Corporate Environmental Responsibility: the Performance of Cadbury

Nowadays, more people tend to focus on environment issues of corporation because they are the main factors of causing pollution to the earth and impact to the ecological system. Cadbury is the world fourth biggest manufactory of chocolate, it had done a seriously rainforest destruction as a result of their business requiring large amount of raw materials that are collect from natural resources (Cadbury's Shareholders Find Palm Oil Leaves a Bitter Taste 2004). This essay examine the performance of Cadbury and how they dealing the problems with raw materials as well as the effect on the environment and stakeholders. Cadbury used to be a small beverage shop in 1824, after merging with Schweppes to form Cadbury Schweppes, it acquire more companies after that and today it became one of the largest confectionery company ( history of Cadbury n. d. ) and also one of the largest multi-national corporation (business service industry 2008). The starting main purpose of Cadbury is not creating new brand that people love but is to raise the shareholder value and they already succeed in achieving this purpose twenty years ago (Cadbury Schweppes 2004). After that they have just started to change their business target to create new brand that people love. Cadbury detected that there is a rare bacteria named â€Å"Salmonella† affecting numbers of their product and it is believe due to the leaking pipe, but they are not paying attention to this serious matter. Eventually, Cadbury was prosecuted because of countering health and safety legislation in the year 2007 and was fined 1 million pounds for their irresponsible performance which is also definitely effect the profit of stakeholders(Defying a Reputational Crisis – Cadbury’s Salmonella Scare: Why are Customers willing to Forgive and Forget? 009). Today, Cadbury franchise such as India, USA, Canada have treated CSR as the key to the success of business comparing to the past; they believe that the responsible for environment, health and safety are very important to minimize the impact of environment, It is also important that they can become a profitable and effective company by this way and they will surely proud of what they have done (CSR helps businesses keep ta bs on environmental, social impact 2010). In order to fulfil society needs, Cadbury continuously launched 23 kinds of chocolate and keep improving their quality to the best from the year 1865 until today. Besides, Cadbury is the first company to provide pictures on the product instead of printing text on the product. There are also many special event held by Cadbury such as giving away some souvenirs products and also a redeem event for their customer to get further item by purchasing their products. (History of Cadbury n. d. They also certified their chocolates as Fair-trade products by labelling it on the products to decrease the public pressure (Cadbury goes Fairtrade2009). Impact on Environment Since manufacturing chocolate require large amount of raw materials, Cadbury discover palm oil is the most basic and cheapest secret ingredient to make chocolate instead of using cocoa butter which require higher cost. Unfortunately, this lead to the serious deforestation problem that not only effected the environment but also man y animals is killed. New Zealand's Auckland Zoo is the place where the primary deforestation took place and this was considered as a threat to most of the wild life that inhabited in that area especially Orangutan, they have became â€Å"the orphans of the palm oil† because most of their parents are killed during the deforestation(Palm oil costs Cadbury trusted title 2010). Auckland Zoo has also stop stocking Cadbury’s chocolate anymore to express their protest. (Auckland Zoo bans Cadbury chocolate due to palm oil content 2009). Auckland Zoo also organise an organisation in Facebook which is â€Å"Anti Palm Oil Community (APOC) â€Å"to focus the serious of the deforestation issue which destroy 300 rugby fields every hour(APOC). Besides, in order to meet the production target, the company always hired a lot of worker but those workers that are working in the palm oil are often poorly treated. Cadbury has an† Ethical Trading Policy† but they have totally neglect the importance of environment and the human rights issue (Cadbury's Shareholders Find Palm Oil Leaves a Bitter Taste 2004). Cadbury also claim that the palm oil they used is â€Å"green and sustainable† as they have their own certificate system, but they have just pretend to use 2,800 tonnes of palm oil which is recorded in the certificate instead of the actual amount of 40,000 tonnes of palm oil. (Green wash of the week: Cadbury’s ‘green palm oil’ claim 2009)They are ignoring the severity of environment impact they have done, just to emphasize on their profit; the stakeholders also faced a serious losses from this case. One of the serious problem that environment faced is the global warming and it is caused by the widen hole of atmosphere. According to the scientific research, every single litre of milk produce approximately 900g of Carbon dioxide. Carbon trust is having a carbon footprinting project and discovered that more than 60% of the Carbon dioxide is produced by the Cadbury’s dairy cows farm(We've had drumming gorillas, now Cadbury takes on burping cows 2009). Cadbury’s dairy cows farm play the most important role in this incident as the cows produced 80~120kg of methane per year which is similar as a family car and was release to the atmosphere that eventually widen the hole of atmosphere. This methane emission is actually produced with the burps of the cows due to the incorrect diet. (Cadbury to curb methane emissions from burping dairy cows 2009)They did not pay attention for their animals as raising animals required a lot of effort by adjusting the stay and diet of the animals. Cadbury’s intension overcome environment issues Cadbury’s plan to replace cocoa butter with palm oil has caused a serious damage to environment and also a lot of complain by consumers as palm oil is a complex and unhealthy ingredient. In order to fulfils their Environment, Health and safety policy they have no choice but to cut down adding palm oil into chocolate. The deforestation that took place at Auckland Zoo has also caused the company’s reputation to drop. (Cadbury dumps palm oil after consumer protests 2009)With the cut down usage of palm oil, they believe it could at least, save their reputation from dropping too much. Dealing with the climate change is also one of their target improvements in environment. Cadbury has announced that they have 17% reduction of water consumption by improving their manufacturing progress in the year 2006 which is also act in concert with the World Water day (Cadbury Reduces Water Consumption by 17 Percent 2009). Cadbury eventually launch a strategy plan â€Å"Purple goes green† in the year 2008 and set their target to reduce unnecessary consumption while producing chocolates especially to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide by 50% in the year 2020. They have successfully in achieving part of their target within a year with reducing the usage of packaging and the emission of carbon dioxide; they have also successfully saved 4 millions litre of water per year (Cadbury-Purple goes green 2008). For the next two years, they have a further target which is to ensure the packaging they used is 60% biodegradable. Besides, Carbon dioxide that produced with the burps of the cows is also a serious problem that destroys the environment. Cadbury has already worked together with the dairy farmer to figure out a better way to reduce carbon footprint from the milk chocolate (Cadbury’s works to reduce bovine emission 2009). They provide dairy farmers a guild to lower the emission through scientific research by changing the diet of cows to a balance nutritional. It is believe it will definitely reduce the emission problem by 50% in the year 2020 which is also part of their â€Å"Purple goes Green strategy†. (Cadbury Partners with Dairy Farmers to Reduce Carbon Footprint 2009). Packaging is also one of the factors causing impact to environment. Cadbury has worked hard to figure out a better way of packaging their products to minimize the impact to environment. Their target is to achieve 100% biodegradable by 2010 and they have co-operated with plantic technologies limited since 2002. (Responsible packaging 2007)Plantic do a lot of research at the research centre to invent a better biodegradable and non-toxic materials to advance the packaging technologies. Cadbury has replaced the roses tin with cardboard box and successfully made a brand new packaging production for Christmas and seasonal gifts (chocolate swallows millions of our dollars in an easter eating frenzy 2010) which not only reduce the weight by 45% but also saved 200 tonnes of steel. (Cadbury replaces Roses tin with cardboard box 2009)In the year 2008, Cadbury has awarded the best green packaging for its new product- Eco-eggs, with the special wrapping style as the products only used very limited materials to complete. Cadbury has successfully decreased the usage of plastic material by 247 tonnes and cardboard by 115 tonnes in the year 2008 for packaging their products. (Cadburys-‘Eco-eggs' 2008)In this case, Cadbury has successfully proved their effort of saving the environment by achieving their â€Å"Purple Goes Green† target and this is also helping the stakeholders to gain more profit. Cadbury also carry out an environmental research with Earthwatch in the year 2005 in order to have a better understanding as well as improving the quality of cocoa in Ghana. Their research focus on the quality of cocoa and try to invent a better way for farming cocoa bean in Ghana with increasing number of farmers in order to get the best production(Cadbury n. d. ). Cadbury not only provided financial support but also get itself involved in this research to show their intension upon improving environment issue. Concluding remarks Cadbury’s social improvement is obviously, although they did wrong sometime because they have placed profit as the most important role in business . From New Zealand's Auckland Zoo case, it has reflected Cadbury only concentrate on their profit but neglect the most importance issues which is how society will treat them and this has caused Cadbury’s reputation to drop. Besides, even they have discovered that a rare bacteria is affecting their products, they did not pay attention to the serious matter which is possible to become a threat to health. As a result, they neglect the importance of environmental issues and caused serious damage to environment such as deforestation and also confronting the social protest. However, Cadbury’s intension on improving the environment aspect of their business is strong and with wised planning, they have been doing this for almost a century. With the â€Å"Purple goes green strategy† and the reduction of carbon dioxide emission, water usage and packaging materials usage, they have shown their dedication on improving environment issues, trusting that achieving the environment, health and safety policy are the keys to the succeeds of business, not only just becoming a profit-oriented company but also become a environmentalist company. References http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0712-auckland_zoo_palm_oil.html http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0817-cadbury_nz.html http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/cadburys_shareholders_find_20052004.html http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/03/31/cadbury-reduces-water-consumption-by-17-percent/ http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/13811-Cadbury-Partners-with-Dairy-Farmers-to-Reduce-Carbon-Footprint

