Mental Disorder and crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Mental Disorder and crime - Essay Example If they are too broad they may result in unnecessary intervention’ (Wilson, 1995 as quoted in Healthcare Education Services, 2006). This quote from Wilson suggests the complications that mental health carers and the courts have when they attempt to apply a definition to mental illness. There is a distinction made between mental health and mental disorder. According to Healthcare Education Services (2006) mental health and mental illness have often been used interchangeably as 'mental health refers to thoughts, feelings, and actions of the individual, all aspects of life, including social, physical, spiritual and emotional, affect it' (p. 6). The term mental disorder implies that he person has a mental illness and also has some sort of disability and has often been used as a legal definition for a variety of mental illnesses. The Department of Health (2004) defines mental disorder as ‘an impairment of, or a disturbance in, the functioning of the mind or brain resulting fr om any disability or disorder of the mind or brain’ (p.3). This definition was refined from the original bill that was drafted in 1983 and said that mental disorder was, ‘†¦mental disorder means mental illness, arrested or incomplete development of mind, psychopathic disorder and any other disorder or disability of the mind’ (as quoted in Healthcare Education Services, 2006, p. 7). ... This definition will cover a variety of mental disorders and it can be relevant to the individual's fitness to plead guilty or not guilty, their sentencing or disposal, or the decision for the prosecutor to divert the sentence or prosecute the individual (The Crown Prosecution Service, 2010). This is the definition will be the one used for this paper because it is the one that comes from the courts. Definition of Crime The definition of crime is complex because its definition will relate to the individual's offense. Sammon (n.d.) states that the word crime is difficult to define because it covers a variety of acts that have nothing in common necessarily except that they are punishable by law if they are carried out by an individual. The easiest definition comes from the Oxford Dictionary (2011) which describes crime as a noun and defines it as 'an action or omission which constitutes offence and is punishable by law'. A crime can be anything from shoplifting to murder. Each offence h as its own definition in the court system. This is a simple definition and will be used in this paper to refer to generic crimes. Crime and General Mental Disorders The challenge for both of these definitions is the fact that everything about them is dependent on the circumstances in each situation. Many people believe that a defence that states that an individual who has a mental disorder should be excused for committing a crime because at the time of the crime, they had a mental breakdown due to a mental disorder. However, the empirical evidence does not support this idea. Sirotich (2008) reviewed several studies about crime and violence to see whether there is a correlation with mental illness. He found that most of the literature suggests that the best

Napoleon Exiled to Elba Essay Example for Free

Napoleon Exiled to Elba Essay * 1812 Napoleon launches an invasion against the Russians * 1814, Napoleon forces surrendered and he offered to step down in favor of his son * His offer was rejected and he signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau, he agreed to abdicate in exchange for which he was given the tiny Kingdom of Ebla, a small island in the Mediterranean Sea * May 3, 1814 Napoleon arrives on the island of Elba   He brought ambitious plans to reform government and a personal escorts of 1000 men, and a household of staff * An island of 12,000 inhabitants in the Mediterranean, 20 km off the Tuscan coast * Napoleon attempted suicide with a pill he had carried since a near-capture by Russians on the retreat from Moscow however, its potency had weakened with age, and he survived to be exiled while his wife and son took refuge in Austria * Evening of February 26 , 1815 Napoleon takes advantage of temporary absence of the English custodian, Colonel Campbell * Under the cover of night, he silently slipped away with a from the island and returned to the mainland * He traveled through areas where he knew he had support and about 500,000 volunteers joined him * Escapes with a small army and headed to Paris, proclaimed the renewal of his empire * The French may have found Louis XVIII reasonable, however, they feared the royalists and clergy who were attacking the reforms that had come into effect since 1789 * Also the magic of Napoleon’s name and the glory of his rule been forgotten Battle of Waterloo   Return of Napoleon united the powers at Vienna, and agreed to raise and army under the Duke of Wellington * June 8, 1815 near the town of Waterloo, Belgium the 100 days campaign starts * June 8, 1815 near the town of Waterloo, Belgium 100 days campaign starts * June 18, 1815 Duke of Wellington occupied the ridge of Mont St. Jean (south of Waterloo) and Napoleon was at La Belle Alliance across the valley * Duke of Wellington had inexperienced infantry, cavalry and had 156 cannon and standard gun for infantry * Napoleon built his army on short notice with veterans, peasants and conscripts * The French army under fire from the garrisons at LA Haye Sainte and despite heavy casualties at 11:30am the French launched diversionary attack on Hougoumont * An allied line that hid behind the ridge

