Essay about American Minorities during World War II

During the time of World War II, there was a dramatic change in the society of America and its way of life. Men were needed at war and the women were left at home. People were mistrusted and were falsely accused of something they didn’t do. Some people were even pushed away because they were different. These people were the minorities of America. Some of the minorities it affected the most were the African Americans, women, Japanese Americans, and even young adults. What is a minority? A minority, in this case, is a person or group of people who are discriminated against because there is something about them that makes them different. Some of these reasons why they are different are things like race, gender, and even age. However, the real†¦show more content†¦They were even able to take out their enemies fast jet fighters (Reinhardt and Ganzel 1). what is socking about all of this is that these men werent trained with guns or knives, they had to use sticks instead (R einhardt and Ganzel 1). With all the racism still going on, one African American man said it would be an iron for him to give America his life if it didn’t want to given him basic civil rights (Reinhardt and Ganzel 2). Second of all after, returning home they were given an opportunity to join a movement for their rights (Reinhardt and Ganzel 2). The Soldier came home to a country that wasn’t granting them their full rights so some joined a movement to expand the rights (Reinhardt and Ganzel 2). Other soldiers ended up moving to the city instead so they could find work similar to what they did while at war (Reinhardt and Ganzel 2). The roles of African American minorities where change after the war because the opportunities of job openings that were given to them and because their civil rights eventually expanded. Women’s roles change during World War II because men were gone and their responsibilities weren’t being taken care of. The women began working and doing the men’s house chores for them along with their own responsibilities has women(Graves 1-2). The women were the only people who could take the mens places and money was tight. Women were needed to get work done because itShow MoreRelatedTo what extent did the French Resistance assist in the allies liberation of France?888 Words   |  4 PagesThe French Resistance (La Rà ©sistance franà §aise) was a collaboration of individual movements against the German occupation of France and the Vichy regime that complied with the Nazis during World War II. Starting in 1940 and ending with the liberation of France, French people from all ends of the economic and political spectrum united in different Rà ©sistance groups to perform guerilla attacks, run underground newspapers, provide intelligence to and from the allies, and manage escape networks to alliedRead MoreWorld War II From Non Minority Citizens998 Words   |  4 PagesThe thoughts about World War II from non-minority citizens in America transpired into the label of a â€Å"good war† due to the heroic actions taken by our servicemen who fought to protect the â€Å"four essential human freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of every person to worship God in his own way, freedom of want, and freedom of fear† as referenced to in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Third Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union (par.77-80). 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ClassRead MoreThe Impact of WWII On American Minorities1612 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican minorities made up a significant amount of America’s population in the 1920s and 1930s, estimated to be around 11.9 million people, according to . However, even with all those people, there still was harsh segregation going on. Caucasians made African-Americans work for them as slaves, farmers, babysitters, and many other things in that line. Then when World War II came, â€Å"World War II required the reunification and mobilization of Americans as n ever before† (Module2). They needed to cooperateRead MoreThe 1940’s as The Most Influencing Decade in the United States1237 Words   |  5 Pagesthe most areas of Americans’ lives. Although 1940’s have not resolved all America’s problems, those years did the most to influence contemporary America in areas such as the economic leadership of the world, once and forever abandoning policy of isolationism and greatly contributing to women and minorities’ rights. United States since the beginning of its history had always been very careful about its isolationism policy, but that was going to change with the end of World War II and Soviet’s desiresRead MoreAmerican Minorities Have Had It Pretty Rough Thought The History Of America1139 Words   |  5 PagesChris Harlan Professor Romero History 175 18 April 2016 Happenings In America American minorities have had it pretty rough thought the history of America. However World War II opened up many doors of opportunity to American minorities that no event before has ever done. Women, Latinos, and African Americans were all subject to lower standards of life until World War II came into play. Women were expected to take up work and have long hours on the job. Many Latinos were brought up from Mexico toRead MoreDouble Victory: A Multicultural History of America in World War II by Ronald Takaki642 Words   |  3 PagesIn the United States World War II has been one of the most remembered wars of all time. Acclaimed historian Ronald Takaki asserts that for many Americans, World War II was fought for a â€Å"double victory†: on the battlefront as well as on the home front. Takaki’s book Double Victory: A Multicultural History of America in World War II reminds the audience that there was much, much more happening at home and on the frontlines during World Wa r II than in the battlefield. Takaki presents a strong centralRead MoreWorld War II And American Liberalism Essay1119 Words   |  5 Pages World War II changed the outlook of American society and economy. Alan Brinkley discusses these changes in his article, World War II and American Liberalism. Brinkley discusses the events that brought on these changes, and what was the result of said changes on the American society. Before and during the war, American liberalism started to realize what its main mission was at the time. American demographics were drastically changed due to World War II. The most dramatic of these changes was the

