Fictional children's story about homelessness + critical component Assignment

Fictional children's story about homelessness + critical component - Assignment Example Therefore, he could not ask her to get him a new pair. One day he decided, it was time to get new shoes at his own. He’d been saving money for a month now. And today he could finally paint the fence outside Robinson’s house and get the remaining money that he needed for buying the shoes. While passing a shop on his way, Sam noticed his reflection in the glass window. Except for the fresh wound from last evening, he thought he looked presentable. A day earlier, Sam was on his way to the basketball court when a random car stopped near him for merely a second. The window rolled down and a stone came out and landed on his forehead. So, seeing his reflection, Sam adjusted his hair to hide the wound and continued heading towards Mr. Robinson’s house. The Robinson’s place was a huge white house with a beautiful front garden. The fence Sam was to paint surrounded the lush green garden, and added to the homely feeling of the house. Ringing the bell, he was invited in by Mrs. Robinson. The house felt warm, cozy and welcoming from inside as well. She led Sam to Mr. Robinson’s study where she offered him some homemade cake as well. Sam instantly developed a liking for the Robinsons family. Sam was 14 years old. So he got the work on basis of a class assignment in which he had to share a thrilling experience. He told Mr. Robinson that he had decided to paint for the assignment but his house neither had a fence nor anything else that could be painted. Mr. Robinson agreed to help and provided him with the paint brush, a bucket of paint and a pair of his son’s old clothes which seemed newer to Sam than the ones he was wearing. So, Sam kept them and decided to work in his own. Sam found the painting job easy. Being near the Robinsons family was a pleasant experience for him. From time to time, Mrs. Robinson would come out to check how he was doing, and gave him something homemade to eat on every visit. Robinson’s family comprised of the parents, a 4 year old daughter and a son of Sam’s age. After a while the family came out in the lawn to enjoy the sun. The boy started playing with Jack, his dog. The little girl sat near her mother scribbling on a drawing pad. Mr. Robinson sat on the lawn chair and got busy reading the newspaper. Sam smiled watching them. In nearly two hours, Sam’s work was complete. Stepping back and looking at his work, Sam felt thrilled, noticing that he had done a decent job. The Robinsons liked it too. So he took the money and headed towards the shoes’ shop. On his way, he kept nibbling on the brownie Mrs. Robinson had given him for the way. He did not remember the last time he had something so tasty to eat. Sam crossed a pet shop on the way. His glance rested on a kitten sleeping in a white cage. With a creased forehead, he watched the kitten for a minute. He went inside and bought it with the money he had saved for the shoes. He kissed the cat and whispered in it s ear, ‘I will give you something that I don’t have’. A few minutes later, he knocked at the door of the town’s shelter that he lived in. References Capdevila, G. (2005). More Than 100 Million Homeless Worldwide. Retrieved from http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=28086 This article highlights how homelessness has become a worldwide problem in the developed as well as developing countries. The government policies and inadequate housing plans suppress the poor and force them to live without proper housing altogether. The story is themed on this

Bitumen Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Bitumen - Lab Report Example Each test aimed at measuring the depth of to which a standard needle would penetrate the sample of bitumen under standard conditions. There were two conditions hereunder: temperature of 25 degrees Celsius and a load of 100 grams for a given time frame. The result of this test revealed the average value of depth of penetration to be 49.33 dmm. Apparently, the bitumen sample (44-60) grade bitumen. When a steel ball of diameter 9.5 mm was allowed to fall through the sample of bitumen to a depth of 25 mm, the study found 61.5 degrees Celsius as the softening point temperature. Bitumen is non-crystalline oil based viscous substance or solid, which is derived from petroleum, which exists as a by-product of oil refinery process. It is soluble in carbon disulphide and has adhesive properties. Bitumen is made up of organic liquids mixtures, which are characteristically highly viscous, sticky, and black. It is mainly composed of highly condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. In the refinery process, bitumen is often obtain in a process involving the removal of lighter fractions such as petrol, diesel, and liquid petroleum through distilling blends of crude oil in the refinery process. Bitumen is widely used in the construction industry. It is primarily used as a key constituent of most products that used in roofing and paving applications. Bitumen is also largely used in asphalt as a binder for roads. Besides, bitumen is used in paved regions such as car parks, footways, and airport runways. Natural bitumen is often formed from the oil that has already been generated and migrated into reservoirs. This oil should also have been subjected to normal processes alongside other effects. This study explored various properties of bitumen as used in the construction industry. The focus was determining the softening point of a sample of bitumen, the penetration value of three samples of the penetration grade bitumen, identifying which of the three given

