Civil War in Fort Sumter in American Essay

Fort Sumter is located in Charleston in South Carolina; the Fort was famous for its role that it played as a site where most shots that initiated the American Civil War were fired during the battle of Fort Sumter. This site was constructed using the slave labor from the year 1829 and unfinished in the year 1860, when the war started. This structure was designed to accommodate six hundred and fifty men and one hundred and thirty five guns arranged in three rows of gun emplacements, On April 12, 1861, there was a thirty four hour firing that was opened by the Confederate succession whereby a Gillmore Medal a special military decoration, was issued to the Union Service Members who performed their duties in Fort Sumter in the opening combat of the American Civil War. The battle in Fort Sumter was a conflict that ran for decades in America, the origin of this war was slavery in the new territories, which led to the negotiation of the year 1850 that was used to stop the political crisis, but it did not resolve the issue of slavery, slavery was considered by the Northerners as a national vice which was controlled by a number of Southern owners of large plantations who had the goal of spreading slavery. Under this, we find that the southerners were more worried about the growth of the North in terms of its population and industrial development. The development of both the North relied on free labor while the South relied on slave labor. There was a division of the United States in two regions that is, the North East and the Midway was recognized with its growing economy that relied on the farms owned by the families, the industries, and transportation, business with a high population in urban areas and in never encouraged its slavery outside the borders. While the Southern was controlled by a developed plantation system supported by slavery, the northern population was said to have grown quickly than the Southern population, this made it hard for the southern states to have control over the national government. Most of the slaves were not owned by many of the Southern whites who concentrated in subsistence farming, while the most of the salve owners were engaged in controlling the political and economical systems in the State. The northern states argued that the slavery was adverse for the nation, whereby in 1776 the north had to abolish slavery with a concern of maintaining unity in the states, within which politicians had a reasonable resistance to slavery, which led to negotiations such as the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and that of the year 1850. Under this the struggle to end slavery was not the main goal of the war, the war started with the need of expanding the territories of the slavery that was taken as a basic in economic, cultural and political differences that led to the rise of the control of the States’ rights and independence of the Southern States in the country. The attack of the Northern state at the Fort Sumter created Hostilities among the states whereby, the Northern States attempted to defend the nation, we find that Lincoln mentioned during his inaugural address in March 1861, that a National Unity to be put up, whereby there was already a withdrawal by the Seven States. This unity was to be used as a war goal to unite the democrats, Border States and the Republicans. In 1863, Lincoln included liberation that permanently removed the division factor that lead to independence of the other states, even though he proposed federal laws against slavery in the year 1858 where withdrawal was increased, the Slave-owning South and the Anti-slavery North, which made him express a concern to stop the expansion of slavery putting in mind the publics believe that the slave trade was in its way of extinction. In the 1850s, there was a strong political battle that focused on the expansion of slave trade in the territories which accelerated the Southern movement towards secession , under this we see that both the Southern and the Northern states were threatened by secession, whereby the Southern States had fears of losing its control of the central government to the forces that were against slavery-while the Northern States were fearing that the Southern had already taken control over the government, this led to this civic war. The Southern was supported by the election of the Republican Abraham Lincoln through which most regional leaders feared that he was put in a position which would enable him stop the expansion of the salve trade, we see that many Southern citizens thought that slavery would be abolished by either Lincoln or another person from the north and therefore they decided to split. Fear of racial and equality was also seen as a leading factor to this civic war whereby the Southerners expressed their fears for the loss of slavery that would thereafter lead to the economic losses. Also the fears of racial equality whereby, there was the probability of a doctrine of equality to be set through which all men regardless of race would be made the slaves of a particular region and this would make them demoralized and degraded in a way that they could fight against the slavery. The fear of modernization was seen as a leading factor to the civil war, where we see that the Northern States were becoming economically stable, with its strong knowledge of having aggressive, free labor capitalism, while the South remained in its traditional standards of living. The Northern was said to be having an industrialized economy whereby, it engaged itself in producing of arms, munitions supplies including monetary contributions and transportation while the confederate territory continued to shrink and its economy weakened. This led to the North having power over the shipments, steamships, river boats and the navy that made the North to come up with the construction of ships that led to the north to also take control over the river systems thus blocking the whole Southern coastline making its transportation slower and difficult to manage. Various international communities intervened in this civil war this included the Britain and France who, rather increased the Southern States chances of winning the secession from the United States. Under this we see that the Southerners decided to involve themselves in cotton consignment, in which they had an objective of making the economy of Europe to be inefficient thinking that it would have made Britain enter the war in order to get cotton, but this ideology did not work since Europe had to prove to have a productive supply of cotton to the British thus the Northern States gained exports at a more British import trade. The Southern failure in the cotton production came as a result of the control put on the transportation systems by the Northern states, which therefore hindered any transaction between any other countries with southern states. In the early 1820s and 1830s, the religious leaders were seen to come up with an idea of abolition as one of the methods they thought would help them resolve this war; these leaders were termed as abolitionists who attempted various social reforms extinguish the war, among them were Wendell Phillips and Frederick Douglas who insisted for the immediate abolition of slavery. Among the two, there were also other abolitionists like Theodore Weld and Arthur Tappan, who asked for an abrupt action against the war, though the action, was to be a gradual liberation program with a long system. This course was also supported by the Anti-slavery men, who were not abolitionists they tried hard to limit the slavery; they were seen to be ambitious to end the slave trade in their states this is best explained in the 1841 case, where we find that John Quincy Adams presented the Amisted African slaves in the United States supreme court, claiming that they should be set free. These abolitionists believed that all people were equal before God where, they came up with an argument that enslaving another person is a violation of the Higher law. The slave owners were angered by this movement and they defended this fact, saying that slavery was good and that it was authorized by God. We see that the southern came up with Biblical interpretations that directly disagreed with those of the abolitionists, under which they interpreted the case of the curse of Noah’s son Ham and his offspring in Africa, can be used as a validation for the slavery of blacks. In 1830s it was found that the General Post Master of the United States banned the mailing of pamphlets that were made to fight against slavery to the South. In this case we find that the Southern States refused to be termed as abolitionists. And anyone who was found rebelling against the slavery was charged with his actions, this is better explained in the 1859 case of, John Brown who attempted to start a slave rebellion which threatened the Northern States, Brown’s efforts were to fight against the slavery; whereby he seized the federal Harpers Ferry Armory at the Harper’s Ferry, Virginia in the year 1859, the ferry had carried many weapons to be used in the war, he was strongly supported by many Anti-slavery members of the Secret Six that provided the financial support for his raid. Among the supporters was, George Luther Stearns, Franklin. Sanborn, among others. As an effect of the raid Brown was captured by the army that was dispatched to put down Browns’ raid and he was tried for treason against Virginia and he was later hanged. At the end of the war we see that the South emerged as the winner of the war whereby it is said that the Union took advantage of the confederation in terms of industrial strength, population, and the objectivity of winning the war. Most people argue that the confederate action were only used to delay the defeat, but the confederacy was seen to have won the war by the survival of Lincoln where he defeated McClellan in the 1864 elections under which the aspiration of the southern victory was ended. With the success in the elections Lincoln was seen as a success in getting the support of the neighboring States, the conflict democrats, liberated slaves and Britain and France. We also see that Lincoln defeated the copper heads and their peace policy. He had found military leaders such as Grant and Sherman who took the advantage in battle over the Associate Militia through which the war was won by the generals who feared no bloodshed and by the end of 1864 the South had lost the anticipation to win the battle. Though, the Northern war leaders noticed that the victory over this war needed more than fighting. It decided to come up with ways of encompassing the two goals of the war, where by we see that the secession was to be renounced and all forms of slaves were to be eliminated. These leaders differed completely on the following: the criteria of the war and also on the degree at which the national control that were to be given to the South, and the process by which the southern was to be reincorporated into the union again. The war ended in the year 1877, which carried a complex and various series of federal and state policies. The civil war amendments were long-term results divided into three where the thirteenth amendments was that which abolished the slavery, the fourteenth one was that which extended federal permissible protections to the people not putting in mind the race, and the fifteenth one which abolished racial boundaries on voting. References Donald, D. E. (2001): The Civil War and Reconstruction:-latest edition 2001. 700 page survey Davis. W. C. (1983): The Imperiled Union 1861-1865 3v (1983) Fellman, M. E. (2003): This Terrible War- The Civil War and its Aftermath. 2003, 400 page survey Reach, J. P. (2005): Americans at War Society, Culture and the Homefront. Vol. 2: 1816-1900 Tulloch, H. (1999): The Debate on the American Civil War Era† 1999, historiography

1984 – Technology in Todays Soceity

Not many people are fans of being excessively supervised and observed. From an 11 year old boy being observed in the park by his grandparents, to a student sitting in class being observed by the teacher during examination. Knowing that you are constantly under surveillance can be very intimidating. Right through history, the intensity of government regulations have altered from low down to sky-scraping. The novel 1984, written by George Orwell consistent of a very dictatorial government. In this fictional commentary novel, George Orwell predicts the future where technology and the power given to the government will reduce privacy in everyone’s day to day life. Today’s society is majorly impacted by the rapid development of technology; in the novel George Orwell had used technology as an example of lack of privacy. To begin with, our advanced technology has reached such an extent that it is very straightforward for the government to figure out everything about us from our past including, our previous vacation, were we live, where we attended school or even last time we made a purchase through our debit or credit. To gain access into a person’s life the government has issued every citizen a social insurance number, this card contains a person’s entire record of everything that they have done in the country. This is related to what George Orwell had expressed in his novel, the government in the novel is being referred to the big brother. In the novel the big brother kept watch over every step that was done by the humans, there was even a sign which said â€Å"big brother is watching you,† this is the same as our government now since most things we do are being watched or even listened to. Another example of this would be the use of telescreens in the novel. The telescreens previewed everybody’s room in the building; therefore if any movement or discussion going on will not be private, â€Å"Any sound Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it†. This is now similar to today’s surveillance cameras; although this novel was written in 1948 the first surveillance camera had been invented in 1965. Since then the world had become more advanced than ever before. Cameras are now put up almost everywhere in; business offices, convenience store, apartment buildings, intersections, even all age schools. In the novel the author essentially points out that the future will hold no privacy and telescreens. phone calls, emails, texting are examples of telescreens since they can be accessed by the government authorities anytime. In conclusion, the novel 1984, is a fiction although what George Orwell tried illustrating was us humans are going head over heel with technology which is giving the government power. Some events that occurred in his novel have actually accrued and while he was writing this novel it was all a prediction for the future because some things he mentioned did not exist in that time period.

