Change mangement Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Change mangement - Case Study Example This identified the country among the best countries with air airline facilities until after the Second World War. Airline industry in the country started operating in the year 1910 and offered diversified services such as transporting passengers, commodities, parcels and even medical supplies. Development in the industry however begun with construction of aircraft models in the late 19th century but the models were only constructed in the 20th century and approved in the year 1909 before the first flight occurred in the year 1910. Military application of airlines followed two years later and the services were used in many European countries. A number of aviation colleges were also established in the same decade. In the following decade, flight trials were conducted across international airlines before diversified airline services were offered. The country’s airline industry has however continued to experience changes in its internal and external environments to warrant notabl e changes. Qantas is one of the significant developments in the industry (Australian Government, 2008). Competition within the industry is partially regulated by the country’s political environment. The Trade Practice Act is an example. The industry however allows for market forces’ effects, in competition, such as â€Å"predatory pricing† that offers large firms an advantage over small firms in the industry (Parliament of Australia, n.d., p. 1). The industry’s competitive environment has also shifted from its previous duopoly system to a competitive market system. Some of the major players are Qantas, virgin Blue, and Ansett group among others and the firms use product differentiation as the major tool to attracting and retaining their customers. Qantas however remains the largest controller of the industry’s market in Australia (Parliament of Australia, n.d.). Qantas, one of the major players in the Australian airline industry, has a rich history that extends

Unemployment in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Unemployment in the UK - Essay Example In this regard, the objectives of this essay are four-fold, to wit: (1) to present a clear definition of unemployment; (2) to state and determine how it is measured; (3) to identify the different types: seasonal, frictional, cyclical, structural, among others; (4) to state and clearly explain the nature of economic, social costs of unemployment and cost to the individual; and (5) to determine the ways to solve unemployment. (c) "seeking work", i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified reference period to seek paid employment or self-employment. The specific steps may include registration at a public or private employment exchange; application to employers; checking at worksites, farms, factory gates, market or other assembly places; placing or answering newspaper advertisements; seeking assistance of friends or relatives; looking for land, building, machinery or equipment to establish own enterprise; arranging for financial resources; applying for permits and licences, etc.† (ILO, 2009). As indicated, the basic criteria for being classified as unemployed are: people without work, currently available for work, and seeking work â€Å"in the last 4 weeks and are available to start work in the next 2 weeks† or â€Å"out of work, have found a job and are waiting to start it in the next 2 weeks† (ONS, 2009, 4). Unemployment is measured by the ONS through survey, the Labour Force Survey (LFS). According to ONS (2009), their office conducts the LFS every three months using 53,000 households as samples. The survey focuses on questions inquiring about personal circumstances and activities in the labour market. Then, the unemployment rate is computed first on a residence basis by determining â€Å"the proportion of economically active who are unemployed† (ILO, 2009, 7). The frictional unemployment has been defined as â€Å"the amount of

Understanding and analysing how Next Retail Ltd (Next) delivers its logistics

Understanding and analysing how Next Retail Ltd (Next) delivers its logistics 1.1 Introduction This report is based on understanding and analysing how Next Retail Ltd (Next) conceives, supports and delivers its logistics and the supply of its products. Next is an international company based in the UK that offers quality fashion clothes and accessories for men, women and children and home ware. It is a subsidiary of Next Plc which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Next Plcs total revenue was  £3.4b in 2010 and profit before tax was  £505 million (Appendix 1). While Next Retail is present in over 500 stores in the UK and Eire, it manufactures its products outside Europe. For international companies like this, logistics and supply chain management is an important factor in the success of their businesses. This report will describe and analyse Nexts logistics and supply chain strategies. It will also attempt to understand the rationale behind these strategies and whether they have been successful. Based on the report findings, recommendations will be made. The sources of information for this report will be mostly secondary; they will include the company website, company reports, economic reports, journals and textbooks. It is expected that a thorough analysis of this information will be sufficient to produce a high quality report. 1.2 The nature of logistics. There are several definitions of logistics depending on the nature of the organisation (Rushton et al 2006). For some, it is the management of all activities which facilitates movement and the co-ordination of supply and demand in the creation of time and place utility (Hesket et al 1973 cited in Rushton et al). Rushton himself defined it as the efficient transfer of goods from the source of supply through the place of manufacture to the point of consumption in a cost effective way whilst providing an acceptable service to the customer (Rushton et al 2006). It can be broken down into two major components materials management and physical distribution (figure 1.1). The two components can be further broken down into transport, warehousing, inventory, packaging and information of goods and services. The way that each company makes its decisions on the various aspects of logistics management is a function of many things such as the nature of products or services it offers, the countries in which it sources its materials and sells its products, the international and local laws and regulations, the type of customers it targets, resources available etc. Figure 1.1. A comprehensive diagram of logistics (Rushton et al 2006). 2.1 Supply chain strategies Supply chain strategies are different from supply management. They define how the supply chain should operate in order to be competitive. It is a process that has to be repeated in order to measure the cost benefits of the operational components (UPS 2005). Supply chain management, on the other hand, is the management of upstream and downstream relationships with suppliers and customers to deliver superior customer value at less cost to the supply chain as a whole (Christopher 2004). Supply chain strategies depend on the companys corporate strategies which are the blue print for what the company wants to achieve (Mangan et al 2008). The figure below shows how the logistic and supply management strategies depend indirectly on the corporate strategy and directly on the business unit strategy. Figure 2.1 The link between SCM Strategy and Corporate Strategy (Mangan et al 2008). According to Mangan et al (2008), there are two major types of supply chain strategies; the lean and the agile strategies. With lean strategies, the emphasis is on reducing and if possible eliminating waste the in the production of the goods and services e.g. there is no time lag in the factory and the products are ready just in time for use. This strategy depends on having all the resources and information necessary for production and distribution; it also depends on being able to predict customer demands so that there is no waste of products. The agile strategy pioneered by Christopher (2003) is borne of the fact that when there is high volatility in the demand and production process, it is not always possible to have accurate resources and predict customer demands. The agile strategy helps the business to be able to cope with any demands made on it by embarking on mass production and differentiation. Both lean and agile strategies are not mutually exclusive and businesses can choose to use both of them for products with different lead times, product cycles and customer demands. Nexts supply chain strategies Nexts primary objective is to deliver sustainable long term growth in earnings per share and its business strategies to achieve these include: Improve its product ranges Increase the number of its customers and their average spend. Improve product sourcing, reduce cost and manage stock levels efficiently (Next 2011). The dominant buying behaviour of Nexts customers is not always predictable because the fashion market is characterised by high volatility, low predictability and high impulse purchasing (Christopher et al 2004). Fashion stores used to change their stock only twice a year, with up to eight fashion seasons in a year, the stores have to constantly change their stock. In fact, fashion trends have been observed to last for only six to eight weeks (Collins 2003). This leads to complications in the supply chain for most fashion companies. The consequent volatility requires an agile supply strategy. Mass customisation is one key technique in the agile strategy. This involves mass production of the business products but configuring them slightly so that there are some variations in the products. The customers then have different products to choose from even though the products are essentially the same. Next adopts this strategy by offering mass produced clothes in variety of colours, sizes and styles to accommodate the differences in its customers tastes (Next 2011). On the other hand, as seen from its business strategies, there is a strong desire to reduce cost and manage stock levels efficiently. This corresponds to the lean supply strategy which eliminates wastes and increases efficiency. Next handles its inventory management accurately with the use of sound IT systems (NEXT Annual Report 2010). This ensures that there is a good balance between having additional products at hand and the risk of not having them when the customers need them (Gourdin 2000). Its warehousing and distribution operations are constantly reviewed to maintain efficiency and reduce risks such as physical property damage, reduce fabric waste, warehouse breakdowns, capacity shortages etc. Care is also taken to make sure that the products are transported to the retail stores on time (Next 2010 Annual Report). As a result of this, in 2010, the company was able to increase gross profit margin by 0.5% through reduction in warehousing and distribution costs (Figure 2.2). Figure 2.2. Next Plcs profit margins in 2010. Logistic Service providers (LSPs) LSPs are companies who handle other companies transport and distribution networks. Recognising the cost-effective prospects in international transport and logistics entails dedication and resources (Rushton et al 2008). Thus, many businesses outsource the transportation of raw materials and finished products to LSPs and focus on their own core competences to save resources and increase profits (Mangan et al 2008). Some companies, on the other hand, provide its own transportation and distribution services. While some others come together as agencies to organise their logistics needs, thereby getting the services at cheaper rates (Mangan et al 2008). Some LSPs also provide integrated logistics services and act as a one stop shop for companies. They are called third-party logistics companies (3PLs) or even fourth-party logistics companies (4PLs). They provide transportation, warehousing and packaging and distribution for other businesses. Examples of such companies are DHL, Kuehne and Nagel Logistics. Choosing the right LSP depends on several factors including the services provided, the geographical location, costs, speed, services needed, LSPs history etc (Mangan et al 2008). Next Plc falls under the categories of company who provides its own logistics services. It boasts of over 20 years of transporting, warehousing and distribution and has invested over  £66 million on its network over the past few years (Stanton 2007). Next Plc considers itself so experienced in these functions that it is now offers 3PL services to other retail businesses with 100 to 150 stores under the umbrella of Ventura Network Distribution (Stanton 2007). The company has two major networks; primary retail and two man network (Ventura 2009). Primary Retail: which comprises of 8 sites, 800 staff, depot space of about 1 million feet, warehousing space of about 5 million feet and over 200 vehicles. Two Man Network: this comprises of 11 sites, 220 staff and about 150 vehicles. In addition, it also offers the mail order fulfilment services (Ventura 2009). Ventura is doing well with a profit of  £6m in 2010; an increase of  £1m from the previous year (Next 2010 Annual Report). More growth is expected in the coming year. 3. Procurement and Outsourcing Procurement is the process of buying and acquiring the materials and services needed for a business. The materials and services procured by businesses will vary according to each business needs. A business like Next that sells clothing and accessories will need to buy fabric, sewing equipment, labour skilled in sewing and manufacturing clothes while a business who sells processed foods will need the food ingredients, the cooking equipment and skilled cooks. The art of procurement is increasingly more complex because of the differences in the cost and quality of materials and services across the world. In order to remain competitive, companies have to buy their materials from areas with greatest value for money and so save on costs of production. International regulations on buying and selling across the world also mean that businesses need to factor in laws, custom and excise duties when choosing where to buy their materials. The identification of right source of supply, purchasing right quantity, right quality, at the right time and at the right prices are important elements of procurement functions (Saxena 2009). Procurement can be direct and indirect. Direct procurement is applicable to manufacturing companies since they need to buy raw materials and equipment for their goods. Indirect procurement is applicable to all companies since it focus on the purchases of company facilities that are necessary to run the company such as labour, marketing, buildings/offices, office supplies etc. As with many other non-core business functions, some companies decide to outsource the procurement function to specialised companies that deal with this. For instance, they might engage recruitment agencies to fill a vacant position within their companies instead of spending time sifting through many CV and conducting interviews. Next Plc has several subsidiaries, one of which is called Next Sourcing Limited (NSL). NSL handles its procurement and sourcing operations. It is present in China, India, Hong Kong, Romania, Sri Lanka, Turkey and the UK. Its function is to design its fashion clothes, source the necessary materials, buy these materials and maintain the quality of the companys products (Next 2011). This subsidiary is doing well and last year recorded a profit of  £35.7m. However, with increasing competition from external suppliers, it is expected that profits will drop to about  £30m in the present year (Next 2010 Annual Report). For its indirect procurement, Next uses its subsidiary Ventura to handle all its customer service requirements and it offers this service to business who engage its service. This service is very important because increasing customer satisfaction is the output of good logistics (Gourdin 2000). At the moment, Next has 6 call centres in the UK, another one in India and employs over 7,000 employees (Next 2011). In addition, the company also recruits its own staff through its websites and advertisements on job sites like Indeed.co.uk which lead the applicants back to the Next website. 4.1 Conclusion Logistics is especially important to international companies. It involves how the company sources its products, manufactures, transports and stores them. The strategies embarked on by the company are a function of its business objectives and strategies. Next is determined to be profitable by increasing the demand of its products and reducing costs. Therefore, it uses a combination of both the lean and agile supply strategies to manage its logistics and supply chain. Next has created subsidiary companies to manage the different components of its logistics and supply chain. It is evident that the company wants to have total control over its business. In addition, it has commercialised these subsidiary companies and offers their services to other businesses, thereby increasing its revenue. Next has been quite profitable including the subsidiary companies that manage its logistics and supply chain. However, according to its 2010 annual report, the profits from Next Sourcing Ltd is likely to see a decline in the following year as a result of competition from external suppliers. 4.2 Recommendations Based on the findings of this report, the following recommendations have been made: It might be necessary for Next to outsource some of its logistics functions to independent companies so that it can focus on its core competencies which are to provide quality fashion clothing and software. At the moment, in trying to do so many things, the company might be losing the expertise and focus they need to build their brand and make even more profit. For instance, because of the large number of employees needed for the company and its subsidiaries, Next can outsource its recruitment functions to recruitment agencies. If the profits from NSL start to fall as predicted, it can also consider outsourcing this function. It is necessary for the company to realise that outsourcing procurement does not necessarily mean that it loses total control of its sourcing and buying processes. It could still have a department in charge of this function but work with third parties to ensure that it uses the expertise necessary for competitive advantage. The department can monitor the procurement process so that Next can be assured of its quality. 5. References and Bibliography Christopher M., (2003). Creating Agile Supply Chains. In: J. Gattorna, ed. 2003. Gower Handbook of Supply Chain Management. 5th edition; Gower Publishing Ltd. 283 291. Christopher M. (2004) Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Creating Value Adding Networks. 3rd ed; Financial Times/ Prentice Hall. Christopher M, Lowson R. Peck H. (2004). Creating agile supply chains in the fashion industry. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. Vol 32(8) 367 376 Collins J.L. (2003). Threads: Gender, Labor and Power in the Global Apparel Industry. 2nd ed; University of Chicago Press. Frazelle E. (2001). Supply Chain Strategy: The Logistics of Supply Chain Management. McGraw-Hill Professional. Gourdin K. (2000). Global Logistics Management: A Competitive Advantage for the New Millennium. Wiley-Blackwell. Mahadevan B. (2009). Operation Management: Theory and Practice. Prentice Hall College Div Mangan J, Lalwani C Butcher T. (2008). Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management. John Wiley Sons Next (2010). Annual Report. [Online]. Available at: http://www.nextplc.co.uk/nextplc/financialinfo/reportsresults/2009/jan10/jan10-c.pdf Accessed 02 March 2011. Next (2011). Next About us. [Online]. Available at: http://www.nextplc.co.uk/nextplc/aboutnext Accessed 02 March 2011. Saxena J. (2009). Production and Operations Management. McGraw Hill Education Stanton J. (2007) Next Goes into Third Party Logistics. [Online]. Available at: http://www.roadtransport.com/Articles/2007/10/31/128885/Next-goes-into-third-party-logistics.htm . Accessed 12 March 2011. Ventura (2009). Ventura Distribution Network [Online]. Available at: http://www.venturadistribution.co.uk/default.asp. Accessed 10 March 2011.

