Ethical Issues currently found in Education Research Paper

Ethical Issues currently found in Education - Research Paper Example Sexual misconduct in a school setting is a broad subject and basically defines unwelcome or unwanted sexual advances from teachers, lecturers, and administrators working in the school. In all educational institutions, the association between students and their teachers is central to the educational mission of the school’s administration. Various educational establishments have rules that stipulate that there should be no non-academic ties between students and teachers because they can affect the basic integrity of the academic relationship between students and teachers. Sexual relationships between students and teachers, even when they are consensual, tend to adversely affect both the student and teacher involved. The prohibition of sexual relationships in a school setting usually extends to include all people working within a school. For example, sexual relationships involving other workers in the school or between teachers are also prohibited. Moreover, the issue of sexual r elationships between teachers and students is what carries greater weight in public forums because it involves people who are empowered and people who are not empowered. There is a greater likelihood of teachers or lecturers taking advantage of their exalted positions within a school setting to procure sexual favors from less empowered students than the other way around. In addition, when there are sexual relationships between two teachers or other administration members, the relationships tends to have equal consequences for both parties- which is not the case for student-teacher sexual relationships. Many educational experts have stated that even when the student gives his or her consent to having a sexual relationship with the teacher involved, this is still a type of sexual harassment. This is because the relationship between the student and teachers can never be equal. Even if the student involved imagines that he or she is making an independent decision, this is just not the r eality. One of the reasons why many cases of sexual associations between teachers and students are not reported is because the student may not mention it to any adult. Usually, such stories are revealed when a student finds a reason to continue about the relationship. Educational institutions strive to protect their students from teachers who may threaten students with low marks or the possibility of failing examinations unless they provide sexual favors. Sexual relationships between students and teachers do not only affect the people involved in them. For example, if a teacher with a class of 50 students is having a relationship with one of his female students, the other students are likely to start resenting the female student in question because she may be the beneficiary of more favors than she is entitled to in an academic sense. The male students are particularly affected by this type of association because they tend to feel that there is nothing that they can do to be able to compete on the same level as the girls in the class; some of whom may choose to avail themselves to the teacher to get high marks. In the past, there were many societies in which sexual relationsh

Color and the Visible Spectrum Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Color and the Visible Spectrum - Research Paper Example The electromagnetic spectrum offers various ranges of colours that can be observed by the human eye. The visible spectrum ranges from 390 nanometers to 780 nanometers. Moreover, the electromagnetic spectrum has light frequencies that are either too low or too high for humans to see, for example, the ultraviolet that is located past the infrared, found in the red part of the visible light spectrum (Cao & Cui, 100) Visible spectrum is a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be observed by the human eyes. The frequency and the wavelength are often inversely proportional. A rise in frequency causes a decrease in wavelength as well as an increase in the energy associated with the photon. Radiations with longer wavelength, infrared and visible light are non-ionizing radiation because ionizing radiations entail UV light, gamma rays and X-rays. The limit between now- ionizing and ionizing radiation is found within the ultraviolet regions (Eugene Hecht, 50). Pure colours or spectra are those colours that are made up of only one wavelength. Visible wavelengths go through optical window which is defined as the region in the electromagnetic spectrum that permits wavelengths to go through the earth’s atmosphere. The midday skies often appear blue as a result of clean air scattering it more than red wavelength. The optical window is also known as visible window. In the thirteenth century, Roger Bacon asserted that rainbows developed in the same way as light passing through a crystal or prism. Isaac Newton discovered that prisms could reassemble and disassemble white light and illustrated the finding in his books about optics. He observed that a fraction of beam of light is reflected while other fractions go through the prism when a narrow beam of light strikes the face of a glass prism (Eugene Hecht, 50). The beam of light that goes through the glass often appeared as colored bands. Newton hypothesized that light comprises of

Social Disorganization Theory

Social Disorganization Theory The social disorganisation theory was one of the most important criminological theories developed from the Chicago School of thought, namely research conducted by Shaw and Mckay (1942). Shaw and McKay (1942) used spatial maps to study the residential locations of juveniles referred to Chicago courts, they discovered that rates of crime were not equally dispersed. Instead, crime was concentrated in certain areas and interestingly remained stable in such areas despite the changes of the individuals who lived there. Unlike other theories of delinquency, The Social Disorganisation Theory suggested that where an individual lived was more instrumental in determining the likelihood that an individual will become involved in criminal activities than individual characteristics such as age and gender. The theory was not intended to be applicable to all types of crimes but mainly to street crimes at neighbourhood level. The Social disorganization theory directly linked high crime rates to neigh bourhood ecological characteristics such as poverty, residential mobility, family disruption and racial heterogeneity (Gaines and Miller, 2011). All of which will be discussed in more detail throughout this essay. The first core element of the social disorganization theory to be discussed is Poverty, which can be defined as the state of being extremely poor. Such a lack of wealth is often seen to be due to the lack of employment opportunities. Such incentives like the Princes Trust and Catch 22 focus on poorer areas of society and seek to increase the employment opportunities for young people there. Jenson (2003) found that when employment opportunities increase pressures on residents to flee decrease ensuring more stable and improved communities. However it is when employment opportunities remain low that economic deprivation grows which could lead to social disorganization, which in turn leads to crime (Shaw and McKay, 1942). Other theories such as The Strain Theory (Merton, 1957) support the impact that poverty can have on a communities crime rates as due to lack of employment opportunities people turn to other methods of fulfilling their financial and material needs in an anti social way i f this cannot be done pro-socially such as through employment. Racial Heterogeneity is the second element of the social disorganisation theory to be reveiwed; this notion is related to the diverseness of races within a society. The social disorganization theory proposes that crime occurs when the methods of social control are weakened (Sun, Triplett and Gainey, 2004). Interestingly it is racial heterogeneity and urbanization that are predicted to weaken the control of individuals to most, due to lack of communication and interaction among residents (Sun, Triplett and Gainey, 2004). It is the lack of knowledge that allows for the racial separation along with the media often using particular races as scapegoats for certain crimes almost creating a moral panic within the communities singling out a certain race which would then increase the likelihood of their engagement in criminal activity (Bowling, 2002). This is supported by the findings that even among poorer neighborhoods, some racially diverse and others racially homogeneous, local friendship s lower certain crime rates such as assault (Sun, Triplett and Gainey, 2004). The third element of the social disorganisation theory to be considered is residential mobility this refers to the frequency of which individuals change their residence. Residential mobility has proven to help to explain the social disorganization theory, it has successfully explained automobile theft (Rice and Smith, 2002), gang crime (Lane and Meeker, 2000) and sexual re-offending (Mustaine, Tewksbury and Stengel ,2006). Shaw and McKay (1942) also noted that socially disorganized communities tended to produce criminal traditions that could be passed to successive generations of youths, due to the lack of residential mobility; criminal subcultures developed and overrun communities. It was hard for people to re-locate for reasons such as financial and fears of leaving that community. Residential mobility and poverty were often seen as interrelating factors in research on the social disorganisation theory as they were both significant predictors of delinquency but were stronger predic tors when looked at together (Blau and Blau, 1982). The final element to be discussed is family disruption; family has proven to be leading process within the social disorganisation theory (Sun, Triplett and Gainey, 2004). Sampson (1986) suggested that social disorganization may affect youth crime in particular its effects on family structures and stability. Consistent with the previous research social disorganization may influence the level of crime through its effect on family, however other researchers found that family may be used to alleviate the damaging effects of social disorganization. Tolan, Gorman-Smith and Henry (2003) found that parenting practices somewhat mediated the correlation between disorganised community and delinquency. However this study looked at families who were not seen to be disrupted. Burfeind (1984) found that that family disruption influenced delinquency in different ways, such as: the level of attachment to the father and paternal discipline. However the majority of studies that looked at the interactio n of family disruption and social disorganisation theory focused on male offenders and did not consider female crime; something which has been steadily on the increase in todays society. Despite its early origins, social disorganization theory continues to be prominent in the study of delinquency. In fact, Kubrin and Weizer (2003) suggested that the theory may be stronger now than when it was first proposed. As suggested in this essay, social disorganization theory continues to dominate in explaining delinquency in regards to the neighbourhood characteristics such as; poverty, racial heterogeneity, family disruption and residential mobility. It could be suggested that to prevent delinquency it is important to organise communities who are disorganized for example providing youth centres, employment opportunities and empowering individuals to maintain their homes in disorganized communities. By improving neighbourhoods and making them more appealing, social controls and relationships will be strengthened. All the elements discussed within the essay have a clear impact on the social disorganisation theory and the more of which are present in a community increases the li kelihood of social disorganisation and delinquency (Shaw and McKay, 1942). However it must be noted that poverty was often found to be the strongest and most consistent predictor of crime compared to the other three core elements: racial heterogeneity, racial mobility and family disruption (Warner and Pierce, 1993).

Voice Over Internet Protocol Essay -- essays research papers

Voice Over Internet Protocol(Voip) VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL (VoIP) INTRODUCTION: In the eyes of most, all packets are created equal. One of the most active areas of telecommunications today is in the area of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The logic behind this trend makes perfect sense. If we have invested heavily in an Internet Protocol (IP) network, why can’t we make full use of it? This is a question posed by many managers and Information Technology (IT) professionals in a wide range of businesses. Many businesses would prefer to have one network in and out of their business for reasons ranging from cost effectiveness to manageability. IP telephony offers a promise of consolidation. This will allow an enterprise to converge its traditional phone system and newer data network for greater efficiency. Arieh Dranger, president of neXTel Systems LLC says, â€Å"I don’t think it’s a question of whether we need VoIP, but when it will come together, because it represents a natural progress o f integrating data—period. The IP protocol is probably the most efficient at combining a universal communications network.† Basically, IP telephony is taking the telecom world by storm. It has evolved from a little known and used application in 1995 to an application that is poised for global adoption. But as with all technology, there is a price to be paid, and several entities vying for a piece of the pie. WHAT IS VoIP and HOW DOES IT WORK? To put it simply, VoIP means Voice over Internet Protocol. It’s a technology that allows network managers to route phone call over the network they use for data transmission. A voice travels over a corporate Intranet or the Internet instead of the public telephone system. Special gateways installed at both the sending and receiving end of a communications channel converts voice to IP packets and back again to voice. This process must take place in a time frame of less than 100 milliseconds to sustain the Quality of Service ( QoS) that users are accustomed to from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Now let’s take a walk on the more detailed side of what VoIP is and how it works. First and foremost, VoIP is an emerging technology still in the early stages. A personal computer (PC) must capture an analog voice and convert it to a digital signal, compress the audio with a compression-decompression (codec) device and then move... ...the Internet. The players are as equally far flung, from the traditional cornerstones of the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) to the new generation startups, to the steps of local, state, and federal governmental agencies. Such dynamism makes it difficult for IT managers to filter the flood of information and assess how VoIP might fit into their networks. Unless PSTN undergoes some massive restructuring, its long-term existence in its current form is in serious doubt. Emerging Internet technologies will be the low cost solution for managers looking for mixed traffic connectivity. Only in the end, after all the smoke has cleared will we know which business models survived the shake down in this lucrative market. Other problems are bound to arise in the arenas of technology and regulation. At this point there is significant progress to be made in the area of VoIP to achieve the quality we enjoy today with the PSTN. The only sure thing from this technology or any other that will al ways be consistent, reliable and never become outdated is that the Government WILL find a way to ensure their revenue stream†¦ after all â€Å"There’s no such thing as a free lunch.† 6 pages Word Count: 2352