Critically discuss Michel Foucault’s concept of knowledge/power

In â€Å"The Order of Things† (1973) Michel Foucault describes an episteme as the combination of institutions, discourses, knowledges and practices that organise the way we do things, making some actions acceptable and others unthinkable. He also says these processes of organisation in society are generally invisible. Critically discuss Michel Foucault's concept of knowledge/power with reference to Arthur Miller's film â€Å"The Crucible. † Michel Foucault's is a theorist who demonstrates a modernist way of thinking. Based on one of David Morley's definitions of the postmodern phenomenon being â€Å"a form of cultural sensibility and a mode of thought, particularly appropriate to analyzing the period† (Morley: 1996, p. 50), Foucault could be considered a postmodernist and a poststructuralist. However, some may consider his earlier works, like The Order of Things, to be structuralist as it may have possibly reflected a lack of distinction at the time it was written and received. Rather than narrating the nature of reality, Foucault intended to give descriptions of a variety of structures of knowledge also referred to as episteme. Arthur Miller's film â€Å"The Crucible† explores issues that are parallel to Foucault's thoughts of power and knowledge, however, Miller uses actual historical events as the background for his modernist ideas. The concept of knowledge and power explored in Foucault's text The Order of Things can be critically analysed with reference to more contemporary work of Arthur Miller, allowing one to draw distinctions between Foucault's theories and the concepts of collective evil, personal conscience, guilt, love and redemption explored in the film. In The Order of Things, Foucault can give up the philosophy of the subject without depending on ideas from social issues in society, which, according to his own analysis, are confined the modern form of knowledge. Foucault had studied the form of knowledge that appears with the claim of rescuing the intelligible from everything empirical, accidental, and particular, and that becomes especially suitable as medium of power in particular on account of this â€Å"pretended separation of validity from genesis† (Kelly: 1995, p. 82). This lack of empiricism in Foucault's thoughts reflects a modernist way of thinking. The article â€Å"Conclusion: Speaking as Deputy Sheriff† by Osborne and Lewis, has evidence of a similar modernist approach to thinking and lack of empirical theories. It is less focused on the idea that what ever is true should be measured; instead it makes statements and develops an analysis based on sciences or theory. An example is when it suggests that â€Å"a more historically aware approach to thinking about communication in Australia would be a useful place to start† (Lewis & Osborne: 2001, p212). This modernist approach to thinking about knowledge determines â€Å"the ensemble of rules according to which the true and the false are separated and specific effects of power attached to the true† (Kelly: 1995, p. 82). At the beginning of The Order of Things, Foucault claims for a will that consists of truth for all times and all societies: â€Å"Every society has its regime of truth, its ‘general politics' of truth: that is, the types of discourse which it accepts and makes it function as true. † This ideology is reflected in Arthur Miller's film â€Å"The Crucible† which is set in a small town, Salem. The entire village becomes consumed by certain beliefs and certain truths which include their indisputable faith in God and the existence of witches, witch craft and the devil. The Order of Things is the story of the â€Å"return of language† which explains the fundamental position of literature in our culture. Ours is a period in which language is taken to be at the source of all thought, and this is what highlights the importance of modernist writing. Language is â€Å"the strict unfolding of Western culture in accordance with the necessity it imposed upon itself at the beginning of the nineteenth century† (Rajchman: 1985, p. 3). The significance of language is also reflected in ‘The Crucible' when John Proctor refuses to sign a false confession, claiming â€Å"you can not take away my name†. He believed this would have happened by signing the confession onto paper, epitomising the impact that language has when printed on paper. In The Order of Things, Foucault paints a picture of modernist culture in which there is no character of man and science is no longer independent or universal. All scientific, aesthetic, and moral problems are reduced to problems of language, and languages have no warrant or foundation beyond themselves. Rajchman states that â€Å"Language becomes the limits of our being. It is only in transgressive writing that these limits are transcended; writers are the heroes of our age. This is a picture of what I call ‘post-Enlightenment literary culture. ‘† Many literary modernists, including Rajchman and Foucault, tell the story of how language had returned as the fundamental problem of our period, and our literacy culture which thus â€Å"finds itself† to be telling its own history. Foucault claims that â€Å"literature in our day†¦ s a phenomenon whose necessity has its roots in a vast configuration in which the whole structure of our thought and our knowledge is traced† (Rajchman: 1985, p. 25). In The Order of Things, it is clear that Foucault is hostile to the culture that reifies Man, and urges the reader to embrace the post-humanist age he foresees. Foucault rejects the traditional (Enlightenment) idea of progress and science, instead he constructs his history of knowledge with a lack of connection, and his literary history contains a hidden teleology giving way to immediate links to â€Å"The Crucible†. Stuart Hall and Bram Gieben describe the Enlightenment idea of progress as â€Å"the idea that the natural and social condition of human beings could be improved, by the application of science and reason† (Hall & Gieben: 1992, p. 22). â€Å". Both Miller and Foucault are modernist thinkers as they reject this Enlightenment concepts of progress, for example, the film â€Å"The Crucible† does not end with an improved social condition and happiness instead it comes to an abrupt end by the death of a central character and hero. In The Order of Things we find an attempt to â€Å"de-anthropologise† the concept of freedom. In â€Å"The Crucible†, John Proctor found freedom in the form of death. By not giving up his name in the confession he was condemned to be hung. However, his knowledge of what the real truth was allowed him to be free in his own sense of the word. This relates to Foucault's idea of power that he describes as â€Å"a way in which certain actions modify others† (O'Farrell: 1989, p. 119). But because of the freedom of the acting subjects, no matter what violence or seduction actions that make up power choose to exercise, the object of power can ultimately escape and refuse power even if only through death. This idea was taken from Foucault who said â€Å"the exercise of power may produce as much acceptance as may be wished for: it can pile up the dead and shelter itself behind whatever threats it can imagine. In itself the exercise of power is not violence; nor is it a consent which implicitly is renewable† (Foucault: 1977, p. 228). O'Farrell and Foucault's ideas are epitomized in the film ‘The Crucible', when John Proctor refused to sign the confession or in this case refused power, he was set free even if it were to be through death. These power relationships were then abolished once the subject was freed and hence there was no possible point of reversal hence the film was forced to an abrupt end. Foucault also believes there is no suspicion that our language, our work, and our bodies might determine the description of our actions and our world in ways we do not realise and can't change. However, there are many reasons why this theory should be questioned, an example existing in the film â€Å"The Crucible†. The young girls who were accused of witchery manifested power over their bodies and their language in order to convince the courts and an entire village of the existence of ‘their world' and the fact they could see the devil. All this was done in a quest to cover up their actions that was dancing naked around a fire in the forest. This idea creates a contradiction to Foucault's theory. However, Foucault also says that our problem becomes â€Å"not the possibility of knowledge but the possibility of a primary misunderstanding† (Rajchman: 1985, p. 13) which indeed was true in the case of the young girls of the film. In The Order Of Things, Foucault challenges new intellectual writings in regard to the change in utopian thought. In the classical period, utopia was the dream of an ideal beginning in which everything would perfectly fit into Tables of Representation. In Foucault's argument he states that â€Å"The great dream of an end of History is the utopia of casual systems of thought just as the dream of the world's beginnings was the utopia of the classifying systems of thoughts. In â€Å"The Crucible† the idea of witch craft challenges this world of utopia and one can question who has the authority to classify utopia, Miller or Foucault? Foucault's ideas challenge many of the ideas that run through â€Å"The Crucible† as he wishes not only to â€Å"de anthropologise† any nineteenth century utopian imaginations, dissociate our hopes of ever realising meaning and separate our freedom from philosophical theories about our nature. Much of Foucault's work is contradictory and this confuses anyone trying to analyse meaning in his writings. In The Order of Things he had looked at the way in which the human subject is defined through scientific discourse as a working, living, speaking individual (O'Leary: 2002, p. 59). However, Foucault deals with a collective and a great deal is to do with his unconscious ideas of perceptions; individuals play almost no role in his work. He is not concerned with the discoveries of scientists or other philosophers. However, it is difficult to imagine the human sciences without specific individuals. Thus, Foucault uses individuals such as Ricardo, Cuvier and Bopp in his work, however they â€Å"are not depicted as real people, no reference is made to their lives and little consideration is given to the controversies surrounding their ideas, since these issues are regarded as merely surface phenomena† (Spier: 1983, p. 166). As a result, the reliability of Foucault's work can be questioned because a crucial part of critical thinking and analysis when investigating other theorists work is their background and what may be the reasons behind their specific way of thinking. However, Foucault justifies himself explaining that he â€Å"tries to explore scientific discourse not from the point of view of the formal structures of what they are saying, but from the point of view of the rules that come into play in the very existence of such discourse† (Spier: 1983, p. 166). Spier raises an interesting critic of Foucault bringing his status as an author-subject into question. â€Å"If language rather than man speaks, as he claims, and if the statement â€Å"I am writing† is a contradiction comparable to â€Å"I am lying†, then who is the author of the order of things? (Spier: 1983, p. 167). This raises the question, is Foucault a universal voice of our time or is he merely speaking for himself. If he is speaking for himself as he suggests, then does he claim that what he is saying is a lie? Much of Foucault's work makes contradictory statements and thus is not necessarily reliable when looking for truths, instead his writing is the developing process of his thoughts and is often experimental so should be read with an open mind and thought about critically. Foucault's analyses may be regarded as a contribution to an understanding of the historical conditions of possibility of the human sciences and their social and political effects. The underlying connection within Foucault's work is the assessment of the relation between forms of rationality and forms of power, or of the relation between the emergence of particular forms of knowledge and the exercise of specific forms of power. Foucault believes that power is exercised upon the dominant as well as on the dominated and that there is a process of self-formation or auto-colonisation involved (Smart: 1983, p. 4). If we put this theory into practice within â€Å"The Crucible† one can suggest that Foucault's idea of power is quite naive. In â€Å"The Crucible† the young girls were from the dominant culture in Salem and exercised their power over the lower classes (or the dominated). However, there was no retaliation and so power was not exercised onto the girls (the dominant) in any case. Thus, Foucault theory is merely a generalisation and not appropriate as a rule on the whole. Power relations, Foucault claims are â€Å"‘intentional' and ‘non-subjective'†¦ They are imbued, through and through, with calculation: there is no power that is exercised without a series of aims and objectives† (Dreyfus & Rabinow: 1982, p. 187). This idea states that at the local level there is often a high degree of conscious decision making, planning and plotting. Foucault refers to this as the local cynicism of power (Dreyfus & Rabinow: 1982, p. 187). In â€Å"The Crucible† the young girls execute power over the village through their conscious actions to protect themselves, many were young and naive, and fear was driving them to accuse the innocent. Their actions would ultimately lead the execution of innocent and respected members of the town. Some of the elder girls such as the head Abigail knew very well of her actions and used strategically planned methods of power. The following phrase by Foucault epitomises power very accurately when in relation to these girls from â€Å"The Crucible†; â€Å"People know what they do; they frequently know why they do what they do; but don't know is what they do does† (Dreyfus & Rabinow: 1982, p. 187). This theory on power is an example of how both Foucault and Miller may have been influenced by other modernist thinkers such as Max Weber, a modernist thinker. He believed that power is the †chance of a man or a number of men to realize their own will in a social action even against the resistance of others who are participating in the action† (Max Weber, Basic Terms-The Fundamental Concepts of Sociology: 1942) In much of Foucault's writing there are seeming contradictions especially in this return to the traditional philosophic view or Enlightenment idea that description and interpretation ultimately must correspond to the way things really are. However, Foucault does admit to his somewhat unreal approach to writing. â€Å"I am fully aware that I have never written anything other than fiction. For all that, I would want to say that they were outside the truth. It seems plausible to me to make fictions work within truth, to introduce truth-effects within a fictional discourse†¦ † With this is mind one can say that Foucault's writing is still informative and helpful in its own right and reveals more about society and its practices than about ultimate reality. In The Order of Things, Foucault does describe an episteme as the combination of institutions, discourses, knowledge and practices that organise the way we do things, making some actions acceptable rather than unthinkable. In many ways Foucault's concepts of knowledge and power are contradictory to his own existing theories. While many of Foucault's ideas are parallel with Arthur Miller's film, â€Å"The Crucible†, some of his ideas reject Miller's way of thinking. This non-uniformity in Foucault's analysis can however be justified, because it is hard to believe that in any given culture and at any given moment, there is only one episteme that defines the possibility of all knowledge, power relations, the concepts of freedom and truth, whether it be in a theory or demonstrated in practice or action.