Flood Monitoring System Free Essays

string(59) " in the Rambla del Albuj\? n watershed, in Southern Spain\." Sensors 2012, 12, 4213-4236; doi:10. 3390/s120404213 OPEN ACCESS sensors ISSN 1424-8220 www. mdpi. We will write a custom essay sample on Flood Monitoring System or any similar topic only for you Order Now com/journal/sensors Article A Real-Time Measurement System for Long-Life Flood Monitoring and Warning Applications Rafael Marin-Perez 1, , Javier Garc? a-Pintado 2,3 and Antonio Skarmeta G? mez 1 ? o 1 Department of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, E-30100, Murcia, Spain; E-Mail: skarmeta@um. es 2 Euromediterranean Water Institute, Campus de Espinardo, E-30100, Murcia, Spain; E-Mail: jgarciapintado@gmail. om 3 National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Reading, Harry Pitt Building, 3 Earley Gate, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AL, UK Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: rafael81@um. es. Received: 7 February 2012; in revised form: 14 March 2012 / Accepted: 22 March 2012 / Published: 28 March 2012 Abstract: A ? ood warning system incorporates telemetered rainfall and ? ow/water level data measured at various locations in the catchment area. Real-time accurate data collection is required for this use, and sensor networks improve the system capabilities. However, existing sensor nodes struggle to satisfy the hydrological requirements in terms of autonomy, sensor hardware compatibility, reliability and long-range communication. We describe the design and development of a real-time measurement system for ? ood monitoring, and its deployment in a ? ash-? ood prone 650 km2 semiarid watershed in Southern Spain. A developed low-power and long-range communication device, so-called DatalogV1, provides automatic data gathering and reliable transmission. DatalogV1 incorporates self-monitoring for adapting measurement schedules for consumption management and to capture events of interest. Two tests are used to assess the success of the development. The results show an autonomous and robust monitoring system for long-term collection of water level data in many sparse locations during ? ood events. Keywords: real-time data acquisition; sensor network; hydrological monitoring; ? ood warning system Sensors 2012, 12 1. Introduction 4214 A warmer climate, with its increased climate variability, will increase the risk of both ? oods and droughts [1], whose management and mitigation are important to protect property, life, and natural environment. Real-time accurate monitoring of hydrologic variables is key for ? od forecasting, as well as for optimizing related warning systems for damage mitigation. Recent studies show that in the speci? c case of semiarid and arid areas, adequate deployment of monitoring networks is essential to a real understanding of the underlying processes generating run-off in storm events, and to achieve effective emergency systems (e. g. , [2]). Trad itionally, researchers have directly collected data at the places of interest. This has now been commonly substituted by automatic sensor and datalogger systems, which provide high temporal data resolution, while reducing operational human resource requirements. Dataloggers permit local automatic and unattended data gathering, and reduce environmental perturbation. However, data retrieval from standard dataloggers and storage in processing and control/warning centers still has to be done either manually, which prevents its applicability in ? ood warning systems, or through wired connections, which leads to substantial investments and operational costs. To confront these problems, sensor network technology has been proposed in many monitoring applications [3]. Yet, speci? c literature on sensor network for ? ood forecasting is sparse, with only a few examples available (e. . , [4–8]). Basically, a sensor network comprises a set of nodes, where each node includes a processor, a wireless radio module, a power supply, and is equipped with sensor hardware to capture environmental data. Each node performs the tasks of data gathering, physical parameter processing, and wireless data transmission to the control server. Speci? cally, for hydro logic applications, sensor nodes must also ful? ll a number of additional requirements: †¢ Power lifetime: Power sources are often not available at the locations of hydrological interest. Moreover, these locations are usually unprotected, and if renewable energy devices are used, there are prone to vandalism or theft. Thus, sensor nodes must have low-consumption, which along with existing standard batteries, should last at least one hydrologic cycle. †¢ Sensor hardware compatibility: Most hydrologic sensor nodes include a datalogger device connected through a cable to one or more measurement instruments. The datalogger must provide multiple wired interfaces to be able to communicate with a range of speci? c sensor hardware interfaces. This also involves issues of power supply, and selective time for power dispatching, which leads to optimal power management and facilitates the expansion of connected instruments. †¢ Reliability: Harsh weather conditions may cause failures in the wireless communication over the monitoring network. Backup mechanisms in local sensor dataloggers must be used to avoid information losses in unexpected crashes. †¢ Long-range communication: Hydrologic measurement locations are commonly sparse over large areas, and far away from the control center (i. e. , tens or hundreds of kilometers). Sensor nodes must have a peer-to-peer connection with the control center. Sensors 2012, 12 4215 In general, these, sometimes opposing, requirements are dif? cult to be satis? ed by existing developed solutions. For example, multiple sensor readings and long-range communication are high power-consumption tasks, which diminish battery lifetime. For instance, many existing wireless solutions for agriculture applications (e. g. , [9–11]) use a set of tens or hundreds of motes, which collaborate to gather dense data in a small area. Motes have low consumption, but they provide limited sensor interfaces, and short-range communication. On the other hand, several hydrologic and meteorologic applications have been implemented with a few wireless datalogger stations, which individually obtain multi-sensor data in a few sparse locations over a large area (e. g. , [5,12–14]). These dataloggers permit high computing and long-range communication. However, they have an excessive investment cost and a high consumption that may be, in the long-term, unsustainable. This paper describes the design, development, and deployment of a real-time monitoring system for hydrological applications. The paper is focused on the description in detail of our wireless datalogger device, so-called DatalogV1 [15], which combines the low consumption of motes and the reliable communication of most powerful multi-sensor datalogger stations in order to satisfy the requirements of ? ood warning system scenarios. The DatalogV1 provides automatic monitoring and long-term autonomy in sparse points over large areas. To demonstrate the goodness of the DatalogV1 design, we deployed a monitoring network in the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed, in Southern Spain. You read "Flood Monitoring System" in category "Papers" The severity of ? ash ? ods in the Rambla del o Albuj? n has caused important environmental and economic damages over the last years. Accordingly, the o wireless monitoring network is intended to provide real-time accurate hydrologic information to support an operational model-based ? ood warning system. This is an excellent test to asses the DatalogV1 performance and success in a real case scenario. The remainder of the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 introduces the context of environmental monitoring and ? ood warning systems. Section 3 depicts our hydrologic monitoring scenario. Section 4 presents the design of DatalogV1 hardware. Section 5 shows the implementation of DatalogV1 software. Section 6 describes the architecture developed for remote hydrologic monitoring. Section 7 describes the deployment of the monitoring network in the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed. Section 8 shows the results o obtained regarding power consumption and data collection. Section 9 provides concluding remarks. 2. Environmental Monitoring Environmental monitoring is the most popular application for sensor networks. At present, sensor networks have been applied for a number of applications as, e. . , soil moisture monitoring [16], solar radiation mapping [17], aquatic monitoring [18], glacial control and climate change [19], forest ? re alarm [20], landscape ? ooding alarm [21], and forecasting in rivers [22]. The ability to place autonomous and low cost nodes in large harsh environments without communication infrastructure enables accurate data collection directly observed from in terest areas. With sensor networks, environmental data can be observed and collected in real-time, and used for forecasting upcoming phenomena and sending prompt warnings if required. Sensors 2012, 12 2. 1. Model-Based Flood Warning System Context 4216 The developed sensor network was incorporated within the context of a model-based ? ood warning system in the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed. A model-based ? ood warning system, for mitigating the o effects of ? ooding on life and property, incorporates a catchment model based on observed/forecasted rainfall and telemetered observations of hydrologic state variables at various locations within the catchment area. Generally, observed variables are ? ow and/or water level in channels. Also, other variables such as soil moisture and piezometric levels may be of interest, depending on the watershed response. Real-time updating of the ? ood forecasting involves the continual adaptation of the model state variables, outputs and parameters, so that the forecasts for various times into the future are based on the latest available information and are optimized, in some sense, to minimize the forecasting errors (e. g. , [23]). This is the process of data assimilation. Implementation of environmental sensor networks for data assimilation within model-based ? ood warning systems involves complex engineering and system challenges. These systems must withstand the event of interest in real-time, remain functional over long time periods when no events occur, cover large geographical regions of interest to the event, and support the variety of sensor types needed to detect the phenomenon [8]. 3. Hydrological Monitoring and Forecasting in the Rambla del Albuj? n Watershed o The Rambla del Albuj? n watershed (650 km2 ) is the main drainage catchment in the Campo de o Cartagena basin, in Southern Spain (see Figure 1). The main channel in the watershed is 40 km long and ? ows into the Mar Menor; one of the big coastal lagoons in the Mediterranean (135 km2 ). The Campo de Cartagena basin is an area with semiarid Mediterranean climate, where the average temperature ranges from 14 o C to 17 o C, mean potential evapotranspiration is 890 mm yr–1 and mean precipitation is 350 mm yr–1 . Most rainfall comes in short-time storm events, and the watershed hydrologic response is highly complex and non-uniform. Previous studies have shown the complex ? ash-? ood response of the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed o and the importance of spatially distributed observation for adequate forecasting (e. g. , [2]). Also, for ? ooding evaluations, stage gauges provide an advantage over ? w gauges that the observations remain unbiased when ? ow goes out of banks, in which case the validness of calibrated rating curves (stage-? ow relationships) is prevented. In this sense, remotely-sensed information (from aerial photography and/or satellites) is appealing as it contains much more spatial information than typical stage gauge networks in operational w atersheds. Accordingly, recent studies are evaluating the potential of aerial photography and remotely sensed (from satellites) synthetic aperture radar to provide measurements over large areas of water levels and ? od extents in lakes and rivers (e. g. , TerraSAR-X or COSMO-Skymed constellations [24]). However, the current low temporal frequency of satellite acquisitions relative to gauging station sampling indicates that remote sensing still does not represent a viable replacement strategy for data assimilation into model-based forecasts [25]. Also, before the ? ow goes out of banks, the accuracy of standard stage gauges is higher than that provided by airborne information, which is key for early warnings. Thus, if economically viable, a spatially distributed network of stage gauges remains the best option to capture the observations required to feed the forecasting and data assimilation processes. Sensors 2012, 12 4217 At the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed, we implemented a hydrological monitoring system consisting o on a network of stage gauges located at eight critical junction points between major tributaries. The monitoring locations were carefully chosen in order to achieve effective water level monitoring during ? ood events and a reliable model-based forecasting system. Figure 1 shows the selected locations which are far away (? 