Monique and the Mango Rains Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Monique and the Mango Rains - Essay Example She did this by saving lives and giving hopes to people in a place where giving birth was risky (Holloway 78, 2007). Kris majors on exemplifying the passion of changing the lives of women facing poverty and unhappy marriages. In this essay, the obstacles faced by Malian Minianka women in achieving higher status, and relating gendered inequality to anthropological concepts such as marriage, economy, and reproductive health issues are aptly discussed. Part 2; Gender Norms and Stratification in Mali In gender norms in Mali, the local culture in which Monique was brought up had strict guidelines that guided women on how to handle themselves. For example, the society was against the idea of using birth control pills; thus, she had to this secretly. The issue of health inequality was the core factor that caused the obstacles experienced by women in this region. In gender stratification, it is established that it is responsible for the maternity-related deaths of 500 000 women annually. The mortality rate for women losing their lives during birth was about 1 in every 12 women. Kris writes on how the region has the highest maternal mortality rates and highest fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that less than 6% of women in their fertility season used contraception, and women that suffered genital ablation was above 96% in their childhood. 1 in 5 children born die immaturely before they reach their 5th birthday. Part 3; Marriage Marriage in this region was not gender sensitive since women were limited in doing certain jobs and denied credit for their hard work in the society. For example, Monique failed to get support from her husband and was trapped in an arranged marriage. They were forced to stay in a marriage despite the problems they encountered since annulment was not encouraged in marriages. Women that divorced their partners were snatched their children. The marriage system was gender insensitive since men were perceived in the society as low and had no value in the society. They were strained into marriages at an exceptionally tender age; hence, facing the challenges of giving birth. Part 4; Economy According to the Kris, the socio-political issues and instable economy was another factor that increased the obstacles women had to face in the society. Women’s economy was low to extent that they could not access proper medical services. For example, Monique suffered from severe mouth pains and was unable to access apt treatment on her dental pains. Women received exceptionally low salary despite the amount of work they did in division of labor. For example, Monique worked incessantly by edifying the community on health issues, but was paid a low salary unfortunately (Holloway 11, 2007). Women in this region also lacked recognition despite the efforts they enacted to the society, and were also not given time rest. There was the lack of running water, skilled and trained doctors, and lack of adequate medical equipments especially for emergencies. Part 5; Reproductive Health Issues The obstacle faced by Malian Minianka women is receiving quality and apt health care services to secure their health. The book recounts the story of a local health worker located at Nampossela in Mali. Women at this region faced the intricacy of accessing apt medication from the government and nongovernmental organizations. Kris shows how Monique offered health care services like prenatal consultations, health demonstrations freely (Holloway 78, 2007). Others included; assisting pregnant ladies in giving birth, administering vaccinations, and solving minor health predicament she had the ability to treat (Holloway 2007, 8). Monique and the Mango Rains highlights a

Kfc in China Essay Example for Free

Kfc in China Essay Is Tony Wang correct in assuming that China is an ideal market for KFC? Should KFC be pursuing the Chinese market at the present time? Considering China as a strategic location was based from a SWOT analysis. Availability of Supply (Strength) There is ready access of quality poultry in the major metropolitan areas such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing. Poultry industry is one of the top priority categories in China’s agriculture modernization and it is highly encourage by the government. Thus, the company can ensure a reliable supply of high quality chicken. Low Competitive Pressure (Strength) Potential competitors such as MacDonald’s face major barriers to enter the China market due to poor beef supply while KFC, aside from availability of high quality chicken supply, has the clear advantage since its main product-chicken- is eaten almost everywhere in the world. Furthermore, chicken is already familiar in China and even much cheaper. Company’s Control Measures (Strength) KFC s control mechanisms are designed to ensure standard levels of quality, service and cleanliness (QSC) at all of the restaurant’s chain stores. This fits the positive image in Asia of American fast food restaurants as famous, air-conditioned, and hygienic. Product Consumption (Strength) Chicken has long been regarded as a kind of nutritious food, which is especially good for the patients, the elders and children. An increase in health conscious consumers also raises the consumption of chicken. Moreover, chicken is a more popular meal than hamburgers in most Asian countries and KFC has the opportunity to offer an American style experience that is different from most other food establishments. Drawing Area (Opportunity) In late 1978, China began implementing economic reforms to modernize its economy by lessening the government’s control of the economy. This reform referred as a socialist market economy boosted the national wealth and the consequent increase in individual’s income has led to steady changes in Chinese consumer patterns prevalent in pre-Mao era. As the world’s most populous nation with over 1 billion inhabitants, the potential size and growth for KFC makes the Chinese market very attractive. Not to mention, the possibility of establishing the first Western style fast-food operation in China as a historic opportunity for the company. Scarce Human Resources (Weakness) Managerial resources are precious because of the scarcity of Chinese-speaking KFC managers. There are also possible conflicts between KFC-appointed managers and local employees. Lack of Local connections (Weakness) Pioneering in the fast-food field would find KFC very difficult to form local and personal networks between businesses and government agencies, which are crucial in providing access to the local market and domestic suppliers and eventually, to the company’s success. Entering into a relatively unknown market, KFC, as a new entrant will have to get in touch with the local business customs and laws as well as with knowledge of culture and language. Quality of Government (Threat) A communist government with strict foreign investment laws rules China. Setting up here requires heavy investment expenses and high levels of resource commitment. The risk of domestication measures may be imposed by the host government, often leading to major financial losses for the foreign investor. Overcoming Threats and Weaknesses KFC has three options of entering the China market thru, namely: Franchising, Wholly owned subsidiary and Joint venture. The traditional franchising strategy, in markets where political risk and cultural unfamiliarity exists, certainly would reduce financial risks. However, KFC had already encountered problems in the past with the aligning of corporate planning with the franchisee’s short-term focus on profitability. In addition, KFC will be pioneering in the fast-food service and thus needs to be highly sensitive to cultural demands. In such case, franchising is not feasible. On the other hand, a wholly owned subsidiary would rely upon total control over competitive advantages and ensures complete operational and strategic control. It also involves high financial risk and little country-level flexibility and responsiveness. This option is not recommended. Entering into a joint venture is highly recommended. Such an international business strategy will attempt to solve many logistics problems such as access to good quality chicken and other supplies, ease the access to Chinese market, share risk with a local entity, utilize ways to cut bureaucratic red-tape and finally, serve as a sign of commitment to the host government increasing goodwill. In addition, due to the complexity of many barriers to entry into China, a potential partner with sufficient contacts or networks with the government officials may smoothen the process of setting-up operations in the country. The potential joint-venture partner should be large, well established, provide excellent distribution channels and have personal network access to government officials. It is recommended that a partner be found by backward integration- that is, a good domestic supplier of poultry. In order to ensure total commitment, the set-up of the joint venture should be with KFC as the dominant partner. This way, cost, quality and strategic control measures are maintained. By building on each partners core competencies, knowledge, and efficiencies, a mutually beneficial synergy effect could be achieved as a result of joint venture activities. For instance, the local partner can learn from KFC how to produce a better product at a lower cost and further expand on its new competitive positioning. KFC, on the other hand, can maintain quality supply, which is critical to its success. RECOMMENDATION: The Chinese market represents a great opportunity for KFC where Tony Wang is correct in his assumptions. By finding an appropriate domestic business partner via backward integration, it is possible to further build on opportunities and significantly reduce risk throughout financial sharing, cultural sensitivity and favorable treatment from the host government. KFC should start pursuing this strategy at the present time and develop a coherent international strategy linking the China operations with the other markets. Which of the three cities being investigated should the company choose if it decides to enter China? The capital city, Beijing, is recommended as the preferred location for KFC’s entry into the Chinese market. Beijing is the center for most political activities and provides the necessary access to government agencies and business regulatory bodies. Also, it has a large population of nearly 9 million inhabitants. The numerous universities located in the city contributes to more affluent and educated people that may make them more open to foreign ideas including Western fast-food. More importantly, plenty of Western tourists are attracted to Beijing’s many tourist attractions, increasing the potential for generating foreign currency sales. Furthermore, supplies of poultry are readily available. Beijing can serve as the initial platform of KFC’s operations and later expand into other potential areas such as Shanghai and Guangzhou. One or two initial outlets should be set-up to get an insight of how KFC will be perceived in the Chinese capital. Both dine-in and take-out facilities much in line with most KFC’s international operations ought to be offered in large, clean and well-serviced outlets to cater for the customers with above-average disposable incomes. In order to serve large numbers of customers due to the sheer size of the population, the right cultural fit of the business restaurants must be highly functional and effective. Special menu-substitutions may also have to be facilitated to cater to consumers taste for traditional Chinese meals. Lessons Learned Capitalizing on Strengths and Opportunities In the initial period of KFC’s entry into China market, few of Chinese onsumers were really impressed with the food itself since the country is known to have the best culinary culture in the world. Instead, they were more fascinated with the eating experience: the encounter with friendly employees, quick service, spotless floors climate-controlled and brightly-lit dining areas, and smiling Colonel Sanders standing in front of the main gate. Having experienced the initial surprises brought by a never-seen western lifestyle, Chinese consumers have gradually calmed down and their consumption attitudes towards foreign products are getting more reasonable. Since Chinese people are more concerned with the nutrition and tastes of the fast food, KFC taken advantage of McDonald’s. By offering poultry food that is more acceptable to Chinese people compared with beef, have taken consumers needs and competition with other brands into account. Knowing the market The most prominent success of KFC in China is not only the outcome of KFC’s persistent tenets â€Å"quality, service and cleanliness† but also the achievements of its keen perception of cross-cultural marketing and its understanding of Chinese culture. Based on its scrutiny and adoption of Chinese traditional culinary arts, KFC has developed a series of products that are specially designed for the tastes of Chinese consumers. Moreover, in purpose of maintaining its image of a U. S. brand and keeping consistent with its globalization strategy, most of KFC s Chinese side dishes are defined as short-term products and would be replaced by new products. KFC’s product strategies are categorized into two aspects: 1)To meet consumers desire for novelty by introducing western style products like Mexican Chicken Warp and New Orleans Barbeque Wings. This means can satisfy young consumers who are more open and acceptable to the foreign flavors. 2)To cater to consumers taste for traditional Chinese meal by offering Chinese style fast food from time to time, say, Old Beijing Chicken Roll, a wrap modeled after the way Peking duck is served, but with fried chicken inside and accompanied with green onions and hoi sin sauce, and Sichuan Spicy Chicken which absorbs the spicy flavor of Sichuan dish. This measure can attract older consumers who are fond of Chinese food and in need of the convenience of fast food service as well.