The History and Politics of Charter Schools in Indiana Research Paper - 1

The History and Politics of Charter Schools in Indiana - Research Paper Example Undoubtedly, the numbers of charter schools are increasing rapidly. It has been estimated that there are nearly 4900 charter schools in the United States with an average of 400 charter schools opening on yearly basis (Lake, 2010). On an account, it has been estimated that till 2011, there are total of 36 charter schools that have been authorized in Indiana with 22 schools already functioning while 10 schools were set to start their operations in future. Two schools were shut downed even before opening of their academic operations due to lack of resources while just one school had been shut down officially due to inadequate and unsatisfactory results and governance. These charter schools have increased in number throughout in the state of Indiana with the highest number of charter schools operating in the main city of Indianapolis, where they account for 11 charter schools out of the overall 22 charter schools in the state (Plucker et.al, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of charter schools was coined in late 1980s. Ever since this concept has come into force, it raised a thought that charter schools would help in increasing the quality of education. The historical movement for charter schools began in 1991. This movement was aimed to achieve a new milestone in offering high-quality education through the establishment of wee-defined public schools for both children and their parents (Source: Mayor Sponsored Charter Schools: 2010). Charter school funding is complex to understand and has gone through many phases of development. Many political camps have appreciated the implementation of charter schools as it would influence the process for improving the standard of education all around the United States (Butryomowicyz, 2011). The state of Indiana has played a key role in the national charter school movement. This law was signed in May 2001 by the Governor

Company Analysis of Nestle Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Company Analysis of Nestle Corporation - Essay Example A situational audit is a comprehensive analysis of an organization’s current state in comparison to its micro and macro economic environment. According to Cherniss and Adler (2000, p. 97), a situational audit helps to establish the organization’s current situation in relation to its marketing objectives. In addition, a situation analysis identifies the future economic performance of the organization if it continues to use its current strategies. Nestle foods has operations in more than eighty countries globally. The organizations expansion strategy is implemented through joint venture and acquisitions. This report presents a situational audit for Nestle Foods, one of the world’s largest organizations. It explores the external, competitive, and internal market factors influencing the organization performance. Finally, it provides an analysis of the suitability of the marketing strategy used by the corporation and provides appropriate recommendations. The Internal environment According to Remenyi, Money and Bannister (2007, p.128), the internal analysis of an organization helps to identify the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The strengths represent the competencies and resources within the organization, which help it to achieve a competitive position in the industry. Nestle foods has numerous strengths which have helped the organization to become one of the worlds largest corporations.... Management of the organization has excelled in creating an environment, which foster innovation in the company. Innovation has helped the organization to achieve internal growth through the ability to meet and surpass consumer expectations. Nestle Foods has uses a low cost strategy which helps the organization to maintain low cost for all operations. Through the low cost strategy, Nestle Foods is able to offer its consumers competitive prices for its products. In addition, Nestle foods have a highly competitive team of research and development in charge of new product development. Nestle Foods has affiliations with major learning institutions and has developed a university where most of its research and development is conducted. The research and development team has enabled Nestle Foods to differentiate its products from those of its competitors in the industry. Another strength that Nestle Foods has its health based weight-management product line. With the growing popularity of heal th foods in the European market and other countries, this presents a lucrative opportunity for Nestle Foods. According to Remenyi, Money and Bannister (2007, p.128), threats are factors in the business environment which may hinder the successful implementation of an organization strategies. Nestle Foods has undertaken an intensive expansion strategy by venturing in many markets in Europe and other continents. However, most markets in Europe are already saturated which may hinder the successful implementation of the Nestle Food’s expansion strategy in European markets. For example, when Nestle Foods launched its yoghurt, Yoplait, in France, it failed to acquire a large market share because Danone is the established brand of yoghurt in the country. Nestle

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Cold War - Essay Example In post WW2 scenario, America’s image as powerful democracy and its efforts to contain communism had received considerable jolt when its racial segregation and other such problems had caused international backlash. The Cold War has become pertinent part of history as it had divided the nations into democratic and communist political platforms. The two powerful nations: USA and USSR had different political ideologies. While America was a devout democracy with strong capitalistic economy, USSR was a communist country which was founded on the philosophy of socialism and state control on the economic activities. Belmonte (2007) emphasizes that Cold War was hugely critical motivator for American leadership to introduce constitutional amendments like Civil Right Act which had promoted social justice and equality across race, culture and color. The cold war era had therefore emerged as a highly critical phenomenon that had significantly influenced the world polity with wide ramifications on the national issues of the countries across the

Philosophy topic - Persuation paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy topic - Persuation paper - Essay Example to meet I Doc and reason with him, heart to heart, with the argument that, â€Å"evil is to be abandoned and slavery holds no purpose or value compared to the good that can be shared in life.† As Doct Man was riding his bike to I Doc’s lair, the evil villain suddenly appeared in his Doc-mobile and swept him off the road, kidnapping him. When Doct Man awoke, he found himself in the I Doc lair with the villain’s own henchmen guarding his prison door. Suddenly, Doct Man heard the door open and the guards appeared, ordering him to march to dinner to be the guest of I Doc. As all in the tri-state region knew of the reasoning and persuasive power of Doct Man, it seemed that I Doc had also heard of his reputation as a philosopher and wanted to see if he could be convinced under threat of torture to join the mayhem as part of his team. Doct Man, however, was certain of his ability to persuade I Doc to the opposite view. As he sat in his chair at the dinner table, I Doc welcomed Doct Man and apologized for the abduction. He explained his plan to conquer and subjugate the tri-state through the I Slave technology. Doct Man replied that, â€Å"I fear not any man, nor any thing in this earth, for I cannot be harmed by evil.† Surprised, I Doc asked him how this is possible. Doct Man replied by saying, â€Å"I am not identified with this body, and this body is not I. As the universe is eternal, a cycle of cycles, so too am I an eternal being, and will survive whatever evil you can muster without wavering in the slightest. My power comes from my Soul, eternal and wise, and this world is but a moment, a blink of the eye, in the context of my Being. You will exhaust yourself within days in your evil plan. The people will rise. Reinforcements will come from abroad. No matter how much you may wish to repress them with your technology, the will of the people is strong. There are billions ready to assist in the war of resistance to I Slave. But I alone come here in peace and tell you

New Horizon mission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

New Horizon mission - Essay Example The flight, making use of nuclear power, will cover almost five hundred million kilometers in about ten years. On its way, the spacecraft will also be assisted by the gravity of Jupiter as it passes the massive planet. The fact that a radio signal takes only about four hours to traverse the same distance notwithstanding, the Mission’s flight is still among the longest as well as the fastest expeditions mankind has ever known.   Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper is an overview of the New Horizons Mission offering insights into the various facets of the Mission such as the background the Mission, the objectives, the expected data and its presumed value, processes involved in the conversion and analysis of raw data, the records to be maintained, their content and the players involved in the making of these records, the transmission of the data from one level to another, the methods of sorting and arranging data along with its estimated size before it is finally made available to the public and the proposed timeline of events.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The paper throws light on all the stages of the Mission right from pre-flight to the publication of data on the internet. The Mission is as transparent as well as it is philanthropic for there are no narrow motives nor any patents on the information collected. That all the information is free and public is a very distinctive feature of the Mission. The aim of the NASA’s New Frontiers Program, effective since 2003, is to keep exploring the solar system using spacecrafts. New Horizons is the name given to the first of the New Frontiers missions undertaken by NASA’s Office of Space Science. Though it was launched more than eight years ago, it has not become as popular as it should have. Popular or not, this principal investigator (PI) – led mission to outer planets is indeed very impressive for it seeks to explore and make the first reconnaissance of certain parts of our immediate vicinity of the known

B) The Electoral College was designed at a time when the framers of Essay

B) The Electoral College was designed at a time when the framers of the Constitution decided not to trust the common man in sele - Essay Example It is only used in presidential elections and appears to be used simply to increase the perceived margin of victory from the actual popular vote. Election reform supporters want to either eradicate the Electoral College system entirely and replace it with the direct popular vote or repair perceived defects in the present system. However, the Electoral College was put in place for a reason by the same minds who founded the nation. Maybe we should try to better understand their motives before scrapping the system. States with smaller populations argue that if the electoral system were eliminated candidates for president would have no motivation to advertise or campaign there. â€Å"Why visit a small state with a media market that reaches, say, 100,000 people, when a visit to a large state can put the candidate in touch with millions?† (Gregg, 2001). Those opposed to the Electoral College want a direct national election, contending that it would better represent the diversity of the country. A direct election system would create incentives for campaigns to spend time and money in small states. Candidates would collect votes for their effort even if they lost the state as a whole. Even more importantly, â€Å"the financial calculus of election campaigns in a direct-election system might help level the playing field between large and small states.