50 km) from the control center at the University of Murcia, to the North of the watershed. In this area, an existing phone infrastructure enables the communication among the server in the control center and the DatalogV1s in the ? eld. The DatalogV1s must be autonomous only with batteries, because no power source exists in the monitoring area and solar panels are frequently stolen or vandalized. In the following sections, we describe the design and development of the DatalogV1 to provide remote data gathering of the water stage in channels during ? ods. Figure 1. Deployment scenario. The embedded image shows the location of the Rambla del Albuj? n watershed at the Southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The violet line describes the o watershed boundary drawn on a digital terrain model (DTM). Within the watershed, the main channel network is shown in blue, and labeled squares indicate deployed gauge locations. Sensors 2012, 12 4 . Design of DatalogV1 Hardware 4218 The DatalogV1’s design was developed to address the requirements of the described application. The block diagram of DatalogV1 is illustrated in Figure 2(a). The critical components are a low-power microcontroller ( µC) module that supervises the DatalogV1’s operation, multiple sensor interfaces (Pulse, SDI-12, RS-485, Analog) that enable to take measurements from different kinds of sensor devices, and a GPRS module for long-distance communication with the control center. Moreover, two communication modules (USB and Bluetooth) enable the in-situ interactions via a laptop. All electronic components and a battery are mounted in an IP65 waterproof box to protect from harsh weather conditions, as shown by Figure 2(b). The DatalogV1’s design is balanced between low-power consumption for long-lifetime, and computational capability for multi-sensor reading and long-range communication. The hardware design of these components is described in the next subsections. Figure 2. Two different views of the DatalogV1. (a) Block diagram showing the main components. (b) The electronic components and the battery are mounted on a IP65 protection box. SDI-12 Interface RS-485 Interface Pulse Counters Analog Inputs Power Connector DC/DC Converter GPRS Module Linear Regulator Battery Connector Linear Regulator Mosfet Switch  µC DC/DC Converter Pulse Counters Bluetooth Module RS-485 Interface USB Module Battery Connector Power Connector Analogic Inputs SDI-12 Connector GPRS Module Bluetooth Module USB Module  µC (a) (b) 4. 1. Design of Microcontroller Module The circuit schematic of the microcontroller module is shown in Figure 3. The central part of the schematic represents the low-power 8-bits microcontroller (PIC18LF8722) manufactured by Microchip. The PIC18F8722 operating to 3. 3 V is ideal for low power applications ( nanoWatts) with 120 nW sleep mode and 25  µW active mode. It provides high processing speed (40 MHz) with a large 256 KB RAM memory. A 12 MB data? ash memory is included for local storage of sensor data. The top-left portion of the schematic (IC3) shows a security mechanism to avoid microcontroller blockage in case that available energy is not enough. Thus the microcontroller resets when there is less than 2. 4 V. The center-left part of the schematic contains the crystal oscillator setting to 11 MHz. (OSC1/OSC2 tags). The oscillator provides a precise clock signal to stabilize frequencies for sensor readings and data transmissions. Sensors 2012, 12 Figure 3. Circuit schematic of the microcontroller module. The center portion is the microcontroller used to control DatalogV1 operation, and the center-left is the crystal oscillator used for setting the clock. 4219 4. 2. Design of Sensor Interfaces DatalogV1 provides multi-sensor interfaces to take readings from a wide set of hydrologic instruments. Its sensor interfaces are two pulse counters, two digital connectors (RS-485 and SDI-12), and eight analog inputs. Each pulse counter reads from a tipping-bucket rain gauge (pluviometer) which generates a discrete electrical signal for every amount of accumulated rainfall. Digital interfaces supply power to and read measurements from instruments, which can themselves include some degree of computational capability. Analog connectors enable the reading of simple instruments which modify the supplying voltages to return voltage values proportional to the physical observed variables. These multiple interfaces are compatible with the most of hydrological sensor devices in the market. Pulse-counters typically connect to rain-gauge devices. The standard rain gauge collects the precipitation into a small container. Every time the container is ? led and emptied, it generates a electric pulse. According to the number of pulses and the size of the container, DatalogV1 estimates the precipitation without requiring power supply. Sensors 2012, 12 4220 For each digital interface, DatalogV1 can supply and read multiple sensors. Both RS-485 and SDI-12 interfaces consist of three electronic wires for data, ground and supplying voltage. The RS-485 is a standard serial c ommunication for long distance and noisy environments. In addition, the SDI-12 is a serial data interface at 1,200 baud designed for low-power sensors. Using serial protocols, DatalogV1 can directly obtain the physical measurements. The analog inputs allow to read 8 differential sensors, 16 single-ended sensors, or a combination of both options. A differential connection comprises four electronic wires acting as voltage-supplier, ground, positive-voltage, and negative-voltage, while a single-end connection contains two electronic wires for supplying-voltage and positive-voltage. The main difference between differential and single-ended is the way to obtain the voltage value. In single-ended, the voltage value is the difference between the positive voltage and the ground at 0 V. However, single-ended connections are sensitive to electrical noise errors, which are solved by differential connections. Because twisting wires together will ensure that any noise picked up will be the same for each wire, the voltage value in differential inputs is the difference between the positive and negative voltages. Figure 4. Circuit schematic of analog interfaces. (a) Selector of analog connections to plugged-in sensors, (b) ADC converter from output voltage to digital data. (a) (b) To obtain the measurements of the physical variables, output voltages are processed using three main hardware components: multiplexer, ampli? r, and ADC converter. Two multiplexers MC74HC4051D from Motorola company enable to select the output voltage of a speci? c analog sensor (Figure 4(a)). Each multiplexer contains 3 control pins CA0, CA1, and CA2 to choose an output voltage among 16 possibilities. The selected output voltage is ampli? ed for preserving high effective resolution. DatalogV1 use s an AD8622 ampli? er, manufactured by Analog Devices, that provides high current precision, low noise, and low power operation. The pre-con? gured ampli? cation depends on the output range Sensors 2012, 12 4221 of the selected sensor. Finally, the ampli? ed output signal is converted to a digital value through an Analog-Digital Converter (ADC), as shown by Figure 4(b). DatalogV1 contains a 13-bit ADC MCP3302, manufactured by Microchip, that provides high precision and resolution. This ? exible design provides full compatibility with presumably all kind of available sensors for hydrologic use. 4. 3. Design of GPRS Communication Module A GPRS module is used to transmit monitoring data from DatalogV1 to the control center. Figure 5 shows the GPRS module implementing all functions for wireless communications. Figure 5. Circuit schematic of the GPRS module. The center portion is the GPRS module used to control the long-distance communication, and the top-left portion is the SIM card connection. The top-left part of the circuit shows the connection of SIM phone-cards according to the manufacturer speci? cation. The bottom-left shows a uFL coaxial connector to the wireless antenna. We chose a Wavecom Q2686 chip, which is connected to the microcontroller via an USART interface (CS-USART). The Wavecom Q2686 contains a programmable 256 KB SRAM memory and includes a ARM9 32-bit processor at 104 MHz. This Q2686 chip makes possible to join a GSM/GPRS base-station and receive/send data reliably in quad-band communications on the 800, 900, 1,800 and 1,900 MHz Sensors 2012, 12 4222 bands. Also, the chip makes it easy to upgrade to 3G when needed. This GPRS module enables long-distance UDP/IP communications through cellular radio networks. 4. 4. Design of Power Module The power module consists of two power sources and three regulable mechanism to provide a secure supply of electronics components. The main energy source is a 12 V DC battery of 7,000 mAh power capacity which can be rechargeable using an optional solar panel. To adapt the input tension of the solar panel (17–20 V) to a lower tension (12–15 V) to supply the battery, we use a commutated DC/DC regulator in step-down mode, as shown by Figure 6(a). The microcontroller turns on the DC/DC regulator when it detects that the battery has a low level according to a pre-established threshold. Three circuits guarantee stable energy levels for battery, solar-panel, and sensors, as shown by Figure 6(b). The circuits of battery and solar-panel include security mechanisms to avoid a too low power level input to the sensors. For this, the circuit of sensors is used, before readings are taken, to check if the power supply is stable as to obtain an accurate measurement. Figure 6. Circuit schematic of the battery, solar-panel, and power-control modules. (a) Battery and solar modules, (b) secure power control for battery, solar panel, and sensor. (a) (b) Figure 7. Circuit schematic of the power supply module. (a) Power supply for GPRS, sensors, and ADC converter, (b) power supply for microcontroller. (a) (b) To reduce the power consumption, DatalogV1 keeps almost all electrical components deactivated, such as GPRS, sensors, and ADC. Only the microcontroller circuit is always supplied at 3. 3 V Sensors 2012, 12 4223 (Figure 7(a)) through a linear regulator LM2936 from National Semiconductor with ultra-low current in the stand-by mode. This LM2936 regulator features low drop-out voltage (50 mA) to minimize power losses. Also, this circuit includes a diode (D10) to provide a security power to protect the microcontroller and all board at most 5 V. When it is necessary, the microcontroller supplies independently the electrical components using two DC/DC converters, two linear regulators and a MOSFET switch (Figure 7(b)). Concretely to supply sensors, a DC/DC converter and the MOSFET switch is combined to create a adjustable commutation cell. The design of the commutation cell includes high-power isolated chips in order to reduce interferences. At the same time, it has a good linearity and load regulation characteristics, and allows to establish the voltage supply between 3 V and 10 V. The chosen MOSFET is a FDC6330L, manufactured by Fairchild Semiconductor, which provides high performance for extremely low on-resistance ( How to cite Flood Monitoring System, Papers