Causes Of The Pelopenesian War Essay -- essays research papers

The Causes of the Peloponessian War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ancient Greece during the 4th century B.C. was home to the city-states of Sparta and Athens. These two communities were the superpowers of the region during that time. The peloponnesian war between these two states evolved out of a string of events that would lead to years of conflict.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When looking for a single cause of the peloponnesian war none can be found. Over time many events contributed to the eventual war between Sparta and Athens. I believe the peloponnesian war evolved because of Athenian support for Spartan enemies, Spartan alarm at a rise in Athenian power, and the drastic differences between the two cultures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 435 B.C., Corcyra, a Corinthian colony declared itself independent of Corinth. Corinth responded by sending a fleet to reduce the rebelling island city. In fear Corcyra appealed to Athens for help and swayed by the Corcyrain diplomats, the Athenians sent military aid. A battle took place, in which the navies of Corcyra and Athens fought against those of Corinth. Sparta, who was allied with Corinth and relied upon it as a source of income, saw the Athenian support of the Corcyrain rebels as an act of aggression against the peloponnesian league (Sparta and her allies). The alliance made between Athens and Corcyra was also viewed as a violation of the peace treaty of 445 B.C. between the peloponnesian league and the Athenian league. Athens ignored all Spartan protest about its involvement in the Corcyrain campaign. Further feud was created between Sparta and Athens in 432 B.C. in Potidaea. Potidaea was a city that was tributary to Athens but Co rinthian in blood. Tired of paying tribute to Athens the citizens of Potidaea attempted to expel the Athenian power. Athens’ soldiers besieged the city and once again Athenians were battling Corinthians. Corinth, aiding the people of Potidaea faced an embargo by Athens. Enraged by this act Sparta appealed the Athenians to end the embargo, but was ignored. Sparta conviened the peloponnesian council and Greece moved one step closer to the peloponnesian war. It could be argued that Sparta and Athens were already preparing for war with each other and that the support of their allies’ wars against each other was not a direct cause of the war but si... ...led to a natural distrust between the two cultures. Pericles, the Athenian ruler before and during the Peloponessian war once compared the â€Å"living force of Athenian freedom with the dead hand of Spartan tyranny†. Thucydides once quoted a Spartan describing the Athenians; â€Å" The Athenians are addicted to innovation, and their designs are characterized by swiftness alike in conception and execution; you have a genius for keeping what you have got, accompanies by a total want of invention, and when forced to act you never go far enough. Again they are adventurous beyond their power, and daring beyond their judgement †¦Ã¢â‚¬  These two quotes show a clear dislike between the two peoples. The two superpowers, so different in culture could not avoid conflict, conflict that eventually resulted in the peloponnesian war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The roots of the peloponessian war can be traced back to many specific instances but on the most part three main elements caused its rise; Sparta’s anger at Athenian aid to Spartan enemies, Spartan fear of Athenian power, and the hostility and mistrust caused by the radical differences between the two societies. The peloponnesian war was inevitable.

The New Age Employee Essays -- American Red Cross Workers Essays

The New Age Employee The Human Resource issue that I will be discussing in my paper stems from the American Red Cross. The first, thing I will discuss is the organization’s external environment and then the HR department’s internal system. In the external environment of the American Red Cross, there are several issues affecting the organization. For example, the U.S population is becoming more diverse according to demographics. Also, the number of donors and volunteer’s is steadily decreasing, and the baby boomers are approaching the age of retirement. As a result, they will take with them, a large amount of the American Red Cross volunteer hours. Consequently, the American Red Cross is looking for volunteer’s to fill their offices nationwide. Internally there are also a lot of issues occurring within the organization’s human resource department. For instance, the new and younger employees coming into the organization, and they are expecting new ways of being recognized for their good work. As a result, the HR department is inventing new ways to accommodate these employees. Which requires the organization to actively go out and recruit employees. This is something that the organization has not encountered before. In my opinion, the American Red Cross should adapt to the changes in their external environment. Such as: the changes in the demographics of the employees within the organization and how those new employees affect the human resources department’s functions. Because, there are no longer just white men at the top of the organization; there are minorities and women that are in the corporate culture. As a result, it is the duty of an organization to adapt and change to its av... ...ix A. Nigro. (1994) 4th Edition.The New Public Personnel Administration. F.E. Peacock Publishers, Inc. 2.) Dennis L. Dresang. (1999) 3rd Edition. Public Personnel Management and Public Policy. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. 3.) Library of Congress. (2000). Managing Human Resources: A Partnership Perspective. Author, Susan E. Jackson, Randall S. Schuler. South-Western College Publishing, a division of Thomson Learning. 4.) Library of Congress. (2000). Managing Human Resources: A Partnership Perspective. Author, Susan E. Jackson, Randall S. Schuler. South-Western College Publishing, a division of Thomson Learning. 5.) Llyod G. Nigro, Felix A. Nigro. (1994) 4th Edition.The New Public Personnel Administration. F.E. Peacock Publishers, Inc. 6.)Dennis L. Dresang. (1999) 3rd Edition. Public Personnel Management and Public Policy. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

Is Having a Sibling a Blessing or a Curse?

I am sure that most of you have brothers or sisters. And I am sure that this same thought must have occurred to you at one time or another. How many of you have lost your toys, clothes or something that you loved very much to your brother or sister? How many of you wish that you were the only child of the family? Welcome to the world of siblings. From the moment our parents announce that there is to be a new baby in the family, we are expected to go through a lot of adjustments.The first and foremost is sharing. Sharing of our dear parents, our rooms, our toys, our favorite foods and so on. The second is comparison. The parents, teachers and sometimes even relatives start to compare the siblings. The comparison may be regarding our character, behavior, studies, coloring etc. The often repeated words in many houses is â€Å"Why can’t you be like your brother or sister? See how good they are. You should learn from them. † The third is favoritism. Many parents have a favor ite child.It may be because they remind them of their favorite person, like their parents or siblings. Or maybe because that child loves them unconditionally. However, this causes the less loved child to regard the other as a rival. One of the favorite things our siblings like to do is to find out and tell our secrets to the very people we try to keep it secret from. They like to boast their own achievements and put down ours. But, not everything about having a sibling is bad. They are generally there for us when we need them.We can always depend on them when we are in some difficult situation. They sometimes save us from punishments and retributions, if they feel sorry for us. Of course they might need a bribe or some sort of favor after-wards. If your sibling is older than you, he/she would have paved the way for you in school, tuition and sports. If they are younger than you, you can and probably will boss them around and make them do what you want. There is a Chinese proverb tha t translates as â€Å"You don’t realize the value of a thing until you lose it. All of you are doing your A levels next year. After that most of you will leave the country for higher studies. This means you will be alone, without your family in some unknown location for 4 or 5 years. And I am sure that even though you will miss your parents, you will miss your siblings more. You will miss the shared space, shared confidence and secrets that united you. So I sincerely hope that you will enjoy your blessings while you can and treat your siblings better.

Argentina Essays - Liberal Democracies, Free Essays, Term Papers

Argentina Essays - Liberal Democracies, Free Essays, Term Papers Argentina I. INTRODUCTION Argentina lives in a democracy since 1986. Before this year lived it under a military regime. In the nineties under the presidency of Menem the country experienced a great increase in the liberalization of trade. Argentina has a free market economic system. Due to the recent privatization program, the State now has a very limited role in the economy. According to the Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum Argentina is classified as one of the most open, least protectionist countries in the world. Its currency is convertible to the US dollars and there is total freedom for moving capital internationally. Argentina has conducted one of the most intensive privatization programs in the world. The telephone company, airlines, most railroads, electric power production companies (including hydroelectric power plants), the Argentine oil company YPF (bought by the Spanish company Repsol) steel mills, ports, TV stations and most public services were transferred recently to the private sector. Consistent with Fundacion Invertir the combined value of privatized firms amounts more to more than US$ 30 billions. Many foreign firms have participated in this large-scale privatization program. Foreign investors do not need to seek any kind of prior approval and are free to repatriate full amount of their capital and earnings any time. Foreign and domestic companies are treated equally. Under the law, they have access to all economic sectors and are eligible for incentive program and state procurement. II. TRADE PATTERN It is hard to state the type of trade that exists between Argentina and Brazil in the automobile industry because both countries import and export cars of the same brand and very similar models. Volkswagen produces some of its model of cars in Argentina and some others model in Brazil. The reason for this is to achieve economies of scale; each country specializes in a certain model of car, by doing so they reduce the cost of each additional unit. Another reason for specialization of production in each country is that it might be cheaper to produce a certain model in either Argentina or Brazil. Several companies as Volkswagen have invested in production facilities in Mercosur. Additionally, joint ventures between local and foreign parts manufacturers have improved quality. A report on Argentina auto parts/services announced that local production in Argentina was estimated at $1.9 billion in 1997. From 1996 to 1997 the import market for automobile parts and accessories grew by 30 percent to $2.2 billion. Imports from Brazil represent 35 percent of the local import market. The gains in imports with exports from Brazil boost employment in Argentina by a 30 percent and bilateral trade with Brazil as well as nine fold growth in investments. (States-USA). See AUTO PARTS/SERVECE table in appendix. In the period of July 1997-June 1998 Argentina exported wheat to the following countries: Brazil, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Peru, Indonesia, Sir Lanka, Jordan, Tunisia and Kenya. Argentina experiences inter trade with these countries because it has the comparative advantage of producing wheat at a cheap cost. Soils in Argentina are fertile and farmers do not need to use as much fertilizers as in the case of European farms. European farms have been harvested for years. As a consequence of this farms need to be fertilized or remain unused for a period of four years to produce crops. Argentina engages in inter trade on the exports of corn to the following counties: Japan, Brazil, Egypt, Taiwan, Peru, Chile, Spain, Iran, Venezuela, and Colombia. Argentina exports corn to Brazil because it does not produce enough corn to supply its domestic demand. Argentina also produces Inter trade exports of sorghum with Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, Colombia, Norway, Spain, and Chile. Argentina and Brazil benefit from trade among themselves because each country exports something in which it does not have the comparative advantage or in which its domestic production is not enough. Argentina imports coffee and sugar from Brazil. Argentina does not produce coffee while Brazil is the largest exporter in the world. In 1997 was the first time in 67 years that Argentina exported beef to the United States of America. This country has been declared free of foot and mouth disease in May 1997. Beef is an example of Inter trade between Argentina and countries as Brazil because Argentinas

