Corporate Social Responsibility in Financial Services Dissertation

Corporate Social Responsibility in Financial Services - Dissertation Example The primary aim of the financial services companies is to provide better service to the depositors and their investors by taking appropriate steps to increase the wealth of the shareholders. In order to provide short-term gains to the shareholders by giving more priority to the short-term interests, the increase in foul play has increased in the operations of the financial services firm thereby compromising on the security of the money deposited or invested. The investors apart from seeking higher returns through efficient pieces of advice of the fund managers are also interested for safekeeping of their shareholder value. This means that the seekers of financial services would not be ready to incur a loss at the cost of expected higher returns. The investors and stakeholders have become more and more aware of the social, ethical and environmental aspects of their investments for which the corporate social responsibility in financial services has attained more and more significance d ay by day. The daily operations of financial services firm are supported with the help of resources available from the societies in which they operate. The manpower and client base available from the societies are the major resources that are used by the financial services firms to run and sustain their businesses. ... ary aim of the financial services companies is to provide better service to the depositors and their investors by taking appropriate steps to increase the wealth of the shareholders. In order to provide short term gains to the shareholders by giving more priority to the short term interests, the increase in foul play has increased in the operations of the financial services firm thereby compromising on the security of the money deposited or invested. The investors apart from seeking higher returns through efficient advices of the fund managers are also interested for safekeeping of their shareholder value (Elangovan and Mohan, 2008, p.34). This means that the seekers of financial services would not be ready to incur a loss at the cost of expected higher returns. The investors and stakeholders have become more and more aware of the social, ethical and environmental aspects of their investments for which the corporate social responsibility in financial services has attained more and mo re significance day by day. The daily operations of financial services firma are supported with the help of resources available from the societies in which they operate. The manpower and client base available from the societies are the major resources that are used by the financial services firms to run and sustain their businesses. It is thus important for the financial services companies to return the benefits to the societies in which they operate. For this reason, the financial services organizations develop their strategies on corporate social responsibility mainly looking into four major areas like manpower sustenance, business integrity, community and the environment. The adoption of corporate social responsibility provides confidence to the investors on the long term sustenance of

Human Trafficking in America Essay Example for Free

Human Trafficking in America Essay According to the report submitted to the U. S. Department of State in 2004, every year there is an estimated account of 600,000 to 800,000 people being trafficked for force labor and sex worldwide. In the United States alone, there are around 14, 000 to 17,000 men, women and children of different nationalities being trafficked each year passing discreetly international borders just to come inside the territories of the United States. Of these numbers, 70 percent are female while 50 percent are children or minors and most of them end up working forcibly in the illegal sex industry. The report also said that most of these trafficked foreign nationals mostly come from Asia. In America, however, an estimated 200,000 missing American children (minors usually women) from the past years are also getting the risk of having trafficked also in the sex industry (Shurter). While the United States has an open policy in accepting foreign nationals to its territories, the succeeding events of terrorism in the American soil during the past years has reorganized its system of policies and became more aware in allowing foreign nationals to stay in America. But then America remained to be the main transit and destination country for trafficking people if compared to other countries in the world. To adhere to the strong commitment of fighting human trafficking in the US and other countries, the US government has enacted The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 or the TVPA to redefine pre-existing criminal penalties and provide better protection for the victims of human trafficking. This act establishes Cabinet-level federal interagency task force to use their federal program in providing services to the trafficked victims. Initially the monitoring program done by the US in the early 1990s was primarily focused on trafficking women for the sex industry. But ever since the U. S. Department of State has included in their report in 1994 that not only women are being trafficked, the department began monitoring all persons with questionable citizenship status in the US beginning in that same year. To greatly reduce human trafficking, the U. S. has begun initiating anti-trafficking programs to aid countries fight this illegal trade. The office of the TVPA was assigned to monitor and allowed by the US State Department to combat human trafficking in the international level while millions of dollars were poured out as grants to organizations around the world to implement programs combating human trafficking. The U. S. has also helped these countries in enacting their laws for anti-trafficking legislation and provided training to law enforcers, prosecutors, border guards and judicial officers in determining, investigating and prosecution of traffickers and providing protection for the victims. Two years after the resolution of TVPA, The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2000 was reformulated to 2003 to provide resources and initiatives in helping the 18,000 to 20,000 victims of human trafficking saved in the US. Then in 2006, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 was signed into a stronger law (Justice). To show that there is clearly the cause for alarm with human trafficking which brought about white slavery in the United States, CBS News correspondent Tracy Smith explores and exposes the world of human trafficking in America by making her own series of research in America’s suburbs and reported her findings for The Early Show in series. Tracy interviewed a number of people who were victims of illegal sex trade and one of these is Shauna. Shauna is a 17 year old girl from Florida who was looking for friends in school because she was the new girl in the campus. Finally she was befriended by another student and invited her for a sleepover in her house. But a man who posed as the friend’s father drugged her drink and woke up to a nightmare. She found herself tied still dizzy with the drug. Not long after, she was brought to a place where she was sold. She was raped and beaten if she refused to have sex. Her parents searched for her and finally she was found by investigator Brad Dennis in a club. According to Dennis, Shauna was a victim of human trafficking which becomes the growing problem in the suburbs of Florida. Tracy Smith has discovered that the syndicates who are behind the kidnapping and human trafficking know the profile of the most potential targets that can be used for their sex trade. In this manner they connive with other people to do their deeds. Dennis said usually girls who are victims of human trafficking are moved around a circuit by their captors hitting major hotels and convention centers looking for potential and moneyed clients. Wan Kim of the U. S. Justice Department said that this kind of business has now developed into a very prolific business and usually undetected. The problem for the authorities is that the people behind this crime have wide connections and they have become even wiser with the trade. They can keep women for years without people knowing they live there as sex slaves. In the case of Shauna, her case has never been pursued because until today her captors remained at large (Smith). Human trafficking has developed into a lucrative business formed by different individuals grouped together to run a ring of syndicate. However, this is not always the case. In 2008, Maribel Rodriguez Vasquez, a 28-year old Guatemalan woman was arrested in Los Angeles for her involvement in her family’s human trafficking business. She was the sixth member of her family who was nabbed by immigration authorities as she was charged with 50 counts of human trafficking cases specifically luring Guatemalan minors to the United States with a promise of well-paid jobs but all ends up being prostitutes. Vasquez who was known as the â€Å"L. A. Madam† by her clients was posted on television as one of â€Å"America’s Most Wanted†. But Vasquez’ case was only one of the few cases of human trafficking that was highlighted by the media which makes people believe cases of immigrant sex trafficking are not literally important to be known by the masses. Lisette Arsuaga, director of Development for the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking in Los Angeles said we have a clear reality that human trafficking operates in every American city and even to towns but it is craftily hidden it is hard to uncover (Johnson and Rodriguez). The state of San Francisco is known for its liberalism toward sex and it has continuing history of arresting prostitutes around the city. Unfortunately it has also become one of the top American cities to be the favorite sanctuary of international sex traffickers and so large numbers of illegal immigrants pour out to the city each year. This is because sex trafficking is now an $8 billion international business and sadly traffickers consider San Francisco to be the best place to operate their largest commercial trades. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom who is not ignorant about this trade said although the city despised such reputation, being underground with unending source of clients makes the state helpless. Mayor Newsom said girls are forced to come to America because their families are being threatened and so the cases of human trafficking seem to be endless. While the U. S. Department of Justice states that thousands of illegal immigrants are being brought to the United States each year, there are still no quantifying data which assure that many of them fall as sex or force labor victims. The CIA is now involved to stop this trade and it has used its significant methods to come up with reliable sources of illegal immigrants. They now rely on law enforcement data, government data, international reports and academic research just to come up with backed-up information and track the sources of this trade. The CIA also confirmed that trafficked women for the sex industry generally come from Southeast Asia, the former Soviet Union and also South America. As usual, they are lured to work in the United States for more meaningful opportunities but once they are in, they are held captives and sold to brothels, strip clubs and outcall services. Even high-society call girls who come to the United States admit to the Federal investigators that being in captivity and held as sex slaves can be the most degrading and unimaginably unacceptable. In other parts of the world, human trafficking has also become an insatiable growing business which has overtaken drugs and arms trafficking. According to Barry Tang who is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement attache with the U. S. Department of Homeland Security in Korea, human traffickers in Korea are now highly organized with full logistical network between Korea and the United States. They have recruiters, intermediaries, brokers and even designated taxi drivers and influential pimps. On other countries, women are the usual traffickers and they acquire women from clubs, bars, colleges, restaurants and even pool halls. Their international contacts target mostly developed countries such as the United States, Japan and Australia because this is where the money is. When everything is settled in these countries, they even set up their own shops in the main cities particularly in California, New York, Las Vegas and Texas (May). As a conclusion, we may never stop human trafficking for the moment because it has already rooted itself in our societies. Not even America who advocates for human rights and preservation of human dignity find it hard to control such a phenomenal dilemma. But though this has become an uncontrollable ailment because it made its evil influence to the different form of culture and societies, we might still reduce its havoc in degrading human dignity by involving ourselves and be guardians for the sake of our children and our society. The governments are trying hard to pursue what is necessary but they cannot do it alone. We might not be the victims here but our children maybe their next target. Works Cited: Johnson, Alex, and Cesar Rodriguez. Human Trafficking in America. The World Race (2008). April 14, 2009 http://matthewsnyder. theworldrace. org/? filename=human-trafficking-in-america. Justice, U. S. Department of. Report on Activities to Combat Human Trafficking: Fiscal Years 2001 2005. (2006). April 15, 2009 http://www. humantrafficking. org/countries/united_states_of_america. May, Meredith. Sex Trafficking: San Francisco Is a Major Center for International Crime Networks That Smuggle and Enslave. San Francisco Chronicle2006. Shurter, David. The Problem with Human Trafficking in America. Now Public: Crowd Powered Media (2009). April 15, 2009 http://www. nowpublic. com/world/problem-human-trafficking-america. Smith, Tracy. Slavery in the Suburbs. United States, 2007. CBS Evening News. (September 12, 2007): CBS Interactive, Inc. http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2007/09/12/eveningnews/main3254966. shtml