CUFM MIDTERM Spring 2004 Online Essay Example For Students

CUFM MIDTERM Spring 2004 Online Essay This exam is short answer/essay. Please answer each question to the best of your ability. Feel free to use the book. When you are done, return via emailor email attachment. Chapter I Why, for the major industrial powers, are knowledge and information key ingredients for creating wealth?In todays world, knowledge and information are very important if you want to make it to the top. For major industrial powers, these key ingredients are a necessity. Its a fast pace world and if you want to hang with the big dogs you need to do things fast and efficient. Being up to date with the current technologies can make business more efficient and helps the major industrial powers to maximize their profits. How has the Internet and Internet technology transformed business?The Internet and internet technology has multiplied every aspect of business. The Internet offers the chance to do business globally from almost any location. Information can be exchanged anywhere in less than a second. Consumers can buy anything they want from around the world in a matter of minutes. The Internet has completely changed the face of the word business. What exactly is an information system?An information system is interrelated components working together to collect, process, store, and disseminate information to support decision making, coordination, control, analysis, and visualization in an organization. Chapter IIDefine the term business processes and list at least one example of each one in the four areas of manufacturing/production, sales/marketing, finance/ accounting, and human resources. Business processes are the unique ways in which organizations coordinate and organize work activities, information, and knowledge to produce a product or service. One for manufacturing/ production would be an assembly line. One for sales/marketing would be focus groups. One for finance/accounting would be computer the system of credits and debits. One for Human Resources would beemployee assessment. Describe supply chain management and list the major entities in the supply chain and the function of each of them. Supply Chain management is the integration of supplier, distributor, and customer logistics requirements into one cohesive process. The supplier, such as manufacturing plants send the product to distribution centers such as retail outlets. People and information which are linked together sell the product to the customer/consumer. Chapter IIIHow can businesses use information systems as an competitive advantage? (Give four types or examples.)There are many ways in which businesses can use information systems as a competitive advantage. Strategic computer systems change goals, operations, products, services or environmental relationships to help the organization gain a competitive advantage. Information technology can reduce agency costs because it makes it easier for managers to oversee a greater number of employees. If more information is given to middle managers through computerization, the need for large numbers of lower-level workers is usually reduced. Also, the ability to pitch to smaller target markets is one advantage of information systems. Why is it necessary for the manager to understand the particular organization itself before attempting to develop information systems for its use?The manager needs to understand the particular organization itself before attempting to develop information systems because it plays a major role in how the information system would work. The manager needs to know what information systems the organization has used previously and what training employees have had in using them. If a manager were to create a system that seemed like a foreign language to employees, it would cause major disarray for the organization. Chapter IVDescribe the four categories of electronic commerce and give an example of each one. .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 , .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 .postImageUrl , .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 , .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1:hover , .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1:visited , .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1:active { border:0!important; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1:active , .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1 .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u168d3960ca61946a173798f171f4b3e1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Forced Air Induction Essayo Business-business: Using networks to place orders, receive invoices and make payments; the well established form of EDI that typically uses EDI o Business-consumer: Effectively electronic retailing. Gaining popularity with the World Wide Web for example, through various electronic shopping malls o Business-administration: Transactions between companies and government organizations; currently in its infancy; examples include government procurement tenders (in the USA), and potentially for VAT reruns and payment of corporate taxes o Consumer-administration: Still to emerge, but could include self-assessed tax returns and welfare payments on-line H ow can Internet technology support electronic business and supply chain management?Internet technology gives electronic business and supply chain management a medium to operate. As Internet technology advances and becomes more efficient, so does

Sherlock Holmes Essays - Sherlock Holmes, Fictional Detectives

Sherlock Holmes The Man with the Twisted Lip By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle In this short story, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mr. Neville St. Clair has been kidnapped. His wife is in town one day and she sees him hanging outside of a window. As she looks up at him, he lets out a scream and is yanked back into the room from where he stands. She is very concerned about seeing her husband in this situation and thinks that he is in trouble. She runs to the entrance of the building that she saw him standing in and she tries to get upstairs to where he is and help him. She is stopped by the doorman and not allowed access to the upstairs. Once the police get to the scene, they barge into the upstairs area and discover that Mr. Neville St. Clair is not in the room. The only person in the room is a beggar man named Hugh Boone. Everyone is familiar with Boone because he sits in the city and begs for a living. The police demand an explanation on where St. Clair is and there is not one given by Boone or the doorman. On the backside of the building there was a body of water that at high tide came up to the bottom of the lone window in the room. Traces of blood were found on the window seal of this window and drops of blood on the floor. The clothing of St. Clair was found in the corner of the room and his coat was found in the water at the bottom of the window. The assumption was made that Boone killed St. Clair and the body was disposed of in the water. The police detained Boone but the body was not found. Sherlock Holmes was interested in finding the body. Holmes, along with Watson, went to the St. Clair home and interviewed Mrs. St. Clair. Holmes admitted to Mrs. St. Clair that the he thought her husband might still be living. She agreed with great anticipation and told her that the most startling thing had happened to her that day. It was three days since the disappearance of her husband and she had received a letter dated AFTER her husbands disappearance. Holmes asked to see the letter so he could examine it. He asked Mrs. St. Clair whether or not she was sure this was her husband's writing. She was sure that the writing was his. Holmes also noticed that the letter had a dirty thumb print on it. Surely this was proof that Boone, the beggar, had done the crime. He could not explain how the letter was dated after the fact in her husbands handwriting. The content of the letter was simple. Mr. St. Clair's short note assured his wife that he would be home and there was a mix up that needed correcting before he returned. Holmes and Watson decided to stay the night at the St. Clair home and head back for the crime scene in the morning. That night Holmes thought on the situation and started to make conclusions. Upon their return to the city, Holmes and Watson went to the jail to speak with the beggar man Boone. When they got there, the chief told them that they were having the hardest time getting the beggar man to bathe. They had tried and tried to no avail. When Holmes and Watson looked at Boone they did not see a pretty sight. He was dirty from head to toe and he had a hideous looking scar on his face that made his lip curl up on the edge and expose his teeth. He also had a bad cut on his hand that was starting to heal. The chief commented that the beggar man had still not given any information on the disappearance of St. Clair. Holmes looked upon the beggar for a while as the beggar slept and then did something interesting. He took a wet sponge and went and scrubbed the face of the beggar. The make-up and the plaster dissolved and the true identity of the beggar was revealed he in fact was St. Clair. Holmes had surprised the