Faded Dreams essays

Faded Dreams essays In the play Death of a Salesman Willy Loman who is the salesman, was mainly concerned with the success of his family. He set his goals and expectations for himself and his sons that were so high that they were impossible to reach. Willy was reaching for the American dream. He wanted to live in a great neighborhood, he wanted to have his own business, and he wanted his sons to be successful He wanted the perfect life. Unfortunately people dont always get what they want. Instead of the American dream Willy got reality. He was sixty-three years old and was not as successful as he had hoped to be. Willy was a failure. He was a failure as a father, a husband and a businessman and all his hopes and dreams had faded as well as his grip on what was reality and what was fantasy. In the beginning of the play Arthur Miller draws attention to the lighting, scenery and landscape of Willy Lomans house. There towering angular shapes behind the house, surrounding it on all sides. Only the blue light of the sky falls upon the house...a solid vault of apartment houses are around the small fragile-seeming home(1458). The first scene focuses on Willys feelings about the changes that have taken place in his neighborhood. He exclaims that he feels boxed in around the towering apartment buildings and that he can no longer smell the sweetness of the air only bricks and windows, windows and bricks. In a lost state of mind he tells his wife how he is constantly thinking of the days from the past when the neighborhood was fresh with the smell of flowers blooming. He reminisced about the time when him and Biff hung a swing between the two beautiful elm trees that the apartment builders cut down His dream to be away from the city had faded like the light that surrounded his house. Willy drifts in and out of reality so often in the play that it was hard for the reader to know what wa ...

Benedict College Admissions - Acceptance Rate, Costs...

Benedict College Admissions - Acceptance Rate, Costs... Benedict College Admissions Overview: Benedict College has open admissions- any interested student has who has fulfilled minimum admissions requirements has the opportunity to study at the school. There are no test scores (from the SAT or ACT) required for admission, although applicants can submit them if they choose. Students do need to send in high school transcripts and fill out an application. There is no essay or personal statement requirement as part of the application, and students may submit the application form online or through the mail. To be considered for admissions, students need to have a cumulative 2.0 GPA (on the 4.0 scale) in their high school courses. Benedict Colleges website has more information about applying, and interested students are encouraged to contact the Admissions Office with any questions they may have. Admissions Data (2016): Benedict College Acceptance Rate: -Benedict College has open admissionsTest Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: - / -SAT Math: - / -SAT Writing: - / -Whats a good SAT score?ACT Composite: - / -ACT English: - / -ACT Math: - / -Whats a good ACT score? Benedict College Description: Founded in 1870, Benedict College is a private, four-year, historically black, Baptist, liberal arts college in Columbia, South Carolina. The campus supports over 3,000 students with a student/faculty ratio of 19 to 1. The Education and Employment Statistic Division of the American Institute of Physics ranked Benedict in the top ten colleges in the country for producing African Americans with an undergraduate Physics degree. In addition, Diverse Magazine named Benedict as one of the top 100 US institutions for graduating African-American scholars. The college offers 28 degrees and 30 majors across 12 academic departments. Popular choices include marketing, criminal justice, biology, media studies, psychology, and music. To engage students outside of the classroom, Benedict has a host of student clubs and organizations, as well as many sororities and fraternities. On the athletic front, the Benedict College Tigers compete in the NCAA Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Confe rence (SIAC) with sports including men’s and women’s cross country, golf, track and field, and tennis. Enrollment (2016): Total Enrollment: 2,281Â  (all undergraduate)Gender Breakdown: 52% Male / 48% Female99% Full-time Costs (2016- 17): Tuition and Fees: $19,566Books: $2,000 (why so much?)Room and Board: $8,672Other Expenses: $2,150Total Cost: $32,388 Benedict College Financial Aid (2015- 16): Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 98%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 96%Loans: 89%Average Amount of AidGrants: $13,610Loans: $11,819 Academic Programs: Most Popular Majors:Â  Accounting, Biology, Business Administration, Child and Family Development, Mass Communication, Recreation, Social Work Graduation and Retention Rates: First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 56%Transfer-out Rate: - %4-Year Graduation Rate: 9%6-Year Graduation Rate: 22% Intercollegiate Athletic Programs: Mens Sports:Â  Football, Baseball, Basketball, Golf, Tennis, Track and FieldWomens Sports:Â  Basketball, Track and Field, Softball, Volleyball, Tennis, Golf Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like Benedict College, You May Also Like These Schools: For those interested in applying to other HBCUs, choices similar to Benedict College include Morehouse College, Oakwood University, Rust College, Bethune-Cookman University, and Claflin University. If you’re looking for a smaller school in South Carolina, consider checking out Newberry College, Lander University, Southern Wesleyan University, Anderson University.

Assessing ELL students Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Assessing ELL students - Research Paper Example All together, adult ELL students in United States universities speak roughly 400 languages, even though approximately 80% are native speakers of Spanish. Individuals of Asian origin — mainly speakers of Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and Hmong — account for almost 5% of the size of adult ESL learners in United States universities. While most of these learners are found in prime urban centers, many others reside together in smaller towns. English-language learners (ELLs) are concentrated in six states — California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois. The English-language learners in those six states make up more than 60% of the ELL population. The United States federal regime’s No Child Left Behind rule of 2001 has created the urge to make legitimate and fair assessments for English-language learners an issue of pressing nationwide concern (Hakuta, 2009). Therefore, institutions have produced frameworks that tend to assist educators, practitioners and test developers, in making appropriate choices on assessment of English language learners in educational content fields. ... This is why university guidelines are so vital: they help teachers assess students’ mastery of content while reducing the role of the learner’s English proficiency in its assessment. The three universities that will be considered are the University of North Carolina, University of Denver and Georgetown University. Part 1: Interview University of North Carolina Freshly enrolled international learners, who are supposed to hand in a TOEFL score, are urged to take the English Proficiency Assessment prior to registering for classes (University of North Carolina, 2013). Students willing to be enrolled must go through some information at their admission letters to check whether they should sit for the exam. The exam is administered just prior to the start of the Spring and Fall semesters. The aim of the English Proficiency Assessment is to recognize those learners who would profit from more English instruction in a program (ENGL 601) created to establish standard United States academic writing conventions. Rooted in the results of the exam, a student might be needed to sit for the ENGL 601 program during his or her first fall semester of admission (University of North Carolina, 2013). A student meets North Carolina University’s English Language Proficiency requirements if they completed Grades 11, as well as 12 English, in succession, as part of two full academic years, in any high school via a state- or provincially-accredited United States curriculum. Also, the student is expected to have attained a grade of 80% or more in a Grade 12 state-examined English program, as part of one full term of education. University of Denver The University of Denver recognizes either the TOEFL or IELTS as

Nuclear Fuel Cycle Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nuclear Fuel Cycle - Research Paper Example This paper discusses about the various stages of the nuclear cycle and the safety aspects present in it. Nuclear energy is a part of the world’s Energy mix. The nuclear fuel cycle is the series of different stages that lead to the production of Power from the Uranium in the nuclear power reactors. A secure and adequate supply of energy is required for the world and that is promised by the Nuclear power systems. The nuclear fuel cycle starts with the extraction of the raw materials from the earth. The process of conversion of the raw material into the primary fuel is the next step, followed by the production of the energy from the source. The spent fuel and the final waste are processed, conditioned and recycled to derive more energy form the fuel. Finally the spent fuel is disposed as waste into the geosphere. The spent fuel has the greater chance for emitting the radiations; hence utmost care should be taken for the proper disposal. The production of energy from nuclear fuels is increasing because of the amount of energy that uranium can produce (1 gram of nuclear fuel produces 9 x 10 13 joules of energy) and also from the reliability of the source and the recyclability of the fuel. For long term sustainable energy production, nuclear fuel is the best source. (OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, Trends on the nuclear fuel cycle). The cost for the power plants are very high, but when compared to the other power sources, the availability of the raw material land the future scope is more for this technology. The OECD Nuclear energy agency has given the various activities that together make up the fuel cycle as follows: 1. The mining and milling of Uranium. 2. Uranium refining and followed by the conversion to uranium hexafluoride. 3. Enriching the Uranium. 4. Fuel fabrication. 5. The reactor operation 6. Storage of the spent fuel. 7. Reprocessing of the spent fuel. 8. Decommissioning nuclear