Poverty in Bangkok Essay

Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia and the only country in the region which was not touched by colonizers. The Asiarooms. com provided a proof to the common knowledge that name of the country came from the fact that being devoid of colonizer influence means they are free, thus Thailand means land of the free (Thailand population 1st par. ). The country’s population as reported by Asiarooms. com as of 2006 is about 64 million (Thailand population 11th line). Similar to most developing countries in the world, migration of people from rural to urban areas in search for better paying jobs and  opportunities, is a trend in Thailand. Bangkok has been the favorite destination. It is a common belief that westernization and effect of consumerism as seen in television, broadcast and print media provided the inertia and idealism for poor people to move to prime urban center that is Bangkok. According to United Nations poverty yardstick as reported by Stickman, poor people are those whose income is US$1. 00 per day or below. The UN report further stated that as of year 2000, there are about 19 million Thailanders classified as poor and that is about 29. 9% of the total population. These people are the rural dwellers in the provinces of north, west and northeast regions of Thailand (Stickman, â€Å"Poverty† 4th par. ). They are full of hope that they can successfully seek an employment in the city and send part of their wages back to their impoverished families which they left in the rural areas. As they move to the city, it is a normal expectation that most of them will face problems related to descent housing. Majority of them opt to stay with their relatives and friends in slum areas while trying to adjust to the new environment and searching for an employment. Due to the fact that majority of  them are unskilled having come from an agriculture area where rice farming is the dominant livelihood, experience will tell us that the chances are they will get a job which is normally low paying in the informal sector. If the new city dweller is a female, experience will tell that temptation is great to earn money from prostitution and drugs to relieve the tension of psychological worry that their families left behind in the rural area may go hungry. It can be hypothesized that since the new city dweller lack the essential skills and knowledge for a high paying job, majority of them will opt to be added to the ever  increasing slum population of Bangkok. As a sign of progress, others who have tasted the experience of touching money from their services rendered as prostitute or worker in informal sector and not from 2 farming, will opt to get their families back in the rural areas to stay with them in the slum areas amidst the hardship and glaring neon lights in the city. This paper aims to elucidate the plight of rural workers with emphasis on the female gender in urban setting and causes of poverty of slum dwellers in Bangkok. Current Status of Women in Thai Society The Thaiwaysmagazine.com in 2002 revealed that women status in Thailand has come a long to its present stage where the women are supposed to be in the same level of societal standing to men. In the middle 18th century, the wives were considered as material thing that can be possessed and be disposed of anytime. The culture of Thailand even up to this day expect women to go to work like men and at the same time take care of the household, cook food, take of the children and ensure the welfare of family members at all times (â€Å"Women status in Thai society† 1st par). It has been in the social structure in Thailand in the past that woman had to take care of the husband and be obedient to him. Whether born from a high society or not, ladies were still considered inferior to men (â€Å"Social Structure† 1st par. ). Theravada Buddhism is the religion of almost 85% of Thai population (Asiarooms. com, â€Å"Religion† 1st par. ). Buddhism as religion instilled into the mind of Thais the concept of karma. This concept is deeply engrained into the culture of Thais. The doctrine of karma teaches that every human act carries with it a merit and demerit points. The merit makes karma pure and clean while demerit makes karma dirty. Buddhism instilled into the minds of Thai that their life on earth is a process of being born again. When they die, they will be promoted into higher karma if they have no demerit. If their soul is impure due to demerits, they will be reincarnated into a lower form of life, they will undergo punishment and must learn to cleanse their karma (Sexwork. com â€Å"Buddhism and Prostitution† 7th par. ). Furthermore, Buddhists believe that by helping someone and showing gratefulness to their parents, they are purifying their soul leading to clean karma and nirvana, the purest of all souls. It is this belief that ladies since they are viewed lower in status than man under Buddhism ( 10thth par) opt to be prostitutes and sacrifice their virginity and shame just to earn money and give to their parents to redeem themselves and cleanse their karma (9th par. ). On closer analysis, the over-all effect in the long run is dependency of the family to their daughter prostitute for financial support and forgetting to strive harder to earn a descent living. 3 Thus the family remains in poverty all through their lives. Earning much money as prostitute compared  to farming in the rural villages where the ladies originated and at the same time cleansing their karma gave the woman an honorable profession in her own and family’s perception per standard of Buddhism. In totality, up to the present time, we can say that women under the Thai culture as influenced by Buddhism are considered as profitable investment like a material thing and less of a human being under the condition of poverty as experienced by economically deprived rural Thais. The Different Faces of Poverty in Bangkok: Informal Sector, Slum Settlements and Prostitution On closer analysis of an agricultural economy trying to be an industrialized one, the poverty in Bangkok is mainly due to migration of poor rural folks who are less skilled to do urban jobs (Sethuraman 79). This is the reason for majority of them landing into jobs in the informal sector of the economy. Author Mark Kramer in his book â€Å"Dispossesed† argue that jobs in the informal sector in Bangkok are mainly of small scale as the capital investment is also generally minimal (120). The author revealed that the activities are usually conducted without proper approval and recognition from  authorities and as such lack laws and regulations related to worker compensation standard and safety. The major activities include retail trade, transport repair and maintenance, personal and domestic services which include prostitution and small scale manufacturing. The enterprises in informal sector normally employs ten or fewer employees and mostly immediate family members. The work is normally labor intensive and require less skill which explain the rationale for offering a low pay. The workers learn the needed skills on the job and the employer-employee relationship is unwritten  with little or no appreciation of worker rights and industrial relation (121). For this reason, the entry and exit in the informal sector is easier than in the formal sector. The operation of the informal sector work in conjunction with the formal economy and contribute a lot to the economy of Thailand and become integral part of the global economy (122). Despite this fact however, we can conclude that the wages of individual worker is just barely enough for hand to mouth existence of the worker and his family. This is the reason for the ever existence of poverty in Bangkok. The workers of the informal economy live in cramped quarters made out of scrap ply board galvanized iron and used tires and erected by the worker themselves on the land not their own. The 4 concentration of the slum houses in the last 50 years gave rise to a well known squatter community called Klong Toey (Kramer 125). The author revealed that the Klong Toey slum community is populated mostly by rural migrants from Northeast Thailand who came to Bangkok for job opportunities. Being squatters, they constantly face the danger of eviction , their make shift house  dismantled and their properties like television sets and sala sets destroyed and dispossessed due to the fact that they have no legal right to the occupancy of the land (126). For this reason, the slum area don’t receive basic facilities like water, electricity and garbage removal from the government. The make shift shacks are built very close to each other provided with very small lane just enough for a two way walk. The author added that there are some small stores and food lots that sell basic commodities like canned goods, salt and sugar inside the slum area. More than 100,000 people live in the area making it damp  and fishy smell permeates. One thing is very noticeable in Kong Toey and that is the clean maintenance of Buddha shines with fresh flowers daily, a proof that the slum occupants are deeply religious despite their poverty (127). The author added that health problems and poverty goes hand in hand at Klong Toey. Modernization and access to television, radio and print media gave rise to consumerism among rural Thais. The poor people are also hoping that someday they can save money to buy the amenities and luxuries in life. It is an accepted fact that when there is poverty and the strong desire for material thing,  prostitution will surely set in. Reliable sources revealed that prostitution in Bangkok is in an ever increasing trend due to three causes. First, it is promoted by the government, second, prostitution and woman is already interwoven in the Thai culture, third, the practice is indirectly supported by Buddhism, the dominant faith of the Thais. 1. Prostitution is indirectly promoted and encouraged by the government Author Dave in Phoenix reported that the Thai government by virtue of The Entertainment Act of 1996 declared that â€Å"Prostitution is illegal in Thailand. Yet the law is written (even if  enforced) as to protect the activities that bring in so many billions of baht to the economy which supports so many families, women and children, and does little to change the sexual traditional morals of Thailand† (â€Å"Another report on The Entertainment Places Act of 1966† 30th par. ). It can 5 be said that based on the pronouncement of the author, the prohibition is only on paper but is not strictly enforced as doing it will harm the economy. As a support to the fact that the Thai government is encouraging prostitution, Justin Hall, a Master Degree student of Politics of South  and Southeast Asia researched from reliable documents that in 1967, during the Vietnam War, Thailand agreed to provide â€Å"rest and recreation services to American serviceman† (â€Å"International Political Economics† 4th par), thus Thailand in the words of Senator Fulbright agreed to become an â€Å"American brothel†(4th par 4th line). It is a fact that American soldiers need girls and Thailand need dollars. The Vietnam War resulted to injection of about $16 million into the Thai economy annually. The author added that in 1957, there were about 20,000 prostitutes in Thailand but in 1964, when the Americans established seven military bases in the country, the number skyrocketed to 400,000. After the war, the resulting slack in dollar earning was replaced by prostitution dollars from tourism which centered on sexual aspect (3rd par. ). 2. Prostitution is now interwoven in Thai society The practice which can only be done by a sweet and innocent woman is drawn by the prospect of much higher reward than what they could earn in government position, doing unskilled labor in informal sector and in agriculture (Hall, â€Å"Opportunity† 1st par. ). The author reported further that a  study of a Thai sociologist Pasuk Pongpaichit in 1982 for International Labor Organization of UN revealed an estimated income of sex worker to be about 25 times higher than what can be earned in other occupation. The author added that a couple of years work could enable the prostitute family to build a house which can only built out of lifetime savings in rural area of Northeast Thailand. The author claimed that â€Å"Our survey clearly showed that the girls felt they were making a perfectly rational decision within the context of their particular social and economic structure† (â€Å"Opportunity† 3rd par.). This shows that the entire family can be supported by just one prostitute and the entire rural village is made up of such families (â€Å"Opportunity† 1st par. ). It is thus expected that a girl in a family will bring economic fortune to the poor family by working as a prostitute. 3. Prostitution is indirectly supported by Buddhism, the dominant religion of the Thais It was learned earlier from author Dave in Phoenix that Buddhism inculcated into the minds of 6 Thais that our life on earth is a process leading to being reborn or re-incarnated (â€Å"Buddhism and Prostitution† 7th par. ). The good acts to fellow person showing gratitude for what they have done serve as a merit factor leading to a clean karma and ultimately nirvana.. Buddhism propagated the belief that woman is of a lower gender and should not be praised, loved and taken cared of as their natural role is nothing else but of procreation. The girl in the family upon reaching adolescent age is more than willing to be a prostitute, earn money to support her parents and family. The girls are sacrificing for they know that their acts will lead to clean karma and they will be reincarnated to a higher being after death and achieve eternal peace or nirvana. (â€Å"Buddhism and Prostitution† 10th par. ). The foregoing analysis supported by reliable sources points to the fact that prostitution is a product of poverty and the way out is inspired by societal acceptance of the practice ably supported by religious belief. Summary and Conclusion It was proven from the sources consulted, that migration of rural folks from Northeast Thailand to urban Bangkok in search of better paying jobs is the trend in the last three decades. The exodus resulted to more cases of alleviated poverty than reducing it. As a means of fighting poverty, the rural folks while seeking their destiny in Bangkok congregates in informal settlements one of which is the known Klong Toey slum community. In exchange for a low paying job in the informal sector but still better than farming, the new urban dwellers developed within themselves the inherent quality to endure psychological pain and stress from constant threat of eviction and dispossession of the materials they painstakingly bought out of the money coming from sweat and sacrifices. One of the proven ways to seek out of poverty is to be a prostitute. The Thai government although pressured by UN to stop the  practice cannot do anything but indirectly support prostitution for fear of losing precious dollars which help the economy survive. It is a co-incidence that the female gender is being looked at as the one who can do it as it is accepted by society as indirectly influenced by Buddhism. Being the land of the free, Thailand is maintaining its sovereignty in the community of nations and it is only their society and no one else can judge the morality of female prostitution as a way of escaping poverty. Works Cited Dave in Phoenix. â€Å"Legal Status of Prostitution- The Creative Law to bow to Outside Pressure Yet  Preserve Traditions and Economic Advantages to Families† Sexwork Cyber Center. 1999. 23 April 2009 Dave in Phoenix. â€Å"The Influence Of Thai Buddhism on Prostitution: Traditional Acceptance / Encouragement vs. Modern Reform Views. Sexwork Cyber Center. 1999. 23 April 2009 Hall, Justin. â€Å"Prostitution in Thailand and Southeast Asia†. 1998. 23 April 2009 Kramer, Mark. Dispossesed. New York: Orbis Books, 2006 Sarutta. â€Å"Women’s Status in Thai Society† Thaiwaysmagazine.com. 10 September 2002. 23 April 2009 http://www. thaiwaysmagazine. com/thai_article/1911_thai_women_status/thai_women_status. html Sethuraman, S. V. The urban informal sector in Asia: an annotated bibliography. Geneva: International Labor Organization, 1992. Stickman, L. â€Å"Thailand-Population, Poverty and Prostitution†. Stickman’s guide to Bangkok. 23 April 2009 < http://www. stickmanbangkok. com/reader/reader291. html> â€Å"Thailand Population â€Å"AsiaRooms. com. 23 April 2009. 23 April 2009. http://www. asiarooms. com/travel-guide/thailand/thailand-overview/thailand-population. html

