Business law - situational question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business law - situational question - Essay Example In fact, the terms of the owners of the parking garage could be considered to be legally unreasonable and therefore there could indeed be grounds for a law suit against them. This is due to the fact that within the UCTA 1977 Act and the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, there have been many clauses within company terms rendered ineffective due to the fact that they are totally infeasible (MacDonald 2004, p. 69). Of course there have been many cases that have been variant from this one which have been found to hold unreasonable terms and therefore the party of each case was held responsible for the adversities that arose to the defendants. These could be cases of faulty goods and the terms of sale unreasonable, or it could be of cases stemming from an even simpler nature. One case that was found to have unreasonable terms and of which the defendant won was in AEG Ltd v. Logic Resource Ltd (Bradgate 1997, p. 582). Of course though this was not a case that involved any form of injury to the defendant it could have resulted in loss of profit and adversity for the company. Therefore based on the laws of the UCTA 1977 Act, the defendant was awarded that which he was asking in the case due to the unreasonableness of the plaintiff's terms in the contract. This could be viewed in a similar light in regards to Helen's case and the terms in the parking garage. ... Therefore, for reasons such as these and others similar, the UCTA 1977 Act looks at all occurrences, not simply injury related ones. In Helen's case the terms are obviously unreasonable(as has been stated) and in that regard can not be binding as a form of protection for the owners to not have to face negligent charges and restitution damages by the defendant, which is Helen. Furthermore, because the notice in the garage and the memo are not incorporated logically then there is a definite unreasonable factor being presented. Helen might have assumed that the threat of injury or danger to her body or car was only slight because she was not aware of the falling debris in the garage due to the construction. However, the London Shoe company was aware of the construction and therefore, as was stated should have known to shut down the parking garage until the construction was totally completed so that there would be no unfortunate accidents or injuries. Yet the company failed to do this an d it resulted in a very adverse outcome for Helen. The owners of the parking garage definitely can not deny a "sense of liability" to Helen due to the fact that they did not properly post about the construction in the parking garage and the construction in itself deviated far from any minute injury or adverse occurrence that could have taken place at any other time in the garage (Barmes 2004, p. 435).Furthermore, since the contract with the parking garage assigning parking privileges to employees seemed to be breached then the owners themselves have a liability to the defendant as has been stated. The reason that there was a breach is due to the fact that the circumstances surrounding the parking garage changed when the construction took

Analysis of Personal and Organizational Ethics and Values between Assignment

Analysis of Personal and Organizational Ethics and Values between For-Profit and Not-for-Profit Organizations - Assignment Example On the other hand, in a for-profit organization, the organization is operated with the sole purpose of returning profit to its owners and are subjected to paying taxes (Business Dictionary, 2013). The distinctive feature between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations is for-profit organization dispenses profits to its owners while not-for-profit do not. Also, when it occurs that a for-profit organization becomes bankrupt or goes out of business, then its assets will be liquidated and the fund distributed to the shareholders or owners, while when a not-for-profit organization ceases to be, its assets have to be given to another not-for-profit organization. There are however similarities between the two organizations. Both wish to accomplish objectives using management techniques and business tactics that are manly applied in for-profit organizations. The not-for-profit organization that we will be examining is American Red Cross (2013), because it is well organized and has all the properties of a not for-profit organization. Walmart (2013) a for-profit organization will also be examined, because it houses all the properties of a for-profit organization. Both of these mentioned organizations are worth examining when looking at personal and organization or business ethics. There are three business ethic theories that we will observe. These include divine command, virtue and social theory. Austin (2006) describes divine command theory as a view where morality is in some way dependent upon God, and moral obligation entails obedience to God’s commands. A person running a business based on divine command theory would want to use God’s commands to run the business where the employer will treat the employees just as he want to be treated. For instance, if the business is producing running shoes and there is excess work remaining for the day and allowed extra working time has passed, the employer should let the employees go home. This is because in

Religious Healthcare Organisation

Religious Healthcare Organisation Religious Health Care Introduction I work for the firm of consulting. Religious Health Care of Middleville community have hired us to recognize and assess its strategic performance and to appraise and share concerns from the response’s that have been obtained from quite a few religious leaders in the region. These results will be shared with the CEO and the governing board. Our consulting firm has one rule, â€Å"Never present a condemnation or unconstructive finding devoid of recommending how the organization of clients’ can improve it.† There are a lot of significant elements for improving the organization’s core functions. We will describe the five (5) mainly significant elements that we sense will advantage Religious Health Care and will create an efficient and productive HCO. The governing board functions are vital and by addressing the subsequent improvements in the governing board, will have a productive and efficient HCO. The following will provide the steps to the five most significant elements that the governing board must improve upon: Selecting and operational with the CEO: selecting a CEO, instituting an efficient relationship, assess executive performance and award successes; as well evaluating policies for recruiting, compensating and developing other managers and sustaining a plan for succession of management (Griffith White, 2010). The board not merely selects and works with the CEO’s however it continues its relationships above time. Establishing the vision, mission, and values: agreeing on core values of the organization and common goals and expressing them as a directing concept (Griffith White, 2010). Approving annual budget and strategies to execute the mission: selecting the foremost lines of investment regular with the vision and mission, balancing the vision in opposition to financial realities, and approve plans for execution (Griffith White, 2010). Sustaining the eminence of care: identifying goals for effective, safe, patient-centered, efficient, timely, and equitable care and sustaining an organization that will draw and sustain the mainly competent nurses, physicians, and further caregivers (Griffith White, 2010). Monitoring outcomes for conformity to laws, goals, and regulation: reviewing progress in the direction of implementation by means of benchmarks and events in the community to recognize opportunities of improvement (Griffith White, 2010). We consider that the three (3) mainly significant areas of key performance that will construct for a well-established health care organization are: Building and maintaining a strong and responsible executive team: The mainly vital activity that Religious Health Care can carry out that would be decisive to its financial accomplishment is building and maintaining a sturdy team. It needs a team operational in the direction of the vision and mission to be thriving. No one person in all healthcare organizations, can perhaps own the intellect, insight, or knowledge base to place an organization for success by them. Interviewed executives hardly ever employ the word I. â€Å"Employ of the expression team is persistent in all we execute, from planning in the course of implementation of strategy. These endeavors are not the effect of individuals functioning alone,† says William Nelson. (Griffith White, 2010). Internal operations: capability to offer competitive service, efficiency quality,and accessibility of service. This demonstrates the expenditure of each unit’s care; it computes quality and safety of care and the relevance of rendered services (Griffith White, 2010). Cost: costs, physical counts, and resource situation. This dimension illustrates supply counts, hours of nurses, and vehicles (Griffith White, 2010). Religious can supervise in its emergency room its nursing staff performance by using the subsequent performance measures: Demand: patients number and emergencies percentage. This is calculated in the emergency room by urgent services given to every patient. Demand as well calculates such features as the variation and average in demand, delays for urgent and scheduled service and counts of disruptions or cancellations in process of scheduling (Griffith White, 2010). Satisfaction of Patient: percentage of â€Å"extremely satisfied† in opposition to the number of complaints. The satisfaction of patient is evaluated by surveys that inquire every patient’s satisfaction with the eminence of care given and patient education in relation to any concerns or symptoms. Satisfaction of Patient is evaluated by surveys that deal with such issues as reassurance, personal care, and patient education (Griffith White, 2010). Satisfaction of Physician: referring physicians and physicians attending percentage that are â€Å"extremely satisfied† in opposition to the complaints number. Satisfaction of Physician is particularly significant in view of the fact that the physician is the vertebrae of any organization; devoid of the physicians there might be no organization. This can as well be made with surveys that are completed by physicians attending who rate every physician by her or his performance; on satisfaction of patient and complaints of patient (Griffith White, 2010). By glancing at the admissions number at Religious in opposition to Samaritan’s in Middleville, Religious has fewer admission. Religious can get better on their admissions by ensuring that patients obtain quality care, making sure that every patient is taken care of in a appropriate manner, and ensure that every patient and family member is communed to on their condition and the procedures essential to the welfare of the patient. They can as well get better by doing a scrutiny of admissions; this would assist to perceive where there might be a trouble and how it can be corrected to construct the admissions percentage better. The position of Religious Health Care might be the reason that Samaritan obtains additional admittance. If patients are nearer or live nearer to one facility to a certain extent than the other, the patient will set off to the closest facility to their closeness. Religious can as well advance on their admissions by providing the finest in primary care of every patient; ensure that their facility is secure for patients by carrying out procedures of quality control and offering training for any person or persons that might not fall in compliance and offer each patient with quality care in a appropriate manner. Religious Healthcare might as well improve its image by sustaining its excellence of service by rewarding efficient devoted associates who will then continue being loyal customers. Religious can as well construct relationships with further religious groups in the society by offering free screenings of blood pressure, blood drawing clinics and conducting seminars that could encourage wellness and prevention of disease. Materials can as well be published and distributed at workplace and schools that provides advice and insights on prevention of disease and wellness. Religious Healthcare can also employ the data warehouse system to scrutinize electronic medical records, its human resources, materials management, payroll, marketing and planning, and additional information systems. Religious Health Care by means of the data warehouse, can execute internal management audits by accumulating data on satisfaction of customer, staff satisfaction, hours worked and supplies used and absenteeism,. (Griffith White, 2010) Religious Health Care will have data that would be concise and clear consecutively to manage and preserve a completely efficient health care organization. Religious Health Care can as well utilize a distinctive accounting enterprise system to carry out collections and billing; supplies management; payroll management; financial accounting and reporting; cost finding and reporting cash and investment management; and budget developments (Griffith White, 2010). The entire of these things establish if the Heath Care Organization is appropriately supervised financially. Conclusion Religious Health Care in conclusion, will be thriving in all areas by following the over recommendations consecutively to offer 100% satisfaction of customer; management will be portrayed properly and conveyed in the health care organization and the nursing staff will be executing at higher standards which will consecutively build up into loyal patients and the community are deemed in its strategies of marketing. Reference Griffin, J. R. White, K.R. (2010) The well-managed healthcare organization. (7th. Ed). Chicago: Health Administration Press.