A doll's house research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

A doll's house research - Essay Example The roles of women in the family and society are clearly reflected in the play which even today, are obviously evident. The treatment of women, the common conceptions of their roles and how they are supposed to act in accordance to norms; are well criticized by Ibsen. The writer successfully reflects how Victorian society always placed women unequal with men and unemotional by defining their roles in the family and society. This interesting characterization of women will be criticized even more deeply in this paper, looking at the main characters of the play and focusing mainly on the theme on feminism by showing how Nora is treated by her father and her husband. Feminism concerns itself with the quest of women being equal with the leading gender. It exposes the anxieties and worries of women in circumstances which men often find as trifles and suggests that women are as capable as men are in many ways than simple household chores. ‘A Doll’s House’ is a typical example of a drama which exposes the dehumanization of female characters who take beyond normal steps than the social set-up. It is common knowledge that women have long been perceived to be the person who must be in charge of household chores and the raising of children while men should do the â€Å"difficult† tasks such as bringing food on the table. Raising kids and doing household chores, crocheting and sewing have always been considered as easy, light and feminine jobs. Nevertheless, behind this circumstance are more important things that matter most to women and that is what they often fight for instead. Nora’s dialogue â€Å"I am first and for emost a human being just as much as one as you are† (Ibsen), is a powerful statement reflecting the woes of women. Oftentimes, due to their perceived roles at home, women are rather considered inferiors who should follow their husbands’ demands and please them; not regarding that they, too, are people who have

House Arrest Essay Example for Free

House Arrest Essay There are several forms of house arrest; one I am more familiar with would be with an ankle monitor this is used usually with a low level offender. When released the inmate is fitted with the global positing system and this devise will alert the police if and when this individual violates his or her house arrest conditions. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology was officially introduced as an electronic monitoring option within the Department of Corrections in January 2007. Its current primary target population is specific paroled sex offenders. This device records offender movement throughout the community and reports those movements to a host computer. Department of Corrections staff is able to review maps and track the movement of the parolee throughout the day (Chisholm, 2001-2012). So we have one which can monitor if an offender leaves his or her home which they are ordered by a judge to stay within their boundaries, and then we have another similar devise to which the offender is fitted with but is able to move around the community and live among his or her peers. In addition we also can offer a prisoner if they have at least completed 3 to 6 months of their sentence. Studies show this seems to work if it is done when they are new in the system and before they learn how to survive on the inside or even get involved with the wrong groups. This is also compared to split sentence, these concepts are different but sometimes used interchangeably. But as with all probation shock probation is used as a privilege as some think it’s a right that they deserve it, but they do not it is something that is earned and many of those who do get it abuse it and end up back in jail sometimes again and again never learning a lesson and they keep re offending. In some cases it works for the better and they get out and really make a change for the better. Some of which may believe that if they went easy or just receive a slap on the wrist the first time they will just do it again. But again before these options were even are offered the defense team must meet with the judge to discuss and provide how the terms of the probation will be set along with the length and any other details. Shock probation is usually considered when a prisoner is a first time offender and a judge believes, given the circumstances of the case, that the prisoner has a chance at reform which may be enhanced by being released. This term is sometimes used interchangeably with â€Å"split sentence,† but the two concepts are different. In a split sentence, at the time of the initial sentencing hearing the judge declares that the convicted person will be sent to prison and then released on probation after a certain amount of time (Delich, 2003-2012). These are just a few forms of probation and studies show them to be very effective if carried out in an appropriate manor and having the proper supervision to help the inmate succeeded. References 1. (Chisholm, 2001-2012) 2. (Delich, 2003-2012)

The Problem of the One and Many Essay Example for Free

The Problem of the One and Many Essay Introduction In a quest to inquire into being, metaphysics is confronted by one fundamental question that; is reality constituted by one being or are there many beings? This question establishes the central problem of metaphysics that is known as the problem of the ‘one’ and ‘many’. Parmenides who first dealt with the nature of being and considered ‘being as being’ as the source of unification of all reality, held that â€Å"ultimately there exists a One Being†. It follows that this being is changeless, indivisible and is the source of sameness insofar as it is one; nothing differs from it. Hence, according to Parmenides, the senses deceive us in reporting reality as many. This doctrine of seeing reality as one is called ‘monism’. On the other hand, empirists also hold a pluralistic view of reality when they reject the notion of being and favour the reality of observable or concrete beings existing positively. Many philosophers endeavor to give a philosophical solution to the aforementioned problem that takes into account both doctrines, monism and pluralism. St. Thomas Aquinas is credited with providing such a solution to the problem of the one and many. It is precisely the objective of this paper to discuss the one and many as a metaphysical problem vis-a-vis the solution proposed by Aquinas. To do this, we shall firstly present the nature of the problem in relation to Parmenides’ earliest view of being. Further we shall expose the standpoint of Plato who earlier made strides in a bid to solve the problem. Lastly, we will discuss the solution suggested by Aquinas. Exposition of the problem and Parmenides’ view of being Common sense experience affirms that there are distinct beings existing in reality. Regardless of the differences subsisting among concrete beings, they are similar and related by one common denominator that is ‘actual existence’. Thus, beings are identical by the fact that they exist and distinct simply on grounds that each being ‘is’ insofar as it is not the other. From this observation we can derive two underlying elements that lie beneath the notion of being. These are distinction and similarity. When we analyze and assert the elements separately we are able to discover that each element constructs a concept of its own pertaining the nature of being. For instance, the affirmation of distinction within being implies multiplicity of being or being as ‘many’. Equally, when we approve of similarity in being, the resultant concept affirms being as ‘one’ insofar as nothing negates this sameness of being. Meanwhile, the simultaneous affirmation of the said elements demonstrates that, the sum total of being is both one and the many. The preceding observation poses a great challenge on how to reconcile the affirmation of distinction in being which imply plurality, on one hand, and similarity in the same being which signify oneness of being, on the other hand. The potential danger of affirming either one of the concepts results in a monistic or pluralistic conception of being. As noted earlier, Parmenides who negated diversity within being as this would imply that reality is a composition of distinct beings, fell prey to the former doctrine. Nonetheless, his contention that being cannot differ from being unless by non-being. And that, insofar as non-being is nothing, not real, it cannot differentiate being, thus reality cannot be many, exerts an enormous challenge on the task of philosophers to prove the reality of non-being so as to account for the multiplicity of being. Plato’s standpoint on the problem of the one and many Plato somehow agrees with Parmenides that in order to account for the multiplicity of being, being cannot differ from being by being because it is the same being in question. Rather only by non-being can it differ. In contrast with the aforesaid Parmenides’ argument, Plato argues that â€Å"what is not in some sense also is†. According to Plato non-being is real in the sense that it is an exclusion of other possible beings beyond a certain point. In other words, non-being is that which lacks in a given being, thus making it differ from the other. For instance, the exclusion or lack of rationality in a dog is something real as it differentiates it from a man. Thus, Plato identifies non-being with the principle of limitation in being. This principle of limitation denotes an exclusion of no-more being or a confinement of this being within its nature so that it is distinct from the other. Thus far, we can then infer that the principle of limitation in being according to Plato allows each being to participate in existence in a certain manner as determined by its limitation in it. Consequently, the participation of each being in reality as determined by its principle of limit entails distinction and thus, indicates the plurality of beings. Apparently, we may deduce that Plato has given a preliminary solution to the problem; however his solution remains basic and vague in relation to what really is meant by the principle of limit. ST. Thomas Aquinas solutions Aquinas begins by analysing the structural composition within the dimension of being. This inquiry into the inner nature of being is ignited by Aquinas’s contention that â€Å"every real being compared to every other is both like other being in that it actually ‘is’ [†¦] and unlike it in that it is this being and not that one†. The idea of likeness and unlikeness perceived in real beings correlates precisely with an assumption that within each being there exists a composition of two co- principles that accounts for the likeness and the unlikeness of beings. Aquinas identifies the co- principles as limitation and the act of to be or simply existence. According to Aquinas the principle of limitation is further linked to the principle of passive potentiality that receives a certain degree of the perfections of existence as it permits. In other words, the principle of passive potentiality limits the received act of to be or existence. Thus, each real being has the potency within it to be this kind of being as determined by the principle of passive potentiality in it. Aquinas names the principle of limitation or passive potentiality as essence. He further calls the combination of essence and existence in finite beings as ‘real metaphysical composition’. Accordingly, he argues that the two principles in finite beings, essence and existence have to be distinct so as to denote their potentiality to be and that existence is not proper and intrinsic to their nature. Contrary to this assertion however, the two principles in God are not distinct because God as Aquinas observes â€Å"[†¦] has no admixture of potency but is pure act†. From the forgoing observation we are able according to Aquinas, to deduce that there are many existing beings in reality because in each being, actual existence, which in itself implies no limitation, is received into a distinct principle, essence, which limits the received act of existence. Hence, essence in this sense, becomes that which makes a being what it is and without which, it would not be that being. In a similar vein, the act of existence is a positive principle with unlimited perfections through which real beings as permitted by the essences receive perfections. Furthermore, Aquinas develops a very important principle pertaining the act of essence or passive potency to receive the act to be, in a being. The principle is called participation. He contends that â€Å"each being participate in the perfections of existence, which in itself is unlimited; that is, each being has a share or degree of perfections of existence to the extent the limiting essence will permit. † For instance, the existence and activities of a man are confined within man’s nature or essence. Therefore, owing to the fact that there are inexhaustible number of potentialities for existence, the principle of passive potentiality as passive potency results in a multitude of beings; each distinct by the degree of no-more being as placed by its essence on the act of existing when each being participates in existence. Conclusion It is thus clear that Aquinas has given a true solution to the problem of the one and many. He has demonstrated and justified the harmony of the one and many as inseparably constituting being. However, in as much as the two principles are inseparable, they are also distinct so much so that neither of them can exist without the other. Thus, the union of the act of existing and the principle of passive potentiality or essence forms a composition in which the two principles are mutually the determination of each other and of the whole being. Further, the solution of Aquinas highlighted the principle of participation of each being in the perfections of existence as determined by their essences. Existence possesses unlimited perfections that are received into distinct essences so that the same existence which implies no limitation in itself becomes a limited act upon being accommodated in a particular potentiality to be. We therefore conclude by acknowledging the comprehensive and substantial solution of St. Thomas Aquinas to the problem of the one and many as discussed in this paper. Bibliography CLARKE, N. W. , The One and Many: a Contemporary Thomistic Metaphysics, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana 2001. CONFORD, F. M. , trans. Plato and Parmenides: Parmenides’ Way of Truth and Plato’s Parmenides, Bobbs- Merrill Company Inc. Indianapolis, N. Y. 1957. HART, C. A. , Thomistic Metaphysics: An Inquiry into the Act of Existing, Prentice- Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, N. J. 1959. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, Summa Contra Gentiles, trans. A. C. PEGIS, Doubleday and Company. Inc. , Garden City, N. Y. 1955. Electronic Source PLATO, The Sophist, trans. L. B. VANGHAN, Available at: http://www. schillerinstitute. org/transl/trans_pl_sophist. html Accessed: 18th October 2011. [ 2 ]. F. M. CONFORD, trans. Plato and Parmenides: Parmenides’ Way of Truth and Plato’s Parmenides, Bobbs- Merrill Company Inc. , Indianapolis, N. Y. 1957, 29. [ 3 ]. A. C. HART, Thomistic Metaphysics: An Inquiry into the Act of Existing, Prentice- Hall, Inc. , Englewood Cliffs, N. J. 1959, 80. [ 4 ]. W. N. CLARKE, The One and Many: a Contemporary Thomistic Metaphysics, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana 2001, 72. [ 5 ]. PLATO, The Sophist, trans. L. B. VANGHAN, Available at: http://www. schillerinstitute. org/transl/trans pl_sophist. html Accessed: 18th October 2011. [ 6 ]. A. C. HART, Thomistic Metaphysics, 80. [ 7 ]. A. C. HART, Thomistic Metaphysics, 81. [ 8 ]. W. N. CLARKE, The One and Many, 80. [ 9 ]. A. C. HART, Thomistic Metaphysics, 85- 86. [ 10 ]. A. C. HART, Thomistic Metaphysics, 86. [ 11 ]. W. N. CLARKE, The One and Many, 82. [ 12 ]. A. C. HART, Thomistic Metaphysics, 87. [ 13 ]. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, Summa Contra Gentiles, trans. , A. C. PEGIS, Doubleday and Company. Inc. , Garden City, N. Y. 1955, Bk. 1, 1. [ 14 ]. A. C. HART, Thomistic Metaphysics, 86-87. [ 15 ]. A. C. HART, Thomistic Metaphysics, 86.