Comparison of Business Practices in the US and China

Comparison of Business Practices in the US and China Diverse cultures of US and China Culture rules nigh on every particular phase of your life and like many, you are completely unacquainted of this. If inquired, you would define culture as architecture or language, music, visual arts, literature and you wouldnt be wrong. Nevertheless you wouldnt be completely right either. The United States of America is one of the multi ethnical, multi racial and multi cultural countries in the world. It has a highly diverse culture which has helped in forming its unique values. This diversity in culture can also be distinguished geographically where certain groups in different geographical locations have formulated a unique culture among themselves which is quite contrastingly diverse from mainstream American culture. They are Asian-American, Afro-American and Hispanic cultures. China can be listed as a country that has a very rich culture, certain aspects of which dates back to the ancient civilizations 5000 years back. This has been passed down from generation to generation thus preserving its identity and richness. It can be stated that it’s unique, diverse and yet harmoniously blended culture is a priceless asset to the world. The business practices of China and US The world of international business as we all know consists of people from different real and virtual work places in countries. Therefore it is important to know about a countries culture in order to adapt to it and be successful. Culture is complex and multi dimensional, to understand its basic nature we need to consider the Elements of culture. â€Å"Language† the key to culture transmits information. The Americans have commonly around 15 languages. Their main languages are English, Spanish and Indo European. Chinese have over 90 languages with 8 main languages where Mandarin is commonly used. A low context culture’s communication is precise and direct. But in terms of High context culture a lot of terms and facts that go unsaid. Practically Americans tend to communicate directly while the Chinese communicate indirectly, which eventually turns out to be a frustrating situation for Americans as they are quite unsure of what the Chinese expect. This is so while the Chinese feel unsettled by their direct approach. There are over 15000 â€Å"religions† in the world. China is a multi religious country which comprises mainly of three religions such as Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. They believe that this world is an illusion and that everything is temporary. Also, that all living things including human beings constantly go through a process of life and death. They also believe in reincarnation. Somehow on the other hand, America comprises mainly of Christian believers and the minorities of around 6% belong to other religions. There are also those who don’t practice in any religion. Every country has their â€Å"values and attitudes† that distinguish them from others. There are different sets of attitudes towards time and future. In US time is important and is equivalent to money while China’s attitudes differ from that. They believe that time is required to make important decisions and look out for long term relationships with their business partners. This creates a contrast affecting their business transactions. â€Å"Customs† too are related to international business. US is physically isolated from all countries except Canada and Mexico. This has contributed to the isolation and the lack of concern towards the rest of the world unless they are threatened by another country or state. China however is connected to many other Asian countries and tends to be interdependent and concerned other nations. Americans have their food eaten using the folk and spoon while the Chinese use chopsticks. Americans tend to shake hands, hug, kiss on the cheek, gesture with one’s hands and use the first names while speaking to adults. Chinese however tend to bow or nod and use fewer gestures as possible. These extreme diversities could be no challenge if each country respects each other’s culture. We live in a technologically advanced global age. So its fairly obvious that international businesses take place among various countries. So how do people understand and communicate among each other? How do people understand their cultures respectively? Its rather difficult. But International businesses are taking place among each and every country due to the wide spread technological and demographical advancement of the societies living on earth. So to understand better and improve the standard of living, people should firstly understand the framework of assessing various cultures. These values are explained as Dimensions of culture by psychologist Dr Geert Hofstede. He further went on to explain that this cultural dimension consists of 5 principles. Power distance Individualism/ collectivism Masculinity/ femininity Uncertainty avoidance Long term/short term orientation Dr. Hofstede found many similarities and differences among these 5 dimensions. And he elaborated that, Building connections with people from around the world is just one dimension of cultural diversity. And therefore we should need to factor it into motivating people, structuring business related projects and developing strategy. USA and China we find similarities and differences with regard to these 5 dimensions. So for simplicity we could explain the dimensions, in a line graph between both China and the United States. Comparison between China and USA in regard to the 5 dimensions of Hofstedes values The buying behavior of consumers Buyer behavior refers to the decision making process and acts of the buyer in purchasing a particular good or a service. The buyer behavior regarding a product may change with the type of culture existing in a country. However the steps in the consumer decision making process remains the same and thus can be used as a suitable instrument in analyzing the behavior of consumers in two countries that are culturally contrasting. Figure 1 consumer decision making process In China, the key cultural drivers of purchasing decision making are philosophies such as Confucianism and Taoism as well as the collectivist nature of society. China being collectivists in nature gives much consideration to the voice of the public as well as ‘face’ (Mianzi) and ‘relationship’ (Guanxi) issues. In the USA, individualism plays an important role in all consumer decisions as well as religion, race and geographic location. China US Need recognition and problem awareness Both Confucianism and Taoism focus on family values. Chinese individuals have a deep sense of immediate family bindings. In every family unit, the elders are greatly respected. At the same time youngsters are also given importance and prioritized for being the ‘roots’ of generation continuation. As a result, when recognizing the needs of family, the needs of their children are given more importance. Ex: education needs of children are considered crucial in Chinese households as well as children’s healthcare products. As a developed western country, individualism tends to be the key ingredient that drives buying decisions. Individuals are encouraged to trust their personal judgment and thus when recognizing needs, individual needs are given more preference rather than collective needs. Information search In China, the buyers prefer word of mouth information to other sources. This aspect is related to collectivism. Buyers want to ‘be the same’ as others in their respective group so that they will be accepted. Acceptance is a vital factor for them. Due to this, they inquire from their friends, acquaintances or relatives regarding a certain product. This is how conformity of a product is decided. In mainstream culture of US, buyers receive information mainly through digital networks due to the various advancements available in electronic medias and the flexibility of US individuals to adapt to new technology. Meanwhile in varied sub cultures located across geographic boundaries traditional means are also used in getting informed regarding a certain product. Evaluation of alternatives In terms of public reputation (Mianzi) issues, Chinese individuals wish to put up a good ‘face’ for the others in their respective group to show their wealth and certain other factors. This issue distinctively promotes purchase of luxury products. But it has been also found out that there is more involvement in evaluation of alternatives when purchasing a product for social value rather than for private consumption. Americans usually do not bargain in front of a store owner. The social environment could affect the consumer behaviour in America. For example they would prefer eating corn flakes and ham instead of rice. Americans tend to seek goods with variety and have impulse purchases. This is so because they live a faster life than of Asian countries. Post purchase evaluation Buyers usually show concern post purchase and feel that an alternative would have been preferable. In this case, brand switching occurs the next time which the customer purchases. But, if they receive the social recognition intended for which they originally bought the product or receive a positive feedback from the society, the brand switching decision would not necessarily be taken. Americans usually would try something new when purchasing the next time. However if they are fully satisfied with a product they shall preferably buy it the next time as well. But their decision is rather unpredictable. Future economic development of China and US In 1978, china was one of the poorest countries in the world. Their real per capita GDP in China was one-fourth of US real per capita GDP. Since then every year China was able to grow at 8% every year. As a result they are now one-fifth of the US level and at the same level as Brazil. China was under the communist rule since the revolution in 1949. After the leadership in 1978 china moved away from the central planning and government oriented policies towards a more decentralized economy. China is now a market economy making it a strong role for development of the state. The United States were always a market economy and the economy represents very small roles played by the government. When focusing on the employment rates and wages of the Chinese labour force it is relatively cheaper in a global context. This could lead China to being one of the strongest economic forces of the future and it could also be a significant factor for many international businesses. In china it is believed that work-life is about integration and harmony within work forces. A balanced work life and family life is not a significant aspect in China. Chinese employees do not interact socially but are more domestic oriented. US employees on the other hand are more work oriented. But it also differs according to their social class. For Example the lower level employees work seven extra hours a week which is equivalent to an average day’s work. The Chinese employment relationship strongly influences the work place to be â€Å"family like† while US prefers to have a professional working environment. The concept â€Å"work hard play hard† applies directly to the US work forc e. China has the largest population in the world being 1.357 billion as at 2013 where as the US population only counts to 316.1 million as at 2013. Firstly, internal migrants have supplied abundant labour to the Chinese economy. Secondly a large number of Chinese are 60 years or older and Finally, Chinese families have only one child based on their three decade old policy. These factors will in future represent a crisis since these effects are hard to reverse back. The US population mostly consists of senior citizens. That is, 13% of the population are more than 65 years old and is expected to increase to 20% by 2050. Also the population of young people is expected to rise in contrast to China. Since 2002 US is the largest economy in the world. China achieved a rapid growth in 2010 where it became the second largest economy, beating Japan. Since then US and China are the competitive nations of the world. The predictions of future economic rates as at 2019 are that the US GDP would be 22.1 trillion dollars compared to China with 14.8 trillion dollars. US is more service oriented where as China has a balance between Service and Industries The Unemployment Rate in China as reported by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the people’s republic of china has remained unchanged being 4.10 percent in the third quarter of 2014. Compared to China, even though the rate of unemployment in USA is high â€Å"6.2%†; USA has achieved a drastic drop in its unemployment rate compared to its figures in the last five years, Which is a highly favorable for its economic growth in the future. However, china has not made any measures to address their rate of unemployment.   Chinese still poses less prospective than Americans to Say They Live Comfortably:Superficially at odds with the countrys growth and sense of economic positivity, the Chinese have not grown more likely to feel they can live comfortably on their current income over the past six years. In 2012, 58% said they were able to get by on their current earnings, an amount that has remained relatively fixed. About a third (32%) is finding it verydifficult to earn just enough money to live on, and this rate has similarly continued basically constant. This would seem to suggest that economic progress has not yet directly translated into a more monetarily secure population, or, on the other hand, that as the Chinese sense wealthier, they find themselves attaining new requirements. And, one in 10 Chinese claim that they are living comfortably on their current revenue, a percentage that has shown no growth over time. Americans continue to maintain a much better average than the Chinese regarding their individual revenues. A plurality (38%) in 2012 said they were living comfortably on their current revenue; additional 34% said they were getting along. A quarter of Americans have found it very difficult to live with their current income. Although they are greater than the Chinese on this metric, Americans opinions of their capability to live a comfortable life have been affected by the recession. They are a reduced amount to be expected now than in 2007 to feel they can live comfortably on their present-day income and more probably to feel it is challenging to live on it. Reference List Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Cross-Cultural Skills from Mind Tools. 2014.Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Cross-Cultural Skills from Mind Tools. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm. [Accessed 22nd October 2014]. Journal of Communication Volume 48, Issue 4 December 1998 Wiley Online Library. 2014. Journal of Communication Volume 48, Issue 4 December 1998 Wiley Online Library. [ONLINE] Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcom.1998.48.issue-4/issuetoc. [Accessed 22nd October 2014]. Chinese Culture, China Culture Center, Facts, Ancient Custom and Tradition. 2014. Chinese Culture, China Culture Center, Facts, Ancient Custom and Tradition. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/. [Accessed 25thOctober 2014]. Chinese Traditions and Culture. 2014.Chinese Traditions and Culture. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.chinese-traditions-and-culture.com/. [Accessed 27th October 2014] Lesson in American Culture and American Values. 2014. Lesson in American Culture and American Values. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.internationalstudentguidetotheusa.com/articles/culture.htm. [Accessed 28th October 2014]. Need Recognition. 2014. Need Recognition. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.boundless.com/marketing/textbooks/boundless-marketing-textbook/consumer-marketing-4/consumer-decision-process-40/need-recognition-200-4088/. [Accessed 1st November 2014]. Opinion Briefing: U.S. vs. China Strengths and Weaknesses . 2014. Opinion Briefing: U.S. vs. China Strengths and Weaknesses . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gallup.com/poll/162965/opinion-briefing-china-strengths-weaknesses.aspx. [Accessed 2nd November 2014]. China has the worlds fastest growth in living standards China.org.cn. 2014. China has the worlds fastest growth in living standards China.org.cn. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/2013-10/24/content_30391004.htm. [Accessed 2nd November 2014]. China’s Population Destiny: The Looming Crisis | Brookings Institution . 2014. China’s Population Destiny: The Looming Crisis | Brookings Institution . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2010/09/china-population-wang. [Accessed 2nd November 2014]. The Changing Demographics of America | 40th Anniversary | Smithsonian. 2014. The Changing Demographics of America | 40th Anniversary | Smithsonian. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/40th-anniversary/the-changing-demographics-of-america-538284/?no-ist. [Accessed 2nd November 2014]. Journal of Consumer Psychology | Vol 12, Iss 2, Pgs 69-176, (2002) | ScienceDirect.com. 2014.Journal of Consumer Psychology | Vol 12, Iss 2, Pgs 69-176, (2002) | ScienceDirect.com. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10577408/12/2. [Accessed 2nd November 2014]