Victory Junction Gang Camp Fund-raising :: Fundraising Donations Organizations Essays

Victory Junction Gang Camp Fund-raising For four years now, it has been Kyle Petty's dream to build a camp in his son's memory for chronic and life-threatening illnesses of children from ages 7 to 15. Kyle and the NASCAR community have been fund raising for over four years to make this dream come true. Actor Paul Newman and Kyle and Pattie Petty are the founders of Victory Junction Gang Camp (VJG).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The beautiful, natural setting for the VJG is seventy-two acres of land nestled in a hardwood forest. The camp is located in Randleman, North Carolina, approximately fifteen miles outside of Greensboro. Nestled in the foothills of the Piedmont Triad, this site offers a forest with several creeks and woodland streams running through the property. Richard Petty donated the land to VJG.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the ground was broken, it cost 3.9 million. This is where the fund-raising begins. Kyle Petty has a charity motorcycle ride that he founded over ten years ago. He has ridden over 31,500 miles and has raised over 4 million dollars. To keep the camp running, it costs 2.7 million dollars a year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The VJG has resources to raise funds, but it does take effort, time, and money to do this. Roshi Bull-Turner is the Development Associate of VJG, and it is her responsibility to manage the resources from the fund-raising events efficiently and effectively for the camp. This paper will look at the fund-raising aspects. Are there enough corporate donations to keep VJG running? Has VJG advertised enough for the employees of corporations to donate?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Roshi Bull who is an advertising specialist with VJG, ?It was hard work raising the funds to build this camp. The hardest part besides raising money, was speaking to the corporations. The corporations keep the camp running by donating time, money, and goods.? Statement of Problem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The problem of the study is to investigate the raising of funds to keep VJG up and running for terminally ill children. Corporations need more information on VJG in order to make the decision easier. It takes knowledge, time, and money in order to make this happen. Setting of Problem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The setting of the problem is how to raise 24.4 million dollars to keep the camp running. VJG will enrich the lives of children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses by creating experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun, empowering, physically safe, and medically sound. This camp is located 15 miles outside of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Child and Young Person Development Essay