Two listed companies on the HK stock exchange to evaluate how the Essay

Two listed companies on the HK stock exchange to evaluate how the companies report - Essay Example The company has reported the turnover from various geographical locations. The highest turnover has been reported for Mainland China. Other than regional turnover the operating profit or loss from the various countries has also been reported. Other than geographical reporting the company has also disclosed revenue from various operations like retail & distribution; export & licensing; manufacturing and inter-segment sales. The turnover and profit position of the company from the various brands like Giordano & Giordano Junior, Giordano Concepts, Giordano Ladies etc. have also been disclosed. As per the revised accounting norms the company also has to make disclosures about segment assets and segment liabilities in the annual reports (Deloitte, 22010). Based on this the Group has disclosed about the deferred tax assets and non-current assets in Mainland China and Hong Kong. The company has also reported about segment assets position in other locations like Taiwan, Australia, Singapore, etc. According to the revised accounting norms a company must also disclose about the income earned by it from its product and services. In the annual reports the Group has reported about the turnover, operating profit and number of outlets of the various brands in the market. As per IFRS8 the company must also disclose about the various liabilities values of the various segments in its annual report. The revised standard requires interest income to be reported separately from an interest expense for each segment. However, in the annual report of Giordano the company has not made any such disclosures about interest expense and income of its segment. IFRS 8 also requires the company to report segment information like investment in the form of joint ventures and associations as well as any additions to assets like non-current assets and deferred tax assets, assets of the employees’ post-employment etc. Giordano has not made any disclosures about segment liabilities. The compan y has not made any disclosures about the joint ventures and association of its segments in the various locations (Giordano International Limited, 2009). Operating Segments disclosure in Bossini In the annual reports for the financial year 2009 Bossini has not followed the HFKRS 8 Operating Segments (IFRS 8). The company has presented its segment information with respect to result and revenue. As the Group derives most of its revenue from distribution and retailing of garments it has not presented a separate analysis relating to its business segments in the annual report. The company has reported about the revenue and results from various geographical segments like Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan etc. However there are no disclosures about interest income and profitability of each of its segment. The company has reported about the segment assets and segment liabilities in its annual report. The amount of investment relating to the various segments has also been reported. The amount of depreciation relating to the various segments has also been disclosed. The Group has separately disclosed the revenue earned by it from retailing & distribution of garments and from services related to its rendering. Other than this the company has n

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

Outsourcing - Essay Example The authors point out that there are five trends that are showing that outsourcing is happening for IT on a more regular basis. These trends include: 1. Large companies are outsourcing 2. A larger range of services are being outsourced and they are often more in-depth services. 3. There is more functional outsourcing 4. Service providers are accepting more risk and more responsibility to manage projects. 5. The relationships with service providers are changing. (p. 3) The article also stated that outsourcing success will depend on the degree that the company outsources two functions: systems operations and telecommunications. Also, success will depend on whether the vendor is trustworthy, cooperative and communicates well with the company that has hired them. My opinion of outsourcing is that it is an important thing to do in a company, especially when there is something that would be expensive to do in house. In the IT field, it seems that many people have a challenge with understan ding how to make telecommunications and systems operations work. There are many consulting firms that can help in these situations and help the business move forward. This makes sense that a consultant who specialized in a certain subject would find it easier to do the job.

Work shop activity .Words and Words formation Essay

Work shop activity .Words and Words formation - Essay Example For instance, some students find it tricky to retrieve single words especially nouns, adjectives, calendar dates, verbs and general numbers. For this reason, it is very difficult for them to respond comfortably to questions that require them to use facts in arguing their points out (Finch, 2000). This does not mean they lack information about the question but instead are not good at clearly distinguishing characters, places, numbers and other facts. In some cases commonly referred to as discourse retrieval contexts, students find it difficult to take part actively in discussions, which relate to some events or some experiences in life (Finegan et al, 1992). A lexeme is a language unit, which bears lexical meaning in that in whichever form they appear, they bear a common meaning. Lexeme derive its origin from language morphology because a lexeme word or phrase helps people understand a concept which links to that word even though they write and express it differently. Since a lexeme reduces a word, it makes it easy for people who have difficulties in word definition to get a basic meaning of such words. For instance, a word like water in simple terms is a noun. The same word can be a verb to mean the act of giving water to something for example plants. It makes it easy for a student to remember words and quickly fix them in their right context (Yule, 2010). Lexeme makes it easy for learners to understand and compare words. For instance, medical processing uses a series of scientific terms. Unless students are good at such terms, they cannot understand the medical products. The use of lexeme acts as a bridging factor since it reduces the differences of language representation (Schendi, 2003). Similarities that stem from perception have a hug role in learning especially during the early stages of language development in children because it enables them in grouping objects to a particular category thus supporting them in identifying the name

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

Outsourcing - Essay Example The authors point out that there are five trends that are showing that outsourcing is happening for IT on a more regular basis. These trends include: 1. Large companies are outsourcing 2. A larger range of services are being outsourced and they are often more in-depth services. 3. There is more functional outsourcing 4. Service providers are accepting more risk and more responsibility to manage projects. 5. The relationships with service providers are changing. (p. 3) The article also stated that outsourcing success will depend on the degree that the company outsources two functions: systems operations and telecommunications. Also, success will depend on whether the vendor is trustworthy, cooperative and communicates well with the company that has hired them. My opinion of outsourcing is that it is an important thing to do in a company, especially when there is something that would be expensive to do in house. In the IT field, it seems that many people have a challenge with understan ding how to make telecommunications and systems operations work. There are many consulting firms that can help in these situations and help the business move forward. This makes sense that a consultant who specialized in a certain subject would find it easier to do the job.

Summary & Close Reading of Paulo Freires Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summary & Close Reading of Paulo Freires - Essay Example In Pedagogy of the oppressed, Paulo Freire uses a combination of political, educational and philosophical theories in order to address the real source of oppression as well as liberation for the oppressed. He advocates for the awakening of critical and creative thinking as the only medium of liberation which takes place through a new and a more dynamic approach to education. This new approach to education focuses on a close partnership between the teacher and the student by seeking to empower the student to be involved in a dialogue process and adoption of human qualities evident in the thought process and its correlative action. The book begins by introducing the idea of developing critical awareness among the oppressed people in the society. The oppressed normally have the fear of freedom which increases the chances of then being oppressed. According to Paulo Freire, those who are under oppression must strive to see the bigger picture outside them so that they develop an understanding of their situation in order to begin thinking about their own world. Such a process can only be attained through dialogue in education in which one has to adopt change as the only tool for transformation. The only way towards reclaiming humanity is by critical consciousness which leads to synthesis of thought and actions. As a result only those who are being oppressed have got the power to save themselves from such kind of oppression and the only approach is through critical analysis as well as understanding of reality that guides them to action. The term, â€Å"banking education† has been adopted by Freire to refer to the traditional relationship between the teacher and the student owing to its oppressive nature. In such a case, the teacher possesses control thus playing the role of the oppressor while the student who is always passive in the learning process assumes the position of the oppressed. The role of the teacher is to deposit information into the student who

Information Flow in an Organization Essay Example for Free

Information Flow in an Organization Essay Depending upon the organization information is used and disseminated accordingly. Information flow plays a very important role, and is a critical component among businesses who seek to be more successful than their competition. Companies cannot operate without a proper and concise information flow which is accessible through the company’s different departments. The IT department and information systems are mainly responsible for providing ways for the various departments within the company to have access to applications and systems that assist employees in accomplishing their jobs with more ease. Businesses today rely heavily on information technology, and software applications to assist the different departments through helping them complete their daily tasks and functions in a faster and better manner. Software applications help the information systems run in a way that allow employees to perform more tasks in less time and help everything run smoothly together similar. As I examine my current employer I can see how important information flow is to the success of our company. Information is used to work together with every department; however it is easy to point out how it flows by examining each department such as Sales, Engineering, Programming and Production. As orders are placed, our sales department is the first step in information flow in my organization. Customers have specific requirements for each machine they purchase which generally always differ from previous versions we have made. Once the sales orders and specifications are in order they are sent from the sales department to our Engineering department to be designed. There are several different draftsmen and each has their own area of expertise. The Production Manager assigns the frames and machines to be designed to the draftsmen based on the specifications given by the customer. Also, while in Engineering, the machines are given job numbers that will follow them throughout the shop so that it may be tracked as well as allow employees to clock into the proper job. Having a specific job number tied to a specific machine also allows management to review every individual that has worked on these machines at any time. After the machines have designed and approved they are then sent to the programming department. The programming department is responsible for tearing the machines apart in a CAD system known as SolidWorks and separating the frame from the sheet metal. After this has been completed the next step is to individually program each piece of tubing in the frame and apply the proper programming required for optimum cutting time on the laser. The next thing that is programmed is all the sheet metal parts. In order to program sheet metal, the part which is drawn in solidworks, must be saved and transformed into a DXF file. These files are put into a software called SigmaNest and programmed fairly easy. Once all elements of the machine has been programmed, the programming department takes the programs, the job related to the machine, the machine drawings and specifications, and the sales order and hands it off to the Floor Manager for Production. After the Floor manager has all this information, he decides which machines to cut and in what order to cut them in based on shipping dates. He then takes the machine programs, jobs, and drawing and pass them out to the proper departments which will work on cutting, assembling, painting, and testing each one of our machines before they are sealed and shipped off to any of our customers throughout the world. Information flow is essential in any business in maintain functionality as well as productivity. Without some sort of order, without some sort of standard operating procedures our company could not be one of the leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery in the world.