History of martial law

Brief History of Martial LawOn September 21, 1972, Marcos issued Proclamation 1081, declaring martial law over the entire country , claiming that it was the last defense against the rising disorder caused by increasingly violent student demonstrations, the alleged threats of communist insurgency by the new Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and the Muslim separatist movement of theMoro National Liberation Front (MNLF). One of his first actions was to arrest opposition politicians in Congress and the Constitutional Convention.Initial public reaction to martial law was mostly favourable except in Muslim areas of the south, where a separatist rebellion, led by the MNLF, broke out in 1973. Despite halfhearted attempts to negotiate a cease-fire, the rebellion continued to claim thousands of military and civilian casualties. Communist insurgency expanded with the creation of the National Democratic Front (NDF), an organization embracing the CPP and other communist groups. Under mart ial law the regime was able to reduce violent urban crime, collect unregistered firearms, and suppress communist insurgency in some areas.At the same time, a series of important new concessions were given to foreign investors, including a prohibition on strikes by organized labour, and a land-reform program was launched. In January 1973 Marcos proclaimed the ratification of a new constitution based on the parliamentary system, with himself as both president and prime minister. He did not, however, convene the interim legislature that was called for in that document. Under the president’s command, the military arrested opposition figures, including Benigno Aquino, journalists, student and labor activists, and criminal elements.A total of about 30,000 detainees were kept at military compounds run by the army and the Philippine Constabulary. Weapons were confiscated, and â€Å"private armies† connected with prominent politicians and other figures were broken up. Newspaper s were shut down, and the mass media were brought under tight control. With the stroke of a pen, Marcos closed the Philippine Congress and assumed its legislative responsibilities. During the 1972-81 martial law period, Marcos, invested with dictatorial powers, issued hundreds of presidential decrees, many of which were never published.Like much else connected with Marcos, the declaration of martial law had a theatrical, smoke-and-mirrors quality. The incident that precipitated Proclamation 1081 was an attempt, allegedly by communists, to assassinate Minister of National Defense Enrile. As Enrile himself admitted after Marcos’s downfall in 1986, his unoccupied car had been riddled by machinegun bullets fired by his own men on the night that Proclamation 1081 was signed. Most Filipinos–or at least those well positioned within the economic and social elites–initially supported the imposition of martial law.The rising tide of violence and lawlessness was apparent t o everyone. Although still modest in comparison with the Huk insurgency of the early 1950s, the New People’s Army was expanding, and the Muslim secessionist movement continued in the south with foreign support. Well-worn themes of communist conspiracy–Marcos claimed that a network of â€Å"front organizations† was operating â€Å"among our peasants, laborers, professionals, intellectuals, students, and mass media personnel†Ã¢â‚¬â€œfound a ready audience in the United States, which did not protest the demise of Philippine democracy.The New Society Marcos claimed that martial law was the prelude to creating a â€Å"New Society† based on new social and political values. He argued that certain aspects of personal behavior, attributed to a colonial mentality, were obstacles to effective modernization. These included the primacy of personal connections, as reflected in the ethic of utang na loob, and the importance of maintaining in-group harmony and coh erence, even at the cost to the national community.A new spirit of self-sacrifice for the national welfare was necessary if the country were to equal the accomplishments of its Asian neighbors, such as Taiwan and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Despite Marcos’s often perceptive criticisms of the old society, Marcos, his wife, and a small circle of close associates, the crony group, now felt free to practice corruption on an awe-inspiring scale. Political, economic, and social policies were designed to neutralize Marcos’s rivals within the elite.The old political system, with its parties, rough-and-tumble election campaigns, and a press so uninhibited in its vituperative and libelous nature that it was called â€Å"the freest in the world,† had been boss-ridden and dominated by the elite since early American colonial days, if not before. The elite, however, composed of local political dynasties, had never been a homogeneous group. Its feuds and tensions, fue led as often by assaults on amor proprio (self-esteem) as by disagreement on ideology or issues, made for a pluralistic system.Marcos’s self-proclaimed â€Å"revolution from the top† deprived significant portions of the old elite of power and patronage. For example, the powerful Lopez family, who had fallen out of Marcos’s favor (Fernando Lopez had served as Marcos’s first vice president), was stripped of most of its political and economic assets. Although always influential, during the martial law years, Imelda Marcos built her own power base, with her husband’s support. Concurrently the governor of Metro Manila and minister of human settlements (a post created for her), she exercised significant powers. Crony CapitalismDuring the first years of martial law, the economy benefited from increased stability, and business confidence was bolstered by Marcos’s appointment of talented technocrats to economic planning posts. Despite the 1973 oil pr ice rise shock, the growth of the gross national product (GNP) was respectable, and the oil-pushed inflation rate, reaching 40 percent in 1974, was trimmed back to 10 percent the following year. Between 1973 and the early 1980s, dependence on imported oil was reduced by domestic finds and successful energy substitution measures, including one of the world’s most ambitious geothermal energy programs.Claiming that â€Å"if land reform fails, there is no New Society,† Marcos launched highly publicized new initiatives that resulted in the formal transfer of land to some 184,000 farming families by late 1975. The law was filled with loopholes, however, and had little impact on local landowning elites or landless peasants, who remained desperately poor. The largest, most productive, and technically most advanced manufacturing enterprises were gradually brought under the control of Marcos’s cronies.For example, the huge business conglomerate owned by the Lopez family, which included major newspapers, a broadcast network, and the country’s largest electric power company, was broken up and distributed to Marcos loyalists including Imelda Marcos’s brother, Benjamin â€Å"Kokoy† Romualdez, and another loyal crony, Roberto Benedicto. Huge monopolies and semimonopolies were established in manufacturing, construction, and financial services. When these giants proved unprofitable, the government subsidized them with allocations amounting to hundreds of millions of pesos.Philippine Airlines, the nation’s international and domestic air carrier, was nationalized and turned into what one author has called a â€Å"virtual private commuter line† for Imelda Marcos and her friends on shopping excursions to New York and Europe. Probably the most negative impact of crony capitalism, however, was felt in the traditional cash-crop sector, which employed millions of ordinary Filipinos in the rural areas. (The coconut industry alone brought income to an estimated 15 million to 18 million people. ) Under Benedicto and Eduardo Cojuangco, distribution and marketing monopolies for sugar and coconuts were established.Farmers on the local level were obliged to sell only to the monopolies and received less than world prices for their crops; they also were the first to suffer when world commodity prices dropped. Millions of dollars in profits from these monopolies were diverted overseas into Swiss bank accounts, real estate deals, and purchases of art, jewelry, and antiques. On the island of Negros in the Visayas, the region developed by Nicholas Loney for the sugar industry in the nineteenth century, sugar barons continued to live lives of luxury, but the farming community suffered from degrees of malnutrition rare in other parts of Southeast Asia.Ferdinand Marcos was responsible for making the previously nonpolitical, professional Armed Forces of the Philippines, which since American colonial times had been modeled o n the United States military, a major actor in the political process. This subversion occurred done in two ways. First, Marcos appointed officers from the Ilocos region, his home province, to its highest ranks. Regional background and loyalty to Marcos rather than talent or a distinguished service record were the major factors in promotion.Fabian Ver, for example, had been a childhood friend of Marcos and later his chauffeur, rose to become chief of staff of the armed forces and head of the internal security network. Secondly, both officers and the rank and file became beneficiaries of generous budget allocations. Officers and enlisted personnel received generous salary increases. Armed forces personnel increased from about 58,000 in 1971 to 142,000 in 1983. Top-ranking military officers, including Ver, played an important policy-making role.On the local level, commanders had opportunities to exploit the economy and establish personal patronage networks, as Marcos and the military e stablishment evolved a symbiotic relationship under martial law. A military whose commanders, with some exceptions, were rewarded for loyalty rather than competence proved both brutal and ineffective in dealing with the rapidly growing communist insurgency and Muslim separatist movement. Treatment of civilians in rural areas was often harsh, causing rural people, as a measure of self-protection rather than ideological commitment, to cooperate with the insurgents.The communist insurgency, after some reverses in the 1970s, grew quickly in the early 1980s, particularly in some of the poorest regions of the country. The Muslim separatist movement reached a violent peak in the mid1970s and then declined greatly, because of divisions in the leadership of the movement and reduced external support brought about by the diplomatic activity of the Marcos government. Relations with the United States remained most important for the Philippines in the 1970s, although the special relationship betw een the former and its ex-colony was greatly modified as trade, investment, and defense ties were redefined.The Laurel-Langley Agreement defining preferential United States tariffs for Philippine exports and parity privileges for United States investors expired on July 4, 1974, and trade relations were governed thereafter by the international General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). During the martial law period, foreign investment terms were substantially liberalized, despite official rhetoric about foreign â€Å"exploitation† of the economy. A policy promoting â€Å"nontraditional† exports such as textiles, footwear, electronic components, and fresh and processed foods was initiated with some success.Japan increasingly challenged the United States as a major foreign participant in the Philippine economy. The status of United States military bases was redefined when a major amendment to the Military Bases Agreement of 1947 was signed on January 6, 1979, reaffirm ing Philippine sovereignty over the bases and reducing their total area. At the same time, the United States administration promised to make its â€Å"best effort† to obtain congressional appropriations for military and economic aid amounting to US$400 million between 1979 to 1983.The amendment called for future reviews of the bases agreement every fifth year. Although the administration of President Jimmy Carter emphasized promoting human rights worldwide, only limited pressure was exerted on Marcos to improve the behavior of the military in rural areas and to end the death-squad murder of opponents. (Pressure from the United States, however, did play a role in gaining the release of Benigno Aquino in May 1980, and he was allowed to go to the United States for medical treatment after spending almost eight years in prison, including long  stretches of time in solitary confinement. )On January 17, 1981, Marcos issued Proclamation 2045, formally ending martial law. Some contr ols were loosened, but the ensuing New Republic proved to be a superficially liberalized version of the crony-dominated New Society. Predictably, Marcos won an overwhelming victory in the June 1981 presidential election, boycotted by the main opposition groups, in which his opponents were nonentities.