From Classical Hollywood to New Hollywood Essay

The movies Rebel Without a Cause and Bonnie and Clyde offer two prime examples of the difference between â€Å"Old Hollywood† and â€Å"New Hollywood. † Rebel Without a Cause was released in 1958 and, although it pushed the envelope for movies at that time, it still was very much a depiction of â€Å"Old Hollywood. † Bonnie and Clyde released in 1967 was one of the first films of â€Å"New Hollywood† in that its style, acting and storyline moved it into a new generation of filmmaking. In this paper I will analyze these two films and contrast their different styles and also show how Bonnie and Clyde set a new standard in the filmmaking industry. I will also look at readings from class and draw from them in order to back up my discussion. Rebel Without a Cause (Old Hollywood) â€Å"If I had one day when I didn’t have to be all confused and I didn’t have to feel that I was ashamed of everything. If I felt that I belonged someplace. You know? † (Rebel Without a Cause, 1958). This quote was from the protagonist Jim Stark who is a 17 year old whose parents just moved to Los Angeles. His parent’s fight often in front of him and his mother is very domineering toward his father and Jim doesn’t like this. He feels his dad is not man enough to stand up for himself and he sees him as being week. Even though his father loves him a lot and shows him affection, Jim wishes he was more of a man. Throughout the movie he tries to tell him that he needs to just stand up for himself and set a good example for his son, but his father doesn’t get it. He’s just too used to being bullied around by his mother. Jim even goes so far as to say that he never wants to end up like his father. This was just one of the many films during the fifties that depicted the youth of America as being insubordinate and not having the same moral makeup as past generations. This film also looks at parenting styles and how they affect the youth at that time. The main character Jim continuously gets into trouble as a result of his confusion and detachment from his parents. The style in which the film was made goes right along with what was being done in that era. The acting, at times, was very over dramatic and the dialog was sparse and very â€Å"clean†. The high school kids were rebellious and got into fights, but there is very little blood and the discourse was very civil. Up until the fifties, the movie business had grown exponentially and was dominated by about eight different studios located in Los Angeles. Small budget films were being made at the time but wouldn’t make money simply because the â€Å"Giants† had all the talent and money to produce large-scale productions. At that time it was also accepted that the larger the amount of money put into a film, the more it would make. It was published to the public amounts that were invested into the films (Maltby, 113 – 125). In the postwar period, the foreign market became an even more important source of income to Hollywood. By the early 1960’s foreign sales generated about half of the majors’ revenues†¦but instead of bringing European stars to Hollywood, American production migrated abroad (Maltby, 127). So part of â€Å"New Hollywood† was it’s presence abroad and actually filming and producing films in foreign nations. However, not many were ready for the movie that, in essence, changed how filmmaking was done. Bonnie and Clyde (New Hollywood) â€Å"This here’s Miss Bonnie Parker. I’m Clyde Barrow. We rob banks. † (Bonnie and Clyde, 1967). Directly influenced by the â€Å"French New Wave† style of cinematography, Bonnie and Clyde broke all of the rules associated with â€Å"Old Hollywood†. The film portrayed sex and violence on a graphic level not really ever seen before. And, although, the movie started out as sort of a comedy, it quickly turned dark as the violence began. Many different societal taboos were broken regarding sex and violence. This new style also included a more â€Å"real† form of filming in that it was more graphic and the filming itself was more choppy. The comedic way that it depicted violence along with its quickly shifting tone toward the dark side of violence was something new at the time. Since the production of Bonnie and Clyde many others followed suit in its overt display of sex and violence in the movies. â€Å"The impression created is one of restlessness, edginess and a palpable sense of sexual hunger and longing† (King, 12). Clyde is a thief that meets up with Bonnie while he’s trying to steal her mother’s car. She falls in love with him and they go on a bank-robbing spree together. As they get better at what they do, the level of violence is escalated and the amount of gore depicted in the film rises. Sexual overtones are constant and this entire concept of glorifying sex and violence on film was brand new at the time. During the late fifties and sixties, times were tumultuous in America and Hollywood cinema reflected that. Making connections between Hollywood movies and the times in which they appear is not as straightforward a business as it might often appear. Sometimes, however, the case seems more clear-cut; the times are such that they appear to impose themselves forcefully on our consciousness, unmistakably invading the terrain of popular entertainment such as Hollywood cinema (King, 14). Because of social events and tragedies that were taking place in that era such as the Kennedy assassinations, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, people were longing for films that helped express how they were feeling. Conclusion Both movies were epic pictures that were preserved in the United States Library of Congress’s National Film Registry and even though their release dates were only twelve years apart, watching them makes you feel as if they were made in completely different eras – which, in fact, they were. Rebel Without a Cause, arguably James Dean’s best film, sort of represents the innocence of America at that time. You feel as if you are watching something that would be rated G today, or would be on the Disney Channel. Bonnie and Clyde represented the direction that America was moving in. People might not have been ready for it at the time, however, they went to the theaters in drones to see it. It was the start of a brand new era in filmmaking and stands to be one of the founders, if not the founder, of New Hollywood today. Works Cited Bonnie and Clyde: Memorable Quotes. (1967). Retrieved from http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0061418/quotes King, G. (2002). New Hollywood Cinema: An Introduction. New York: I. B. Tauris & Co Ltd. Maltby, R. (1995). Hollywood Cinema. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Rebel Without a Cause: Memorable Quotes. (1955). Retrieved fromhttp://www. imdb. com/title/tt0048545/quotes

Did FDR endanger the economic essays

Did FDR endanger the economic essays Did FDR endanger the economic prosperity and well being of the nation? Contrary to the charge, FDR did not endanger the economic prosperity and well being of the nation. In fact, FDRs actions as president have rescued the nations economy and have improved our economic future. The setting of a national minimum wage and giving workers the right to organize (through the NRA) will result in a happier, wealthier American working class that will have more disposable income to spend on consumer goods and services. Thus, those two reforms will actually stimulate the economy rather than endanger it. In much the same way, the creation of government-funded jobs will reduce unemployment, giving a good portion of the population some buying power that they not otherwise would have. Job competition with commercial businesses is not a problem, as the government pays significantly less than most businesses. The temporary closing of banks was an excellent way to ensure the safety of peoples deposits and to restore confidence in the banking system. So the temporar y closing of banks was actually good for the then-ailing economy. The relief, or welfare given to the unemployed by FERA in the first Hundred Days was a temporary measure called for by the desperate times. The handouts to the unemployed served only to help them survive, not to make them lazy and dependant. In regards to Social Security, because it only goes into effect after retirement at 65, it does not create a dependency that endangers national productivity. Rather, the recipients of Social Security are not in good enough shape to make much of a contribution in terms of productivity. ...