The Clostridium Difficile Infections Biology Essay

The Clostridium Difficile Infections Biology Essay The organism known as Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive bacillus bacteria which has the ability to form spores, as well as produce a number of toxins. The toxins produced by these bacteria are presently considered to be one of the forefront causes of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD).In addition, infection of this bacteria and the subsequent damage which is instigated by the organisms invasive toxins can lead to several serious gastrointestinal conditions including pseudomembranous colitis (PHAC, 2011). According to the Centre for Disease Control (2012), Clostridium difficile is proposed to be the causative of between 15 and 25% of all AAD cases in Canada. Due to its specific pathogenesis, this organism is easily spread throughout a given population, with increased risk attributed to various factors which contribute to a higher level of exposure. Given this, there are often outbreaks experienced within healthcare facilities, as well as within community settings. In addition , the organism has well known epidemiology, with certain patient attributes, exposure to high-risk environment, medical conditions and various medications contributing to an increased risk of both the asymptomatic Clostridium difficile colonization (CDC) or the symptomatic and sometimes deadly Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Infection by Clostridium difficile can also lead to various chronic and adverse effects after the initial recovery such as recurrent infections, surgeries being required to rectify the damage which has been caused by the toxins effect on the patients bowels (3). As a result of this persistent organisms observable damage and tendency to spread, any sort of CDI outbreak has definite implications on the healthcare system, both from a fiscal as well as a resource and time-allocation standpoint. CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE Pathogenesis Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) are gram positive, spore-forming bacillus bacteria which, as an opportunistic pathogen, inhabit the anaerobic conditions of the human gastrointestinal system. It is also the leading cause of health care-associated diarrhea (Bourgault, 2011). As reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), Clostridium difficile can be isolated from the stool of 3% of healthy adults and up to 80% of healthy newborns and infants (Kujiper, 2008). The reason that it can be so detrimental in the case of an infection is that along with a number of other virulence factors, it produces two toxins, known as toxin A and toxin B (CDC, 2012). In patients who display either a colonization or infection, the normal gastrointestinal flora is depleted due to a number of extenuating risk factors. Provided with these circumstances, the C. difficile bacteria are able to flourish and overrun the patients bowel. The major agressins (Borriello, 1998) of C. difficile are u ndoubtedly toxins A and B, however, there are a number of other virulence factors possessed by the organism which contribute to its potential to cause harm. According to Borriello, C.difficile is influenced by its ability to adhere the intestinal wall, which may be caused by the organisms intrinsic slight positive net charge. This attracts to the negatively charged host cells [and] may contribute to gut colonization (Borriello, 1998). Both toxins A and B are cytotoxic to a very large number of different cell types, both cause increased vascular permeability, and both cause haemorrhage (Borriello, 1998). In addition, toxin A appears to cause fluid accumulation, whereas toxin B does not (Borriello, 1998). Clinical Features Immediate clinical symptoms of C. difficile can include fever, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain and tenderness (PHAC, 2011) as well as watery diarrhea. The diarrhea is a by-product of the toxins produced by the multiplying bacteria as they invade the mucosa of the intestines. This causes profuse inflammatory diarrhea secondary to destruction of the lining of the colon (4). In more severe cases, it can cause pseudomembranous colitis, bowel perforation, sepsis, and even death (PHAC, 2011). Diagnostic Methods There are currently several reliable, widely-used laboratory tests which are used in the diagnosis of C. difficile colonization and infection. Microbiological stool culture is the most sensitive test available (CDC, 2012) and is considered the confirmatory test, but it also carries the highest incidence of false-positives. This occurs when the patient is infected with a non-toxigenic strain of C. difficile. PCR assays have been developed for the gene which encodes for toxin B. In addition, antigen detection by either latex agglutination or immunochromographic assays (CDC, 2012) provides a fast way to detect the presence of Clostridium difficile. Again, it is non-specific for toxigenicity. Toxin testing tests for specificity to toxin B, while enzyme immunoassays can detect either toxin (CDC, 2012). As studied by Kinson in 2009, additional testing for various markers is also being investigated as a means of detecting infections. Examples of this include fecal lactoferrin, a marker for intestinal inflammation (Kinson, 2009) as well as glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), which is C. difficile-specific [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] however GDH positivity is independent of toxigenicity in strains of C. difficile (Kinson, 2009). Although its presence does confirm Clostridium difficile is present in the patient, it does not confirm that the strain present in this patient is toxigenic. Therapeutics According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, mild cases of CDI can resolve with only supportive treatment such as intravenous fluids to combat dehydration (PHAC, 2011). Additionally, the Centre for Disease Control states that up to 20% of cases will resolve within two to three days of discontinuing the antibiotic to which the patient was previously exposed (CDC, 2012). In more severe cases, the infection can usually be treated with an appropriate course (about 10 days) of antibiotics, including metronidazole, vancomycin (administered orally), or recently approved fidaxomicin (Aylin, 2011). If the bacteria have severely damaged sections of the bowel, it may have to be removed surgically as well (Louie, 2004). EPIDEMIOLOGY Risk Factors for Infection The incidence of infection by Clostridium difficile is affected by a number of risk factors, which is depicted in Figure 1 (Owens, 2008). Being hospitalized greatly increases the chances of becoming infected with C. difficile. These bacteria are shed in the feces, and are usually transmitted between patients either by healthcare workers, or by surfaces or equipment not being fully sanitized between patients (Louie, 2004). However, there has been an increasing trend of community-acquired infections as well. In a study performed at Harvard Medical School, it was found that community-acquired Clostridium difficile infection may account for more than a third of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea overall (Leffler, 2012). In addition, the use of medications such as antibiotics, particularly fluoroquinolones (Bourgault, 2011), as well as proton pump inhibitors (used to supress production of gastric acid in gastrointestinal conditions) have been shown to increase the risk of a Clostri dium difficile infection. In a study by Haider et al, it was shown that while the use of proton pump inhibitors appears to lead to an elevated risk of developing severe CDI (Haider, 2012), another widely used type of gastric acid suppressant medication known as histamine 2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) actually appears to decrease the risk of an infection (Haider, 2012). Gastrointestinal surgery is also a known risk factor for severe infection with Clostridium difficile (Louie, 2004). According to Public Health Ontario, infections are more likely to be considered severe in an elderly or immunocompromised patient (OAHPP, 2011). However, it has been shown that the presence of multiple medical conditions, or co-morbidity, is actually a better predictor then age as to the outcome of the infection. Severe CDI occurs more frequently with advancing age. However, age, per se, has no effect on mortality (Dharmarajan, 2000). IMPLICATIONS IN PUBLIC HEALTH Resource Allocation It has been shown that both the financial implications, as well as the allocation of resources within the health care system produced by Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) are quite significant. Public Health Ontario stated at the time of their study in 2010, that the cost of CDI readmissions alone is estimated to be a minimum of CAD $128,200 per year per hospital (OAHPP, 2011). A more extensive look in to the associative costs was completed in 2008 at Washington Universitys School of Medicine. Dubberke studied a population of CDAD patients and proposed that a cost of $2454 was attributed to each case of CDAD, with that cost increasing to $5042 per patient if their stay exceeded 180 days of hospitalization (Dubberke, 2008). According to the study conducted in by Dr. Forster et al (2011), an infection with C. difficile extends the patients hospital stay from an average of 8 days to an average of 34 days (Forster, 2011). This not only increases the burden on health care wo rkers, but also utilizes time and supplies which are quite preventable. CONCLUSION

Essay --

Montanna Williams Mrs. Songer World Literature 12 October 2013 Death In the writings The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Death of Ivan Ilyich both Ernest Hemmingway and Leo Tolstoy have a prominent theme of death. These two works do not only show strong images of death, but also a sense of death’s presence. Throughout the two writings it is presented that chasing money, how both Ivan and Harry treat the people around them, and their egotistical life style can lead to an unpleasant death. In The Snows of Kilimanjaro Harry’s fondness for money causes him to lose sight of what is critical in life. He gave up writing which is something he appreciated and was good at, for a wealthy woman that he truly did not love. Harry was more concerned with how he should act in his society instead of what he enjoys doing. He has a bad habit of falling in love with woman who were wealthy instead of looking for essential things like a woman’s beliefs and her values. â€Å"It was strange too wasn’t it? That when he fell in love with another woman, that woman should always have more money than the last one?† Harry knows what he missed out on and in the end he regrets that he stopped doing what he loved. On the other hand in The Death of Ivan Ilyich Tolstoy portrays almost every character in the book to be concerned with social class. Once Ivan’s colleges found out he died, after asking simple details, they immediately asked about if Ivan was wealthy or n ot. â€Å"Had he any property?† I think his wife had a little – but something quite trifling.† (1.12-13). Ivan and his family were not in the upper class of society, they were in the middle, and because they owned property it made them higher up in their social classe because that was very rare in Russia at that ... ... a person should look at their life and how they should face their death. In The Snows of Kilimanjaro Harry was not content with the life he had lived. He made sacrifices and in result he was just not happy, and because of his sacrifices he had many regrets as he was dying. On the other hand Ivan Ilyich was too engaged in his work life and ignored his family matters. He didn’t step up to the plate; instead he ran away from the issues and hid behind his work, therefore resulting in a very non-loving family life. Luckily Ivan found peace in himself as he was about to die, even becoming joyful. Both of these writings teach that going after materialistic things, the way a person treats the people around them, and being self-absorbed can cause a distasteful death. Living life to the fullest and making the most of it can enrich your life and cause a more pleasant passing.