A Beautiful Mind

A Beautiful Mind Review If you ever wondered and wanted to experience how a person with schizophrenia thinks and acts, A Beautiful Mind is the perfect example. The movie tells the life story of John Nash. You get a point of view of a real person who struggles with schizophrenia in their everyday life. In this movie the phototype of schizophrenia is described as a person who lives their life thinking and believing that theres an actual living person or people they talk to, but in reality its Just delusions and hallucinations they are experiencing. They are the only ones who can see or hear them. Essentially, it is in their heads. Hallucinations may include things a person sees, hears, smells, or feels, that no one else can. Delusions are often false beliefs such as being followed or watched. The movie starts off in Nashs early years at Princeton, where he is not yet aware of he has schizophrenia. After Princeton, Nash married Alicia. When Alicia becomes pregnant with their child, Alicia notices that John is working late and at odd times and is becoming very paranoid. Alicia becomes concerned about him but John only shuts her out. This is when John Nashs world turned upside down. He believed he was secretly working for the government, decoding Russian codes. He comes to realize that the codes in the newspapers, the government spies, and the car chases were all delusions. Later in the movie Nash also learns that his old roommate was Just a hallucination as well. Princeton had no record of his friend Charles. After discovering that he had schizophrenia, Nash struggled with getting better. There were times where he would take his medication faithfully and times where he wouldnt. Alicia showed her love and dedication to her husband by staying with him and helping him through this struggle when both of their realities turned upside down. Thanks to the help of his wife and his friends Nash was able to return to his work. In 1994 John Nash was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work on game theory. I think that A Beautiful Mind was an amazing movie showing his story of how he coped with his schizophrenia. A Beautiful Mind By logelaJ

Cost-Benefit Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cost-Benefit Analysis - Essay Example strategy differs from enhancing energy efficiency when constructing new hospital buildings and, as a result, it is critical that the hospital weighs up the costs and benefits of the strategy exactly. In this case, amortization time or the time needed for this strategic investment to be paid off averaged at approximately twenty years, while the new fittings should be paid off within fifteen years. The specific challenge in undertaking this strategic investment is to increase the hospital’s energy efficiency, while also taking care not to incur high financial costs because the hospital is running at a $1,809,618 loss (ahd.com, 2015). The budget for this strategic investment to enhance energy efficiency is shown below; Well-executed and planned retrofits as identified above can lead to significantly more value in comparison to the savings on energy costs. Indeed, not only does this strategic investment enhance the efficiency of some expensive equipment at Ashe Memorial Hospital, but it also increases the life-time of these equipments (Pagliarini et al., 2012). Retrofits that introduce daylight into rooms used by the patients through roof renovations, as well as those that improve the hospital’s air quality and reduce the need for air conditioning will deliver increased value in quality of patient care and in terms of costs. For instance, improved air quality by redesigning the windows could reduce airborne illness transmission at Ashe Memorial Hospital, in turn reducing hospital costs. Moreover, Pagliarini et al. (2012) notes that patients in rooms with daylight have lower length of stay at hospitals than those with artificial lighting. A well-ventilated and attractively day-lit Ashe Memorial Hospital that advertises its lower-carbon footprint could also work to attract skilled nurses and doctors who want a more productive and comfortable workplace (Pagliarini et al., 2012), which is important for a rural hospital that has trouble attracting enough healthcare

Contributing to Pepperdines Mission Personal Statement

Contributing to Pepperdines Mission - Personal Statement Example Responding to the mission of the school, I have thus prepared myself to be one in her mission, embracing it as my own. With this, I am binding myself to a lifelong education quest that will not just be limited in the education I get from this school through the course I have enrolled myself into but in everything from which I could learn from. Increasing my knowledge, I am resolved not just to rely on my professors but that I should understand that I also have the responsibility of helping myself as facilities are put to our disposal. Being a responsible student would be the least I could do, though it might not be much, I believe that one less trouble can make a great impact though not to the whole world; at least to the community I belong. Academically, I am prepared to do my best in all my subjects as it is my responsibility as a matured student and it is also my perception that doing so is the task expected of me to manifest the understanding that God has given me the authority to have dominion on my Eden. In addition, I am bound to commit myself to do, to my utmost capability the duties expected of a Christian student like being in the highest standard of values and ethical resolution.

History and Culture of Medieval Italy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

History and Culture of Medieval Italy - Essay Example For more than four centuries Italians were struggling to preserve their identity. Italy cannot be referred to it as merely the geographic unity, it is the national identity shaped and modified by culture of Medieval Italy which evolved into the nation known as "Italians" to the world today. From the early medieval ages, Italians were different from their neighbours. They preferred to live on the tops of the hills, while the Romans lived in the valleys (Hodges 47). Based on the interpretation of the medieval monastic sources, hilltop villages evolved along with the Italian life out of the introduction of the monetary economy in the 9th century. This transformation has led to the process of incastellamento - the foundation of castelli on the top of the hills. Notably, Italian cities had the tendency not to grow, but to reduce as well. Unlike many other Italian urban centres, Florence's growth has declined in the 7th and 8th centuries, while Rome and Milan became the centres occupied only by aristocracy. Rural estates and houses of aristocracy were built in the distinct towns. Hodges continues that "the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 6th century led to the rural communities of the peasants reshaping the landscape and defining their own rules" (48). The economy activity in rural regions was insignificant and there is the evidence that town and country were truly separated in economic, social and political life. Even though Italy was the distinct community with common heritage, culture was embraced by only a handful of intellectuals – Dante, Petrarch, historian Guicciardini, and few others. ... Their works were the bonds of material and emotional importance which linked together the peninsular inhabitants and counterbalanced its fragmented structure. "While the Latin language had been replaced by a cluster of regional dialects, it remained the standard mode of discourse of university education and of the professions of law, medicine, and theology" (Brucker 1). In addition to common language, Italians shared the same administration of justice - it was based on the principles of Roman law and applied in every Italian court. The power of Roman papacy in Italy was due to its wealth, administrative structure, and regulation of religious practices and beliefs. Despite of the great influence of Roman Empire over the Italy, Italian cities and towns managed to retain the physical features of those ancient sites. A native of Naples could travel to any other city and feel at home: the buildings, the streets, the social structure and culture were all the same (Brucker 1). Traders were the most cosmopolitan segment of the medieval Italy and travelled along with the pilgrims, soldiers seeking employment and workers. Such unity with the citizens without permanent place of living and similarity of all towns, helped to create the feeling of belonging to the community larger than their native village. The Roman papacy was the only Italian institution that provided the focus on the Italian history in the early medieval ages. The papacy had the direct influence on the every region and medieval popes were so preoccupied with the concerns for their security as well as with the expanding authority over the whole society, that they unwillingly shaped the Italian national identity.

King Lear #1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

King Lear #1 - Essay Example The cad! My heart went out to the beautiful girl. So little, so young, standing there; dishonored only for having been honest, it was just too unfair! I could not stand to see her insulted that way. After all, even the most poor of my people was more gallant than this knave. When Lear asked me my opinion on the matter, going so far as to suggest my refusing her: I spoke my mind. I told him that now that Cordelia was alone, penniless and wronged, I found myself loving her, wanting to protect her even more. I told him that it mattered not to me if Lear disowned her, she was more than enough dower all by herself. These men astound me. Are they no better than cattle, to be bought and sold like this? And what of the King himself? Blinded by flattery? Well, â€Å"No fool like an old fool†, as they say in France. I shall turn in for the night now, but my heart is glad. From now, my nights and days shall be shared with a maiden as fair as she is virtuous. This evening at King Lear’s court I was amazed to find the love of my life Cordelia silently weeping in a corner while the King berated her. As he began to explain his reason for calling me and Burgundy there, I understood that it was because he had decided to disinherit his youngest daughter. The news verily made me reel. Was she not his most precious? Did he not only yesterday speak to me about how dearly he loved the girl? And yet today, only because she refused to flatter him, he was banishing her. Burgundy, that dishonorable excuse of a Duke, turned down her hand. Now that she was without a dower, he said he could not accept her to be his bride. Well, too bad for him! I could not have been gladder. Now that they were insulting the girl and she was left all alone, I felt even more tenderly toward her. And I made my opinion quite clear too! I said to Lear that I should be honored to have his daughter for my bride. It was not important to me whether she had a fat sum of mon ey following her or whether it was

Wal-Mart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Wal-Mart - Research Paper Example Sam Walton believed that impressive profits in any business do not source from charging high prices on goods and services, but from making high sales volume. Samuel Walton believed that he could only make smart profits if he did a lot of sales of his merchandise. For this reason, Samuel Walton resolved to reduce the prices of his merchandise below the market margin, which eventually played the most critical role in attracting many customers. With many customers, the rate of stock turn over in the Wal-Mart stores increased thereby resulting to high profit margins. The success of Wal-Mart stores should act as reflective mirror to any investor in the chain store industry. Wal-Mart’s success lines up with various economic and social benefits as well as negative implications in the line of economy, social and environmental arenas. Wal-Mart stores have worked towards eliminating monopolistic complacency in the American market by inducing high level of competition. Wal-Mart is known for its tendency to reduce handlers of its products to the shelves, a strategy achieved through the identification of viable vendors who inspect the stocks in the stores and in the shelves and organize for supply when necessary. The strategy has helped Wal-Mart stores in cutting costs, transferring the advantages transfers to the customers who eventually end up buying goods at low prices (Bargdahl 14). The reduction of prices charged on the final products by Wal-Mart has attracted many consumers to the Wal-Mart stores, an event that has seen decline in performance of the other competitors. Owing to the high competition from Wal-Mart, other market operators have been forced to lower their prices thus the benefit to the consumers. According to Bergdahl, Wal-Mart stores adopted advanced technology of loading and offloading, which applies the use of conveyor belts (41). Wal-Mart has therefore employed thousands of people who operate the