Core Values and Concept at Pals Sudden Service

Core Values and Concept at Pals Sudden Service It sells hamburgers, hot dogs, chipped ham, chicken, French fries, and beverages as theyll as breakfast biscuits with country ham, sausage, and gravy. It can easily distinguish itself from fast-food competitors by delivering competitively priced food of consistently high quality, delivered rapidly, cheerfully, and without error. Pals is the first business in the restaurant industry to receive a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The performance excellence goals and criteria for the Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award offer a formalized program that defines, measures, and rewards organizations who exemplify the principles of an organization that is actively taking step and reaping the results of being a high-performing organization. Visionary Leadership Pals Senior Leaders (Chairman and President/ CEO) set their Vision and Values annually as part of their strategic planning process after carefully analyzing the market environment and actively seeking input from all stakeholders. Senior Leaders personally lead, monitor, and coach the Pals Leadership Team in interpreting their Vision and Values. Leadership is sharply in tune with customer preferences and organizational needs. Senior Leaders communicate with employees throughout the organization by: Using the Pals Communication/Feedback Process, frequently being present at the restaurants Employing an open-door policy, providing easy access to all Senior Leaders for the entire staff, reading and responding to employee e-mails, and being easily accessible by phone or e-mail. The impact on Pals organization from this leadership-driven, full stakeholder involvement approach has been rapid improvement actions, standardized processes, ongoing organizational learning, employee development, a proactive culture, and high-value business results. This employee engagement practice creates and reinforces an environment for participation, employment, and innovation. It also drives organizational agility and organizational and employee learning. Besides, the leadership team uses the Strategic Planning Process to set direction and pursue future opportunities for the business while using inputs from all key stakeholders (e.g., customers, store owner/operators, general staff, suppliers/partners), taking into account their needs and expectations. This process is used to define, align, review, and maintain a Corporate Mission Statement, Vision Statement, Key Business Drivers, Values Code of Ethics, and action plans. Through these strategic outputs, Pals Leadership Team maintains clear values, high performance expectations, and a keen focus on all stakeholder needs. Senior leaders and store owner/operators communicate and interpret these at each organizational level to define organizational, store, and individual responsibilities and to identify opportunities for learning and innovation. Innovation is driven through the Product/ Service/ Process Introduction Process. Senior leaders personally lead cross-functional teams through this systematic approach for developing new or modified products, services, or processes. Senior leaders personally lead cross-functional teams through this systematic approach for developing new or modified products, services, or processes. Leadership Team members adopted the On-line Quality Control Process (Figure 4) and routinely review its application of best practices to achieve high performance and excellence in Pals operational and support processes. This ensures consistent adherence to procedures, standards, and targets. Organisational Personal Learning The impact on Pals organization from this leadership driven, full stakeholder involvement approach to deployment has been rapid improvement actions, standardized processes, ongoing organizational learning, employee development, a proactive culture, and high value business results. Leaders create a sustainable organization by: Investing in the future by developing the people to ensure that they will be able to always meet future needs and requirements Employing a progressive capital reinvestment plan Pals brand-building Actively listening and staying tightly aligned with their customers and their needs, Building a strong and healthy supply chain, Helping the communities where they operate to grow and prosper. Pals has a process for everything organizational and operational. There are always new product introductions to hiring decisions to the design of support processes and work systems. Key learnings are captured and shared throughout the organization using the Communication/Feedback Process and the On-line Quality Control Process. Pals market research seeks comparative information relating to key issues such as (1) customers likes or dislikes concerning Pals or specific Pals competitors, and (2) reasons a particular restaurant is selected as a favorite. They analyze the comparative data for trends and shifts in buying patterns to identify needed changes in their business strategy and to target other potential customer groups and future markets. Key customer requirements and drivers of purchase decisions are determined from the application of the following listening and learning methods: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Telephone interviews à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Mall interviews à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Drop-in surveys à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Mail-in surveys à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Marketing By Wandering Around (MkBWA), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ On-site interviews à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ user-based surveys Pals frontline staff training program includes intense instruction on effective listening skills. These skills are not only critical for high performance on the food preparation line (required for order accuracy, speed, and customization), but are also beneficial for gathering valuable customer information about needs, expectations, and satisfaction (as post transaction feedback). Through the Plan-Do-Study-Act improvement cycle they conduct small-scale pilot efforts to evaluate and improve their processes for listening to and learning from customers and their ability to understand changing customer needs and buying habits. In addition, they measure and evaluate the overall effectiveness of their customer listening and learning approaches by checking the validity of their market research, customer surveys, and results against operational data, industry trends, and competitor information. They also evaluate how they are doing against their customer-focused strategic objectives by benchmarking their Key Business Drivers against competitors. Moreover, Pals staff members (from hourly worker to senior leader) have continual learning ingrained into their basic approach to performing work. They participate regularly on improvement and learning teams where brainstorming and consensus-building sessions enable them to identify problems or opportunities for improvements, analyze processes, and recommend solutions. This experience builds individual confidence, provides skills in problem solving and continual learning, and motivates employees to develop and utilize their full potential. Valuing Employees and Partners Pals aims to provide the quickest, friendliest, most accurate service available. Achieving this objective is a real challenge in an industry with annual employee turnover rates of more than 200 percent. The companys success in reducing turnover among front-line production and service personnel, who are between the ages of 16 and 32, has translated into a competitive advantage. The companys training processes support improvement in operational and business performance with the aid of benchmarking studies. Owner/operators and assistant managers have primary responsibility for staff training. They use a four-step model: show, do it, evaluate, and perform again. Employees must demonstrate 100 percent competence before they are certified to work at a specific work station. Initial training for all employees includes intensive instruction on effective listening skills. In addition, in-store training on processes, health and safety, and organizational Culture is required for new staff at all facilities via computer-based training, flash cards, and one-on-one coaching. Cross-training is required of all store-level staff to ensure their complete understanding of all production and service procedures as well as quality standards. Recognizing that most of its front-line workers are first-time entrants into the labor force, Pals management believes it has responsibility to help its workers develop knowledge and skills that can be applied in future jobs. This approach, along with competitive wages and financial incentives, has made the restaurant chain a desirable place to work for high school and college students. Pals has leveraged its reputation by implementing a statistically controlled, talent-based hiring system that helps managers identify applicants with attributes associated with effective job performance and customer satisfaction. In their work environment, where their staff meets the customer face-to-face, they employ effective job designs and a flexible work organization to encourage cooperation, collaboration, individual initiative, responsibility, and innovation. The staff at each Pals facility is organized into process. They also performed extensive market research to pinpoint customer requirements: convenience; ease of ingress and egress; easy-to-read menu; simple, accurate order system; fast service; wholesome food; and reasonable price. This data has been used to translate their key customer requirements into Key Business Drivers. Customer requirements are linked to clearly define operational processes, procedures, and systems that are continually monitored to ensure that they are meeting customer requirements. They maintain on-going communications links to their customers so that they can listen to how well they think they are meeting their needs. They also listen to learn if customer needs are changing or if new needs have arisen. Pals has three key suppliers/partners who provide the majority of their raw materials. Focusing their supplier/partner base on just three vendors has reduced product variability. It has also allowed them to develop a more positive relationship with each supplier/partner with whom they have established long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships. They work with suppliers to design in quality, value and their unique flavor profile. The Key Business Drivers are mainly: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Quality of products, service, and process à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Service à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cleanliness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Value à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ People à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Speed Customer Excellence Customer-driven excellence is a strategic concept imbedded in the Baldrige Award Criteria. Pals uses the industry-proven standard method of segmenting by age, gender, income, and proximity to the store location for analyzing buying patterns and defining expectations. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Age à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Gender à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Income à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Proximity Product quality, hospitality, accuracy, and speed are important factors to their customers. Pals has solidified its already strong market position on product and service performance by realizing improvement in each of these customer-linked critical areas. Pals performance in customer-rated results for food quality, service (hospitality, convenience, ease of access, menu board readability), and accuracy are consistently improving. These product and service outcomes are a direct reflection of Pals ability to understand the voices of customers and the market and to address them with menu design, pricing strategy, sudden service performance, and proactive customer contact standards. Pals order handout speed has improved more than 30 percent since 1995, decreasing from 31 seconds to 20 seconds, almost their times faster than its top competitor. Errors in orders are rare, averaging less than one for every 2,000 transactions. The company aims to reduce its error rate to one in every 5,000 transactions. In addition, Pals has consistently received the highest health inspection scores in its market and in the entire state of Tennessee. Through the Plan-Do-Study-Act improvement cycle, they are able to continually evaluate and improve their processes for listening to and learning from customers by assessing how have understood changing customer needs and buying habits. Through small-scale pilot efforts, the Customer Listening and Learning Process are continually evaluated and improved. Customer complaints are tracked at the store level on an Opportunity Log and then aggregated at the company level to indicate trends. This critical-incidents information is used to understand key service attributes from the point of view of customers and frontline employees. Also, as part of their market research, they ask customers very specific loyalty questions that they translate into key customer loyalty data. Focus on Results and Creating Value Pals begins considering user requirements during the data and information selection stage with predefined user criteria. The data selection, collection, and reporting criteria include: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Meets stakeholder requirements à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Links to our Key Business Drivers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Provides a balanced scorecard à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Drives action à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Creates reliability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Provides rapid access à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Allows rapid update à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Supports continual learning/improvement Besides, the rapid acceptance, popularity, and growth of our web site, www.palsweb.com, is another strong indicator of customer loyalty to the Pals brand. The rapid acceptance, popularity, and growth of our web site, www.palsweb.com, is another strong indicator of customer loyalty to the Pals brand. The companys Business Excellence Process which is the key integrating element and a management approach ensures that customer requirements are always met in every transaction. Pals lays emphasis on data which is the basis for sound planning and decision making. Customer, employee, and supplier feedback is central to all processes, and it is gathered in numerous formal and informal ways. For example, Pals owner/operators must devote part of every work day to marketing by wandering around. Views on how a location is performing and to solicit ideas for improvement from employees and customers are noted. Anstheyrs to predesigned questions are recorded, compiled, and later analyzed at the store and corporate levels. Owner/operators also maintain a communications log. The Communication/ Feedback Process is a progressive and rapid means of communication to/from all stakeholders. This process serves as a standard operating mode for Leadership Team members. SysDine, is a key tool, generating store-level and company-wide data on sales, customer count, product mix, ideal food and material cost, and turnover rates. This information supports daily operational decisions. It also is used to update Pals Balanced Scorecard of Core Performance Measures, which links directly to its key business drivers: quality, service, cleanliness, value, people, and speed. Managers regularly review the value of the data collected, and the company employs an outside statistician to evaluate the type of information tracked, how it is used, and how it is collected. Social Responsiblity Pals measures and pursues continual improvement in the areas of ethics violations, labor violations, sexual harassment complaints, and honesty violations. Pals Senior Leaders promote an environment of legally, morally, and ethically correct behaviors by: modeling correct decision making and behaviors, providing training in correct decision making and behaviors testing to verify that the training transferred the desired knowledge holding monthly reviews at leadership meetings, creating a culture of open-book whole-company data sharing communicating openly and honestly Food safety, which is a primary indicator of compliance with sanitation requirements established by federal and state regulations and of Pals ability to serve wholesome food products, is their key measure of industry leadership and social responsibility. Pals consistently receives the highest health inspection scores in their market. Agility Customer and Market Needs/Expectations are evaluated using market research studies and customer complaint data. These data are used to interpret customer needs and requirements, to project market trends, and to establish new strategies that will delight customers and sustain our competitive advantages. Competitive Environment and Capabilities Relative to Competitors are evaluated with data from our benchmarking process, benchmark data exchange, and competitive reviews. They use the data to identify market and industry trends, industry and competitor capabilities and Best Business Practices, competitor strategies, potential competitor reactions to our strategies, and promotional and technological improvement opportunities. Technological Risk is evaluated with data gathered from manufacturers, vendors, and industry trade associations using the following criteria: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ How will the technology help them meet needs? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Are any of their technologies becoming obsolete? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Do our existing technologies have new hazards/ risks? Managing by Innovation Operational Capabilities and Needs are considered by evaluating anticipated needs and capabilities for human resources, technology, research and development, innovation, and business processes. Internal capability data are analyzed against industry trends, technology developments, and performance advances, looking for ways to develop dominant positions within our market. They have focused their Human Resources strategies, plans, job/work designs, and HR processes for developing capabilities that support the key competitive performance expectations of their organization (speed, accuracy, quality, and hospitality). In their work environment, where their staff meets the customer face-to-face, they employ effective job designs and a flexible work organization to encourage cooperation, collaboration, individual initiative, responsibility, and innovation. The equipment, facilities, and technologies that Pals uses to meet customer needs are components that serve their manufacturing, service and retail needs through ongoing use of their Benchmarking, Innovation and Product/Service/ Process Introduction processes Innovation is driven through the Product/ Service/ Process Introduction Process. Senior leaders personally lead cross-functional teams through this systematic approach for developing new or modified products, services, or processes. Also, their Business Excellence Process will continue to drive them toward performance improvement over the next two to five years by maintaining their focus on strategies and plans linked directly to Key Business Drivers and derived heavily from customer/market. Pals projected performance will continue to strengthen their position as the market leader versus their leading competitor by generating additional sales, and by developing the required operating capabilities. At this time, they are the regional leader in all major areas of comparative performance (quality, service, speed, food health/safety, customer satisfaction, market share, sales, and profit). Management by Fact Pals Leadership Team has carefully designed a performance measurement and analysis system for the collection, integration, and analysis of information and data that feeds and interacts with their Strategic Planning, Continual Improvement, Benchmarking, and Management Review processes. Pals Management Information System is also used to guide the selection, gathering, integration, management, and effective use of information and data to support our key operational processes, action plans, and performance management system. Pals Management Information System gathers and integrates data and information from multiple sources (e.g., operations, customer listening/learning processes, market research, benchmarking studies, suppliers, regulatory agencies, and industry publications). Much of the data is gathered at its source (in the store) through our automated SysDine data collection, integration, and analysis system. SysDine generates store-level and companywide reports on sales, customer count, product mix, ideal food and material cost, and turnover rates. This data, which is readily available at each store, is reviewed and analyzed for use in support of daily operations. Focus on Future The Pals Strategic Planning Process is used by Senior Leaders working with the Leadership Team to provide a disciplined and structured approach for setting strategic directions to strengthen business performance and competitive position. Strategic planning is performed annually, with primary emphasis on one- and three-year planning horizons. strategic objectives and action plans with a planning horizon of up to five years are also maintained. Pals organizations strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) are addressed during strategic planning, using the SWOT analysis process and supported by various analyses of key processes, internal capabilities, and Key Business Driver data. Technological changes and risks are evaluated with data gathered primarily from manufacturers, vendors, and industry trade associations. Human resources strategies and plans are developed to recruit, staff, train, and educate personnel to build staff capacity for success; to improve work/job designs and work areas; and to build a better culture for excellence and employee well-being. Employee turnover shows that employee retention levels are clearly superior to the industry average. Pals continues to reduce employee turnover and to set the pace for other QSR operations. Their group of store Owners/Operators and Senior Leaders has experienced near-zero turnover for the past 25 years, which has provided a major advantage in leadership continuity over their competitors. Pals existing strategic objectives, action plans (short term and longer term), and target completion are carefully managed throughout the year. Systems Perspective Pals Business Excellence Process is based on the core concepts of the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. These principles, which are a pervasive part of our culture, are used to achieve our action plans. They are integrated throughout our training for team skills, performance measurement, standards, continual improvement, problem solving, quality control, and benchmarking. Pals Training Program contains a variety of modules designed to support our strategic objectives, key action plans, and operational capabilities by addressing organizational and employee needs for development, learning, and career progression

Domestic Violence: Loopholes in the Arizona Legal System Essay

The United States has a long history of domestic violence. Nearly six million American women will be battered by their spouses every year (United Way, 1998). Tradition gives men the right to control their family including their wife. Violence is tolerated under these traditional conditions as discipline (Cohen, 1996). Domestic violence is overwhelmingly committed by men ".. to discipline and coerce women" (Cohen, 1996). "Husbands use violence against their wives as a way of coercing them, establishing control, and conveying rules to regulate 'proper' female behavior (Dobash & Dobash, 1977-1978)." This type of abusive behavior often comes from the ideology that women are subordinate to men (Cohen, 1996). This way of thinking was dominant until the feminist movements when women protested for equal rights and got them. It has still been a struggle to get women's issues recognized by law, however. Domestic violence is a serious issue that needs to be thoroughly addressed, especially in border states like Arizona which have a large Mexican immigrant population, often with traditional views. To have an effective legal system which thoroughly addresses domestic violence, abusers must be held accountable by law for their a ctions and all victims need to be able to receive aid and support from the state. Currently, these requirements for an effective legal system regarding domestic violence are not met in Arizona. Every year there is some 16,000 domestic violence charges filed in the Tucson Police Department and Pima County Sheriff's Office combined (United Way, 1998). The state does have punishment for these abusers. There are many laws is Arizona regarding domestic violence, however there are problems with the... ... Social Policy, and Violence, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 70, No. 5, 1996. Moore, Roberta. Advocate for the Oasis Crisis Center, University of Arizona, 1999. Neff, James; Holamon, Bruce; Schluter, Tracy. Spousal Violence Among Alglos, Blacks, and Mexican Americans, Journal of Family Violence, Vol. 10, No. 1, 1995. Vargas, Alexia. Split Decision, Wall Street Journal, Vol. CCXXII, Nove. 18, 1998. Wabnik, Alisa. Bill Proposes Prison for 3rd Offense, Arizona Daily Star, March 16, 1998. http://www.azstarnet.com/plusb-cgi/fastw... National Research Council. Lack of Research Hampers Strategies to Stem Violence Against Women. May 1, 1996. http://www.nap.edu/bookstore/lsbn/0309054257.htm. United Way of Greater Tucson. Special Report on Domestic Violence, 1998. http://www.unitedwaytucson.org/unitedway/report/domestic.htm.