Learning outcome 1.1 Describe the expected pattern of children and young people’s development from birth to 19 years, to include:  ·Physical development  ·Communication and intellectual development  ·Social, emotional and behavioural development Birth to 3 years The expected pattern starts at 0-3 years where a child is expected to develop the most. They have little control over their bodies at 0-1 years and are dependent on their natural instincts eg: sucking, grasping. Newborn New Born babies use their senses from the moment they are born, they can already recognise their mothers voice and smell and they have natural reflexes for example the Walking and standing reflex which occurs when babies are held upright with their feet on a firm surface, they usually make stepping movements. Physical Development Swallowing and sucking reflexes – These ensure that the baby can feed and swallow milk Rooting reflex – The baby will move its head to look for a nipple or teat. Grasp reflex – The baby will automatically put her fingers around an object that has touched the palm of her hand. Startle reflex – When babies hear a sudden sound or bright light, they will react by moving their arms outwards and clenching their fists Walking and standing reflex – When babies are held upright with their feet on a firm surface, they usually make stepping movements Falling reflex – This is known as the Moro reflex. Babies will stretch out their arms suddenly and then clasp inwards in any situations in which they feel that they are falling. Communication and Intellectual development Babies at birth cry in order to communicate their needs, they may cry when they are hungry, in pain, need feeding, changing or just cuddling. They also start to look around and react to sounds. Social, Emotional and Behavioural Development Babies and their primary carers, usually their mothers, begin to develop a strong, close bond from very early on. You might see that the baby at times stares at the mother and the mother is very aware of her baby. One month In a short month, babies have changed already. They might appear less curled up and more relaxed. Babies at one month have usually started to settle into a sleeping pattern. They sleep quite a lot of the time, but will gradually start to spend longer times awake. They cry to communicate their needs and their parents may be starting to understand the different types of cries. Babies too are learning about their parents or carers. They may stop crying when they hear soothing voices. They also try hard to focus on the face of whoever is holding them. Physical development Reflexes are not as strong although the baby will be growing stronger and may be able to lift their heads for a short while, whilst held upright. Babies can see more clearly than at birth. He enjoys looking at bold patterns and human faces, and can track an object with his eyes He begins to uncurl his hands, and may wave his arms and kick when excited. Communication and intellectual development At one month babies may stop crying because they hear a familiar voice, they are also becoming more expressive and may start to coo and gurgle when they see you. Babies may mimic the mouth movements and facial expressions of adults. Social, emotional and behavioural development Babies may stop crying as they are picked up, but start crying when they are put down. Babies will start to relax during bath time or when their nappies are changed. Three to six months Babies in three months have grown in height and weight. They are wearing new sets of clothes and have changed in many ways. Some babies have learned the difference between day and night and are able to sleep through the night, which is a great help to parents. Babies are also crying less and most parents are getting more familiar with what their cries mean. They may start to sleep a little less and are far more alert Babies at six months have learnt many skills. They are very alert and turn their heads to see what is happening. They enjoy playing and show it by smiling and squealing with delight. They are able to focus on an object and explore it if it seems interesting. Babies also start to show us that they understand a little of what we are saying and try to communicate with us. Physical Development Babies will start to lift and turn their heads, using their arms to support their upper body when lying on their stomach. Babies will start to take an Interest in playing with fingers and opening and closing hands. Exploring toys and objects in the mouth as well as with fingers Babies will be able to Sit up with support and later, without support They will start Rolling over from back to front They will stretch their legs out and kick when lying on stomach or back Pushes down on legs when feet are placed on a firm surface# Babies will bring their hands together intentionally and soon after will try to bat at objects or grasp things Communication and intellectual development Babies may get excitement when it is time to be fed Babies will start to notice mobiles and objects around them They show Enjoyment when simple games such as pat-a-cake are repeated Curiosity as babies look to see what is happening around them Babies will begin Babbling, laughing and squealing and imitate some sounds They will respond to their name Follows moving objects with eyes Watches faces closely and recognizes familiar objects and people at a distance Starts using hands and eyes in coordination Babies will start to respond to music, turn head toward sound and smiles at the sound of your voice Social, emotional and behavioural development Babies will start to enjoy Bath time They will smile back when they see a smiling face. Babies are learning to recognize familiar faces and will display smiles of delight when they are playing with their primary carers. They will lift their arms up to show a parent that they want to be picked up. They enjoy playing with others and may cry when playing stops Become more expressive and communicates more with face and body Babies will be drawn to their image in mirrors Learn how to comfort themselves Nine Months Babies’ physical development is now very noticeable. Many babies will be crawling or finding ways of being mobile. They are also able to sit up without any support. These movements mean that babies can explore more and also spend a little time sitting and playing. When they are mobile they can move quite fast, so this is a period in which adults really need to think about safety. As well as large movements, babies are also picking up objects and handling them, and becoming more skilled at touching things. Things still get popped into the mouth, so, again, adults need to be aware of what is around. Babies’ language is also coming along. Babbling has become more tuneful and longer strings of sound are put together. Babies are also learning what some key words mean. They may start to get excited when they hear words such as drink or dinner. Babies are also starting to show us who they enjoy being with and may start to cry when they are being left with a stranger. Physical development Babies will now sit up without any support They will practice using fingers to feed Crawls forward on belly and rolls over Pulls himself up to stand May walk two or three steps without support and Walk holding on to furniture Takes objects out of containers Pokes with index finger Communication and intellectual development Tuneful strings of babbling Exploring objects using hands and also mouth Responds to â€Å"no† although may not have full understanding of meaning Imitate sounds and may say â€Å"mama† and â€Å"dada† Begins to use objects correctly: drinks from cups, listens in a phone Explores object in different ways: banging, shaking, throwing, etc. Social, emotional and behavioural development Baby appears shy or anxious with strangers and will try to stay nearby parents or carer Babies may cry when caregiver leaves the room Enjoys imitation and repeats sounds or gestures Tests parental responses to her behaviour Twelve to eighteen months The first birthday of a child is for many families a special event and a cause of celebration. This in part dates back to times when not all babies survived their first year. By twelve months the baby has come a long way in  development, they are now more mobile and are able to crawl very quickly and may be on the verge of walking. As well as gaining mobility, babies are also becoming quite skilled at using their hands. Objects are touched, moved and organised and they enjoy putting things in and out of containers, or dropping things and looking to see what happens to them. A strong feature of their play is the way in which they enjoy doing something over and over again. At one year, babies are now able to sit up and feed themselves using their fingers. Most one year olds know what they do and don’t like. Food that they enjoy gets eaten, while food that they are not hungry for may be thrown onto the floor. Babies will now be aware of who their parents and main carers are. They are keen to stay near their parents and carers and will stop playing to see what they are doing. Babies are also able to understand more of what is happening around them. They not only notice what other people are doing, but understand more and more of what is being said. Long strings of babbling are still the way in which babies try to communicate, but hidden in the babbling are the beginning of babies’ first words. Parents and carers usually notice these from around 13 months. Physical Development Standing up and holding onto furniture alone Enjoys picking up and handling small objects Crawls confidently and quickly Likes to push, pull, and drop things Will pull off hat, socks, and mittens Is able to turn pages in a book and stack 2 building blocks Enjoys carrying small objects while walking, often one in each hand Holds crayon and scribbles, but with little control Waves bye-bye and claps hands Enjoys holding spoon when eating, but experiences difficulty in getting spoon into mouth Rolls a ball to adult on request Walking up and down stairs with adult help Sitting and pushing off with legs on sit-and-ride toys. Able to feed self with spoon Communication and intellectual development Waving bye-bye Will point fingers at objects to draw an adult’s attention to them Tuneful babbling that sounds like talking progressing to speak 8 -20 words you can understand Looks at person talking to him or her Says â€Å"Hi† or â€Å"Bye† if reminded Uses expressions like â€Å"Oh-oh† Plays peek-a-boo Understands and follows simple one-step directions Likes to take things apart Social, emotional and behavioural development Repetitive play as the baby enjoys doing something over and over again. Becomes upset when separated from or cannot see their parent or carer Likes to hand objects to others Play independently on floor with toys Recognizes self in mirror or pictures Imitates others especially by coughing, sneezing, or making animal sounds Signs of temper and frustration Eagerness for independence – trying to feed themselves with a spoon Will show interest in other children and what they are doing Children at two years old By two years old, children are very much showing their individuality. They know what they want to do, touch and hold. They can now move confidently and are enjoying walking, being able to pick up things and playing with them. They enjoy doing things for themselves and are keen to do more – and get frustrated when they are not able to. Sometimes this is because adults realise that what they want is dangerous, while at other times it is because their level of skill is not yet matching what they want to do. Their frustration can lead to temper tantrums and emotional outbursts. This is often a toddler’s way of communication how they are feeling and is why this  period is sometimes known as the ‘terrible twos’. While toddlers do get frustrated and angry, they are also emotional in other ways. They smile, laugh and squeal with enjoyment. They notice other children and enjoy being near them, even though they may not actively play together. Favourite toys and games are played over and over again. Children are also starting to enjoy pretend play. Two-year-olds are often starting to chat aloud. They are likely to have around two hundred words, pointing out objects and naming them.