Political Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Political Behavior - Essay Example Several evidences have suggested that modern generation is may be seeing the arrival of a period of augmented involvement by young individuals, along with citizens more commonly, within a political society (Owen, 2008). According to the observation, it has been revealed that the agents of political socialization play a crucial role in a political system in order to change the traditional trend of political socialization. Over the years, it has been ascertained that family, school, teachers and communication media among others have been highly engaged with political socialization as an intermediary (Danziger, 2013). Correspondingly, it has been identified that education systems such as high-schools and colleges have the gateway of democratic concept in modern civilization. Young adults have learned many of the values, skills and abilities through the education in this world. Apart from this, political knowledge and political engagement have been increased through the help of civic education. For example, academic study related to political science and real democratic approach in schools/colleges can be presented among the prime (Danziger, 2013). Similarly, family culture has also influenced the approach of the youth in political socialization. According to the analysis, it has been observed that political conversations of youths’ parents have acted as a vital determinant to grow political socialization amid young individuals. Thus, family can be regarded as a â€Å"distinct socializing agent†. For an example, discussion related to political issues and vote can drive political thoughts. Consequently, mass media including newspaper, magazine, the internet and films also can be named as agents of political socialization. Over the years, along with the changing political scenario, the approaches of mass media have been transformed in a parallel manner (Danziger,

Impact Of Internet-Based E-Commerce On Manufacturing And Business Research Paper

Impact Of Internet-Based E-Commerce On Manufacturing And Business Operations - Research Paper Example Summary of: E-commerce and its impact on operations management A. Gunasekarana,*, H.B. Marrib, R.E. McGaugheyc, M.D. Nebhwanib The revolutionizing internet based commerce has been proving itself as the most promising application of information technology. Termed as the second internet revolution, e-commerce can be seen just about anywhere over the internet. One of the key manners in which e-commerce is effective is the marketing and attaining of goods over the internet. Opening of new horizons and that too globally is one of the feathers e-commerce has in its cap. It also enables the reduction of costs incurred and that of the processing time involved within processes. Thus, eventually resulting in the overall attainment of profits and generation of increased revenue. E-Commerce incorporates a number of technologies that include e-mail, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), application of e-commerce in operations (manufacturing and services). Internet enables B2B and Business to consume r transactions. Organizations that have newly evolved find it easier to implement the standards of e-commerce as compared to those that already have old business processes running and functional. The main theme of manufacturing systems has changed from mass production to demand driven with the introduction of e-commerce. Reduction of procurement and development cycles, simplification of procedures, incorporation of men into profitable positions rather than at mere data handling positions, accessibility to world wide markets, improvement in time of response generation and also in the relationship with customers are just a few benefits that e-commerce has rendered to the world of business. Marketing horizons that... Impact of Internet/E-commerce on Operations Management E-Commerce is the use of internet and internet based technologies in all business processes. It has extensive uses and implementation details. It overrides the use all prior technologies such as Electronic Data Interchange. From the collection of raw data to each detail of the business and sales processes to even the eventual after sales services e-commerce expands its horizons over an entire organization benefiting it on the whole. Exemplary enhancement in sales leads to encouragement to increase the potential to increase the over all logistics of an organization. E-commerce addresses many problems associated with businesses that were all associated with the pre-technology era. Introduction of the internet technology has revolutionized business processes by enhancing procurement, communication, interaction within organization, production, reduction in costs, increase in efficiency and an eventual increase in sales. Increased brand awareness and customer loyalty and increase in potential profits of an organization are also termed as benefits associated with implementation of internet technologies within a business. Up to date customer feedback enables updated revolutions in business processes. Issues that need to be addressed while implementing e-commerce are security. Strengthening of this issue would in turn enhance customer reliability with businesses. Nonetheless it can be said that the key to the survival of every business in the technological world of today is its embedding e-commerce into its business processes.

On being the youngest Essay Example for Free

On being the youngest Essay I hate being the baby! Thats a common statement one hears all too often. Im the youngest one in my family,and the only girl among two brothers at that. Quite a number of my friends are the eldest among their siblings, and from what Ive heard from them, their little sisters and brothers are probably just a few years away from the friendly neighbourhood psychiatrist. What with all the abuse, its a miracle how they avoid becoming physically and emotionally retarded. ( sorry guys, I just had to stand up for those poor kids! ). However, I firmly believe that every cloud has a silver lining, even if its not always visible. Being the youngest, we do gain a few vital skills to survive in this dog eat dog world. In the process of getting pinched, slapped, punched, and kicked around by our older siblings, we develop a strong retaliation mindset that keeps us from being obliterated by our demented siblings. You decapitated my Tropical Swimsuit Barbie ? Look, your Hot Wheels were so hot, they melted! Undoubtedly, my brothers have suffered the wrath of my active self-defence mechanism more than once. Even if I fail to get back at them physically (Im just a gentle, innocent girl, okay? ), I generally make sure they pay by spiriting away their beloved possessions. Its amazing how many nooks and crannies one can find in a standard double- storeyed house. Sure, its mean, petty, spiteful and selfish, but hey, who ever said anything about being an angel? Once, I remember grabbing hold of a handful of my brothers beloved computer games and throwing them over the gate onto the path of an incoming car. I got a pretty good hiding for it, but ahhh, the satisfying sound of cds cracking under pressure out-weighed the punishment by about a hundred times. As the youngest, we are the worker ants around the house. That is, when our parents are not in. As a result, we acquire very important characteristics such as being responsible, efficient, hardworking, etc. Theres this really misguided notion that the queen bees are always the responsible ones. All they do is to order us around, belting out commands like a drill sergeant. Being the only girl in the household during my mums absence, I get ample preparation for a future married life (or as one would think, a future career as a house-maid ). Being the youngest too means that my brothers become deaf to any kind- hearted suggestions I have to increase their work efficiency. (eg. Why dont you just get your lazy butt off the floor? ) With all the practice we get, most of us have the persuading skills of a politician. I find this especially useful when Im short of pocket money. After a few minutes of manja-ing, my purse would be filled to the brim again! (Like magic! ) I guess this is a privilege available only to us. Somehow, older siblings who act manja are not generally accepted by society. Those who have the audacity to do so are usually met with the curt dont-pretend-to-be-cute reply. Still, not everything we gain by being the youngest is good. Havent you noticed? The youngest one is almost always the fattest. Sadly, Im a living testament to this. While both my brothers are lean, slim and thin, Ive always been kind of chubby my whole life. The last cookie left? Let your sis have it lar. The last piece of pizza? Give your sis All this food stuffing has left its mark on me physically. (Sigh) Well, I guess you just cant have your cake and eat it too literally. All in all, I think life was intended to be a bed of roses for us young ones. Unfortunately though, a few durian husks got in the mix. However, at the end of the day, what really matters is having a family that loves you and cares for you, regardless of whether youre the eldest, the youngest, the in betweens, or even the only child.