Globalisation Impacts on International Business

Globalisation Impacts on International Business Introduction Globalisation has been seen as an opportunity for international business. Indeed, it has become part and parcel of international business that influences the movement of goods and services and the nature of trade patterns. Globalisation has been associated with the expansion of international business in various regions around the world.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Globalisation Impacts on International Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More International business relies on globalisation to bring together different cultures, markets, political settings, economic structures, and social elements (Shoham 2011). Despite these benefits, globalisation has serious effects on international business, which outweigh its positive impacts. Globalisation and International Business An assessment of the effects of globalisation on international business has mainly focused on its positive impacts. As such, globali sation has been attributed to expansion and growth of the global economy. Trade between nations relies on globalisation to foster international elements of business, such as foreign direct investment. The investment opens business opportunities in various countries across the world. It also plays an important role in removing the trade barriers, such as tariffs on imports and exports (Joshi 2009). Foreign investment provides marketing opportunities for multinational corporations. Another benefit of globalisation is that it increases consumer’s income by enabling multinational corporations to increase the wage earnings and salaries of different people employed by the firms (Daly 2001). Globalisation also increases the investment opportunities for investors and business entrepreneurs around the world. Due to globalisation, business entities develop new products to serve new market segments in various countries across the world. Businesses also develop new products to diversify their product lines and serve more consumers in various market segments. Development of new products has also enabled the consumers to access a wide range of goods and services. Consumers who buy goods from international markets are able to purchase their goods from more than one vendor (Meredith 2000). Introduction of new technologies is another factor that has greatly contributed to the positive assessment of globalisation in international business. Organisations in the global arena are exposed to new technologies that are developed by different industries.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Such technologies enable organisations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes. For instance, a business organisation can use new technology to enhance the production process and ensure cost reduction for competitive advantage. The use of technology in production processes is also important in ensuring economies of scale (Sullivan, 2002). Another positive aspect of globalisation is increased performance of local and international companies due to competition. Globalisation increases competition between firms, thereby increasing business efficiency. Companies trading in international arena develop products that are of high quality with superior features and performance. Consequently, such initiatives play an important role in attracting more customers and enable an organisation to improve its business processes. Globalisation provides an opportunity for international companies to identify unique points of competition, which can be used in developing products that meet the needs and expectations of the consumers in the market (Daniels, Radebaugh Sullivan 2007). Threats of Globalisation Many people tend to overlook the threats of globalisation international business. Globalisation has been associated with the collapse of the various domestic companies. It has also been attributed to the deterioration of business culture in various regions across the world. In other cases, globalisation has been associated with rising levels of insecurity all over the globe. For instance, issues, such as terrorism and marine piracy, are subsequent effects of globalisation on international business. It is, therefore, cardinal to highlight the specific threats of globalisation on international business (Clark 1997). The threats outlined are as follows. Unfair Competition Unfair competition remains the key threat that affects international business. Many organisations have been phased out of the global market due to intense competition from various companies. Globalisation promotes unfair competition by enabling multinational companies from developed countries to take advantage of the business opportunities in the industry. Companies from developed countries have efficient technological tools and effective business strategies, whi ch are used to exploit the resources in the business environment. To this end, globalisation promotes the development of well-established companies at the expenses of the less developed organisations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Globalisation Impacts on International Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More International companies strive to increase their market share in the emerging markets by offering high quality goods at low prices, hence killing domestic businesses (Daly 2001). Globalisation also promotes unfair competition through trade policies established by the government of a given country. For instance, in most countries across the word, the government tends to promote the development of local companies. The government provides subsidies and trade incentives to foster the development of domestic companies. Incentives may include tax exemptions and reduced energy cost. International companies in such countries may be forced to pay higher taxes as compared to the domestic organisations in the same country. Trade policies on imports and exports also encourage unfair competition in international trade. Governments and trade entities in different regions around the world have developed trade policies, which are meant to promote the development of domestic trade. For instance, some governments facilitate the promotion of export trade by reducing the trade barriers and tariffs on exports. Such initiatives hinder the free movement of goods in the global market. On the other hand, a country that promotes the trade on imports may promote the development of international companies at the expense of the local based organisation. A country that has adopted such an approach tends to foster mobility of international factors of production, such as labour and capital. Economic development in such countries may be slow due to high levels of unemployment (Sullivan, 2002). Effects of Free Trade on Emerging Businesses Businesses emerging in developing countries are at greater risk of failing due to the development of free trade, which is fostered by globalisation. Globalisation has exposed emerging businesses in developing countries to unfair trade practices and policies that are promoted by free trade. For example, tariff protection policies instituted by developed countries tend to open business opportunities for multinational businesses in developed countries. Most developing countries are mainly importers of the goods that are manufactured by the companies in the developed countries.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, the companies in developing countries focus on the production of agricultural and food products that are less competitive compared to the machines and electronics that are manufactured in the developed states. Moreover, the goods manufactured by the developed countries are not exposed to regulative measures compared to the goods manufactured in those regions. Agricultural goods are regarded as very sensitive and attract low prices as compared to machines and electronics (Daniels, Radebaugh Sullivan 2007). Interference with Cultural Diversity Despite the unanimous positive assessment that globalisation promotes cultural diversity, many people tend to overlook the threats that globalisation imposes on cultural diversity. Globalisation has been associated with dominance of strong cultures over the other. Trade cultures have been found to be influential in determining the development and growth of international trade around the world. For instance, there is belief th at globalisation has greatly contributed to the spread of the western culture across the world. The western culture has been discovered to determine the specific elements of business, such as consumer behaviour and consumption patterns. The dominance of the western culture has led to the decline of business opportunities. As such, international marketers have not been able to identify diverse elements of various cultures, which can be used to develop different products to serve diverse consumer needs (Clark 1997). Disparities in consumer characteristics are very important in diversification and development of new markets. The differences between the consumers transcend from their cultural backgrounds. The western culture has dominated other cultures around the world, hence interfering with the development of new business opportunities. For instance, in the contemporary society, most consumers tend to imitate the western culture on different aspects, such as fashion, lifestyle, and s ocial groupings (Satya 1997). Global cultural unity among the consumers around the world interferes with the cultural heritage of various people. Cultural heritage determines how various people correspond to issues, such as marketing campaigns and products features. Globalisation also increases the gap between the rich and the poor. For instance, when a multinational corporation shifts its operations from a country where the cost of labour is high to a region where the cost of labour is low, the organisation increases the income in the latter state. At the same, the company increases the gap between the rich and the poor in the former country due to increased rate of unemployment and income. The disparities between the rich and the poor in the economy also lead to purchasing power, hence affecting the pace of growth. Environmental Effects Another threat of globalisation on international business is environmental effects. Globalisation is one of the key factors that have been associa ted with degradation of the natural environment around the world. The emergence and spread of new technologies around the world have led to increased utilisation of non-renewable resources. Manufacturing companies around the world use natural resources that are extracted from the environment. The exploitation of such resources leads to environmental pollution and global warming. In other cases, multinational companies tend to take advantage of the loopholes in environmental laws. For instance, business organisations from the developed countries tend to take advantage of the less strict environmental policies in the developing countries. Effects of environmental degradation such as global warming and the depletion of natural resources have been on the verge of increase due to globalisation. Companies from the transportation industry, construction sector, mining industry, and the energy sector have been forced to increase their production activities due to increased demand in the glob al market. The results of such activities lead to increased environmental costs to the businesses, members of the society, and the government. In this regard, globalisation not only interferes with the sustainability and growth of businesses, but also hinders the development of the world (Held, McGrew, Goldblatt, Perraton 1999). Labour Drain Despite the fact that globalisation fosters labour mobility around the world, it greatly contributes to labour drain the labour market. Labour drain is one of the factors that contribute to unfair competition in international business. Organisations, which have the capability to attract and retain highly skilled labour, are better placed to compete in the global market. Such organisation offer good pay packages to their employees in order to retain them and attract qualified experts from the market. On other hand, developed countries have been found to attract well trained workers from the developing countries due to good working and living con ditions in such countries. Labour drain is therefore another key threat on the development of international business. Labour drain also leads to unemployment in some countries. For instance, the importation of cheap labour by multinational corporations from developing countries has been blamed for increasing level of unemployment in developed countries. Labour mobility from one country to another also affects the factors in the labour market. Excess supply of labour in the international labour has been associated with decline in wage rates around the world. Labour demand and supply also impact on the workforce planning strategies employed by organisation. The free movement of labour in the global economy has also weakened the labour sector in various parts of the world. Globalisation has had a negative influence on the labour unions by denying them the opportunity to protect workers’ rights. In other cases, globalisation has introduced confusion in labour laws due to the disp arities in provisions of the labour laws used in different countries across the world. For example, ILO promotes uniform working hours of 40 hours per week, while labour entities in developing countries tend to promote 45 hours per week with low wage rates as compared to the developed countries (Sullivan, 2002). Tax Avoidance and Tax Competition Higher taxes imposed by the governments of various countries around the world have forced organisations in international business to employ tax avoidance and tax competition strategies. Such a move leads to unfair competition between the various companies. For instance, some international organisations establish their businesses where the governments charge low tax rates. The companies also channel their returns through such countries. This practice has been manifested by multinational companies, such as Google and Facebook. The situation is best manifested by Google, which has been very competitive in the international market as compared to rivals, such as Yahoo and other online organisations. Amazon has also employed the same strategies establishing its offices in countries like Luxembourg and Bermuda. Tax avoidance and competition tactics do not only hinder the growth of the local based companies, but also interfere with the development of international organisations. On the other hand, some countries lower corporation taxes for international companies to ensure increased level of capital mobility. Reduced corporation tax may increase the rate of investment in a country. However, it reduces the level of tax income earned by the government. Risk of Foreign Exchange Fluctuations Another key threat that affects the development of international trade due to globalisation is fluctuations in foreign exchange rate. Globalisation exposes businesses to the risk of foreign exchange fluctuations, which affect profitability and growth of such companies. International organisations mainly trade in foreign currencies. For instanc e, the sales and procurement of different items are conducted in foreign currency, which affects the sales revenues and procurement cost incurred by an organisation. A business organisation in a foreign country may experience great losses when translating its profits from a foreign currency to a local one. High translation costs may reduce the level of profits that are earned by an organisation. On the other hand, during procurement, an organisation has to convert its local currency to a foreign currency that is accepted by the vendor. Translation cost may therefore increase the cost of procurement, hence increasing the cost of operation and production. Fluctuations in foreign exchange rate are the key threats to international business. It reduces the level of profitability and raises the cost of doing business globally. The general economic conditions in the global arena also affect the development of international business. In the year 2008, multinational corporations from develop ed countries were greatly affected by global financial and economic crisis (Clark 1997). Economic and financial factors, such as interest rate, inflation, and volatility of shares in the share market, have serious effects on international organisations due to unpredictable changes in the global economy. Higher interest rates in international markets raise the cost of capital acquisition and reduce the pace of trade development. On the other hand, volatility of shares in the stock market also interferes with the profits earned by businesses in the financial sector (Held, McGrew, Goldblatt, Perraton 1999). Security Issues Security factors are also some of the major threats that affect international companies, which stem from globalisation. Despite the fact the globalisation exposes a business to lucrative business opportunities; it also creates avenues of insecurity, which greatly influence the performance and the growth of international business. One of the most common insecurity fa ctors in global trade is terrorism. There is an increase in the number of terrorist activities because of free movement of goods and people around the world. Terrorists around the world target at developed nations that promote international trade. Marine piracy has also increased following the increase in shipping activities all over the globe. Another element of security that affects international business touches on data security (Sullivan, 2002). Increasing on the use of computers and Internet is the major cause of data insecurity in global trade. Internet technology creates a framework where various businesses interact to exchange data and ideas for business facilitation. However, such interactions expose the organisations in international trade to security risk factors, such as fraud, identity theft, and scams. Online fraud is one of the common threats that affect online transactions, such as payment and receipt of goods. Security threats may therefore lead to the loss of finan cial resources and important data in an organisation (Tabb 2002). Political Risks Globalisation also exposes international business to political risk factors which greatly influence the performance of a business. Such factors as political instability, laws, rules and regulations in different countries expose a business to various risks (Held, McGrew, Goldblatt, Perraton 1999). Political instability in a country creates disturbances in the business environment where market factors, such as demand and supply, are greatly affected. Moreover, rules and regulations imposed on various businesses and industries in a country also affect the performance of an international business (Sullivan, 2002). For instance, regulations governing licensing and registration of businesses determine the pace of trade development in a country. Based on these factors, it is therefore important to acknowledge that globalisation is a clear threat to international business (Meredith 2000). Reference List Clark , I 1997, Globalization and fragmentation: international relations in the twentieth century, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Daly, H 2001, ‘Globalization and Its Discontents,’ Philosophy and Public Policy Quarterly, vol. 21 no. 2/3, pp.17-21. Web. Daniels, J Radebaugh, L Sullivan, D 2007, International business: environment and operations, Prentice Hall, London. Held, D, McGrew, A, Goldblatt, D, Perraton, J 1999, Global transformations: politics, economics and culture, Polity Press, Cambridge. Joshi, RM 2009, International business, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Meredith, M 2000, ‘Doing business internationally: an annotated bibliography’, Reference Services Review, vol. 28. no. 3, pp.223-239. Satya, DG 1997, The political economy of globalization, Zed Books, Boston. Shoham, A 2011, ‘The global recession issue: Introduction- Part I,’ Thunderbird International Business Review, vol. 53. no. 2, pp. 109-113. Sullivan, JJ 2002, The future of c orporate globalization: from the extended order to the global village, Quorum Books, New York. Tabb, WK 2002, Unequal partners: a primer on globalization, New Press, New York.

