could be decreased significantly. Lawmakers need to push this issue into law before more innocent lives are taken. Some people feel they are experienced enough drives and have the ability to drive and talk on a cell phone. My brother thinks he is the best driver in the world. We have had many discussions on how dangerous it is to focus more on your phone than on the road. He feels that no amount of talking on the phone or texting is going to be detrimental to his driving.I have found this common attitude with many of my family and friends who drive with the phone stuck to their ear. This behavior is not due to a lack of awareness of the dangers. They truly believe they are in control of their environment and overestimate their own ability to drive safely while talking on t he phone. This superman mind-set clouds their way of thinking. In fact many people know that using a cell phone while driving is dangerous, and some even consider it more risky than eating or putting on make-up in the car. In a focus group, held in 2000, benefits of driving while talking on a cell phone were discussed.Some of the argued benefits were to, â€Å"expand productivity for commuters, improve mental alertness, and diminish the tendency to speed (Lissy 44). In another study conducted in 2002 by Hammond and Horswill showed â€Å"drivers with a high desire for control were more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors than were those with a low desire for control† (Schlehofer 1108). It is this high desire for control that causes drivers to overlook the danger that is involved in talking on the phone and focus on what they are able to accomplish while doing it.It is true if you talk on the phone while driving you will probably get more accomplished, but is it worth the risk? Talking on a cell phone is a cognitive distraction plain and simple. Several studies show that a driver paying attention to a conversation on a cell phone is distracted simply because he is paying attention to the conversation, reducing the attention he is paying to driving and what is going on around him (Ropeik and Gray 71). Not only is talking a distraction, but today our phones are loaded with applications, which usually require two hands to operate.We have all witnessed drivers that have one hand on the wheel and the other hand typing, or driving with their knee while texting. When your hands are holding your phone, or dialing or receiving a call, they’re not holding the steering wheel or helping to control the vehicle. Think of the last time you came upon someone driving in the left hand lane while traveling under the speed limit. A lot of the time they are talking on their phone. Many times they merge into your lane and never realize that you are even there.C ell phone usage may decrease speed, but it also creates more of a hazard for drivers and everyone else around them. Research at the University of Utah suggests that cognitive distraction may be the most important distraction since their test subjects did equally poorly when using hands-free or hand-held devices (Ropeik and Gray 71). Talking on a cell phone while driving, dramatically affects your peripheral vision. It has been claimed that driving while talking on a cell phone can be as or more dangerous than driving drunk.I know that when I have been talking on the phone while driving and change lanes or turn, it is not as easy to see other cars. It has only taken a couple of close calls for me to realize that my life and that of my family is not worth the 5 minute conversation I could be having with someone. A study done by the Southern College of Optometry to measure visual fields with and without a cell phone conversation taking place suggests that cell phone conversations tend to artificially constrict the peripheral awareness as measured by a visual field. This suggests that cell phone use while riving can decrease the perceptual visual field, making the driver less aware of the surroundings and more susceptible to accident (Maples et al 36). Think of those times you have picked up your phone to see who is calling or to read a text you have just received. As you look at the phone, glancing up every so often to see what is ahead of you, are you paying attention to what is around you? Are you able to look over your shoulder to make sure no one is in your blind spot before changing lanes? Generally you have no idea what is behind or on the side of you.Suddenly you are so involved in reading that text or taking that phone call that everything around you disappears. Driving requires the use of all of your faculties. If you are looking for your phone, or at your phone to make a call, you are not looking at the road. Furthermore, the reaction time decreases dra matically when using a phone while driving. University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer stated, â€Å"Drivers talking on cell phones were 18% slower to react to brake lights and once the driver hits the brakes, it takes them longer to get back into the normal flow of traffic.The net result is they are impeding the overall flow of traffic† (Britt). Stop and go traffic is already frustrating, but drivers who are paying more attention to what is going on with their phone than with traffic just amplifies the problem. Studies of driver performance, observing drivers both on simulators and in the field, have shown that mobile phone use while driving can adversely affect reaction time, swerving ability, and the ability to execute difficult driving tasks (Ropeik and Gray 71).Driving with both hands on the wheel and having your eyes focused on the road the whole time is hard enough. Now add the distraction of a cell phone and one is bound to have problems. As much as we woul d like to think that we can do multiple things at the same time, the reality is no one is perfect. Case in point: On Thanksgiving weekend, 1999, John and Carole Hall were killed when a Naval Academy midshipman crashed into their parked car. The driver said in court that when he looked up from the cell phone he was dialing, he was 3 feet from the car and had no time to stop (Stockwell B8).University of Utah research found that test subjects took longer to react to traffic signals and completely missed twice as many of those signals when they were on the phone (Ropeik and Gray 71). Matt Wilhelm was cycling near Urbana, Illinois when he was struck and killed by a driver that was downloading ring tones to her cell phone. Matt’s death has prompted cell phone legislation that has been signed by Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. The new law teaches teen drivers the importance of avoiding distraction while they are driving (11 Reasons to ban).Recently Oprah has been promoting a No P hone Zone pledge challenging her viewers to stop using their cell phones while driving. They pledge to not text or talk on their cell phone. We can all take this pledge and help get the word out how dangerous it is to let our cell phones distract us from safe driving. Driving is a complex task that requires the driver's full attention. Smart drivers keep their hands on the wheel, their eyes on the road and focus more attention on driving than talking on the phone. Because of increased injuries and deaths surrounding accidents involving cell phones, we must begin to take this problem seriously.How many more lives need to be claimed before we take a stand? The time is now to call your local representative and voice your opinion before someone you love is affected by this dangerous habit. It is time we put the brake on our cell phone usage while driving. Banning cell phone use while driving may not totally eliminate the number of deaths or accidents that happen, but it will dramaticall y decrease them for sure. How many lives can we save by simply putting our cell phones down and concentrating on actually driving?Works Cited â€Å"11 Reasons to ban Cell-Phone Use While Driving. DrivingLaws. org 951online. LLC, 2009. Web. 6 July 2010. Britt, Robert Roy. â€Å"Drivers on Cell Phones Kill Thousands; Snare Traffic Technology. † Live Science. com. TechMedia Network. 01/02/2005. Web. 5 July 2010. Lissy M. P. H. , Karen S. , et al. â€Å"Cellular Phone Use While Driving: Risks and benefits. † Cell Phone Free Driving. Harvard Center for Risk Analysis: Harvard School of Public Health. July 2000. Web. 1 July 2010. Maples, W. C. , et al. â€Å"The Effects of Cell Phone Use on Peripheral Vision. † Optometry 79 (2008): 36-42. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 July 2010. Ropeik, David, and George Gray. â€Å"Cellular Telephones and Driving. † Risk: A Practical Guide for Deciding What's Really Safe and What's Really Dangerous in the World Around You. B oston: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 2002. 70-75. NetLibrary. Web. 1 July 2010. Schlehofer, Michele M. , et al. â€Å"Psychological Predictor of College Students' Cell Phone Use While Driving. † Accident Analysis and Prevention 42. 4 (2010):1107-1112. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 July 2010. Stockwell, Jamie. â€Å"Phone Use Faulted in Collision. † Washington Post 6 Dec. 2000: B1+. Web. 13 July 2010.