Role of War in Society Essay Example for Free

Role of War in Society Essay Both The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli and Utopia by Thomas Moore examine the role and the importance of war to maintain a strong and successful society. More (via Hythloday) believes that war should be the last option and is not needed in a safe and happy government without the help of auxiliaries and mercenaries while on the other hand, Machiavelli believes that war plays a crucial war in a prosperous and thriving society using other troops and people to avoid war. Machiavelle uses his belief that war is the way to have a strong successful government to shape the society of Italy while More uses the belief of peace and forbearance of war to shape his utopian society. More and Machiavelli have opposing opinions on the values and how the way it can maintain a stability and prosperity in a society. Machiavelli believes that power is attained in a government through the conquering of war and that good law and government follows naturally from good military as we can see in Chapter 12. â€Å"The presence of sound military forces indicates the presence of sound law† (Machiavelli 37). This shows that he believes that a strong developing state directly involves the conquering of war. He believed that successful war is the very foundation upon which all states are built. Machiavelli praises Alexandar the Great, Cyrus, Scipio and Caesar as leaders who gained power through their conquering wars. â€Å"Anyone who reads Xenophon’s life of Cyrus must realize how close Scipio modeled himself on Cyrus, how much that imitation contributed to his glory, and how closely he conformed, in temperance, affability, humanity, and liberty to the thing that Xenophon wrote about Cyrus† (Machiavelli 42). In contrast, More shows his views on war through the Utopians. â€Å"Nothing more inglorious than that glory that is gained by war (More 64). The Utopians viewed war as the last resort and would avoid it at all costs. They hated war and found no glory in the practice of killing others. They would only engage in war to protect themselves and their people, to defend allies, and to relieve oppression. â€Å"No man is to be esteemed our enemy that has never injured us; and that the partnership of the human nature is instead of a league. And that kindness and good-nature unite men more effectually and with greater strength than any agreements whatsoever; since thereby the engagements of mens hearts become stronger than the bond and obligation of words† (More 64). This shows that agreement and unity was very important to the Utopians and they would do anything just to maintain it. They would also try their best to preserve good terms with the people or societies around them. In Machiavelle, all of the issues in the government are in a military point of view because the successfulness in war is crucial to the preservation of the government. â€Å"A prince must have no other objective, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war, its methods and its discipline, for that is the only art expected of a ruler. And it is of such great value that it not only keeps hereditary princes in power, but often raises men of lowly condition to that rank† (More 40). Military defense and the strategies required are primary to conquer in war and therefore sustain a happy society. Machiavelle uses the Prince to communicate the importance of war to the audience. â€Å"As for physical training, apart from keeping his troops well disciplined and exercised, he should do a great deal of hunting, and thus harden his body to strenuous exercise, meanwhile learning to read terrain.† This shows that he believed that having brute force would help his army in war to conquer the enemy. War is also what helps a prince to attain power and fortune therefore military and war should be his main priority while ruling. â€Å"..in times of peace he should think about it even more than in wartime. He can do this in two ways, by training the body and training the mind. As for physical training, apart from keeping his troops well and disciplined and exercised, he should do a great deal of hunting, and this harden his body to strenuous exercise..† (Machievelle 41) Princes should always and only think about war especially in times of peace. They need to always be prepared and be in a good state to go to war at any time. â€Å"As for exercising the mind, a prince should read history and reflect on the actions of great men.† Princes should examine the tactics that the past rulers used and put them into action. He should learn from them and learn from both their successes and loses and put them as an example for himself. More in his utopian society would rather use cunning to win rather than brute force because he considered strength to be trait belonging to animals. Unlike Machiavelle, when war is made, the utopians would try to use any technique just to stop war. First one is propaganda in which they would secretly post posters in the enemy territory offering big rewards to people that would assassinate the enemy leaders. The second technique they would use is to promise the throne to the enemy’s rulers brother if he helps the utopians. They would never let things debase to the point where a massacre would occur and would prevent it by not destroying too much of the enemy’s land. nothing more inglorious than that glory that is gained by war â€Å" (More 64). This shows how much the utopians are against war and how much they want to avoid it because they believe that it can ruin their utopian society. Machievelle also believed that one using one own army is best as seen through the example of Cesare Borgia. â€Å"I am never reluctant to cite Cesare Borgia and his deeds. The duke entered the Romagna with auxiliary troops, consisting entirely of Frenchmen; and with them he took Imola and Forli. But then when he found they were not to be trusted, he adopted mercenaries as less dangerous, and hired the Orsini and Vitelli. When he found they too were undependable, treacherous, and dangerous to his service, he got rid of them, and turned to the troops of his own.† (Machievelle 38) The danger with the auxiliaries was because they will always be loyal to their ruler in the end and will probably wait to attack you. Mercenaries on the other hand are better than the auxiliaries but still possess characteristics that are tricky and untrustworthy. Therefore, in the end, Machievelle states that using one’s own troops is the best as Cesare Borgia did in the end. In contrast, the Utopians use spies and bribery to try to stop war. They believe that mercenaries and auxiliaries are tricky but at the same time useful. â€Å"Their second preference is to make use of troops belonging to the nation they are trying to defend; and after them, they enlist as auxiliaries squadrons drawn from their other allies. Lastly they enroll their own citizens. But they always appoint one of their own men who has demonstrated his military capacity to be commander in chief of the whole army.† (More 140) The utopians would do anything to avoid war and they usually would use troops of other nations to fight in war and their troops could be the last resort. They would also avoid fighting on their own land and give the best care to their citizens. A counterargument would be that if ever an intruder invades the Utopian society, war would be initiated. â€Å"For you’ll never find yourself at wat except by your own choice, and peace, not war, ought always to be your first priority† (More 66) Yes if peace cannot be made, war would have to be initiated in the Utopian society but even so, peace is always their foremost choice before they initiate anytime of violence or way on another society. In conclusion, Machievelle’s and More’s contrasting views on war and the strategies and tactics used in war serve one purpose which is to create a stable and prosperous society. Machievelle believes that war using one’s own army is the most crucial factor in maintaining a happy society while More argues that avoiding war using bribery and mercenaries is what the government should be doing no matter what kind of tactics are needed to be used.

Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Experiment

Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Experiment A catalyst is a substance that makes a chemical reaction speed up or get faster. This can be things like the temperature, concentration, sold or even liquid, (bbc,2017). A catalyst essentially effects a chemical reaction, (bbc2017). For a chemical reaction to start the bonds must be broken for the reactants to fuse or react, (bbc,2017). To break the said bonds one needs energy, (gcse,2017). The name of the energy that breaks the bonds is called activation energy. When a chemical reaction happens the bonds of the reactants break (due to activation energy). After this the energy, must flow through a path for the reactants to react, (gcse,2017). Now because of the activation tacking up energy there can only be at one speed, (gcse,2017). When we add a cat list to this it creates an alternate pathway or a short cut for the energy to pass by. This is because the normal pat way is less effectiveGCSE,2017).ÂÂ   The diagram below shows a reactant going through a normal path way and on th at is going through on of a catalyst.ÂÂ   As you can see the rout of the normal path way is very tedious and long. Whereas the rout of the catalyst is much shorter. Types of catalyst A catalyst can be spilt into two main types. The first is the homogeneous. A homogenous catalyst is one that stays the same phase. The meaning can be found in the first part of word, this is Homo which means one or the same. Pretty much a homogeneous catalyst stays in the same phase, (chemguide,2017). Heterogeneous reactions are reaction with different phases. As Hetero means, different, (chemguide,2017). What is a phase? To explain this, we must first look at a mixture. Lets say that there was a stone in water. The stone was a solid and the water was a liquid. This represented a heterogeneous reaction. Now the same thing happened but there was no stone would be a homogeneous. The diagram below shows the different types of catalysts. (chemguide,2017) for the text and the diagram below. The catalyst it is shone that oxides work the best as catalyst. Aim: The aim or this experiment was to see what chemical was to see which catalyst would work the best in speeding up the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Hypothesis: Research suggest that iron nitrate will cause a violent exothermic reaction. With the materials, the group had this catalyst would have worked the best. Materials: 4 beakers 4 watch glances 2 stopwatches 1 spatula 1 scale Hydrogen peroxide Iron nitrate Manganese chloride Basic sault Measuring cylinder Method: The first item that were acquired were the personal protection equipment or ppe. The ese items consisted of safety glasses, rubber aprons and the disposable gloves. After this we collected out materials and went to the steel takes outside. A there were no power points we had to set the scales up inside at a free plug point. After the cake was set up we tested the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide without a catalyst. To do this we poured 25 ml of hydrogen peroxide in a beaker. After this 3the group timed the reaction with a stop watch. After the reaction was finished the results were recorded. This same experiment was done 4 time and all yielded the same result of two minutes. After this iron oxide was added to the hydrogen peroxide. This experiment was timed and done 3 times. The same was done with the other catalysts. All the catalysts were pounders. We measured them to .5-gram ad them added them into to the hydrogen peroxide. Possible risk solution Risk level Glass breakages Handle glass safely and walk with caution. medium Chemical Spills Be aware or your surroundings and handle with care. high Ingestion of chemicals Be sure not to ingest chemicals in this experiment. high Burn from and exothermic reaction Stand at a safe distance from the reaction always be alert high Chemicals come into contact with eyes Always keep safety glacises on as these devices a made to prevent chemicals going into the eyes high Catalyst First experiment Second experiment Final experiment iron nitrate 7.11 seconds 8.22 seconds 7.87 Basic sault 22.79 seconds 22.76 seconds 22.77 seconds Potassium Nitrate 19.22 seconds 14.12 seconds 17.89 seconds Manganese Chlorine 31.53 seconds 33.15 seconds 32.58 seconds Full results Experiment averages and observations Catalyst Average seconds Observation during the reactions Iron nitrate 7.69 Rapid exothermic reaction resulting in colour change and bubbling of the liquid. Basic sault 22.77 The mineral dispersed and did not make a noticeable change Potassium nitrate 17.07 Not a noticeable change but the crystals dispersed rapidly. Manganese Chloride 32.42 Made a chance but a very small one, this test was only a small bit faster than the normal reaction Discussion The experiment, The decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide, provide very interesting results. The task was to aid the reaction by the addition of a catalyst. The experiment used a variation of salts, nitrates and chlorides. These catalysts were all 5 grams and were added to a 25 ml of hydrogen peroxide. The ration for this was 1:5. The first experiment that the group did was just recording the hydrogen peroxide by itself as this was used to get a base result. The group did this experiment four time with the decomposition taking 2 minutes to finish. This was the graphed into a line graph and the relax showed the consistent rate of reaction.ÂÂ   The main trend was that the nitrates did better than the other catalysts. The next catalyst added was the Iron nitrate(Fe(no3)). This catalyst produced the most interesting reaction as it created an exothermic reaction. The very moment the catalyst was added with the hydrogen peroxide it created profuse bubbling and the next second the it erupted into what looked like a boiling. the moment the hydrogen peroxide started bubbling the colour of the concoction changed from clear to a burnt orange. After the boiling, had stopped the concoction seemed to turn into a tinted yellow structure. This liquid was steaming and was clearly hot. This whole reaction was conducted three time and took 7.69 seconds on average. With this reaction, my hypothesis was proven to be supported. The second catalyst was Sodium chloride(NaCl) or basic salt this was by far the most uneventful reaction by far. The sodium chloride was added into the hydrogen peroxide and produced a few bubbles. This happen after the sodium chloride had dispersed. This reaction lasted for 22.77 seconds on average the reaction produced no colour or visible temperature change. The catalyst Potassium nitrate was also a very un-event full reaction. This did cause very rapid bubbling but it did not result in any noticeable change other than that. This catalyst like many others had no noticeable change. This was also tested times and had an average of 17.07. This was one of the shorter reactions. This aspect lead the group to believe that it was the second-best catalyst. This was also a reaction that stopped after it dissolved. The last and final catalyst was the Magnesium chloride was also an uneventful reaction. This was the longest reaction and therefore the worst catalyst of all the others. This catalyst sizzled for a long period bit it resulted in nothing happening. Evaluation The experiment was interesting as it was it had a range of mixed results. This was shown in this catalyst reaction as some experiments did barely anything and others had very violent notable reactions. There were four catalyst Iron nitrate, NaCl, Potassium nitrate, Magnesium Chloride. These Catalyst had varied effect on the decomposing reaction. For example, results showed that the nitrates did the best. But there was some problem met in this experiment. Due to the reactive nature of the Manganeses oxide. The group gelled together well and if was a good working relationship within the group. I feel as though the experiment could have been improved. As there may have been some key errors that could have occurred in the experiment. The experiment relayed on measurement for the entirety of it. The hydrogen peroxide had to be measured the catalysts had to be weighed and the time had to be counted by the stopwatch. These could have multiples of faults. Some main faults are in human error. Weather it man have been the wrong set up or parallax error these could all have been done. Another element that could have led to the experiments being wrong could have been inaccurate measuring tools. In some of the instrument the measuring lines could have been rubbed out or flawed. A way of fixing this would be if we used a more accurate item and used an IV Drip so that the use of the there would be a constant drip of fluid. After this I believe that it should be measured by a laser to bake sure that the amount of hydrogen peroxide is precise. The scales should have been swapped out with more accurate scales that pick up even the smallest changes of the object being weighed. When the experiment was, timed human error could have played the part of the timing as the person timing could have been just before or just after the catalyst was added. So, I propose that one would have a timer that was set to go off when the catalyst was added and would stop after the reaction would shop . This would get the most accurate reaction. I feel that is these modifications were done the experiment would have been much more accurate. In conclusion, the experiment of the decomposition of the Hydrogen peroxide reaction yielded interesting results. The hypothesis was supported as the nitrates did react better than the other catalysts.