The Transformational Leadership Practices of National Board Certified S

Introduction According to Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (American Association of School Librarians, 2009), â€Å"The school library media program is built by professionals who model leadership and best practice for the school community† (p. 45). This leadership role is a new one for school librarians; earlier guidelines documents (AASL, 1988; AASL, 1998) embedded leadership activities within the roles of information specialist, instructional consultant or partner, teacher, and program administrator. These earlier guidelines were aligned with the larger educational culture, in which school librarians have rarely been regarded as leaders by their colleagues, administrators, or themselves (Hartzell, 2002; Ishizuka, Minkel, & St. Lifer, 2002; McCracken, 2001). Perhaps because of this perception, few researchers have studied the activities of school librarians who act as leaders. The purpose of Empowering Learners (AASL, 2009) is to define â€Å"the future direction of school library media programs† (p. 5). Both Empowering Learners and its predecessors (AASL, 1988; AASL, 1998) serve as guidelines for exemplary school library media programs, providing a mission and vision for the program and identifying and describing the roles of the school library media coordinator (SLMC). The mission of the program is â€Å"to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information† (AASL, 2009, p. 8) and to support this mission the SLMC must take on multiple roles. The original guidelines document, Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (AASL, 1988) defined these roles as information specialist, teacher, and instructional consultant. The 1998 version of the guidelines (AASL... ...ndards as classroom teachers, but the SLMC standards are currently under revision and will parallel the teaching standards closely, including a leadership component (R. White, personal communication, October 8, 2010). School library media coordinators must demonstrate leadership to meet the expectations of their national professional organization, to achieve advanced teaching credentials, and even, in North Carolina, to maintain their professional positions. Since the release of Empowering Learners (AASL, 2009), no research has examined the extent to which librarians are able to carry out the leadership practices it identifies. In this climate, however, it is important to know how school library leaders behave and to what extent they implement these practices, both to evaluate the standards and to provide examples for leadership development for school librarians.