Bringing the Jobs Home

The book under review is: â€Å"Bringing the Jobs Home† or â€Å"How the Left Created the Outsourcing Crisis–and How We Can Fix It†. In this book the author, Todd G. Buchholz, gives a conservative economist’s views on the origin of outsourcing of jobs meant for Americans to people in other countries, and how the trend can be reversed to return jobs to Americans in the United States. His analysis of the problem of outsourcing of jobs places the origin of the phenomenon squarely at the doorsteps of liberals, who he termed â€Å"The Left†.Todd G. Buchholz, to all intents and purposes, sees the problem of outsourcing of jobs from America to foreign countries not as a global phenomenon, deriving its origin from globalization; but as a problem contrived and sustained by American liberals and democrats, whose policies deprived American workers of their god-given rights to jobs in their own country. The critical questions one should ask are: What are the re al reasons that led American corporations to consider outsourcing of jobs? In what ways can the trend be reversed?If one objectively views Buchholz’s analysis of the origin of outsourcing problem as rather strange and ultraconservative, his recommended solutions to the problem are more than weird. In a world that is fast shrinking into one big global village, and where American cultural and economic influence have penetrated even the most remote outposts of human civilization, and in all areas of human endeavor; Todd G. Buchholz’s recipe for fixing the outsourcing crisis, are to say the least isolationist; a throwback to the era of American protectionism.Todd G. Buchholz’s views on solving the outsourcing crisis, when placed in the context of today’s world, are like driving a car in the reverse gear on an expressway. Description and Analysis Background Information about the author The author of the book Todd G. Buchholz is an internationally known economi st and financial expert. He once served as a director for economic policy to the United States president. He has also served as financial adviser to such well known investment companies as Goldman Sachs and Soros Fund.In addition Todd G. Buchholz has managed an investment that is famous worldwide. He has written for such top of the shelf newspapers as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times among his many other publications on financial policy. Todd G. Buchholz has thrown new light onto old problems in the area of financial and economic management. One of his other well known books is: New Ideas from Dead Economics. Todd G. Buchholz is generally regarded as a well respected conservative economist.His views on economic policy directions are well known and sought after by companies and governments. Purpose of the Book The purpose for which Todd G. Buchholz wrote this book was to highlight the problem Americans have to face by the policy of outsourcing jobs to workers overseas to t he detriment of jobless Americans. Todd G. Buchholz attributes much of the problem to the policy of globalization which was initiated by previous governments of the United States controlled by the Democratic Party, which he collectively labeled â€Å"The Left†.Some of the unfavorable conditions emanating from wrong-headed policies of â€Å"The Left† which he felt led to the crisis of outsourcing of jobs by American companies include: an education system which continues to produce graduates who do not have the necessary competence required for modern job requirements; thus forcing American companies to look elsewhere for reliable workers; a suffocating tax regime which forces companies to pay for an over bloated social security programs; pro-union laws which restricts well educated foreigners of American Universities from staying back to work in the United States; and to compound it all, an American legal system that favors plaintiffs in frivolous lawsuits and which awa rds unnecessarily high financial damages against companies. Todd G.Buchholz’s solution to these problems, and which he claims will lead to reversal of direction of policy of outsourcing, is that legislation should be passed in all the problematic areas highlighted above in favor of protecting the free market tradition of the United States. Todd G. Buchholz first identified the root causes of why American companies and businesses outsource, as a combination of the negative effects of such societal forces as â€Å"nasty tax collectors, dull school bureaucrats, and sharp lawyers† which working together, force American companies to take their business overseas, where government policies and societal conditions are more favorable to free enterprise. He then gave the following recommendations: To reduce the high cost of hiring American workers, should legislate tax cuts and have less regulations on doing business in the United States. Todd G.Buchholz also advocates stricter education standards in American schools and colleges so as to improve the quality of graduates being churned out annually. He also recommends the reduction of the lawyer population in the United States through giving disincentives to American law practice, by restricting admission and raising standards required to qualify for admission to law schools and at the Bar. Significance of the work This book written by an expert who knows his onions is significant in many respects. By joining the debate on the vexed question of outsourcing of jobs overseas by American companies Todd G. Buchholz, has given us a fresh dimension to a problem which has now assumed a crisis dimension.American youths and older workers should not be put at such a terrible disadvantage by what has now come to be seen as wrong headed government and policies. Government of the United States needs to do more to give incentives to American companies wishing to continue business operations at home. Review of Critical Qu estions The two critical questions poised at the onset are: What are the real reasons that led American corporations to consider outsourcing of jobs? In what ways can the trend be reversed? From the analysis of Todd G. Buchholz’s work, it is obvious that there is a crisis of underemployment of labor in the United states due to outsourcing of jobs overseas by American companies.Moreover, urgent steps need to be taken to reverse the trend, and to encourage American businesses to bring back outsourced jobs to the United States. Todd G. Buchholz’s work addresses these two questions. His remedies, though conservative in outlook, give us a starting point in addressing the issues raised in his book. Summary In summary, Todd G. Buchholz has given us a starting point in frontally confronting the crisis of outsourcing jobs overseas by American companies which face daunting problems of overpricing of incompetent labor at home in addition to government interference in business and labor matters. Reference Buchholz, Todd G: Bringing the Jobs Home: How the Left Created the Outsourcing Crisis–and How We Can Fix It, Sentinel HC, 2004

MBA admission essay

I dream of becoming one of the most successful electrical engineers the world has ever produced. This idea may seem farfetched, but I intend to pursue this dream in the not so distant future. To begin with, I would like to complete my MBA degree and become an accomplished student. I know that it will take more than just a strong-willed personality to achieve this, but I know I’m off to a good start. I have been working as an Applications Engineer for the past four years and a half. With my experience, I have learned how to handle various challenges and difficult situations in a mature way. I acquired an Engineering Management degree which I earned recently has somehow helped me in becoming a better person than I used to be. I am able to handle I believe that my qualities are enough to qualify me into your MBA program. I am dependable, flexible and can easily get along well with others. With my friendly attitude, I was able to gain more than the usual number of friends which has helped me a lot in performing my duties and responsibilities as an employee. I do not allow pressures to get the better of me. With my sense of humor, I can very manage well the challenges that come my way.   I am pro-active, making certain that I meet my projects before the set deadline. This way, I need not cram over my projects and waste precious time crying over lost opportunities or chances. I pay great attention to micro-level details.   I am likewise patient and hardworking. I make sure that I give 100% of my time and effort in any project that is assigned to me. My parents have always told me that education is an important inheritance. Your diploma can actually take you anywhere. It is important to possess a degree during these time and age. Education is such a significant ingredient to success. Without education, it will be difficult to be qualified for the next job. Education is such a learning experience. Without it, it will be impossible to reach for your goals. This is just one of the many reasons why I am interested in earning my MBA degree. I believe that my undergraduate degree is not enough to earn me a ticket to success. It takes ore than just a college degree to arm me with the right weapons to face the challenges that go through life. I can only aim high and earn high if I was able to achieve my MBA diploma in the not so distant future. I understand that it’s a long way to go. That this education will be another tuition and another burden to carry, but I know how important it is to fully discover my potentials and I am happy that my parents are supporting me in my endeavor. As Khan (2000) puts it in her article, the importance of education is quite understandable. It is the knowledge of placing one's potentials to the maximum. It will be such a waste if a person is not educated. Besides, it will be difficult to train a person if he’s not educated. With the right education, we are able to make the right decisions and think things in a better perspective. As I have mentioned, taking an MBA degree is a learning experience. I am aware that although I have earned my college degree, there is still so much to learn about the world and to so much to discover. Someone once said that unless you find your missing link, you will not be complete. Unless you become what you are destined to become, you will not be happy. I can truly say that unless I earn my MBA degree, I will not be the person I have always wanted to be. Aside form the characteristics that made me unique, I am hopeful that I can be accepted to this degree program and that I will eventually find the fulfillment of my dreams. Then and only then will I be able to shout to the world that yes, I made it and I am proud and happy for everything. Source: Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Importance of Education. The Milli Gazette. RNI DELENG/2000/930; ISSN 0972-3366 (2000) MBA Admission Essay To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there (Kofi Annan).My primary childhood objective was to obtain a Masters in Business Administration from the US. To this end, I worked very hard at school and obtained very good academic grades. My parents are illiterate and poor. We hail from a rural area of the country. However, my single minded devotion to acquiring knowledge resulted in my obtaining very good scores, not only in the tenth grade but also the twelfth grade. In some of the subjects of study I even obtained the highest marks in the entire state.Subsequently, I joined a college in Hyderabad, India. While commuting to college, one dismal day in June 1986, I was involved in a traffic accident which led to the complete loss of wrist movement in the right hand. Since, I am a right handed person; this constituted a terrible blow to my educational and other prospects. In this hour of my t rial, my family and friends extended all possible cooperation. The upshot of this was that I managed to emerge from a state of depression and move on in life. Inter alia, I made strenuous efforts to acclimatize my left hand to the functions that had previously been the exclusive preserve of my right hand.Another source of inspiration was offered by the numerous physically and mentally challenged persons, who had overcome their disabilities and forged ahead in life. Some of these people were at the very front of technological and scientific research. One such person from whose life I drew inspiration is Stephen Hawking, who is an acclaimed authority in theoretical physics. Stephen developed motor neurone disease, an incurable ailment. He lost his voice, mobility and was confined to a wheel chair. Nevertheless, such adversity failed to deter him and he continues to make significant contributions to cosmology (Hawking).I recovered my equanimity and writing skills in six months and obta ined very high grades in the second year examinations. In addition to attending college, I regularly underwent physio therapy and I was able to complete my graduation along with the other students of my class.The year 1988, was witness to the demise of my father. This compelled me to shoulder the family responsibilities. My mother developed nephrological complications and my younger brother and sister had to be supported financially. This forced me to keep in abeyance my dream of higher studies and to commence employment. This experience taught me the value of responsible behaviour. A few years after graduation, I set foot in the US and in this manner I came very near to achieving my goal.These experiences served to strengthen my resolve and boosted my self confidence tremendously. I could clearly discern what Napoleon had meant when he had stated that â€Å"Impossible, ce n'est pas francais† or the word impossible does not exist in my dictionary. This attitude proved to be o f great help to the management of F.J. Benjamin and Holdings of Singapore, where I was employed in the year 1996. The management wanted to purchase an application software package, whereas my director was of the opinion that this package could be developed by the existing software professionals.Accordingly, the management permitted our group to develop the required application. However, after some days, the pace with which our work was progressing diminished greatly, due to the departure of a number of programmers for greener pastures. At the same time management became insistent upon our showing results and stated that it would purchase the software if we failed to develop it. At this crucial juncture, I took the bull by the horns and managed to convince the management that I would deliver the software package.In order to succeed in my challenge, I approached my friends in the software industry and obtained their invaluable help. Some of them even joined our organization and in thi s manner I ensured that the project was completed successfully and well within the allocated budget. The management of our organization was extremely pleased with my dynamism, organizing capacity, knowledge, determination and single minded devotion to duty. This reveals my aptitude for management.I had been devoting my time to several orphanages and helping their inmates in their scholastic endeavours. On seeing my friend lose his eyesight, I developed concern for the disabled and I organized a number of blood donation and organ donation camps. Moreover, I successfully established an orphanage in the city of Vishakhapatnam, India. At present I am in constant touch with Shankar Netralaya in Chennai, India, which is one of the best ophthalmologic centres in India, to treat more persons afflicted with diseases of the eye.The MBA Program of UCLA Anderson is one of the best of its kind in the world. The faculty is constantly engaged in research and their findings are conveyed to the stud ents. In addition to this, analyses of relevant international event are commonplace in this program. Moreover, the mandatory twenty weeks long Applied Management Research project, which every student has to complete, is with respect to some real business situation.Thus the alumni of this institution are truly bestowed with the latest theoretical and practical knowledge (MBA PROGRAM). I would like to become a part of this great management movement and my accomplishments, courage, positive attitude, optimism, perseverance and experience of life should ensure that I render complete justice to this superlative course in management. MBA Admission Essay To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there (Kofi Annan).My primary childhood objective was to obtain a Masters in Business Administration from the US. To this end, I worked very hard at school and obtained very good academic grades. My parents are illiterate and poor. We hail from a rural area of the country. However, my single minded devotion to acquiring knowledge resulted in my obtaining very good scores, not only in the tenth grade but also the twelfth grade. In some of the subjects of study I even obtained the highest marks in the entire state.Subsequently, I joined a college in Hyderabad, India. While commuting to college, one dismal day in June 1986, I was involved in a traffic accident which led to the complete loss of wrist movement in the right hand. Since, I am a right handed person; this constituted a terrible blow to my educational and other prospects. In this hour of my t rial, my family and friends extended all possible cooperation. The upshot of this was that I managed to emerge from a state of depression and move on in life. Inter alia, I made strenuous efforts to acclimatize my left hand to the functions that had previously been the exclusive preserve of my right hand.Another source of inspiration was offered by the numerous physically and mentally challenged persons, who had overcome their disabilities and forged ahead in life. Some of these people were at the very front of technological and scientific research. One such person from whose life I drew inspiration is Stephen Hawking, who is an acclaimed authority in theoretical physics. Stephen developed motor neurone disease, an incurable ailment. He lost his voice, mobility and was confined to a wheel chair. Nevertheless, such adversity failed to deter him and he continues to make significant contributions to cosmology (Hawking).I recovered my equanimity and writing skills in six months and obta ined very high grades in the second year examinations. In addition to attending college, I regularly underwent physio therapy and I was able to complete my graduation along with the other students of my class.The year 1988, was witness to the demise of my father. This compelled me to shoulder the family responsibilities. My mother developed nephrological complications and my younger brother and sister had to be supported financially. This forced me to keep in abeyance my dream of higher studies and to commence employment. This experience taught me the value of responsible behaviour. A few years after graduation, I set foot in the US and in this manner I came very near to achieving my goal.These experiences served to strengthen my resolve and boosted my self confidence tremendously. I could clearly discern what Napoleon had meant when he had stated that â€Å"Impossible, ce n'est pas francais† or the word impossible does not exist in my dictionary. This attitude proved to be o f great help to the management of F.J. Benjamin and Holdings of Singapore, where I was employed in the year 1996. The management wanted to purchase an application software package, whereas my director was of the opinion that this package could be developed by the existing software professionals.Accordingly, the management permitted our group to develop the required application. However, after some days, the pace with which our work was progressing diminished greatly, due to the departure of a number of programmers for greener pastures. At the same time management became insistent upon our showing results and stated that it would purchase the software if we failed to develop it. At this crucial juncture, I took the bull by the horns and managed to convince the management that I would deliver the software package.In order to succeed in my challenge, I approached my friends in the software industry and obtained their invaluable help. Some of them even joined our organization and in thi s manner I ensured that the project was completed successfully and well within the allocated budget. The management of our organization was extremely pleased with my dynamism, organizing capacity, knowledge, determination and single minded devotion to duty. This reveals my aptitude for management.I had been devoting my time to several orphanages and helping their inmates in their scholastic endeavours. On seeing my friend lose his eyesight, I developed concern for the disabled and I organized a number of blood donation and organ donation camps. Moreover, I successfully established an orphanage in the city of Vishakhapatnam, India. At present I am in constant touch with Shankar Netralaya in Chennai, India, which is one of the best ophthalmologic centres in India, to treat more persons afflicted with diseases of the eye.The MBA Program of UCLA Anderson is one of the best of its kind in the world. The faculty is constantly engaged in research and their findings are conveyed to the stud ents. In addition to this, analyses of relevant international event are commonplace in this program. Moreover, the mandatory twenty weeks long Applied Management Research project, which every student has to complete, is with respect to some real business situation.Thus the alumni of this institution are truly bestowed with the latest theoretical and practical knowledge (MBA PROGRAM). I would like to become a part of this great management movement and my accomplishments, courage, positive attitude, optimism, perseverance and experience of life should ensure that I render complete justice to this superlative course in management.