The History of Alcatraz Island Essay -- Alcatraz Federal Prison Jail E

The History of Alcatraz Island Alcatraz Island has quite a distinct history. Many people know that Alcatraz served as a federal prison, but most are reluctant to know that this island served as fort. Built before the Civil War, it served two main purposes. First, that it was to guard the San Francisco bay area from enemy ships against a foreign invasion, and second, to hold hostage prisoners of war or POW's as they were called. In this report, I'll show you how this fortress came to be a federal prison, why it is no longer in operation today, and most importantly, to show why it was built in the first place. When the great "Gold Rush" of 1849 first started, California grew from what would be considered a small, unpopulated state, into what it is now. California is now one of the most populated states and it was mostly the gold rush that brought attention to California. As the government saw all of this happening, they realized that California was much more important than they ever realized. In their realization, t hey decided that California must be protected. San Francisco has one of the largest bays in all of California, and so this was where enemy countries would most likely to try to invade the country. So this is where Alcatraz was to lie, to serve as a military fort. It was supposed to serve as a secondary base in companionship to another base located on the other side of Golden Gate Bridge. But with severe problems trying to build this other base, Alcatraz was to remain alone. "Out in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, the island of Alcatraz is definitely a world unto itself. Isolation is just one of the many constants of island life for any inhabitant on Alcatraz Island. It is the most reoccurring theme in the unfolding history of Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz Island is one of Golden Gate National Recreation Area's most popular destinations, offering a close-up look at a historic and infamous federal prison long off-limits to the public. Visitors to the island can not only explore the r emnants of the prison, but learn of the American occupation of 1969 - 1971, early military fortifications and the West Coast's first and oldest operating lighthouse. These structures stand among the island's many natural features - gardens, tidepools, bird nests, and bay views beyond compare." (1) Fortress Alcatraz ran in operation from 1850 - 1933. It served as San Fr... ...worth THIS?" We can either learn from what valuable lessons that were taught at alcatraz, or we can be ignorant and let it happen again. Alcatraz was considered hostile, cruel, and unjust, and it was. But there was a lesson to be taught, now if we don't learn that human life is the most precious gift that we take for granted, then Alcatraz was a good idea and it needs to be reinstated. But when you allow a man to lose his freedoms that our forefather fought for, with impunity, it is simply the worst thing to happen. Alcatraz was built for a good reason, it served for a good reason. Then it was transformed into "The Rock." Al! l the good that went into was lost. We as a country lost sight of what was important to us, and now if we don't learn from it, we are only asking ourselves for it again. Bibliography 1. The Alcatraz WWW Homepage, Yahoo Search Engine, 1996 2. Professor Clyde W. Richins, University of Michigan, 1990, Vol. 1 of "In the life of Alcatraz" pages 1944- 46 3. Doctor William M. Hellem, Medical Physician on Alcataz Island, 1983, Vol. 1 of "In the life of Alcatraz" pages 132-134 4.Lutenient George R. Hendershaw, Guard that seved on Alcatraz Island,

Google Company Team Essay

Management team Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in September 1998. Since then, the company has grown to more than 30,000 employees worldwide, with a management team that represents some of the most experienced technology professionals in the industry. Executive Officers Larry Page CEO As Google’s chief executive officer, Larry is responsible for Google’s day-to-day-operations, as well as leading the company’s product development and technology strategy. He co-founded Google with Sergey Brin in 1998 while pursuing a Ph.D. at Stanford University, and was the first CEO until 2001—growing the company to more than 200 employees and profitability. From 2001 to 2011, Larry was president of products. Larry holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University. He is a member of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) of the University of Michigan College of Engineering, and together with co-founder Sergey Brin, Larry was honored with the Marconi Prize in 2004. He is a trustee on the board of the X PRIZE, and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2004. Eric E. Schmidt Executive Chairman Since joining Google in 2001, Eric Schmidt has helped grow the company from a Silicon Valley startup to a global leader in technology. As executive chairman, he is responsible for the external matters of Google: building partnerships and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership, as well as advising the CEO and senior leadership on business and policy issues. From 2001-2011, Eric served as Google’s chief executive officer, overseeing the company’s technical and business strategy alongside founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Under his leadership, Google dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its product offerings while maintaining a strong culture of innovation. Prior to joining Google, Eric was the chairman and CEO of Novell and chief technology officer at Sun Microsystems, Inc. Previously, he served on the research staff at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), Bell Laboratories and Zilog. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from  Princeton University as well as a master’s degree and Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. Eric is a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council in the U.K. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2006 and inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as a fellow in 2007. He also chairs the board of the New America Foundation, and since 2008 has been a trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Sergey Brin Co-Founder Sergey Brin co-founded Google Inc. in 1998. Today, he directs special projects. From 2001 to 2011, Sergey served as president of technology, where he shared responsibility for the company’s day-to-day operations with Larry Page and Eric Schmidt. Sergey received a bachelor’s degree with honors in mathematics and computer science from the University of Maryland at College Park. He is currently on leave from the Ph.D. program in computer science at Stanford University, where he received his master’s degree. Sergey is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship. He has published more than a dozen academic papers, including Extracting Patterns and Relations from the World Wide Web; Dynamic Data Mining: A New Architecture for Data with High Dimensionality, which he published with Larry Page; Scalable Techniques for Mining Casual Structures; Dynamic Itemset Counting and Implication Rules for Market Basket Data; and Beyond Market Baskets: Generalizing Association Rules to Correlations. Nikesh Arora Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer Nikesh oversees all revenue and customer operations, as well as marketing and partnerships. Since joining Google in 2004, he has held several positions with the company. Most recently, he led Google’s global direct sales operations. He also developed and managed the company’s operations in the European, Middle Eastern and African markets and was responsible for creating and expanding strategic partnerships in those regions for the benefit of Google’s growing number of users and advertisers. Prior to joining Google, he was chief marketing officer and a member of the  management board at T-Mobile Europe. While there, he spearheaded all product development, terminals, brand and marketing activities of T-Mobile Europe. In 1999, he started working with Deutsche Telekom and founded T-Motion PLC, a mobile multimedia subsidiary of T-Mobile International. Prior to joining Deutsche Telekom, Nikesh held management positions at Putnam Investments and Fidelity Investments in Boston. Nikesh holds a master’s degree from Boston College and an MBA from Northeastern University, both of which were awarded with distinction. He also holds the CFA designation. In 1989, Nikesh graduated from the Institute of Technology in Varanasi, India with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. David C. Drummond Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer David Drummond joined Google in 2002, initially as vice president of corporate development. Today as senior vice president and chief legal officer, he leads Google’s global teams for legal, government relations, corporate development (M&A and investment projects) and new business development (strategic partnerships and licensing opportunities). David was first introduced to Google in 1998 as a partner in the corporate transactions group at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, one of the nation’s leading law firms representing technology businesses. He served as Google’s first outside counsel and worked with Larry Page and Sergey Brin to incorporate the company and secure its initial rounds of financing. During his tenure at Wilson Sonsini, David worked with a wide variety of technology companies to help them manage complex transactions such as mergers, acquisitions and initial public offerings. David earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Santa Clara University and his JD from Stanford Law School. Patrick Pichette Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette is Google’s chief financial officer. He has nearly 20 years of experience in financial operations and management in the telecommunications sector, including seven years at Bell Canada, which he joined in 2001 as executive vice president of planning and performance management. During his time at Bell Canada, he held various executive positions, including CFO from 2002 until the end of 2003, and was instrumental in the management of the  most extensive communications network in Canada and its ongoing migration to a new national IP-based infrastructure. Prior to joining Bell Canada, Patrick was a partner at McKinsey & Company, where he was a lead member of McKinsey’s North American Telecom Practice. He also served as vice president and chief financial officer of Call-Net Enterprises Inc., a Canadian telecommunications company. Patrick has been a member of the board of directors of Amyris, Inc., a synthetic biology company, since March 2010, and serves on its Audit Committee and Leadership Development and Compensation Committee. He also serves on the board of Trudeau Foundation. Patrick earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Università © du Quà ©bec à   Montrà ©al. He holds a master’s degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University, where he attended as a Rhodes Scholar.

Decision Analysis Task

Decision Analysis has been established to advance theory, application, and teaching of all aspects of decision-making methods. . When It comes to beginning to make decisions for any business, almost everyone can feel uncertainty and fear. The more Information given, then the most likely the decisions made are the right ones. TLS Includes being able to trade off the values of certain outcomes against Its probability. Data shows the truest form of the Information given. The knowledge changes from data to information, from information to facts, and lastly from facts to knowledge.The entire decision making process is done under uncertainty and immeasurable variables. Values and numbers become much easier for people to use and understand. Once the numbers and circumstances are in place, the true analysis can begin. Using the work cell method, the company can have the following advantages: (1) reduced work in progress inventory, (2) less floor space use, (3) reduced raw material and finish ed goods inventory, (4) reduced labor costs, (5) more employee participation, (6) increased equipment and machinery use, and (7) reduced investment in machinery and equipment.I have chosen this decision analysis tool by imputing the performance times for each task given of A through H and the sequence requirements into an assembly line balancing tool to perform an analysis to determine the proper number of stations and the most efficient workflow possible. The analysis tool calculated that the number of workstations needed was 5. Total station task time needed was 10 minutes and the time needed per cycle was 46 minutes. These calculations gave this process an efficiency of 100. 00%. This decision tool was selected to help achieve a higher efficiency of production and a possible deduction in production floor space. A properly balanced line will increase throughput and lower production costs.Hopefully, by recommending this tool, the company will be able to eliminate significant errors that can result in false assumptions, inaccurate estimations of probabilities, too much relying on expectations, wrong measuring in functions, and/or forecasting errors. B. 1. The impact of costs on the decision to move forward with the new Maim Sandal line is as follows: As the production continues, the hours needed for each batch, or individual pair, will begin to decrease. By continuing to produce this line the total labor costs will continue to decrease, but most likely, at a slower rate as more sandals are produced. This data can help the company decide employment levels, capacity, costs, and their pricing of this particular merchandise in the open market.