Koss management Case Essay

1. Why might Koss management have placed so much trust in Sachdeva, along with minimal supervision and monitoring? Koss management might have placed so much trust in Sachdeva because she was is such a high position. She worked in the company as Vice President, when you are that high on the totem pole, you are given trust that you know what you are doing and that you want what is best for the company. Companies don’t hand out positions to people that have no clue as to what they are doing as well as someone that they believe will ruin the company. The same thing goes along with having minimal supervision and monitoring. She was a Vice President, someone that was supposed to be trusted, someone who was a leader, someone who was supposed to set an example. It just goes to show you that it is not always the person on the bottom of chain that needs to be watched. It is easier for higher up management and owners to sneak money away than the one who have minimal access to records and bank statements. 2. What was Grant Thornton’s obligation to uncover the fraud? Grant Thornton was Koss’s internal auditor. An internal auditor is defined as â€Å"An independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization’s operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes.† (p. 23-24) As the auditor for this business, Grant was supposed to make sure that every piece of financial information was in its right place as well as wrote and calculated right. Clearly Thornton did not do his job the right way. By looking at the numbers provided, any auditor could see that something is not right in the company. After seeing it, the auditor would address the issue and deal with it the proper way. I have a feeling he knew all along what was going on but was too afraid to open his mouth. 3. Why should Sachdeva’s lavish lifestyle have raised suspicions? Why might it have been ignored or explained away by her professional colleagues? Sachdeva’s lavish lifestyle should have raised red flags soon after it started to happen. It should  because most people that work in a company roughly know how much each person makes. After seeing her spend the money she was someone should have investigated a little more. I mean it is possible for a Vice President of a company to be rich, but for a life style to go to the extreme as spending $1.4 million on a shopping spree is questionable. One of the number one ways to detect fraud is by a change in lifestyles. Her new lifestyle could have been ignored because of her job title. No one wants to question their boss, let alone someone higher up in management. By doing that, all you are asking for is to get fired. In the book it says that people assumed she used family money or her husbands, but not one person questioned her about it. (p. 116) No one wanted to be the one that was questioning the boss. It is much easier to turn and look the other way than stand up in what you b elieve. 4. How could management, the audit committee, and the auditors have been more professionally skeptical in this situation? The audit committee and the auditors could have checked financial more often than what they did. When they noticed that the income was dropping quite a bit each year, they should have started looking at documents more closely as well as more often. The audit committee is supposed to speak with management on their findings. Well instead of talking to the President and Vice President, they should have only talked to the President. There was really no communication in this business when it came down to financials. It was basically whatever Sachdeva said was right. No one stepped up to double check her work and no one questioned it. Being a bigger company, more than one person should have defiantly doubled checked the financial statement. 5. What was the audit committee’s responsibility to notice that something looked amiss in the financial statements? The audit committee’s responsibility was to look over the accounting and financial reporting process as well as the financial statement audits; appoint, compensate and oversee the external auditor; and to ensure that the company has a whistleblower program. (p. 52) At first glance the committee could notice that something was not right with the company’s financial records. But nothing was done and nothing was said. 6. Sachdeva paid for her purchases using corporate credit cards. What internal controls could the company have used to prevent inappropriate use of the credit cards? One thing internal controls could have done was make Sachdeva turn in receipts along with a credit card statement at the end of each  month. By doing this, every dollar spent on company card can be accounted for. You can see not only where the money is going but what the money is spent on as well as the date and time it was spent. This is just one simple way to keep fraud down. Many companies require this every month with their employees. For every transaction where a receipt cannot be present is deducted from their pay check. Another thing the company could have done is set a limit on the card. By setting a limit, you can make sure amounts are not being spent that shouldn’t be. 7. Some reports have described Sachdeva as having a very dominating personality, and revelations were made about the fact that she would often be verbally abusive of her subordinates in front of top level managers at Koss. How should top-level managers have responded to this behavior? What actions could the subordinates have taken to respond to this behavior? Top-level management should have put a stop to it right at the start. By allowing it to happen, shows her that it was ok. If they would have stated something in writing and verbally, she may have either stopped or possibly could have be let go. Also by allowing this to happen, shows other employees that it is completely ok to act the way to other employees as well as people above her. Some actions that defiantly should have been taken would be to sit her down and just talk to her and let her know that it is not acceptable in the company, especially to her bosses. The next action would be like I said to have something in writing and have her sign it. Not only does this cover the company’s butt, but you have the proof that you said something to her. By doing this, she cannot come back and say that she wasn’t aware she was verbally abusing anyone and that nothing was brought up to her. References Rittenburg, Larry. Johnstone, Karla. Gramling, Audrey. (2012) Auditing: A Business Risk Approach 8e. Mason: South-Western, Cengage Learning.

Why Globalization is seen as a Polarizing Factor in the International Community

Why Globalization is seen as a Polarizing Factor in the International Community Vandana Shiva (2005) seems to disagree with Thomas Friedman over the role of globalization in the international system. Vandana (2005) argues that the effects of globalization are so adverse to the people of the third world and other developing economies. He observes that people of the third world have been presented a raw deal in the globalized economy.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Why Globalization is seen as a Polarizing Factor in the International Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Globalization can be considered the buzzword for the 21st century. Globalization is a means or a process of reorienting and reconfiguring the world leading to the establishment of a new system of governance that is, a globalized world. The one, which is, as Francis Fukuyama (1992) pointed out, characterized by the convergence of systems whether this will lead to the formation of a single global economy or just num ber of regional organizations with homogenized or converging objectives is a matter of debate. Globalization has transformed the entire international system in very fundamental ways, not just the way Vandana (2005) thinks. Indeed, even the few entities, institutions and systems that have resisted the effects of globalization have been forced to transform the way they operate to withstand the effects of globalization. Globalization has led to a massive transformation in which individuals, households and rural communities have become directly involved in global processes and an exposure to a more diversified economy. This has brought about a new relationship between power and the division of labor (Mittelman, 1997). The transformations that have been imposed by globalization have not spared any entity in the international system, be they individual states, MNCs or any other non-state actors. Developed nations have been impacted by globalization as the developing nations. Therefore, Va ndana’s claim that developing nations are the only affected is null and void. In the rich nations for instance, globalization has led to generation of internal third world (Galbraith, 1992). While in the developing countries, centers of wealth have been created.Advertising Looking for critical writing on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The effects of globalization however have not been uniform, just as Vandana argues. MNCs and other entities in the North have been affected differently from local firms and those in the South, an aspect that Vandan does not capture in his argument (Vandana, 2005). Globalization involves forces that are beyond one country’s control and therefore reduces the power and scope of the state. It is associated with the declining regulatory role of the state (Sassen, 1997). Held David et al capture the essence of globalization when they argue that it is th e widening, deepening and speeding up of worldwide interconnectedness in all aspects of contemporary social life (Held, et al 1992). On the other hand, globalization has introduced a new way reasoning whereby the countries think globally and act locally. The way think global and act locally work or regionally works is that while the functions related to technology, information, product brand development and finance are managed on global scale, functions related to manufacturing, sub-contracting and marketing are managed on regional or local basis to increase responsiveness (Dierks, 2001). In a sense, the new technology innovativeness has led to a global-localization of production. Under the think global act globally era, product design remained unchanged for decades. Calculators, television sets and other technologies looked the same and remained unchanged for decades globally. In the think global act local epoch, product models changed rapidly. Indeed, there is almost a new model/s tyle of computer almost every 3-6 months. The Coca-Cola company for instance remained unchanged between 1960 and 1980, but has had numerous changes in the last five or so years.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Why Globalization is seen as a Polarizing Factor in the International Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Dierks, R. (2001). Introduction to globalization: political and economic perspectives. Chicago, Illnois. Fukuyama, F. (1992). The end of History and the Last man. New York: Free press. Galbraith, K. (1992). Culture of Contentment: Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02689966?LI=true Held, et al. (1992). The Columbia history of Eastern Europe in the twentieth century. Washington, DC: Columbia University Press. Mittelman, J.H. (1997). Innovation and transformation in international studies. Cambridge: Press Syndicate,. Sassen, J. van der Wal, J. (1997). Performance analysis of a real-time database with optimistic concurrency control. Stockholm: TU Ltd. Vandana, S. (2005). The Polarized World of Globalization. Web.Advertising Looking for critical writing on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

Nervous Tissue Glial Cells Structure and Function

Nervous Tissue Glial Cells Structure and Function Neuroglia, also called glial cells, are cells of the nervous system. They compose a voluminous support system that is essential to the proper operation of nervous tissue and the nervous system. Unlike neurons, glial cells do not have axons, dendrites, or conduct nerve impulses. Neuroglia are typically smaller than neurons and are about three times more numerous in the nervous system. Glia perform a plethora of functions in the nervous system. These functions include providing support for the brain, assisting in nervous system repair and maintenance, assisting in the development of the nervous system, insulating neurons, and providing metabolic functions for neurons. Types of Glial Cells and Their Function There are several types of glial cells present in the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system of humans. Six main types of neuroglia include: AstrocytesAstrocytes are found in the brain and spinal cord and are 50 times more prevalent than neurons. Not only are astrocytes the most abundant neuroglia, but they are also the most abundant cell type in the brain. Astrocytes are noted for their star-shape. They reside in endothelial cells of the CNS that form the blood-brain barrier. This barrier prevents some substances from entering the brain and permits others entry. The two main categories of astrocytes are protoplasmic astrocytes and fibrous astrocytes. Protoplasmic astrocytes are found in the gray matter of the cerebral cortex, while fibrous astrocytes are found in white matter of the brain. The primary function of astrocytes is to provide structural and metabolic support for neurons. Additionally, astrocytes aid in signaling between neurons and brain blood vessels. This allows blood flow to increase or decrease depending on neuron activity. Other functions of astrocytes include glycogen storage, nutrient provision, ion co ncentration regulation, and neuron repair. Ependymal CellsEpendymal cells are specialized cells that line the cerebral ventricles and central canal of the spinal cord. They are found within the choroid plexus of the meninges. These ciliated cells surround the capillaries of the choroid plexus and form cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Functions of ependymal cells include CSF production, nutrient provision for neurons, filtration of harmful substances, and neurotransmitter distribution.MicrogliaMicroglia are extremely small cells of the central nervous system that remove cellular waste and protect against microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc.). Microglia are thought to be macrophages, a type of white blood cell that protects against foreign matter. They also help to reduce inflammation through the release of anti-inflammatory chemical signals. Microglia also function to protect the brain when neurons become injured or diseased by disabling the malfunctioning neurons.Satellite CellsThese glial cells cover and protect neur ons of the peripheral nervous system. They provide structure and metabolic support for sensory, sympathetic, and parasympathetic nerves. Sensory satellite glial cells are involved in the development of chronic pain. OligodendrocytesOligodendrocytes are central nervous system structures that wrap some neuronal axons to form an insulating coat known as the myelin sheath. The myelin sheath, composed of lipids and proteins, functions as an electrical insulator of axons and promotes more efficient conduction of nerve impulses. Oligodendrocytes are found in the brains white matter, while satellite oligodendrocytes are found in gray matter. Satellite oligodendrocytes do not form myelin.Schwann CellsSchwann cells are neuroglia that wrap around some neuronal axons to form the myelin sheath in peripheral nervous system structures. Schwann cells help to improve nerve signal conduction, assist in nerve regeneration, and aid in antigen recognition by T cells. Schwann cells play a vital role in nerve repair. These cells migrate to the site of injury and release growth factors to promote nerve regeneration. Schwann cells then myelinate the newly generated nerve axons. Schwann cells are being heavily researched for their potential use in spinal cord injury repair. Oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells indirectly assist in the conduction of impulses as myelinated nerves can conduct impulses quicker than unmyelinated ones. Interestingly enough, the white matter in the brain gets its color from the large number of myelinated nerve cells that it contains. Other Animal Tissue Types Neuroglia are just one type of tissue found in animal organisms. Other tissue types include: Nervous Tissue: This is the primary tissue of the central nervous system. It is composed of neurons and is responsible for controlling body functions. Epithelial Tissue: This tissue covers the outside of the body and lines organs. It provides a protective barrier against germs. Connective Tissue: As the name suggests, connective tissue supports and connects tissues to other underlying tissues. Muscle Tissue: The primary tissue responsible for movement, muscle tissue is capable of contraction. Sources: Purves, Dale. â€Å"Neuroglial Cells.† Neuroscience. 2nd Edition., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1970, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10869/.Sofroniew, Michael V., and Harry V. Vinters. â€Å"Astrocytes: Biology and Pathology.† SpringerLink, Springer-Verlag, 10 Dec. 2009, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00401-009-0619-8.