Immigration Restriction Law of 1924 Essay -- essays research papers

The immigration act of 1924 was really the first permanent limitation on immigration. This limitation was like a quota system that only aloud two percent instead of the three percent of each foreign born group living in the United states in 1890. Like it say in Document A â€Å"Under the act of 1924 the number of each nationality who may be admitted annually is limited to two per cent of the population of such nationality resident in the United States according to the census of 1890.† Using the 1890 census instead of newer up-to-date ones they excluded a lot of new immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe that came by in resent years (This is shown awfully well in Document B). This acts annual quota changed from 358,000 in 1921 to 164,000 in 1924 and finally changed to 154,000. Their was a couple of reasons that the United States made this an act; people were prejudice such as the KKK, and Americans lost jobs to new coming immigrants. People also felt that they had a suffi cient population and wanted to breed pure Americans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What Senator Ellison D. Smith was talking about when he said â€Å"I think we now have sufficient population in out country for us to shut the door and to breed up a pure, unadulterated American citizenship.....thank God we have in America perhaps the largest percentage of any country in the world of pure unadulterated Anglo-Saxon stock†¦.greatest of any nation† (Document I). He was really talking about how he thinks that if so calle...

The Importance of Culture Essay -- Sociology

What is culture? The definition of culture as explained by the English Anthropologist Edward B. Taylor in his work Primitive Culture: â€Å"Culture or civilization†¦is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and other capabilities acquired by man as a member of society.† (Atafori). In addition, culture is the habits of people and is an important part of any society. Culture ties people of a community together, gives an individual a unique identity, and serves as the founding principles of one’s life. First, culture unites people together in a society. Further, culture gives common interests to one another in their society. For instance, Deepa Kartha emphasizes, â€Å"Culture is essential for the existence of a society, because it binds people together† (Kartha). Therefore, this common bond is what ties the people together in a group or region. In addition, Goodman’s essay implies, â€Å"It provides a powerful bond for personal loyalties and loyalties between peoples† (Goodman). Consequently, people that do not live in the regions where their culture exist will seek out others of the same traditions for camaraderie. Additionally, this bond explains why such regions in the world have communities made up of certain culture; for instance, China Town is a small region in the city of Melbourne, Australia that has all Chinese beliefs, morals, customs, and food. What’s more, the people that work and live in China Town are of Chinese culture. In addition, the culture of a community gives a person his or her own individuality. Communities will have different language, foods, customs, and traditions, which differentiates one group of people from another. Yutun Li points out that their family’s custom is to make d... ...Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 4 March 2010 . Atafori, Ayuure Kapini. "Culture-A Source of Prehudice and Ethnocentrism." 30 September 2006. The Statesman. 4 March 2009 . Brott, Armin A. "Not All Men Are Sly Foxes." Kennedy, X.J., Kennedy, Dorothy M., Aaron, Jane E. The Brief Bedford Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 285-287. Goodman, Donald P. III. "What is Culture." 14 June 2009. Goretti Publications. March 3 2010 . Kartha, Deepa. "What is Culture." 2 June 2009. Buzzle.com. 3 March 2010 . Li, Yiyun. "Orange Crush." Kennedy, X.J., Kennedy, Dorothy M., Aaron, Jane E. The Brief Bedford Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 144-146.

Globalization and BTL Essay

The impact of globalization on BTL has been positive with increased indicators which show major progress in increasing levels and growth. The 1990s witnessed moderate economic growth for Belize which resulted in a record growth of telephone services with an average annual growth rate of ten percent. Also with the increase in teledensity, there have been improvements in network modernization (BTL, 2008). The efficiency of BTL has added to the benefits. The percentage of digital lines is reported to increase by the end of the decade. The number of lines per employee has also increased which points towards an increased growth path that tends to reach efficiency levels which are similar to developed countries. The objectives of the telecommunications reform in Belize have been mixed. The achievements in terms of penetration and access are uneven. There is an internal growth gap in urban areas with higher access as compared with lower telephone penetration levels in the rural areas. This limitation has been caused by the inequalities of the telecommunications infrastructure. Metropolitan areas tend to have most of the infrastructure concentrated while minimum services are offered in rural areas. Growth in the telecommunications sector has been slow in 2007 because of the high costs of installing the network and lack of profitability of the service in rural areas (BTL, 2008). Mobile telephone services together with changes in technology have begun to experience an accelerated process of growth in Belize. The mobile phone market in Belize enjoys less regulatory dependence and the need for survival of the dominant company. The overtaking of fixed telephone services by mobile services was driven by the introduction of pre-paid systems. The average growth in users of mobile telephony was thirty percent in Belize in 2007. BTL has entered into a consolidation process where mobile telephone services are becoming part of the picture. The level of dynamism and growth of the telecommunications sector has been spectacular especially for the mobile telephone services (BTL, 2008). This increases the access to telecommunication services. However the government continues to focus on promoting fixed line connectivity and internet access. BTL’s introduction of mobile phones has assisted in increasing the access to telecommunication services and closing the digital divide. The pre paid option has been attractive for Belizeans because of universal access and convenience for lower economic groups. Research also shows that Belizeans prefer mobile telephone services over traditional telecommunications access. One of the advantages has been that the lower activation cost for the user in the case of mobile services as compared with fixed telephone services. The pre paid option also offers attractive alternatives for people because it allows the user to control costs and avoid signing contracts. The operator also finds it cost effective because it does not have to send monthly account balances. BTL mobile telephone services have lower costs in terms of initial costs and usage costs. The cost of mobile telephone services is half that of fixed telephone services. The number of mobile phone subscribers has increased from nine percent to thirty percent in 2007 (BTL, 2008). BTL has improved its performance since the advent of globalization because of lower transaction costs and reduced uncertainty. This has increased the efficiency of markets and administrative organizations. The company has contributed in assisting agricultural companies in comparing prices in various markets. It allows them to obtain the highest prices for their produce and eliminate dependency on local middlemen. It also enables them to modify their products and respond to market demand (BTL, 2008). BTL has also helped to assist organizations in ordering spare parts and immediate contact with technicians which can reduce time lost due to broken machinery. Business organizations have also reduced their inventories because replacements can be ordered and delivered as needed. Contact between producers and shippers can be arranged on schedules for delivery of products to markets which reduces the risk of spoilage. It also has assisted in significant savings in personnel time and travel costs. BTL has also assisted in maximizing the efficiency of shipping so that trips are not wasted while consumption of fuel is minimized. Industries are also migrating to rural areas which allows for decentralization of economic activities. BTL’s mobile phone services have also increased as rural areas prefer them for their economic development. It allows rural areas to use them heavily and spend their income on mobile phone services (BTL, 2008). The demand for mobile phones is heavy in rural and remote areas because of the perceived contribution towards the rural economy. BTL has become highly popular because of its cheap services. The telecommunications sector in Belize is dominated by BTL which has a monopoly on telecommunication services in the country. The 1990s witnessed an annual growth of lines which averaged fifteen percent (BTL, 2008). Line installation has been focused in urban areas which account for sixty five percent of total lines (BTL, 2008). Despite the expansion in the number of fixed lines, the investment has not been sufficient to cover demand for the service. The cellular market has been one of the fastest growing in 2006 and 2007. Still BTL faces the challenge of meeting the growing demand of basic services and data communications. A fast growing internet market has also not satisfied the expectations of consumers. The liberalization of the market has brought benefits as the country uses resources to meet new demands. The mobile sector has the longest growth rate because of the rise in standards of living. The mobile sector is also attractive because of its reliability, efficiency, and low cost as compared with the fixed telephone services. Globalization has also helped BTL in digitizing the telecommunications system as the proportion has grown from thirty percent in 1998 to fifty percent in 2007 (BTL, 2008). BTL’s fiber optic network links several neighboring countries. The network allows connections to submarine cables and networks operated by other countries. BTL provides cellular services to a large number of subscribers. The cellular service has increased its coverage in the past years with services being moderately good for consumers. Liberalization has enhanced the ability of BTL to purchase and acquire cellular phone technology for consumers. Telecommunications reform has assisted BTL in improving its efficiency and meeting the demands of the changing environment. The government wants to give BTL complete administrative, technical, and financial independence with some functions controlled by the government. It also aims to allow for joint ventures and strategic alliances with other companies. Restrictions on foreign participation are also reputed to be removed by the government. It aims to state the public interest of modernizing and developing telecommunications through the process of liberalization of the market in order to allow market participation. A capital investment program to upgrade the country’s GSM cellular service and deploying wireless technologies in the rural areas was announced in 2007 (BTL, 2008). The company also increased funding for network development by investing an estimated forty three million dollars. It also installed eight hundred and fifty MHz frequency equipment to increase the coverage of cellular phone consumers. An updated prepaid intelligent billing system was launched in 2006 which would facilitate and provide user friendly services (BTL, 2008). This program was also reputed to stimulate demand for mobile phone services of the company. A new wireless network with a frequency of four hundred and fifty MHz has also been proposed which will provide telecommunications services for businessmen, professionals, government officials, security forces, fishermen, and other residents with mobile phone services (BTL, 2008). The company’s fixed line services have not been successful because of globalization. This is because of the unstable economy and low population in large parts of the country. Fixed lines are concentrated in the urban areas where they provide services for certain customer groups. BTL has reported losses in fixed line domestic services which include line access charges and per minute call traffic. BTL has also not increased customer rates from 2001 till 2007. It also implemented several reductions in price for various data communication and satellite services. Internet capacity tariff was reduced by a percentage of ninety percent. Tariff reductions have assisted in increasing the number of consumers. DigiCell prepaid customers were offered discounts of twenty five cents for calls. Other features were also introduced which included further discounts for consumers who call for more than five minutes. SMS to email was a service offered for prepaid customers which allowed them to send messages throughout the world. The number of DigiCell consumers rose from ninety three thousand to one hundred thousand in 2007 (BTL, 2008). The total number of cellular consumers has risen to one hundred and eighteen thousand in 2007 (BTL, 2008). Siemens has been providing technical assistance to BTL for the maintenance of the cellular network. The company has also aimed to create modern cellular equipment along with high speed internet services to consumers. Globalization has assisted the company in increasing its cellular business which now comprises a major portion of its net income. The rapid growth of BTL has allowed it to implement customer friendly billing and care systems. Outdated systems have been gradually phased out. Post paid customer and billing system will be implemented in various stages of 2008 (BTL, 2008). BTL will be able to access information of consumers which will help it to increase its reliability and effectiveness. Other major developments have been the use of information technology systems to enhance the administrative, technical, and financial functions of the organization.