Reasons For The Merging Of Companies Economics Essay

Reasons For The Merging Of Companies Economics Essay There is no doubt that mergers play a great role in the development of an economy. In this essay, a merger will be defined as a combination of two corporations in which only one corporation survives and the merged corporation goes out existence (Gaughan, 2007, p. 12). After a merger, the newly-established company will hold two merged companies assets. In this way, mergers offer more chances for companies to become bigger and stronger. At the same time, customers may receive better services than those before a merger. However, the topic of mergers motives has long been the subject of debate, as different companies put forward different reasons to merge. Some of them are economically sound, while some of them are not. In fact, from the current studies, it can be seen that there are two big types of motives, one is economic motives and the other is non-economic motives. Although some people argue that motives of mergers lie in some non-economic reasons, such as the political reasons, the managers reasons, and so on, others take a different view and emphasize that because of that the raison dà ªtre of a company is to make profits, most motives of mergers are for sound economic reasons. Thus, this essay is an attempt to argue that the main motives for mergers are economically sound reasons. It also aims to show the importance of different economic motives, even though some people claim that there are many failures that resulted from those motives. In addition, the ineffectiveness of non-economic motives will also be checked to support the main argument. In order to demonstrate this, this essay will first focus on the growth motive of mergers. The case of PO and Stena will also be added into the discussion. Second, different types of synergy will be illustrated to explain how valid this motive is to help companies to become stronger. Third, the electronic giant General Electronic (GE) will be given as a good example to discuss the significance of the diversification motive. Fourth, the example of the Exxon-Mobil Oil Company will be used to show some other economic motives. Finally, there will be discussion about some non-economic motives such as power motives, achievement motives, and political motives and so on, though these are some less common motives for mergers. 2.0 Economic Motives 2.1 Faster Growth If a company seeks to make a merger with other firms, the most popular motive may be growth. As Denzil (2001) points out, one of the most successful types of merger may be a merger with a growth motive, because it is easy and quick to beat competitors and take the lead in markets. When a company wants to expand, there are several choices: internal growth or growth through mergers. Internal growth means companies go to buy land and build more factories, employ new staff, or search for a market to sell products and so on. This is a long way to go. However, if companies use the method of merging, it will save them much time to do other things such as research and development or market promotion. Moreover, through merging, companies may easily occupy the market, enlarge the market share, and beat the competitors (DePamphilis, 2003). If mergers occur in different regions, this means companies are improving its fame and becoming more globalised, this means more customers may know about the company, in other words, more potential benefits will move to the company. Although there are a great number of obvious benefits that companies will face, others disagree with the motive of growth. In their opinion, growth is a difficult goal to achieve and is not a sound economic reason. As Gaughan (2007) indicates, when a company has already accomplished growth in the past, it is difficult for corporate managers to keep growing. However, after achieving growth in the past, managers will look for some other ways to keep growing. Among those ways, Mergers could be the fastest and the most efficient way. Companies do not need to take couples of year to build workshop, and recruit new employees. In addition, with less time to spend, growth via mergers can be gain through the lowest-risk way (DePamphilis, 2003, p. 356). Long time means more uncertainties, which are more risks. How to avoid those risks? It is better to spend less time, and complete mergers quickly. As a good example of growth motive, the case of Johnson Johnson should be introduced. Johnson Johnson is one of the biggest manufacturers of health care industry in the world. It was established by Johnson and his two brothers in 1986 in New Jersey of United States. At that time, it was a company which only had fourteen workers. In the early 1920s, with the development of businesses, Johnson Johnson began to build branches in other places such as America, Europe, Asia and Africa. However, over the period 1995 to 2005, Johnson Johnson took a series of mergers. Through those mergers, Johnson Johnson have gained a greatly fast growth. So far, Johnson Johnson have owned more than 250 subsidiaries in 57 different countries and 115 thousand employees. Its products are available in nearly 175 countries (Stock Johnson Johnson, 2010). The global revenue of Johnson Johnson in 2008 was 63.7 billion US dollars (JNJ Income Statement, 2009). From the example of Johnson Johnson, we can see, with the development of an increasingly globalized world, growth can be one of the most efficient and fundamental motives of mergers. 2.2 Different Types of Synergy As another important motive, synergy is the popular choice for companies to make a merger. Synergy means the extra energy or effectiveness that people or businesses create when they combine their efforts. In mergers, according to DePamphilis (2003), synergy refers to corporate combination will produce more profits than that the sum of their separate status. Therefore, synergy is often used to explain the phenomenon of 1+1=3. In mergers, this means the combination of two companies may generate three companies effect. Just because of this, many companies try their best to seek the opportunities to combine with other corporations. If synergy occurs in mergers, it focuses on two sides to raise the profitable ability of companies: revenue enhancements and cost reductions (Gaughan, 2007, p. 133). For example, if Coca Cola make a merger with a fruit producer, as a result, it will save more spending to buy raw material for its soft drinks. This is called cost reductions. When Coca Cola have gained a lower price of raw material, it can reduce some prices of its drinks. In this way, lower price will make a promotion of its drinks. This is named revenue enhancements. Though the actual fact is more complex than this example, the truth is the related theory would be basically the same. Although synergy has enhanced the profitability from revenues and costs, some people do not agree synergy should be a good economic reason for mergers (Gaughan, 2007). From their point of view, the synergy effect can only be described the mergers of companies in the same industry or seller-buyer relationship, and it is not suitable to other diversified mergers. In order to respond this, economies of scope should be introduced as a concept that is confused with economies of scale. Economies of scope can be defined as the ability of a firm to utilize one of set of inputs to provide a broader range of products and services (Gaughan, 2007, p. 129). If a company is able to utilize its workforce, and facilities, synergy also can be achieved. Most failures of mergers with synergy purpose are because of their leaders inefficient management ability and not the motive of synergy. Several examples of mergers motivated by the pursuit of synergy have achieved the success. After the 1994 merger between Radisson Diamond Cruises and Seven Seas Cruises, the combined cruise lines began to provide cheaper price of beds and itineraries. This is because, as a result of merger, fewer managers will be needed to maintain the relationship with the same districts travel agencies. Hence, costs reductions are gained. Moreover, with the larger size of company, the fame of company is improving. This enables sales force to make a promotion more easily. As a result, more customers will come to enjoy their trips. Therefore, revenue is enhanced by this way (Gaughan, 2007, pp. 127-128). With motive of synergy, companies are not only able to increase its revenue, but also decline its cost. Thus, we may see how valid the synergy motive is. 2.3 Diversification When a company has already been the bellwether of one industry, managers of the company may consider some diversified merger to expand its size and make more profits. Diversification provides conditions of expansion by applying companies goodwill in former industry to other different product field, and it can also provide conditions of forming scale effect (DePamphilis, 2003, p. 20). Through diversification, it is foreseeable that companies may have the chance to gain significant earnings, because a new industry means a new opportunity. Opportunity should be the best thing for companies managers. Another side about diversification, as Gaughan (2007) pointed out, is that companies may obtain continuous competitive advantage. This is because if General Electronic can hardly sell its military products to armies in a peaceful time, but it can also seek profitable opportunities in other field such as insurance, healthcare, plastics, energy, and so on. This is the theory about continuous c ompetitive advantages. As long as a company becomes a diversified one, it will acquire the privilege of enjoying continuous competitive advantage. Compared with its positives, one accusation for diversification as not a valid economic reason is that there are some potential risks when companies expand into another industry. If companies cant handle the risks well, it may bring damages to them. A study carried out by Berger and Ofek (1995), using a large sample of firms over the 1986-1991 sample periods, found that diversification caused an average 13% to 15%s loss of firm value. The study also found that the loss of firm value was less than that of when the diversification occurred, and it was not affected by firm size. However, some evidence suggest diversification do not directly lessen firms value. One finance researcher, Villalonga, believes that the diversification discount is because of incorrect use of data of several researchers (Villalonga, 2004, cited in Gaughan, 2007, p143). As Gaughan (2007) points out: The data used by those researchers were artificially restricted by Financial Accounting Standards Board definition of segments as well as requirements that only segments that constitute 10% or more of a companys business are required to be reported. Using a data source that is not affected by this problem, Villalonga finds a diversification premium, as opposed to a discount (Gaughan, 2007, p143). Although there are many companies that have suffered failures at diversification, others argue that they have achieved great success with mergers at diversification. The most successful example is General Electric (GE). Unlike its name, now GE is no longer an electric company. Through a series of mergers at diversification, GE has become a diversified giant with operations insurance, television stations, plastics, medical equipment, and so on. Especially during the 1980s and 1990s, during the fourth merger wave, GE had made a great number of Mergers with various companies, and it has benefited significantly from those combinations (Gaughan, 2007, p. 137). In short, although mergers with diversification might have potential risks to the newly combined company, more diversified mergers may provide a bigger market for companies to make profits as what GE have gained. 2.4 Other Economic Motives There are two sound other types of economic motives for mergers: horizontal integration and vertical integration. Generally, in horizontal integration, market power and market share are raised through mergers. While in vertical integration, both merged firms have a buyer-seller relationship, hence, the combination may provide a dependable source of supply and lower costs advantage (Gaughan, 2007, pp. 145-155). In horizontal integration, market power stands for the leadership of a market (DePamphilis, 2003, p. 69). Sometimes, market power may gain from market share, and it is well-known that market share may easily gain as a consequence of horizontal integration. Once market power is achieved by one company, all the other rivals in the same market will probably be affected. Their pricing strategy, promotion plan, product research and development and so on will probably all follow with the leader of the market. This is similar to the situation of Nokia in the Mobile Phone industry. However, in a vertical integration, both merged companies will benefit from the integration. One company will not worried about the sales of its products, and the other will not be concerned with the source of its raw materials. However, there has been a debate that both horizontal integration and vertical integration may bring several negatives to the market and consumers. One of the most being criticized is monopoly competition (DePamphilis, 2003, p. 24). After mergers, the power of merged companies will get bigger. Thus, the structure of the industry will tend to monopoly, which means merged companies may beat others using pricing strategy and the public will pay significantly for this. Although, sometimes, when this situation happens, government will release various policies to prevent this situation from continuing. This is the reason why Coca Cola failed to merge with one of Chinas biggest juice companies, Huiyuan Juice Group. In 2009, Coca Cola planed to purchase Huiyuan Juice with 2.4 billion US dollars. This deal was blocked by Chinas ministry of commerce with the reason that Coke might abuse its dominant position in Chinas soft drinks industry (Sundeep Tucker, 2009). However, most of the time, as long as companies will not affect markets and customers by means of some illegal ways, government wont stop these mergers. In fact, the worlds largest Oil Company, Exxon-Mobil Oil Company, comes from a merger. In 1998, there was a megamerger in the Oil industry. Exxon announced its merger with the Mobil Oil Company. At that time, both two companies were the leading companies in the Oil industry. After merging, in order to achieve the synergistic gains, the companies need to successfully integrate its resources. As a result, this merger was extremely successful. Two years later, the combined Exxon-Mobil announced that the merger saved them approximately $4.8 billion which is higher than the estimated $3.8 billion. With successful operation of the following years, in 2006, Exxon-Mobil announced its highest annual profits that the firms annual profits in 2005 were $36 billion and its sales were $371 billion. Exxon-Mobil became the largest company in the world (Gaughan, 2007, p. 146). From the example of Exxon-Mobil and discussion above, we could see that no matter horizontal integration or vertical integration, those economic motives will be beneficial to merged companies. Therefore, these economic motives are the sound motives for mergers. 3.0 Non-economic Motives There are several non-economic motives which exist in mergers such as power motives, achievement motives, and political motives and so on. Most of the time, these motives only exist in the mind of managers of merged companies. Therefore, it is less sound for researchers to pay attention to them as motives for mergers. 3.1 Power Motives and Achievement Motives Power motives refer to the peoples pursuit of control over others by means of increasing source of power, and this is particularly serious in some top managers in merged companies (Schmalt, 1987, cited in Carsten Lausberg and Teresa Stahl, 2008, p.6). With the possibility of a higher position through mergers, it is no wonder that these managers will often support the proposal of mergers. Usually, after mergers, these newly combined companies will have a bigger size. More workers will add into different teams or departments for mangers to supervise. These things are what the managers seek for. Through this way, they have got a continuous increase of power. It is common to see that a person will be judged successful or unsuccessful by various criterions. Hence, achievements become the most vital thing for some managers. Since it may be the fastest and most efficient way to enlarge companies size and improve companies value though mergers, most managers who have the achievement motive will let companies go to merge. Furthermore, merger is a highly complex and energy consuming thing and people will recognize the managers of successful mergers. Therefore, a person with a strong achievement motive will take the risk of pushing companies to merge (Carsten Lausberg and Teresa Stahl, 2008, p.7). However, the reason why these two motives and motives like that are not main reasons for companies mergers is that, in nowadays companies, decisions are made by the whole members of the Board. Any single man could hardly affect the entire Board of directors opinions about decisions except for family firms or totally private companies. In addition, according to Gaughan (2007), mergers often take place in companies that have a good corporate governance structure and a clear responsibilities right of shareholders, board of directors, board of supervisors, managers. Hence, it is less common to see mergers with these personal motives. 3.2 Political Motives It is difficult to find one accurate definition for political motives. In general, however, people regards political motive as a motive which aims to serve for politics. Sometimes, politicians need more economic successes to earn more votes. For instance, in order to enable the Chinese people to enjoy more about the telecom service, in 2008 the Chinese government decided to make several mergers among the six largest state-owned telecom companies including China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, China Netcom, China Tietong, and China Satcom (Xinhua News Agency, 2008). However, it is hard to see mergers with political motives. This is because, primarily, political motives mergers often occur in the countries which have a similar political system like China. There are less of them in the world. Secondly, even though this situation happens, the core of a merger with a political motive is also the economic success. Hence, the political motive is, actually, an economic motive. Non-economic motives can either be some personal motives or the alias of economic motives, thus, they will not be seen as the sound motives. 4.0 Conclusion In conclusion, this essay has attempted to demonstrate that economic motives are the main reasons for different companies mergers. Despite the fact that some people argue that there are some potential risks among these economic reasons, focusing on negatives, the positives of these economic motives stand out. Furthermore, it is also true that various successful examples have shown the importance of these economic motives that have been discussed above. This is why, in recent years, more and more researchers have put their effort to study the topic of MA. Economic motives are not only the first step of merging, but the root of mergers, although, in the process of a merger, there will a great amount of works to be done in future. Currently, after the global financial crisis, there is another trend for companies seeking for mergers. How to avoid the potential risks of these economic motives and transfer them to the real profits is an issue that is open to question.