Henrik Isbens A Dolls House Essay -- A Dolls House Essays

A Dolls House By Henrik Ibsen Dramatic Critique The P’s Person: Nora, Torvald Helmer’s wife, and mother of Ivar, Bob, and Emmy. Peculiar trait: On the surface Nora’s peculiar trait seems to be her obsession for money. Her internal peculiar trait is that she desires to become significant to her husband. She spends money on material objects to decorate their home and dress up the family. The impression of the home appears perfect, like a doll’s house. Passion: Nora’s passion is to be a real human and not be unreal towards herself, her family, or her husband. She wants to be accepted and human like the rest of the world, and she tries to figure a way to make this possible. â€Å"When (Nora) lived with Papa, he used to tell me everything, so that I never had any opinions but his. And if I did have any of my own, I kept them quiet, because he wouldn’t have like them.† Since childhood Nora has not been able to express her own feelings. She has bottled everything up inside, and she has a passion to open up and show her true self. Problem: Norma has been a â€Å"doll† all her life. She has taken on others problems and kept her thoughts and feelings all to herself. It is now time for Norma to explain herself and deal with the facts. Norma forged her father’s signature on an I.O.U for two hundred and fifty pounds. She tries to do anything she can so her husband will not find out. Her husband just received a job at the bank; therefore, he could easily find out about the fo...

How To Swim The Breaststroke Essay -- essays research papers

How to Swim the Breaststroke The breaststroke is the oldest known swimming stroke and is one of four strokes used in competitive swimming. This stroke is also very popular in leisure swimming because the head can be held up, making vision and breathing easy and because the swimmer can rest between strokes if needed. Swimmers can also use the breaststroke in survival swimming and in lifesaving situations. Since the breaststroke has many uses and is easy to learn, it is one of the best strokes to teach a beginning swimmer. When teaching the breaststroke to a beginner, it is very important to explain every aspect of the stroke from head to toe. The head should be positioned so the hairline is at the surface of the water, keeping the body horizontal. The arm motions of the breaststroke are performed simultaneously, moving in opposite directions. The leg motions are performed in the same fashion. Lifting the hips as the hands are extended in front, then lifting the upper body as the hands finish and start to recover creates a rocking action. This rocking action is an automatic movement if the stroke is performed correctly. In the glide, the body is flat, prone, and streamlined, with the legs together and extended straight out. Keeping the palms down, extend the arms in front of the head. Angle the hands slightly downward and turn the palms outward at a 45-degree angle to the surface of the water. With the arms straight, press the palms directly out until the hands are spread w...

capital punishment :: essays research papers

Capital Punishment and Deterrence Abstract Capitol Punishment has been around since the beginning of mankind; eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. Since then the public have debated for or against capital punishment revolving around issues of deterrence, retribution, discrimination and Irreversibility. Leaving us with the responsibility to analyze the factors surrounding capital punishment. A number of studies have also been done specifically on the deterrent effects of capital punishment. Many officials believes that capital punishment not only prevent s the offender from committing additional crimes but deters others as well. The research of Franklin E. Zimring and Gordon J. Hawkins demonstrated that punishment is an effective deterrent for those who are criminally inclined. Another research has been to examine murder rates in given areas both before and after an execution. Clear and cole(2000) have examined more than 200 studies evaluating the effectiveness of the death penalty in deterring crime. A recent study found that a significant deterrent effect is associated with the increased use of capital punishment since 1977 ( Dezhbakhsh, Rubin and Shepherd, 2001). Michael Radelet and Ronald Akers attempted to determine if having the Death Penalty indeed act as a deterrent on criminal homicide. Is the theory of â€Å"Just Deserts† (Bedau, 1978; Finckenenauer, 1998) in anyway credible? It is also often argued that death is what murderers deserve, making criminals reap what they sow. Most believe that in order to assure deserts, the punishment should always fit the crime. It would require us to rape rapists, torture torturers, and inflict other horrible and degrading punishment on offenders. It would require us to betray traitors and kill multiple murderers again and again, punishments impossible to inflict. ( Bedau 1978). However the principle of just deserts is understood to require that the severity of punishments must be proportional to the gravity of the crime, and that murder being the gravest crime deserves the severest punishment, then the principle is no doubt sound. But it does not compel support for the death penalty. What it does require is that crimes other than murder be punished with terms of imprisonment or other deprivations less severe than those used in the punishment of murder. Criminals no doubt deserve to be punished, and punished with severity appropriate to their culpability and the harm they have caused to the innocent. But severity of punishment has its limits -- imposed both by justice and

I.T. Tools for Remote Communication

CAPE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UNIT TWO MODULE TWO – I. T. TOOLS FOR REMOTE COMMUNICATION USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TOOLS TO ACCESS AND COMMUNICATE WITH REMOTE INFORMATION SOURCES Information technology – the tools and techniques used to process and communicate information Remote information source – information held in or on a computer or other medium which is not located in the same physical location as the person wanting access to this information.In order to access remote information sources one will need a tool or a set of tools which are both hardware and software. The following is a list of such tools – some hardware, some software, some both: Communication software – programs used to provide remote access to systems, and exchange files and messages in text, audio and/or video formats between different computers or users. Communication software runs on computers, tablets, mobile phones and other specialized devices.Some examples of remote co mmunication software are terminal emulators, file transfer programs; instant messaging programs, real time chat programs (IRC), teleconferencing and video conferencing software, and email programs. Browsers – short for web browser – a software application used to locate, retrieve and also display content on the World Wide Web. The content handled by web browsers includes text, images and video. A web browser is made up of HTML code and operates under the HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) Email systems – software for creating, sending, receiving and organizing electronic mail.Modern desktop email clients like Microsoft Outlook, Windows Live Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird offer advanced features for managing email, including WYSIWYG editors for composing email messages, anti-spam and anti-phishing security protection, advanced search capabilities, and rules and filters for more efficiently handling and organizing messages and email folders. A large number of online email services, called webmail, exist with features and functionality for managing e-mail similar to their desktop email software counterparts.Some of the more popular online email services are Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail and AOL Mail. Email systems also need an email server which is a computer configured to be the email post office with the task of managing the email service. It receives stores and dispatches email messages to and from email addresses. Facsimile systems – A facsimile machine is a device that can send or receive pictures and text over a telephone line. Fax machines work by digitizing an image i. e. dividing it into a grid of dots. Each dot is either on or off, depending on whether it is black or white.Electronically, each dot is represented by a bit that has a value of either 0 (off) or 1 (on). In this way, the fax machine translates a picture into a series of zeros and ones (called a bit map) that can be transmitted like normal computer data. On the receivi ng side, a fax machine reads the incoming data, translates the zeros and ones back into dots, and reprints the picture. A fax machine consists of an optical scanner for digitizing images on paper, a printer for printing incoming fax messages, and a telephone for making the connection.Telephone – colloquially referred to as a phone, the telephone is a point-to-point telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. It's most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other. A business telephone system is a system where multiple telephones are used by businesses in an interconnected fashion that allows for features such as call handling and transferring, conference calling, call metering and accounting, private and shared voice message boxes, etc.A business telephone system can range from just a few phones in a small business up to a complex private branch exchange (PBX) system utilized by large busine sses. Business phone systems can function over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and/or over the Internet (Internet telephony or VoIP). Business telephone systems can also be delivered as a hosted service (typically referred to as a centrex), which can free companies from having to invest in costly equipment.Mobile telephones – many individuals no longer have a landline and have turned to mobile computing for all their telephone needs. Young people especially do more than half there communicating using a cellular phone which allows them to not only have voice calls but to send text messages Pager – A pager is a small telecommunications device that receives (and, in some cases, transmits) alert signals and/or short messages. This type of device is convenient for people expecting telephone calls, but who are not near a telephone set to make or return calls immediately.A typical one-way pager fits easily in a shirt pocket; some are as small as a wristwatch. A m iniature, short-range wireless receiver captures a message, usually accompanied by a beep. The simplest one-way pagers display the return-call telephone number of the person who sent the message. Alternatively, a code can be displayed that indicates which of several designated parties is requesting a return phone call. Sophisticated one-way pagers can display short text messages. Until recently, pagers were designed as receive-only devices.However, despite the engineering challenge, a two-way pager, also called a two-way messaging device or two-way interactive system, has been developed. A typical unit is about the size of a pocket calculator and has a built-in, miniature keyboard and a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen that can display several lines of text and/or simple graphics. Mobile phones have replaced pagers for most users. However, because they are reliable in some situations where mobile phones are not, pagers are still widely used by essential services personnel, such a s those in the medical and emergency-related professions.New uses for pagers have also arisen. For example, restaurants often use pagers to let customers know when their tables are ready. Computer – The transmission of data from one computer to another, or from one device to another is called data communication. A communications device, therefore, is any machine that assists data transmission. The computer is one such principal machine. For the computer to assist in communications it must be running programs that make it possible to transmit data i. e. communication software.Word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software, desktop publishing software – these productivity tools can be used to create, edit, and print documents. While of all computer applications, word processing is the most common, the product of the others can also be printed. The output from productivity tools can be snail-mailed, emailed, uploaded to websites, and communicated using other www techn ologies Internet Tools Interactive online services – is a business that provides its subscribers with a wide variety of data transmitted over telecommunications lines.Online services provide an infrastructure in which subscribers can communicate with one another, either by exchanging e-mail messages or by participating in online conferences(forums). In addition, the service can connect users with an almost unlimited number of third-party information providers. Subscribers can get up-to-date stock quotes, news stories hot off the wire, articles from many magazines and journals, in fact, almost any information that has been put in electronic form.Of course, accessing all this data carries a price. Three of the largest online services are America Online, Compuserve and MSN. telnet – terminal emulation is a program for networks that connects pcs to the server on the network and allows one to enter commands on the pc and have them executed directly on the server as if one w as sitting in front of the server. This enables you to control and communicate with other servers on the network. Telnet is a common way to remotely control Web servers.As this is a service that allows local computers to control remote computers, technical personal in organizations can use it to troubleshoot problems in other branches and hackers use these kinds of programs to connect to and control servers on unsecured networks. ftp – Short for file transfer protocol, this is the protocol for exchanging files over the Internet. FTP is most commonly used to download a file from a server using the Internet or to upload a file to a server (e. g. , uploading a Web page file to a server). The owners of website rarely host them themselves.But maintaining the content of the website is still up to them. They create the new content for their websites on their local machines. They then use an ftp program to connect to and upload and download the files from their website on the remote server to and from their local machine. When they have completed this task we can then see the new pages on their websites. You can access FTP sites by two different methods: either directly through your web browser, or using an FTP application (such as Winsock FTP). Both methods require a logon procedure.Some FTP sites allow anonymous login and allow you to enter your email address as a password. Other FTP sites also allow anonymous login but require a special password (such as â€Å"guest†, â€Å"visitor†, or other password. ) Still other sites have restricted login and passwords limited to specific people or groups message boards aka bulletin board system (BBS) – An electronic message board is a computer running software that allows users to log in and perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging messages with other users.Message boards allow threaded conversations in which the comments on a posting are attached to that posting in an indented manner. Message boards for example can be for a class in which students get to communicate with each other and the teacher and discuss assignments and class material. It is often used in this manner in on-line courses. newsgroups – This is a special interest online discussion group or forum where one can post and reply to posted messages on particular topics.It is like a public message board but with the topic of interest pre-selected by the person who set up the newsgroup. Users are required to subscribe to a newsgroup. mailing list – while any individual or company can have a mailing list in their email the formal definition of a mailing list is a list of people who have subscribed to a particular service and have given permission for their contact information to be released to anyone who provides this service.Newsgroups e. g. will have a mailing list to whom they send notices when something changes in the newsgrou p. internet telephony refers to communication services such as voice, fax, SMS and/or voice messaging services which are transported via the internet instead of the public switched telephone network. VoIP – voice over internet protocol is a slightly broader term which covers voice communication over any IP network.