Standard State Conditions of Temperature and Pressure

Standard State Conditions of Temperature and Pressure Values of thermodynamic quantities are commonly expressed for standard state conditions, so it is a good idea to understand what the standard state conditions are. A superscript circle is used to denote a thermodynamic quantity that is under standard state conditions: ΔH ΔH °ÃŽâ€S ΔS °ÃŽâ€G ΔG ° Standard State Conditions Certain assumptions apply to standard state conditions. Standard temperature and pressure commonly is abbreviated as STP. The standard state temperature is 25 °C (298 K). It is possible to calculate standard state values for other temperatures.All liquids are pure.The concentration of all solutions is 1 M (1 molar).All gases are pure.All gases are at 1 atm pressure.The energy of formation of an element in its normal state is defined as zero. Sources International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (1982). Notation for states and processes, significance of the word standard in chemical thermodynamics, and remarks on commonly tabulated forms of thermodynamic functions. Pure Appl. Chem. 54 (6): 1239–50. doi:10.1351/pac198254061239UPAC–IUB–IUPAB Interunion Commission of Biothermodynamics (1976). Recommendations for measurement and presentation of biochemical equilibrium data. J. Biol. Chem. 251 (22): 6879–85.

Where My Mind Wanders essays

Where My Mind Wanders essays My car slows as it approaches a stoplight. I take this opportunity to allow my mind to become engulfed with my surroundings: the bright, fierce red of the traffic light, the brilliant blue sky with its specs clouds, and the mass of hurried people. The four corners of the intersection are filled with people who are preoccupied with their fast-paced lives to notice the little things, such as animals and anxious cars awaiting the traffic light. My thoughts vigorously put all of the information that my mind has gathered from the intersection to order. My mind eagerly involves itself by engulfing my surroundings and giving them some meaning. The office workers, too busy to pay attention to the life that surrounds them catch my eyes first. They seem to be apathetic robots, preprogrammed to start at one location and go to another. They pay little attention to any detail unless it has to do with them. I chuckle at the automated behavior of these robots. Once my mind has come to a conclusion about the workers, this small little squirrel sitting on its hind legs eating a juicy apple catches my attention. Sitting there on the corner of the intersection, minding its own business, the squirrel devours the apple. Once done with its apple the squirrel throws the core to the side and remains there for a bit. My mind temporarily comes out of its lapse and I wonder if this squirrel is analyzing me, too. The neck of the squirrel seems to be a second hand on a clock, tick tock. It moves a bit then stops, then again moves continuing until it can no longer move its neck. A 1996 Ford Mustang next to my car revs the engine, and my mind loses interest in the squirrel and moves to the cars next to and opposite of me. There are two cars, a BMW, and an old pickup truck; the name is not visible. You can see the eagerness of each car; the impatience in these cars is more than of child the day before their birthday. These cars remain perpendicular to the lan...

College Research Paper Topics

College Research Paper Topics College Research Paper Topics Choosing a college research paper topic can become a great challenge for any student being assigned that kind of project. Unlike with other written tasks the problem with research paper is entirely discovered from its notion. The topic of the research paper is totally dependent on the actual research you have to conduct. With this respect the choice turns to be very limited since students appear not to be fully facilitated to hold any research they might want, therefore they have to go along with what they can do instead of taking the topic they like. It is a quite unpleasant fact because to achieve good results and discover the knowledge a person writing a paper should be interested in the study and investigation. It brings us to the idea that college research paper topics should not only be interested to the reader or professor but also the student who is doing the research. Nevertheless, there exist positive sides of the case. For instance let us take a look at the notion of research itself. There are several types of research that can be applied to one and the same material to get the necessary result. All of them have their own specifications that can open you the space to compose a great research paper topic based on research aspects. Moreover, let us not forget that the study and investigation and you conduct can have a practical or purely theoretical aim which can deviate the topic depending on the outcome. However hard it can be for the students to generate that one idea that will give a great start for a college research paper they should always remember that it all comes with experience. The more you write the better your college research paper topics will be. is committed to provide students with qualitative custom college research papers on any topics and subjects.

Analyze the book Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody - How did Essay

Analyze the book Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody - How did the system of discrimination work, and why was it so har - Essay Example Moody’s particular contribution to this important subject is to bring out the emotional and personal effects of this system of discrimination on the poorest people and spell out the awful consequences that followed any attempts at resistance against the overwhelming power of the white and racist ruling minority in Mississippi. The economic situation of the protagonist Anne’s family is very bad. The passages describing the various successive family homes, for example, detail the very basic conditions in a matter of fact way, showing how absolutely normal it was for African families to share one room, or even on occasion one bed (Moody, 13). Features such as wallpaper fastened on to the walls with tacks (Moody, 3), or a concern for economy in statements such as â€Å"Stop using up all that soap!† (Moody, 35) appear extreme to modern readers, because these small luxuries are taken for granted by the vast majority of American citizens today. The fact that an eight ye ar old is left in charge of younger siblings, while both parents work long hours in the fields is evidence also that conditions for share-cropping farmers were not much better than those which were endured by African Americans under the old rules of slavery. Grinding poverty is the daily normality for this group of people, and it saps their strength, taking away the desire and ultimately also the ability to find a better way of life. Anne’s mother, for example, struggles every day of her life to provide even these fundamental necessities for her children and this explains her attitude of dejection and hopelessness throughout the book. Anne, as a young child, longs for a more spirited resistance, but does not appreciate the weight of economic responsibility that keeps a mother tied to a succession of demeaning and low paid jobs. These harsh conditions are described without negative comment in the opening pages of the book, but as the child grows older and encounters the luxuri ous bedrooms and bathrooms that white people such as the Johnsons have, a note of envy and indignation appears. It is bad enough to suffer deprivation and hunger, but the proximity of a whole other world that is physically nearby but economically out of reach makes the situation even worse. Prejudice and power are certainly factors in the maintenance of a segregated society in Mississippi, but one the most powerful forces that sustained the system of discrimination was widespread and unrelenting poverty. Social differences in the novel are partly defined by the economic factors mentioned above, but also very much influenced by race. The book shows how a child growing up in the segregated South has difficulty in understanding the labels that categorize people into different racial groups. The young Anne cannot figure out, for example, why two of her uncles who look exactly like all the white people, cannot be classified as white. Her mother’s answer â€Å"Cause they mama ainà ¢â‚¬â„¢t white† (Moody, 36) appears illogical to the child, who naturally looks for visual signals in the color of skin, eyes and hair that a person has. By adopting the innocent and questioning attitude of a child, the author cleverly points out the inherently illogical and arbitrary nature of the social hierarchy. The reader is forced to

Supplemental Vitamins Vs. Natural Vitamins Research Paper

Supplemental Vitamins Vs. Natural Vitamins - Research Paper Example Scientists and nutritionists around the world have failed to form a consensus on the efficacy and usefulness of supplements. While some studies show that supplements do in fact help prevent diseases and assist in meeting nutritional requirements, latest studies reveal that the side effects of such man-made drugs are harmful. A study conducted in 2007 of 77,721 men and women smokers to identify whether or not the intake of supplemental multivitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folate helped reduce lung cancer is one such interesting find (Christopher G. Slatore). Over a ten year period, it was found that 521 cases of lung cancer were reported among the sample and it was found that these supplements did not present a reduction in the probability of lung cancer in the sample. Furthermore, it was found that vitamin E was actually linked to a slight increase in the risk of the lung cancer instead. On the other hand, there are studies that point to the advantages of supplements as a means of meeting nutritional needs. One such study, conducted on breastfeeding infants, suggests that dark-skinned infants who are fed only on breast milk should be given a vitamin D supplementation of 400IU daily. The study suggests that these infants would not receive the daily Vitamin D requirement based solely on their diet and would be at high risk of developing rickets (Kreiter SR).