Poeffect essays

Poeffect essays Essay written by Henry George When reviewing Nathaniel Hawthornes Tales, Edgar Allen Poe pronounced that the short story, if skillfully written, should deliver a single preconceived effect- an effect upon which incidents be fashioned to accommodate that effect. Edgar Allen Poe was indeed a skillful writer. His short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a flawless example of a story in which all elements contribute to the delivery of a single emotional effect. Poe accomplishes this by achieving a perfect tone, developing suspense and unifying stylistic elements thereby meeting his own criteria. In his pronouncement Poe also wrote that "In the whole composition there should be no word written, of which the tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the one pre-established design." Thus, in "The Fall of the House of Usher" Poe creates a perfect tone critical to the delivery of his preconceived effect. The senses of "insufferable gloom," "utter depression of soul" and " sinking, sickening of the heart" which pervade the narrators spirit immediately establish the tone. The narrators description of the scene as "dull," "dark," "bleak," "desolate" and "terrible" all function in communicating the tone. These concrete and denotative words ensure a clear and solid tone is conveyed to the reader thereby contributing to the overall effect of terror. The regular use or repetition of the words "dark," "gloomy" and "oppressive" in some form serves function to further define and emphasize a perfect tone. It also perceivable that Poes choice in the narrators role being the participant supports his intent to communicate consistent feelings; hence consistent tone. In order to strengthen his already established tone, Poe selectively uses imagery in scenes of terrible nature. The imagery ...

The House of Lords decision in Bolitho (Bolitho

The House of Lords decision in Bolitho (Bolitho â€Å"The House of Lords decision in Bolitho (Bolitho v City and Hackney HA [1998] AC 232) is a belated and welcome departure from judicial deference to medical opinion but there is still too much deference and more has to be done†. Critically comment on the above statement. In any negligence claim, in order to succeed the claimant must show that he was owed a duty of care by the defendant, that the duty of care was breached, and that the breach of duty caused the damage complained of. [1] Kennedy and Grubb comment that the duty of care arises ‘from a request for medical services by an individual and a consequent undertaking by a doctor [or other health care professional] to provide these services. [2] Margaret Brazier has observed: ‘[a] patient claiming against his doctor †¦ usually has little difficulty in establishing that the defendant owes him a duty of care’. [3] The second stage of a clinical negligence action is to show that the doctor has br eached his standard of care. In any negligence claim, the standard of care is set by law and is an objective standard. [4] Words such as reasonable or responsible are normally attributed to such a standard. Such adjectives are not normally equated with a practice that is ‘common’ or ‘accepted’. With respect to medical negligence claims however, the law has not taken such a view. The case of Bolam v Friern Hospital Management Committee [5] has established that ‘a doctor is not guilty of negligence if he has acted in accordance with a practice accepted as proper by a responsible body of medical men skilled in that particular art’. The Bolam case was a decision at first instance, but was later approved by the House of Lords in Whitehouse v Jordan . [6] The courts have continuously taken a protectionist view of the medical profession in clinical negligence claims. Jackson acknowledges that this could be due to the complexity of medical eviden ce, but it could also be explained by a sense of professional solidarity. [7] The medical profession has been highly regarded in society, and the courts have also expressed their respect. In Wilsher v Essex AHA , [8] Mustill LJ comments: â€Å"For all we know, [The doctors in this case] far surpassed on numerous occasions the standard of reasonable care. Yet it is said that for one lapse they (and not just their employers) are to be held liable in damages. Nobody could criticise the mother for doing her best to secure her son’s financial future. But has not the law taken a wrong turning if an action of this kind is to succeed?† It is interesting to note the difference in policy in cases involving medical professionals. In other negligence cases, the courts have commented that the function of the law of negligence (and the law of torts in general), is to compensate injured parties for loss. The judiciary have had no moral objections to awarding damages in cases where they can apply the ‘deepest pocket’ principle. Thus, in Nettleship v Weston , [9] Lord Denning had no problems in asserting that a learner driver would be held to the same standard of a competent driver (competent would be ascertained on an objective basis by the court), as the driver would be insured and thus, the law will award damages from the deepest pocket. Yet, there has been considerable hesitation in holding doctors negligent for public policy reasons, despite the fact that doctors will be also be insured. Furthermore, doctors working in the NHS will generally not be personally held accountable for the negligence – the action is brought against the Trust vicariously and NHS Trusts in England and Wales are part of an ‘insurance like’ scheme, the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) administered by the NHS Litigation Authority.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 16

Summary - Essay Example The ruling families realized that there should be policy change in economic programs to ensure that the countries developed long-term and sustainable economic plans. The international community was involved in promotion of economic status of the GCC states where they advised that a knowledge-based economic policy would be effective in steering the economies rather than relying on oil that was dwindling. Introduction of the knowledge-based economy would ensure expansion and investment in education to build wealth from the human labour and resources instead of relying on the natural resources. President Obama and Angela Merkel delivered speeches on the benefits of the knowledge-based economy over reliance on natural resources. Obama stated that the Islamic countries should begin to increase their investment in education since even the countries that had more natural resources like America had invested in other policies to steer their economies. Angela Merkel on the other hand emphasized on the importance of promoting freedom and innovation from the power of science and human intelligence. Innovation, technological development and invention were es sential for development challenges in 21st century. These speeches revealed the interest which the western countries had on the development of the GCC countries. The Arab countries have adopted the policy and culture of promoting the education in the region by increasing the number of institutions of higher learning at high rate. Since the end of World War II, the number of universities have increased from 10 to 140 in 2000 and later increased up to 260 in 2010. This reveals the interest of leaders to propel their countries in knowledge-based economies. Obama and Merkel stated that the countries in the region should pay tribute to the developments taking place in education especially the universities that have embraced the visions of the Gulf monarchies. Modernization of education

Reading Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Reading - Assignment Example The Philadelphia women bath painting depicts Renoir’s innovative power. The bathers in Philadelphia are aesthetically incongruous because all of the women are doing different things. Two women are resting under a tree near a riverbank while another girl is threatening to splash water on them (White 110). Additionally, the other women are seen wading in the river away from the rest of the women. Renoir recalls the Moulin de la Galette  of 1876, the  Luncheon of the Boating Party  of 1881, and the  Reclining Bathers  of 1918 (White 111). The works of art were hilarious and novel that the 1887 work of art, the Philadelphia Museum Bathers. The painting borrowed Boucher’s techniques of art in order to make the painting interesting. The split among the impressionist group led to the development of the Philadelphia Museum Bathers paint. According to White, the impressionists’ split made Renoir to develop a new form of painting, which could be appealing to the public (114). In this regard, he took three years to develop the paint. Renoir’s relationship with Aline and the birth of their son affected the Bathers painting in the sense that the painting took a longer time to paint than was anticipated. The proof of this is the fact that the Philadelphia Museum Bathers painting took three years to complete while the rest of the artiste’s painting took one year (White 114). Renoir sought to get progressively through his unique paintings and originality in painting work. Additionally, his irregularity with regard to the techniques applied also added to his novelty in the artwork. White posits that Renoir’s relationship with great artists like Boucher led to his development, especially in the impressionism development (115). Boucher prompted Renoir’s divergence from naturalism to new classicism. The legend positively inspired Renoir to explore classicism in a new perspective (White 118). Additionally, Boucher also gave Renoir insight pertaining to

Diversity management programs Essay Example for Free

Diversity management programs Essay Diversity in the workplace is an important aspect of the workplace, which if not followed, could lead to a society that doesn’t have respect for different cultures. It is important to develop diversity management programs, were aspects of diversity such as religion, different cultures due to outsourcing, age, women and single parents, disabled team members, flexible work hours, are discussed which will lead to redesigning jobs to better fit the individual. When developing a conceptual framework for such programs to be implemented, it is important to view how lack of diversity in the workplace has affected other countries around the world besides America. According to Begum (2005), social care organizations in the United Kingdom are affected greatly by lack of diversity amongst there staff. Information, in the United Kingdom, is not distributed fairly to the population, is distributed on a socio economic basis. It is important for social care organizations to become diverse in their workforce, if they are to embody the essence of the communities that they serve. Studies have indicated that gender and culture diversity create barriers to effective interactions and hinder employee performance (Managerial Issues, 2000). When outlining a possible course of action to take when implementing diversity management programs within employee workforces, we could include information on how lack of diversity in the workplace has affected countries like the United Kingdom. People tend to feel more comfortable working in groups with people who share their ideals and beliefs, which is something I think we are all guilty of at times. I think it is important when outlining the possible courses of action to take when implementing diversity management programs, that employees share their different ideals and beliefs in an open environment. I think that employees sharing their different ideals and beliefs help the workforce grow, and the company they work for as well. Michael Bird (2007), a college professor at De Vry University in South Florida, has implemented a diversity management program in which he has developed a five step program in order to ensure that his team succeeds. Michaels five step program required, these students to one, understand and define diversity, to understand the organizations value and necessities, effectively manage the resistance towards, evaluate our overall teams performance, and last of all use the experiences shared to improve or groups management techniques. Flex management should be implemented in order to ensure that people feel like they are assets to the company, and are taken care of properly. During the development of a conceptual framework for a diversity management program, teambuilding exercises have proven to be the most effective. It is important for the employees to have different cultural backgrounds and different beliefs, in order that they may share those with the corporation in which they work. I think that when different cultures, different peoples with different ideas and beliefs, come together and share their ideas, truly inventive things can take place within the corporations they work in. America is a melting pot of different cultures and beliefs, which is what makes our country unique and truly produces unique individuals, tolerant of other peoples beliefs, with truly innovative ideas. One great way to go about instituting diversity management programs within the workplace would be to organize groups within the workplace that shared similar beliefs, and have them share their beliefs as a whole, and attempt to implement any new ideas obtained. The next step after instituting diversity management programs is to organize employees that share the same ideals, and discuss their shared ideals, and find common ground. In order for the employees participating in a diversity management group to share their ideas and implement them on a level on which they all agree, it is important that the employees learn to work together and respect each others ideals. With a proper management support, workers can have the proper training in order to train our employees to be more culturally sensitive. It is important that management is effective in their approach to dealing with culturally diverse issues. By training our employees and diversity management, they will benefit greatly. Although most of these successful companies the United States show’s significant efforts to include people with disabilities in a diverse workforce, there is still room for improvement. I hope that by implementing this diversity management program within the workplace, policies can be enforced specifying what is meant by diversity, in terms of race or gender, and also provide more information pertaining to those employees that have disabilities. With everybody’s help, we can be certain that we can implement this new diversity management program within the workplace, and that this program will be a success.