The History of WWI Hospital Ship, the HMHS Britannic

The History of WWI Hospital Ship, the HMHS Britannic In the early 20th century an intense competition existed between British and German shipping companies which saw them battle to build larger and faster ocean liners for use in the Atlantic. The key players including Cunard and White Star from Britain and HAPAG and Norddeutscher Lloyd from Germany. By 1907, White Star had given up the pursuit of the speed title, known as the Blue Riband, to Cunard and began focusing on constructing larger and more luxurious ships. Led by J. Bruce Ismay, White Star approached William J. Pirrie, head of Harland Wolff, and ordered three massive liners which were dubbed the Olympic-class. These were designed by Thomas Andrews and Alexander Carlisle and incorporated the latest technologies. The first two ships of the class, RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic, were laid down in 1908 and 1909 respectively and were built in neighboring shipways in Belfast, Ireland. Following the completion of Olympic and launching of Titanic in 1911, work began on the third vessel, Britannic. This ship was laid down on November 30, 1911. As work moved forward in Belfast, the first two ships proved star-crossed. While Olympic was involved in a collision with the destroyer HMS Hawke in 1911, Titanic, foolishly dubbed unsinkable, sank with a loss of 1,517 on April 15, 1912. Titanics sinking led to dramatic changes in Britannics design and to Olympic returning to the yard for alterations. Design Powered by twenty-nine coal-fired boilers driving three propellers, Britannic possessed a similar profile to its earlier sisters and mounted four large funnels. Three of these were functional, while the fourth was a dummy which served to provide extra ventilation to the ship. Britannic was intended to carry around 3,200 crew and passengers in three different classes. For first class, luxurious accommodations were available along with lavish public spaces. While the second class spaces were quite good, Britannics third class was considered more comfortable than its two predecessors. Assessing the Titanic disaster, it was decided to give Britannic a double hull along with its engine and boiler spaces. This widened the ship by two feet and necessitated the installation of a larger 18,000-horsepower turbine engine in order to maintain its service speed of twenty-one knots. In addition, six of Britannics fifteen watertight bulkheads were raised to B deck to aid in containing flooding if the hull was breached. As a lack of lifeboats had famously contributed to the high loss of life aboard Titanic, Britannic was fitted with additional lifeboats and massive sets of davits. These special davits were capable of reaching lifeboats on both sides of the ship to ensure that all could be launched even if it developed a severe list. Though an effective design, some were blocked from reaching the opposite side of the ship due to the funnels. War Arrives Launched on February 26, 1914, Britannic began fitting out for service in the Atlantic. In August 1914, with work progressing, World War I began in Europe. Due to the need to produce ships for the war effort, materials were diverted from civilian projects. As a result, work on Britannic slowed. By May 1915, the same month as the loss of Lusitania, the new liner began testing its engines. With the war stagnating on the Western Front, the Allied leadership began looking to expand the conflict to the Mediterranean. Efforts to this end began in April 1915, when British troops opened the Gallipoli Campaign at the Dardanelles. To support the campaign, the Royal Navy began requisitioning liners, such as RMS Mauritania and RMS Aquitania, for use as troopships in June. Hospital Ship As casualties at Gallipoli began to mount, the Royal Navy recognized the need to convert several liners to hospital ships. These could act as medical facilities near the battlefield and could transport the more severely wounded back to Britain. In August 1915, Aquitania was converted with its troop transport duties passing to Olympic. On November 15, Britannic was requisitioned to serve as a hospital ship. As suitable facilities were constructed on board, the ship was repainted white with a green stripe and large red crosses. Commissioned at Liverpool on December 12, command of the vessel was given to Captain Charles A. Bartlett. As a hospital ship, Britannic possessed 2,034 berths and 1,035 cots for casualties. To aid the wounded, a medical staff of 52 officers, 101 nurses, and 336 orderlies was embarked. This was supported by a ships crew of 675. Departing Liverpool on December 23, Britannic coaled at Naples, Italy before reaching its new base at Mudros, Lemnos. There around 3,300 casualties were brought on board. Departing, Britannic made port at Southampton on January 9, 1916. After conducting two more voyages to the Mediterranean, Britannic returned to Belfast and was released from war service on June 6. Shortly thereafter, Harland Wolff began converting the ship back into a passenger liner. This was halted in August when the Admiralty recalled Britannic and dispatched it back to Mudros. Carrying members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment, it arrived on October 3. The Loss of the Britannic Returning to Southampton on October 11, Britannic soon departed for another run to Mudros. This fifth voyage saw it return to Britain with around 3,000 wounded. Sailing on November 12 with no passengers, Britannic reached Naples after a five-day run. Briefly detained in Naples due to bad weather, Bartlett took Britannic to sea on the 19th. Entering the Kea Channel on November 21, Britannic was rocked by a large explosion at 8:12 AM which struck the starboard side. It is believed that this was caused by a mine laid by U-73. As the ship began to sink by the bow, Bartlett initiated damage control procedures. Though Britannic had been designed to survive taking heavy damage, the failure of some watertight doors to close due to damage and malfunction ultimately doomed the vessel. This was aided by the fact that many of the lower deck portholes were open in an effort to ventilate the hospital wards. In an effort to save the ship, Bartlett turned to starboard in the hope of beaching Britannic on Kea, approximately three miles away. Seeing that the ship would not make it, he ordered abandon ship at 8:35 AM. As the crew and medical staff took to the lifeboats, they were aided by local fishermen and, later, the arrival of several British warships. Rolling on its starboard side, Britannic slipped beneath the waves. Due to the shallowness of the water, its bow hit the bottom while the stern was still exposed. Bending with the weight of the ship, the bow crumpled and the ship vanished at 9:07 AM. Despite taking similar damage as Titanic, Britannic only managed to remain afloat for fifty-five minutes, approximately one-third the time of its older sister. Conversely, losses from the sinking of Britannic numbered only thirty while 1,036 were rescued. One of those rescued was nurse Violet Jessop. A stewardess before the war, she survived the Olympic-Hawke collision as well as the sinking of Titanic. HMHS Britannic at a Glance Nation:  Great BritainType:  Hospital ShipShipyard:  Harland Wolff (Belfast, Northern Ireland)Laid Down:  November 30, 1911Launched:  February 26, 1914Fate:  Sunk by mine on November 21, 1916 HMHS Britannic  Specifications Displacement:  53,000 tonsLength:  882 ft., 9 in.Beam:  94 ft.Draft:  34 ft. 7 in.Speed:  23 knotsComplement:  675 men Sources WebTitanic: HMHS BritannicHMHS BritannicLost Liners: HMHS Britannic

Organisational Cultural Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organisational Cultural Case Study - Essay Example ..(organization's) own limitations; valuing diversity; and managing the potential dynamics of systemic bias, racism, prejudice, and exclusion within client-health provider relationship† (Srivastava, 2007, p.20). Organisational cultural competence in a health care scenario is also described as â€Å"the ability to provide care with a client-centered orientation that both reflects the client’s cultural values and beliefs and recognizes the impact of marginalization in health care interactions and responses† (Srivastava, 2007, p.20). Rationale for the study What everyone forgets often is that disease has a social context. Cockerham (2007) has shown this by saying that â€Å"income and occupational status join education as the major components of social class† in how people select their health life styles (p.53). WHO has defined that â€Å"health is not only the absence of disease, but also complete physical, mental, and social wellness† (qtd. in Laverac k, 2004, P.14). It is also a known fact that stress, poverty, low socioeconomic status, unhealthy lifestyles, and unpleasant living and working conditions† can cause ill health (Cockerham, 2007, p.1). ... ir opinions, act in real life situations and hold attitudes to their practice are dependent on their culture, which again includes their social class, race, gender, and many similar factors. But a problem arises when these people have an interface with a culturally diverse group of clients. In such a context, there can be a clash of interests, attitudes and values which are culture-specific. For the smooth existence of a service provider-client interface, such conflicts have to be prevented from happening, and this is the realm in which discussions on cultural competency gain relevance. The concept of cultural competence is more than the actions and behavior of one or two individual practitioners but it has to work across the individual, organizational and systemic levels of an organization (Srivastava, 2007, p.20). As far as the people within an organization are concerned, cultural competence has to be ensured from policy and administration levels, through management and to service and support staff. Cultural competence is important in the health care context also because in a health care situation, there is a power relation involved which puts the client in a disadvantageous position in the hierarchy of that power equation. Power being â€Å"perceived as an authority and to engender willing compliance is, clearly, to exercise power,† the service provider can be understood to have power over the client (Fulford, Dickenson and Muray, 2002, p.280). And the exercise of this power has a possibility to be biased by the cultural values and prejudices of the service-provider. In this backdrop, gaining cultural competence through training, awareness and systemic measures can only ensure that non-discriminatory and ethical care is given to all in a health organization. An ideal