Jailbreaking

When Apple designs these products, they come with a redesigned firmware that restricts certain capabilities that otherwise the device would be able to do, such as wife mobile hotshots, direct downloading capabilities, and more Insignificant features, like moving screen savers. Along with the understandable, â€Å"deserved† capabilities Jailbreak offers, It also enables the ability for the user to access and download APS, and settings that Apple's firmware protected against due to their Illegal content. Thus the question on the topic Is If jailbreak is the â€Å"right† thing for a user to do with his/her device.Due to the fact hat the user purchases the device outright, they should have the right to do whatever they please with the firmware and device itself even if it enables illegal activities, the user should be able to decide whether or not to obey the law, and the user should have full control of their apple device. When someone purchases any material object, it is the assumption that the buyer has the right to do as he/she pleases with the purchased object, and the situation should not be any different for the ‘Touch, Phone, or Pad, Thus making the process of Jailbreak morally acceptable, as well as legally Just.If a restriction Is put on a person's own property, then the property really Is not owned, which Is okay, If that Is pre-deloused to the buyer so that they know that everything about the purchased object must maintain its original construct. In the case of these Apple products, stipulations were not pre-disclosed to the buyer, and instead Apple attempted to put restrictions on the process of jailbreak after the products were sold, which is morally unacceptable, as well as unfair to the user.When someone goes to the electronics store, or apple vendor to purchase the phone, r one of its cousin devices it is always the situation that the device is purchased outright, even if it is purchased with an attached cell phone contract, the device belongs to the buyer, but for some reason Apple still believes that although they have sold their product outright, they should still be able to control what the purchaser does with the device sold. This idea that Apple has Is completely ludicrous, and to put the situation In perspective, let's change the scenario, being the object purchased, and the business selling.Suppose someone went to a typical car dealership and purchased a brand new rives home in his new car, and starts tinkering with the engine, installing a blower through the hood, and a super charger for the extra speed. If the dealership called the buyer and told him that these modifications aren't allowed by their company, the buyer would be thoroughly confused and upset, for it is policy that once an object is purchased the buyer can do as they please with the object.Although there is a great difference between a car and an phone, the concepts involved with the two of them are essentially the same, when someone buys a car they can tinker, and add on to the icicle as much as they want, and the situation should be no different for any of the Apple products under discussion. The main point that Apple tried to use when trying to make the process of jailbreak illegal was when they stated that the process was in violation of copyright laws because it modifies the boatload they had designed, and have complete ownership of.Unfortunately for Apple, their case was lost in court, and the process of Jailbreak was proved to be legal, an article written about the case took an excerpt from the trial's outcome, writing, â€Å"Federal regulators lifted a cloud of uncertainty when they announced it was lawful to hack or â€Å"Jailbreak† an phone, declaring Monday there was ‘no basis for copyright law to assist Apple in protecting its restrictive business model. â€Å"(wired. Com).After losing their case in court, Apple decided to make a policy for Jailbreaks devices that disavowed any Apple Care (insurance) on the Jailbreaks pods. Apple's main reasoning for the policy they made, is that the modifications to the SO that Jailbreak does causes system errors, and other minor problems to the devices performance, Apple states (when speaking of why Jailbreak should not be permitted), â€Å"Disruption of services: Services such as Visual Biochemical, Youth, Weather, and Stocks have been disrupted or no longer work on the device.Additionally, third-party APS that use the Apple Push Notification Service have had difficulty receiving notifications or received notifications that were intended for a different hacked device. Other push-based services such as Mobile and Exchange have experienced problems synchronizing data with their respective servers. â€Å"(Redmond). Although what Apple states about how Jailbreak an hinder the devices performance, and cause otherwise non-existent problems may be true, it is not Justification to put a limitation on what a user can do to the devic e.Even if Jailbreak made the Apple product completely break without hope for repair, the act of doing it should always be the user's choice. Another aspect to look into when considering if the devices in question should be allowed to be Jailbreaks, is the illegal side of the capabilities Jailbreak offers. It is a known fact that once an phone is Jailbreaks, due to the fact it can connect online ritually anywhere due to the cell service, it can be one of the most devastating tools for a hacker.The significant difference between one of the Apple devices hacking, and a computer hacking, is this difference in internet connection, as well as mobility and concealment. After all, someone sitting outside of a house with a laptop and an encoder attached to the computer would look a lot more conspicuous than a passerby that seems to Just be testing on an phone, when in fact they could be using one of the many wife hacking APS like â€Å"rickrack† to access the files on your amputees, o r in your â€Å"cloud† trying to get social security numbers, credit card electronic storage.The fact that an phone alone could give hackers and identity thieves the Holy Grail they have awaited is a fact that Apple tried to exploit when giving reasons as to why Jailbreak should be illegal. Apple stated, â€Å"Security compromises have been introduced by these modifications that could allow hackers to steal personal information, damage the device, attack the wireless network, or introduce mallard or viruses. † (Redmond).Although every claim Apple made is a act, and there are security risks that come along with the legalization of Jailbreak, it is very obvious once the situation is examined, that if a hacker truly wished to us an Apple device to his/her evil ends, it really would not matter whether or not the process was legal or not for hackers and identity thieves are already doing illegal things, thus even if Jailbreak was â€Å"illegal† they would still do it .Although the negative aspects to Jailbreak are often magnified, there are actually more benefits than risks to the process. When a device is Jailbreaks, its full attention is reached. An entirely new app store is revealed to the user, APS that could not/ would not contract with the Apple app store are available for purchase, and sometimes for free.Along with thousands of new APS, Jailbreak also allows the user to customize the load out (home screen) and dock (bottom toolbar) to their liking, while still being connected to the original Apple app store. In an article about the pros and cons of Jailbreak PC world wrote, â€Å"Acadia and its newer, lighter competitor Icy are the unofficial app stores available only to Jailbreaks. In these tortes, you'll find hundreds of terrific APS that have been rejected from the App Store for providing features that Apple would rather you not have.Examples? Accorder is a camera app that enables video-recording on pre-ASS phones; Pedant allows tethe ring of your 36 connection to your laptop; and Gobble is an app for the Google Voice service. Plus, you can still get free and paid APS from the official App Store, so Jailbreaks get the best of both worlds. â€Å"(popcorn). With this substantial advantage given to Jailbreaks, it is understandable why it is done, and why it is the est. thing to do if the user truly wants complete control of their device without limitation.This reasoning for Jailbreak also proves that malice is not attached to every reason for Jailbreak, the process can, and more often than not is simply done to access APS, and customizations restricted by the app store, and as long as the reasoning is pure and without foul intention Jailbreak is the right thing to do. After every aspect of Jailbreak is examined, the pros and cons, the risks, and legalities, it is more than apparent that the process is morally acceptable to do, as Eng as the Jailbreak is also the owner, or has permission from the owner of the device .The process is also acceptable because of the simple fact that as of today it is legal, despite Apples efforts to make it otherwise. Through the use of the situation between Apple and Jailbreak people can be reminded of the importance of owning anything in life, the responsibility that comes along with the situation, as well as the great satisfaction, for when anything in life is truly owned the only person/ thing that can make the rules is the owner, a situation that is too often taken for granted in today's society.

Medieval village life Essays

Medieval village life Essays Medieval village life Paper Medieval village life Paper The lord lived in a story house built out of stone. They had space to grow herbs, flowers and vegetables. The manor house had a large garden it has a well in the garden the lord had a fish pond for the fish as for the peasant the only had a house with no windows because the class windows were expensive. The lord had a little amount of glass for the window the people that lived in the manor house had to go out for a loo. The lord of the manor had field for the animals but the peasants did not and so the animal had to be kept inside. The peasants got all kinds of diseases because they kept the animal inside. when some one made food for the lord one off the servant had to check if it is not food poisoned. The kitchens were separated so they had to go outside and make the food. The dinner was eaten at 10-11 oclock. They would eat as much as they could because could afford salt for the meat in winter. But the peasant had to feed there pig to make sure that they are fat and there is enough to eat in winter then they will kill the pig to have them for there super at winter time. The manor had too floors but the peasant had only one room. The manor people had curtains around the walls to keep flies and spider off. But the peasants did not have curtains because they couldnt afford the material. The important buildings in the village granary where they kept there bread. Dove cote was another important building because that where they would feed the doves. The last important building was private chapel that was where the lord of the manor prayed. The peasants were not allowed in the private chapel. The 1fields rule of farming is that you are not to hunt animals if you do you will get punished for it the punishment is that your hands will get chopped off. the 2 Rule is that you have to do your job right to earn money if you dont do it right you get whipped. The common land was important to the peasants because crops grew and the best soil was kept there. It was used to keep grazing and gathering fuels. the land was owned by the Lord of the Manor but people visited there with his permission. The peasants did not own land so in return they had to pay the lord of the manor or if they did not have any money they had to give him something or do something for him such as make him food. Most peasants were farmers . they would do different jobs depending on the season, for example January-nobleman drinking at fire side. February- peasant digging a ditch March- peasant cutting timber April-peasant planting trees May- nobleman hawking June peasant hay mowing with a scythe July-peasant using sickle to cut corn August- -peasant threshing with flail September-peasant picking grapes October-peasant sowing winter corn November-peasant feed pigs on acorn December-peasant slaughtering the pig Another job that they did was making food for the lord. To do these jobs the tools they used they were sickles, scythe, flail, spade and knifes. Samera Bi 7BE 1 03/05/2007 History/ Mrs Thomas Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE JRR Tolkien section.

Brazil essays

Brazil essays To do business with Brazilians it is important to understand some of their past, their wide variety in culture, and that Brazil is not Latin America. If the United States is considered as the melting pot; then, Brazil should be considered the melting cauldron. Brazil is the 6th most populated country in the world in which 95% of its population lives near the eastern coast on 10% of the land. Brazil has 165 million citizens and is home to the largest Japanese community outside Japan. Brazilians come from the three major racial stocks of the world: American Indian, African Negro, and Caucasian European (Video: Doing business in Latin America: Brazil; Brazil: A study in development Progress/ Stefan H. Robock, 1975). Brazils economy is the largest in South America and is also the 10th largest in the world. This economy is in a continuous cycle of booms and busts. Stability is not a strong suit for this economy. An investor could make a lot of money soon and they could also lose it as quickly as it was made. In the words of a Brazilian businessman Brazil is like a roller ouster, sit back and enjoy the ride (Video: Doing business in Latin America: Brazil) During the fall of the Asian market, inflation reached an all-time high of 8500%. People used to buy everything as soon as they received their paycheck. The value of the Real got devaluated so much, that the value would decrease almost daily. Employees also expected a raise every month to keep up with inflation. In the mid 1990s the HEOFF (Real plan) plan cut the inflation to single digits and put the citizens back in the world market (www.presidencia.gov.br) Agriculture has vital role in the economy with 1/3 of the workforce producing coffee, oranges, and bananas. Manufacturing was based on government protectionism which started after WWII. Protectionism from imports made the Brazil had a closed market which led to a very inefficient ...