STRATEGIC ANALYSIS case assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

STRATEGIC ANALYSIS case - Assignment Example To achieve, the social organization aims at helping parents, educators, other residents, as well as additional stakeholders with emphasis on developing a safe learning environment for children. The first goal of HCZ was to set up a seamless system with necessary support to the child before birth through to adulthood in college. The goal was to have a best-practice conveyor belt. The biggest problem faced by the social organization was evaluating and measuring the success of the same. Secondly, the top management at HCZ aimed at helping children from humble and troubled backgrounds to grow actively and become healthy adults within their respective communities. HCZ aims at building a society with healthy children and the community simultaneously. In the process, the focus of the institution went on important groups and frequency. To help children grow into responsible adults, HCZ attached two strategies to this goal. Children remained under the watch of responsible parents. It was expected that the caring parents would be ideal models for children to learn from as they grow. The second strategy was exposing children to the right healthcare, social stimulation, intellectual ascendancy, as well as continued guidance. To run the project effectively, the management integrated the two strategies into the overall model upon which the institution ran. In his opinion, the president and Chief Executive of the social organization felt that pursuing a zone approach stood out as the best framework for the development of the entire project. In its design, the methodology meant the project will have cumulative and a scalable influence on the sampled population. Furthermore, the management at HCZ put in place strict geographical boundaries that guided delivery of services. The success of zone approach relied on obtaining sustainable funding. Sourcing for additional money was important to achieve meaningful growth. In the process, HCZ

Bankruptcy Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bankruptcy Law - Essay Example Each case can file any of these types of bankruptcy, however, a specific chapter may be better suited for each individual case. Chapter 11 is mainly bankruptcy for business and its purpose is to reorganize the debt of the business. Reorganization divides the credit accounts into different classes and assets are then liquefied and distributed. The debtor can devise a plan of reorganization for the approval of the court within a 120-day deadline or the debtor can request a court appointed trustee to plan the reorganization. This chapter of bankruptcy allows the business to continue to operate during the bankruptcy under the supervision of Bankruptcy Court. Chapter 11 allows for liquidation of the business assets that are not immediately needed for the operation of the business and a plan for payment of the assets needed for the operation of the business. This will allow the sole proprietor in this case to stay in business and she can change her business to a more suitable and profitable business under the supervision of the court while at the same time eliminating the majority of her debt. In this case, the debtor should file chapter 7 bankruptcy. The debtor is assigned a trustee who liquidates assets and then divides the proceeds fairly among the creditors.

Analytical chemistry assignment 12 questions Essay

Analytical chemistry assignment 12 questions - Essay Example In other cases, the matrix can constitute the interferent, which alters the results of the chemical analysis procedure. The accuracy of a chemical measurement explains how close the results obtained are to the true value. It is essential to establish the accuracy of a chemical measurement before interpreting the results obtained from the measurement. To determine the accuracy of an analytical measurement, one is required to calibrate it with a known standard. For instance, you can determine the accuracy of a weighing scale by comparing it with a fully functional one. Calibration refers to the process of comparing two measurements or methods whereby one is of a known magnitude or accuracy, made using a standard device or procedure and the other made in as alike a way as possible using a second device or method. The second device or method is usually referred to as the unit under test. To calibrate an analytical method, one needs to compare the results of the measurement to a set standard and making adjustments as required. The steps involved in making a chemical measurement include: selection of an analytical method, sample collection, sample processing, elimination of interferences, measurement, and calculation of results and estimation of the reliability of the results. To collect toxic fumes from a room, a known volume of the contaminated air is drawn through a glass fibre filter. The sample is then desorbed using the appropriate chemical substance and then analyzed by gas chromatography using a flame ionisation detector. Care should be observed to avoid inhalation of the fumes during the collection and analysis process. Urine collection methods vary depending on the analyte being tested. Drugs differ in the way in which they are metabolized in the body, including the components that are excreted through the urine. Depending on the analyte being investigated, urine samples can be collected during different times to

Bankruptcy Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bankruptcy Law - Essay Example Each case can file any of these types of bankruptcy, however, a specific chapter may be better suited for each individual case. Chapter 11 is mainly bankruptcy for business and its purpose is to reorganize the debt of the business. Reorganization divides the credit accounts into different classes and assets are then liquefied and distributed. The debtor can devise a plan of reorganization for the approval of the court within a 120-day deadline or the debtor can request a court appointed trustee to plan the reorganization. This chapter of bankruptcy allows the business to continue to operate during the bankruptcy under the supervision of Bankruptcy Court. Chapter 11 allows for liquidation of the business assets that are not immediately needed for the operation of the business and a plan for payment of the assets needed for the operation of the business. This will allow the sole proprietor in this case to stay in business and she can change her business to a more suitable and profitable business under the supervision of the court while at the same time eliminating the majority of her debt. In this case, the debtor should file chapter 7 bankruptcy. The debtor is assigned a trustee who liquidates assets and then divides the proceeds fairly among the creditors.

The Development of Chinese Bond Market and Its Critical Issues for Essay

The Development of Chinese Bond Market and Its Critical Issues for Future Development - Essay Example sts have argued that the bond market, whose role in the economic development is as great as that played by equity market has for a while remained obscure, as the general public seems to have little of it. Currently, few private investors are taking part in the bond market as compared to those in the stock market (Wu, 2014, p. 484). Worth noting, bond market plays a critical role in the economic development of a country, with the cash flow it provides playing a vital role in promoting the maturity of the individual investors assets and liabilities, and in the long run helping in the management of risks. As such, this paper will provide a detailed discussion of the development of the Chinese bond market, and provides an insight into the critical issues for future development. China began issuing treasury bonds in 1981 when it was first allowed to trade over numerous counters leading to the development of the secondary market for RMB Bond. The establishment of the Chinese stock exchange market in the 1990s led to the centralized trade of the Treasury bond. This piece of work analyzes the development of Chinese Bond market, which due to the absence of the centralized Securities Depository and not limited to inappropriate infrastructure has been hit by serious strikes. China is putting efforts to build a safe and cost effective bond market, which has led it to a healthy growth to emerge as one of the biggest financial markets in China (Zhu and Martha, 2009, p. 56). The bond market plays a significant role in the determination and setting of the fiscal policy and the monetary policy in China to sustain the financial revolution. In an effort to build a safe, low cost and efficient bond market, the establishment of the China Government securities Depository Trust and clearing company was a big boost (Guizot, Armelle 2012, p. 64). The CDCC (China Depository and Clearing Company) was the custodian of any marketable RMB bond and also began the development of open market