John Steinbecks East of Eden - A Biblical Allegory Essay -- East Eden

East of Eden: A Biblical Allegory  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In East of Eden (1952) John Steinbeck creates a powerful novel using biblical allegories. By doing this, he can deliver a clear message by describing something unfamiliar to his audience and comparing it to something more familiar. Set in modern times, East of Eden retells the famous story of the downfall of Adam and Eve, and the jealous rivalry between Cain and Able. Steinbeck also creates many other characters throug his novel, that capture a biblical sense and help portray an image of the vast confusion of life. One character that resembles a biblical character is Cathy Ames. Throughout the entirety of the novel, her character portrays that of a monstrous almost inhuman creature. "... just as there are physical monsters, can there not be mental or psychic monsters born? The face and body may be perfect, but if a twisted gene or malformed egg can produce malformed soul? To a criminal, honesty is foolish. You must not forget that a monster is only a variation, and that to a monster the norm is monstrous" (72). These abilities Cathy possessed allowed her to manipulate and control nearly everyone. Her inborn talent enabled her to repress normal emotions of love and thus posses many devil like characteristics. One being the manipulation of sex. In the second half of the story Cathy has married and unintentionally bears the lives of her two unborn sons. Before arriving in their destination of King City, Cathy deviously attempts to abort the lives within her. "He [Dr. Tilson] looked around the room . He stepped to the bureau and picked up a knitting needle. He shook it in her face. 'The old offender - the old criminal. You're a fool. You've nearly killed yourself and you haven't lost y... ...ch children can spend a lifetime trying to decipher the expressions of their love. Sometime later Adam becomes deathly ill. While on his death bed Lee pleads with Adam to forgive Caleb and bless him. "'Don't crush him with your rejection. Give him your blessing! ... That's all a man has over the beasts. Free him! Bless him!" (602). Slowly and with much effort Adam raises his right hand, displaying his act of blessing on Caleb. Like all strong allegories, East of Eden draws one into a world of fictious characters that seem to take on a life of familiarity. The bible, which Steinbeck has chosen to build his novel on, is a book that interests itself not in causes, but in actions and their consequences. By creating biblical allegories, Steinbeck gives a new meaning to an old chapter. Works Cited: Steinbeck, John. East of Eden. Penguin Books USA Inc. (1992).   

Dr. Debra Fischer Astronomer

Maryssa Buffano Miss Arnold Science – Current Astronomer Essay 4/12/2011 JMJ Dr. Debra Fischer – Astronomer An astronomer is an astrophysicist who studies stars, planets and galaxies. Astronomers use the laws of physics to investigate the matter and energy of celestial bodies. They then apply the research findings to solve space navigation and communication problems and even discover new planets and stars. In 1512, Copernicus theorized that the planets orbit the sun and the race to uncover new planets began.Historically, most of the famous astronomers have been men, such as Galilei Galileo and Johannes Kepler. Other men have made planet discoveries. For example, William Herschel uncovered Uranus, and Clyde Tombaugh found Pluto. Recently, there has been a new â€Å"man† on the planet hunting team, and she is a â€Å"woman†. Dr. Debra Fischer is a professor of astronomy at San Francisco State University. Her quest is to find planets orbiting around distant s tars. Debra Fischer completed her undergraduate work in science and physics at San Francisco State.Her search for planets began when she was a graduate student in astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. While there, she worked with astronomer Geoff Marcy. Marcy co-founded the California and Carnegie Planet Search Project with Paul Butler in 1983. The purpose of this planet hunting team was to discover extra-solar planets orbiting nearby stars. Swiss astronomers discovered the first extra-solar planet in 1995. Marcy’s team validated the existence of three more planets and a multi-planet system in 1996.Debra Fischer joined the project as a post-doctoral fellow managing the Lick Observatory in 1997. Through her work there, Fischer discovered more three planets herself by 1999. In order to unearth extra-solar planets, Fischer and her team at the Lick Observatory use a method known as the Doppler technique. By using an observation procedure that measures the meta l content of stars, a star’s velocity can be monitored. Fluctuations in the star’s velocity that signal the presence of the gravitational pull from an orbiting planet.Once a potential planet is identified, it is studied for a full orbital cycle. This process can take days or years depending on the planet’s distance from the star. Over 300 exoplanets have been confirmed using this methodology. Fischer is credited with over 200 of them. She brought the world’s first robotic telescope completely dedicated to finding new planets to the observatory in 2004. She still continues her work at the Lick Observatory today. Fischer’s work discovering of exoplanets has led a search to find earth like planets.She has been a strong force behind the Kepler space telescope. In 2009, NASA launched a spacecraft from Cape Canaveral to search the galaxy for planets that could possibly support life. After three years of orbiting, the Kepler telescope observations should provide a reliable number of earth-like planets that can be further studied. Fischer says the Kepler project, â€Å" will chart a course toward one day imaging a pale blue dot like our planet, orbiting another star. † Even if extra-terrestrial life is not found, its implications are profound.Is life common throughout the galaxy or is earth the only living planet? Debra Fischer is an amazing astronomer and woman. Her quest for knowledge never ends. Her latest efforts include detecting Hot Jupiters and Neptunes and writing computer programs modeling orbits and star velocity. Her pursuit of study continues today not only planet hunting, but also in educating others. Fischer teaches at several universities and travels as a guest lecturer. She encourages everyone she meets to reach for the stars.

Monet’s Waterlilies Essay

For as long as I can remember, water lilies have always been a sign of peacefulness to me. This is one of the reasons I have always been drawn to Claude Monet’s Bridge over the Water-lily Pond (1905). The green hues in this piece bring me a feeling of happiness. The Bridge over the Water-lily Pond has a sense of calmness and tranquility. There exists such expression and emotions from the impasto in this piece as well. The foreground is filled with beautiful water lilies floating atop a peaceful pond. In the middle ground is the famous Japanese bridge with some green shrubbery. In the background there are tall droopy trees somewhat like willows. Monet uses color to create his tranquil mood throughout the painting. He uses cool colors such as green and purple. He also uses black, brown, white, yellow, and pink. There utilizes his limitless color range. Monet’s choice of colors is expressive and symbolic for the mood. For example, the green emphasizes peacefulness and the yellow adds the warm calm feeling. Texture is a significant element used in this piece. The piece shows the rough, thickness of the paint. Monet uses the effect of actual texture so, for example, if you were to go up and touch the painting you would be able to feel the impasto. Another important element used in this piece is value/light within the atmosphere. There are highlights present on the pond, using white and yellow, where the light is shining. Also, there are shadows, using black and brown, where the trees are blocking the light. It is apparent where the emphasis in this piece is centered. The bridge is the only one focal point in this painting. The lines from the trees and shrubbery lead your eye toward the center where the bridge is centered. These lines are imperative to create movement toward the focal point. Unity is the principle that holds this piece together. The color in this artwork has the cohesion needed to make everything similar. Also, the  texture helps to bring unity into the piece by giving everything another similarity along with the color. In addition, unity allows the piece to be aesthetically pleasing. Monet uses oil on canvas for the bridge over the Water-lily Pond. Due to the fact that Monet used oil paint, he had the ability to create a thickness of paint, layering it on the canvas. Monet used the technique of impasto, which also gives the painting that rough looking quality on the canvas. If Monet had chosen a different type of medium he would not have been able to create the layered look as he did in this piece. It is that rough, layered, impasto look which assists in the emotion and feeling of this painting. This piece would not be the same without the expressionism created from that particular medium. Monet’s piece is displayed in the West Pavilion Impressionist Gallery at The Getty Center in Los Angeles. It is in an extravagant, gold color frame covered in intricate designs and the walls are of a dark, earthy brown color. The color of the walls gives the gallery a warm sense. There is a skylight overhead, which has a cover that automatically changes with the lighting outside of the gallery. Also, there is overhead spotlighting at the top of the ceiling, around the skylight, which is pointed toward each piece. The painting on the left is ‘The Rue Mosnier’ with Flags by Edouard Manet. It is oil on canvas and it was done in 1878. The painting on the right is After the Bath by Edgar Degas. It is oil on canvas as well and was done approximately 1895. I believe these pieces detract from The Bridge over the Water-lily Pond due to the fact that many people tend to walk right by landscapes and atmospheric pieces. They go straight towards pieces with humans as the focal point because we as humans relate better to those pieces. However, I myself love Monet so I was drawn to his piece. Claude Monet’s Bridge over the Water-lily Pond (1905) gives you a place where you would want to be alone. It gives you the calmness that you perhaps might be looking for in your life. It is not just any ordinary landscape it is a sanctuary; it is a place of safety. This piece holds so much emotion just in its color and expressionism. No one should just casually walk past this  piece, but should look deep within the emotion and see the tranquility of the pond and how still the water lilies are resting. They should see peace as if they were looking at it through Monet’s eyes.