Avocado Leaf Plasticity Essay Example for Free

Avocado Leaf Plasticity Essay INTRODUCTION: Phenotypic plasticity, or differing phenotypes from one genotype in different environmental conditions, is a way for sessile organisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions (Valladares et al., 2007). Plasticity was expected to be abundant, however, it did not occur as often in nature due to resource limitations and environmental stress (Valladares et al., 2007). An experiment by Matos tested the phenotypic plasticity to light availability in shade and sun leaves of coffee trees (Matos et al. , 2009). Their research indicated that â€Å"compared [to] sun leaves, shade leaves had a lower stomatal density, a thinner palisade mesophyll, a higher specific leaf area, and improved light capture†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Matos et al., 2009). The sun leaves were described as â€Å"generally thicker with an enhanced quantity of palisade mesophyll† (Matos et al., 2009). Our objective was the presence of phenotypic plasticity in avocado trees based on the differences in the morphology of shade and sun leaves. In our study, we asked whether there is a difference in surface area, length-to-width ratio, mass, specific leaf mass, and color between shade leaves and sun leaves in avocado trees. We hypothesized that there would be no significant differences in surface area, length-to-width ratio, mass, specific leaf mass, and color between shade leaves and sun leaves. METHODS: We collected our seventy samples of avocado tree (Persea americana) leaves, in equal amounts of sun and shade leaves, at an avocado tree grove located north of Building 3 and University Drive at Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday, October 24, 2013 at 9:00 am. They were randomly and interspersedly collected throughout the grove. We split the grove into five areas, split into five teams of two, and was assigned to one of the five areas. Each team picked a number for the trees in their region and a random number was selected from a random number table to select a tree corresponding to that number. A random number table was used to pick the corresponding quadrant, branch, and leaf.  This process was done twice on each tree in the understory for shade leaves, and in the canopy for sun leaves. Each leaf was measured for its surface area, length-to-width ratio, mass, specific leaf mass, and color. Surface area was measured by a leaf area meter in squared centimeters. Length-to-width ratio was measured by measuring the length (vertically along the bridge of the leaf) and the width (horizontally on the widest part of the leaf) with a ruler in centimeters, and dividing the length by the width. Mass was calculated by a balance in grams. Specific leaf mass (thickness) was measured by dividing the mass by its surface area in grams per squared centimeter. Color was measured by having three reference leaves provided by the instructor, indicating light (L), medium (M), and dark (D) leaves and compared our collected leaves. After recording all of the data, these data were then input into a statistical program called StatCat to determine normality through a normality test. The data for surface area, length-to-width ratio, mass, and specific leaf mass for sun and shade leaves were both normal, therefore, we chose a paired sample t-test for all of them. A normality test was not needed for color for sun and shade leaves due to it being a nominal scale data. The number of light, medium, and dark shade leaves were tallied up according to color, and the same was done for the sun leaves. A contingency table was made in Excel, and used in StatCat to test our hypothesis. The paired sample t-tests were also done through StatCat, which then gave us the appropriate results to test our hypotheses. RESULTS: Shade leaves had a significantly larger surface area than sun leaves (t = -3.7313, P = 0.00069; Table 1). Shade leaves had a significantly larger length-to-width ratio than sun leaves (t = -2.7162, P = 0.01031). Shade leaves had no significant difference in mass than sun leaves (t = -1.4871, P = 0.1462). Shade leaves had a significantly smaller specific leaf mass than sun leaves (t = 5.82093, P = 1.5Ãâ€"10-6). Shade leaves were significantly darker than sun leaves (X2 = 18.417, P = 0.0001). Avocado Leaf Plasticity. (2018, Oct 27).

The language of health informatic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The language of health informatic - Essay Example Consequently, nurses and other practitioners serve patients based on the use of evidence based care, which goes a long way to improve the quality of health care given to patients. Indeed, almost every other department utilizes the data stored in the system in one way or the other. This is because of the integrating nature in which the system has been created. Due to the integration, the system is not useful only to the departments directly health service like pharmacy, nursing, physiologist, radiology, laboratory and specialist care. Rather, non-health service departments like accounts, security and customer relations also use the system. As far as the non-health service providers are concerned, they use the data to have a fairer understanding of patients under the care of the hospital and how their entry and movements from the hospital are proceeding. For example, the accounts department needs to have basic data on medications received and general service rendered so as to use the electronic billing section of the system (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). The database has been made in such a way that it has been sub-divided among various departments. This way, all departments within the system has its own miniature system that is together networked to a centralized system. Within the miniature or decentralized systems, language is used as and how it suits the department. There is basically variation of language on the system. However, when it comes to the centralized system, there is a summative section that has been produced in clear cut and ordinary language easy for transversal interpretation. The way and manner in which the present system has been arranged, making the system run on both decentralized format and a centralized format makes the access to data very unique. Basically, everyone on the network can have access to data from every

Analyzing argement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analyzing argement - Essay Example In â€Å"Execution,† Anna Quindlen argues that death penalty is wrong because it does not achieve its desired ends. She stresses that it cannot provide sufficient justice for victims and their families and it does not make any moral sense. These authors have similarities in the use of personal ideas and anecdotal and hypothetical evidence as evidence, logos through inductive reasoning and agreement on death penalty’s goals, and pathos through an empathic writing style that appeals to justice, although they differ in writing style, audience, and attitude toward death penalty. Quindlen is more persuasive than Mencken because her ironic tone emphatically argues that death penalty is wrong because it is simply morally insufficient as a form of retribution. These authors have similarities in the use of personal ideas and anecdotal and hypothetical evidence. Mencken talks about his personal ideas when attacking the opponents of death penalty. He argues from his personal viewpoint that crime deterrence is not the only goal of death penalty, and instead â€Å"katharsis† is â€Å"practically considered† and â€Å"more important† (1). By saying this, he shows that something more personal and emotional is behind the need for death penalty. Quindlen also offers her personal ideas on death penalty. She admits that her â€Å"guts† â€Å"govern† her ideas on death penalty, which is why she can be â€Å"hypocritical† about it (450.3). Like Mencken, Quindlen personalizes her attack on death penalty by asserting her personal feelings toward it. In addition, both authors use anecdotal evidence as proof for their arguments. For instance, Mencken says he has not heard any executioner who is complaining of his job and instead, he has â€Å"known many who delighted in their ancient art, and practiced it proudly† (1). By saying ancient art, he is underlining the proud tradition behind death penalty. Quindlen also uses anecdotal evidence when she says that the justice system is

Effective Leadership and Management of Starbucks UK Essay

Effective Leadership and Management of Starbucks UK - Essay Example According to chairman of the board, Howard Schultz, "You get more than the finest coffee when you visit a Starbucks-you get great people, first-rate music and a comfortable, upbeat meeting place." This is what the company calls "the Starbucks experience." The impacts of globalisation, the influx of Internet commerce and intense competition in the market have dramatically influenced management in order to sustain the organisation's existence. The primary business objective of a firm has evolved into creating strategic and competitive advantage. Starbucks reinvented the traditional coffee shops and created a global brand because of its corporate strategies and competitive edge. Strategic advantage is the product of synthesizing different learning of managers from sources such as personal insights, people's experiences and market research. Strategy is the plan that the organisation shall pursue in order to achieve the organisation's purpose. Developing a competitive strategy is developing a broad formula for how business operates and how it is going to compete. (Porter, 1980, p. xxvi) It includes the goals the organisation desired and policies needed to carry out those goals. However, the most successful strategies lie in the leader's vision (Mintzberg, 1994, p. 107). It is the role of leadership to give purpose and meaningful direction to the company and to cause organisational effort in order to achieve that purpose (Jacobs & Jacques, 1990, p. 281). Successful leaders understand that strategy is not stagnant but instead it is dynamic and changing. Creating strategic advantage requires a leader's deep understanding of the company's strengths, weaknesses, its competitive strategy, and its current and potential customers. (Porter, 1985, p. 4) Starbucks' mission is to "build customer loyalty around cappuccinos, lattes and other fancy beverages." Starbucks redesigned the coffee industry by shifting its focus from commodity coffee sales to the emotional atmosphere in which customers enjoy their coffee. Howard Schultz made it a point to visit his stores every week and talk with his employees. He spreads his unique gospel of how to run a business. He preaches his vision to as many people as possible in order to engage his employees to the strategies of the company. (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005, p. 74) The management of Starbucks has invested a great deal of resources to know and understand their customers' perspective. The knowledge that they learned is transformed and utilised to provide services, products and communications. These business processes are long lasting and consistent. The management of Starbucks are aware that customers are the company's most valuable asset. They make it a point to consider the pulse of the customers in creating their strategies. Starbucks create competitive advantage through a strategy of differentiation. The company offers coffee and fancy beverages, baked goods, and a unique experience that distinguishes them from other market players. Starbucks is good at making consumers feel special when they arrive at their regular Starbucks store because the barista knows the customer's preferred drink. Starbucks has an edge over their

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson - Essay Example Through this short story, the author tries to explore incongruities that happen in people’s daily life thus examining humanity’s ability for wickedness and human kind weakness within a modern, well-known, American setting. In supporting this thesis by analyzing Jackson’s short story, this paper seeks to draw support by focusing on the use of symbolism, characterization, point of view, settings, and dialogue. The setting of the story is in a small village within which people have a close connection and the tradition has dominated. Through this setting, Jackson brings her point of view forth. Through the people’s habitual beliefs, the lottery is an annual event of stoning to death a victim of the winning ticket. This drawing has taken place for over 70 years and every member of the town has put it into practice. Using such a setting, it is evident that the author tries to bring forth how the people of this town are hypocrites and wicked. This town appears very mundane in which people know each other by names and people are very typical with ordinary names. In trying to use this setting, Jackson helps the reader understand that the extreme evils portrayed show how people are different from how they seem in spite of demonstrating a friendly atmosphere. Therefore, her point of view comes out clearly that, individuals need to understand each other even though they have lived together f or a while. Symbolism runs throughout the story, a literacy element that supports the thesis significantly. For instance, The Lottery is used as a symbolism of an event, deed, or a thought that is passed down across generations. Further, it turns to be an ordinary thing since it is unquestionably followed without minding their illogicality and how unethical it can be. In this village, the lottery has taken place for more that 70 years coming in June of every year (23).