John Muir Essays

John Muir Essays John Muir Essay John Muir Essay Brendon Guichet HIST 1020 John Muir paper In a lifetime of exploration, writing, and passionate political activism, John Muir made himself Americas most expressive spokesman for the mystery and majesty of the wilderness. A crucial figure in the creation of our national parks system and a visionary forecaster of environmental awareness, he was also a master of natural description who suggested with exceptional power and intimacy the landscapes of the American West. The Boyhood of a Naturalist† is Muirs account of growing up by the sea in Scotland, of coming to America with his family at age eleven, and of his early fascination with the natural world. As a boy, Muir was fond of everything that was wild† and took great pleasure in the outdoors. He explored nature with an intellect of no other and articulated a great concern toward animals and everything that surrounded him. In 1849, Muir and his family immigrated to Wisconsin. The great forests of Northern United States capt ivated him and fueled his desire to learn more. In Wisconsin Mr. Muir commenced in farming along with his brothers and father. The whole family had to work very hard to help clear the land and run the farm. A lot of the responsibility fell to John as the oldest son, since his father was often away doing church work. He had a great interest in and love of nature and all living things. Of the many advantages of farm life for boys, one of the greatest is the gaining a real knowledge of animals as fellow-mortals, learning to respect them and love them, and even to win some of their love†. Another way that Muir relates his writing to the surrounding nature is the way he loved his animals. John was extraordinary when it came to recounting his occurrences with nature and animals. John writes, â€Å"She was the most faithful, intelligent, playful, affectionate, human-like horse I ever knew, and she won all our hearts†. John even appreciated women especially his mother by studying birds. He understood everything his mother did for him especially when he says, â€Å"to feel that it in no way differed from the divine mother-love of a woman†. Even though John related his works through nature, animals, and women he also examined the class structure in a different way. During this time period many gender and race issues were prevalent. We are able to see John’s perceptions on many class, race, and gender matters when he says, â€Å"they have no rights that we are bound to respect, and were made only for man to be petted, spoiled, slaughtered, or enslaved†. When John and his family migrated over to Wisconsin, they had servants who worked on the farm for them. This was not uncommon as to slavery was legal during this time period and no one questioned this. John, his father, and brothers traveled first to make sure they had a house to stay in. Before winter came, the house was ready for occupancy, and in November, Mrs. Muir and the rest of the family arrived from Scotland. Gender differences were very common and John understood this. John was surrounded by the males everyday doing farming activities, while the women stayed inside cooking and cleaning. In a fairly common custom of earlier day morning and evening family worship, the Muir family regularly practiced religion on a weekly basis. John’s father was very harsh on him and made John study the bible everyday. He went to Sunday school, bible lessons, and church all through out the week. John writes, â€Å"father carefully taught us to consider ourselves very poor worms of the dust, conceived in sin†. In conclusion, John Muir used his perceptions and surrounding by connecting them in his work with nature. John showed us that we can accept nature’s distinctiveness as one of our own. He showed us that at a young boy he still understood gender, class, and race differences. John later on became one of the most respected natural writers that ever lived. We can all learn life lessons from John and his experiences he had as a young boy.

Napoleons Conflict With Russia Essays - Russia, Free Essays

Napoleons Conflict With Russia Essays - Russia, Free Essays Napoleon's Conflict with Russia Napoleon was one of the greatest military leaders of all time. By 1812 Napoleon had expanded the territory of France all over Europe including Spain, Italy, Holland, and Switzerland. The countries that Napoleon did not directly control, he was usually allied with. The turning point of Napoleon's career also came in 1812 when war broke out between France and Russia because of Alexander I's refusal to enforce the continental. Even the French nation could not provide all the manpower and supplies needed to carry out the Emperor's grandiose plan for subduing Russia. Throughout 1811, he worked to mobilize the entire continent against Russia. He not only levied the vassal kingdoms in Spain, Italy, and Germany but also summoned Austria and Prussia to furnish their share of men and goods. Altogether, Napoleon could count on nearly 700,000 men of 20 nationalities of whom more than 600,000 crossed the border. Grown far beyond its original intended size, the army was difficult to assemble and hard to feed. Between Tilsit and Moscow, there lay over 600 miles of hostile barren countryside. Because of lack of supplies and the difficulty to feed the large army, Napoleon's plan was simple: bring about a battle, defeat the Russian army, and dictate a settlement. Apparently neither he nor his soldiers, who cheerfully began crossing the Nieman River, thought beyond the immediate goal. Already 300 miles into Russia, Napoleon had not yet found a way to exploit his advantage. In the Emperor's programming the resources necessary to achieve his objective, he had anticipated fighting a battle within a month after crossing the Nieman. Toward the end of that month Napoleon began to realize that events were disproving the validity of his estimates. Dying horses littered the roads and the advanced guard found little forage as Russians everywhere abandoned their homes. Napoleon knew that he needed to fight. At Smolensk, he set up for a battle and waited but the Russians, afraid of a trap steadily withdrew their troops from Smolensk and continued to retreat deeper into Russia. The only major battle in the Russian campaign proved that something was definitely lacking in Napoleon's judgment. Borodino was a battle of legendary proportions. Before the battle Napoleon proclaimed, "Soldiers, here is the battle you have so long desired!" However, the fight was inconclusive. At its end, Napoleon found himself the possessor, not of a victory, but of a barren hillside and an increasingly compelling commitment to advance further into the east. Well into the battle, the French had almost cracked the left side of the Russian Army. Several French generals had requested that Napoleon would commit the guard infantry into battle. This would create the final blow and insure the Russian defeat. After 14 hours of intense combat, the fighting died out at nightfall, and Mikhail Illarionovich Kutusov, the Russian general, gratefully began to retreat his troops. The guard infantry had remained unused. After the Battle of Borodino, in which losses on both sides totaled ! over 70,000 men, Napoleon had 100,000 effectives remaining, while Kutusov probably had no more than 55,000. Both sides claimed a victory, whereas actually, both sides had lost. While the Russian army filed disconsolately toward Moscow, the Emperor of the French rationalized his indecision at Borodino by contenting himself with the capture of the city. On September 14, Napoleon rode into Moscow at the head of a fraction of the Empire's military strength. Meanwhile, Napoleon's opponent had made a decision that was to shape the remainder of the campaign. Kutusov made up his mind not to fight another battle in defense of Moscow. Kutusov ordered the city's population out into the countryside, released all inmates from the city jails, and destroyed the city firefighting equipment. Napoleon and his army of 100,000 arrived only to find a handful of the original inhabitants and several hundred criminals and lunatics freely roaming and plundering the streets. That night, fires sprang up all over the city. Fire swept through the city for several days and by morning it was apparent that most of the city had been consumed by the flames. Left with no choice, Napoleon sent peace proposals to Alexander, but Alexander refused to even