Sports vs Videogames Essay Example for Free

Sports vs Videogames Essay Sports Vs Video games We no longer live in a society where kids run around actively throughout the neighborhood. Late night soccer games, pick up games in the park, and innocence children are gone in sports. Today children are more interested in video game, computers and television, and parents are afraid of letting their children run around the streets because of kidnapping. The majority of kids are no longer interested in physical activity. Why do most kids enjoy video games rather than sports? Video games were first introduced in the 70’s and have been gaining popularity ever since. By the end of the decade video games had already become a preferred activity for kids. According to a recent study by Harris Interactive 1,178 children in the U. S, almost 9 percent of children gamers are pathologically or clinically â€Å"addicted to video games. However, 23 percent of youth say that they have felt addicted to video games, with about one-third of males and a little more than one in 10 females reporting the sensation. This is wrong, kids should not be addicted to anything at their age. Kids need to stop playing so many video games and start to playing more sports. Video games in today’s society have a negative influence on kids because it separates them from reality. This can be drastic on kids because they are constantly cutting off physical activity time and social interactions. Kids in this generation are constantly around technology whether at school, in their cars or at home. They are immersed in technology that promotes instant gratification, whether it is by Video games, computers or Mp3 players they are always around it. Technology not only has influenced kids for the worst but has also made them redundant against sports. Playing video games has adverse effects on youth by lowering their social skills, decrease sleep patterns and an increase of weight. If kids chose to play sports not only would they increase their social skills by meeting new teammates, but they would also get a great workout and increase their sleep. What makes video games better to play for kids rather than sports? I think it is because the world you get to enter it is like no other. You are free to do whatever you chose to. There are no rules no regulations, kids choose how and when to play, so I think that this is their way of feeling sort of like adults. They do not have to listen to anyone when playing video games, so I think this is sort of an escape from reality for sometime. According to the parent report. com it would appear that the excitement of video games causes the brain to release a chemical that is, in essence, addictive. This makes sense because kids are receiving constant gratification and happiness from playing video games. If kids were to play more sports rather than video games they would see that playing sports are way more compelling, fun and exciting. It is real live action, not make believe. Kids get to learn a new skill and exercise while doing it. Sports are an essential part of a kids life if they start to lack on physical activity not only will they be lazier when doing anything that requires physical activity, but will also lack the motivational to better yourself. We need to encourage kids to play more sports, and put down the controller. Kids have lost what it means to be a kid. I remember when I was a kid I would wake up at seven watch cartoons, then go out and play till it was dark. I did have a Sega, and Nintendo 64, but I found more pleasure with meeting new people and actually playing sports. I fear that if this process continues we will become sloth’s, and lose or education to video games. I used to work at Gamestop and people of all ages would come in. The ones who bought most video were kids and teenagers. Kids would wait in lines for hours when we had a pre- release and, would waste all of their birthday money or gift cards on various video games. When I was a kid my money would have gone to a new soccer ball or cleats, this just goes to show how much times have changed. There is nothing better for a kid or teenager to go outside and run around. What better way then enrolling them in karate or any other sport. According to Jennifer Dowd, Research has found that participating in sports can have a healthy developmental impact on young children. These activities can promote cooperative play, teamwork, and good sportsmanship while helping to refine gross motor skills. Sports can also help children get along with and become accepted by others, including peers, family members, teachers, and coaches. Plus, through positive feedback, group play builds self-esteem, helping your child realize that shes a capable personal who is able to accomplish significant achievements. I agree with her, being involved in a sport keeps you out of the house and builds essential tools for the future. Playing Video games is fun but as I have shown, it can really have negative side effects.