Reflection on Research Interview Schedule Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflection on Interview Schedule - Research Paper Example In this step, one gives an opinion of what should have been done to obtain better results. Finally, an action plan is stated. Specifically, an action plan includes recommendations for changing the situation if it occurs This report is a reflective essay examining the process of developing and conducting an interview. An interview is a data collection mechanism often used in conducting qualitative research. The primary aim of conducting an interview is to comprehend an interviewees perception or experience (Gillard et al., 2012, p. 26-1137).The interview was carried out to collect data from students in the health promotion top-up degree. The three types of interviews are a structured interview, unstructured, and a semi-structured interview. The study used a semi-structured interview in conducting the research. Specifically, a semi-structured interview involves both planned and unplanned questions. For this reason, it is preferred to other methods as it is open and enables the researcher to gather maximum information possible during the interview. Furthermore, it does not limit a person to what they can say. Therefore, it promotes interaction and creates a room for clarification. The interviewee can ask questions that are not included in the manual or plan (Markel, 2013). The semi-structured interview includes different forms of questions covering the same topic. Notably, the questions can be framed in varying formats but still cover the research topic. I felt comfortable dealing with a semi-structured interview because it gives one the freedom to modify questions to suit different contexts (Galletta and Cross, 2013). The Gibbs reflection model was utilized to reflect on the interview. The following questions helped in gathering information about the progress The research topic seemed very particular. The target population was limited to students pursuing the health promotion top-up degree. Proper preparation and implementation were essential

Case 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Case 3 - Essay Example Secondly, Beaver was inspired by the success of the Chegg book rental Company where he worked in course of his studies. Thirdly, the fact that there was no book Rental Company operating near the Campus where Beaver studied made Beaver to spot the opportunity of starting a books rental Company. Although there is looming changes and challenges in book rental industry, continued growth in the Beaver’s Company is still achievable. The following are the three main ways in which Beaver’s TXT Book Rental’s can maintain exponential growth rate despite the imminent changes and challenges in the business. Firstly, the Company can maintain its exponential growth rate by giving high quality services to their customers; to maintain its high growth rate, the Company should give better services to their customers than their rivals. Through the excellent services, therefore, the Company would be able to maintain high level of sales, thus maintaining its exponential rates. Secondly, the Company can maintain its high rate of growth by being innovate and coming up with new ways of increasing their sales; for instance, the Company can come up with new innovate marketing strategies meant to reach more customers, thus increasing sales. Thirdly, TXT Book Rental’s can maintain its exponential rate of growth by diversifying. Although TXT Book Rental’s was founded with the exclusive aim of renting books, there is nothing wrong with the Company diversifying and coming up with different services or products so as to boost its profits, thus maintaining its exponential growth rate. Going forward, the following should be TXT Book Rental’s strategy. To begin with, given the fact that the whole book industry is undergoing a rapid digital revolution, the TXT Book Rental’s Company should not be left behind, but they should also join the digital

How the Nuclear Power Impact our Life Research Paper

How the Nuclear Power Impact our Life - Research Paper Example Nuclear power deals with nearly four waste matter streams which might cause in deterioration of atmospheric conditions. These include: (a) Creation of nuclear fuel at the atomic reactor which also brings Plutonium waste into account. It also involves the most harmful elements and isotopes plus more than 100 perilous radio-nuclides and carcinogens e.g. Cesium-137, Iodine-131, and Strontium-90 which are exactly the same poisons present in the fallout associated with nuclear weaponry (Sovacool, 2011). (b) Production associated with tailings from uranium mines as well as generators (c) Discharge of small amounts of radioactive isotopes throughout the nuclear operations (d) Discharge of large quantities of harmful radioactive materials (in the event of mishaps) Effects of Nuclear Power Accidents Three Mile Island On March 28, 1979, the discussion regarding the safety and security of nuclear power turned from assumption to truth. A sad accident took place at the nuclear power plant of the Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. The Unit-2 of the plant discharged almost 50% the plant’s radioactive contaminants. Although the disaster finished without a major discharge of harmful radioactive contaminants, however, the widespread release of nuclear toxins created a widespread fear in general public, therefore, a large amount of people evacuated from the surroundings of Pennsylvania. The evacuating area was extended on 30th March and almost 140,000 people left the area of 20 kilometer radius within few days (http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/history.html). The disaster set new horizons in the field of nuclear power and highlighted that a regulated disaster management system regarding the nuclear power accidents is essential. Consequently, new strategies were formulated to deal with nuclear power which include human training, minimizing the human error at nuclear plants, application of latest technology, and techniques to control and plan the emergency conditions (http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/history.html) Chernobyl Disaster In 1986, the disaster took place at the atomic reactor Chernobyl in the Ukraine is still considered as the world’s worst accident in terms of a nuclear plant accident and the aftermaths of this incident are still persisting although a lot have been controlled or minimized. Almost 06% of active radioactive contents of the nuclear plant were discharged into the atmosphere. The mishap forced the evacuation of local population. Almost 0.3 million people evacuated from Kiev and highlighted a harmonious territory to civilization for an indefinite timeframe (Sovacool, 2008). These radioactive contents also included Iodine and Cesium which have a great correlation to human health.

Prep 15 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Prep 15 - Essay Example In this case, variations in these isolated populations will be more as a result of genetic drift compared to natural selection. The molecular clock is a methodology in molecular evolution that uses rates of molecular change and fossil constraints to determine the time in geologic history when two species diverged. The technique is used to approximation the duration of occurrence of events called radiation or speciation. The molecular statistics used for such computations are usually for DNA sequences or amino acid sequences. It is possible to tell that the molecular clock is working because its principle of working is based on Charles Darwin theory of ev0lution. In addition, the concept of DNA sequence has been integrated in modern fossil dating techniques. In this case, the result obtained from molecular clock techniques are usually compared with those of other methodology. The molecular clock techniques yield desirable results when the species generations are not changing from time to time. The population size has to be sizeable to reduce the effect of genetic drift and the nature of protein studied requir es being stable. The neutral evolution theory, according to Sittyr (2009), is used for null hypothesis since it holds that the molecular evolutionary changes and other variation within species is not as a result of natural selection but by random drift of neutral mutant alleles. The concept is used to detect natural selection since it works to explain that genes do not experience natural selection but are affected by genetic drift. In this case, if the hypothesis of neutral evolution is not proven, then the national selection has taken place. When a synonymous, also referred to as silent mutation, occurs the change is frequently assumed to be neutral. This means that the ration of the organisms that are not affected by the mutation shows fitness of the individual with the new gene to reproduce and survive. Inbreeding is the production

Reading reflection 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading reflection 6 - Essay Example According to the article, the police generally will associate certain crimes with a certain race. The police have a set mentality on a crime committed. The will go to brutal lengths in order to prove that certain minorities commit crimes more often. Police brutality will usually occur because of a number of reasons. The most common one is racial discrimination. Between 1990 and 1994, 89% of reported custody deaths involved Hispanics or African Americans (Elisha, Joshua & Zenobia 2010). These are examples of police brutality cases that are reported. Such examples include those involving Patrick Hall, Rodney king and Oscar Grant. I concur with the author’s views on Police brutality and racial discrimination. Police brutality especially towards the minority is not always physical. This is best illustrated by the case of a Patrick Hall. Patrick Hall, an African American who served in the US army. He then enrolled at Illinois State University from where he started his own business. Hall employed most of his friends who were also black. The police started harassing him as soon as they discovered his progress (Elisha, Joshua & Zenobia 2010). The police would humiliate Hall with random checks for illegal activities. They went as far as surveying and intimidating Hall. This forced him to shut down the business and leave the city. This is a classic case of emotional and verbal abuse among minorities. Police brutality will happen for a number of reasons. Chief among them is racial discrimination. Use of excessive force is described as police brutality. By 1999, 75% of males who were African American are pulled over because they were Black (The Struggle Against racial Profiling). Law enforcement officers will verbally, emotionally and physically offensive to citizens of race. However, the number of such incidences is decreasing constantly in the wake of human rights awareness. A criminal justice

Prep 15 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Prep 15 - Essay Example In this case, variations in these isolated populations will be more as a result of genetic drift compared to natural selection. The molecular clock is a methodology in molecular evolution that uses rates of molecular change and fossil constraints to determine the time in geologic history when two species diverged. The technique is used to approximation the duration of occurrence of events called radiation or speciation. The molecular statistics used for such computations are usually for DNA sequences or amino acid sequences. It is possible to tell that the molecular clock is working because its principle of working is based on Charles Darwin theory of ev0lution. In addition, the concept of DNA sequence has been integrated in modern fossil dating techniques. In this case, the result obtained from molecular clock techniques are usually compared with those of other methodology. The molecular clock techniques yield desirable results when the species generations are not changing from time to time. The population size has to be sizeable to reduce the effect of genetic drift and the nature of protein studied requir es being stable. The neutral evolution theory, according to Sittyr (2009), is used for null hypothesis since it holds that the molecular evolutionary changes and other variation within species is not as a result of natural selection but by random drift of neutral mutant alleles. The concept is used to detect natural selection since it works to explain that genes do not experience natural selection but are affected by genetic drift. In this case, if the hypothesis of neutral evolution is not proven, then the national selection has taken place. When a synonymous, also referred to as silent mutation, occurs the change is frequently assumed to be neutral. This means that the ration of the organisms that are not affected by the mutation shows fitness of the individual with the new gene to reproduce and survive. Inbreeding is the production

Complan Foods Essay Example for Free

Complan Foods Essay Complan Foods is a British company that makes powdered milk energy drinks. It was acquired by Danone in 2011. In India the Complan brand is owned by the H. J. Heinz Company. Complan was launched by Glaxo in 1954. As part of Glaxos Farley Health Products subsidiary, the Complan UK brand was sold to Boots in 1988. In India, Complan remained with Glaxo until 1994, when it was acquired by Heinz, who also acquired the UK brand in the same year.[2][3] In 2002 a majority stake in the UK business (Complan Foods) was sold to the Saatchi brothers Saatchinvest BRIEF HISTORY The H.J. Heinz Company, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the most global of all U.S.-based food companies. Famous for their iconic brands on five continents, Heinz provides delicious, nutritious and convenient foods for families in 200 countries around the world. In more than 50 of those countries, we enjoy the number-one or number-two market position. To learn more visit www.heinz.com. Heinz came to India in 1994 by taking over the Family Products Division of Glaxo. GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) is a British multinational pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the worlds fourth-largest pharmaceutical company measured by 2009 prescription drug sales .It was established in 2000 by the merger of Glaxo Wellcome plc and SmithKline Beecham plc. with powerful brands such as Complan, Glucon-D, Nycil and Sampriti. Heinz India is fully integrated into the global Heinz operations employing high standards in quality at manufacturing facility at Aligarh in the State of Uttar Pradesh. This manufacturing facility is HACCP certified and follows GFMP (Good Food Manufacturing Practices) to deliver safe food products Heinz in India provides taste and nutrition through globally trusted products like Heinz Tomato Ketchup and strong local products like Complan energy drink, Nycil the most effective prickly heat powder and Sampriti Ghee. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES: http://www.heinz.co.in/about_heinz/history.aspx