Eve’s Speech to the Forbidden Tree in Milton’s Paradise Lost

Eve’s Speech to the Forbidden Tree in Milton’s Paradise Lost In Book IX of Milton’s Paradise Lost, Eve makes a very important and revealing speech to the tree of knowledge. In it, she demonstrates the effect that the forbidden fruit has had on her. Eve’s language becomes as shameful as the nakedness that Adam and Eve would later try to cover up with fig leaves. After eating the forbidden apple, Eve’s speech is riddled with blasphemy, self-exaltation, and egocentrism. The first part of Eve’s speech contains the most blatant blasphemy. In it, she turns the forbidden tree into an idol, or a false god. She promises that â€Å"henceforth [her] early care, / Not without song each morning, and due praise / Shall tend [the tree]† (ln 799-801). The long sounds of the spondees in â€Å"not without song each morning, and due praise† add to the deliberateness of Eve’s blasphemy. The tree replaces God in her eyes, and begins to receive the praise that she had formerly reserved only for God. Besides being blasphemous, this is also ironic. In her foolishness, Eve ends up praising the very thing that will ultimately prove to be her undoing. Eve considers the tree a great gift. However, because of the influence of the serpent, she does not consider it a gift from God. The serpent has caused her to believe that God did not give the tree to Adam and Eve because it was not his to give. Therefore, Eve supposes that God must â€Å"envy what [he] cannot give: / For had the gift been [his], it had not here / Thus grown† (ln 805-7). In other words, she argues that if God had had possession of this tree, he would not have left it where it is. Therefore, according to Eve’s manipulated reasoning, God must not have the knowledge that the tree bestow... ...d â€Å"Adam† in line 831. The last two lines of this speech are very dramatic. Eve has such a great love for Adam that she could endure anything as long as he would be by her side, but she would be nothing without him. However, this creates a paradox. One may ask, if Eve loves Adam as much as she professes to, then why put his life in jeopardy just to make her own suffering more bearable? The answer, of course, goes back to the selfishness that has pervaded her entire speech. These lines stand out because of the spondees at the end of both of them. Eve’s language is drastically altered when she partakes of the forbidden fruit. It becomes permeated with blasphemy, self-praise and selfish words. Works Cited: Milton, John. Paradise Lost. in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, M. H. Abrams, ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1993. 1594-5.

C.S. Foresters Lieutenant Hornblower: Success And Failure :: Lieutenant Hornblower Essays

In the novel Lieutenant Hornblower there were a few scenes were Hornblower was a success and a few were he was a failure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my opinion the first success of Hornblower was when he used all the cannons on one side of the ship to free them from the mud holding the ship. Another success was when Hornblower suggested a landing attack on Samana Bay. The commanding officer agreed with his suggestion, and they put together a landing party. Hornblower had the whole attack planed and the coordinates marked. His surprise attack on the Spanish at Samana proved to be a success. Once the fort was taken over he was successful in firing red hot shot at enemy ships, even without ever using that technique before. Then when the negotiation with the Spanish took place he had a brilliant idea to mount a nine pound cannon at the upper end of the peninsula to prevent the Spanish from escaping. This enabled them to turn down the terms of the proposal that the Spanish wanted and get what they wanted without giving anything to the Spanish. These achievements made by Hornblower is what later earned him the command of the Retribution, although his command of the Retribution did not come until later when the war started again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hornblower had also had a few failures that hindered his successes. Among these was when Hornblower was using the red hot shot to sink enemy ships. This was both a success and failure. It was a failure because after heating the shot for a considerably long period of time the shot began to deform. This deformity of the shot wouldn't allow it to fit into the cannon. Hornblower realized his mistake after one of the shots wouldn't fit into the cannon. This slowed their operation down but didn't cause a defeat to them. The situation with Hornblower gambling is mostly in my opinion a success but it could also be a failure. The way I think it would be a failure is that he lost a lot of his