Evaluate how the marketing strategy of Google Inc aided to its Article

Evaluate how the marketing strategy of Google Inc aided to its economic rise and sustainability. Where is this success attributed to - Article Example However, the Web of 1996 was considerably different compared to what it is now. Anyone who presently uses a search engine can vouch that the completeness of the index is not the only factor in the quality of search results (Bagdikian, 1997). Junk results many times erase any results that a user is interested in. In fact, as of June 1997, merely one of the top three commercial search engines returned its own search page as a response to its name in the top ten results (Kleinberg, 1998). One of the main reasons of this problem was that the number of documents in the indices had been rising by many levels of magnitude, but the users ability to view documents had not. People only wanted to view the first few tens of results. Due to this, as the collection size increases, tools that have very high precision (number of relevant documents returned, e.g. in the top ten of results) are required. Of course, it was desired that the notion of "relevant" only consisted of the very best documents since there could have been tens of thousands of somewhat relevant documents. This considerable accuracy is significant even at the expense of recall (the total number of relevant documents the system is able to return). Recently, there is considerable optimism that the use of more hypertextual information can assist in improving search and other applications. Specifically, link structure and link text supply plenty of information for deciding relevance judgments and quality filtering (Kleinberg, 1998). Incidentally, Google employs both link structure and anchor text. Another significant design aim was to construct systems that a reasonable number of people could actually employ. Usage was significant to Google because they believe that a considerable number of the most exciting research will require leveraging the huge amount of usage data that is available from modern

A Study on the Importance of Teaching Empathy in Hong Kong Schools Essay

A Study on the Importance of Teaching Empathy in Hong Kong Schools - Essay Example This essay declares that academicians in most schools believe that student performance in academics and extra curricular activities rely heavily on academic brilliance and intelligent quotient. But studies over the years undertaken in different parts of the world demonstrate that intelligent quotient and academic skills can no longer useful for producing socially responsible citizens. The social skill and humanistic considerations among the students depend, to a great extent, on the degree of empathy they possess and the patience they show in dealing with the mentally oppressed ones. In this context, the present study is relevant to examine the importance of empathy education in Hong Kong. Also the study seeks to measure the relationship between empathy education, social skills and academic performance. This paper makes a conclusion that students become merciless and unkind adults, which ultimately will lead to the development of a society where nobody can have humanitarian considerations. Many studies undertaken across countries have examined and documented the much debated issue of teaching empathy in schools and thereby developing their social skill. The results reveal that empathy is teachable and can be learnt by students. However, educators nowadays focus more on academic content than students’ psychological growth. The result is devastating that schools and colleges develop anti social behaviors of students. This leads many problems arise such as drug abusing, assaulting, sexual offending, etc. Educators neglect the origin of humanistic education. Therefore, it is indispensable to start teaching empathy at school level. At this juncture, the present study is an effort to examine the importance and effectiveness of teaching empathy in Hong Kong schools. This is carried out by studying the impact of teaching empathy on the children from various schools selected at random basis for the purpose of a sample survey. The paper also tries to throw lights on the correlation between empathy and academic outcomes. Research Problem Academicians in most schools believe that student performance in academics and extra curricular activities rely heavily on academic brilliance and intelligent quotient. But studies over the years undertaken in different parts of the world demonstrate that intelligent quotient and academic skills can no longer useful for producing socially responsible citizens. The social skill and humanistic considerations among the students depend, to a great extent, on the degree of empathy they possess and the patience they show in dealing with the mentally oppressed ones. In this context, the present study is relevant to examine the importance of empathy education in Hong Kong. Also the study seeks to

Evaluate how the marketing strategy of Google Inc aided to its Article

Evaluate how the marketing strategy of Google Inc aided to its economic rise and sustainability. Where is this success attributed to - Article Example However, the Web of 1996 was considerably different compared to what it is now. Anyone who presently uses a search engine can vouch that the completeness of the index is not the only factor in the quality of search results (Bagdikian, 1997). Junk results many times erase any results that a user is interested in. In fact, as of June 1997, merely one of the top three commercial search engines returned its own search page as a response to its name in the top ten results (Kleinberg, 1998). One of the main reasons of this problem was that the number of documents in the indices had been rising by many levels of magnitude, but the users ability to view documents had not. People only wanted to view the first few tens of results. Due to this, as the collection size increases, tools that have very high precision (number of relevant documents returned, e.g. in the top ten of results) are required. Of course, it was desired that the notion of "relevant" only consisted of the very best documents since there could have been tens of thousands of somewhat relevant documents. This considerable accuracy is significant even at the expense of recall (the total number of relevant documents the system is able to return). Recently, there is considerable optimism that the use of more hypertextual information can assist in improving search and other applications. Specifically, link structure and link text supply plenty of information for deciding relevance judgments and quality filtering (Kleinberg, 1998). Incidentally, Google employs both link structure and anchor text. Another significant design aim was to construct systems that a reasonable number of people could actually employ. Usage was significant to Google because they believe that a considerable number of the most exciting research will require leveraging the huge amount of usage data that is available from modern

Violence in the office Essay Example for Free

Violence in the office Essay Review This assignment required me to find an article on violence in the office and write a brief overview of the article using the university library. I will discuss different types of violence that lead to office violence. I will then discuss ways in which a company can control the influences that incite office violence. After reviewing a few different articles I have decided on an article from the university library called† Out of the Shadows,† by Dori Meinert. This article talks about 2 different stories that both deal with physical and mental violence. The stories were not actually based in an office setting, but were based in a home setting (Meinert, 2011). Though once the violence in the home setting was bad enough it spilled into the work place and eventually put the other employees in danger. The article also discussed the role human resources played and discusses how important this department is in any company. It goes into how human resources resolve problems such as domestic violence, and how they can be a great resource in these kinds situation. Human resources have the training, skill set, and ability to keep issue private that helps in instances where there is violence in the work place (Meinert, 2011). With avoidance programs, employee training sessions, and employee assistance programs these will help train and coach employees through and also help them avoid issues such as office violence. Forms of Bullying in the Workplace When it comes to offices violence that could result in bullying there are many different types. In an office setting violence might include a group or person against a peer or someone who reports to another. The violence can be continuous or just conduct that is unreasonable. The majority of the documented instances were management or the administration who perpetrated a number of offenses. The major types of violence include: nonverbal, verbal, embarrassment, physical, and psychological abuse. Examples of verbal abuse  would be name-calling which happens more often than not. A simple phrase calling someone out of there name and cursing are the quickest way to verbally abuse someone and not realize it (Meinert, 2011). In the second story told in the article a women who is abused in her home life seeks refuge at work and tells her co-workers. She felt like she needed to tell someone to get assistance, which in some cases can help. It can actually backfire in some cases. Telling someone your personal business can lead to peers discussing your personal business behind your back spreading rumors, criticizing, or gossiping about your business. Ways to avoid violence in the work place Training employees on office like conduct, creating avoidance plan, and having a zero tolerance policy in place are the main methods to control, avoid, and protect employees against violence in the work place. Keeping the workers trained on up to date procedures and processes is very important. Also making sure managers and human resources are trained on effective communication is also very important. An employee has to trust their manager and if not their manager, than human resources to feel comfortable to talk about issues like violence. Making sure the employees understand that there is an open door policy and that any kind of violence in the work place in not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Most importantly there needs to be an immediate response and rapid results to create a secure environment for all employees.