All About Zero

All About Zero All About Zero All About Zero By Mark Nichol Zero is the basis of a small set of terms and idiomatic phrases, which are listed and defined below. Zero derives, through French and Italian, from the Latin term zephirum, which in turn stems, as do the other mathematical terms algebra and algorithm, from Arabic: Sifr means â€Å"cipher† (and is the origin of that word as well). Sifr, in turn, comes from Sanskrit. Absolute zero (quantified as 273.15 degrees below zero Celsius) is the temperature at which matter stops moving, while ground zero is the origin point of a phenomenon. (Originally, it referred to the blast site of a thermonuclear explosion.) Zero hour is the time at which something is scheduled to begin. Zero gravity and zero visibility refer to a near, not absolute, absence of the qualities referred to in the phrases, and patient zero is the first person to contract a disease in an outbreak. The colloquial expression â€Å"From zero to hero† denotes a change in state from anonymity or a lack of distinction or popularity to fame, from the sense of zero as meaning â€Å"an undistinguished or worthless person.† (One can also, unfortunately, transition in the other direction as well.) To zero in is to focus on something or to come closer to it; the expression stems from the idea of adjusting a setting on a device or instrument to zero but originally applied to shooting a firearm. To zero out is unrelated- it means either to reset something, such as timer, or to cut off funding or reduce a quantity. Zero tolerance is the concept of absolute adherence to a rule; the phrase has entered mainstream discourse in references to zero tolerance for weapons or illegal drugs in a given area or jurisdiction. A zero-sum game, meanwhile, is a situation in which a defeated competitor or participant loses as much as the victor wins. (The sum of the gains and losses is zero, hence the name.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business LetterRules for Capitalization in Titles50 Synonyms for â€Å"Villain†

Building Sentences That Support the Use of Rather

Building Sentences That Support the Use of Rather Building Sentences That Support the Use of Rather Building Sentences That Support the Use of Rather By Mark Nichol The adverb rather is useful for expressing a correction or counterpoint, but the word is often either incorrectly employed or is employed in a flawed sentence. The following sentences include an error directly or indirectly related to use of rather; discussion and revision demonstrate correct usage. 1. The Department of Justice isn’t as concerned with outright dismissal, but rather ensuring that the punishment fits the crime. Here, the subordinate clause does not serve as a balanced counterpoint to the main clause. Either rather has to begin a separate independent clause that closely parallels the main clause (â€Å"The Department of Justice isn’t as concerned with outright dismissal; rather, its concern is with ensuring that the punishment fits the crime†), or rather must be jettisoned in favor of wording that better expresses a comparison (â€Å"The Department of Justice isn’t as concerned with outright dismissal as it is with ensuring that the punishment fits the crime.†) 2. Technology risk was not considered to be a separate discipline, rather as an integral part of operational risk or group risk. For rather to be appropriate in this sentence, the initial point must be expressed positively; also, the comma is superfluous, and the incorrect conjunction that follows rather should be replaced: â€Å"Technology risk was considered to be a separate discipline rather than an integral part of operational risk or group risk.† 3. Banks are starting to recognize that the immediate threats to business may not be coming from one of their traditional competitors but rather from a technology giant or start-up. Here, again, the use of rather itself is not an issue, but as in the previous example, the sentence is not structured correctly to support its use. As with sentences that use the â€Å"not only . . . but also† construction, the key verb coming must precede not just as it is implied to precede rather: â€Å"Banks are starting to recognize that the immediate threats to business may be coming not from one of their traditional competitors but rather from a technology giant or start-up.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:85 Synonyms for â€Å"Help†"Confused With" and "Confused About"Inspiring vs. Inspirational

10625

10625. I have 10625 songs on my IPod. When you think about it, the number is pretty impressive. It’s a big number, and it’s even more remarkable that I know every song. Music reflects who we are. It reflects our tastes, our desires, our needs. It shows how we feel on the inside when we can’t express it on the outside. When I hear my friend’s music collections, many of them have one or two types of music they listen to. Much of it is similar, with pre-existing sounds and vibrant tunes that reflect maybe one or two aspects of their personalities. All claim to have diverse musical tastes, and will even lecture each other on how their music is different from everyone else’s playlists. Yet beyond a few distinct styles, all they’ve really done is dabble in a few other kinds of music. One or two rock songs surrounded by dance music doesn’t show diversification. . And while that’s fine and perfectly respectable, it’s just not who I am. There are 10625 stories on my IPod. I like to think what we all, as human beings, like to think. That we are special. That we stand out in a crowd. That we are all different. That our â€Å"song† is unique. I am as unique as the many types of music I listen to. The different styles of music are a reflection of the many facets of my personality. I listen to everything from classic rock to popular dance, rap and hip hop to classical, rb to alternative, pop to the blues, and even a little country. A guilty pleasure of mine is not only soundtracks, but musical scores, from piano pieces to music from battle scenes. I’m that girl that listens to Korean Pop, or Kpop as it’s internationally known, which has played a major role in my life for the last three years. Shipping from Korea is far from cheap, but it’s always been worth it for my favorite bands. There is some very strange music on my IPod. I have the Epic Rap Battles of History and The Literal Trailers series by Tobuscus straight off of YouTube. Weird, but fun anyway. Then I have fanmixes. Music put together in playlists to represent every TV show, relationship, character, or mood in existence. Some are sad and slow, and some are fast and made for dancing. They’re easily the most misunderstood music on my IPod, but I use them to find new music and help broaden my tastes. I have sweet and slow music for when I’m sad or disappointed. I have fast, pumping dance and pop music for when I go on my runs. There is deep and thought-provoking music for everyday moments in life. There is light and fluffy music for my occasional lazy day. My relationship with my father finds expression through the classical rock music we both listen to and enjoy. Dance music is shared by my mother and me as we move through the house, singing as we go. Rap music, something I would have written off a long time ago, is a topic of posturing between my younger brother and I. We have very different interests, but I get some of my music from him, and I wonder if he knows I download it just to be a little closer to him. Music is how I connect with people, and how my relationships represent themselves. I’m a lot of different things in this world, and I use my music to express how I really feel. Music isn’t just a set of tunes. It’s a dynamic system, a rhythm that pumps and flows through our lives, with layers of emotion no different from what we all feel on an ordinary day. Music is a reflection of who we are, of our similarities, our differences, and our emotions. It helps us tell our story. Each song represents a smal l part of me, and pieced together, they form a picture of who I really am. I have 10625 stories to tell. And I’m still adding more each day.

Diveristy Action Plan for Verizon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diveristy Action Plan for Verizon - Essay Example The company also offers communication solution like faxing and voicemail solutions, information and data management solutions, conference web meetings and integrated message and communication services. Verizon Inc has to set up a diversity action plan that defines initiatives and assessment of the diverse services and products offered by the company. Training the employees in diverse field is very important to encourage innovation and creativity since the current competition in the world needs a lot of revolution to conform to globalization. By doing so, Verizon Inc would be able to develop their strongholds, eliminate or rectify their limitation, exploit new opportunities ahead of their competitors as well as protecting itself from external and internal susceptibility to pressure (O'Brien 2004). Verizon Inc is a local company in the US with a potential of growing to multinational level since it's well established and it already has a good reputation. Prospective countries include Canada, Britain, Brazil, china and India especially European market and the emerging economies. The future of Verizon Inc is very dependent on the customers and the increasing use of technology in the co untry and the whole world at large. Verizon has a significant improvement in the number of customer and the trend is expected to keep on increasing in the future. Most of the users are family members and about 7.35 share their phones with other family members (Lee & Epstein 2007). Other cell phone users are the businesses and cover a little fraction of verizon customers but with a marked steady increase of about 23% per year. Verizon customers are choosy and only respond the best offers and this has stimulated a lot of innovations at the firm attracting over 17% new customers who come to sample new products and services. Of all their customers, about 9.1% have interest in watching video on their cell phones. Employee mix is the major strategy to achieve development since they are the ones who bring out the production and develop the products. Since the information and communication technology industry is the fastest growing in terms of technology creativity and innovations, workers in this sector need to be updated with the current changes and developments. Verizon is setting the trend in innovation in communications on the global market with help of its able staff. The company has over 238, 000 employees, 38% of them are in the management while 34 % are the junior staffs who are very active and trained in the new technologies. Workshops and other development seminars are very critical and are always carried out regularly. Over 40% of the employees are represented in the union (Lee & Epstein 2007). Diversity within Verizon Some of the opportunities Verizon Communications Inc, capitalizes on include price reductions, improved productivity, diversity in brands, and less complex distribution channels involved. Verizon Communications Inc has established a tradition of using indirect procurement activities in its marketing strategy that have varied height of development (Lee & Epstein 2007). The company has managed to ensure countrywide consistency in service despite set backs it receives from parent companies. Verizon Communications Inc continues to integrate and implement the common best

Organisational Behaviour Information and Objectives Essay

Organisational Behaviour Information and Objectives - Essay Example The results are well analyzed and there is a conclusion at the end of the report. We made this study in small groups of 127 participants so as to establish the relationship between trust, monitoring and performance in teamwork. The participants were required to use the questionnaire to answer a few questions on how they feel while undertaking a group assignment. The purpose of the study is to establish the relationship between trust, monitoring and performance in teamwork which replicates the one undertaken by Langfred (2004). The hypotheses that were to be tested during the study were:- The questionnaires were supplied to the participants and they were expected to fill them individually according to their opinion on trust, monitoring and performance in teamwork. The summary of the questionnaires is analyzed in Table 1 below. External measures of performance (peer review) will be negatively related to individual autonomy hypothesis predicts that there is a negative, nonlinear relationship since it indicated a negative relationship. This indicates that there is negative relationship between trust and monitoring. The first step is to establish the relationship between trust and performance in the absence of monitoring in the same manner that monitoring and autonomy should interact to influence performance... 9 I knew I could count on the other team members 10 The other team members knew that they could count on me 11 I trusted all of the other team members 12 This team completed its work on time 13 Team members solved their problems quickly 14 The quality of the work done by this team developed continuously For your Individual Autonomy score, add items 1, 2 and 3. Individual Autonomy (IA) score ________ For your Monitoring score, add items 4, 5, 6 and 7. Monitoring (M) score ________ For your Trust score, add items 8, 9, 10 and 11. Trust (T) score ________ For your Internal Group Performance score, add items 12, 13 and 14. Internal Group Performance (IGP) score ________ Material The above sample of the questionnaire and a pen were supplied to the 127 participants during the study. Procedure The participants were told the purpose of the study was to establish the relationship between trust, monitoring and performance in teamwork. The questionnaires were supplied to the participants and they were expected to fill them individually according to their opinion on trust, monitoring and performance in teamwork. The summary of the questionnaires is analyzed in Table 1 below. Results External measures of performance (peer review) will be negatively related to individual autonomy hypothesis predicts that there is a negative, nonlinear relationship since it indicated a negative relationship. This indicates that there is negative relationship between trust and monitoring. The first step is to establish the relationship between trust and performance in the absence of monitoring in the same manner that monitoring and autonomy should interact to influence performance, trust and

Star project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Star project - Research Paper Example Its projected Galactic orbit conveys it between 25,100 and 30,600 light years from the middle of the Galaxy. Historically, the entire heavenly bodies were regarded as stars by astrologers. Therefore, the terminology ‘stars’ comprised of stars, planets, comets, meteors among others. However, as time went by, astrologers were able to differentiate stars from the rest of heavenly bodies. Of particular interest are the Stars of the Northern Hemisphere. These stars show three major panels of all the constellations that can be observed from Europe, Canada, the United States and Asia. Humanity tends to identify with the stars with each individual having an interest with a peculiar star. The process of choosing a star has been lengthy and time consuming due to the interest in the topic. Each star seems to portray some unique history which is amazing and interesting, most stars have some distinct features and fantastic history; each of them is of equal importance. Amongst the stars whish have been of key interest to persons are proper, Bayer, Flamsteed and Catalog. However, I have per sonally developed a liking for star Mintaka which I closely attribute it to my individuality. Therefore, this research paper will focus on this particular star , giving a detailed description of its characteristics. Mintaka is a star in the constellation Orion, with a bayer designation of Delta Orionis and flamsteed designation of 34 Orionis. Three stars are found in the orion to form the ‘the belt of orion’. The three stars in the belt of orion are the following, mintaka which means ‘belt’, Alnilam meaning ‘a belt of pearls’ and Alnitak which means girdle. The three are believed to have formed from the system nebulas in the Orion constellation. The stars form a row, mintaka is to the west, alnilam is at the centre and alnitak is to the east. Among the three, alnilam is the brightest followed by mintaka and finally alnitak (Ashland Astronomy