buy custom First Love and Last Rites essay

buy custom First Love and Last Rites essay The First Love, Last Rites is a story by McEwan. The story is a story about Sissel and Joey who live together in a shabby room in the forth floor of an empty harbor building somewhere in an industrial city in England. Joey and Sissel share an unappealing one room house. They spend most of their time talking, asking questions about their pasts-and above all exploring each others bodies in bed. The only interruption in their rustic affair comes from Adrian, Sissels younger and lonely brother. Annoyed by his noisy presence, whenever the couple wants to get rid of Adrian, they start stripping and making love. Their relationship later begins to founder reaching its high point when a big rat comes through the wall into their dirty and untidy room. The narrator killed the rat, an action that seems to mark a significant change in their lives. First Love, Last Rites is a collection of very traditional, rather conservative stories as depicted by the kind of events it depict, the characters involved, and the issues generated by the relationships. The kind of events depicted in the story is traditional. The story depicts the fascinating character of the adolescents. They are close to childhood and yet are constantly baffled and irritated by the initiations into what the adulthood entails. The Concept First Love In McEwan's short story First Love, Last Rites, he uses the two main characters Joey and Sissel to build the theme of love. By using the term first love, the author of the story refers to the initial sexual encounter between the two teenagers in the story (McEwan 117). The two are in the prime of lovemaking to an extent that they are not even able to clean their house. The concept of the first love refers to the fact that the act of lovemaking was absolutely new to the adolescents. In fact Sissel actually admits that, Everything about women was new to me. It was thus his first experience with sexuality. She says: it was new to me, all this . The thrilling and exciting experience of their love makes them exult in each others bodies. They make love passionately until their bodies are slack with this romantic encounter and discovery (McEwan 86). The true meaning of this first love can be pictured and so precisely illustrated by the fact that two spend all their time in making love with no work or school responsibilities (Jungmann 4). All they do is sharing a steamy romance in a lazy shack. They seem lost in their own private universe, moving through day-to-day life permanently joined at the hand and often mouth. They seem oblivious to the fact that they share the planet with other people. The only thing these lovers are abe to see is each other. The scenes spend plenty of time with the young lover to create an intense atmosphere of infatuation. Joey is a Brooklyn native who has left his home for Louisiana may be because he was kicked out of the borough for not developing an accent. Sissel also comes from a broken family. He r mother and father have split up for unspecific reasons. Joey plays Sissel with a mysterious detachment and a knowing whimsy that things wont last long, but the true motivation are never developed. Later, the two characters become unable to communicate with each other resulting in a heavy symbolic climax with a pesky rat. The book gives an intimate drama about the idyllic romance of two misfits and its inevitable sad aftermath. Dissecting on the essential and universal ingredients of first adolescent love, First Love is good at illustrating how initial thrills of freedom and lust gradually turn into confusion, fear and anxiety, particularly when the grand amour concerns innocent young stars. The effects of divorce on both parents and children are also conveyed effectively. The young couple is used effectively to show the fine line between intense and quiet feelings, sexual desire and alienation. The concept of Last Rites The word rite in the title can be taken to allude to the rights of passage that describes some rituals which help young persons in the process of initiation to take an adult status or adult roles (Jungmann 4). Last Rites is represented in McEwens story by two aspects. The first aspect is the fact that the narrator is experiencing sexuality for the first time. This reveals individual attempting to negotiate the tricky passage into sexual and social maturity (Ellam 11). The second is depicted in the transformations that occur in the actors ways of life. These aspects depict an initiation that seems to take the narrator and his friend from the adolescent to adulthood. From the beginning of the story the young lovers seem neither aware nor care about their external world. They isolate themselves in a room with no responsibility. All they care for is making love. However, they experience a significant change about their knowledge in the world and that of themselves and begin to adjust to fit in the society. First Love, Last Rites is told by a narrator at the brink of adulthood. They are at the age of eighteen and nineteen though with no responsibility. The narrator confesses that even the act of lovemaking was absolutely new to him. In fact Sissel also admits that about women was new to her. It was thus their first experience with sexuality. She says: it was new to me, all this. However, the major transformation in his relationship with the silent, guarded girlfriend later becomes strangely stagnant. The two lovers in First Love, Last Rites start to live in a simultaneously inert and decaying world. The narrator reports that Sissel grew tired of her records, and her foot rot spread from one foot to the other worsening their already smelly room. Their room begins to stink and they make love less. The rubbish from milk bottles, grey sweating cheese, butter rappers, yogurt cartons, over-ripe salami that they could not bring out themselves to carry away gathered around them. This condition brought us to a subplot about a large rat scratching on the wall of the lovers apartment, threatening to burst through at any minute. The rat can be interpreted to represent Joeys doubts about his relationship with Sissel. This means that at the end of the story, when he kills the rat, he is destroying his personal fears. The turn of events that leads to the transformation of the characters began when the couple begins to argue with one another. The feeling of mistrust and mutual frustration later tarnishes their passionate affair. Before long, Joey and Sissel stop making love and cease communicating on any level. However, the two seemed to have learnt after their encounter with a pregnant rat. Their transformation into adult world is revealed when the two later seem to be ready to take on their responsibility as adults and members of the larger society. Though Sissel is estranged from her parents, she now wants Joey to meet her father, Henry, a talkative Vietnam vet. She also cleanses their room which is a sign of taking on responsibility. Joey also agrees to meet Sissels father who insisted on knowing whether he sleeps with his daughter. Somehow, the two men became partners in a bizarre eel-catching business. This is a major transformation as the initially irresponsible and isolated adolescent takes on the role of the young adult. He begins to be responsible becoming relevant in the larger society. For a moment he found meaning to life and was excited. Generally, most of the stories in First Love, Last Rites can be described as stories of initiation. It is certainly the narrators fist experience of sexual intercourse in Homemade and Butterflies. The same is the case in Henrys induction into the confused world of adult games and sexuality and also in childhood friendship in Disguises. Even Last Day of Summer depicts a further initiation of the protagonist-narrator into the world of sadness and loss. All these descriptions point to a form of passage of rites. Buy custom "First Love" and "Last Rites" essay

HRM 2 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

HRM 2 - Research Paper Example The firm seeks to improve the productivity of the staff to realize greater output at relatively low cost. This plan is in line with the policy recommended by their management team to improve the welfare of the employees for better organizational performance. Clinix is established on a strong foundation of the spirit of service to humanity and this explains its aim to provide a comfortable working environment for the workers and clients in line with efforts to realize quality healthcare provision as proposed by the contemporary campaign on the healthcare sector across the globe. The Human resource department is at the center of discussion in regards to the increasing pressure on it to develop mechanisms of enhancing employee performance. The HR management in this firm is also expected to seek highly skilled human capital that would deliver quality output to justify the wage bill and promote the organization and the public relationship. Successful attainment of these HR performance pro jections are pegged on the above mentioned organizational strategic plan. The current human resource practices in Clinix healthcare can be categorized at an average level. The organization has always been working on a contractual engagement of most of its staff especially the nurses as a strategy of pushing employees to perform if they are to have their contracts renewed. It is important to note that the HR has very stringent laws and punitive measures as far as workplace malpractices are concerned. Issues like unexplained absenteeism, bullying of co-workers, insubordination, and negligent behavior towards safety precaution stipulations of the organization are highly prohibited and can attract heavy penalties if committed to the limit of prosecution. Another critical practice of Clinix HR is its objection towards flexible working policy towards the staff. The only available flexible working option is for the nursing officers who are allowed to report on their duties in shifts. Other members of the workforce are strictly on 8.00 a.m to 5.00 p.m reporting policy. It is worth to note that this healthcare organization emphasizes on continuous and free communication between its staff and the top management for effective co-ordination of activities. The interest of the workers is fairly taken care of in terms of their health conditions, emotional status, and spiritual wellbeing. The HR has consistently been undertaking employee appraisal as an effort towards encouraging the staff members to pursue their career and boost the performance index of the firm. Being a healthcare organization, the HR absorbs staff on pure merit criteria to achieve its target of working with skilled manpower capable of measuring up to the competitive environment on which the organization operates. Clinix has consistently believed in internal control as a tool to ensure that the staff is doing the right thing all the time with the culture of integrity and accountability. The employees are ex pected to uphold ethical standards and strict adherence to legal framework on which the healthcare sector is based. There is an annual on-job training on how to manage stress in the workplace and professional approach towards interpersonal relationships between the workers and patients. The nursing profession is fairly

Reproductive Health as A Womans Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Essay qustions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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European Construction and Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

European Construction and Property - Essay Example The first part of this report attempts to assess the scope and value of the Bulgarian construction market comparing it with the UK. The second part of the report focuses on the scope for service integrators or managers that manage the operational service procurement for their customers in the construction industry, especially in the residential and office building sector. Bulgaria is situated in the South-East Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, and is one of the oldest European states. To the south it borders with the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Greece, to the west - with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Danube River is the natural north border with the Republic of Romania, and to the east Bulgaria borders on the Black Sea. It is characterized by an extremely varied terrain: huge plains and lowlands, high and low mountains, plateaus, caves, basins and gorges. The lowest altitude is 0 metres (at Black Sea), the highest altitude is 2925 metres (the peak of Mussala in the Rila mountain). It has favourable position in terms of location from national and international perspective, and easy accessibility by air, rail and road. Encompassing just 2 % ... Bulgaria is a country of tranquil, ecologically clean, distinctive places of interest, where one can be absorbed by the traditional Bulgarian customs and culture at the same time. Capital Sofia (pop. 1.2 million) is a vibrant city thriving on expansion, architectural buildings and deep respect for multi-cultural diversity. The Black Sea coastal stretch faces east and extends over 378 km, its seawater clean and not tidal and its vast beaches covered with fine golden sand. The majority of Bulgaria beaches have been awarded the EU Blue Flag for their environmental excellence. The conditions for investments in the real estates sphere in Bulgaria have never been better. Bulgaria is a country of unlimited possibilities and it is the time to be first. Bulgaria is the newest hot destination for the real estate market in Europe. CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN BULGARIA - AN OVERVIEW Over 36,000 construction companies are registered in Bulgaria, 2,400 of which can be classified as medium and a few as large-sized. The volume of building and construction activities amounts to 2,500 million Euros per annum and the industry has a 5 % share in Bulgaria's GDP, which is expected to double over the next two years. Estimated annual growth is 15%. The sector employs some 120,000 people. Smaller companies have tended to merge into large joint-stock companies and consortiums, particularly seeking foreign technologies and management expertise. Bulgaria has been receiving large amount of donor aid and PHARE/ ISPA funds for infrastructure projects, the implementation of some of which will continue until 2008. Major road/ railroad, waste disposal, water/waste-water and landslide stabilisation projects are expected to be