Is there any relationship between Corporate Social Responsibilty and financial performance

Is there any relationship between Corporate Social Responsibilty and financial performance The concept of companies about corporate social responsibility (CSR) has changed over the years. Previously it was viewed only as a phrase that meant administrative conformity and observance of rules and regulations. In recent years however that view has changed and companies are increasingly beginning to realize the important role of corporate social responsibility in winning over the trust and confidence of their customers. Today the business practices of large companies are shaped in such a way as to publicize their ethics and values. Therefore it has become a relevant part of business these days. According to the European Commission (2008), corporate social responsibility is a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. (http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm) The various recommendations of the European commission regarding corporate social responsibility were that CSR covers social and environmental issues even though its normally known as corporate social responsibility. In an organization, CSR should not be separate from the organizations strategy and functions as the main motto of CSR is about incorporating social and environmental concerns into business strategy and functions. Therefore it is a voluntary concept. An important part of CSR is about how business concerns deal with their internal and external stakeholders that is their employees, customers, public authorities, neighbours, etc. Despite of the costs it may bring upon the business, there are various advantages of employing CSR as a major tool in the business: A company prominently engaged in CSR will be enjoying a better reputation and respect from the public and the good reputation helps the company indirectly in many ways. For example it makes the company easier for recruitment as there is less difficulty for a reputed company to find willing employees. The employees stay longer in the company and are more loyal to the company which is considered as a blessing to the company as they can reduce the costs and effort incurred by recruitment and training. They are also more productive as they are better motivated. A company practicing CSR will probably comply with regulatory requirements. It also helps the company in attaining a good relationship with the local authorities. This can help the business in many ways apart from smoothing its functions. This engagement with the local authorities is a good way to generate positive press coverage. CSR also helps the company to understand the impact of business on the environment which helps to produce new products that are environment friendly. It can also make the business more competitive. Finally CSR reduces the chances of the business reputation going down due to some scandals or allegations. Aim and Objectives: The objective of this dissertation is to find out status of relationship between Corporate Social Performance and Corporate Financial Performance that is whether it is positive or negative or whether there is no relevant relation between them at all. In order to achieve this objective, it will be necessary to: Examine the previous researches done on this topic Identify an index to measure the Corporate Social Performance of companies in UK Measure the financial performance of the relevant companies Discuss the relationship between financial performance and corporate responsibility. Business in the communitys (BITC) Corporate Responsibility index is one of the leading UKs benchmark for companies that voluntarily practice corporate social responsibility. According to their survey results of 2008, 8 companies in the UK achieved the Platinum Plus status which is awarded to the companies with highest CSR ratings. Some of the companies in the top were BT, EDF Energy, National Grid, etc. there is also another recognition called the Community Mark which is awarded by Business in the communitys for companies that has achieved various milestones in long term sustainable benefits to both business and the community. We want to be known as a responsible business that is making a difference to some of the global challenges society faces. We want to be known as an innovative business that is developing solutions that benefit society while supporting long-term growth, creating competitive advantage and building successful relationships with our stakeholders.(www.bt.com) This defines BTs approach to responsible business. One of the top rated companies in the Business in the communitys corporate responsibility index and has been awarder the Community Mark recognition. Literature review: Various studies were conducted to evaluate the relationship between corporate responsibility and financial performance: Konar and Cohen (2001) founded a positive correlation exists between a firms environmental performance and its intangible asset value. The study was conducted on 321 manufacturing firms of the SP 500 firms. They employed two environmental performance measures namely Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) emission levels and pending environment-related litigation. Changes in the intangible asset value were estimated by viewing changes in the firms market value. The study also found out that a reduction in the toxic chemical release to the environment resulted in increased market value for the firm. Stanwick and Stanwick (1998) conducted a survey on 102 to 125 companies listed in Fortune magazines Corporate Reputation Index that also include a complete set of Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data for a five year period from 1987 to 1992. A firms profitability was measured by yearly profits and was managed for different sized firms by dividing profit numbers by the firms annual sales. And the firms pollution level was measured as total toxic emissions, and then divided by annual sales to balance variance in firms size. The study discovered a significant relation between low emission levels and high profitability for firms that are reputed for corporate responsibility. Dowell et al. (2000) found that firms adopting global environments standard that are well above the required legal benchmarks have higher market value than firms that have par or below par environment standards when compared to the legal standards. The study scrutinized 89 companies of the U.S 500 (SP 500) that have manufacturing or mining operations in developing countries. The samples of companies were then categorize into three environmental classification according to Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC) data namely (a) firms which follow local environment standards when operating in developing countries (30% firms were positive in this regard). (b) Firms which follow U.S standards while operating in developing countries (10% firms achieved this). (c) Firms which apply internal environment standards which surpass U.S requirements when operating abroad (60% of the firms). (Monks and Minow, 2004) Jaggie and Freedman (1992) studied specifically 13 firms involved in the pulp and paper manufacturing for the year 1978. An emission index used to measure the environmental performances of the companies was used. The firms that had the highest emission output were categorized with an index of 100 and the rest of the firms were adjusted regarding to that. Then the net income, cash flow/equity ratio and ROA indices were combined, with each of them having equal weights, with these pollutant indices. The outcome of the study showed a negative association between environmental and financial performance. (Shaw and Barry, 2004) Christmann (2000) conducted a survey in 2000 which came to the conclusion that chemical companies which employed innovative, proprietary pollution control techniques have managed significant cost savings, especially the companies that had existing facilities to innovate. The survey was conducted focusing on both cost management and pollution prevention on 512 business divisions of chemical companies in the U.S. cost management data were compared to Compustat share price and dividend data to ensure that it accurately replicated the firms financial performance Cohen, Fenn and Konar (1997) conducted a survey focusing on SP 500 companies. Their surveyors conducted the survey by creating two industry-balanced portfolios namely the higher polluter and lower polluter. They then compared the accounting and market return of both the sides. Their research found that either there was some positive return from investing in the environment or there was no return at all from investing. Blacconiere and Northcut (1997) particularly researched the chemical companies during a period of eight months and determined that companies which were likely to be impacted by adverse environmental legislation suffered collectively negative price returns during the time of the discussion of the legislation and its enactment. They also established that the firms with the largest potential liabilities suffered the greatest share price declines in this regard. Louche (1998) concentrated his study on 40 European countries from various sectors. The financial measures such as ROE, ROA and earnings per share were regressed in the context of environmental variables like CO2 emissions, water consumption and energy consumption. Their results established that there was no significant relationship between environmental welfare spending and financial performance. The companies selected were the ones with clear environmental reports. (Murphy, 2002) Since 1970s more than 100 papers have been published that has investigated the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and financial performance. These studies conclude that there is a strong evidence of positive relationship between a company that is financially sound and socially responsible. For example the London Business School conducted 80 studies on CSR, out of which 42 presented with positive impact, 4 showed negative outcome and 19 showed no correlation. The rest presented with mixed outcomes. Methodology: The primary research will be carried out to find the relationship using the market model ÃŽÂ ² for the companies that are listed in FTSE-100. A sample of 35 companies listed in the FTSE-100 taken. The study is conducted using the regression model after taking ÃŽÂ ² for the stock estimated for two periods, one before the inclusion in the BITCs Corporate Responsibility Index and the next after the inclusion. The study design to be employed here is the Regression Model with the ÃŽÂ ² for the stocks estimated for two periods, the first before being included in the BITCs CR Index and the next after their inclusion. Measurement of financial performance: The financial performance is calculated with the assessment of Measures of Financial Risk which is summed up by Total Risk (Standard Deviation of monthly returns) and systematic market risk. Measurement of social responsibility: The Business in the Community launched its Environment Index in 1996 to help companies benchmark their environmental management and performance. In 2002, member companies requested a mechanism to benchmark their other activities, so Business in the Community developed the broader CR Index to assess their impacts on the community, marketplace and workplace through their operations, products and services, and interaction with key stakeholders. Performance Band: Platinum : à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥95% Gold : 90 94.5% Silver : 80 89.5% Bronze : 70 79.5% (www.bitc.org.uk) In addition to this, interviews with the managers of some companies should be conducted to get a detailed view of their policies and opinion. This is done to compare the results of the previous analysis with the managers point of view. Also interviews and email communications with some research agencies should be carried out to get attain relevant information. Some of the agencies are European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS) Business and Human Rights Resource Centre Ethical Investment Research Service (EIRIS) The data resulting from these researches will be examined and analysed. This project will involve the analysis of both the quantitative and qualitative data. The external research will be conducted through reading and identifying the findings of published material like magazines, journals, newspapers and other media. The financial performance will contain both the quantitative and qualitative data. The market model ÃŽÂ ² coefficient will produce the quantitative data while the financial analysis will require the qualitative data as well. The results could be displayed in the form of graphs, spreadsheets and pictures. Therefore it will contain both the qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data that comes from the managers, for example the relevance of social responsibility will aid in the analysis, verification and conclusion of the relationship between corporate social responsibility and corporate financial performance. The financial data for the sample of 35 UK companies listed could be obtained from the Financial Times Stock Exchange where the stock prices of the companies are available on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. This will facilitate in the finding of the value ÃŽÂ ². Then the BITCs Corporate Responsibility Index could be used to measure the social responsibility variable of the companies which is available on the internet. Finally data will be acquired from sources like magazines, books, articles, official websites of companies, journals, company reports, research agencies etc. Conclusion: This dissertation aims to find out the relationship correlation between the financial performance and the social responsibility of the companies as there is an increasing need in todays world in the face of issues like global warming, ozone layer depletion, wildlife endangerment, increasing pollution, lack of drinking water, etc. nowadays companies and businesses adopting a policy of social and environmental awareness is essential for making the world a better place to live. REFERENCES: Monks, A.G Minow, Nell, 2004. Corporate Governance. 3rd edition. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Shaw, William.H Barry, Vincent, 2004. Moral Issues in Business. 9th edition. USA: Thomson Learning Inc. Murphy, Christopher.J, 2002. Profitable Correlation between Environmental and Financial Performance. www.bitc.org.uk www.bt.com http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm

Indicactor Lab: What is in each Test Tube? :: essays research papers

What is in each test-tube? What proof do I have of this? Test-tube A: Test-tube A had water in it. I can base this on the fact that it was a neutral, reacting neither to red or blue litmus paper. Phenolphthalein also did not react to this substance. The pH value was 7, neutral, also adding to the proof that this substance was water, because water is neutral. The substance was clear and odorless, and all of these reactions combined led me to my conclusion of substance A being water. Test-tube B: Test-tube B had spoiled milk in it. The substance reacted to blue litmus paper, and red litmus paper underwent no change. Phenolphthalein did not change, and the pH value was 6, a weak acid. The appearance of this substance was a thick, white liquid that had a horrible odor. These observations led me to my conclusion that substance B is spoiled milk. Test-tube C: Test-tube C had ammonia in it. The substance reacted to red litmus paper, and it had no effect on blue litmus paper. Phenolphthalein turned a hot pink color very quickly, and the pH value was about 11.5. The substance was clear and had a strong odor to it. These results led me to my conclusion that substance C is ammonia. Test-tube D: Test-tube D contained lemonade. The substance reacted to blue litmus paper, and red litmus underwent no changes. It had no effect on Phenolphthalein, and its pH value was 3, a strong acid. Knowing that lemons are very acidic, and that the substance was yellow and sweet smelling, I concluded that substance D was lemonade. Test-tube E: I could not come to a conclusion on what substance E was. It reacted weakly to blue litmus paper, and it did not change red litmus. It had no effect on Phenolphthalein, but its pH value tested as 7. This cannot be correct however, because all acids have a pH value less than 7. The appearance and smell were not of any help, because it was a clear substance with a slight odor I couldn’t key in on.

Jousting :: Essays Papers

Jousting Depending on who you ask, there are many different things that come to people's minds when one hears the word, chivalry. Some might say: knights, castles, horses, damsels in distress, Knights in shinning armor.... i could go on and on. I think of all these things as well, but I also think of Jousting. In a time when courage, honor and integrity were valued jousting was not only a sport, but a way for knights to prove their skill and courage. When we think of a knight in shining armor, we almost automatically think of the grand joust. It's hard not to imagine the thunderous hoof beats and the roar of the crowd as two knights race towards each other in a test of skill and nerve. The joust grew from the chaotic melee of the tournaments that were always taking place. As more and more restrictions were put on man to man combat; a tournament was developed where men rode horses and carried lances. This dangerous form of combat, was an event designed to test the horsemanship and weapons skill of the individual knight. Jousting tournaments caught on quickly because it truly tested every aspect of a chivalric man. Not only did it test the skill a knight had with weapons, but it also tested his skill with of controlling and riding a horse. In a sense, a jousting match could prove or disprove a knights ability to be a truly chivalric knight. In the joust the knight used the lance, a weapon specifically designed for mounted combat. At first jousters would simply spur their horses towards one another, weapons ready, each attempting to knock each other off there horses. If a knight was knocked to the ground, his battle was as good as lost. For the mounted warrior could run him down, trample him with his horse, or spear him with his lance; all while out of reach of the land bound fighter. When the joust came to represent the horsemanship of the fighter, safeguards evolved. The lance was fitted with a three pronged tip called a coronal, which was designed to keep the weapon from penetrating a knights helm and to re-distribute the force of the impact. Also, armor was developed specifically for the joust.

Lowering the Drinking

The central plank of the debate is the determination of minimum age of drinking. The society will be happier where the states interference is less and where it allows the full freedom and liberty to the citizens with qualified restrictions. The actions taken and legislations passed by the governments are just for the welfare of the state with public policy. The heated discussion on Lowering the Drinking is not a new one and it came into spotlight with Jenna Bush’s arrest for consuming alcohol and buying it with fake identification. The social contract theory says that men have right to the sovereign to organize them in better way. The sovereign was not a party to the contract. The people authorized and give up the right of governing themselves to the sovereign who came into being as a result of the contract. [1] It is given the right of make laws. Law is the expression of general will. According to Rousseau â€Å"A law is a resolution of the whole people, for the whole people, touching a matter that concerns all†. Law must relate to general interest. It represents the general will. The enactments of the government are merely a corollary of the general will. So the laws framed regarding the drinking age also should go with the general will. The national minimum drinking age act, 1984 give 21 years as the minimum age of drinking in USA. In many countries there is no age restriction on the drinking and in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia it is 17 year. The present laws set the age of drinking as 21 [2] and it was 24 years back it came into force. And it is time look back with the resent development in social as well as technological development. There are several issues where the importance of age is taken into account. some of them are Marriage Adult franchise Capital Punishment Military Services The above mentioned are very important which are having affinity with the Society, Legislature, Judiciary and Executive (defense). They all prescribed the minimum age of their eligibility’s 18 years. But the age of drinking is declared as 21 years. The detailed discussion of them shows their importance and its relevance to the society. Marriage: According to Black law dictionary, â€Å"The legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife is called marriage.† It is regarded as civil contract by the common law. The essentials of the valid marriage are 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the parties are legally capable of contracting marriage 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   mutual consent or agreement, and 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An actual contracting in the form prescribed by law. The essential ‘The parties are legally capable of contracting marriage’ goes with lot of interpretation. The legally capable to contracting marriage in regarding the age varies from religion to religion generally and with the uniform civil code it is given to the states to make laws on their own. For a marriage minimum age, license, proof, application, consent for underage applicant is required. ‘SEC. 3. (1) R. S. 1846, Chap. 83 (Amended by Act No. 44, P.A. 1956) Every person who becomes 18 years of age shall be capable by law of contracting marriage. Every person who becomes 16 years of age but is less than 18 years of age shall be capable of contracting marriage with the written consent of 1 of the parents of the person or the person's legal guardian, as provided in this section.’[3] So the eligible age for marriage is 18 and even 16 is allowed with the prescribed procedure. Marriage is one of the important institutions in the society. If the a person is allowed to go with that important responsibility and have the metal power, then why not a person is not allowed to drink at that age. Voting; The adult suffrage is the fullest implication of democracy and it is the most striking feature implication of democracy and it is most striking feature of the constitution. The ‘section 1, of the twenty-sixth amendment-reduction of voting age qualification gives the right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the united states or by any state on account of age’.[4] If the person is eligible to decide which government he want and what will be the pros and cons of that government establishment, cant he think on the drinking and the limits of the drinking. With the development of mass media each and every point of manifesto are clearly analyzed and by taking that inputs only the people are voting. Now the leaders are also focusing on the youth issue which shows their importance in the elections. Being so important decision makers of a future government they can also decide on the level of drinking. So the age of drinking should be brought down to the age of voting right. Capital Punishment; Capital punishment is the highest punishment in the penology knows to man. It deprives the criminal’s life and existence. Modern Penologists, jurists, jurisprudents e.t.c preferred it for the grave and heinous crimes only. According to the reformative theory â€Å"No one is a born criminal. A criminal is the product of the social and economical circumstances.† Modern psycho-analysts, criminologists, sociologist’s e.t.c are  Ã‚   behind this modern theory. The one of the recent case Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S 551(2005) the Supreme Court held that the minimum age at time of crime to be subject to the death penalty is 18. The judiciary is regarded as best institution for its reasoning on any issue. If the court itself is defending the decision and declared that at age of 18 the person is reasonably prudent and he have total knowledge about the society why cant it allow the person to drink at   the age of 18. Now almost 19 states and federal government had set a minimum age of 18 for capital punishment Military services The person having 18 years of age is eligible to enter into the military services and can serve the nation up to 49 years. Even a person of 17 years of age, with parental permission, can join the U.S. armed services.   There is a strong point that a person with 18 years is serving the nation with commitment, responsibility and attitude to serve the nation. If this is the case cant a person with 18 can’t have liberty drink. Conclusion: It is the time to re-look at the existing law with the advancement of the science and technology and improvement is the communication has enhanced the capabilities of a person.[5] The drinking problems can be reduced with alternative legislations. All people should not suffer due to few deterrents, so more though laws on the violators are a good measure.   Now the people are in a position to decide what is good and what is bad by 18 years itself. If the person is able to decide on the marriage, voting and joining into defense services, he can also think as a prudent person on the drinking also. So the minimum age of drinking should be brought down to 18 years. References: 1.VD. Mahajan, origin of state, Political theory,(1988), 4th edition , S. Chand and Company. 2. Radley Balko, Back to 18, A new chorus of critics says it's time to lower the drinking age, April 12, 2007 < Marriage Laws, 2008 Washtenaw County, MI http://www.reason.com/news/show/119618.html> 3. Selected Michigan    4.   Ã‚  Reduction Of Voting Age Qualification, 1995, United States Government Printing Office, http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/html/amdt26.html 5. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Debate, [1] VD. Mahajan, origin of state, Political theory,(1988), 4th edition , S. Chand and Company. [2]   Radley Balko, Back to 18, A new chorus of critics says it's time to lower the drinking age, April 12, 2007 ; http://www.reason.com/news/show/119618.html; [3] Selected Michigan Marriage Laws, 2008 Washtenaw County, MI ;http://ewashtenaw.org/government/clerk_register/cr_clklawsm.html [4]  Ã‚   Reduction Of Voting Age Qualification, 1995, United States Government Printing Office, ;http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/html/amdt26.html; [5] The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Debate, ;http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~jordanlt/alctwo.html;