The Dramatic Form and Riders to the Sea Research Paper

The Dramatic Form and Riders to the Sea - Research Paper Example he reader a more diverse set of characters because other than the protagonist and antagonist, characters such as the minor character, stock character, foil, and confidant are present in a drama. In Riders to the Sea, the following characters are identified: Maurya (protagonist), Bartley and The Sea (antagonist), Cathleen (Minor Character), The Priest (Foil; while this character was never actually present in the play, references to him show that his approaches differ from Maurya’s), and Nora (stock character). Moreover, while the reader discovers each character as the piece progresses, they are immediately identified at the start of a dramatic piece. The same can be said about the setting of the drama, which is explicitly stated at the start of every scene. Another common element in a drama is the soliloquy made by the characters. A soliloquy is the speech given by one of the characters that is directed to the audience (Styan, 1960). One of the most powerful soliloquies of Ride rs to the Sea is that of Maurya’s towards the end when she was quite not sure whether to follow Patch’s or Michael’s

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 14

Assignment Example The new equilibrium was not set on the intersection of S1 and D curve at the point E1. Here the new price was P1. From the diagram, we can see that the government policy has decreased the prices from P to P1 and increased the sales from Q to Q1. c) The result of this policy would have been that more cars were scrapped rather than entering the market for second-hand used cars. This would have considerably reduced the supply in the second-hand car market. As a result of this, the supply curve would have moved to left, increasing the prices in the second hand market and reducing quantity of cars being sold in the second hand market. 3) Opportunity cost is the next best alternative forgone by choosing the best option. The opportunity costs for government of the UK’s government for financing this scheme could have been improving the road infrastructure in the metros of the United Kingdom. This means that by choosing to finance this scheme, the government is not being able to pursue its other aims. a) The price elasticity of demand is responsiveness of demand to the changes in price of cars. Since, in London people have a higher income, it is considered as status symbol and because it has become somewhat a necessity, as a result people have higher price elasticity of demand in London than in South west, where people have a comparatively lower income and less class consciousness. i) This can be done by informing people about the environmental benefits of the car and by telling them that these cars would eventually save them a lot of money, once the oil prices go out of control. ii) This will help the firm to raise prices without losing too much of their customers. Consumers often shift away from the product if the price of a product increases, in case of high price elasticity of demand. So, the firms can benefit by low price

Star project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Star project - Research Paper Example Its projected Galactic orbit conveys it between 25,100 and 30,600 light years from the middle of the Galaxy. Historically, the entire heavenly bodies were regarded as stars by astrologers. Therefore, the terminology ‘stars’ comprised of stars, planets, comets, meteors among others. However, as time went by, astrologers were able to differentiate stars from the rest of heavenly bodies. Of particular interest are the Stars of the Northern Hemisphere. These stars show three major panels of all the constellations that can be observed from Europe, Canada, the United States and Asia. Humanity tends to identify with the stars with each individual having an interest with a peculiar star. The process of choosing a star has been lengthy and time consuming due to the interest in the topic. Each star seems to portray some unique history which is amazing and interesting, most stars have some distinct features and fantastic history; each of them is of equal importance. Amongst the stars whish have been of key interest to persons are proper, Bayer, Flamsteed and Catalog. However, I have per sonally developed a liking for star Mintaka which I closely attribute it to my individuality. Therefore, this research paper will focus on this particular star , giving a detailed description of its characteristics. Mintaka is a star in the constellation Orion, with a bayer designation of Delta Orionis and flamsteed designation of 34 Orionis. Three stars are found in the orion to form the ‘the belt of orion’. The three stars in the belt of orion are the following, mintaka which means ‘belt’, Alnilam meaning ‘a belt of pearls’ and Alnitak which means girdle. The three are believed to have formed from the system nebulas in the Orion constellation. The stars form a row, mintaka is to the west, alnilam is at the centre and alnitak is to the east. Among the three, alnilam is the brightest followed by mintaka and finally alnitak (Ashland Astronomy

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 14

Assignment Example The new equilibrium was not set on the intersection of S1 and D curve at the point E1. Here the new price was P1. From the diagram, we can see that the government policy has decreased the prices from P to P1 and increased the sales from Q to Q1. c) The result of this policy would have been that more cars were scrapped rather than entering the market for second-hand used cars. This would have considerably reduced the supply in the second-hand car market. As a result of this, the supply curve would have moved to left, increasing the prices in the second hand market and reducing quantity of cars being sold in the second hand market. 3) Opportunity cost is the next best alternative forgone by choosing the best option. The opportunity costs for government of the UK’s government for financing this scheme could have been improving the road infrastructure in the metros of the United Kingdom. This means that by choosing to finance this scheme, the government is not being able to pursue its other aims. a) The price elasticity of demand is responsiveness of demand to the changes in price of cars. Since, in London people have a higher income, it is considered as status symbol and because it has become somewhat a necessity, as a result people have higher price elasticity of demand in London than in South west, where people have a comparatively lower income and less class consciousness. i) This can be done by informing people about the environmental benefits of the car and by telling them that these cars would eventually save them a lot of money, once the oil prices go out of control. ii) This will help the firm to raise prices without losing too much of their customers. Consumers often shift away from the product if the price of a product increases, in case of high price elasticity of demand. So, the firms can benefit by low price

Assessment Writing Essay Example for Free

Assessment Writing Essay My practical work in January 2005 was for option 1. It was a piece of devised drama work and was based on the theme of sisterhood. Our play was about a group of four, seven year old children coming together to help their friend Rachael who is ill. The children act together for Rachael and turn to witchcraft to make her healthier but it fails and at the end of the play Rachael dies. There were 5 people in my drama group which included Rachael, Yasmine, Emily, Rosie and myself. The main theme of our play was sisterhood also the friends acting together to try to make Rachel better this was how sisterhood was used. My contribution to the performance was as a performer. I had to play the role of one of Rachaels friends who took part in the spell with the other friends. I also contributed by writing some of the play with the other people in my group. We practiced in lessons and during our lunchtimes so that the play would be ready for its performance date. To help me in my work I looked for information on the internet about health spells as we wanted to use one in our performance. I also looked on the internet to find out more information about leukaemia and its symptoms so that we could include them in our play to make it seem more realistic. I also looked at one picture and one painting. The picture was a war picture it symbolises women in the war and that they were needed to help to win the war. The painting was of what they look to be children who look as if they are casting a spell of some sort as the picture looks rather mystical. The most useful material I looked at was the information I found from the internet because it helped me understand the symptoms of leukaemia and to look at different kinds of health spells and for us to choose which one was more relevant for our play. Our piece was set in modern times, however the picture was set in the time of the Second World War and the painting was set it seems in modern times too. The picture and painting were similar to our play because the painting is of children looking as if they are casting a spell as it looks mystical and magical and they look very engrossed in what they are doing this is what we tried to do in our play when we cast the spell. The picture is similar to our play because it is about women pulling together to try and make a difference and in some aspects our play is about the children pulling together to help Rachael get better. The biggest differences were that the play was set in modern times and not in the Second World War and the play was about a group of friends not of women in the Second World War. The people who appear in our production are mainly children. In contrast, those in the painting and the picture are adults and children. You could tell this because the picture is of women coming together but the painting looks of children. We chose to perform in the style of naturalist because we wanted to make out the friendship of them to be as real as possible to create more of an effect with the ending. We used informal language as they were children playing and doing children things. In conclusion, I would like to say that the picture and the painting have helped me by seeing how many things use the aspects of sisterhood in many different ways and it is not always obvious. I contributed a lot into this piece of work, I am pleased with the out come and how the others performed in my group.