Diversity And Equality In Workplace Commerce Essay

Diversity And Equality In Workplace Commerce Essay According to the Yearbook of Statistics Singapore 2012, the main ethnic group in Singapore consisting of Singapore Residents and Permanent Residents are Chinese, Malays, Indians and Others. Figure Statistics for Ethnic Groups in Singapore (June 2011) Under Part IV, Act 12 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, stated that 12.-(1) All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law. (2) Except as expressly authorised by this Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens of Singapore on the ground only of religion, race, descent or place of birth in any law or in the appointment to any office or employment under a public authority or in the administration of any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment. Diversity and equality in workplace are important to maintain a safe and comfortable working environment for all. Diversity Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (Esty, et al., 1995). Each individual person comes with the visible and non-visible differences and through respecting the dissimilarities would make each of them feel valued for their efforts which is valuable not only for the individual but for the organization. Equality Equality can be described as breaking down barriers, eliminating discrimination and ensuring equal opportunity and access for all groups both in employment, and to goods and services; the basis of which is supported and protected by legislation. Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN General Assembly states that All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Some other definitions of Equality are: Equality is simply a quest for sameness in all aspects of social life. (Dunleavy, 1989) Equally talented people have an equal chance of attaining them fair equality of opportunity' (Sachs, 2011) However, due to the face that there is no correct or one specific definition of equality, there are many limitations to the policies being implemented. Equality can cover over a broad area such as gender rights, age, race, culture, religion, beliefs and etc. Importance Importance of Diversity Diversity in the workplace can reduce lawsuits and increase marketing opportunities, recruitment, creativity, and business image (Esty, et al., 1995) However, when an organization focuses only on results and ignoring the importance of having a diverse team, communication and trust can break down, resulting in lower performance. Importance of Equality It is important to have equality policies enforce in workplace to ensure that all employees have the same rights as each other regardless of any differences in gender, age, religion, language and disability. Equality will also create a more favorable environment by promoting a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as they are given equal opportunities to improve themselves. Limitations Limitations towards diversity policies According to (Mayhew, Demand Media), the challenges related to receptiveness to training and prioritizing hiring decisions based on diversity can transform those challenges into disadvantages. Negative behaviors and attitudes can be barriers to organizational diversity because they can damage working relationships and bring down morale and work productivity (Esty, et al., 1995). Workplace diversity creates opportunities for organizations to get a wider perspective on business situations and to improve global reach, but it does often create some negative impacts in the company (Kokemuller, Demand Media). Common negative impacts arise are: Unresolved Conflict Staff that comes from different cultural and backgrounds have dissimilar perspectives and opinions in handling issues or concerns that emerges. An incapability to observe where the other person is arriving from can forbid effective resolution of conflicts. When employees feel that they cannot reach to an agreement in conflict, the tendency to give up and simply let ill feelings fester can create a pessimistic behaviour. Poor Communication If an organization has employees from different backgrounds with different languages, communication can prove to be difficult. However, a number of filters can forbid meaningful and clear communication between staff and employees. It is vital that organizations educate employees on cultural differences in the attempt to encourage them to freely converse their diverse viewpoints on things as opposed to generating conflict. Turnover A considerable bottom line result of poor management of diversity is the case of high turnover as they are displeased with the working environment. The replacing of employees lost to feelings of discontent is expensive as the organization has to pay to hire and teach replacements. Businesses will risks losing top talents to rivals unless the organization makes available a safe and inspiring culture where employees from diverse backgrounds are treated fairly. Limitations towards equality differences Although having equality among employees, the organization may still find it difficult to establish a perfect equality workplace for all. There are limitations in having equal opportunities due to internal and external factors. Poor Implementation Lack of awareness of the laws being executed can lead to poor implementation by organization and the managers. Poor implementation can also be attributed to the presences of deeply ingrained negative attitudes and gender stereotypes, which cannot be uprooted through legislation alone. (Spehar, 2011) Limited implementation can happen due to the development of bureaucratic responses that focus only to comply with the duty rather than removing the inequality in question. Lack of support Managing equality in the Organization cannot be carried out by the Organization and managers alone. In addition, with the lack of support from the Government, weak equal treatment bodies, shortcomings in judiciary together with the lack of support from the Organization itself, where there are no consensus, no single position being defended or attacked; it is difficult for equality policies to be carried out. Lack of clarity The lack of clarity can lead to confusion among the employee. If the Organization does not successfully and clearly communicate their equality policies or the definitions of equality, and without the proper identification of what kind of equality is desirable, equality of whom all of humanity or members of particular political society it can bring the whole equality agenda into disrepute. The lack of general agreement of equality can cause employee to be uninterested in equality within their communities. Religion and Beliefs Many religion and beliefs exist in an Organization for e.g. Christianity, Buddhist, Jewish, Communism, Marxism, and Socialism. Although some may understand religion in a more communal and cultural way, there are others that are not particularly agreeable to the idea of equality. Some religion might be hostile to equality on grounds of sex and sexual orientations, believing that men should enjoy headship over women, homosexuality is sinful. (Vickers, 2011) This can be problematic as well. Discrimination or disadvantage can be experienced regardless of individual beliefs, because of group identity18. (Vickers, 2011) Different values in equality S. Temkin (2011) stated that many argue for equality and in so doing think of themselves as opposing non-egalitarianism because they favour significant redistribution from the better- to worst off. The reasons they have for favouring such redistribution vary markedly, and may have nothing to do with a concern for equality itself. Managers can get confused with the meaning of equality and therefore think that the action they carry out will be beneficial to the employees where in actual fact, they might be doing the wrong thing. Lack of proper training The types of training method taught will affect the way managers react in situations. They might be unaware of the complexity of the issue and are uncertain on how to deal with it as they may not be trained using a variety of situations. Population Size The size of the population affected by the policy of equality matters due to the fact that more parties involve means more attention needs to be given to each individual. A complete equality is difficult to attain in a society that is marked by diversity is that people in such a society come attached to groups. This can result in difficulty to maintain both individual equality and group equality. (Kukathas, 2002) Lack of positive messages from senior level within the authority Even if the Organization has a policy on equality, it would be deem useless if there is no positive influence from the senior management with positive commitment to equality in practice. Culture of Organization Different Organization has different cultures. These cultures will affect how equality is being implemented internally. Is the Organization culture a heavily masculine workplace culture or feminine collaboration culture? This can have an effect on some managers that are genuinely interested in becoming more equal with the other groups in society, but are hampered by its very nature of cultural structure. Presence of Diversity Diversity presents a serious problem for equality. The existence of diversity is not only inescapable, but also reflective of the fact that people pursue the good life collectively but in different ways, not all of which value equality in the same way, or at all. If diversity is to be accepted, then equality must be abandoned as the situation might become too complex. (Kukathas, 2002) Obstacles Obstacles resulting from diversity policies For policies to be effectual in promoting the acceptance of workforce diversity by the company it is required to understand the obstacles to its implementation for diversity. CESS (2003) suggests that, with the other forms of investment into new human resource policies, there will be two groups of implementations to workforce diversity policies: Internal obstacles they are distinct to individual organizations and developed from attitudinal, institutional, cultural, and historic elements within individual enterprises. In spite of this, many groups of organizations may face the same types of obstacles. Its been identified that there are some internal obstacles which have the possibility to prevent the implementations of diversity policies within individual organizations Awareness among managers there may be some who lacks the knowledge of the business advantages of a diversity workforce and the implementation to make changes to be effective. Attitudes within some organizations there may have negative behaviors towards the emergence of a diverse workforce in the midst of significant groups of staff or managers. This may reflect on a wider resistance to all major changes in the context of HR processes and policies. Additionally, there may be already well-established work cultures that create indirect discrimination and which employees are unwilling to change. Economics there may be apparent economic reasons that affects why some businesses are unwilling to invest in the establishment of a diversity workforce. On the other hand, furthermore disadvantage of investing in diversity programs is that intangibles are significantly more difficult to manage than tangible assets. Thus, these obstacles make it difficult to measure benefits and therefore to undertake traditional investment evaluation processes. Resources some organizations lacks the key resources necessary to implement changes required to emerge a diversity workforce. Such resources include monetary cash, management time, managerial experiences, external advices, and the leadership and competence of senior managers. External obstacles these are developed from regional or national factors, such as the institutional networks, attitudes/culture, and regulatory components. They affect large groups of organizations in similar ways. The implementation of diversity workforce policies by organizations may serve complications to accomplish because of wider and broad attitudinal and cultural factors in certain countries or regions. Potential causes include national cultures that concentrate on the incorporation of ethnic groups rather than on the acceptance of multi-culturalism. 3.2 Obstacles resulting from diversity policies (Maybe can put in point form like Ben and add a few more points?) There are a few obstacles leading from the implementation of equality policies. Firstly, the Organization may feel obligated to hire someone of different race and gender even though their skills or talent may not be ideal for the Organization. This is to ensure an equal number of individuals from each race or ethnicity. Secondly, due to the fact that there are many equality laws or policies being passed, employees might feel that the Government or Organization is trying to intrude in their working lives to ensure workplace equality. What is to be done? Diversity An application to provide support to the process of implementation of diversity management in organizations is by adopting the diversity management setup (diversityatwork.net). It provides support in two main ways: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ It details a 5 phase procedure on how to implement a diversity management program in the organization; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ the setup support for each of the action to carry out during the implementation of a diversity management program in the organization. It is best to regard the development of diversity management policy in the organization as an assignment or project. It is vital to establish support for the project, analyze the requirements and opportunities, developing own solutions and then implement the project as it progresses. The setup provides the organization with a set of methods, information and skills which have been created to simplify the process of a diversity management implementation. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phase 1 Given the lack of awareness of diversity management, it is fundamental that the diversity management project is inserted into the mainstream of the organizational activities as smooth as possible. Additionally, setting up the procedure should include using the best practices from project management skills. These approaches are demonstrated in the four activities of this phase Campaigning support and determining potential stakeholders, examine the degree of the problem, establishing diversity management structures and attaining agreement on taking place with the process. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phase 2 This phase is essential to the diversity management project as it establishes the current practices and the problems and opportunities in the organization for managing diversity. The success of this phase depends on factors, which most important of these is the participation of employees. To ensure participation, they need to be well briefed about the project and its actions, the reason that it is being undertaken and how will they stand to benefit from it. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phase 3 In this phase, solutions are being generated to tackle problems and opportunities known in the previous phase. The objectives of this phase is to evaluate the problems and needs that has been identified and to use creative skills to suggest a set of solutions which are then prioritized and established into a diversity management plan. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phase 4 This phase manages issues that are related to implementing diversity management activities in the organization. With the diversity management program plan developed in the previous phase, the team is required to decide which activities to be financed and to start developing during the initial year of the implementation program. It should be clear what the aims and objectives are and how to meet them, who is going to do what, when and how. Encouraging employees for participation and to deal with possible resistance during implementation must also be put into consideration. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Phase 5 The activities undertaken during this phase the monitoring and evaluation of the diversity management project provides the foundation for assessing the overall value of the project and for making necessary recommendations for changes in the future. Monitoring the phases would allow the user to moderate how well the activities worked in that phase, while results from the evaluation exercise are helpful in providing feedbacks to employees and management on the difficulties and successes faced in the project. Alternative Approaches Another approach towards implementation of diversity management is the transformative approach (Cockburn, 1991) which is required to challenge organisational structures, therefore enabling diverse perspectives to influence organisational activity (Bendick et al., 2001). This will resemble an effective and learning approach where both the differentiation and integration of individuals is acknowledged (Thomas and Ely, 1996), thus identifying value in bringing differences together to generate continuous development. However, diversity literature puts slight emphasis on the distinction between legislative knowledge and the knowledge of putting legislations into practice. Briefly, knowledge that is easily quantifiable and can be stored is regularly termed as hard knowledge and the knowledge which is less quantifiable and cannot be easily stored is referred as soft knowledge (Hildreth and Kimble, 2002). One of the possibilities highlighted as being a method through which the diverse perspectives and soft knowledge in the workforce can be coupled is by the use of informal staff networking, which generates interactions and provides the organisation with a mechanism within which to generate improvements as well as new initiatives and ideas (Kandola, 2004). CASE STUDY NTUC FairPrice Food and Service How FairPrice have been successful in implementing diversity and equality policies in workplace. CASE STUDY 1: NTUC FAIRPRICE (Food and Service) From a single supermarket in Toa Payoh, FairPrice has grown to become one of Singapores leading retailers, with more than 100 supermarkets, 7000 employees and 2.8 million customers per week. FairPrice also operate in 6 different store formats (FairPrice Supermarkets, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra, FairPrice Xpress, Cheers and FairPrice Online), a Fresh Food Distribution Centre and a centralised warehousing and distribution company, Global Logistics of Singapore Pte Ltd. Beyond Singapore, FairPrice has also recently entered into a joint venture to open a hypermarket chain in Vietnam. Workplace Equality A number of commitments shape a Great Workplace agenda. Looking into one of the commitment where FairPrice promotes workplace equality: Promoting an open communications culture to support a tolerant workplace free from discrimination with regard to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disabilities, age, marital status and social background As one of the leading supermarkets in Singapore, FairPrice wants to be the Best Place to Shop and the Best Place to Work. This commitment stated shows that FairPrice values workplace equality and wants their staff to be aware that they will not allow any discrimination. And by doing so, they can achieve a harmonious working environment. FairPrice believes that if they work in a desirable environment, their employees will be motivated and inspired, leading them to deliver professionalism and teamwork when working, and most importantly creating a customer focus team. With the commitments kept in mind, FairPrice proved themselves by achieving the most number of awards at the National Excellent Service Award (EXSA)  [1]  for 3 years straight (2009-2011). This can only be possible when FairPrice creates an excellent working environment and treating each employee equally. This will inspire more employees to aim for the best when they work. Workplace Diversity FairPrice believe that their stores should reflect the communities they serve, and that included the people who work there. The diversity policy that FairPrice enforced in their workplace strives their employee to work hard. The management looks into recruitment, language training and flexible working practices in particular, to ensure that all employees have the same opportunity to succeed with us regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disabilities, age, marital status or social background. Shown in the diagrams below are ways in which FairPrice manage diversity in their company: FairPrice hires staff from all four major ethnic groups from Singapore and kept a balance of full-timers and part-timer in their company. Moreover, 90% of the workforce consist of Singaporeans, leaving10% opportunity open to foreign workers and the company also emphasizes on gender equality. Active Aging project Of particular note is FairPrice effort in recruiting seniors aged 60 and above as Customer Relations Officers (CROs) at some of the stores in conjunction of its newly launched Active Aging Project. By launching this project, FairPrice aims to promote a more active lifestyle for those aged over 60. These CROs main role is to assist customers with their needs or enquiries, or simply chat with the customers to gather feedback and suggestions. Seah Kian Peng, chief executive of FairPrice, believes that seniors have very good skills, and by staying active they are able to use their time meaningfully and added that older workers are ideal employees because they offer stability and experience. This project that FairPrice launched, shows that they are willing to accept employee regardless of age and promotes diversity and equal working opportunities for everyone. CASE STUDY anf Retail Abercrombie Fitch failure to manage diversity well within the organization. Case Study 2: Abercrombie Fitch (Retail Industry) Abercrombie Fitch, an American clothing retailer which focuses on casual wear targets mainly consumers aged 18-22 has more than 700 stores in the States and has been expanding its market internationally. The management team responsible for the implementation of the diversity policy to ensure that equal treatments are being addressed in the organization only focus on employing a diverse workforce but pay little attention when coming to the application of the diversity policy. Below are 2 examples of Abercrombie Fitch incapability of diversity management. Example 1 In 2009, Riam Dean, a 22 year old who was born without a left forearm sued Abercrombie Fitch for disability discrimination after being told not work on the shop floor unless she took off the cardigan as she was breaking the firms look policy. Being excluded from her main job role which requires her to be on the shop floor due to her disability simply shows discrimination from the company towards Riam. The tribunal has found in Riams favour on Abercrombie and Fitch harassment and failure to make reasonable adjustments towards her. Riam won the disability claim of  £8,013 against the company for loss of earnings and wrongful dismissal. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/woman-with-prosthetic-arm-forced-to-work-out-of-sight-in-storeroom-1718041.html Example 2 In a 2004 lawsuit  Gonzà ¡lez v. Abercrombie Fitch, the company was accused of discriminating against African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and women by preferentially offering floor sales positions and store management positions to the whites and men. Abercrombie Fitch agreed to the settlement of the class case suit which not only requires the company to pay up to $40 million and also to set up a range of policies and actions required to promote diversity among its workforce and to prevent discrimination based on race, gender, nationality or physical disability. Below are some of the initiatives that Abercrombie Fitch have to comply to promote diversity within the company; Abercrombie marketing materials will reflect diversity by including members of minority racial and ethnic groups. Advertising of available positions in publications targeting minorities of both genders. Benchmarks for hiring and promotion of women, Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans. These benchmarks are goals, rather than quotas, and Abercrombie will be required to report on its progress toward these goals at regular intervals. A new Office and Vice President of Diversity, responsible for reporting to the CEO on Abercrombies progress toward fair employment practices. Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Training for all employees with hiring authority http://www.afjustice.com/index.htm Abercrombie Fitchs legal cases of discrimination had resulted in unfair treatment in the workplace and requirement process. The cases dictate that people with same qualification do not get the job at Abercrombie Fitch because of their physical outlooks, race or gender and this may hinder the companys competitive advantage over its competitors as talents of the diverse population are not being utilised due to the lack of enforcement on diversity management. However, since the start of the initiative, Abercrombie Fitch has made significant focus on diversity and inclusion; Diversity and inclusion are key to our organizations success. We are determined to have a diverse culture, throughout our organization, that benefits from the perspective of each individual. As of April 30th, 2010, vase improvement in the diversity of the in-store staff can be seen; The in-store workforce, as a whole is 50.22% people of color, The in-store models are 48.44% people of color, The in-store managers-in-training are 41.04% people of color. http://sg.abercrombie.com/anf/careers/diversity.html People in general has very broad range of differences in their needs and an interest that needs to be managed well hence treating everyone the same way may not work to avoid the conflict. Therefore it is important that the management not only needs to be aware of what diversity is about but also managing diversity and equality well in an organization in order help to tackle the issue on the fair treatments and discrimination at work place. Lastly, organizations that are able to manage the workforce diversity well will have a competitive edge as they are able to maximize the potential of the team through their diverse talent and background. As stated by Terence Swee, the chief executive of Muvee Technologies; You need to be made of the world to sell to the world. Terence Swee, Chief executive officer of Muvee Technologies (Singapore-based Software Company) : http://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/Pages/WDM.aspx (DONT KNOW IF THIS PART IS RELEVANT, IF ITS NOT JUST REMOVE K THANKS) (: What can be done by companies to ensure that diversity and equality is not only being preach but also practice at the workplace? Management needs to put in place necessary channels to enable employees to raise any concerns regarding unfair treatments or discrimination so that necessary actions towards unfair treatment can be rectify. Support from management to implement the right practices. Reduce workplace tension that arises from the different demographics of employees by not limiting benefits to any one particular group. Ensure that management role has a clear understanding on what managing diversity is about in order to promote equality in the workplace. Diversity and equality must be lodged in the heart of any organization serious about implementing the policy. As Ng and Burke (2005) states that the best educated and most able are attracted to an environment that embodies diversity and equality. Therefore, company should implement and follow-thru the diversity and equality policies in order to ensure that equal opportunity exists for everyone. Diversity and equality training and education play an important role in avoiding potential failure of diversity initiatives, Wentling (2004). REFERENCING Anderson and Metcalfe. (2005). Managing diversity: linking theory and practice to business performance. 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