Q in English Words

Q in English Words Q in English Words Q in English Words By Maeve Maddox A convention of English spelling is that the letter q is followed by the letter u. Very few English words omit the u after q. The most common that come to mind are foreign place names like Iraq and Qatar, and made-up words like qwerty, Nasdaq, Compaq and Qantas. In borrowings from languages in which the native q represents a sound unlike the sounds represented by English q, the q is usually anglicized to a k or a c: Qaballah>Cabbala Quran>Koran faqir>fakir Cabbala/Kabbalah: The name given in post-biblical Hebrew to the oral tradition handed down from Moses to the Rabbis of the Mishnah and the Talmud. Koran: The sacred book of the Muslims, consisting of revelations orally delivered at intervals by Muhammad and collected in writing after his death. fakir: Properly an indigent person, but specially applied to a Mahommedan religious mendicant, and then loosely, and inaccurately, to Hindu devotees and naked ascetics’ (Yule). Note: The AP Stylebook, founded 1953, changed its previously recommended spelling Koran to Quran in 2000. At the same time it changed the recommended spelling from Mohammed to Muhammad. Another earlier spelling was Mahommed, as in the OED definition for fakir given above. The most frequent pronunciation of qu is [kw], as in queen: acquire acquit aquatic aqueous aquifer banquet bequest enquire equal equine equinox esquire inquest inquire jonquil liquefy liquid obloquy obsequy prequel quack quaff quadrant quail Quaker qualify quality quantum quarrel quarter quartet quell quibble quiet quilt quinine quintet quip quirk request requiem require requite sequel sequin sequoia squab squalid squall squalor square squash squat squawk vanquish The second most frequent pronunciation of qu is [k], is found (mostly) in French borrowings: antique barque bisque bouquet briquet clique conquer croquet lacquer liqueur liquor marquee masque mosque oblique opaque parquet picque queue quiche The Spanish borrowing quinoa appeared in English as early as 1598, spelled quinua. The earliest example in the OED of the spelling quinoa is dated 1758. Quinoa is a plant related to spinach. It enjoys popularity among the health-conscious because of its high protein content and lack of gluten. The OED lists four pronunciations, two British and two American. I’ve heard it pronounced KEEN-wah, KIN-wah, and Kwi-NO-ah. Those in the know call it KEEN-wah. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Social vs. SocietalBail Out vs. Bale Out

How Football Rules Should Be Improved Assignment

How Football Rules Should Be Improved - Assignment Example The fans enjoy the performance of such players as if their abilities and talents are tethered in their souls (Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Culture, Media, and Sports Committee 28). The overwhelming worldwide support accorded to the sport does not imply of its sense of perfection. Apparently, the fans remain principle victims of irregularities and flaws associated with the sport due to their passionate commitment. They are compelled to adhere to the misdeed due to their limited options of address. However, the sport still remains oriented to benefit from numerous opportunities of adjustment and perfection. Embracing few changes in some critical areas of concern may allow for the bettering of the sport, hence making it enjoyable for the fans. Additionally, the perception of the sport being global implies that its rules should be applied and interpreted with an absolute sense of consistency across all regions. As a global football governing body, FIFA needs to develop better policies towards the training of its referees. Such policies should aim at ensuring a sense of improvement in the officiating standards that are engaged in the sport. The game has grown from the ages of zero substitutions and disciplinary cards to the introduction of various rules, including the goal-line technology. Such allows a reflection on the versatility that may be embraced by the sport. However, the game is still in need of the embracing of various adjustments in its officiating. Therefore, suggestions aimed at making changes to the game range from scrapping the penalty shootout to sin bins. There are also suggestions to scrap the penalty shootout in the determination of the victorious team. It is of merit to acknowledge that not all not all the suggestions would be beneficial to the game. However, such should not limit the possibility of their consideration.

Organizational Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organizational Theory - Assignment Example Also, the paper will review the criticisms that have been generated towards the two assumptions. While ontology is associated with the nature of an event, epistemology is about the way people understand such an event (Gioia, 2003). The classification of the two assumptions, therefore, can be based on an individual’s belief considering that objective existence is inherent in the world, or because the reality of an event is based on a mediated social understanding. In this sense, prior to human judgement, objective ontology presumes that natural and social reality occurs independently (Johnson and Duberley, 2000: 180). In view of this assumption, objective epistemology takes into consideration the causal inter variable relationships, and assumes that the reality does not originate in an individual, but rather from sensory experiences. Having said this, the manner in which an individual understands an event is acquired from measurement, touch, taste, or observation (Johnson and Duberley, 2000). Furthermore, the epistemology of objectivity seeks to generalize theories by mak ing a very important presumption that the theory applies to all people in the world regardless of the context and circumstances. A good example of a research that best shows a theory-approach alignment is one conducted in by Cooper and Sobol (1969) investigating seniority and employment testing as a criteria for hiring and promoting employees. In this paper, the theory being used is the disparate impact theory while the approach is basically a case study complex, while epistemology is constructionism coupled with positivism. By analyzing the various cases where the use of seniority and testing were deemed to be violating the fair employment laws, Cooper and Sobol (1969) went on to suggest that depending on who is analyzing the cases may take different meanings because of their constructionist approach. They

Arguments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Arguments - Essay Example San Diego is also considered a well-developed city. Aside from having beautiful beaches, the city has a long chain of fine dining restaurants, shopping malls including telecommunication services like internet cafà © among others. Since most part of the city is composed of a long line of luxurious homes, the standard of living of its residences also increases. On top of the improvements in the social class and status of the people, their personal and home security is also better as compared to a village that is composed of low-income dwellers. According to Kristina Davis – a Union-Tribune staff writer, â€Å"San Diego remains one of the safest large cities in the nation as crime rate continues to fall and the number of officers on the street continues to rise† (Davis). Considering the downturn in the U.S. economic condition and the continuously increasing high unemployment rate, it is expected that criminal activities is present wherever we go. Based on the San Diego Crime Statistics Report, the total violent crime and property crime rate in San Diego is 0.97 and 0.83 times the national average (City Ratings). This figure is still considerably low as compared to other city in California. Because of safety reasons, San Diego is considered a great place to raise a family. Since parents can be more assured of the safety of their children and other family members, individuals who are employed with either small- and medium-scale businesses or large multi-national companies are able to focus on their profession better. Likewise, the city government of San Diego has managed to develop competitive and outstanding educational system for children and young adults. Given that the population of the people living in San Diego has reached a total of more than 4 million individuals throughout the metropolitan area, medical institutions situated in the city has invested a large sum of money on high-quality medical equipments and facilities aside from having

Final exam Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Final exam Questions - Essay Example -Training and development of human resource: The analysis is used to examine the employees’ needs in training and development of processes. The variation between the actual and expected output influences the degree of training required by employees. It also enables in determination of training tools content, and equipment to be used in training and those training methods to be put to use. -Employee compensation management: job analysis plays a key role in determining payment packages, benefits, variable and fixed incentives and extra perks of employees.   These payments depend on the  responsibilities and duties, position and job titles involved in specific jobs.   Job design: The key purpose of analysis is development   in human recourse efforts and releasing the best output. It assists in designing, enriching, redesigning and adding or cutting back extra duties and responsibilities in a specific job. This ensures employee satisfaction  as well as increased human output In lateral career path, employees move to equivalent duties and responsibilities in an organization. This move is usually with a similar job title and salary range at a similar level. In this career path, the employee’s job responsibilities change hence affording the employees new chances. The company should notify all the interested and qualified workers through internal memos. The notification should include job title, description and relevant qualifications for each. It should also notify employees the method of applications, deadline of application and the dates of interviews. All the application letters should be checked and sorted. The application letters that meet the criteria of selection should be listed and applicants notified. The applicants who did not meet the criteria for selection should be notified politely. It eliminates those candidates that fail to qualify as per the criteria set by the organization. The candidate is