The Weimar Republic of 1919 | Analysis

The Weimar Republic of 1919 | Analysis The Weimar Republic of 1919 characterised the struggle and failure to establish democracy in Germany following World War One. Despite possessing near-identical elements required to govern as successfully as the Federal Republic of 1945, the government was fragile and short-lived (Smith, 1991). Those in authority neglected to increase the power of the parliament or commit fully to the system, choosing instead to stumble along forming weak coalitions that did not stand the test of time (Conradt, 2009). Weimars constitutional weaknesses allowed Hitler to come to power and the dark reign of the Third Reich began in 1933. By contrast, post-WWII democracy was successfully implemented and maintained because the policy makers of the Basic Law ensured a politics of consensus dominated (Slagter and Loewenberg, 2009). Roberts (2009) further believes they were influenced by the material, political, and ethical legacy of the two world wars Germany was a part of. Germany was divided into the dem ocratic West and the communist East, before achieving unification in 1990. Despite the brief history given here, it is easily recognised that Germanys political history is a complex story of a country struggling to achieve a stable democracy in an unconventional way. The Federal Republic of 1949 distinguished itself from Weimar through its constitution and electoral/party system, which are key factors when explaining democracys success. This essay will specifically contrast the constitutions and electoral/party systems of Weimar and Bonn, as well as other factors such as the economy briefly, to explain why democracy succeeded after 1949. The Federal Republic demonstrated clear changes from Weimar, but also contained elements of continuity from the past both in its constitution and party system (Roberts, 2000). Both federal systems had similar institutions in place, such as the Constitutional Courts to resolve disputes, and the representation of 16 LÃ ¤nder (federal states) at a national level through the Bundesrat (federal Council). Their constitutions were quite advanced, with a Bill of Rights guaranteeing every German citizen the freedom of speech, religion and equality. Both governed through coalition parties; no party has been able to govern alone in Germanys history save one (Gordon, 1991). This demonstrates that permanently built into the system is the need for different political groups to reach out across the political chasm and co-operate in a politics of consensus. With such similarities, why did the Weimar government collapse a few years later? Pulzer (1994) believes that if it had been dealt a better dec k of cards, [the Weimar Republic] might have survived longer (1994, p. 4). The answer is also that it is institutions and everyday practices that promote stability in the system, and in Weimar, neither was stable. The Federal Republic distinguished itself from Weimar through the governing framework of its constitution. The Basic Law bolstered the parliamentary system by downgrading the president, who became a largely representative, indirectly elected head of state, and by enhancing the stature of the chancellor (Smith, 1991, p.48). This was a clear reaction to the dual executive in Weimars constitution which authorized the president to act autonomously of the Reichstag (Conradt, 2009). Although the president of the Weimar Republic was given more power to avoid political paralysis in the Reichstag, Article 48 allowed Hitler to come to power in the end. Hence the Basic Law made the presidential role more ceremonial than anything else. By using the failings of Weimar to measure the effectiveness of the present democracy, the policy makers of Bonn achieved to still fears of a second Hitler (Paterson, 2000). The constitution of 1949 also helped democracy by dispersing power from the centre of German authority. The Basic Law worked against centralised power, guaranteeing autonomy of responsibility to Germanys different regions, and thus preventing the rise of authoritarian rule (Paterson, 2000). In the Bonn Republic power was diffused to institutions, not the general population, despite the frequent invocation of the phrase Die Staatsgewalt geht vom Volke aus, [the government authority emanates from the people] the famous Article 1 of the Weimar constitution (Paterson, 2000, p.25). This diffusion of power ensures institutions must operate together during the decision-making process, thus promoting a democratic atmosphere. The Constitutional Court, for instance, exemplifies the separation of powers by upholding the Basic Law and defending civil liberties, in contrast to Weimar, whose court was easily subverted and unstable. It can be argued that such diffusion of power might negatively aff ect governing by creating too many agencies and actors. Alternatively, if one institution decides to create paralysis in the system, fragmentation could occur. However, the systems stability has not been greatly threatened. This is testament to Germanys constitutional strength and determination to uphold democratic rule (Paterson, 2000). The reforms to the party system after 1949 also aided in democracys success. Consensus among the political parties in the Bundestag (Federal Diet) ensured institutional stability after 1949 (Slagter and Loewenberg, 2009). In contrast, stable majorities could not be formed in Weimars Reichstag (parliament) due to the existence of proportional representation (Conradt, 2009). The republic was therefore a polarised pluralist system of numerous small parties, with no consensual decision-making taking place. The hyperinflation of 1923, for example, fuelled new political parties which the Reichstag was unable to socialise to its norms (Slagter and Loewenberg, 2009, p.470). Orderly parliamentary procedure disintegrated once the centre parties came under the assault of the radical extremists. By contrast, the success of post-WWII democracy can be explained through consensus promoting institutional stability, because this was absent in the Reichstag. After 1945, there was co-operative federali sm and consensual decision making among the political parties, especially with the issue of comparable living standards in all regions. Democracy also succeeded because of the modifications made to Germanys political/electoral system after 1949. In the Reichstag, consensus was neglected because radical groups pursued electoral votes, not caring that it lost them all effectiveness within the chamber as they contributed to its paralysis (Slagter and Loewenberg, 2009, p.471). After 1949, however, parliament developed into a moderate pluralist system. Parties could only enter with more than 5% of the national vote or 3 constituency seats without. New parties which entered the Bundestag were therefore socialised to the parliamentary customs (Slagter and Loewenberg, 2009).Through this measure, consensus dominated because it encouraged stable, moderate politics while discouraging extreme politics. This helped democracy succeed, because fewer parties meant more stability, the establishment of a co-operative opposition and prevention of anti-system parties (Paterson, 2000). Therefore, the electoral system, as with all other a spects of the system, encourages moderation and consensus. Other factors such as economic conditions after 1949 might also explain why democracy succeeded. With democracy stabilising around the 1950s, Germany also experienced full employment. This is vastly different to the economic and democratic situation in 1919, because the existence of a weak government with limited policy making skills meant there was no active labour policy and millions were unemployed (Schmidt, 1992). However, with Marshall Aid speeding Germanys economic recovery, the 1950s showed rapid progress both in terms of the economy and democratic governing. The German Model further developed the state after 1945, in contrast to poorly-developed welfare state of Weimar (Schmidt, 1992). Modell Deutschland, with the concept of the managed firm and co-determination, became renowned throughout the world (Smith, 2005). Products made in Germany demonstrated that it had become an economic force to be reckoned with, especially with its car industry. It can therefore be argued that un precedented economic stability after WWII also helped ensure democracys popularity. Another factor explaining democracys success after WWII emanates from the national and foreign policies Germany has implemented. This country presents a complex and layered picture which is revealed through the challenges it has dealt with in the past. Germany promoted itself as a responsible power and avoided an aggressive foreign policy so reminiscent of Hitler, choosing instead to join NATO and promote pro-European policies at the height of the Cold War (Glees, 1996). Chancellor Brandts policy of ostpolitik (Change through Rapprochement) exposed the conflict surrounding national identity following unification, where East Germans continued to feel like second class citizens in their own country (Wiesenthal, 1998). The 1970s saw the upsurge of the extreme Left, but despite these negative impacts, the structures of the German political and social systems remain strong. Therefore, Germanys promotion of European integration and the political culture of the time ensured democratic rule succeeded. In conclusion, it is clear that despite what some may see as an abnormal path taken by Germany towards normalisation, it seems to have worked (Smith, 2005). It is argued that the countrys first attempt at democracy failed due to a specific set of circumstances facing interwar Germany, coupled with defects in the Weimar constitution [] (Conradt, 2009, p.7). It can certainly be agreed on that important evolutions in the system to the constitution and party/electoral system, coupled with better economic and social conditions were vital in sustaining democracy after WWII (Smith, 1991). The Basic Law remains largely the same as in 1949, which is a testament to its success in founding and maintaining a democratic Germany. In addition, Germany also recognised a politics of consensus is a pre-requisite for federalism to work. Its decision to take this unconventional path and follow the federal political system with a consensus democracy demonstrates that sovereignty may not always be the a nswer; homogenising such a large country with different regions and practices would be impossible. It is institutional stability and every day practices, coupled with the politics of consensus, which established democracy successfully in Germany. Bibliography: Conradt, D. (2009). The German Polity. 9th ed. USA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Glees, A. (1996) Reinventing Germany: German political development since 1945. UK: Berg Paterson, W. E. (2000). From the Bonn to the Berlin republic. German Politics, 9(1), 23-40. Pulzer, P. (1994). Unified Germany: a normal state? German Politics, 3(1), 1-17. Roberts, G.K. (2009). German Politics Today. 2nd ed. UK: Manchester University Press. Slagter, T.H and Loewenberg, G. (2009). Path Dependence as an explanation of the institutional stability of the German Parliament. German Politics, 18(4), 469- 484. Schmidt, M. G. (1992). Political consequences of German unification. West European Politics, (15)4, 1-15. Smith, G. (1991). The resources of a German chancellor. West European Politics, 14(2), 48-61. Smith, M. P. (2005). Introduction From Modell Deutschland to Model Europa: Europe in Germany and Germany in Europe. German Politics, (14)3, 275-282. Wiesenthal, H. (1998). Post-unification dissatisfaction, or why are so many East Germans unhappy with the new political system? German Politics, 7(2), 1-30.

Abe Lincoln :: essays research papers

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in a log cabin in the Kentucky wilderness. When be was a little boy his Grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War. He had a little sister by the name of Sarah. As he went to school he met a boy by the name of Austin. They instantly became friends more so best of friends. At first Abe wasn't allowed to go to school because he didn't have a good pair of britches. In his pastime he loved to read. When Abe was eleven, his mother died of what they called "milk sick" which occurred from drinking unpasteurized milk. That was four years after they moved to a new farm in southern Indiana. He had to live in an open shed throughout the winter. The same year his mother died, his father remarried. He married Sarah Bush Johnson. She brought three kids and a cousin Dennis Hanks. When Abe was nineteen, he worked as a boatman and make his first trip down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, the center of the slave trade. When Abe was twenty-one, he moved with his family to Illinois. However Abe's brother Thomas didn't make it to Illinois because he died of influenza. Soon after Abe made his second trip on the flatboat to New Orleans to defend the blacks and fight slavery. Abe served as a captain in the Black Hawk War and was defeated. Abe came back to Illinois and not long after was elected to the State Legislature and soon became one of the most promising young Whig party leaders. When Abe was thirty-three, he married Mary Todd on November 4,1842. Over the next eleven years the two would have four children their names were Robert, Edward, William, and Thomas. Not long after their marriage Abe became a lawyer and practiced in Springfield, Illinois. Not long after that Abe was elected to Congress. While in Congress it was said that Abe had a secret romance with Ann Rutledge sadly, Ann died in 1835. Also during his reign in Congress Abe proposed that slave owners in the District of Columbia he lost a lot of popularity when doing so. Abe and his counter part Douglas debated each other over the expansion of slavery into the territories. As these debates went on a man by the name of John Brown attempted to start a rebellion by leading an attack on Harper's Ferry.

The Charge of the Light Brigade Essay example -- English Literature

The Charge of the Light Brigade War poetry is a theme that has inspired many poets. Compare and contrast poems by 2 poets from different eras and cultures. Say which one you prefer and why. The two poems and the poets that I am going to look at are The Charge of the Light Brigade written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Dulce ET Decorum Est. Pro Patria Mori by Wilfred Owen. The first poem was written during the reign of Queen Victoria in England. During this time the Victorians as the people were called had a very religious outlook on life. The account was written by the poet because it was such a bad battle that the government couldn’t let the people see that it had made a great mistake and so it commissioned Tennyson to write the poem saying what a wonderful battle it had been. It was a cover up. The second poem was written by Wilfred Owen while he was on active service during the First World War. He was a young man and was against the terrible waste of life the First World War caused. He believed this was due to bad leadership by the generals. Wilfred Owen was able to experience the war as it really was whereas Tennyson never actually saw the battle he was writing about. Owens’s poem was written because he was in the war and wants to tell you what it was like in the war I am going to write about The Charge of The Light Brigade which is about the Crimean War which was fought between Russia on the one hand and Britain France and Turkey on the other. The charge of the light brigade occurred in November 1854 at Balaclava in the Crimea. The brave six hundred rode straight down a valley that was fortified at its end by many cannon served by Russian and Cossack gunners. The heroes were following confus... ...nces between the two poems are that in one the poet is saying that the war could not have gone any better, and the poem is telling you that the war was the worst one ever. Also The Charge of the Light Brigade has a â€Å"galloping† rhythm all most all the way through the poem. In the Dulce ET Decorum EST Pro Patria Mori poem there is no obvious rhythm to this poem and in fact the slow pace of the poem makes us think of the soldiers trudging through the muddy trenches. One was involved in fighting but Tennyson was simply writing about an event he’d read about and was against the cruelty and waste of life war brought whereas Tennyson wanted people to feel that war was honourable worthwhile and necessary. I prefer Dulce et Decorum est. as it is more realistic and makes me feel sorry for the men in the poem. Tennyson poem does not give a true account of the war.