Anorexia Nervos A Type Of Eating Disorder Essay example -- Obesity, Body

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a type of eating disorder characterized by intense fear of gaining weight (1). People with anorexia have a distorted body image, persistent preoccupation with thinness, excessive exercising, unwillingness to maintain minimal weight, and disturbed eating behaviours (1-2). The lifetime prevalence of AN is about 0.3 - 1.0% in women and 0.3% in men (3), with a peak age of onset at 13 to 18 years (4). The mortality rate of AN is reported to be higher than of any other psychiatric illness. Estimates show that around 10% of people with AN die within 10 years from the development of the condition (5). Two major subtypes of AN have been identified: eating/purging and restricting subtypes. Individuals with the eating/purging subtype maintain their low body weight by engaging in binge-eating and/or purging behaviours by misusing diuretics or laxatives, and induce vomiting. Those with the restricting subtype limit their food intake and exercise excessively (5). Anorexia affects both the body and the mind of the person. Although individuals lose a lot of weight, they still view themselves as fat, become preoccupied with food, and are socially withdrawn (5). Onset of AN starts as innocent dieting, but gradually gets out of control. Progressively, people become obsessively preoccupied with weight loss and limit the amount of food intake. Some individuals begin starving themselves and exercise excessively to become dangerously thin. Others lose weight by misusing laxatives, self-induced vomiting, diuretics or enemas. Severe cases on AN include suicide attempts and occur in about 20-30% of individuals (6). The suicide rates for women with AN is about 57 times higher than that for women of similar age in the gene... ... middle of paper ... ...alent and has serious psychological and medical consequences. These particular age groups are at a higher risk for developing AN, due to biological and sociocultural influences. In order to avoid long-term health problems, it is imperative that early signs associated with AN are recognised. Quick detection and vigorous treatment are needed to prevent medical complications and chronicity. Treatment interventions that focus on weight restoration, negative thought targeting, blame reduction, and actively integrate caregivers and families have emerged as particularly effective (25, 26). FBT and CBT are valuable parts of treatment, but no specific approach is superior to any other. While the evidence for treatment interventions continues to grow, families and physicians must work in collaboration to promote remission and to prevent relapses in patients diagnosed with AN.

Personal interview with a training manager Essay

Personal interview with a training manager - Essay Example When asked who was trained in the organization the respondent argued that that is determined by random selection from the training dates depending on the business unit. Additionally, he also argued that for some training, people are snowballed and selected through the manager’s preference. However, the training participants are required to impart the knowledge of what they have acquired in such sessions to those who did not participate. The organization refers to this as the informational networking. The training process entailed the performance manager and the training manager’s active participation in determining the training calendar for the organization. Afterward, the participants are selected. However, room for modification is maintained due to the possible emergence of better training opportunities within an organization. Training improves organizational efficiency through the fostering of innovation. Training has been noted to have an eye-opening effect on the employees. It also assists the organization in staying updated and using the most recent tools and technologies available. The employee development process causes increased efficiency and improved productivity hence offsetting the training costs incurred by the organization (McConnell, 2003). According to the respondent, training is a business

Memory Game maths GCSE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Memory Game maths GCSE - Essay Example Most theoretical models of memory distinguish three main systems or types: sensory memory, short-term or working memory, and long-term memory. Within each of these categories are further divisions. Sensory memory refers to the initial, momentary recording of information in our sensory systems. When sensations strike our eyes, they linger briefly in the visual system. This kind of sensory memory is called iconic memory and refers to the usually brief visual persistence of information as it is being interpreted by the visual system. Echoic memory is the name applied to the same phenomenon in the auditory domain: the brief mental echo that persists after information has been heard. Similar systems are assumed to exist for other sensory systems (touch, taste, and smell), although researchers have studied these senses less thoroughly.(Encarta reference library 2003) We can keep information circulating in working memory by rehearsing it. Several experiments can be performed to test this. The experiment can be performed on the assumption that is the person is able to recall more he/she can be said to have more observation power. It can also be assumed that the things that are recalled are ore familiar to the person. We can recall events,things and also facts that are more familiar to us quickly than those that are unfamiliar. For example in a 1966 experiment, subjects were shown a series of 15 words, then tested for their recall of the words immediately or after 30 seconds. When tested immediately, people remembered items at the beginning and end of the series better than those in the middle, a phenomenon called the serial position effect. Memory for words at the end of the list faded when the test was delayed 30 seconds. The experiment The experiment is simple. The players are given a series of 10 words . These words would appear on the computer screen for a brief period of 30 seconds and the players would observe what they see. After 30 seconds the words would disappear and the players would write them on papers provided to them. This process would continue several times with different words each time. The words may be meaningful or meaningless. The experiment is performed in the following phases Phase 1 The following ten words are taken. Since it is the first phase the words are simple and easy to remember: Bun,tea,biscuit,plane,ink,pen,pencil,earth,bat,ball The outcome: All the five members could recall successfully all the words. The number of words are taken in the y-axis and the persons are taken in the x-axis i.e. 1 indicates person 1 and so on. From the above observation it can be inferred that recalling words depends upon the ease of words. Phase 2 In this phase the following words are taken: Abberant,adjourn ,ablong,abound,abrasive,abort,abstract,affiliate,aliterate,astounding The outcome: Person 1 2 3 4 5 Number of words 10 8 5 4 6 From the table it can be inferred that the first person recalled 10 words, the second person recalled 8 words, the third person recalled 5 words, the fourth person

MSc computer system security 'Practical Windows Security' Essay

MSc computer system security 'Practical Windows Security' - Essay Example The main types of attacks include Denial of Service, Trojan Horse, viruses, worms and Logic Bombs. The first virus that operated on Windows 2000 was detected on 13th January 2000 (Wong 2000). It is known as the Win2000.Install or W2K.Installer virus. Although the virus could not do much damage to the new windows but it provided attackers with the concept to identify the vulnerabilities of the Windows and to invade into the systems with improved attacks in the future. A definition of security vulnerability can be regarded as the preliminary filter that is applicable to various issues. A security vulnerability can be considered as, â€Å"a flaw in a product that makes it infeasible – even when using the product properly —to prevent an attacker from usurping privileges on the user's system, regulating its operation, compromising data on it, or assuming ungranted trust† (Microsoft 2011). Microsoft publishes security bulletins when a specific security issue fulfills t he criteria for the standard security definition. However this does not follow that no action is taken by Microsoft. For instance if Microsoft finds a bug that does not raise any security vulnerability, the security team nevertheless gives it importance and tries to counter it. In this case the Microsoft team does not come up with a patch or publish security bulletin; rather the team would include the solution in the product that it is going to release in the future. On the other hand, if a certain issue does fall on the criteria for security vulnerability definition, the security team first tries to establish whether the issue has breached the security policy of the product. When a product is made there is an assortment of instructions that are devised to inform the costumer about how a particular product is to be used as well as the promises that it delivers regarding the security it provides. What is CVE? Common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE) brings together a list of common security vulnerabilities and exposures which are publically accessible. Common identifiers of CVE play a role in the exchange of data between security products and put forth a base line index point for the purpose of analyzing coverage of various products such as tools and services (CVE 2011). When Microsoft comes out with a patch for a security problem, it aims to fix whatever security vulnerability the problem has exposed. The purpose of the new patches is to protect the costumer from security threats. For example MS03-026 was released on July 16, 2003 to correct a security vulnerability in a Windows Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) Remote Procedure Call (RPC) interface. After Microsoft had introduced this bulletin Microsoft was informed that there are yet more ports available that can be abused for the purpose of this vulnerability. Later on Microsoft added information regarding these extra ports in the security bulletin; particularly this has been integrated in the mit igating factors as well as the Workaround section in the bulletin. However later additions were made to it like the MS03-039 with an updated scanning tool which provided further advancements in the patches given in the older version as well as the original scanning tool. The use of remote procedure call The windows operating system makes use of a certain protocol which is referred as the Remote

Consumer Behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Consumer Behaviour - Assignment Example Consumer Behaviour The term consumer behavior is simply the behavior that consumers display in searching, purchasing, using, evaluating and disposing of services and products that they think will satisfy their wants and needs. Consumer behavior centers at how individuals make decisions to use or spend their available resources, that is, time effort or money on consumption linked items. This simply means what they buy, where they buy it, when they purchase it, how often they utilize or use it, how they analyze it after they buy it and the impact of evaluating it in future and lastly, the way they dispose of it. In other words, consumer behavior can be used to refer to the behavior of individuals in regard to acquisition, utilization, and disposal of products, ideas, services or experiences. Acquisition and use of information are also included in consumer behavior. This means that, communicating with consumers and getting feedbacks from them forms a crucial and important part to marketers. Importance of studying customers’ behavior Studying consumer behavior is very significant in our lives. It plays a very crucial role in our daily activities. Every body spends a lot of time in market places and other places shopping different items. Before doing any transaction, everybody must make a decision. This shows that, consumer behavior cannot be avoided in our lives. It also plays a crucial role in marketing. Understanding consumer behavior is important in successful delivery of firms’ offerings in market places. ... This is analysis and evaluation of trends and conditions in market places to understand consumers’ needs that are not fully met. Here, it is useful in identifying the weaknesses and developing these weaknesses to meet consumers’ satisfaction. Consumer behavior is also used in Target Market Selection. This is identifying different groupings of consumers who have needs and wants that are unique and segment selection that matches the strengths of the firm. It analyses all this and then offer better chances and opportunities. Consumer behavior also involves Marketing Mix Destination. This is development and implementation of strategies for delivering effective combination of different features of satisfying wants to consumers within target market. Marketing mix is made up of four components, namely; place, promotion, price and product. Each and every person has his or her own way of perceiving or understanding things. Cognition and affect are one and same (Chisnall, 1995). Understanding of marketing strategy is also part of consumer behavior. Strategies used in marketing as well as the tactics are based on beliefs about consumer behavior. These beliefs can either be implicit or explicit. Not to forget, regulatory policy needs wide knowledge of consumer behavior. In addition, understanding of consumer behavior will also be incredibly useful in social marketing. Social marketing is use of marketing tactics and strategies to create or alter behaviors that have constructive effects on the target individuals and the society. It is used to increase sound environmental behaviors and to reduce vices like smoking. It is also used to improve support of charities and reduction of behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS. Evaluation of attitude According to Olson and Peter, analyzing

Leadership and Motivation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Leadership and Motivation - Assignment Example A leader moves through a continuous process wherein he moves from accomplishing one goal to another keeping in mind the best interest of the group. Clark defines it as follows: â€Å"Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills†. Stogdil echoes the same definition noting leadership’s three dimensions. First, leadership is defined as a process that is interpersonal wherein the leader steps in to direct the behaviors of his members. Next, the leadership is put in a social setting wherein the members are the subordinates or the ones obeying the leader. Lastly, effective leaders achieve goals for the whole. Leadership has gained much attention that research has been devoted to it. Yukl presents a comprehensive collection of studies on leadership, identifying various approaches. He discussed the Trait approach, which is based on the belief that some are born to be leaders as they are endowed with certain traits not possessed by other people. The behavior approach studies the leader’s typical pattern of behaviors to manage and lead. The power-influence approach takes on a more leader-centered perspective in that power is used not only to manage members of the group but also to convince peers, superiors or others who are not part of the organization to see the perspective of the leader.