Shopping mall

Unfortunately, life has a way of dictating its own terms to the CEO and they are seldom ones that he expects or desires. Around 10 am, Lukas was dragged away from reviewing sales trends by a phone call. The receptionist had a prospective client interested in the company's products and asked whether she should the call through. The conversation lasted about 40 minutes. He put the phone down annoyed with himself for still not having worked out a procedure for handling prospective clients. Each new caller is put through to him instead of a sales person who could service the client professionally.No sooner had the call ended than the daily grind began. Problems in Getter's retail outlets started springing up like mushrooms. And, as usual, Impressions was the only person deemed capable of resolving them. As if all this was not enough, he had to make decisions connected with export sales (new client, new transaction procedures) and the technology department urgently required his assistance . Last but not least, Lukas had to find time to manage Getter's export department. And so it went on into the evening.The events of the passing day made it clear to Lukas that he had to delegate his mommies sales operations duties, including the retail store network management, to someone else. Lukas cannot bring himself to appoint a Country Sales Director to take over the Coo's duties in that area, even though the company has had a Sales Department for several years. For the time being, Lukas is not only the CEO of Getter but also the Head of the Sales Department. It is patently obvious that this is far too much work for which one person can cope.Delegating part of the sales work to a Sales Director would mean that Lukas could finally perform his duties as Getter CEO much more effectively. He could finally stop worrying about missing out on market opportunities because of his daily routine tasks. Given more time, he might even go a step further and, instead of trawling the market f or opportunities, he could go out and create them for Getter himself. All this, though, requires a clear head. Unfortunately, the decision to appoint a new Sales Director is not an easy one.Getter is a family business established by Lukas Imprecision's parent's and handing over one of its key areas of operation to a total stranger is emotionally difficult. It is an enormous challenge to trust someone with no family ties to be as omitted to the development of the organization as had been his parent's and Lukas himself. Another important decision regarding the recruitment of the new should the position be advertised on the open Job market? From Mushroom Grower to Meat Processing Plant The story of the Mineworkers is that of a typical Polish family business.Their family meat processing plant Getter is currently run by the founders' son Lukas who had gradually taken over the everyday management of the company from his parent's. Getter is classified as a medium-sized company with 144 emp loyees and the organizational structure was becoming more and more elaborate. The family business now consists of two business entities – Getter, a sole proprietorship set up by Mr. and Ms Impressions (Ukase's parent's) and its daughter company Mercy-Meat, a limited liability company established by Lukas himself. Lukas is the CEO of both companies.Getter is engaged in pig, cattle and horse slaughtering, and the fabrication of primal cuts of pork, beef and poultry. The company offers meat cuts (pork and beef quarters) to satisfy the domestic market and individual customer orders. Cured meats processing is another of its key business operations. The past business achievements of Mr. and Mrs. Impressions, and their son Lukas as well, are the direct result of staying true to their chosen path, being consistent in action and remaining open to risk. The Mineworkers started their business soon after they got married.Their first business venture was a mushroom farm which, they built up from scratch. Without any financial resources of their own, they applied for a bank loan, which made it possible to get started. This business was their first opportunity to main experience in company management, including export sales. Over time, however, the business gradually became less profitable as market conditions changed. Eventually, the Mineworkers were forced to make a difficult decision as to what to do next. Their next step was to establish Getter meat plant in 1992, while phasing out the mushroom business.The founders remained unchanged but the activity was completely new. Getter – Change after Change The Mineworkers' choice of business activity was largely influenced by the region in which they were living (a rural area approximately 100 km from Warsaw), as well as a heritage of meat products in Poland in the early sass. They decided to meet the market's needs and taking advantage of their location they founded a meat manufacturing plant which initially deal t primarily in pig slaughtering. Apart from the many obvious opportunities opening up for the company, there were also significant threats that could not be ignored.By entering a new market sector, the Mineworkers were back at square one, both with regard to business contacts and building a market presence. However, they still had the business experience that they had gained while farming mushrooms. Getter dealt primarily in pork production during its first four years of operation and the company distributed its product to meat processing plants. Having researched the prevailing market trends, the Mineworkers came to the conclusion that they would have to do more if they wanted to move their business forward.They soon purchased meat processing technology together with several core product recipes which, according to Lukas Impressions, â€Å"turned out to be â€Å"bluebells†. The production technologies were imported from the West but the product recipes were meats. Employing an expert with extensive experience in a large meat processing Lana was a major decision and one that was to have a huge impact on the success of the business. Drawing on his previous experience, this professional successfully implemented the newly purchased technology, procedures and recipes at Getter.Meat processing commenced in 1996, the year Getter cold cuts meats first appeared on the market. The Mineworkers stayed focused on ensuring that the needs of customers were met while the meat plant was in its early stages of development. Indeed, they were so overwhelmed with keeping their new business alive that they did not recognize future expansion opportunities. Arguably, the volatile and bearish business environment, the radical economic changes taking place and the protracted birth of a market economy in Poland all militated against making long-term plans.Until 2001 , the Mineworkers had remained convinced that their operations would be limited to the local domestic market. Unf ortunately, as they say, change is the only certainty in life. The Mineworkers, despite having worked out a course of action, were once again faced with a crucial decision regarding their company's continued existence. This time the agent generating the change was the forthcoming accession o the European Union, and in particular, its directives regulating the operations of the meat sector adopted in 2001-2002.The legislation set out requirements that meat producers had to meet in order for their products to be sold on the EX. market (the directives stipulated requirements concerning the adjustment of local procedures to EX. veterinary standards and production technology, the implementation of the HACK system and other quality certificates). Any meat producer that failed to adjust its operations to comply with EX. legislation was not permitted to operate after the ruinations period expiring in 2005. This was a major shock to the Polish meat and cured meat producers, including the Min eworkers.By the time new directives were in force, the Mineworkers meat plant had been renovated but it was able to meet EX. requirements only partially, with technological process lines still below required standards. The Impressions family was confronted with the problem of what to do next. They could do nothing and be confined to the domestic market after 2005, and additionally have their output restricted by regulations, or they could modify their operations so hat Getter could sell its products anywhere in the ELI.The Mineworkers held a brainstorming session in which a representative of the next generation – their son Lukas – took an active part. The meeting concluded with a decision to respond to the Ex.'s challenge and not give up. The Mineworkers and their son set about adapting the company's operations to comply with EX. standards. The result was that a new large plant was soon designed. The company decided to finance the investment with EX. funds and a bank l oan. Lukas Impressions prepared an application for EX. funds to subsidies the construction. And so, once again, the Mineworkers, in the words of their son Lukas, â€Å"went for broke†.Construction of the new plant was completed in 2004. The plant was equipped with state-of-the-art technology the family had seen in similar factories in Denmark and Switzerland, and the machinery was likewise purchased from those countries. The new plant had two independent process lines for pork and beef and poultry (these do not come into contact with each other as per plant succeeded in obtaining all certificates required under the applicable EX. Directives including HACK certification. Production was progressively moved to the ewe plant between late 2004 and early 2005.The old premises were then converted into a warehouse and other facilities. It should be noted also that the activities undertaken by the Impressions family went beyond restructuring the company in terms of technology and EX. quality requirements. One important aspect of the change was the recruitment of new staff with appropriate qualifications and experience. In 2004, some 50 new people who had previously worked in plants with similar production systems were employed. One of the most important development steps Getter ever took was to consolidate TTS position on the domestic market by launching its own retail chain.However, development of the retail network was put on hold while the new plant was being built and equipped in line with EX. standards. After 2005, the Mineworkers once again became involved in opening retail outlets and started building their network of wholesale and retail clients. It is interesting to note that Getter does not work with large commercial chains on the domestic market. The reason for this is that the company fears Jeopardizing the goodwill associated with a brand associated with top quality products.The high price the consumer would have to pay for such quality products was another factor that hampered such cooperation. Human Resources Management at Getter The accumulated experiences of Getter with regards to human resources management indicate that filling any knowledge gaps that had been identified within the company has been a core criterion in selecting new employees. This was certainly the case when Getter made the move to expand into cured meats in 1996. A specialist who had the necessary expertise and experience of having previously worked in another meat processing plant was hired.The company owners soon liaised that hiring an experienced professional was the right decision. The same decision was taken when the new HACK certified production plants opened in 2004-2005. Workers previously employed in similar businesses where HACK had been in operation and who possessed the necessary qualifications were hired (approximately 50 people in 2004). Hiring a professional Export Sales Director from another company with extensive past export experience w as another major decision the company made when it launched its export business in 2006.It is worth noting that Getter has not always factored in prior meat industry experience when hiring ewe staff. For instance, none of the staff hired in the Domestic Sales Department had ever worked in the meat business before. These people had to learn the basics of the meat industry from the bottom up. Getter uses a variety of sources and meaner to recruit new staff, depending on need. The current practice for less responsible positions such as lower level production workers is to post Job advertisements and then have the Production Manager conduct a recruitment and selection process.Potential employees are often recommended by existing staff members when Job advertisements are published (but only as required). Many of the candidates now applying for these positions are people returning from abroad and who have gained industry experience in other EX. countries. Meanwhile, personal professional and/or positions. The Export Sales Director (who was not only attracted by the financial incentives but by the challenges and the opportunities for professional development) is a case in point.Lukas realizes that the â€Å"business acquaintance factor† will cease to be sufficient in future and that the company will have to turn to professional head- hunting companies to find senior personnel as confidentiality considerations may ole out Job advertisements as a selection tool. Graph One: Getter's Organizational Structure Lukas is aware that, despite having been successful in building up a good team – evidenced by the relatively low turnover of senior staff and the moderate turnover of junior staff – finding the right people for the right positions, especially senior management positions, is not an easy task.In the case of senior staff, the question of making the right choice is further complicated by the fact that the founders of Getter have been managing the com pany with their son for a long time. Ceding the rower and authority that they have exercised so far has not been easy. Nor will it be easy to entrust the running of any further large elements their business to a stranger. The transfer of obligations to a person from outside the family always Production plants Domestic Sales Department Getting CEO Lukas Impressions Cured meats plant Administration A network of 25 retail outlets Export Department (Mercy-Meat SP. 0. 