Respect Essay

Respect Respect can be defined as a positive feeling of esteem for a person or entity. It denotes the regard and consideration shown by an individual towards others. Respect cannot be demanded, it is an asset that has to be earned. From the very childhood kids are taught to respect their parents, elders, teachers and an unending list of social obligations. But an ambiguity arises when the teachings do no match the practical experiences. Children find it hard to respect certain persons or the same person in differing situations, viz.If a parent generally behaves positively with the children, it is normal for the child to reciprocate and show the same behaviour. But the anomaly arises when a parent confront or scold the child to make him understand a certain thing. The child wants to reciprocate his behaviour but the parent defies his behaviour and tells the child to respect him. Here the respect is tried to be imposed and not earned. This is a contradiction to respect. Nobody can earn respect by suppression or by flaunting power.It is a deliberate action that cannot be forced upon others. There is an individualistic form of respect also, which is well known as self-respect. If an individual cannot respect himself, he cannot respect any other person. A feeling of worth and rational judgement gives rise to self respect. Respect plays a roll in our every day lives. When we go to school, there's respect. When we go to a restaurant, there's respect. When you go to your family reunion, there is respect. You may not notice it, but that's only because they are being respectful to you .If your not respectful then you will be disrespected because your being mean. So you should always be respectful to others so they will treat you the way you want to be treated. If you are respectful to others then you can get good jobs because they'll like you. The better the job is the better your life will be in the future, and trust me you want a good and happy future. Jobs will get yo u money for your great future. So always try to advance to a higher paying job. So respect can do lots of things that will help us with our future.So never stop caring! Respect isn't the only right thing to do, but is also the best way to make a lot of friends. You being respectful will help you from being depressed from loneliness. You should be honest, kid, nice, gentle, relaxed, and happy to make friends. The word respect is a word to summarize all of the things above and plenty more. Things like being quite while someone is talking, or not bothering someone when they're in bad mood. I see respect all the time, that's what makes every thing so easy to do and no one gets sad.If I ever saw someone get knocked over and there stuff is on the ground scattered all over, I would definitely help him pick it up. Because other wise I would feel bad watching them pick it up all by themselves. Always treat others the way you would want to be treated. This way you will be respected and loved. My definition of respect is being nice, generous, and helpful. Because all of those things can be the best things to do if you want to be respectful, which you should always be. So next time I talk in class out of turn, I will remember this five page essay on respect.

Diversity and Inclusion in Work with Children Essay

Equality, diversity and inclusion in work with children and young people Assignment 1 Within a school, equality, diversity and inclusion is very important. It is their duty to make sure all children have equal access to the curriculum. Whether they are a different race, culture, gender or have a special need or disability, it is important that they are supported and have a right to participate and be treated equal; this is known as inclusion. As part of this it is important that schools and other professionals support and promote cultural diversity in schools and the wider society, breaking down any discriminatory barriers to learning. (1. 2) In a school participation means that everyone has to be involved and this involves the inclusion of the children. The Government is committed to children’s rights and participation. Under Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), children and young people have the right to express their views, and for these to be respected by adults when making decisions on matters that affect them. This means that the schools have to involve the children in the planning, delivery and evaluation of the curriculum on a daily basis, asking children what they think, what works and what they think could be better. Children should be given opportunities to express their opinion in matters that affect their lives. Effective participation gives children and young people the opportunity to make a positive contribution to their learning and to develop the skills, confidence and self-esteem they will need for the future. Every child has the right to access the curriculum, Equality of access. This means that children can work to the best of their ability and be treated equally within their learning. The schools have a duty to support these rights and they must be reflected through their policies and procedures and must comply with current legislations and codes of practice. The Equality Act 2010, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, Children Act 1989/2004, SENDA 2001 and SEN Code of Practice 2002 are the relevant legislations that give guidance on how to understand the children’s rights to participation and equality of access. Promoting participation and equal access makes sure that the school is meeting the 5 outcomes of ECM/HCAM and will therefore provide children with the best possible opportunities to to achieve to the best of their ability within the curriculum and their school life. (1. ) Cultural diversity provides a framework to bringing children together who would otherwise be naturally separated by cultural barriers. Pupil’s cultural development involves pupils acquiring an understanding of cultural traditions and an ability to appreciate and respond to a variety of aesthetic experiences. They acquire a respect for their own culture and that of others, an interest in other’s ways of doing things and curiosity abo ut differences. They develop the knowledge, skills, understanding, qualities and attitudes they need to understand, appreciate and contribute to culture. Schools have to promote cultural diversity and follow legislations relating to equality and discrimination, it is the law not to discriminate and this is set out in the Equality Act 2010. There are many ways that a school can promote acceptance and respect of different cultures throughout the school, this could be through teaching in the classroom where the pupils can explore varied cultural backgrounds, learning about celebrations that different cultures participate in for example multicultural festivals that take place different times throughout the year. Also many schools now have ‘welcome’ signs which are written in languages that pupils within the school speak, displays are also used with work of the children these are a brilliant way of showing the pupils understanding of others cultures and provides information for all within the school. All staff must act as role models and promote cultural diversity this helps reduce prejudice and discrimination and if staff are putting this in place then it will influence pupils to be tolerant of other cultures and with this helps the children understand the diverse society to which they belong. Pupils who understand cultural diversity will be more likely to participate and those of different cultures will feel more involved as they can help with the learning of their culture, with this it will help children in schools and outside in the wider society. In conclusion, schools who promote equality and inclusion through participation and a value of cultural diversity are encouraging children to ave respect for others and not to discriminate and promotes independence for the children. Children’s rights to equal access has to be supported by quality teaching, school policies and procedures. Children’s rights are protected by the law but if the schools follow the laws and provide the vital information through learning, children are more likely to respect others and appreciate their responsibilities to others.

Beowulf as an Epic Hero in Burton Raffel’s Translation of the Story Beowulf

He continuously portrays features that no ordinary human being could acquire including eternal fame, extraordinary skill, and heroic courage. It is interesting to read about all his extraordinary hero qualities. In Anglo-Saxon culture, immortality was believed to be attainable through the gain of fame and glory by the act of doing noble deeds (HubPages). It was also possible by spreading one’s personal name throughout the land. In this epic, the concept is played quite well by the deeds Beowulf portrays as an epic hero; he not only saves the day, but spreads his name through the land. He introduces himself to Hrothgar, King of Danes, speaking of his bouts with five giants leading to his single handed removal of the giant race from the earth. He also leads to speak of fighting and defeating many sea monsters underwater at the deep depths of the darkest oceans (Beowulf 31). These deeds show the characteristics in Beowulf that many epic heroes seem to possess like defeating demonic, and god-like foes saving the day and in turn adding to the notoriety of the heroes name, aiding to their belief of immortality. Beowulf further pursues fame and glory by aiding Hrothgar in defeating the demon Grendel which has ran amuck in the kingdoms mead hall Herot and killed soldiers of the crown. By ripping Grendel’s arm, Beowulf ensures his fame as keeping it as a trophy and mounting it over Herot for all to observe. But an epic hero like Beowulf never is sated with fame so throughout his lifetime he continues to defy odds and accomplish heroic deeds spreading his name and giving him his sense of immortality. In order for an epic hero to be an epic hero he cannot just achieve high notoriety, he must have the skill to defeat the demons bent to kill all mankind. But not just a regular warriors skill can defeat a demon conceived by Satan and evil, the heroes skill must match that of the gods. A good depiction of Beowulf’s extraordinary skill is the moment when he first battles Grendel choosing to fight bare-handed in order to give the opponent a â€Å"fair fight† (Beowulf 31). This feat shows that Beowulf believes he has the skill to defeat the monster Grendel and shows a sort of chivalry among him by honoring his opponent’s condition. Beowulf also has skill in strength and speed, catching and nearly breaking back Grendel’s clawed fingers on his hand as he slashed to swoop and eat a light sleeping Beowulf; later leading to Beowulf ripping of Grendel’s arm (Beowulf 33). Afterwards revenge is sought by Beowulf after Grendel’s mother abducts and eats the kings trusted noble and friend Aeschere leading him to use his incredible skill to swim for hours underwater to her lair at the bottom depths of a dark lake resulting in her death by Beowulf adding to his fame. Beowulf as an epic hero needed courage in order to make skill useful and be able to gain more fame. Many courageous acts are done by Beowulf firstly with the simple act of battling a huge demon like Grendel without the use of neither weapons, nor armor for protection. Going without weapons shows the courage in Beowulf and the lack of fear even after removing the little help given to provide a fair fight for Grendel. Afterwards, Beowulf continues to display great courage by gaining revenge from Grendel’s mom and battling her under water while sea creatures watched (Beowulf 39). These examples of courage show that Beowulf is willing to battle and defeat any foe, no matter the cost in order to save the day. Epic heroes through time have had the same characteristics. These include the ability to bring exceptional skill to battle against many demons and evil doers. These traits combined with the courage of a man which fears nothing aides Beowulf in being able to defeat many of his foes throughout the tale. To Beowulf, hearing of Grendel terrorizing the mead hall is more of a blessing than a problem for it allowed Beowulf the opportunity to slay a creature and build his name through the land of Danes. Ending in epic victory, these qualities are expressed throughout the stories and even though made king, Beowulf never ceases to reach his goal of the world’s greatest fighter having unmatched fame through the land, skill of many men, and the courage greater than that of any man or creature ever to be found.