Case Study: Psychopathic Genes

Case Study: Psychopathic Genes Many people are afraid of the concept of death and what happens after life. But, many arent aware of the people that take life from others. Killers roam our streets but, arent easy to spot. They blend in with our looks and sometimes personalities. It is only possible to tell by their actions, for example when they have committed a gruesome crime. Little is known about psychopaths, many assume they are inspired, pressured or forced into doing what they do. Many of the killers have hard time in their life, as do normal people, but their problems accumulate, which add up to their emotions and do the unthinkable as we refer it to. As in the case of Marybeth Tinning who murder her 4-month daughter with a pillow mentions after the deaths of my other children I just lost it. However, there has been study and theories to show that psychopathic traits can be found in genes. Daniel M. Blonigen and his crew took 626 pairs of 17-year-old male and female twins from the community. And resulted wi th this Psychopathic traits were indexed using scores on the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. Symptoms of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology were obtained via structured clinical interviews. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate genetic and environmental influences on psychopathic personality traits as well as the degree of genetic overlap between these traits and composites of internalizing and externalizing. The Twin analysis revealed significant genetic influence on distinct psychopathic traits (Fearless Dominance and Impulsive Antisociality). Moreover, Fearless Dominance was associated with reduced genetic risk for internalizing psychopathology, and Impulsive Antisociality was associated with increased genetic risk for externalizing psychopathology. So, studies have been done to show that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in a variety of behaviors in humans. What is a psychopath? Many people dont know much about psychopaths or what it is. They know them by the way the media portraits them to be. O. Lilienfeld says that there are three big myths that are untrue; one is that all psychopaths are violent. Researched by psychologists such as Randall T. Salekin, indicates that psychopathy is a risk factor for future physical and sexual violence. Second, all psychopaths are psychotic. In contrast to people with psychotic disorders à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦psychopaths are almost always rational. They are well aware that their ill-advised or illegal actions are wrong in the eyes of society but shrug off these concerns with startling nonchalance. Third psychopathy is untreatable. Although psychopaths are often unmotivated to seek treatment, research by psychologist Jennifer Skeem of the University of California, Irvine, and her colleagues suggests that psychopaths may benefit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦from psychological treatment. The real term for psychopath is Antis ocial Personality Disorder, psychopathy and sociopathy are generally considered subsets of ASPD, it was given by American Psychiatric Association, its the term used for a personality disorder characterized by an abnormal lack of empathy combined with strongly amoral conduct but masked by an ability to appear outwardly normal. The main characteristics of a psychopath are the lack of sympathy / remorse for others, even including love ones. Other characteristic features: superficial charm, self-centered self-important, need for stimulation prone to boredom, deceptive behavior lying, conning manipulative, little guilt, cruelty to animals, callous with a lack of empathy, living off others or predatory attitude,   poor self-control, promiscuous sexual behavior, early behavioral problems, disregard for safety, impulsive lifestyle, irresponsible behavior, blaming others for their actions, short term relationships, juvenile delinquency, breaking parole or probation, and variety of    criminal activity. There are two types of psychopath that are easily distinguished. The two types of psychopath are Fearless Dominance and Impulsive Antisociality. Beth Terrel quoted Professor Dr. Stephen Benning from Vanderbilt University. The two seem to be different in their own ways but are still psychopaths. The fearless dominance is often a paradoxical mix of charm and nastiness, cool and calm under pressure, the FD type is not easily rattled. They lack the same kind of anticipatory anxiety that most people have so, instead of thinking they do it. Fearless Dominance is associated with a number of things our society considers desirable or good: high verbal I.Q., high performance, and economic success. The FD type is often charming and socially influential. He or she relishes directing other peoples activities and basking in their admiration. The FD type is sexually adventurous and often takes risks. Its not that they cant feel fear or anxiety; its just that it takes a much more extreme situation to elicit those emotions. FD types live for the thrill, the excite ment, the adrenaline rush. The Impulsive Antisociality type is an aggressive, unorganized, and a suspicious person. An IA types doesnt generally make plans, and they dont think societys rules are worth following. They often abuse drugs, and like the FD type they often are extremely sexually active. Its not the thrill that motivates the IA type, its the relief of boredom, alienation and because of the need to do something. They are extremely reactive and have a lot of raw, aggressive energy. Usually, they have a long history of antisocial behavior, such as brawling and vandalism. These are the two types of psychopaths. Fox reported that there are three genes that may play a strong role in determining why some young men raised in rough neighborhoods or deprived families become violent criminals. One gene called MAOA that played an especially strong role has been shown in other studies to affect antisocial behavior, said sociology professor Guang Guo, who led the study. I dont want to say it is a crime gene, but 1 percent of people have it and scored very high in violence and delinquency, Guo said in a telephone interview. The other two genes are called the dopamine transporter 1 (DAT1) gene and the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene, which are also associated with bad behavior, but only when the boys suffered some other stress, such as family issues, low popularity and failing school. Guo said These results,..link molecular genetic variants to delinquency, significantly expand our understanding of delinquent and violent behavior, and they highlight the need to simultaneously consider their social and genetic origins. Three examples of genes that have a role in psychopaths. An article Child Psychopaths, the author back fires by saying that its the parents fault, they are the ones that created a psychopath. Psychologist Lonnie Athens takes the approach that antisocial behavior results from a series of evolutionary stages. He came up with the idea that people become violent through a process that he calls violentization, which involves four stages: brutalization and subjugation, belligerency, violent coaching, and criminal activity. First, this person is a victim of violence and feels powerless to avoid it. Then he is taught how and when to become violent and to profit from it. Then he acts on that. If a person from a violent environment does not become violent, it is because some part of the process is missing. He connects a serial killers, Gary, actions were formed from violence and lack of empathy by the instability and brutalization of his family life. But, there is evidence to say that environmental influence isnt the key to a full developed psychopa th and there is still genetics that contribute to there actions. Young children can be spotted for some psychopathic symptoms. Some mental health professionals say they can recognize early markers in kids as young as toddlers for what may later develop into psychopathy. Experts also emphasize that not all children who appear to be at risk for psychopathy go on to become psychopathic adults Studies show that a significant portion of children who show psychopathic traits often referred to among researchers as callous-unemotional traits, which include not being concerned about others feelings and not feeling bad or guilty as early as the preschool years have the same traits when they are teens. And adolescence is a time when they are more likely than other kids to exhibit extreme behavior problems, aggression and delinquency. These teens with significant CU traits are then more likely to become psychopathic adults. Other studies resulted with some brain malfunctions when doing something they shouldnt be doing so, they wont feel remorse or have fear like a normal person would. Scientists interviewed hundreds of prison inmates, to learn about what makes them tic, and which parts of the brain lead them to live an emotionally disconnected and often violent life. They resulted with faulty wiring in the limbic system (the brains emotional center) and the amygdala (which generates fear) make psychopaths able to do horrendous things and feel nothing, and never fear danger or consequences. They also believe that genes contribute 50 percent of the puzzle and life experience the other 50 percent (Heatherturgeon). Meaning environmental factors still play a role. In another study done by Dombeck stated available data regarding the causes of psychopathic personality suggests that both nature and nurture are at work there as well. He interviewed prison inmates and did a Psychopathy Checklist, asked about thier history of their abuse experience, and a few other questionnaires. He resulted with this: Our findings indicate that a history of  child abuse  or neglect relates