Advanced Medical Technology Corp Essay

There are numerous factors, apart form the amount involved and security or collateral offered, a bank or any lending institution considers when granting a loan to potential borrowers. Some of the most important are a business/company’s financial standing, its financial obligations, the purpose for borrowing, past financial dealings of the borrower and its existing businesses with other entities. All of these are important factors to determine whether or not a bank shall tie its money down to the borrower. Advanced Medical Technology Corporation (AMT), a growing company, is eagerly interested in borrowing capital from Western National Bank of San Francisco, California in the amount of $8 million to maintain its current market position and to exploit new markets. The president of AMT believes that given the current standing of the company, sales will continue to grow in the same pace. Here are the issues Western National Bank of San Francisco should look into and study in order to come up with a decision regarding the loan request of AMT: (1)Current financial condition The financial statements of AMT for the years 1983, 1984 an 1985 shows that the company has been experiencing net losses for the past three years, primarily brought about by heavy spending on research and development. However, despite the losses, it seems that the company’s net profit margin has been improving in a continuing velocity. From 1983 to 1984, the net profit margin of the company improved considerably from -9.77% to -5.44%. This continued the following year with a net profit margin of -4.82. From this, we can infer that should the company continue its aggressive and competitive market stance, its net income would continue to improve. However, given the percentage of increase, the company will still continue to see negative income in the coming years. Reviewing the company’s financial statements also shows that company is realizing negative return on assets. Albeit negative, AMT’s return on assets improved significantly from -14.1% in 1983 to -7.15% in 1984. This growth in ROA continued the following year. Because AMT relies heavily on credit lines to finance its needs for research and development, it is important to look into the ability of the company to pay off its debt given its current earnings and assets. The current ratio of the company is decreasing. In 1983, it had a current ratio of 2.57. It dropped down to 1.78 in 1985. This shows the ability of AMT to pay-off its short-term debt. With the current ratio of the company, it may be safe to infer that the company has the ability fulfill its short-term obligations. (2)Security/Collateral The possible sources of security for the bank are accounts receivables, inventories and investments. AMT has a total of almost $6 million outstanding receivables in 1985. Given the aging of accounts receivable that year, it seems that there is a lot of room for improvement in the AR collection of the company. AMT should also implement a more rigorous investigation prior to granting a credit line to clients or customers. This is to ensure that the company attains a more acceptable average collection period. The investment of AMT totaling a little more than $1 million may be a good source of security for Western National Bank of San Francisco, California. Recommendation Given the factors stated above, this paper does not recommend the granting of the requested line of credit in the amount of $8 million. The ratio analysis clearly shows that AMT will continue to see negative returns and profits in the coming years. Its heavy investment in research and development leads to disproportionate operational expenses, which subsequently results to net losses. While the president of AMT is confident that sales will continue to increase at unprecedented pace, this may not be enough for the company to generate profits from its assets and investments. Given this, AMT is most likely to have a difficult time in managing and paying off a loan in this amount.

Job Description Essay

In today’s job market there are a lot of demands from employers. The business environment is constantly changing. Your knowledge, skills and abilities have to be able to meet the demands of the job market. Showcasing yourself and the familiarity and the experience with the procedure detail of the job is very important The Job Analysis. Goes hand in hand with a job description. A job description identifies characteristics of the job to be performed in terms of the tasks, duties and responsibilities to be fulfilled. (Youssef, 2010). It is basically a â€Å"snapshot† of a job. The job description needs to communicate clearly and concisely the responsibilities and tasks. (Lindenberger,2011) There are a lot of people competing for the same job. Ultimately who gets hired depends on the most qualified applicant. I would use a job description to make sure I get the most qualified person for the job. The person job fit has to be right has to definitely be compatible. Your skill highlights and the ability to successfully perform the job is a key factor. I would use a competency-based analysis. The potential employee definitely has to be competent enough to perform the qualities and requirements needed to effectively carry out a job like mines. My job description was to me very detailed. It was somewhat intimidating at first but once I got hired, I understood why. I am currently working as Assistant payment worker for the State of Michigan. The tasks and responsibilities is what my job duty requires of me from day to day. Which was very much detailed. It is assisting clients with getting the help they may need and providing resources for them. I assist client’s help with Food, Shelter and medical resources. I often go above and beyond what my tasks and responsibilities that are required of me, because of my human character I often feel sorry to see what people have to go through in this world. Sometimes in the job description you will see what the responsibilities include but are not limited too. So I would want someone dedicated to what there job is, but also a team player and don’t mind going the extra mile. In the end it’s all about customer service. The tools and technology used are also a key factor. Most jobs often require training once hired. But you at least need the basic skills of using computer software. Educational requirements would also be very important on a job analysis. A degree is preferred most of the time when applying for any job in the business field. If not a degree it is important to me, to at lease have a certain amount of college credits. Which is what needed to obtain my job. In order to gain some valuable information about candidates, there are different selection methods that should be used. Selection methods can narrow down potential candidates. (Youseef,2010) The approach and selection method I would use is testing, I think is a good method to use, especially when there are so many applicants applying for the same position. Testing will help to eliminate clients that are not qualified for the job. Testing will reveal how much knowledge a person has with general competency and knowledge needed for the job. The scores will tell it all. The Interview method is also another good method I would consider. Almost any job you apply for, you will have to have an interview, weather its in person or over the telephone. I have to interview clients everyday at my current job, to see if the fit the qualifications of receiving assistance. Being able to look at a person, and have direct interaction is important. When questions are being asked it will sometimes portray how honest a person is. You can tell by the body language or sometimes how directly a person answers a question if they are being truthful or not. It will show confidence. However there are different types of interviews. The one I would use is a panel discussion interview, which is having several interviewers asking questions. That can sometimes make a person really nervous. I know I was, but again if you have the skills and knowledge to prove it, then it shouldn’t be a problem A job description is just what it says, it describes the job. As a competitive employee, make sure you fit that description the best you can.

Article Summary and Reaction Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Article Summary and Reaction Paper - Essay Example Nevertheless, Parga visited the Karow Chiropractic Center and treated for the injuries (Sacasa, 2014). The treatment cost was settled by Allstate Insurance that amounted to $ 19 386.25. Later, FBI investigators unraveled the fraud. Investigators made arrests and charges on Ricardo Pargas and Alien Moya. They both attested guilty. The FBI (2015) recognizes insurance fraud as among the greatest challenges to insurance companies in the U.S that costs nearly $40 billion, annually. The incidence at West Palm Beach, Florida involved violation of the Florida Insurance Fraud Statute (Penal Code, Title XLVI, Chapter 817) (The Florida Legislature, 2015). The law outlines circumstances that involve insurance fraud. The insurance fraud greatly affected the insurance company, Allstate Insurance, which had to pay $ 19 386.25 as compensation for fraudulent claims. The articles describe the impact of staged accidents to the insurance company. Under the law, insurance fraud is punishable as provided in subsection (11) when rendered the accused is guilty of either having an intent to cause injury, knowingly engages in the defraud or has motives to deceive the insurer. Charges are also applicable when there is evidence that the accused is proven to knowingly disguise critical information when filing the claim. Sacasa, A. (2014, September 25). West Palm man jailed in staged auto crash ring. Sun Sentinel. Retrieved May 2, 2015 from, http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-09-25/local/fl-west-palm-staged-crash-fraud-20140925_1_staged-crashes-minor-crash-alien-moya The Florida Legislature. (2015). The 2014 Florida Statutes: Florida Insurance Fraud Statute (Penal Code, Title XLVI, Chapter 817). Retrieved May 2, 2015 from,

Political theories and ideologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political theories and ideologies - Essay Example Political ideology is an ideology whose focus is on the political arena. The political system is a way in which the existing societies make and analyze their decisions about the most important value. Political ideologies have two partial exceptions; two cases in which focuses on the importance of religious beliefs, that is those of liberation and Islam. Political philosophy, political ideology, and political theory all relate in that they focus on the different ways of thinking about all the political ideas. All political philosophies which are every political statement about how the government or the people should behave has a statement on how they behave, which is political theory This paper tackles the ideologies of nationalism, globalism, and feminism; it comprises some comparisons of the three ideologies. For nationalism, it is set of beliefs, which help produce a divergent set of the already existing nationalisms. Nationalism is important today; there are forces, however, that diminish nationalism, and these forces include internationalism, globalization, and religionalism. Nationalism also means the national awareness of oneself as part of a bigger group, identification with a group and patriotism. However contradicting the theory of nationalism is, scholars still view it as an ideology some state that nationalism is the most powerful tool in the political ideologies. They say that it is one of the least expected ideologies but still one of the most important in contemporary international politics. This results from the increased awareness about national identities through pressing for their distinctiveness and rediscovering their national history and making of demands under national self-determination. Nationalism has both the bad and the good aspects, which mean theirs and ours. The good and the bad often reflect the analysis of all the types of nationalism and the impacts associated to it. Traditionalist view nationalism

Assignment #4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assignment #4 - Essay Example M butterfly’s criticisms range from arguments or debates over illustration of sexualities and ethnicity, orientalism politics, theatre and performance theories, and lastly the masquerade concept. As such, this essay will explore and analyze the production of M. Butterfly and how it represents Asia through the story, scenic design, costume design, movement, sound, and lights. Three synchronized actors perform a splendid kabuki style dance during the opening scene of the play m butterfly. Their enticing precise movements are elaborately done. Also, their Asian themed masks, makeup and robes are all evident. Just as Asians are stereotyped to be feminine, the actors have a delicate characteristic in their movements. The western nations have a long standing stereotype that depicts Asians as exhibiting a feminine personality unlike their western counterparts who are seen as being more masculine. Additionally, the play depicts the notion of the submissive Asian woman. M Butterfly presents a fictionalized story of a French diplomat who was in a relationship with an Asian, specifically Chinese singer for more than twenty years without actually knowing that his beautiful obedient and submissive lover was actually a male. Gallimard views himself as being clumsy when it comes to love. However, he considers himself to be blessed since he has a devoted beautiful and exotic woman (Liling Song). Hwang employs the term oriental in the play to refer to how the Asians are deemed to be exotic by the west. Unknown to him, Liling is a Chinese spy whose intent was to manipulate Gallimard by extracting information from him concerning the Vietnam War. Hwang in an interview quipped that he was basically interested in the different ways he would create and showcase total theatre. He insisted that he preferred theatre which uses different mediums at his disposal to create keep the audience glued to the play (Hwang et al, 1989). To do this, he incorporated