Literary Elements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Literary Elements - Essay Example The essay is hereby written to proffer a literary analysis of â€Å"Rain Man† as a movie depicting an exceptional ability to conform and surpass the standards of meeting the holistic requirements for literary excellence in film. For any movie or film to be qualified as good, the following elements must be exceptionally designed: (1) a plot (or the content of the story) that is credible, unified, highly interesting, (2) the quality and choice of casts for the roles are appropriately selected, (3) a particular genre or literary type is clearly depicted, (4) excellent audio visual quality is observed and employed, (5) cinematography (or the structure and form in actual beauty of art) is highly eminent, and (6) moral or message of the story is exuded. Plot The story evolved around Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) who portrayed a self-centered hustler determined to find out the reason why his late father left a substantial inheritance to someone, initially unknown to him but whom he la ter found out to be his autistic brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). Their escapades ranged from diversely unique and interesting hostage to cross country saga, to using the extraordinary talents of Raymond in Las Vegas as leverage to regain the fortune. The turning point of the movie was antithetical climax transforming the original selfish intent to heartwarming realizations for Charlie as he discovered sincere and genuine emotions for his brother, he previously was incapable of. Casts and Characters Dustin Hoffman, in his rendition of an autistic individual, won an Oscar award as Best Actor for the movie. Of course, the talent and charisma of Tom Cruise was instrumental in enhancing the performance of Hoffman in the film. In its simplicity in character and roles, the movie was highly effective in arousing the interest of the viewers to determine the climax of the story. Likewise, the movie won four Academy Awards in the following categories, to wit: Best Picture, Best Director, Be st Actor and Best Original Screenplay. Genre, Visual Quality, Cinematic Points of View Generally classified as drama, the film was highly exceptional in creating humorous situations through the bonding being reestablished by Charlie with Raymond. The choice of scenes, costumes, sound tracks, and other set designs contributed to the holistic molding of a unified theme depicting Charlie’s happy-go-lucky character and the mysteriously sublime role portrayed by Raymond, as a naive yet talented man, despite his disabilities. The various awards attested to the prodigious quality of the film meriting the Best Picture from the rest of the films created during that period. Moral of the Story The journey of Charlie with an initial attempt to redeem what he thought was rightfully his, provided the impetus for revealing that blood is indeed thicker than water. Viewers could initially empathize with Charlie in his attempt to get his equitable share of the family fortune. As the story unfo lds, the innocent, sheltered and lonely world familiar to Raymond would transform the viewers’ sentiments to him. The plot and theme were innovatively written to stir emotions and uplift the spirits to unprecedented levels. The ultimate goal of the movie is thereby to enkindle the senses of the viewers to realize that love for one’s family and relationships are far greater than what material things can give. Conclusion A film that

Adding, and organize Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Adding, and organize - Assignment Example The involvement of United States in the gulf war was to condemn the actions of Iraq. From the article, the main reason to why Iraq conceded the gulf war was because of air and missile combat. The author of the article â€Å"The Impact of the Gulf War† expounds on how the war led to a long list of slaughters on the Basra road. The gulf war was regarded as a great victory to the United States military. This war was considered inevitable. The strategies that were put forward by Saddam Hussein to fight the imperialists were a mere fantasy of a dictatorial leader that did not work. In connection to this, Hill in his article asserts that the main reason for the Gulf War was to bar Hussein from becoming the dominant power in that region as well as from controlling OPEC. From the gulf war, it was noted that despite the military success that was recorded in the war, the experience of the Gulf war changed the viewing point of the military towards the society and the status of the military in the society. The morale of the military will be a lasting influence of the gulf war. It has been noted that no conclusions can be made on the abilities of the soviet equipment from the gulf war. Despite the fact, the Iraqis were using the equipment from the soviet and were trained by the soviet they were not using the soviet tactics and strategies. According to Nordhaus, the author of â€Å"The Economic Consequences of a War with Iraq† the war also led to the disarming of Iraq of its deadly weapons as well as removing leadership that was posing challenge to the U.S. the Saddam Hussein regime had been as disastrous for the economy of Iraq and other aspects of the Iraqi society. The economy of Iraq was tumbled to a disastrous state. Initially, most of the Iraqi economy was dependent much on the production of oil. Iraqi oil production peaked during those periods when the country was not constrained

1.Was the British Empire a force for good Essay

1.Was the British Empire a force for good - Essay Example nostalgia for a more civilized and benign Greater Britain through television programs, such as, This Sceptred Isle and Empire’s Children, while print critics openly condemn it as a blood-stained autocracy (Brendon, 2007). Historian Lawrence James argues, ‘ploughing a familiar furrow,’ but we should always be proud of the Empire that established stability, progress, and beneficial institutions in colonies. In this research paper, I tried to define British Empire’s role as good or bad and conclude that it was neither good nor bad, but complicated. One must argue that why there is controversy about it. Mainly, vast range of British Empire and its lasting impact epitomizes a period in which all of the non-Europeans were dominated by Europeans. Another reason for controversy about Empire is its vastness that defies simple summary, and therefore, perspectives on it also vary outrageously. It is possible for Empire’s admirers or opponents to pick some examples in order to prove that British rule, by and large, was good or bad, and its legacies as beneficent or demonic. Some assert that it was an engine of modernization, while others believe that it was a vehicle of exploitation (Jackson, 2013, p.4). As decolonization of European Empires precipitated in the 1960s, Jean-Paul Sartre wrote that, â€Å"†¦It was nothing but an ideology of lies, a perfect justification for pillage; its honeyed words, its affection of sensibility were only alibis for our aggressions† (cited in Jackson, 2013, p.4) while Niall Ferguson ar gues that British Empire was better than the other empires from the same period. The record of British Empire is not untarnished by any means, but it gave us global trade and the rule of law (cited in Jackson, 2013, p.4). In an effort to explore Empire’s credits, one may lead to the idea that British Empire was a liberal empire. It was established on the principals classically enunciated by Edmund Burke, who asserted that colonial government was a

Admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Admission - Essay Example The GRE Course at Kaplan, in Los Angeles, Intensive English Program at UCLA Extension, Los Angeles, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in King Abdulaziz University College of Economics and Administration, Jeddah, KSA have provided me with reasonable perfection in the theoretical aspect. On the practical experience side, I have handled various important assignments working with Al Hamra Hotel, Jeddah, KSA. I initially worked as an Administrative Assistant (part-time) for International Modern Industries Co. Ltd and now I am holding the position of General Manager Assistant in the same organization. For my excellence in studies, I was awarded King Abdullah Scholarship and Ministry of Higher Education Scholarship. I possess adequate computer knowledge relating to Knowledge of PC and Macintosh formats: Word, Excel and PowerPoint. As for languages, Arabic is my mother tongue and I am fluent in English. My approach to the business world is simple and straightforward. That which is not practical, cannot be a good theory either! My attitude to the MBA@WT program is based on this principle. It is my earnest endeavors to obtain OPT and gain experience in modern financial services and equip myself for joining an established US organization to get the working experience for a year. As such, Maryland University, which is a renowned educational institution, is my first choice. The next part of my career plan is to move to Dubai to join a financial institution there. Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have a treaty in financial transactions, which will assist me to attain my long-term goals to take active part in the financial revolution in Saudi Arabia, initiated by King Abdullah, with the creation of Financial District (KAFD) in 2011. With this backgrounder information related to my academic credits and practical experience, I am fairly confident that I will an ideal raw material to take up responsibility in top managerial positions and earn a

C&B (u4ip) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

C&B (u4ip) - Essay Example Lines 18, 19, 20, 22, and 23 are the most important lines on the form that is included in the page below, as these particular lines contain the codes. It is not reasonable, safe, or reliable to expect a billing specialist to remember all of the codes and modifiers that are safe. Therefore, he or she will need a reference guide for this. Since these codes and modifiers are updated occasionally, an online reference guide would be a good resource. One good resource is the website for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. In the form below, the website for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid was used to look up the codes. The diagnosis code for this particular patient matches that of an individual with multiple sclerosis. The codes that follow the diagnosis code are procedural codes that represent the testing that was done during the office visit of that particular patient. There could have also been supply codes included, but no supplies were used in this particular visit that was going to be billed to the insurance company in question. Had there been supplies used, those would need to be included on the form as well. The codes were looked up using a search engine on the website, which provided a page listing the codes for musculoskeletal

India Today Essay Example for Free

India Today Essay Slowly, but surely, in the year 2000, India is beginning to erase the Nehruvian social contract that created the public sector and bound the employees to a corporate unit and the corporate unit to the nation. In the age of restructuring and re-engineering that this has ushered, employees are no longer valued resources but expendable commodities. And likewise, the employers are no longer demi-gods and fuedal lords in one. They are going to become one with a mind-boggling scenario of a private sector, where the growing manager with the corporate experience of a lifetime might suddenly be written off as hopelessly old fashioned; and replaced with a young nerd, who along with, maybe the new owners driver, will be sitting on a stack of stock-options valued in millions. Clearly it is time to think seriously about wealth and what it means to be wealthy in India today. The last time Indians thought self-cautiously about being rich through joint holdings with non blacks, was in the 19th Century when the East India Company revealed to the worldly wise Indians occupying crucial positions within the system, the plunder-potential of their land. They got busy right away. This continued for almost a century till historic events triggered off a freedom struggle under Gandhi over the equitable distribution and domestication of Indias wealth. The idealism lasted barely two decades. Political debates then were all about the baneful influence of capitalism and money. It was okay to generate jobs but not great wealth which could corrupt our most sacred institutions. Slowly some crusading investigative journalists and economists followed this logic and began to glean disturbing facts about the trumpeters of this brand of Hindu socialism. They made dark revelations repeatedly about questionable personal behaviour and financial chicanery that they had discovered among various political groups in power.