Engineering procurement and construction

Engineering procurement and construction Integrated Project Teams With Multi Office Execution, A Study Of EPC Projects In Canada Abstract Engineering procurement and construction (EPC) projects in the Canadian oil and gas industry have gained significant economic importance due to rising hydrocarbon commodity price. The oil and gas industry in Alberta has planned to spend approximately 142 billion dollars (Government of Alberta, 2010) within the next two decades on capital projects. Alberta has recognized the shortage of human resources during peak economic activities, to execute mega capital projects. Multi office execution (MOE) is a way forward for all the major EPC houses in Canada to meet the demands of Clients within budget and on schedule. Further, it has been identified by the industry needs that integrated project teams are critical to the success of these complex oil and gas projects. In this environment, project management techniques need to be adapted to match project complexity. This paper will provide much insight through case studies related to project teams in multi office execution, and review the existing literature body of knowledge. An analysis is presented based on the project management knowledge areas. Recommendations are made based on this analysis. The objectives of this paper are to review literature related to managing MOE projects and to determine the keys to success and areas that need improvement in MOE. Introduction Alberta oil and gas industry has gained significant economic importance over the past decades. In 2010, it is estimated that the industry has an inventory of 57 capital oil and gas projects with a total value of 142 billion dollars (Government of Alberta, 2010). Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) companies have been providing oil and gas owner companies with expertise and resources to execute these capital projects. Under current market condition, the oil and gas owner companies want the EPC companies to share more risks. More and more projects are based on lump sum and fixed-fee contracts and are executed under lower budgets and tighter schedules. To stay competitive, many EPC companies have adopted global execution business model. Work is carried out in multiple offices or even by multiple organizations (Macquary, 2003). Cost saving benefit is achieved by allocating project scopes to high-value low-cost offices in other provinces or other countries. The companies may develop a partnership with other companies with specific technical expertise or local business expertise in order to gain market share in a new or emerging market. The MOE improves resource availability under booming economy, where resource shortage becomes a sig nificant problem in executing large projects. Despite several benefits, MOE projects can be very challenging to manage. Although the project management methodology is applicable to both single-office and multi-office projects (Cowle et al, 1995), the multi-office projects require particular emphasis on some of the project management processes. The objectives of this paper are to review literature related to managing MOE projects and to determine the keys to success, challenges and areas that need improvement in MOE. Interviews with project management experts from the EPC industry who have experience managing multi-billion dollar MOE projects provided insights into MOE best practices. The interviews were designed based on project management knowledge areas established by Project Management Institute or PMI (Project Management Institute, 2004) in order to present the findings using internationally accepted framework. These knowledge areas are: project integration management, project scope management, project time management, project cost management, project quality management, project human resource management, project communication management, project procurement management, and project risk management. The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 reviews literature related to MOE. Section 3 briefly describes methodology and the MOE projects studied in this paper. Keys to success and challenges for MOE are discussed in Section 4. This is followed by conclusions in Section 5.   Literature Review Multi-Office Execution Concepts Engineering and Construction Risk Institute (2009) defines two main elements of a multi-office executing organization: 1) Lead office which is an office that provides leadership and has overall responsibility for the execution of the project; 2) Support office which is an entity participating in the project under the overall management and supervisory control of the lead office. The multi office execution strategy is found to be popularly framed within concepts such as virtual teams and offshore outsourcing (off shoring). A common definition available for a virtual group/team is a group of geographically and temporally dispersed individuals who are assembled via technology to accomplish an organization task. Joseph (2005) specifically defines Global Virtual Engineering Team (GVET) as a group of geographically dispersed individuals organized through communication and information technologies that need to overcome space, time, functional, organizational, national, and cultural barriers for the completion of a specific engineering task. According to Joseph (2005), the following comparison can be made between a virtual team and a conventional team. The most critical and important feature of virtual teams is that they cross boundaries of space. Whereas the members of traditional teams work in close proximity to one another, the members of virtual teams are separa ted, often by many miles or even continents. Although many traditional, localized teams also communicate through computerized communication media, technology such as video conferencing is typically used by virtual team members to supplement their rare face-to-face communication. In physically collocated teams, members of the team are likely to have similar and complementary cultural and educational backgrounds since they have gone through the same recruitment and selection procedures as they are employed by the same organization. In a virtual team the members may vary in their education, culture, language, time orientation and expertise. There can also be conflicting organizational and personal goals among the members of a virtual team. Multi-office execution also can be part of off shoring when local EPC companies subcontract project activities to branches or a different company in a foreign country. Off shoring is an extreme version of outsourcing, and it refers to the transfer of production/service capacity from a site within a country to a site in another country and then importing back for national consumption of goods and services that had previously being produced locally (Goff, 2005). Off shoring business operations offer a potential for 15-20% cost savings, but further analyses show that organizations that properly plan and operate offshore initiatives can reap substantially higher rewards (Fox and Hughes, 2008). According to Goff (2005) the benefits of off shoring for large companies include: maintaining or increasing profitability by reduced labor costs if resources with the same or higher level of expertise can be obtained in the foreign countries; maintaining its competitive position or even protecting it from going out of business; and increasing the market share of a company by improving their capacity and utilizing available in-house resources to more value added ventures. Canada ranks high among most attractive host countries for companies wishing to locate abroad to improve their financial position according to the offshore location attractive index (Goff, 2005). The multi-office execution has been made possible and successful, solely due to the advancements in the information and communication technology. With the rapid advancement of the electronic age the ability to staff a project from multiple offices has gone from a dream to a practical reality (Cowle et al, 1995). The latest developments in communication technology such as teleconferencing, video conferencing and host of other online applications coupled with ever increasing speed of data, voice and video transfer literally eliminate distance barriers. According to Macquary (2003) we are at a point in time where information technology is allowing us to change many of our traditional way of doing work. Hence it is possible to create an organizational structure agile enough to accept them and quickly apply them to add value. MOE Driving Forces Economy conditions are the main driving forces for the MOE strategy (Macquary (2003), Joshep (2005), Global Insight USA (2004), and Engineering and Construction Risk Institute (2009)). Under booming economy, labor shortage becomes a problem for many organizations and the MOE is a way to acquire project teams from other remote offices or even other companies. The MOE strategy is also used to add resources in order to meet tighter/compressed project schedules. On the other hand, slower economy growth demands constant vigilance over cost. Companies with global operations often allocate or outsource work to high-value low-cost offices, especially when qualified resources with lower wages are available. For instance, offices in India, China or Far East countries could be candidates for such support offices. Company policy to gain market share is another driver for MOE strategy. Companies can setup offices in other countries or develop business partnership with local companies to capture global or emerging markets. A joint venture between companies (or even competitors) with complementing expertise to take on a project that requires diversified expertise is also another driver for MOE. Other driving forces are: development in technology such as internet connections and other communication tools; a need to free resources for core business or higher value purposes; change in educational trend which results in smaller number of graduates in some studying fields (Joseph, 2005). Managing MOE Projects Engineering and Construction Risk Institute (2009) suggested issues to be addressed for MOE projects during sales/pre-execution, project mobilization, project execution, and project completion phases. Key issues are: early engagement with the client to obtain agreement to MOE and address clients concerns; early engagement of the support offices; clear definition of scopes and responsibilities for individual offices and kick-off meetings; alignment of work processes, deliverables, and reports; selecting suitable key project roles who are opened to MOE; and communication plan. Joseph (2005) has identified technology, management, organization, project control and team communication as important items to consider in global virtual team formation and execution. Clear and frequent communication, periodic face-to-face meetings, good communication tools and compatibility in information technology, standard work processes and communication procedures, and clearly defined scope expectations are named as top success criteria for multi-office execution. Whereas lack of or poor communication, lack of face-to-face meetings, lack of understanding of local work practices/ cultural differences and/or language issues, lack of management involvement experienced leadership, changes not handled properly, slow response to changes, incompatible or poor technology including hardware and software are top failure factors found within EPC industry for multi-office execution. Chinowsky and Rojas (2003) outlined the top 10 management issues that must be addressed when initiating and maintaining virtual teams. They are categorized as Team issues and Process issues. Team issues include: initial face-to-face meetings are required to develop a sense of ‘‘team, managers must visit remote participants during the course of the project, trust between team members is difficult to establish when operating in a virtual environment, and virtual team leaders should be selected with an acknowledgment of the unique demands placed on distributed teams. Process issues includes: project objectives must be restated and reinforced frequently to ensure that all members remain focused on a common outcome; conflicts must be addressed quickly to prevent unresolved issues from interfering with communications; discussions on decisions will be more difficult as participants continue discussions via electronic media; expectations of each team member must be stated clearly to assist the members as they work independently; team member workloads should be monitored to ensure that significant increases do not occur due to increased electronic communications; and regular training must occur equally for all members of the virtual team. Methodology And Studied MOE Projects The methodology used in this paper to gain insights into MOE best practices and challenges is interviewing project management experts who have experience managing MOE projects in EPC industry. The interviews were designed using project management knowledge areas: project integration management, project scope management, project time management, project cost management, project quality management, project human resource management, project communication management, project procurement management, and project risk management. The project management knowledge areas are identified by its knowledge requirements and described in terms of their component processes, practices, inputs, outputs, tools, and techniques (Project Management Institute, 2004). The two major reasons for the projects to implement MOE strategy found in this paper are resource constraint and cost saving. All of the projects discussed in this paper were executed during the booming economy (i.e. high oil price) and manpower shortage became a problem for many projects. Therefore, the MOE beame a necessary strategy to acquire project teams with required skills from locations with more resource availability. To save cost, project scopes were allocated to high-value low-cost offices in either other provinces or other countries (e.g., India and China). Cost benefit was achieved in both cases. Some of the projects allocated â€Å"less technical† work such as cloning design work and closing project work to these support offices. Another driving force identified is a company strategy to expand and maintain national or global operations. The MOE strategy is used to balance resource utilization. In booming economy, work is allocated to reduce workload at some offices. During an economy down turn, work is allocated to maintain support offices as it is more economical than closing the support offices and rebuilding them when demand resumes. Engineering work is usually allocated among lead and support offices. For better coordination, a procurement organization is usually setup in the offices that perform engineering design. However, smaller projects may choose to have only one procurement organization in the lead office. Construction is mostly executed by the lead office. However, some construction scopes (e.g., fabrication and modularization programs) may be subcontracted to local or international third-parties, therefore they are considered as MOE. Prime contract management/ legal functions are usually executed by the lead office only. Other project functions such as Project Management, Project Controls, and Document Management are executed from the lead office. However, depending on the size of the project and project strategy, these functions may also be executed from other support offices. Keys To Success Challenges In MOE Further discussion on keys to success, challenges, and areas required improvement for MOE projects is divided into 9 subsections per Project Management Knowledge Areas (Project Management Institute, 