Freedom of Movement in EU Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Freedom of Movement in EU - Essay Example Signed in 1992, the Maastricht Treaty provides that European citizenship confers on every European citizen a fundamental and personal right to move and reside freely without reference to an economic activity. The Treaty also provides for additional active and passive voting rights in European and local elections. Diplomatic and consular protection is also enhanced by giving the right to EU citizens to ask for the help of any Member State represented in a third Country if his/her own Member State is not represented there. Treaty of Amsterdam enforced on May 1999, extended the citizens rights and obligations by introducing a clause allowing EU institutions to take measures against discrimination on the grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. It reinforced the free movement of people by integrating the Schengen Convention into the Treaty. This also affirmed the commitment of each Member State to raise the quality and free access to education at national level to the highest level of knowledge possible with, in particular, the view to tackling unemployment. In 2001, the Treaty of Nice was sign facilitating legislation related to free movement and residence by introducing qualified majority for the decision-making in the European Council. The legal basis for the Freedom of movement for persons in the European Union is: Article 14 (7a) ECT: establishing the internal market, which includes the free movement of persons. Article 18 (8a) ECT: Union citizens have the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States. Article 61 (73i) et seq: new Title IV, 'Visas, asylum, immigration and other policies related to free movement of persons'. The objectives for the Freedom of movement for persons and the abolition of controls at internal frontiers form part of the internal market in which it is not possible for internal frontiers to exist or for individuals to be hampered in their movements. Since its inception, the concept of the free movement of persons has changed in meaning so that while the first provisions on the subject referred merely to the free movement individuals considered as economic agents, either as employees or providers of services, it has gradually widened to take on a more general meaning connected with the idea of Union citizenship, independent of any economic activity or distinctions of nationality. This currently applies to nationals of third countries as abolition of control at internal borders allows people movements that could no longer be checked for nationality. The freedom of movement applies to goods, persons, services and capital, the so-called "four freedoms" but specifically under

Leadership and Motivation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Leadership and Motivation - Assignment Example A leader moves through a continuous process wherein he moves from accomplishing one goal to another keeping in mind the best interest of the group. Clark defines it as follows: â€Å"Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills†. Stogdil echoes the same definition noting leadership’s three dimensions. First, leadership is defined as a process that is interpersonal wherein the leader steps in to direct the behaviors of his members. Next, the leadership is put in a social setting wherein the members are the subordinates or the ones obeying the leader. Lastly, effective leaders achieve goals for the whole. Leadership has gained much attention that research has been devoted to it. Yukl presents a comprehensive collection of studies on leadership, identifying various approaches. He discussed the Trait approach, which is based on the belief that some are born to be leaders as they are endowed with certain traits not possessed by other people. The behavior approach studies the leader’s typical pattern of behaviors to manage and lead. The power-influence approach takes on a more leader-centered perspective in that power is used not only to manage members of the group but also to convince peers, superiors or others who are not part of the organization to see the perspective of the leader.

No Longer at Ease Essay Example for Free

No Longer at Ease Essay From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia No Longer at Ease is a 1960 novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It is the story of an Igbo (also spelled Ibo) man, Obi Okonkwo, who leaves his village for a British education and a Job in the Nigerian colonial civil service, but who struggles to adapt to a Western lifestyle and ends up taking a bribe. The novel is the sequel to Achebes Things Fall Apart, which concerned the struggle of Obi Okonkwos grandfather Okonkwo against the changes brought by the English. Novels title The books title comes from the closing lines of T. S. Eliots poem, The Journey of the Magi: We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death. Plot summary The novel opens with the trial of Obi Okonkwo on a charge of accepting a bribe. It then Jumps back in time to a point before his departure for England and works its way forward to describe how Obi ended up on trial. The members of the Umuofia Progressive Union (UPIJ), a group of Ibo men who have left their villages to live in ajor Nigerian cities, have taken up a collection to send Obi to England to study law, in the hope that he will return to help his people navigate British colonial society. But once there, Obi switches his major to English and meets Clara Okeke for the first time during a dance. Obi returns to Nigeria after four years of studies and lives in Lagos with his friend Joseph. He takes a Job with the Scholarship Board and is almost immediately offered a bribe by a man who is trying to obtain a scholarship for his little sister. When Obi indignantly rejects the offer, he is visited by the girl herself ho implies that she will bribe him with sexual favors for the scholarship, another offer Obi rejects. At the same time, Obi is developing a romantic relationship with Clara Okeke, a Nigerian woman who eventually reveals that she is an osu, an outcast by her descendants, meaning that Obi can not marry her under the traditional ways of the Igbo people of Nigeria. While he remains intent on marrying Clara, even his Christian father opposes it, although reluctantly due to his desire to progress and eschew the heathen customs of pre-colonial Nigeria. His mother begs him on her eathbed not to marry Clara until after her death, threatening to kill herself if Obi disobeys. When Obi informs Clara of these events, Clara breaks the engagement and intimates that she is pregnant. Obi arranges an abortion, which Clara reluctantly undergoes, but she suffers complications and refuses to see Obi afterwards. All the while, Obi sinks deeper into financial trouble, in part due to poor planning on his end, in part due to the need to repay his loan to the I-JPLJ and to pay for his siblings educations, and in part due to the cost of the illegal abortion. After hearing of his mothers death, Obi sinks into a deep depression, and refuses to go home for the funeral. When he recovers, he begins to accept bribes in a reluctant acknowledgement that it is the way of his world. The novel closes as Obi takes a bribe and tells himselt that it is the last one ne will take, only to discover that the bribe was part of a sting operation. He is arrested, bringing us up to the events that opened the story. Themes Though set several decades after Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease continues any of the themes from Achebes first novel. Here, the clash between European culture and traditional culture has become entrenched during the long period of colonial rule. Obi struggles to balance the demands of his family and village for monetary support while simultaneously keeping up with the materialism of Western culture. Furthermore, Achebe depicts a family continuity between Ogbuefi Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart and his grandson Obi Okonkwo in No Longer at Ease. Both men are confrontational, speak their minds, and have some self-destructive endencies. However, this aggressive streak manifests itself in different ways.