Shellac for Film Formation and its Modification

Shellac for Film Formation and its Modification Shellac for film formation and its modification for enhancement of properties Abstract With the growing environmental concerns associated with synthetic polymers, the need for biopolymers has strongly emerged which can have applications ranging from packaging to electrical applications. Shellac, which is a naturally occurring product resin obtained from insects (female lac bug), is one such component which can be used for production of biopolymeric film. However, due to limitations on mechanical and barrier properties, modification of Shellac is necessary. Following is a reviewed study of modifications of Shellac to improve its film properties, heat resistance, water resistance, gloss and hardness. Keywords: Biopolymers, Shellac, modification, coatings. 1. Shellac With the decrease in petroleum reserves, the need for biocompatible polymers has emerged. Polylactic acid, Zein protein films and Shellac, as in this case, have become vital for environmental concerns. Shellac is a naturally occurring polymer, obtained from resinous secretions of lac insects, Laccifer Lacca (Soradech et al) 1. Shellac as a coating material is mainly used in the fields of food and pharmaceutical industries (Jinwei Wang, Lei Chen, Yedong He) 2. However, one of shellac’s problems is a lack of solubility in commonly used coating solvents such as ketones and glycol ethers (Jennifer T. Otto, David L. Trumbo) 3. Problems associated with shellac are batch-to-batch variation, need of organic solvent, less stability and less solubility in alkaline pH of intestine, comparing to synthetic and semi-synthetic enteric polymers. Shellac is primarily used as a naturalprimer,sandingsealant,tannin-blocker,odour-blocker,stain, andhigh-glossvarnish. Applications of Shellac Due to excellent film forming and protective properties, it is widely used in food industry, paint industry and to a considerable extent in pharmaceutical industry. Use of biopolymers for packaging applications is severely limited due to poor barrier and mechanical properties (Melissa Gurgel Adeodato Vieira et al) 4. Significant work was carried out by (Hult et al) 5 by using Microfibrillar cellulose (MFC), incorporation of which reduces the Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR) value (Syverud et al)6 combined with Shellac to produce fibre based packaging. Significant oxygen barrier for packaging was not obtained but multilayer coating with MFC and Shellac reduced OTR greatly. (D. Phan Te et al) 7 presents another way of eliminating the limitations of biopolymers for packaging. Formation of hydrocolloid-shellac bilayer films produced an enhanced resistance to water and moisture permeability with good mechanical properties. Better mechanical properties and better adhesion to the hydrocolloid layers was obtained with the use of plasticizer. Shellac has also been used widely in Pharmaceutical and drug retention applications. (Berg et al) 8 describes shellac as one of the very few materials to be used as a pharmaceutical coatings. It finds special applications in health applications and nutraceuticals (Krause et al) 9. 2. Modifications of Shellac for enhancement of properties Modification has been carried out to overcome many popular limitations of Shellac films like low heat resistance, poor water resistance, poor solvent resistance, chemical resistance, brittleness, etc. (Sharma et al.) 10 2.1 Crosslinking of acetoacetylated Shellac with multifunctional amine or acrylate (Jennifer T. Otto, David L. Trumbo) 3 Crosslinking of films was carried out by reaction between acetoacetylated shellac with a multifunctional amine or with a multifunctional acrylate under Michael addition reaction parameters (Jennifer T. Otto, David L. Trumbo et al.)3. According to (Jennifer T. Otto, David L. Trumbo et al.)3 Shellac/t-butylacetoacetate films were synthesised for this purpose. The glass transition temperature of the modified shellac was observed to be 4.5 °C. The Tg of unmodified shellac is 54.6 °C.High level of acetoacetylation is indicated to have occurred as acetoacetylation is known to reduce Tgs by reduction in hydrogen bonding capabilities (Clemens, RJ, Rector, FD et al)11. Major purpose was to alter the solubility of the shellac. Modified Shellac was attempted to dissolve in various solvents. It was noted that the modified shellac was soluble in MEK, methyl amyl ketone (MAK), acetone, CHCl3, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (DPM), THF, and DMAC. The unmodified shellac was soluble in ethano l and DMAC and sparingly soluble or insoluble in MEK, CHCl3, MAK, and DPM. Thus, desired modification was obtained, and (Jennifer T. Otto, David L. Trumbo) 2 formed thermoset films crosslinked with two different species, an amine and a multifunctional acrylate. It is possible to modify shellac by reaction with t-butyl acetoacetate. This modification changed significantly different solubility characteristics and the ability to be crosslinked with different species at different temperatures, including ambient temperature. The crosslinked films have well to excellent properties, with the exception of low angle gloss for the DYTEK A cured films. This could reflect some incompatibility on a microscale between the modified shellac and the diamine. Gel content measurements suggest that a high degree of crosslinking has been obtained. 2.2 Modification by use of Maleated Shellac (Hasmukh S. Patel and Sumeet J. Patel) 12 Following modification was employed for coating preparation of maleated shellac-acrylic resin emulsion paints, acrylic resin its application as surface coating materials and characteristic. According to (Hasmukh S. Patel and Sumeet J. Patel) 12, maleated Shellac was synthesised by treating Shellac with Maleic Anhydride. Shellac solution in tetrahydrofuran (THF), different proportions (10–30% wt of shellac) of maleic anhydride was added and well mixed. The resultant reaction mixture was refluxed for 5 h before cooling and pouring into cold water. Adhesion and smooth finish film were obtained and no observable damage and detachment of the film was observed. Blending of Maleated Shellac with acrylic resin might give rise to the polymerization and/or crosslinking between the two components through the functionality due to unsaturation which resulted in better water resistance and decent alkali resistance even though shellac and becomes easily soluble when it comes in to contact wi th water and alkali, respectively. The coated panels were immersed by (Hasmukh S. Patel and Sumeet J. Patel) 12 in water for 5 months and no detachment or discolouration was observed. On the coating after taking out the panels from water. It was noted that water that was socked by the panels, evaporated kept at room temperature. Deterioration water socked panels of the coating was not observed which indicates that the composition resisted uphold of the water/ moisture within the system which is an important feature of the paint formulation. 2.3 Blending of Shellac with Epoxy resin (D. N. Goswami and S. Kumar) 13 The reaction represented below was employed as a modification for Shellac. Figure 1: Shellac and Epoxy group reaction (D. N. Goswami and S. Kumar) 13 The above reaction represented in Figure-1 is a reaction mechanism between Shellac and Epoxy group. This reaction was monitored by reducing acid value or reducing epoxide value. The properties obtained were found to be optimum for cured samples containing 70 parts of shellac and 30 parts of the epoxy resin (Tripathi et al) 14. Following figure (Fig. 2) shows the variation in dissipation factor (tan ÃŽ ´) for various shellac-epoxy resin blends with time. Figure-2:Variation of dissipation factor (tan ÃŽ ´) of shellac-epoxy resin varnishes with time. (1) Dewaxed lemon (DL) shellac: epoxy resin = 60:40, mol. wt. of epoxy resin 500; (2) dewaxed lemon (DL) shellac: epoxy resin = 70: 30, mol. Wt. of epoxy resin 1 OOO; (3) dewaxed orange (DO) shellac: epoxy resin = 50: 50, mol. wt. of epoxy resin 1 OOO. (D. N. Goswami and S. Kumar) 13 The dissipation factor undergoes an initial rise up to around the sixth day after blending and remains almost constant thereafter. The variation of conductivity of different shellac-epoxy resin blends with time is shown in Fig. 3. Figure-3: Conductivity variation with time (D. N. Goswami and S. Kumar) 13 Conductivity, like dissipation factor, also showed an initial increase with time. Around the sixth day, the variation was found to be biphasic in nature with an inflection. For the blends containing epoxy resins with molecular weights of 500 and 1000 the nature of variation of both dissipation factor and conductivity with time was found to be similar. The variation of specific viscosity of the 70: 30 and 50: 50 blends with time is shown in Fig. 4. Figure 4: Variation of specific viscosity of dewaxed lemon (DL) shellac-epoxy resin varnishes (D. N. Goswami and S. Kumar) 13 It was observed that initially specific viscosity increases with time and becomes almost constant after six days. A small plateau was observed for the next few days and thereafter specific viscosity increases. It was observed that the values of dissipation factor, conductivity, dielectric strength and specific viscosity of the epoxy resin-free shellac solutions were more or less constant. If the reaction is carried for a longer period, besides the reaction mechanism as shown previously, cross-linking occurs. In this process, the hydroxyl groups of shellac produced by the above mentioned reaction probably react with the epoxide group and/or with the carboxyl group forming a three-dimensional network as shown in Fig.5 Figure 5: Reaction between Hydroxyl group and/or Epoxy or Carboxylic group. (D. N. Goswami and S. Kumar) 13 2.4 Combination of Shellac and Polyamidoamine (R. K. Dey, G. S. Tiwary, Tanushree Patnaik, Usha Jha) 15 The modification mentioned below was essentially done for drug delivery applications. Natural biodegradable and biocompatible polymer is encouraged as a starting material for synthetic purpose so as to reduce the production of the toxic biodegradable products in body’s physiological environment. By varying the ratio, a wide range of polymers were prepared. Shellac: PAA as 1: 1, 1: 2, and 1: 3 ratios was taken though the characterization was done by taking Shellac and PAA in the ratio 1: 1. According to (R. K. Dey, G. S. Tiwary, Tanushree Patnaik, Usha Jha) 15, the samples were prepared using the appropriate amount of PAA dissolved in 20 mL of methanol, added to a solution of Shellac in methanol. A solution of 2, 2-dimethoxy-2-phenyl acetophenone (about 2 wt % with respect to the PAA) was added in methanol (around 5 mL) to this mixture with mild stirring. The reaction mixture was poured into a glass petridish and was kept at room temperature. The polymerization was initiated by irradiation with an incandescent broad-spectrum lamp (Philips Comptalux, 150 W), positioned 25 cm above the petridish. Irradiation was continued for 7 h until gelation occurred. The schematic sketch of the reaction leading to the formation of polymeric material is shown in Figure 6. The polymeric material was extensively washed with methanol to remove any residual monomer, then freeze-dried and stored until further use. The resultant product was cut in films, dry in air for three days, and place in a vacuum oven at 25 °C until constant weight. It was observed that PAA was soluble in water where as the corresponding polymer of Shellac-PAA was insoluble in water. Figure-6: Synthesis of Shellac-PAA by photopolymerization technique (R. K. Dey, G. S. Tiwary, Tanushree Patnaik, Usha Jha) 15 Ethanol served as an ideal solvent for dissolving both the PAA and Shellac-PAA. In acetone the Shellac-PAA was found to be partially soluble. In acetone the Shellac-PAA was found to be partially soluble. Intrinsic viscosity in ethanol for Shellac-PAA was calculated to be 0.247 dL/g. 2.5 Modification of Natural Shellac using a diamine (Jinwei Wang, Lei Chen, Yedong He) 2 Due to the growing concern on the environment and health made it necessary and extremely urgent and valuable to develop environmental friendly coatings. Many commonly used coatings such as polyurethane, epoxy etc. were produced as waterborne coating, solvent-free paint, and radiation curing paints, etc. so that their injury to people and environment could be reduced as little as possible. Shellac is one such environmental friendly coating based on natural product. Shellac was prepared by using aliphatic diamine as a crosslinking agent and ethanol as a solvent. Experimental procedure as reported in (Jinwei Wang, Lei Chen, Yedong He) 2 is that 30 ml purified shellac in ethanol solution (10%wt.) was poured into a flask with mechanic siring. When the solution temperature reached 50 à ¢- ¦C, 1,3-propanediamine (5%wt.of shellac) was dropped into the flask in 30 min followed by continuously stirring for another 1 h. The modified shellac could be obtained as a yellowbrown solution which c ould be used directly or deep brown powder by evaporating the ethanol at 45 à ¢- ¦C under vacuum. Natural Shellac was modified with 1,3-propanediamine by using Ethyl alcohol functioning as a solvent. When compared this modified shellac to the usual shellac, it was observed that the anticorrosive performances of the modified shellac on copper was greatly improved. These betterments were said to have occurred due to the establishment of network structure and the origination of hydrophobic propane chain in the shellac structure, and hence reducing the penetration speed of ionics and water onto the surface of copper. Other organic diamine such as, ethylene diamine, 1,6-hexamethylenediamine, etc. can also be used for similar modification. Depending on the chain lengths of these aliphatic groups, we might have different effect on the protective performance of the modified shellac. 3. Conclusion Thus, considering the various limitations of Shellac like pH sensitivity, limited solubility, less stability, etc we can employ the modifications described in the above section. Modifications can include blending with another polymer to form a biocompatible polymer, or crosslinking. It can also be done by converting Shellac to some other material, as in this case, Maleated Shellac. Such modifications are of great importance which will result in better heat resistance, gloss, hardness, water resistance, etc. and overcoming of limitations of Shellac, which is a vital component in the field of biopolymer. 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