Surgical Site Infections

Surgical Site Infections Elizabeth Griffor HCA 375 Continuous Quality Monitoring & Accreditation Instructor: Annajane Schnapp October 27, 2012 I chose to do my paper on the hospital-acquired condition of surgical site infections. In this paper I will discuss what a surgical site infection is, why it is considered preventable, the legal implications related to the patient, the role disclosure plays, accreditation expectations, and analyze the cost of continuous quality monitoring as it relates to quality.Surgical site infections account for 40 % of all hospital-acquired infections ( HAIs) and are unnecessary and largely preventable. Use of antibiotics is fundamental in preventing surgical site infection and includes three core elements: 1. appropriate selection, 2. timing of the first dose, 3. and discontinuation postoperatively. It used to be the standard practice to â€Å"shave and prep† a patient prior to surgery, but a study done in 1992 revealed that surgical site infectio ns were 50% lower in surgery patients whose hair was removed with clippers rather than a razor.One of the most common complaints from surgery patients is being cold in the holding area, operating room, and the post anesthesia care unit ( PACU) . This is uncomfortable and can increase risk of complications; such as surgical site infections. Glucose control is also important as a method for decreasing surgical site infections ( Frances, 2005). Guidelines for preventing surgical site infection are at the preoperative stage, intraoperative stage, and postoperative stage. They are as follows: 1. Preoperative stage: Patient preparation- Identify and treat all infections before surgery; postpone surgery if possible until infection is resolved. * Do not remove hair by the incision site unless it interferes with the operation; use electric clippers immediately before surgery if hair must be removed. * Have patients bathe or shower with an antiseptic the day of the surgery or the night before . * Thoroughly wash and clean at and around the incision site to remove gross contamination. * Keep hospital stays as short as possible to limit the patient’s exposure to nosocomial infections.Antimicrobial prophylaxis- * Work with the physician, pharmacist, and administer a prophylactic antibiotic only if it is indicated; antibiotic chosen should be effective against common pathogens that cause surgical site infections. * I. V. administration of the antibiotic should be timed so it is concentrated when the incision is made. * Do not use Vancomycin for antimicrobial prophylaxis routinely. Surgical team preparation- * Keep fingernails short, no artificial nails; bacteria and fungi can colonize on your hands if you wear artificial nails. Surgical team members who have signs or symptoms of an infectious illness need to promptly report this to their manager and occupational health service personnel. * Surgical team members that have draining skin lesions should be relieved from d uty until infection has been ruled out, they have had therapy, or the infection is gone. * It is also suggested that no hand or arm jewelry be worn, as well as nail polish. 2. Intraoperative stage: Ventilation- * Maintain ventilation in the operating room and maintain a minimum of 15 air changes per hour. Keep the operating door closed as much as possible. * Limit the number of staff entering the operating room. Surfaces and equipment- * Clean surfaces or equipment with hospital disinfectant if they are soiled with blood or body fluids before the next operation. * Do not perform special cleaning or closing of operating room after contaminated or dirty operations. * Sterilize all surgical equipment according to guidelines. * Assemble sterile equipment and solutions just before using them. Surgical attire- * Before entering the operating room, a surgical mask and hood that covers he hair on the face or head must be worn. * Sterile surgical gloves must be worn, putting them on after a sterile gown. * Shoe covers are not necessary for preventing surgical site infections. Vascular access- * Adhere to the rules of asepsis when placing intravascular devices and administering I. V. drugs. 3. Postoperative stage: Incision care- * Use a sterile dressing for 24-48 hours on an incision after surgery. * Wash your hands before and after any contact with the surgical site, even when changing the dressing. Use a sterile technique when changing dressings. * Teach the patient and family about incision care, signs or symptoms of surgical site infection, and when to report any symptoms (Adams, 2001). Following these guidelines can effectively reduce or prevent surgical site infections. Although nothing is 100% full proof, surgical site infections can be reduced and prevented in most situations. If an infection is not present at the time of admission and becomes evident after 48 hours of hospitalization; it is considered to be hospital acquired.Following the above mentioned guidel ines indicates quality health care practices. By using these techniques, surgical site infections will be prevented and reduced resulting in quality care; benefiting both the patient and the hospital. A legal implication related to a patient developing a surgical site infection, results in more cost to the hospital, less profit, and leaves them open to possible lawsuits. Hospital acquired infections affect 1. 7 million hospitalizations, cost $ 8. 1 billion to treat, and lead to 2. 3 million total days of hospitalization.Infections are the fourth most expense in hospitals, costing $ 252,600 per hospital on average, and each afflicted patient requires $ 24,500 more in care on average as a result. Examples of lawsuits filed due to hospital infections are as follows: July 2008, couple awarded $ 2. 58 million after the patient contracted a deadly type of staph infection ( MRSA), resulting in the loss of a kidney, and an amputated leg and foot. November 2008, jury awarded $ 13. 5 million to a woman’s family after she died of an infection aused by flesh-eating bacteria; contracted during cancer treatment. And November 2008, a woman reached a confidential settlement of $ 16 million when a hospital failed to detect a flesh-eating bacteria, before and after she gave birth, resulting in the loss of three limbs and several organs ( Gaffey, 2010). According to the AMA’s code of ethics, it is a requirement that a physician should at all times deal honestly and openly with patients concerning medical errors. Several doctors cite the risk of litigation as grounds for caution when discussing medical errors.Practicing defensive medicine such as ordering more tests or consults has become the norm to avoid malpractice suits. 94% of physicians say they would inform a patient if a mistake was made that caused an injury. Concern regarding legal liability which might result from telling the truth should not affect a physician’s honesty with a patient according to the AMA’s Code of Medical Ethics, however some skeptics maintain that it is easier to brag about virtue, than actually follow it ( Rice,2002).For the most part physicians agree that honesty is the best policy. Many doctors in a survey confessed to errors such as; prescribing the wrong medications, wrong dosage, misinterpreting x-rays, misinterpreting lab reports, etc†¦ One physician stated that being upfront about his mistakes, talking to the family, and apologizing probably avoided a lawsuit. Most doctors agree that it is better to be upfront about a mistake for several reasons, they are: 1. That it always comes out eventually, 2. Dishonesty causes more damage and loses the public’s trust, 3.Honesty decreases the chance of being sued, as well as it is the right thing to do, and 4. They want their patients or family to hear it from them first ( Rice, 2002). Communicating with the patient or family, educating them on the procedure and signs or symptoms to look for can prevent surgical site infections. Being open and honest with the patient and their family when an error occurs can possibly help to avoid a lawsuit. Honesty is always the best policy when providing quality health care.In October 2008, CMS announced that it would no longer pay for hospital-acquired conditions. It is their view that if a hospital has a good standard of practice and multidisciplinary care guidelines that these events should not happen and can easily be prevented. This is not to penalize health care, but to improve the safety of patient care and improve the quality of care by establishing standards of care and protocols. The Joint Commission has also implemented similar reporting and nonpayment initiatives to improve safety and improve the quality of care ( Lisa, 2009).The Joint Commissions new national patient safety goal to prevent surgical site infections includes a requirement to look for surgical site infections for up to 30 days after a procedure. The Center for Disease Control ( CDC) estimates that between 12% and 84% of surgical site infections are found after patients are discharged from the hospital. Joint Commission surveyors will be looking to see if the following protocols are being followed: * Hospital educates health care workers involved in surgical procedures about healthcare –associated infections, surgical site infections, and the importance of prevention. Before all surgical procedures, the hospital educates patients/family about surgical site infection prevention. * Hospital implements policies and practices aimed at reducing surgical site infections. * Hospital conducts periodic risk assessments for surgical site infections. * Measurement strategies follow evidence-based guidelines and surgical site infections are measured for the first 30 days after surgery. * Hospital supplies surgical site infection rate data and prevention outcome to leaders, practitioners, nursing staff, and other clinicians. Antimicrobial ag ents for prophylaxis used for a particular procedure or disease are administered according to standards and guidelines. * Administer I. V. antimicrobial prophylaxis within one hour before incision. * Discontinue the prophylactic antimicrobial agent within 24 hours after surgery. * When hair removal is necessary, use clippers or depilatories ( Hospital Infection Control, 2008). Localized improvement occurs when a team is developed to look at a specific problem; such as the rate of surgical site infections. Organizational learning occurs when this process is ocumented and results in the development of policies that are implemented; such as a protocol for preventing surgical site infections. Process reengineering occurs when a major investment blends internal and external resources to make changes; such as being accredited by the Joint Commission and following their guidelines for prevention of surgical site infections. Evidence-based medicine involves the selection of the best clinica l practices; implementing surgical site infection control guidelines or protocol to reduce cost and increase profit (Sollecito & Johnson, 2013).The most effective strategies for improving health care quality are: clinician-directed audit and feedback, clinical decision support systems, specialty outreach programmes, continuing professional education based on interactive small-group case discussions, and patient-mediated clinician reminders. Pay-for-performance strategies directed to clinician groups and organizational process redesign are modestly effective ( Scott, 2009). In my opinion using the organizational learning strategy would generate the best outcome and cost the least to implement.Having a team put together to gather data on surgical site infections and implementing a protocol or guidelines to follow to prevent these events would result in less cost and increased profit. In conclusion, surgical site infections are for the most part preventable. Following protocols or guid elines can greatly reduce surgical site infections. Educating staff, patients, and their families, can have a big impact on preventing surgical site infections and implementing these strategies reduces cost and increases profit. References: Adams, A. 2001). Preventing surgical site infection ( SSI): Guidelines at a glance. Nursing Management, 32 (8), 46-46. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/231438710? accountid= 32521. Frances, A. G. ( 2005). Best-practice protocol is: Preventing surgical site infection. Nursing Management, 36 (11), 20-26. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/ 231393974? accountid=32521. Gaffey, A. D. RN, MSN, CPHRM, FASHRM. ( 2010). Legal Implications of Healthcare- Acquired Infections. Retrieved from http://www. ahe. rg/ahe/conference/2010/content /092910/a. Lisa, M. S. ( 2009). Compliance with CMS â€Å" never events† billing requirements. Journal of Health Care Compliance, 11 (5), 33-36. Retrieved from http://search. proqu est. com/ docview/227916352? accountid=32521. Rice, B. (2002). Medical errors: Is honesty ever optional? Medical Economics, 79 ( 19), 63-72. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/227734141? accountid=32521. Scott, I. (2009). What are the most effective strategies for improving quality and safety of healthcare?Internal Medicine Journal, 39 (6), 389-400. Doi:http://dx. doi. org/ 10. 1111/j. 1445-5994. 2008. 01798. x. Sollecito, W. A. & Johnson, J. K. (2013). Continuous quality improvement in health Care (4th ed). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. ISBN: 9780763781545. The joint commission update for infection control: SSI goal: Look for infections a month after procedure. (2008). Hospital Infection Control, Retrieved from http://search. Proquest. com/docview/758852362? accountid=32521.