Ethnographic interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ethnographic interview - Essay Example They gradually increased the tenure of engagement in these locations and the twentieth century saw the rise of long-term fieldwork with participant observation. According to Whyte, â€Å" When the researcher is living for an extended period in the community he is studying, his personal life is inextricably mixed with his research. A real explanation of how the research was one necessarily involves a rather personal account of how the researcher lived during the period of his study. This account of living in the community may help also to explain the process of analysis of the data†¦ the actual evolution of research ideas does not take place in accord with the formal statements we read on research methods. The ideas grow in part out of our immersion in the data and out of the whole process of living.† (1955, 279) While the above excerpt explains the process of ethnographic research, it also implies some underlying strengths as well as weaknesses of the process. The most evident and likely of all the risks is the idea of ‘going native’ and this would depend on the degree of involvement of the ethnographer with the surroundings. (Schutt, 2006 307) Ethnography helps in developing a user interface where the most important goal is to look at the system from the user’s viewpoint. This method helps in satisfying the needs of the end-user. Thus this method helps in a strong and effective assessment of the unspoken needs of the user. An ethnographer is supposed to accomplish all the tasks and understand all the relationships that integrate to form the job of the user. There is more scope and opportunity for an extensive research since it requires an unstructured form of data collection. The user can carry out his job and communicate even outside the official instructions  or job description. Sometimes when the real end user is not accessible, the ethnographer, owing to the high degree of understanding required in fieldwork, can act like the end-user

Hypothyroidism vs Hypertheriodism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hypothyroidism vs Hypertheriodism - Essay Example On the other hand, the symptoms of hyperthyroidism include palpitations, nervousness, goiter, tachycardia, increased sweating, and hypersensitivity to heat. Other signs are weight loss, weakness, increased appetite, and bowel motion. The eye symptoms related to hyperthyroidism include a moderate level of conjunctival injection, lid lag, staring and lid retraction (Parangi & Phitayakorn, 2011). To test for Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism, a TSH and FT4 blood tests are carried out. In this procedure, a radioimmunoassay test is conducted to measure the serum TSH levels. The tests results are the ones used to differentiate between the two disorders. In the case where the TSH level is above 4.5 mU/L and FT4, result is below nine Ï mol/L then illness is diagnosed as hypothyroidism. On the other hand, if the FT4 is above 25 Ï mol/L and the TSH level is below 0.4 mU/L then the patient suffers from hyperthyroidism (Higgins, 2012). In conclusion, both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are illnesses that affect the thyroid gland. Regular use of drugs that contain high iodine levels causes hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism in individuals with a condition like autoimmune illness (White, Garber, & Harvard Medical School,

Final exam Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Final exam Questions - Essay Example -Training and development of human resource: The analysis is used to examine the employees’ needs in training and development of processes. The variation between the actual and expected output influences the degree of training required by employees. It also enables in determination of training tools content, and equipment to be used in training and those training methods to be put to use. -Employee compensation management: job analysis plays a key role in determining payment packages, benefits, variable and fixed incentives and extra perks of employees.   These payments depend on the  responsibilities and duties, position and job titles involved in specific jobs.   Job design: The key purpose of analysis is development   in human recourse efforts and releasing the best output. It assists in designing, enriching, redesigning and adding or cutting back extra duties and responsibilities in a specific job. This ensures employee satisfaction  as well as increased human output In lateral career path, employees move to equivalent duties and responsibilities in an organization. This move is usually with a similar job title and salary range at a similar level. In this career path, the employee’s job responsibilities change hence affording the employees new chances. The company should notify all the interested and qualified workers through internal memos. The notification should include job title, description and relevant qualifications for each. It should also notify employees the method of applications, deadline of application and the dates of interviews. All the application letters should be checked and sorted. The application letters that meet the criteria of selection should be listed and applicants notified. The applicants who did not meet the criteria for selection should be notified politely. It eliminates those candidates that fail to qualify as per the criteria set by the organization. The candidate is

Hypothyroidism vs Hypertheriodism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hypothyroidism vs Hypertheriodism - Essay Example On the other hand, the symptoms of hyperthyroidism include palpitations, nervousness, goiter, tachycardia, increased sweating, and hypersensitivity to heat. Other signs are weight loss, weakness, increased appetite, and bowel motion. The eye symptoms related to hyperthyroidism include a moderate level of conjunctival injection, lid lag, staring and lid retraction (Parangi & Phitayakorn, 2011). To test for Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism, a TSH and FT4 blood tests are carried out. In this procedure, a radioimmunoassay test is conducted to measure the serum TSH levels. The tests results are the ones used to differentiate between the two disorders. In the case where the TSH level is above 4.5 mU/L and FT4, result is below nine Ï mol/L then illness is diagnosed as hypothyroidism. On the other hand, if the FT4 is above 25 Ï mol/L and the TSH level is below 0.4 mU/L then the patient suffers from hyperthyroidism (Higgins, 2012). In conclusion, both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are illnesses that affect the thyroid gland. Regular use of drugs that contain high iodine levels causes hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism in individuals with a condition like autoimmune illness (White, Garber, & Harvard Medical School,

Analyzing Legal Alien Essay Example for Free

Analyzing Legal Alien Essay For many years now people have judged one another based on characteristics and family background. Some judge based on skin color, race, where your family has come from, and how you came about. â€Å"Legal Alien/ Extranjera Legal† by Pat Mora gives a very realistic message of how it can feel to be a mexican american and to be seen as a ‘legal alien’. To feel not wanted by either side, and to be judged based on the origins of your ancestors and your race. â€Å"viewed by Anglos as perhaps exotic,/ perhaps inferior, definitely different,/ viewed by mexicans as alien. This here, is a perfect example of the way Mora feels about being judged and seen as an alien and her interesting use of diction, metaphors and similes. I think the tone Mora has is one of somebody who feels like an outsider, due to being judge by the people who surround her daily. Moras choice of diction in the first four lines is very interesting and has continued to interest me throughout the poem. Diction is a writer or speakers choice of words. Mora’s diction lets you know a lot about the poems meaning and also about the speaker or the character right away. Mora chooses to tell it back and forth, from one side to another, but mainly from two different points of view. Being seen as an american and also being seen as a mexican. I believe Mora is telling this poem in her own point of view, as if she is the character. Mora starts by off saying â€Å"bi-lingual, bi-cultural† line one. That alone can be interpreted as the speaker or the character is able to speak and understand two languages. It also means she can participate in both of their cultures as well. Mora follows the first line up by enforcing her meaning with â€Å" able to slip from ‘how’s life? to ‘ me’stan volviendo loca. †( this means they’re driving me crazy in spanish. ) Lines two and three. Moras choice of diction here is interesting because she makes it sound like she lives two completely separate lifes as if they could not be mixed together. Mora writes â€Å"able to sit in a paneled office/ drafting memos in smooth english/ able to order in fluent spanish/ at a mexican restaurant† Lines five through seven, really show how she lives both sides and experiences them both separately from one another. It also shows that she fits in and seems as if she really isn’t different from any of the others. In lines eight through ten Mora uses more of her interesting diction. â€Å"american but hyphenated/ viewed by Anglos as perhaps exotic,/ perhaps inferior, definitely different. † ‘American but hyphenated’ highlights the point that although she is part american, she is still different because she is not a full american. There is more than that though, and thats exactly why she is seen differently from both sides. Either way she is more than that so she is seen different and that is Moras overall message. â€Å"viewed by Anglos as perhaps exotic,/ perhaps inferior, definitely different. † supports that she is viewed as an outsider from both sides. Mora also uses inferior. Which has a strong meaning to it. Inferior means: lower in rank, status, or quality. Mora uses the word exotic which also sends a very clear message of how she is viewed. Exotic means to originate in or characteristic of a distant foreign country, so her choice of words completely supports her overall message of what it can feel like to be judged based on the origins of your ancestors and your race. Mora even uses a very simple but clear simile. â€Å"viewed by mexicans as an alien. † She states that the mexicans, the other half of her ancestors race, also see her as an alien, as an outsider. Different from them because she has american blood to even though the rest of her blood is made up of that of the same as theirs. She still is not the same in there eyes. They refer to her as an alien because they believe that. â€Å"(their eyes say, ‘you may speak/ spanish but you’re not like me’)† lines twelve and thirteen, support the fact that all though she is similar, she is not seen like them. Moras choice of diction is interesting here because she is writing what she knows they want to say but wont always will but also what some do imply using different words. There eyes make her feel different like an outcast not wanted by anybody. The way they find hers and judge her so quickly, so harshly. Mora again supports that she is viewed as an outsider, a ‘legal alien’ by following that up with lines fourteenth and fifteenth. â€Å"an american to mexicans/ A mexican to americans. † These two lines have a strong meaning, and also supports the way she feels, nobody wanted her. She did not belong to either because they judged her based on the other half of her race. the other half of who she is. When in all reality race should not matter, should not affect ones judgement. Somebodys race makes them no better nor no worse than the next person. Moras next two lines sixteen and seventeen, have a strong meaning and the use of a metaphor. â€Å"a handy token/ sliding back and forth. † She is referring to herself or her character as a ‘hand token’, which I would assume is a metaphor that symbolizes that she slides back and forth between what feels like two completely different worlds just trying to fit in. To be seen for who she truly is. â€Å"between the fringes of both worlds. † Mora now very matter of factly states that to her or her character those lives are two different worlds completely. It also supports that she does not mix them together very much. In the next line Mora chooses to show an emotion in a way. I believe Mora chooses to wait so long before putting a real emotion into her character so you and I, as the readers could really understand what it is like to be mexican american and judged constantly and in general. â€Å"by smiling† line nineteen. Mora follows up the short but to the point line nineteen, with using very strong diction. â€Å"by masking the discomfort† (line twenty) is a strong phrase alone and already says a lot. ‘Masking discomfort’ means that the speaker or character masks how discomfortable being judged can be. How hard it can be to cope with and that says the speaker or the character is very strong, to hide something like that simply by smiling when it has most likely gone on for years. But also a devastating effect. â€Å"of being pre-judged/ bi-laterally. † line twenty. Mora ends her poem with one, very strong meaningful word. Bi-laterally means by both sides. Mora is saying ‘being pre-judged by both sides’. Both races that make her up as a whole, pre-judging her before they got the chance to know her. People judge one another all the time based off their clothes, and much much more. But to judge somebody due to their race or heritage, things they have no control over, thats not right. Its one thing to judge based on how they project themselves but it is not right to judge based on something out of their control either. I think that Moras choice of diction, metaphors, and similes really support her feelings of being judged and seen as a ‘legal alien’. â€Å"Legal Alien’/Extranjera Legal† gives a very realistic and strong message of how it can feel to be viewed as an alien by the people that surround you and are in your life like the people you work with. Mora’s character knows how it feels to be not wanted nor accepted by either side, and to be judged on the origins of her ancestors and her race. Mora uses strong diction throughout this poem with her interesting choice of how she uses her words. â€Å"perhaps exotic, perhaps inferior, definitely different,† Her choice of diction has a strong effect on the message itself. Moras use of similes is interesting to because she says â€Å"viewed by mexicans as alien†, she very clearly says they compare her to an alien and that as a very great impact to. Mora also uses metaphors in her writing in an interesting way, she refers to herself as ‘a handy token/ sliding back and forth’, to symbolize how it feels to not be accepted and to be judged. Many people could relate to this poem whether they are judged on their race, on their upbringing, on their clothes, and many more factors. Being pre-judged is a major problem in society today and is all around us constantly. Some are not lucky enough to escape it, but are capable of understanding the bigger picture in the message behind this poem.