Risks of Engineered Nanoparticles for the Environment

Risks of Engineered Nanoparticles for the Environment Abstract: The objectives of this article are to: (1) investigate the current state of knowledge of the risks of engineered nanoparticles for the environment and human health, (2) estimate whether this knowledge is sufficient to facilitate their comprehensive and effective risk assessment and (3) provide recommendations on future research in the field of risk assessment of nanomaterials. In order to meet the objectives, the relevance of each of the four steps of the risk assessment methodology (i.e., hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment and risk characterization) was evaluated in the context of the current state of knowledge of the risks of nanomaterials, limitations were identified and recommendations were given on how to overcome them. Keywords: engineered nanoparticles; risk assessment; hazard identification; dose-response assessment; exposure assessment; risk characterization; environmental sustainability; human health Introduction Background In contrast to the small size of the nanoparticles, the scale of their application is tremendous. Nanotechnology influences virtually all industrial and public sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, transport, energy, materials, information and communication technologies. Both the potential benefits and the risks, associated with the application of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have been largely debated in recent years. In contrast to the dominating optimistic projections that nanotechnology will bring significant technological development and well-being to society, it is considered that exposure to certain ENPs may cause environmental problems and/or do harm to human health. Since the early discussions about the risks of ENPs, the chemical risk assessment (CRA) has been put forward as the most relevant approach to understand, evaluate and quantify these risks. Currently, a variety of methodologies are being internationally discussed and evaluated with great vengeance with the idea that, in the near future, it will be possible to perform complete and scientifically sound risk assessment of ENPs. Objectives The objectives of this article are to: Investigate the current state of knowledge of the risks of ENPs for the environment and human health Estimate whether this knowledge is sufficient to facilitate comprehensive and effective risk assessment of ENPs Provide recommendations on future research in the field of risk assessment of ENPs Methodology This article is based on an extensive review of literature published in the period: January 1992- September 2009. The selected literature consisted mainly of scientific publications, but also books, information from conferences and patent data were used. Nanotechnology and Its Applications Nanotechnology and Nanoparticles Nanotechnology is a field of applied science and technology, dealing with the organization and control of matter on the nano-scale (i.e., between 1 and 100 nm) and the manufacturing of products and devices with dimensions, lying within this size range. A nanometer (nm), from the Greek nanos for dwarf, equals one billionth of a meter. Nanomaterials are all materials with sizes on the nano-scale in at least one of their dimensions [1], while nanoparticles are materials, nano-sized in at least two dimensions [2]. The nomenclature nanoparticles encompasses particles as well as fibrous materials and tubes, but it excludes materials, such as coatings, films and multilayers. Two types of nanoparticles (NPs) can be distinguished: (1) naturally occurring NPs (e.g., produced naturally in volcanoes, forest fires or as combustion by-products) and (2) engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), deliberately developed to be used in application (e.g., carbon black, fumed silica, titanium dioxide (TiO2), iron oxide (FOx), quantum dots (QDs), fullerenes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), dendrimers). Naturally occurring NPs do NOT fall in the scope of this article. The paper encompasses only ENPs. The main reasons why materials, built of ENPs, have different optical, electrical, magnetic, chemical and mechanical properties from their bulk counterparts are that in this size-range quantum effects start to predominate and the surface-area-to-volume ratio (sa/vol) becomes very large [1]. The sa/vol of most materials increases gradually as their particles become smaller, which results in increased adsorption of the surrounding atoms and changes their properties and behavior. Once particles become small enough, they start to obey the quantum mechanical laws. Materials reduced to the nano-scale can suddenly show very different properties, compared to what they exhibit on the macro-scale, which enables unique applications. For example, opaque substances become transparent (copper); stable materials become combustible (aluminum); inert materials become catalysts (platinum); insulators become conductors (silicon); solids turn into liquids at room temperature (gold) [3]. Areas of Application Today, nanotechnology is available on the market for great variety of applications. Some examples are: cosmetics and sunscreens, water filtrations, glare filters, ink, stain-resistant clothing, more durable tennis balls, more lightweight tennis rackets, dressings for burns or injuries. [4]. Defining Hazard and Risk The term hazard has many definitions. This paper uses the definition of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which defines hazard as the inherent toxicity of a compound [5]. According to this definition, if a chemical substance has the property of being toxic, it is therefore hazardous. Any exposure to a hazardous substance may lead to adverse health effects in individuals or even death. EPA defines risk with respect to the above definition of hazard as a measure of the probability that damage to life, health, property, and/or the environment will occur as a result of a given hazard [5]. According to this definition, if the probability of an exposure to a hazardous material is high and the consequences for the health or environment are significant, then the risk is considered to be high. It is important to consider both the frequency of the event and the degree of the hazard to estimate risk [2]. Usually two categories of risk are distinguished in literature: known risks and potential risks. When the relation between a cause and an effect is established, we talk of known risks. The responsibility for such risks can generally be attributed. When the causal relationship is established, prevention is possible. When the relationship between a cause and damage is not well known, we talk of potential risks. In case of potential risks, it is unclear whether there is a danger, how significant the damage can be or what is the probability of its occurrence [2, after 6]. This situation is characterized by a state of suspicion (not awareness) and it is generally admitted that a precautionary approach can be applied in order to prevent potential damage [2, after 6]. The risks of ENPs for the environment and human health fail in the second category: potential risks. It is very important to assess the risks of hazardous agents. The likelihood that a hazardous substance will cause harm (the risk) is the determinant of how cautious one should be and what preventative or precautionary measures should be taken. Risk Assessment of ENPs Since the early debates about the potential hazards of ENPs, the risk assessment of chemicals (CRA) has been put forward as the most relevant approach to understand and quantify the related risks [7]. CRA is a process, in which scientific and regulatory principles are applied in a systematic fashion in order to describe the hazard, associated with the environmental and/or human exposure to chemical substances. It is defined as a process, intended to calculate or estimate the risk to a given target organism, system or (sub)population, including the identification of attendant uncertainties, following exposure to a particular agent, taking into account the inherent characteristics of the agent of concern, as well as the characteristics of the specific target system [8]. The CRA is a four-step process, consisting of: (1) hazard identification, (2) dose- response assessment, (3) exposure assessment and (4) risk characterization. Its main outcome is a statement of the probability that whe n humans or other environmental receptors (e.g., plants, animals) are exposed to a chemical agent, they will be harmed and to what degree. The CRA methodology is internationally recognized and employed by major actors, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), as well as by several European and U.S. agencies [9]. It is considered a valuable tool, very important for the regulation of chemicals. CRA is also a fundamental ingredient of the new European Union (EU) chemical regulation policy, known as Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH). In order to achieve the objectives of this study, the current state of knowledge of the risks of ENPs for the environment and human health were summarized and evaluated in relation to each of the four elements of the CRA framework, as more important scientific findings were highlighted and limitations were identified and discussed. Hazard Identification Hazard identification (HI) is defined as the identification of the adverse effects, which a substance has an inherent capacity to cause [10, after 11]. Until recently, much of the discussion about the environmental and health risks of ENPs was considered to be rather speculative than realistic. In the last few years, however, a number of experimental studies found that exposure to certain ENPs can lead to adverse health effects in living organisms. In 2007, Hansen et al. identified 428 studies reporting on toxicity of ENPs [12]. In these studies, adverse health effects of 965 tested ENPs of various chemical compositions were observed [12]. Current State of Knowledge The following sections shortly describe some of the most important scientific findings, relevant for HI of ENPs. Their purpose is to summarize the current state of knowledge of the hazards of ENPs, based on experimental studies. For simplification, the studies are divided into two categories in vivo and in vitro studies. In Vivo Studies Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) A study, performed by Lam et al. [13], demonstrated that single- walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are able to cause dose-dependent effects of interstitial inflammation and lesions in mice and rats (0- 0.5 mg kg-1 for 7 to 90 days). Warheit et al. [14] observed pulmonary grandulomas in rats after exposure to SWCNT soot (1 and 5 mg kg-1 for 24 hours to 3 months). In contrast to Lam et al. [13], however, the effects, observed by Warheit et al. [14] were not dependent on dose. Smith et al. [15] tested the ecotoxicity of SWCNTs, dissolved in sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and sonication on juvenile rainbow trout (0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 mg l-1 for 24 hours to 10 days) and they observed a dose-dependent rise in ventilation rate, gill pathologies (oedema, altered mucocytes, hyperplasia), and mucus secretion with SWCNT precipitation on the gill mucus. They also observed a significant dose- dependent decrease in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), especially in the gill, brain and liver , which is an indication of oxidative stress. Multi- walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were shown by Carrero-Sanchez et al. [16], to exhibit acute toxicity in rats with LD90 of 5 mg kg-1. Long MWCNTs were shown by Poland et al. [17] to cause significant inflammation and tissue damage in mice, while shorter MWCNTs caused less inflammation, which suggests that CNT toxicity is influenced by the particle morphology. In addition, they concluded that water-soluble components of MWCNT do not produce strong inflammatory effects in mice. C60 Fullerenes Most studies on the toxicological effects of C60 fullerenes suggest that these materials tend to induce oxidative stress in living organisms [18-21]. Lai et al. [18] observed a significant increase in lipid peroxidation (LP) products (a sign of oxidative stress) after intravenous administration of 1 mg kg-1 C60 (OH)18 in male mongrel dogs. Oberdà ¶rster [19, 20] studied the effects of C60 fullerenes in the brain of juvenile largemouth bass and observed high LP levels (0.5 and 1 ppm for 48 h). Elevated LP was also observed by Zhu et al. [21] in the brain and gills of daphnia magna after exposure to hydroxylated C60 fullerenes (C60 (OH)24) and tetrahydrofuran (THF)- dissolved C60, as it was shown that THF did not contribute to the effect. Sayes et al. [22] detected an increase in the numbers of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)-recovered neutrophils (i.e., white blood cells) after intratracheal instillation of C60 and C60 (OH)24 in rats, 1 day after the exposure. They also observed a signi ficant increase in LP values 1 week after the exposure. Accute effects of functionalized C60 were also reported . Zhu et al. [21] estimated LC100 in fathead minnow after exposure to 0.5 ppm of THF-dissolved C60 for 6-18 hours. Chen et al. [23] observed a LD50 of 600 mg kg-1 polyalkylsulfonated C60 in female rats after intraperitoneal administration (0- 2500 mg kg-1 for up to 2 weeks). Oberdà ¶rster [24] tested uncoated, water soluble, colloidal C60 fullerenes and estimated a Daphnid 48-hour LC50 of 800 ppb. Metal and Metal Oxide ENPs Li et al. [25] found that metal ENPs induce more severe lung toxicity in mice than bulk particles from the same materials. Gordon et al. [26] tested the effects on humans of exposure to zinc (Zn) ENPs. After 2 hours of exposure to 5 mg m-3 of Zn ENPs, the exposed individuals started feeling sore throat, chest tightness, headache, fever and chills. Beckett et al. [27] repeated that test in three trials, 2 hours each, but at lower concentration (i.e., 500 ?g m-3), and found no indication of adverse effects. The latter two studies suggest that Zn ENPs toxicity is concentration- dependent and the most probable uptake path is through the respiratory system. A study of Sayes et al. [22] concluded that environmental exposure to Zn ENPs causes pulmonary (lung) inflammatory response in mice. Wang et al. [28] found that Zn ENPs can cause severe symptoms of lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of body weight and even death in mice when gastrointestinally administered, whereas they obser ved limited effect for micro- scale Zn at equal concentrations. Yang and Watts [29] tested the effect of Aluminium (Al) ENPs on the relative root growth (RRG) in Zea mays (corn), Glycine max (soybean), Brassica oleracea (cabbage), and Daucus carota (carrot). The study found that the ENPs significantly inhibited the growth of the plants after administration of 2 mg ml-1 for 24 h. Oberdà ¶rster [30] and Oberdà ¶rster et al. [31] observed that smaller TiO2 ENPs tend to cause more severe pulmonary damage in mice than larger particles. In addition, Warheit et al., [32] found that smaller silicon dioxide (SiO2) particles cause stronger lung inflammation in rats than larger ones. Wang et al., [33] noticed that the smaller the TiO2 particle size is, the greater the concentration in the liver of mice is. Bourrinet et al. [34] reported hypoactivity, ataxia, emesis, exophthalmos, salivation, lacrimation, discolored and mucoid feces, injected sclera, and yellow eyes in dogs after single-dose intravenous bolus administration of 20 and 200 mg kg-1 FeO ENPs and a significant increase in fetal skeletal malformations in rats and rabbits. In Vitro Studies Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) A number of cytotoxicity studies with SWCNTs were reported in the literature. Shvedova et al. [35] observed oxidative stress and cellular toxicity