Critical Listening Paper Essay

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy presents a formal demonstrative speech on body language. The general purpose of the speech was to inform. Cuddy’s attire was formal. She was dressed in black high heels, black stockings, a black skirt, a long thin black cover-up, and jewelry—a heavy necklace and hoop earrings. The speaker’s introduction definitely captured my attention. She started her speech by stating that she would offer a â€Å"free no-tech life hack† additional to a request that she made to the audience; this definitely draws the audience into what she is about to say. The speaker engages with her audience by asking them to perform a certain act, while also enticing them with a free life-hack. It sure did enhance the speaker’s credibility because she is offering some kind of valuable advice to her audience. The audience is generally older in age (late 20’s & up), there is a mix of males and females, and there seems to be a good diversity in races. Most are dressed semi-formally if not formally. The speaker definitely adapts her remarks to the audience by catering to the characteristics of their demographics ex. Relating her topic to job interviews. The speaker establishes rapport with her audience through constant eye contact, communicative conversational tone, fluency, hand/arm gestures, and personal stories. Cuddy’s speech was about body language and how we see ourselves. The speaker’s thesis statement was the following: Fake it until you become it. The main points for this speech are the following: our non-verbals govern how we think and feel about ourselves (Power-posing), our bodies change our minds (Testosterone/cortisol levels), and our bodies change our behavior and our behavior changes our outcomes. The speaker uses the topical organizational pattern to deliver her speech. It is definitely appropriate for the topic and speaking situation. Her organization makes it easier for the audience to logically interpret and understand the important points that she is trying to make. Additionally, the speaker uses language to improve the effectiveness of her speech. She is very conversational which exerts the audience to be more alert, responsive, and empathetic to her. The speaker’s speaking voice is not monotone and she definitely uses effective vocabulary in her speech as well—not too difficult, but not too plain.  Additionally, the Cuddy uses the right amount of vocal expressions. Amy Cuddy mainly used images to support her material. Her short clip and images worked extremely well in supporting her main points/argument. Besides the effective images on her slideshow, the speaker’s use of her personal experiences and stories definitely supported her points. She establishes her credibility by telling a story that ultimately establishes her educational level; Cuddy is a professor at Harvard University. Cuddy concludes her speech by reiterating her thesis statement and reinforcing the speech’s general and specific purpose. She ends her speech with a call to action. The conclusion that she makes calls the audience to 1.) try power-posing and 2.) to share the science. The speaker provides closure to show the audience that her speech was finished with her call to action and thanking the audience. The speaker’s use of non-verbal elements of delivery was outstanding. Her arm and hand gestures were appropriate, she maintained meaningful eye contact/engagement throughout her entire speech, and her overall body language to her audience was one that really entices the audience to pay attention and be engaged. The speaker used presentation aids, and in my opinion, they were extremely effective and engaging. Moreover, it is clear to see that the speaker’s presentation aids were adequate supporting material through the audience’s reactions ex. Laughter, applause. In my opinion, the strongest part of the speech was the speaker’s story about her personal experience. This was part of the body of her speech and it was her supporting evidence for one of her main points. She used emotion to appeal to her audience about her tragic accident and her journey to recovery and â€Å"faking it until you become it†. This was the strongest part of the speech because it is memorable and got a strong reaction out of the audience. Not only that, but it was great supporting material for the speaker’s thesis. On the other hand, there weren’t any weaknesses to Cuddy’s speech necessarily. If I had to choose one weak point however, it would be the transition from the body to the conclusion. This was the weakest part of the speech because it was difficult to concretely establish the concluding paragraph of the speech. I could not tell whether the ending was part of the speech’s body and the conclusion was just extremely short, or whether the conclusion of the speech was very long. A better transition into the conclusion would make the speech better. The setting of this speech was  extremely formal. The size of the room was fairly large—it appeared like a theatre. Cuddy is atop a large stage and the spotlight is on her. The room is darker where the audience is. This kind of setting impacts the speech in a way that makes the speaker the center of attention. The audience gives supportive feedback to the speaker. They laugh at all the right times, and the Cuddy responds to this feedback by really engaging with the audience through her questions and affirmations in a non-overdoing way. At the end of her speech, the members of the audience stand up from their seats while giving her a big applause. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this speaker a 10. This is because this speaker encompassed every characteristic that an effective speaker should portray. She obviously knows what she is doing and has had sufficient practice and experience. I would definitely enjoy listening to Cuddy again because not only was her topic very interesting and enjoyable to listen to and learn about, but she was a great speaker in general. I especially liked the way that she catered her speech to her audience. In my opinion, there weren’t issues that the speaker should have addressed but did not. The speech was succinct and effective. The conclusion of the speech, however, was either too long or too short. I could not tell whether the ending was part of the body and the conclusion was just extremely short, or whether the conclusion was just very long. Works Cited Cuddy, A. (2012, October). Your body language shapes who you are. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from TED: http://www.ted.com/playlists/171/the_20_most_popular_talks_of_a