positively but weakly to global psychopathic features. Abuse is unrelated to the core affective and interpersonal traits of psychopathy but relates preferentially and moderately to the impulsive and irresponsible lifestyle or externalizing features of psychopathy. Dissociative experiences do not significantly mediate this relationship. Our findings call into question etiological models positing that early abuse and neglect shut off affective responding, thereby resulting in individuals who possess the cold and callous features of primary psychopathy. So, abuse was not found to predict psychopathy as a whole, but an abuse history did predict a certain feature of psychopathy; namely the tendency to be impulsive. So, what can be the cure for such genes or the process to prevent such horrific crimes from psychopath? Its also possible for some kids with CU traits, particularly the youngest ones who have the greatest capacity to change, to simply grow out of them. CU traits are most reliably assessed starting at age 4, but even 2 year old can exhibit signs that they are lacking early empathy, says Paul Frick, chair of the department of psychology at the University of New Orleans who studies youth behavior problems (Stenson). The Fitness First Club: Marketing communications The Fitness First Club: Marketing communications With the background information I have been given in this assignment, I have created a key objective for the Fitness First club. I will gather a report that reviews and analyses the marketing communications activities of Fitness First, and outlines recommendations for future communications activities. My aim at first place is to increase the number of members aged 10 35 by Jun 2013, I will also propose to use more personal selling to develop new accounts, this will increase the amount of trials and encourage other members to join a fitness club and be made aware of other promotions. Fitness First is one of the largest health club group in the world. It has 540 branches worldwide and having more than 1.7 million members in 21 states. Fitness First clubs campaign to encourage more people to find out what fitness regime works for them by using former spice girl as the face of the week fitness international. In the UK, it holds 160 fitness clubs with over 405,000 members (Source: Wikipedia). Here is the background information on factors that have impact on Fitness First Political In the UK and worldwide government policy has potential influence on the market, specific initiatives could benefit the industry, but theres also a broader push on the part of the government to try and promote healthy eating and exercise, possibly resulting in more people seeking gym membership. Early this year the government encouraged people to get fit ahead of the Olympic to come. Economic The economic factors such as utilities prices and wage rates will affect numerous aspects of Fitness First, the fitness costs will rise and members may need to prioritise their spending as cuts are made on their disposable income, especially in the prospect group. Not a lot of people are willing to spend much in the fitness club when they could on their own practice physical exercise at home, however price will be reviewed in order to well compete in the market and encourage subscribers to join Fitness First. Social Lifestyle factors such as growth in convenience foods and home entertainment have resulted in more muddy lifestyles; consumption levels of alcohol are rising which will effect gym participation and subscription. In todays celebrity cultures, theres lots of pressure to be looking good in the social life and have better appearance; It has influenced the way people are improving themselves to build six pact bodies to attract more females from the mens view and such are also the desire of some women encourage their men not to be obese. Technological Its important that Fitness First has up to date machines to compete with others and satisfy the needs of the members. Fitness First also uses technology to target the public in an effective way, text messages with special offers and online free trial vouchers and also create a page on the socials network (Source: Fitness First). Legal: Fitness First should examine legal requirements pursuant to the code of practice and should not use high pressure tactics to make sign a membership agreement or take unfair advantage of the lack of your understanding if you do not comprehend certain documents. Fitness First must display a sign that says about the health risks that may affect participation in fitness services. The Signs shall be clearly visible for anyone entering the fitness center. Environment: Fitness First should build in an ideal environment for the well-being of the planet and its members by seeking to reduce the environmental footprint of the equipment and invest the most on self-power cardiovascular machineries. Where the proper motion of the user produce all the energy needed to operate the machines, it will attract new customers by providing clean machines that are free of toxic substances, which is environmentally friendly material ( Source: athletics business). Task2. Marketing communications mix Like many fitness clubs devote themselves to schedule a marketing plan, research shows that promotion for health club is managed by using telephone (telemarketing) Radio (radio advertising) Biz (business membership programs) Mail (direct mail and email marketing), TV (cable advertising) News (newspaper advertising), etc (Source: fitness360). Looking at the previous campaign made by Fitness First when taping in the power of digital marketing, including display advertising and affiliate marketing. Their goal were to ensure that the skills of a professional fitness and qualifications remain relevant by increasing the number of downloads, due to the evolution of mobile advertising, Fitness First took rapid action to introduce click-to-call extensions with the current locations of users, which was essential for success and having the most competitive position in terms of mobile advertising. O2 been the selected mobile telephonic provider in the UK worked alongside with Fitness Firsts by l aunching a mobile marketing campaign for Fitness first club. The campaign was to offer five days free subscription and personal training session via SMS to O2 customers who live in specific postal codes near Fitness First clubs (Source: Mobile Marketing). The use of the site for the target consumer maximizes both efficiency and relevance of the offer. By creating this campaign in favor for Fitness First, O2 launched brand communication opt-in on O2s customers who are interested in health, wellness and sports, aged between 18 and 35 years. O2 provided a daily email with qualified leads in number of mobile customers and postal codes to call the client and make an appointment. The use of this highly targeted medium of communication helps to ensure maximum effectiveness of campaigns, which proves to be moving one of our tools to acquire the most successful to date. Fitness First has also launched an affiliate displaying ads on Facebook and campaigned display advertising targeted Adjug w ith the use of PPC (Pay Per Click) which is the most common form of internet marketing currently in use worldwide. The purpose of using PPC was to send instant traffic to any website niches most commonly used to send targeted traffic to a page using only keywords related to the product page of the advertiser or trying to sell. It is also very useful for testing long-term strategies of SEO and ensure that your targeted keywords will convert. PPC is a fast and effective way of generating revenue to almost any website. However, if done incorrectly, it devalue your site very quickly and you will lose money, some of the biggest PPCs networks are Google Adwords, Google Maps, Google advertising investments Yahoo, Microsoft AdCenter and Facebook. As a result of these actions, downloads increased significantly (Source: Latitude) The tools used by Fitness First have been tested and proven that promotion is custom designed in particular relation with demographics region, time of the season, current members and other information gathered from the clubs profile before starting of the promotion. When analyzing the marketing campaign of Fitness First thought it lead them at the extend they were expecting to be. Nevertheless, I still find some improvement needed to be done to acquire more subscriber in their fitness club, because not many people are on the O2s network also taking an account of internet marketing, was of good use in the point that technology is mostly used in this 21st century we living on but it could have been far more better to also make the use of other medium channels such as TV, Radio etc. Why so? Because everyone in the UK, living in their own house uses at least one of these tools to be informed of what is happening in the other side of the world. Task3. Marketing communication plan Knowing that digital marketing, including display advertising and affiliate marketing worked well for Fitness First, I will in this section shield the strategic day to day aspects of setting up my plan into action to enhance more the advertising portfolio of Fitness First, without pulling apart what have been done by Fitness First, where the use of my judgment and discretion on deciding how to schedule and plan activities, calculating costs and measuring progress will be outlined. Here is how I am going to illustrate my idea of marketing campaign. Every fitness and health club plans is designed base on the personal exercise and nutrition history Ill suggest to employ a pull up strategy, with most prospects aged between 10- 35 mostly targeting primary school to Higher education to offer them services that encourage students. I will also suggest targeting the affordable sector of the market with a competitive pricing. The marketing communications mix will be divided around objectives, message, and media. The objectives will aim to provide Fitness First consumers, access to sport and exercise opportunities to the top range facilities by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Fitness First will have to work with its local partners in education and people to share information, knowledge, skills and expertise, for example with schools, Higher Education an arrangement of work placements for students will be assigned and will share good practice at national competitive sporting events. My message should sound making bold statements to draw the attention of people, in belief of my commercial messages by organizing a public speaking and fitness group to bring people together to motivate each other by allowing people to be aware of what we are attend to do and reminding them of our existence. To achieve this, Ill suggest the use of current staff and get them trained and have sufficient knowledge to encouraging people to subscribe, by telling their own experiences regarding the good effect since they j oined the fitness club and how physically fit must you be. In so doing, people will understand my overall message, where the key point is to promote physical exercise, sustain encouragement and then for sure people might now develop the need to join Fitness First club.