2004): project integration management, project scope management, project time management, project cost management, project quality management, project human resource management, project communication management, project procurement management, and project risk management. The discussion is summarized at the end of this section. Project Integration Management For MOE projects, the lead office is normally responsible for developing the project charter and preliminary project scope statement. This is due to closer contact with the Client. Furthermore, at the early stage of the project, the support offices may not have been involved yet. It is important that the project management team provides MOE justification to gain support from the Client. It is recommended that the project management plan developed during the planning phase addresses the MOE strategy including high-level justification, organization, resource utilization and scope allocation. Some projects may choose to develop a separate subsidiary plan which addresses MOE issues such as scope allocation, responsibility, and communication in more detail. The MOE brings many challenges in monitoring and controlling project work. All offices should take responsibility for their own work but the lead office must take the responsibility to monitor and control overall project work. Managers in the lead office need to understand their roles in monitoring and controlling project work even though the work may be executed by the support offices. Basic communication approaches such as regular phone calls and VDO conference meetings and information systems that allow progress information to be collected from support offices are used for monitoring and controlling project work. Project changes should be managed and controlled centrally by the lead office. Changes are initiated from all offices but only the lead office should have authorization to approve changes. The approved changes need to be captured and project plans (e.g., budget and schedule) are adjusted accordingly. It is important that no office should start executing the changes before they are approved even if the changes are initiated by the Client. Closing project is identified in this paper as one of the major challenges in MOE. Each office is normally responsible for closing the work under their scopes. However, the support offices have smaller scopes of work, therefore they usually de-staff earlier than the lead office. If the support offices de-staff before the close out is complete, the work is transferred to the lead office which may not have sufficient background understanding to properly close out the work/scope. To avoid this circumstance, the projects must plan and execute the project closing process carefully. It is also important that sufficient budget is allocated for the project closing process. Electronic archiving of project documents is recommended to facilitate the project closing. Other challenge identified for project closing process is lessons-learned management. Lessons learned from all offices need to be captured, analyzed for follow-up actions or recommendations, archived, and internally published. Lessons learned are proprietary and required careful review before they are published to avoid any commercial or legal impacts. Some EPC companies may have a corporate function dedicated to manage lessons learned from all projects. If not, the project management team in the lead office should be responsible for managing lessons learned from all offices. As this is a part of project closing, management of lessons learned needs to be planned, scheduled and have budget provided for like other project work. Project Scope Management After the preliminary project scope statement is developed, the project scope must be further refined. Scope allocation among the offices is a major part of scope management for MOE projects. Depending on the types of projects, the scope can be further divided vertically or horizontally. For example, oil and gas facility construction projects normally divide scope vertically by geographical areas of the facilities while power plant construction projects usually divide the scope horizontally, by specialized technical systems such as steam lines, control systems, rotating equipments, etc. Nevertheless, the project scope should be divided in the fashion that requires as little coordination as possible. In reality establishing a balance between MOE scope division and effort to coordinate the project scopes becomes a fine art for the project management team. Several criteria are used to allocate the scopes among the multiple offices. These include expertise and experience, cost, resource availability, and organizational strategy. The lead office is mainly responsible for scope allocation. It is identified in this paper that clear understanding of scope is one of the key elements to successful MOE. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the lead office organize kick-off meetings to engage the support offices as soon as possible in order to develop the scope definition and WBS. It is crucial that these processes are a joint effort between the lead office and support offices. This will develop a better understanding of the scope and a sense of ownership for the support offices which will later benefit the scope control process (e.g., recognizing scope changes and their impacts). Tools that are used for scope planning are responsibility matrices that clearly indicate the responsibility among the offices at project deliverable level (e.g., division of responsibility, material assignment schedule, control and monitoring needs, etc.). Detail responsibility to verify and accept the project deliverables can also be included in the responsibility matrix. Critical deliverables are accepted directly by the lead office for review before transferring to the Client, while the other deliverables can be submitted directly by the support offices to the Client. However, the lead office has overall responsibility to ensure that the project deliverables are completed as per project scope. The scope should be controlled centrally by the lead office as a part of integrated change management discussed in the previous section. As a result, it is important that the lead office has a good understanding and control of the scopes that are performed by all offices. Project Time Management Project work broken down into tangible components and assigned to a resource is essential for schedule development. Project schedules should be developed by the lead office in close communication and cooperation of support offices. The lead office usually initiates high-level schedule which contains major project milestones usually knows as master schedule, then the support offices provide detail information (e.g., activity sequence, activity resource estimating and activity duration estimating) to be incorporated into the master schedule. Once the project schedule is developed and adopted as a time management tool, activity status information required to update this schedule is collected from all offices. It is important that all offices follow the master project schedule. Use of universal scheduling tools that provides visibility to all offices particularly benefits the MOE execution. Communicating and resolving schedule misalignments among offices is considered to be one of the challenges for MOE. Therefore, it is recommended that the master schedule control is centralized and the lead office assign personnel to coordinate schedule information from all offices. Project Cost Management Cost estimating is a significant activity during the early execution of the project. During the early stage the scope and responsibilities are with the lead office, therefore the cost estimating is also performed by the lead office. Early estimates are conceptual estimates with some details (e.g., major equipment cost, estimated bulk quantities and construction cost). When further design development takes place and if significant scopes are allocated to support offices, area estimators could be assigned to provide input to the lead estimating team. Detail estimates are developed when significant engineering is completed. Input and feedback from all the execution offices are used in developing detail estimates. Once the detailed estimates are approved and implemented each support office is responsible for its scope of work. Typically, total cost management and final reporting remain the responsibilities of the lead office. Cost control strategy can be either centralized or decentralized, depending upon the scope splits, project staffing, level of effort needed to control and report project cost. For instance, if a support office is allocated a small scope (e.g., the support office only produces isometric drawings), total cost control can be performed by the lead office. On the other hand, if a support office has significant scope (i.e. a complete plant area), cost control for that area can be assigned to the support office with periodic reporting to the lead office. Regardless of centralized or decentralized cost control strategy, the lead office has a responsibility to control and report to the Client overall project cost. Project Quality Management The quality planning should be initiated by the lead office with consideration to Clients quality standards and requirements. Project quality assurance and quality control are typically executed by all offices. For the MOE projects that involve support offices from foreign countries or from different companies, different quality practices may be allowed as long as they comply with the project quality management plan. In case the quality assurance and control of support offices do not comply to project quality plan, the lead office may need to execute these two processes as appropriate. Project Human Resource Management For MOE projects, the lead office should initiate the human resource planning by providing allocated man-hour budget to the support offices. Factors such as capability, reliability, quality, and expertise of the support offices should also be considered when developing the budgets. Then the support offices are responsible for developing their own staffing plans. The lead office should also ensure that: the budgets allocated to the support offices are appropriate; all managers are trained to do staff planning; and the staffing plans developed by the support offices align with project plans (e.g., budget, schedule, and scopes of work). As leadership is crucial for project success, the project lead roles (e.g., engineering leads) in the support offices should be identified early. These lead roles provide direction to the teams and are communicating channels between the lead office and the support offices. Some projects may instead select to assign a coordinating role for smaller scope of work allocated to the support offices. Lead offices may influence staff assignments at support offices especially for the lead positions. However, the support offices are usually responsible for acquiring their own project teams for the reasons that they have better knowledge and understanding of their staff as well as they are directly responsible for the staff career development. MOE projects have to overcome many challenges in developing the project team. Phone calls and meetings between offices in different time zones are more difficult to arrange while communicating only via emails may not be an ideal approach to develop a working relationship. Cultures and languages also add challenges to communication. It also takes time to develop trust and working relationship between offices which is a challenge for offices that have never worked together before or offices that have high-turnover or are downsized. Other challenges are standardizing or aligning work processes. This paper identifies that having staff from the leading office visit support offices at regular intervals and vice versa is an effective approach to build project team for MOE projects. These visits could be for training, meetings, or trouble shootings. The project should arrange these visits as often as possible during the project life cycle. VDO conference is also recommended as a more effective meeting tool than just a phone conference. The project management should be instrumental in arrange all-office team building activities such as project progress presentation, discipline presentations and recognition and reward program. Each office is responsible for managing its own staff. However, the lead office needs to manage overall performances of the support offices. Cultural difference should be considered for appropriate management style. It should also be noted that the performances between offices should not be compared without understanding the legitimate factors that may impact the performance from each office (e.g., expertise experience). Other challenge found in managing the MOE team is that delivery and performance issues (e.g., rework, delay, or actual amount of remaining work) may not be communicated to the lead office. These are often driven by fear of negative consequences such as losing work. Therefore, it is important to set reasonable performance targets based on capability of the support offices and the lead office provides support in solving any performance issues such as training and trouble shooting. Project Communication Management As a part of communication planning, it is recommended that the stakeholder analysis is performed for all offices to determine the project communication requirements. Communication planning should address information, information originator, information receiver, frequency, and communication medium. It is important that the lead office is the only point of contact for handling commercial and contractual matters. When appropriate, mass communication methods such as group email, project portal, shared drive are recommended for MOE projects. It is important that project changes (e.g., revisions) are communicated with high priority between offices to prevent rework, especially if work is shared between multiple offices (e.g., outputs from one office become inputs for the other offices). To facilitate the information distribution during the execution phase, the use of information distribution matrix is recommended. The matrix determines the list of employees that the information is to be distributed to and is managed by document management group. Overall project performance reporting should be a responsibility of the lead office with inputs from support offices. The performance reporting should be included in the communication management plan. Reporting schedule and format should be developed and agreed upon by all offices. Necessary trainings (e.g., use of tools to collect performance information, data gathering and data analysis) should be provided to all offices to ensure reporting accuracy and consistency. Project Procurement Management One of procurement decisions to be made at the beginning of an MOE project is purchasing and managing strategy for each material commodity. It is generally more economical that bulk material (e.g., bulk piping materials, steel, and cables) requirements from all offices are consolidated and purchased together by the lead office. However, commodities that require customized engineering design such as mechanical and electrical equipments may be managed more effectively if they are procured by the same engineering office. After the decisions are made, the procurement organization then can be setup to support the commodity management strategy. It is a best practice to have procurement organizations in all engineering offices. However, some smaller projects may choose to setup only one project procurement organization in the lead offices. Subcontract function (which is a part of procurement management per project pr