What should we do to help people get jobs Research Paper

What should we do to help people get jobs - Research Paper Example This happens in all parts of the world and more so countries where literacy levels are high, calling for high education and experience in order for one to secure employment. This leaves fresh graduates no chances of employment as people with experience are preferred compared to fresh graduates. Therefore, it is important for human beings to help their fellows secure jobs. From this perspective, it is the role of humans to help others gets employed whether they are employed or not. There are different forms of unemployment. They include the school leavers, redundant, graduates, career breaks and also the disabled workers. School leavers are those people that have not been to university and may have no qualifications, and their level of education is below the degree level. This makes them jobless. Graduates are those who have completed their degree level yet they have not found any job. Career breaks are people who were initially employed but had some time away from their careers but are ready to get back to those careers. Such are also referred to as returning mums or dads. Lastly, the disabled workers are people with disabilities but are capable of doing any job that non-disabled persons can do yet they are not employed (Total jobs, n.p). All the above groups fall under the realm of unemployed persons. Notably, they all can secure themselves jobs at different places in the society. The possibility of them getting employed depends on their attitude towards the jobs. The unemployed can get jobs through personal marketing. McKay tells people that they should search for jobs in a way like the jobs were a marketing campaign. Also, she teaches people that they learn to put together some marketing formulas to help them find their employment. The interview is probably the part of the job search process that makes people the most anxious. That could be because any control you had

Production of tpa using eukaryotic n prokaryotic cells Essay - 1

Production of tpa using eukaryotic n prokaryotic cells - Essay Example course of production, safety precautions have to be strictly adhered to, as the drugs are poisons in nature and could cause severe body harm if misused. A method for producing tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) in eukaryotic host cells is disclosed. Enhanced levels of t-PA production are obtained by co-amplification of the t-PA gene through treatment of cultures transformed with mutant or wild type DHFR with methotrexate. Â  A cell culture comprising methotrexate (MTX) sensitive recombinant host cells transformed with an expression vector comprising a first DNA sequence encoding a dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) protein with a low binding affinity for MTX, and a second DNA sequence encoding human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), tPA encoded by said second DNA sequence, and an effective amplifying concentration of MTX. The invention herein relates to the production of human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in a transformant host cell culture. More specifically, the invention relates to vectors, cells, and methods of producing tPA in conjunction with expression of the sequences for coding for dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) protein in such cells. Another example that describes use of CHO cells as host cells, and expression vectors which include the SV40 origin of replication as a promoter. However, it would be well within the skill of the art to use analogous techniques to construct expression vectors for expression of desired protein sequences in alternative eukaryotic host cell cultures. If cells without formidable cell wall barriers are used as host cells, transfection is carried out by the calcium phosphate precipitation method as described by Graham and Van der Eb, Virology, 52:546 (1978). However, other methods for introducing DNA into cells such as by nuclear injection or by protoplast fusion may also be used. Construction of suitable vectors containing the desired coding and control sequences employ standard ligation techniques. Isolated plasmids or

Website for a Specified Organisation Essay Example for Free

Website for a Specified Organisation Essay Business Objectives Websites are used in many different businesses nowadays, yet they aren’t exactly needed in some. They will benefit a business if they are put in place in order to achieve their aims, which generally is to make a profit. The ways in which they can achieve their aims is done by ensuring that the business analyse how exactly they will achieve their aims on a whole and identify the certain objectives that they have in order to be a successful business. The business that I am going to study is Kells Lane Fish Bar, which is located on Low Fell in Gateshead. The business has been up and running for 21 years now and was put there in order to offer a traditional fish shop menu to anyone who entered the shop. The business offers to sell products to many customers, in which this means they will respond to the demand of the customers and therefore are part of a business to consumer relationship. At this current time the fish shop doesn’t actually have a website for their business however there are plenty of ways on the internet to which you can find the number for the shop. I feel that it would be very beneficial to the business if they were to open up a website as it allows for a lot more customers to see the existence of the business and as well as this I feel that if they were able to put on an ordering service for example then the shop would be flowing a lot easier and would perhaps again lead to more customer attention. -Explain business objectives -Describe smart objectives (GET THEM LATER ON, OFF OTHER DOCUMENT) There are a few key objectives for the fish shop, the first being survival, since the business has been running for 21 years it has seen many different economic reactions by the UK, for example being in a recession and a boom. The business will have been through bad and good times over the years but as more and more fish shops begin to run it means that Kells Lane fish bar will have to then offer a few more products or do something different to other fish shops in order to attract the customers. I Feel by having a website it would help assist the business in order for it to survive and keep running, the reason I believe this is because if the business had a website then it would mean that more people would know about the business, therefore attracting a lot more customers. In addition to this I feel that with an online service in which the customer could place their order it would then make the process of collecting the food a lot quicker, the reason for this being that instead of having to wait in a queue for your food you could order online and then be ready to go and pick up your food whenever its ready. Profit maximisation is yet another objective that I feel is used efficiently at the business, I feel that the fish shop needs to sacrifice some of their short term profits in order to gain a long term profit. Therefore when the business buys batches of stock to sell to the customers, they should do this all at once so that they don’t need to keep getting stock delivered to them which will save the many delivery charges they would get. I feel that this is a perfect reason to open up a website as although it may be expensive to set up in the short term, the impact it will have when people place orders etc. on the site will give the business a massive long term profit, which is a great way to show profit maximisation.

Reflection on Cultural Competencies

Reflection on Cultural Competencies Jon Teegardin Caring for a multicultural society is the name of the class I am taking this semester. It is only logical that part of learning about providing care to a patients of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds is learning about my own perceptions of culture. By honestly and openly completing a cultural competency checklist, I was able to identify my own strengths and shortcomings about culture. This paper will analyze the results of my checklist, analyze my thoughts and feelings about my responses, and identify ways I can improve on my care of culturally diverse patients. Analysis and summary of the assessment results This assessment was completed by me, Jon Teegardin, RN. I currently work as an emergency room nurse at a local hospital. I strongly agreed with 77% of the statements in the assessment, agreed with 16%, and chose neutral for the remaining 7% of the statements. There were no statements that I disagreed or strongly disagreed with. The subjects with a neutral response included acceptability of the use of languages other than English, participation in insensitive comments or behaviors, and recognition of different English language dialects. Analysis of thoughts and feelings after taking assessment My initial impression of the assessment was that I was culturally competent and sensitive to culturally related differences among my patient population. As I looked closer at my responses though, I realized that I am less sensitive to non-English speakers and that I am prone to making insensitive comments. After realizing this, I wanted to analyze why I have a neutral view about those who may not speak English and those who speak a different dialect of my native language. Being 45 years old, I can distinctly remember a time in this country when the English language was the only language used by business and even the government. The United States Government still requires that naturalized citizens â€Å"read, write, and speak Basic English† (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, n.d.). Television produced many shows that used racial and ethnic stereotypes as the basis for sitcoms. Shows like What a Country used language and cultural differences as the punchline for jokes set to a laugh track. Perfect Strangers went so far as to create a fictitious country of origin for the shows main character. This allowed the network to write scripts that utilized extreme stereotypical views of eastern Europeans without appearing to be offensive to the target audience of Americans (Amazon, 2014). This programming taught viewers that it was OK to laugh at those who spoke differently or those who had different traditions or values. We were taught that an ac cent was something to laugh at and imitate. I could cite even worse examples from the seventies. I actually felt ashamed when I thought about American Sign Language and deaf culture. I actually debated a previous instructor about deaf culture, based in part on the fact that American Sign Language is not just hand signals of English words or letters, but is actually a visual language of its own (Jay, 2008). I actually contradicted my own belief by limiting my definition of language. Not one of my finer moments. Areas of improvement needed after taking the assessment There are three areas of improvement that I identified by taking this assessment. Acceptability of the use of languages other than English, participation in insensitive comments or behaviors, and recognition of different English dialects. It is important to remember that while a person may speak Basic English, they may be more comfortable speaking their native language. There are 31.8 million U.S. residents that speak a language other than English in their home, and of that number, 54% are Hispanic (Cultural diversity and language issues, 1994). Even though there is a movement in this country away from the concept of the melting pot, it does not mean that people who choose to come here don’t want to embrace American culture. Learning a new language is hard and that difficulty is magnified as we age. I have encountered many patients in the ER who speak little or no English, but their child speaks both languages fluently. It is insensitive to demand that everyone who comes here speak only my native language. Insensitive comments or behaviors don’t need to be made in a negative manner to be hurtful. How many of us have spoken louder and slower to someone who speaks limited English? We may be doing so in an attempt to be helpful, but do we stop and think about how patronizing or belittling that behavior may be? It is important that I model my behavior in a manner that is sensitive to a language barrier in a manner that is still respectful. Part of my assessment of a patient needs to address communication barriers immediately and utilize my facilities language translation services earlier in the patient encounter. Recognition of different English dialects should include geographic influences. I have to admit that initially I was looking at dialect as simply poor grammar, when it is much deeper than that. Southern English is just as correct as Midwestern English, even though substantial differences can be found in the way people from these two areas speak. One researcher identified 24 different dialects of American English (Wilson, 2013). Suggestions for improving the provision of transcultural healthcare It is important that to let go of stereotypes or behaviors that were impressed on me at an early age. The first step towards modifying these behaviors is identifying them properly. The assessment is a good tool to identify areas that can be improved. It is also important to recognize that â€Å"transcultural research, as presently conducted, may depict a view of behavior that encourages expectations of stereotypes among health practitioners and this view may inhibit rather than enhance individualized practice† (Price Cortis, 1999, p. 243). This means that it is important to remember that our learned cultural expectations may be suspect and this can be detrimental to the care that we provide to our patients. A provider cannot assume that just because they know the cultural aspects of a patient that they know the geographic influences on that patient’s culture as well. References Amazon. (2014). Perfect Strangers. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090501/ Cultural diversity and language issues. (1994).The Journal of School Health,64(1), 41. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215683754?accountid=87314 Jay, M. (2008). Deaf Culture. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.start-american-sign-language.com/deaf-culture.html Price, K., Cortis, J. (1999). The way forward for transcultural nursing. Nurse Education Today,20(3), 233-243. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (n.d.). Learn About Naturalization. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learners/learn-about-naturalization Wilson, R. (2013, December 3). What Dialect Do You Speak? A Geographical Breakdown of American English (Posted 2013-12-03 01:01:46). The Washington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-35439884.html?