( source: sales-and-marketing-for-you). Media: when hoping to bring a new product or in my case to promote a new service, that will be ruining at Fitness First, you need to carefully consider possible ways to promote your product. However, using different mediums such as Radio, Bus, TV and social network (source: ehow), in order to increase brand awareness. The adverts will show the benefits of healthy lifestyles, giving people the idea about getting in shape. However: Population trends by socio economic group are an important influence on ability and prosperity to spend on fitness club membership. Consumers from the socio economic groups are the most likely to use health and fitness clubs regularly, most are light TV viewers so this medium is not an effective target, Radio is likely to be more effective. (Source: sales-and-marketing-for-you).The use of social media has exploded in recent years as a way to raise awareness and generate free traffic it includes sites and services such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and many others. The main advantages are that it is free to communicate and has a capability of going viral and reach a vast numbers of people without additional effort ( source: clickbank) The cost of the marketing will certainly play a big part in what I am intend to do. Bad sales and marketing is as a general announcement focused on no one in particular. In order to maximize a huge return profit, it is always good to approach the marketing plan with consideration and not devote a lot of money on a single marketing channel or campaign. I will instead try to shape up a range of successful publicity approaches over a time, I will also outline its cost, and how much money will I have to spend on advertising campaign? How long and how much each communication method will be balanced against the marketing communication budget. I will at first place, be concerned about the break-even point before developing any sales and marketing program, including advertising cost. I will also find out how much is each new customer and exiting customer worth to the fitness club? When observing the lifetime value of the health and fitness club subscriber, I will use approximation such as fi guring out, how long each customer stays with Fitness First, where the contract will be given for 1-3 years for the new subscribers. Once I know the number and frequency of sales I derived from the average customer, I can then use profit margin to estimate how much each customer worths to the fitness club and how many customers is needed to obtain the specific marketing campaign, in order to consider it as a success: However, to run the campaign of Fitness First, I found that the cost for ITV 1 Yorkshire channel per month is of  £48336, people will be target on the daytime services of 11am to be aware of the services, the local radio station is of  £160 per month with 8 short spot adverts of 15 seconds per day, cinema advertising will be of  £900 per month along with billboard advertising  £1920 the month and the cost of transport advertising is of  £6360 per month ( Source: Blackboard). My message needs to reach customers, therefore the out home advertising buses will be these that are seen on high street shops and go to different places of the city, where middle and junior management of the social class are living. Based on my research, I will therefore recommend 9 months of advertising on radio, buses and billboard along with 4 months advertising on ITV1 Yorkshire and cinema the total average budget for the advertising will be estimated at the price of  £232,188.00 for a whole 9 mo nths period advertisement of all these chosen mediums where the first 5 month will be to remind the people on the existence of Fitness First along to inform them what Fitness First is planning of doing and after the 5 months period have gone Fitness First will now differentiate itself from other competitors by adopting a unique approach and machineries that are of people expertise, when visiting the fitness first club and then persuade them by meeting the needs of people with the choice of services and materials that are environmentally friendly. Report Executive Account Statement To: Brand Spanking Agency 29/10/2012 I Daniel Kevin AMATCHA, I am please to submit my report describing on how I intend to promote the fitness and health club. The purpose of this report was to gather sufficient information to render professional opinion about advertising your health and fitness club. This assessment includes research and figures concerning the cost of the whole month budget when using the mass media to promote the fitness club: however. I have also included the PESTEL analysis, which is an effective way to analyse external impacts on the health and fitness club, and planned the strategic action that will be of good use for the marketing communications mix as I separated into discussions around objectives, message, and media. I have also introduced a marketing communication plan on how to work side with the marketing mix, which I have designed along with its schedule and plan activities including the cost of the advertising. You may also find on my plan the monthly statement budget and the chosen mediums to promote Fitness First club for 9 months period. Bibliography: Source: Wikipedia//>> article//>> Fitness First//>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitness_First viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: Fitness First//>>  © Fitness First 2012//>> http://www.fitnessfirst.co.uk/ viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: athletics business//>> home//>> articles//>> hot topics//>> environmental issues//>> Fitness Facilities Go Green//>> written by Amy Scanlin, on October 2007//>>http://www.athleticbusiness.com/articles/article.aspx?articleid=3278zoneid=1 viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: fitness360//>>campaign types//>> services/>> sales and promotions//>> © 2012 fitness marketing systems //>> http://www.fitness360online.com/fitness-marketing-services/on-site-membership-promotions viewed on the 24/10/12 Source: Latitude//>> where I am//>> home//>> whom we work with//>> Fitness First//>> http://www.latitudegroup.com/what-weve-done/who-weve-worked-with/fitness-first-2/ viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: Mobile Marketing//>>News//>> Analyses//>> O2//>> Fitness First campaign//>> written by David Murphy released 4 years ago //http://www.mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk/content/o2-launches-fitness-first-campaign viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: 2.warwick//>>fitnessfirst//>>pdf//>>context analysis and promotional//>>http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/alumni/services/eportfolios/bsqjfb/fitnessfirst.pdf viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: sales-and-marketing-for-you//>>marketing communication plan//>>Copyright  © 2012//>>http://www.sales-and-marketing-for-you.com/marketing-communication-plan.html viewed on the 17/10/12 Source: ehow//>>ways-promote-new-product//>>http://img.ehowcdn.com/author-avatar/studio-image/ver1.0/Content/images/store/0/5/10f337f6-807a-4881-a57c-27efbd75408f.Small.jpg by Larry Amon//>>http://www.ehow.com/way_5162681_ways-promote-new-product.html viewed on the 17/10/12 Larry Amon Larry Amon has been working in the computer field for more than 10 years and has experience writing scripts, instructional articles and political commentary. He has been published online, as well as in NRB Magazine and Delmarva Youth Family. He started a nonprofit media organization in 2000. Source clickbank//>>common ways to promote products//>>http://www.clickbank.com/help/affiliate-help/affiliate-guides/common-ways-to-promote-products/ Source: Blackboard//>>x-stream.leedsmet.ac.uk//>>http://x-stream.leedsmet.ac.uk/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_33250_1%26url%3D Viewed on the22/10/12 Source: myadbase//>> guide//>>advertising radio station//>>http://myadbase.com/guide_final.php?page=advertising_radio_station viewed on the 20/10/12 Source: ukbusiness//>> UK Business forums//>> Business forums//>> General business forum//>>http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=49219 viewed on the 26/10/12 Source: outdooradvertisingltd//>>Bus stop advertising//>> http://www.outdooradvertisingltd.co.uk/pages/bus-stop-advertising.php viewed on the 26/10/12 Source: sunriseradio//>> advertising//>> http://www.sunriseradio.fm/innerpage.php?rank=2 viewed on the 24/10/12