RPS in Galaxy Clusters Analysis

RPS in Galaxy Clusters Analysis Jellyfish:  A  spectroscopic  study  of  ram-pressure  stripping  in  massive  galaxy  clusters* ABSTRACT We continue our exploration of ram-pressure stripping (RPS) in massive galaxy clusters at z>0.3 by assessing the spectroscopic properties of RPS candidates selected previously based on their morphological appearance in Hubble Space Telescope images. We confirm cluster membership for 55 of our candidates, thereby tripling the number of RPS candidates known at z>0.2. Although many of these systems are too faint and too distant for the kind of in-depth investigation required to unambiguously confirm or refute the presence of RPS, the ensemble properties of our sample are consistent with increased star formation, and many of the selected galaxies exhibit visible debris trails. Specifically, about two thirds of all galaxies exhibit line emission ([OII]ÃŽÂ »3727AËÅ ¡ , HÃŽÂ ², and, where observationally accessible, HÃŽÂ ±) consistent with ro- bust star-formation rates that significantly exceed those expected for systems on the galaxy main sequence. We find no significant depe ndence of either the presence of line emission or the inferred star-formation rate on the relaxation state of the host cluster. Although we caution that our sample may contain not only galaxies undergoing RPS by the diffuse intra-cluster medium (ICM), but also minor mergers located at the low-density cluster outskirts and merely projected onto the cluster cores, we expect our results to facilitate and inform realistic process models of the stripping process by providing the first statistically significant sample of RPS candidates in truly massive clusters. While extremely rapid removal of the intrastellar medium is not ruled out by our findings, extended periods of triggered star formation are clearly an integral component of the physics of ICM-galaxy interaction in massive clusters. INTRODUCTION Spiral and elliptical galaxies are both commonly observed in the universe but inhabit (and dominate) very different environments. The inverse correlation between spiral fraction and density of the environment has long been established based on both galaxy mor- phology and colour (Dressler 1980; Baldry et al. 2006) and is so pronounced as to suggest causation. Since the preponderance of red, elliptical galaxies is not limited to the densest environments (i.e., the cores of massive galaxy clusters) but is notable already in groups of galaxies (Blanton Moustakas 2009), several phys- ical mechanisms may be responsible for the observed segregation of galaxy types and appear to be have been at work for several Gyr, as evinced by the steady increase in the dominance of ellipticals in  clusters from zà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¼1.5 to the present day (Scoville et al. 2013). * Most of the data presented herein were obtained at the W.M. Keck Ob- servatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aero- nautics and Space Administration. The observatory was made possible by the generous finical support of the W.M. Keck Foundation. Although simulations have indicated that elliptical galaxies can form directly through spherical collapse of dark-matter halos in high-density environments (e.g. Navarro Benz 1991), it is widely accepted that transformations of galaxies from late to early types are central to the creation of the Hubble sequence. These occur in a range of environments and, most likely, over a range of character- istic timescales. While slow-acting gradual effects such as galaxy harassment (Moore et al. 1996, 1998) are bound to contribute, more violent interactions have been shown to be highly effective in turning disk galaxies into spheroids. In modestly dense environ- ments with commensurately modest relative galaxy velocities, i.e., in galaxy groups and at the outskirts of more massive galaxy clus- ters, galaxy mergers as predicted by Holmberg (1941) and explored in numerical simulations (e.g., Toomre Toomre 1972; Barnes Hernquist 1992, 1996; Mihos Hernquist 1996) can create a wide range of remn ants, including spheroidal galaxies (Toomre 1977; Hammer et al. 2009). By contrast, at the extreme opposite end of the density range where galaxies move too fast to have a signif- icant cross section for merging, ram-pressure stripping (RPS) by the diffuse intra-cluster medium (ICM) has been predicted (Gunn   Gott 1972), simulated (e.g., Farouki Shapiro 1980; Vollmer et   al. 2001; Roediger Hensler 2005; Domainko et al. 2006; Kron- berger et al. 2008; Bekki 2009; Tonnesen Bryan 2010), and ob- served across a wide range of wavelengths. Numerous studies have established that RPS is capable of rapidly displacing and removing gas from spirals falling into galaxy clusters (e.g., White et al. 1991; Rangarajan et al. 1995; Veilleux et al. 1999; Vollmer et al. 2008; Sun et al. 2010). We here present new results from an observational study de- signed to identify and characterise RPS events in massive clusters at intermediate redshift. Our project is motivated by the fact that, while RPS has been well studied in the local Universe (e.g., Sun et al. 2006; Sun, Donahue Voit 2007; Merluzzi et al. 2013; Fuma- galli et al. 2014; Poggianti et al. 2016), work at higher redshift has advanced more slowly, due to the obvious challenges in attaining commensurate signal and spatial resolution (but see Poggianti et al. 2004; Cortese et al. 2007; Moran et al. 2007; Owers et al. 2012). It is only at z>0.2, however, that the volume probed by any clus- ter survey becomes large enough to contain a significant number of truly massive clusters (systems more massive than Coma), i.e., clusters that allow us to study RPS over the full range of environ- ments, from the only mildly overdense cluster outskirts to extreme densities in the core regions that are never reached in local cluster s like Virgo. In this paper we examine the spectroscopic properties of galaxies tentatively identified as undergoing RPS in massive galaxy clusters at z>0.3. All clusters considered for this work were iden- tified by their X-ray emission and optically confirmed in the course of the Massive Cluster Survey (MACS; Ebeling et al. 2001, 2007, 2010; Mann Ebeling 2012). Potential stripping events were se- lected based on the morphology of galaxies in images of MACS cluster cores obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) (see Repp Ebeling, in preparation, for an overview of this dataset). In Ebel- ing et al. (2014, hereafter E14) we presented a first sample of six textbook cases of RPS identified visually in these data and, ow- ing to their appearance, referred to as jellyfish (Fig. 1). Our sec- ond paper (McPartland et al. 2016, hereafter M16) defined a cus- tomized set of morphological selection criteria used to compile a larger sample of 223 potential RPS candidates and examined the spatial distribution and apparent projected direction of motion of the most plausible candidates. In this third paper, we present, dis- cuss, and interpret the results of extensive spectroscopic follow-up observations of the M16 sample. Our paper is organised as follows: After a brief introduction in  §1,  §2 describes the setup and execution of our spectroscopic  follow-up observations of RPS candidates, the data reduction, as well as our criteria to assess cluster membership for any given  galaxy. In  §3 we derive fundamental spectral properties of the con-firmed cluster members, infer star-formation rates, and estimate their stellar mass.  §4 compares the properties of RPS candidates  with those of the general population of star-forming galaxies, dis- cusses physical triggering mechanisms, and investigates correla- tions between the star-formation rate of RPS candidates and the relaxation state of the host cluster. We summarise our findings in  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ §5. Throughout this paper we adopt the concordance ΆºCDM cos-mology, characterised by à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦m= 0.3, à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ º = 0.7, and H0 = 70 km sà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1 Mpcà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1. Figure1.HST/ACS snapshot image of MACSJ0451-JFG1, a textbook case of ram-pressure stripping from the E14 sample. The red and yellow arrows mark the inferred direction of motion in the plane of the sky and the di- rection to the cluster centre, respectively. Note that the tell-tale jellyfish morphology of this z=0.43 galaxy is readily discernible only thanks to the superb resolution of HST/ACS. (Reproduced from E14) SPECTROSCOPIC OBSERVATIONS AND DATA REDUCTION The targets of our spectroscopic follow-up observations were drawn from the set of 223 galaxies tentatively identified by M16 as undergoing ram-pressure stripping. We refer to M16 for a detailed