0. ) Slaughter plant induces stress and uncertainty as to their management style, but the company's rapid expansion leaves the Imprecision's with little choice. Lukas remembers only o well that he and his parent's were responsible for everything when the new plant was launched in 2004- 2005 and that it took a tremendous personal toll on them. In view of the complexity of the venture, they wanted to retain as much power as they could; they wanted to have maximum control over everything that went on within the organization so that they could immediately detect any issues that required improvement.This was a particularly difficult period in their lives. In time outsiders – professionals who began to incrementally take over part of their duties – Joined the many. In 2009, Lukas Impressions was faced with another HER management challenge. His parent's, who were becoming old and infirm, gradually started to withdraw from the business while leaving the company management in the hands of their son Lukas. He was not exactly alone as one of Illus.'s brothers was now in charge of Getter's technical operations, although he was not a member of the top management team.His sister and his other brother are still at school and it is hard to say whether they the time being, Lukas is the only Impressions family member entrusted with full authority over the business and responsible for the future of the family company. Getter's staff management involves a certain amount of trust in its employees and this ha s contributed to the character of the business. This is exemplified by a casual working style and a lack of strict supervision. This approach is rooted to a great extent in the fact that the owners made it a rule to encourage their employees to feel responsible for their work from the outset.Everyone hired by Getter was apprised of his or her responsibilities immediately. This approach also resulted in the staff identifying strongly with the company. Constantly developing and raising the qualifications of its workforce is an important dimension of the Getter approach to HER. To a large extent, this is achieved through the application of internal resources. Junior workers undergo basic training conducted by more senior workers who hold the necessary licenses. Depending on individual needs, higher level personnel may attend external training courses. This, however, is not common.The scope of internal training at Getter is limited and outsourced training is a rarity (e. G. One training course was devoted to acquiring laity certificates). The Getter CEO deems the existing knowledge base satisfactory but staff development and the need to expand organizational knowledge resources are still major issues. After all, the company is continually expanding. That is why one of the most important tasks on the checklist of things to do in the nearest future is to deal with the issue of employee training in a more efficient and well thought-out manner.As far as the motivation of employees is concerned, money bonuses are the prime motivator at present. No motivation system meeting all staff requirements has yet been devised. Nobody is responsible for HER management at the company at present. Any activities that come under this heading are deemed to be staff-related administrative matters and are handled by two people. The Sales Department Lukas Impressions set up a Sales Department to handle domestic sales at the end of 2004 when he returned to the business after completing hi s university education.The core activity of the Sales Department is to manage a network of retail outlets in Ammonias Videodisc. Lukas was the brains behind the project. He came up with the idea of establishing such stores in 2001 when he was studying management. Four stores had already been set up by 2004 but creating the Sales Department accelerated the growth of the network. Twenty five outlets had opened by the beginning of 2010 and there are plans afoot to open even more in the very near future. In 2005, Lukas hired Anna to work in the newly created Sales Department and support the development of the retail network.Anna soon turned out to be a valuable employee. She had relatively little experience in sales and little knowledge of the meat sector, but this was more than compensated for by her openness to new challenges and her willingness to get up to speed on the industry. She acted as Illus.'s assistant and, through working together with him, got to know the rules governing t he meat market and his management style. For his part, Lukas gave her a free hand over a wide range of activities in view of her rapidly expanding competence and knowledge about both the market and the company.He placed and her creative input in the development of the network was what he valued most. Together they recruited competent store managers and sales assistants for their retail outlets. Anna had a good intuition about people and Lukas consulted her when hiring staff. The selected candidates were always the best choice, thanks to Anna's excellent knowledge of the company and her insight. Today, her Job description encompasses managing the retail outlets she is in charge of so that they operate efficiently and effectively.Anna is also involved in setting up new outlets. In late 2009 and early 2010, for instance, she was responsible for the opening of 3 new stores, the selection and recruitment of staff (store manager and 4 to 6 sales assistants in each store), the interior dec oration and the procedures for having them approved by the relevant authorities (e. G. Sanitary authorities). Lukas delegated most of the contacts with the stores' various service providers (from contacts with media suppliers to store equipment producers) to her.Apart from all that, all of the store managers report to Anna and she also manages the remainder of the sales team, which currently consists of two other people (one was hired in 2007 and the other in 2010). There are already enough headaches for her now with 25 outlets and roughly 140 employees. Each is employed as a Sales Representative, receives a monthly salary, and is responsible for approximately 8 outlets. They are monitoring the market trends. This particular market has its own idiosyncrasies and is highly volatile, especially when it comes to prices.The sales representatives have to be alert at all times and cannot afford to take their eyes off the competition. The speed with which Getter can react to market changes depends to a great extent on their vigilance. Anna is clearly the De facto head of the Sales Department and is responsible for the company's retail outlets. Yet it is Lukas who makes all the decisions. He is the one everybody goes to whenever a problem arises and he is the one who comes up with all of the solutions. Anna only takes over once Lukas masticates his solutions to her.But this can take a lot of time and the daily operation of the retail stores is already time consuming enough. Retail Outlets – Key Company Resource Getter owns a network of meat retail outlets which it is intent on developing by opening new outlets and by ensuring that each shop offers high-end customer service, as well as top quality products. Getter shops offer a complete range of pork, beef, poultry and cured meats. The company has supplemented its product range with bread (frequently baked on the premises) and spices to fulfill all the needs of its customers.Getter has been selling a line of CEO meats (a line of 7 â€Å"Premium† high end top quality products with salt as the only preservative) for over a year. Getter guarantees that the meats offered in its retail shops are of the utmost quality. Quality assurance has always been the Impressions families top priority. Getter's top quality products require the best available employees and the requirements laid down for store staff are strict. That they are selling top quality products and that quality comes at a premium is drilled into them from day one.This applies to sales staff as much as it does to store managers. In practice, this meaner that each and every customer should leave the shop knowing that he or she has Just bought a top-quality product. The staff of each shop consists of a manager and between 4 and 6 sales assistants. Remuneration of shop workers is based on commission. Lukas will visit the shops himself occasionally. This is partly to check whether everything is running smoothly and in line with his expectations, but mostly to meet his staff and customers in person.This is what Lukas says of these visits: â€Å"l like to do a little tour of the shops when there is time. It's nice to talk to the staff in arson sometimes and to see how our products are showcased, to listen to what our customers have to say about our meat and to talk to them. I often get a chance to meet the staff hired by Anna in person during these visits. † According to Lukas, the potential of the domestic market is still not being fully exploited given the quality of Getter products. He is considering expanding the Ammonias Videodisc retail chain and increasing domestic sales.The company is planning more retail outlets over the next few years. This will mean more sales representatives. The company would like to have one representative per 10 stores. For practical purposes, this will also mean more problems in the daily operation of the Sales Department and the individual stores. The current sales repre sentatives relate well to the company and problems are rare. Not having full control over their work is one nagging concern he has. The more sales representatives, the more supervision they need.And dealing with this problem will chew up a lot of the Sales Director's time. There are already enough headaches now with 25 outlets and roughly 120 employees. Lukas knows this better than anyone. Some days, every one of the 25 stores will ring him with problems. Everyone knows that Anna is responsible for stores but they still call him. There seems to be a problem in communicating the information that Anna is the person to call for day-to-day problems. This invisible communication barrier will have to go before there can be any more stores.Ukase has also set himself the goal of expanding beyond the existing retail network and establishing a nationwide presence. Virtually all products are sold through company stores. On one hand, because of the high quality of its products, Getter is not in terested in working with large retail chains that value price over quality. On the other hand, reaching wholesale stores and wholesale networks who might be interested in selling Getter's top quality products requires dedicated promotional activities addressed to these stores. Unfortunately, at the moment, there is nobody in the company responsible for market promotion.Apart from a few rudimentary sessions, the company does not engage in this type of promotional activity. There is nobody in the company responsible for producing any kind of catalogue containing a full and up to date product portfolio or for updating the website. Ukase does not eave time to deal with this aspect of the business and all attempts to outsource these services have so far proven disastrous (because, in the Coo's opinion â€Å"website designers cannot meet the company expectations as the company does not know what it wants†).Another key problem is to nominate a sales team member responsible for handl ing prospects and answering their questions. Lukas is adamant that the right person for the Job is not him. A Challenge for the CEO of Getter The business development plans for Getter and the requirements they generate have made it clear to the CEO that the decision to appoint a Sales Director and revealing state of affairs where Anna is unofficially responsible for the department and the retail chain is highly inefficient. Lukas has often found himself, and not Anna, as the primary contact person when problems have arisen.It goes without saying that the decision to have the Sales Department managed professionally has to be taken soon but the question of how to find the right candidate for the position remains unanswered. At first viewing, Anna seems to be the obvious candidate. She has the longest period of service in the Sales Department, she is familiar with the Coo's management style, she knows the company inside out and her intuition has been vindicated on the numerous occasion s that she has selected the best candidates for Getter. She was also actively and effectively involved in setting up the retail chain.Unfortunately, Lukas believes that there is a huge question mark hanging over her. Lukas is uncertain about Anna's future and her commitment to the Sales Department as she is considering having another baby. He knows from prior experience that when her child needs attention, Anna has to leave work to deal with the matter, so having another child would possibly add to this difficulty. Lukas knows that he could be accused of being sexist for thinking this but he suspects every owner of an SEEM goes through this dilemma.He also knows that he should judge Anna's ability to do the Job based on her professional abilities and not on her personal life. He believes that he is an understanding person with a positive attitude towards other people but he wonders if he can let his family business be affected by any competing claims on Anna's time that parenthood b rings. Employing someone from outside of the company might be problematic because of Getter's location. Both the company and the production plant are situated near mall cities like Pullouts or Castro? ¬aka, both approximately 100 km from Warsaw.Another issue with employing an outsider is that the successful candidate would have to pick up the specifics of the company and start thinking â€Å"the Getter way' very quickly. This is crucial as Getter's products are of very high quality, which translates into higher prices, which in turn makes the acquisition of new clients harder than it would be in the case of regular quality meat (large chain stores are more interested in low prices than quality). The potential Sales Director should have experience in the eat industry and a sound knowledge of the market.He or she also needs to have ‘know-how, which is what Getter needs most at this moment. Another question is how would Anna react when she finds out that a new Sales Director i s being recruited from outside? Will this denominate her or, in the worst case scenario, prompt her to leave the company? Lukas has to decide how to conduct the recruitment process and what resources should he use – head hunters, press advertisements or some other option? The CEO is also faced with the challenge of devising and implementing effective control mechanisms for the new Sales Director ND the Department.On one hand, these measures should give the director a large degree of autonomy, but on the other they need to give Lukas a sense of security that the department is working effectively and that the results meet the expectations of the company's owners. This is especially important given that the development of the retail outlets is one of Getter's key objects. Lukas feels that it is important for the new monitoring mechanism not to Jeopardize its identity of a family company and great deal of freedom but, at the same time, he has made sure that everyone knows the pre cise scope of their responsibility.Impressions is aware that the company's further growth may render this approach inadequate and make effective control mechanisms necessary. Ukase has attempted to make internal company communication more formal. In view of the specificity of the market and the considerable price fluctuations of meat products, management needs to be apprised of such matters as soon as new information becomes available if the company is to function effectively. The solutions adopted tussah have proved ineffective. The current regimen of sales staff meetings held every Monday or every other Monday is not producing the expected results.Either the meetings are cancelled because something urgent crops up or the volume of data collected by the sales representatives is so great that it is difficult to extract the most important facts and figures. The next area that needs to be worked out is the design and implementation of support procedures for the retail outlets. Some pr oblems are not limited to a single store, as can be seen from the company's track record. Therefore, the development of a single manual or code of conduct containing ways of dealing with the most frequently encountered problems would streamline the work of both store managers ND Sales Department staff.It would also give them more time to spend on other tasks. The Sales Director would also benefit as he or she could finally focus on expanding the retail chain and looking for new locations. Officially delegating the management of the Sales Department onto a newly appointed manager wo