The Purpose of Education: Empowering Individuals Essay -- Philosophy o

Purpose of Education: Empowering Individuals Every now and then I think about my education from kindergarten through senior year of high school and I wonder where I would be and who I would be without it. I have realized that those thirteen years of my life were essential to my development as an individual, for they have shaped me into the person I am today. Education provides people with guidance and practical skills necessary in everyday life. For example, when we are purchasing something, we deal with money. Who do we owe the quick calculation we make as we pay for these items? Thanks to our first, second, and third grade teachers for teaching us to add, subtract, multiply, and divide at such a young age. The math skills we acquire at an age when we do not see the importance is something we carry with us throughout our lives. When driving a distance to visit a loved one, the street signs are very practical. What if we could not read? Thanks to our kindergarten teacher who started us off with reading the words â€Å"cat† and â€Å"dog.† Then we can thank the first grade and second grade teacher who taught us how to write sentences, for if we cannot make it to see our loved ones who live far away, we can write them a letter. The basic education that we are provided with in elementary school helps us to make it through a world which requires our mastery of basic skills. Yet, these basic skills are not enough, for we continue going to school after...

Bilingual Person Essay

Decades ago, being bilingual was an aspect of an individual that made them stand out from the others and be different. What if I tell you that in this modern society, being bilingual is just being one of the many thousands? A bilingual person is one who has the knowledge or intelligence of knowing two or more languages. However, there are different levels and stages of bilingualism. There is individual bilingualism which is when a person knows his/her mother tongue and another language that is used in society, as well as elective bilingualism which is a person who chooses to learn a new language. There also is circumstantial bilingualism which describes a person that learns another language in order to survive, and many others. Even though, bilingualism has a variety of degrees and aspects; it simply describes those persons who can speak two or more languages. In today’s society, bilingualism is being misunderstood since people think that a person who is bilingual is a rare phenomenon. In fact, studies have shown that more than half of the world’s population is currently bilingual. For example, I am currently living in Venezuela (Spanish speaking country) from which I am now blogging in English. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that being bilingual isn’t a quality that people have acquired, in my point of view, I call it a gift. An interesting fact of bilingualism is that it is currently found in all parts of the world and it isn’t stereotypical of any culture or society. In fact, bilingualism can be found at all levels of ethnic groups or society and in all age groups. Being a bilingual myself, I can speak from personal experience that becoming bilingual isn’t the hardest barrier that one will have to cross through life. It is indeed a smooth ride to another culture and dialect that will be helpful whenever it isn’t expected. Bilingualism doesn’t make you stand out. However, you feel excited and confident just like a little boy with a new toy to be able to communicate with several people from different parts of the world. It makes you feel intelligent and important. I believe that those people who are bilingual are more confident and secure of themselves when they have to travel to an unknown place. This is because those who are bilingual have the ability to defend themselves in different languages which one could speak in that unknown place. For those people who are bilingual and feel alienated because of their insufficient language ability, you must re-establish that thought and raise your confidence. I have had the opportunity to travel to many different places in the world. This has allowed me to utilize my quality to the world and thus aiding myself in various scenarios. I have used my English skills to communicate in France, England, China my Spanish in Angola, United States and even in Italy. The point is that in today’s society bilinguals are being misinterpreted due to their lack of confidence. That quality of being bilingual is being lost throughout the years due to people’s negative characteristics and personalities such as discrimination. There is a phenomenon known as code-switching which bilinguals tend to suffer from. I find very interesting how some bilinguals are often code-switching from one language to another. Code-switching is a verbal skill that requires an extensive degree of linguistic competence in more than one language, rather than a defect arising from insufficient knowledge of one or the other. Even though code-switching goes beyond that imperfection of linguistic competence and inadequate knowledge, it is commonly used in that sense. I have been several times in those situations that I have had to use another language in order to express myself. As stated before, this is caused because of the insufficient knowledge of one language. I clearly remember this instance I code-switched in France. I was at a restaurant, and I wanted to ask the waitress what was the meaning of a word in the menu but my English just didn’t come out. I remember I started speaking in Spanish then I switched to Portuguese until I finally spoke in English and found out what I needed to know about the menu. It was a very embarrassing moment that I will always remember. However, I did feel embarrassed but, luckily I am a bilingual and I was able to go through this experience. You consider yourself one of the other millions or billions? Don’t, you must be proud of what you know and of what you have improved throughout the years. Yes, you are a well-rounded bilingual! If you feel indifferent or just one more in the world, imagine what those people who aren’t bilingual think of their selves. Are they chipmunks? Are they cannibals? No, they are normal people that unfortunately don’t have the extraordinary quality that you have which is being bilingual. In other words bilingualism is a gift, a personal enrichment and a passport to other cultures. One never regrets knowing several languages but one can certainly regret not knowing enough. That is why if you have struggled or worked your way in order to learn a new language, be proud of yourself and embrace the world with your quality.

Send a Welcome Basket!

Putting the ‘person’ in personnel Shalini Shukla 18 Oct 2012 With a history of more than 80 years in Singapore, OCBC is a bank centred on people. The Bank has come a long way from its first days of helping rice merchants continue to trade times of war. This is evident in its sterling performance in recent years. In May this year, Bloomberg Markets magazine announced OCBC as the world’s strongest bank. Also, one in two businesses currently operating in Singapore has an account with the Bank. The success of the bank is built on the back of sound business policies and active talent management and development.For instance, within the first three days of a company being incorporated, OCBC will contact them about opening a corporate account with the bank. â€Å"The Bank practises the same proactivity when it comes to managing and developing its people,† says Eric Ong, Head of Emerging Business, Global Enterprise Banking, OCBC Bank. Career framework OCBC takes tra ining and development seriously as human capital is the Bank’s key differentiator. Investment in this area helps to build the capabilities of employees to deliver superior performance. Learning is part of the Bank’s ongoing business strategy and helps to create a win-win situation for us and our staff,† says Ong. â€Å"By aligning employees’ learning objectives with business goals, we help employees succeed in building a career and not just a job with OCBC. † OCBC encourages its employees to take charge of their own careers through the Bank’s ‘Career Best’ programme, launched in 2002. This programme involves helping employees evaluate their strengths and career orientation, and finding the best fit between their talents and OCBC’s needs.The Bank also introduced the ‘OCBC Learning-3’ programme in 2007. A structured three-year development programme for employees, OCBC Learning-3 clearly delineates learning roadm aps for individual employees during their first three years of service with the Bank. â€Å"Underscoring our commitment to training, we have created the OCBC Learning Academy and also dedicated an entire floor at the OCBC Centre, called The Learning Space @ OCBC, for the sole purpose of learning and development,† says Ong.In addition to the typical classroom training, the Bank has also tapped on learning technologies like eLearning and virtual classrooms. Through the use of Web 2. 0 and video conferencing technology the training programmes are now able to reach out to employees in different geographies. Employees are given the first opportunity to learn of and apply for job-openings within the OCBC group through the Internal Job-Application Programme, in which after 18 to 24 months, an employee has the open to move into another role. We want to encourage employees to continually acquire new experiences, knowledge, skills and competencies, and allow individuals to fulfil their career aspirations at different stages of their careers,† Ong explains. This is especially so for Gen Y staff who constantly seek change and want progression – something to look forward to. They need to feel challenged and recognised for the work they do. If they are ‘stuck in a rut’, performance dips. â€Å"In banking, employees need foundation,† says Ong. â€Å"I was once a bank teller. I then moved on to typing bank drafts and the like. Leaders walk the talk too. â€Å"In my business review, one part is financial numbers and business initiatives, while a large part (50%-60%) is based on the human resources,† says Ong. Hi-po attention A mentor to even people who’ve left the business, Ong believes in developing his people’s potential to the fullest. â€Å"I meet with business heads and see if there are vacancies in which we can slot the high potential candidate in,† he says. â€Å"This makes sure these people are given opportunities within the bank before they start looking elsewhere for them. It’s a proactive measure of staff retention. Senior management constantly works to push high-potential talent out of their current roles or comfort zones. This exists at all levels, be it ground sales people to middle and senior management level staff. â€Å"We don’t want staff to be ‘too comfortable’ in their roles. They are not stretching their potential,† says Ong. â€Å"We assign them to other departments for three to six months. My sales folks, for instance, might be posted to risk management or operations. † While there is risk of losing talent to another department due to this job rotation, the advantages outweigh those risks. After coming back from their short job rotation stint, they come back with fresh insights and they can come up with new business ideas leading to increased productivity and business success,† says Ong. Ong cited an example of an em ployee who moved to the operations unit two years ago. When he came back to the Emerging Business department, he gave a new idea which was piloted and resulted in business growth of five times. Hi-potential staff are also given opportunities to travel and explore new markets. Young staff are accompanied by their senior leaders on these trips. ————————————————- There has to be a little risk-taking, be it with the business or with our people,† says Ong. â€Å"Being senior in management, we can give that gentle push, allowing our staff to soar. † ————————————————- You are required to : 1. Find out the strengths of OCBC Bank. Marks:- 2. 5 2. ——————————————â €”—- What do you learn from this case? Marks:-2. 5 ————————————————- Mail me back to abdullah. [email  protected] com By 4:00pm of 17. 04. 13 Write â€Å"Case study – HRM† on the subject line of your mail. All the best