discussion of the morphological criteria applied to select these can- didates from a master catalogue of over 15,000 galaxies detected in short HST/ACS exposures in the F606W and F814W bands of 63 MACS clusters in the redshift range of 0.30.7. A comprehen- sive description of the HST observations used by M16 is provided by Repp Ebeling (in preparation). Since most of the RPS candidates from the list of 223 were targeted by us in spectroscopic observations of MACS clusters that supported several complementary research projects, compromises had to be made in the design of the observations. In order to max- imise scientific returns, clusters that feature large numbers of tar- gets for each of the different projects were given priority, resulting in a bias in favour of clusters with multiple RPS candidates. In ad- dition, the simultaneous focus on many targets made it impossible to optimise the orientation of individual slits or even the position angle of the entire mask for the study of RPS candidates. Keck/DEIMOS observations All spectroscopic data for this work were obtained with the Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph (DEIMOS; Faber et al. 2003) on the Keck II 10m telescope on Maunakea. All multi-object spec- troscopy (MOS) masks used 1//-wide slits of at least 8//length, i.e., long enough to allow sky subtraction from in-slit data. Spectra were obtained using the 600 l/mm Zerodur grating set to a central wavelength of 6300AËÅ ¡ ; the GG455 blocking filter was employed to prevent second-order contamination at ÃŽÂ »>9000AËÅ ¡ . Exposure times  ranged from 3ÃÆ'-600 to 3ÃÆ'-1200 seconds. The seeing during these  observations was typically 0.8//. All data were reduced with the DEIMOS DEEP2 pipeline (Cooper et al. 2012; Newman et al. 2013), creating sky-subtracted and wavelength-calibrated one- and two-dimensional spectra. Redshifts were determined from the one- dimensional spectra using elements of the SpecPro software pack- age (Masters Capak 2011). Overall 110 RPS candidates were observed in 26 MACS clus-ters. Cluster membership We establish (likely) cluster membership by comparing the differ- ence between an RPS candidates redshift and the systemic redshift of the cluster with the cluster velocity dispersion. The latter is com- puted from all galaxy redshifts measured for the respective cluster in the course of the extensive spectroscopic follow-up work per- formed by the MACS team; a description of the underlying data and of the procedure employed to determine robust velocity dispersions for MACS clusters is provided by Repp Ebeling (in preparation). Although it is possible that some of the galaxies for which we rule out cluster membership are in fact still undergoing RPS within their local environment in the fore- or background of the respective MACS cluster, the majority of such non-cluster members are more likely to owe their disturbed optical morphology (and thus their selection in M16) to merger events or to gravitational lensing. In the following, we thus limit the term RPS candidates to galaxies classified as likely cluster members based on their radial velocity within the comoving cluster rest frame. Spectral corrections and flux calibration The reduced spectra created with the DEEP2 pipeline are wave- length-calibrated and thus allow redshift measurements that are ac- curate to within the limits set by the instrumental setup and the pre- cision of the dispersion solution. The determination of line fluxes and, in particular, line-flux ratios across a significant wavelength range, however, require flux-calibrated spectra. In addition, flux lost during the data-reduction process (due to CCD defects, non- optimal definition of spectral apertures, and, importantly, the finite slit width) needs to be recovered, if the measured line fluxes are to be interpreted as characteristics of the observed galaxy as a whole. Whereas corrections for missing flux are fairly straightforward to apply, flux calibration is notoriously difficult for multi-object spec- trographs (especially when the respective observations were not performed at the parallactic angle), owing to spatial variations in the instrument response across the field of vie w covered by the slit mask. Before flux calibration is performed, we visually inspect the two-dimensional spectra of all RPS candidates classified as likely cluster members. We manually mask out the spectral traces of non- target sources falling serendipitously into a slit, fill in bad detector columns, and re-extract the target spectra within an aperture that maximizes the object flux at all wavelengths. We then resort to external means to calibrate these spectra by tying the latter at two wavelengths to the photometry obtained for the respective galaxy with HST/ACS in the F606W and F814W passbands. To this end, we convolve the HST images in these two filters with a Gaussian whose full width at half maximum is matched to the average seeing during our DEIMOS observations and then integrate the flux within the DEIMOS slit (Fig. 2). The re- sulting linear calibration, illustrated in Fig. 3, achieves two goals: it Figure2.Example of the procedure applied to obtain accurate absolute photometry for the flux entering a slit on our MOS masks. Left: HST/ACS image of an RPS candidate in the F606W filter; overlaid are isophotal flux contours (green) and the slit as positioned during the DEIMOS observation. Right: As left, but convolved with a Gaussian kernel that mimics the seeing of the groundbased observation and rotated to align the slit with the image axes. 80 3000 250060 2000 40 1500 1000 20 500 00 40005000600070008000900010000 wavelength (A) Figure 3.DEIMOS spectrum of one of our RPS candidates before and af- ter flux calibration and slit size correction. The green and red lines show the throughput (in arbitrary units) of the ACS/F606W and F814W filters, respectively, used to anchor the flux calibration. (1) crudely corrects for wavelength-dependent variations in the to- tal throughput of our observational setup; and (2) extrapolates the spectrum actually observed through the slit to the spectrum of the entire galaxy. Note that the validity of the latter correction rests on the implicit assumption that the spectrum recorded within the slit is representative of that of the galaxy as a whole. Although this as- sumption is not necessarily well justified, it is widely applied and ensures consistency and comparability between line fluxes (and de- rived properties like star-formation rates) obtained in studies using different instrumental setups and observational strategies. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF RPS CANDIDATES Stellar mass In order to establish the locus of our RPS candidates within the general population of star-forming galaxies, we need to ensure that comparisons are made only between galaxies of comparable stellar mass. While the stellar mass of galaxies in our sample cannot re- liably be determined from only the HST/ACS data in the F606W  and F814W used for their original selection by M16, or from the optical spectroscopy within the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ¼5000 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢9000AËÅ ¡ range described in Section 2, photometry across a wider spectral range that extends into the near-infrared (NIR) regime is well suited to constrain the spectral-energy distribution (SED) of galaxies and thus their stel- lar masses. For a significant fraction (QUANTIFY) of our cluster fields, the required data are available thanks to imaging observa- tions of MACS clusters with the NIR channel of HSTs Wide-Field Camera 3 (WFC3) performed for the CLASH project (Postman et al. 2012) and the MACS SNAPshot programs GO-12188 and -12884 (PI: Ebeling) described in Repp Ebeling (in preparation). The resulting photometry in the XXX passbands (CLASH) for 15 of our RPS candidates, and in the F606W, F814W, F110W, and F140W filters (SNAPshot programs) for an additional 17 galaxies, is fit with synthetic spectral templates using LePhare (Arnouts et al. 1999; Ilbert et al. 2006), an SED modeling code developed pri- marily for the determination of photometric redshifts of galaxies in the COSMOS field. Emission-line fluxes and star-formation rates 3.2.1   Extinctioncorrection DISCUSSION BPT diagram RPS candidates and the galaxy main sequence Properties of the host clusters CONCLUSIONS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank Elke Roediger for helpful discussions on the latest in nu- merical simulations of ram-pressure stripping and how to further constrain them via imaging and spectroscopic observations. Most of the data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Ob- servatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The observa- tory was made possible by the generous finical support of the W. 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