in human epidermal keratinocytes, after 2 to 18 hours exposure to unrefined (iron containing) SWCNTs in concentrations, ranging from 0.6 to 0.24 mg ml-1. Cui et al. [36] observed dose- and time- dependent inhibition of cell proliferation and a decrease in cell adhesive ability in human embryo kidney cells after exposure to SWCNTs in concentrations between 0.8 and 200 ?g ml-1. Sayes et al. [37] found that the surface functionalization of SWCNTs plays an important role in their cytotoxicity towards human dermal fibroblasts. Bottini et al. [38] noticed that MWCNTs were more cytotoxic when oxized towards Jurkat T leukemia cells, whereas Monteriro-Riviere et al. [39] observed a decrease of the viability of human osteoblastic lines and human epidermal keratinocytes after exposures to 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg ml-1 of MWCNTs for 1 to 48 hours. Kang et al. [40] compared the cytotoxicity of commercially obtained MWCNTs in bacterial systems before and after physicochemical modification and they observed highest toxicity when the nanotubes were uncapped, debundled, short, and dispersed in solution. Kang et al. [40] concluded that there is need for careful documentation of the physical and chemical characteristics of CNTs, when reporting their toxicity. C60 Fullerenes Adelman et al. [41] observed a reduction of the viability of bovine alveolar macrophages after exposure to sonicated C60 and increased levels of cytokine mediators of inflammation (i.e., IL-6, IL-8 and TNF), while Porter et al. [42] found that C60 and raw soot were not toxic towards bovine- and human alveolar macrophages. The reason behind the discrepancy between the results of Adelman et al. and Porter et al. can be attributed to the fact that they used very different methods. Porter et al. used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to image the distributions of the fullerenes within the macrophages, while Adelman et al. used a viability assay, based on metabolic activity as primary parameter. Studies on the effects of ENPs on alveolar macrophages are very important because the alveolar macrophages are the first line of cellular defense against respiratory pathogens [11, after 43]. Yamawaki Iwai [44] observed dose-dependent cytotoxicity of C60 (OH)24 (1- 100  µg ml-1 for 24 hours), resulting in decreased cell density and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release in human umbilical vein endothelial cells cavity (a sign of increase in non-viable cell numbers). Rouse et al. [45] observed a dose-dependent decrease in the viability of human epidermeal keratinocytes after exposure to C60- phenylalanine, as no contribution to the effect was attributed to the phenylalanine groups. Quantum Dots (QDs) The toxicity of QDs was found to be influenced by several factors: (1) composition, (2) size, (3) surface charge and (4) coating of the QDs [7, 46- 48]. Jaiswal et al. [46] found that CdSe/ZnS QDs (i.e., CdSe QDs in a zinc sulfide (ZnS) matrix), coated with dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) had no effect on mammalian cells, while Hoshino et al. [47] reported adverse effects on mouse lymphocytes after exposure to CdSe/ZnS QDs, coated with albumin. In addition, Lovrà ­c et al. [48] observed that smaller (2.2  ± 0.1 nm), positively charged QDs exhibit stronger cytotoxicity than larger (5.2  ±0.1 nm), equally charged QDs under the same conditions. It was also found that the cytotoxicity of QDs is influenced by the exposure to light and by temperature [49, 50]. Green and Howman [49] observed 56% damaged DNA after exposure to CdSe/ZnS together with UV light versus only 29% after exposure to CdSe/Zn in the absence of UV light. Chang et al. [50] found that CdSe/CdS (i.e., CdSe QDs in a cadmium sulfide (CdS) matrix) were toxic to cancer cells at 37  ºC, but at 4  ºC they were not toxic at all. Metal and Metal Oxide ENPs Sayes et al. [51] found that anatase TiO2 ENPs are able to kill human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells at LC50 of 3.6 ?g ml-1, while Wang et al. [52] observed decrease in the viability of human lymphoblastoid cells due to exposure to TiO2 ENPs (0-130 ?g ml-1 for 6-48 h). Chen Mikecz [53] found that SiO2 ENPs do significantly inhibit replication and transcription in human epithelial HEp-2 cells (25 ?g ml-1 for 24 h). Muller et al. [54] observed that Fe3O4 ENPs, coated with dextran, decrease the viability of human monocyte macrophages. Alt et al. [55] found that nano-particulate silver (Ag) is an effective bactericide against S. epidermidis, while Baker et al. [56] noticed that it effectively kills E. coli bacteria too. Sayes et al. [57] observed an increase in the production of LDH levels (an indicator of inflammation) in immortalized rat lung epithelial cells after 1 hour exposure to Zn ENPs at 520 ?g cm-2. Limitations to Hazard Identification of ENPs It is very important to note that the vast majority of the reviewed studies demonstrate some degree of hazardous effects on the tested organisms. Toxicity has been reported for many ENPs, as shown in the previous sections, but for most of them further investigation and confirmation are needed before hazard can be identified. A lot of studies, relevant for HI, have been carried out with different ENPs, but most of them were obviously not meant to facilitate risk assessment; they use non- standardized tests, differing greatly from each other in regard to endpoints, tested species, methods of administration, dose ranges and exposure periods [7]. The lack of standardized testing results in non-reproducible results and makes the univocal HI of ENPs impossible. Another significant drawback for the HI of ENPs is the serious lack of characterization data, which makes it difficult to identify which physical and/or chemical characteristics (or combinations of characteristics) determine the hazards, documented in the (eco)toxicological studies [12, 58, 59]. Dose-Response Assessment Dose- response assessment (DRA) is defined as an estimation of the relationship between dose, or level of exposure to a substance, and the incidence and severity of an effect [10, after 11]. It is the process of characterizing the relationship between the dose of an agent, administered to or received by an individual, and the consequent adverse health effects. The Concept of Dose In toxicological studies a dose is the quantity of anything that may be received by or administered to an organism. The dose is normally measured in mass units (i.e., ?g, mg, g), as higher doses of the same compounds are expected to cause more severe adverse effects. DRA studies with ENPs, however, suggest that the toxicity of some ENPs is not mass-dependent, but influenced by other physico-chemical characteristics (e.g., surface area, chemical composition, particle morphology) [7, after 60]. Oberdà ¶rster et al. [61] and Stoeger et al. [62, 63] found that the toxicity of low-soluble ENPs was better described by their surface area than by their total mass [7, after 61, 62, 63]. Wittmaack [64, 65] suggested the number of particles as the most appropriate dose metrics, while Warheit et al. [66, 67] found that toxicity of some ENPs was associated with the number of their surface functional groups. Despite these findings, however, it is still largely unknown which properties influence the toxicity of most ENPs and this gap in knowledge is partly attributable to the fact that the tested ENPs are seldom well characterized. Characterization of ENPs Developing understanding about the physical and chemical properties of substances and materials is fundamental for their risk assessment [59]. Studying the standard properties (e.g., composition, structure, molecular weight, melting point, boiling point, vapor pressure, octanol-water partitioning coefficient, water solubility, activity, stability) is sufficient for the characterization of most chemical compounds. For ENPs, however, more profound investigation is needed and other properties, such as particle size distribution, sa/vol ratio, shape, electronic properties, surface characteristics, state of dispersion/agglomeration and conductivity need to be studied [5]. The high complexity and great diversity of ENPs, however, make their characterization very difficult [59]. As it can be inferred from the table above, most of the current research on the properties of ENPs is focused on the identification of metrics and associated methods for the measurement of ENPs and their properties. This type of research is fundamental in the sense that without reliable measurement methodology it would be impossible to develop good understanding of the physical and chemical properties of the ENPs. Only few comprehensive studies on the development of standard, well-characterised reference nanomaterials were published so far. To facilitate the appropriate interpretation of testing results, it is essential to select representative sets of ENPs, characterize them and share them among laboratories worldwide. Exposure Assessment Exposure assessment (EA) is defined as an estimation of the concentrations/doses to which human populations (i.e., workers, consumers and man exposed indirectly via the environment) or environmental compartments (aquatic environment, terrestrial environment and air) are or may be exposed. [10, after 11]. EA is a very important element in risk assessment of ENPs, since if no exposure to ENPs occur, it would be impossible that they cause any harm and there would be no risk at all. EA can be divided into three sub-areas: (1) occupational exposure assessment (OEA), (2) environmental exposure assessment (EEA) (including indirect human exposure from the environment) and (3) consumer exposure assessment (CEA). Environmental Exposure Assessment The environment may be exposed to ENPs during all stages of their life-cycles: raw material production, transport and storage, industrial use (incl. processing and/or trade), consumer use, waste disposal (incl. waste treatment, landfill and recovery) [11] (Figure 2.). A very important element of the EEA of ENPs is the study of their environmental fate. The fate of ENPs, released in the environment is determined by their mobility in the different media (i.e., soil, water, air), as well as by their potential to biodegrade or undergo chemical transformation. Environmental Fate of ENPs In order to determine the extent of environmental exposure to ENPs, it is necessary to understand their behavior in the environment. Until now, only a limited number of environmental fate studies with ENPs have been reported and the fundamental mechanisms behind their distribution are still not clearly understood (table 3). Fate of ENPs in Air The fate of ENPs in the air is determined by three main factors: (1) the duration of time particles remain airborne, (2) their interaction with other particles or molecules in the atmosphere and (3) the distance they are able to travel in the air [68]. The processes important to understand the dynamics of ENPs in the atmosphere are diffusion, agglomeration, wet and dry deposition and gravitational settling [68]. These processes are relatively well understood from studying the air-suspended ultrafine particles and that knowledge can be applied to ENPs as well [69]. In some cases, however, there can be considerable differences in behavior between ENPs and ultrafine particles, especially when the latter cannot agglomerate because they are coated [5]. With respect to the duration of time ENPs stay in the air, it is considered that they may follow the laws of gaseous diffusion [70]. The rate of diffusion is inversely proportional to the particle diameter and the rate of gravitational settling is proportional to it [70]. It is generally considered that particles in the nanoscale (d> 100nm) have shorter residence time in the air, compared to medium-sized particles (100nm> d> 2000nm), because they rapidly agglomerate into much larger particles and settle on the ground [71]. Here again ENPs with anti-agglomerate coatings make an exception and their residence time cannot be predicted [71]. It is considered that deposited ENPs are usually not likely to be re-suspended or re-aerosolized in the atmosphere [72, 70]. Many nano- sized particles are photoactive [72], but it is still unknown whether they are susceptible to photodegradation in the atmosphere. ENPs also show high absorption coefficients [69], and many of them can act as catalysts. However, no information is currently available on the interactions between ENPs and the chemicals they absorb, and how this interaction might influence atmospheric chemistry. Fate of ENPs in Water The fate of ENPs in water is determined by several factors: (1) aqueous solubility, (2) reactivity of the ENPs with the chemical environment and (3) their interaction with certain biological processes [5]. Because of their lower mass, ENPs generally settle more slowly to the bottom than larger particles of the same material [5]. However, due to their high surface-area-to-mass ratios, ENPs readily sorb to soil and sediment particles and consequently are more liable to removal from the water column [73]. Some ENPs might be subject to biotic and abiotic degradation, which can remove them from the water column as well. Abiotic degradation processes that may occur include hydrolysis and photocatalysis [72]. Near to the surface ENPs are exposed to sunlight. It is likely that light-induced photoreactions can account for the removal of certain ENPs and for changing the chemical properties of others [72]. In contrast to the removal processes mentioned above, some insoluble ENPs can be stabilized in aquatic environments. Hoon et al. [74] investigated the aqueous stability of MWCNTs in the presence of natural organic matter (NOM). MWCNTs were readily dispersed as an aqueous suspension and remained stable for over 1 month. Hoon et al. [74] found that NOM is more effective in stabilizing the MWCNTs in water than a solution of 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a commonly used surfactant to stabilize CNTs in the aqueous phase [74]. The C60 fullerenes were found to spontaneously form insoluble, dense aqueous colloids of nanocrystalline aggregates and remain in the aqueous phase for long periods [5]. Another known interaction, which can delay nanoparticle removal from the water column, is the absorption of humic acid. Sea surface microlayers, consisting of lipid-, carbohydrate- and protein-rich components along with naturally occurring colloids, made up of humic acid, may attach ENPs to their surfaces and transport them over long distances [75]. Fate of ENPs in Soil The behavior of ENPs in soil media can greatly vary, depending on the physical and chemical characteristics of the material. Some ENPs can strongly sorb to the soil particles and become completely inert and immobile [5]. On the other hand, if ENPs do not sorb to the soil matrix, they might show even greater mobility than larger particles, because their small size might allow them to travel easily through the pore spaces between the soil particles. The possibility to sorb to soil and the respective sorption strength of ENPs is influenced by their size, chemical composition and surface characteristics [5]. Studies by Zhang [76], Lecoanet and Wiesner [77] and Lecoanet at al. [78] showed considerable differences in mobility of some insoluble ENPs in porous media. The properties of the soil, such as porosity and grain size, further influence the mobility of the particles. Just like the mineral colloids, the mobility of ENPs, agglomerated in colloid-like structures might be strongly affected by electrical charge differences in soils and sediments [76]. Surface photoreactions might induce photochemical transformations on the soil surface [72]. Biodegradation and Chemical Transformation of ENPs In some cases, the biological processes in the environment can lead to the complete degradation of ENPs and sometimes they can only change their physical and/or chemical properties [5]. The mechanisms, which account for