Sustainable Development Policies Can Reduce Urbanization Problems Essay

Cities all over the world are developing. This urbanization process is causing a number of problems and can be met by sustainable development policies. In the beginning, it is important to know what is the reason for urbanization. Most people move to the city because they want to get a better life. Another important term is a sustainable development. There are some definitions for sustainable development, but simply they say that sustainable development is a development which using resources now and preserving them for future generations (Adams, 1999, p.137). This concept has been agreed internationally at a Rio Conference in 1992 to be implemented by all government policies which mostly known as â€Å"Agenda 21† principles (Adams, 1999, p.141). This paper will show that traffic jams and housing problems caused by urbanization can be met by sustainable development policies. The structure of this paper will first explain the situation that leads to traffic jams and housing prob lems. Next, it will elaborate the sustainable development solutions, implications for the solutions, and evaluations how effective the sustainable development solutions solved the problems. A general situation of urbanization trend in developing countries and developed countries is increasing. In 18th Century only 3% of the world total population lived in urban areas but as projected in 2000 this number will increase at above 50% (UN as cited in Elliot, 1999, p. 144). According to UN (as cited in Elliot, 1999, p.144), it is figured that the total urban population in developing countries has increased from around 400 millions people in 1950 to around 2000 millions people in 2000. At the same time, total urban population in developed countries is double from ... ... high rise public housing, and control population growth, being implemented together should be sufficient enough to solve the housing problem brought by urbanization. In conclusion, increasing urbanization trend in the world has given rise to traffic jams and housing problems. These problems can be solved by sustainable development policies such as public transport investment, traffic management system, car control, develop new towns, build high rise public housing, and population growth control. As a result, most of the problems are solved, manageable or minimized. Although some solutions are considered better than others, having integrated solutions may have a more effective way to solve the problems. Future generations will suffer if the government did not implement the policies. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to implement them as soon as possible.

Impact of Computers on Children :: Exploratory Essays

Impact of Computers on Children Children growing up in this generation are experiencing a greater impact from computers than in the past. In the past, children and adult, could make a life without a computer, as it wasn’t a necessity or found to be all that useful from time to time. A higher level of dependency on these computers has been established, and society only has more to come in the future. The technology that comes with these complex machines is becoming more developed and is making everyday tasks simpler for most. Computers have changed our nation in many ways, from the way we operate to the accessibility of worldwide resources such as the Internet we use frequently today. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the fluctuation of the influence of computers on a child’s education in their early years, as it has been in the past, how it is in the present, and how it might be in the future. First of all, the computer’s role in society has increased significantly throughout recent years. In the past, a computer was mostly used for minor tasks, such as typing a paper or playing a game for leisure. A child could rarely be found sitting in front of a monitor screen, and they usually didn’t even know how to operate the machine. Software games were on the market, but were not very popular for purchase. Usually the more developed households and higher-class families were the ones that contained a computer at home, but mostly adults were found to be the users. Many families found it easy to do without one, as they were mostly used for typing, and typewriters or handwriting took their place. In the past, computers went without the Internet, were extremely slow, and weren’t capable of much of anything.

Louis Vuitton Case

Louis Vuitton : New product introductions vs. product availability Introduction Louis Vuitton is a part of the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Group. Being the core business, Louis Vuitton is the most famous brand not only in the group, but also in the fashion industry. It is well-known for its quality and design. Most of the Louis Vuitton consumers are wealthy people, who expect premium products regardless to the price. Considering this fact, Louis Vuitton may implement a strategy, which ensures availability of the products at any time and provide the clients with the best possible customer service.In the past, Louis Vuitton faced the out-of-stock problem and it has not been solved yet. As a consequence, the company loses not only sales but also reduces its reputation. Managers realized that consumers’ satisfaction is one of the most important aspects for a company in order to continue being successful, gain high profits and reputation. The source of the out-of stock problem in L ouis Vuitton causes some disagreements between the company’s vice president for marketing and sales and the vice president for manufacturing and logistics.The first one states his opinion that the lack of flexibility and responsiveness is the base of the problem, while the second one blames the recent increase in new product introductions and the poor forec asting of demand. We will investigate these different problems and how Louis Vuitton can solve them by aligning the manufacturing process and marketing activities in the most efficient way. Supply Chain Strategy Consumers of luxury products have high expectations regarding the products? quality and design. Furthermore, the consumers want to be provided with a omplete shopping experience, when they purchase a Louis Vuitton handbag for 3 000 Euros or a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes for 1 000 Euros. An essential part of this shopping experience is the product itself. Therefore, Louis Vuitton? s supply chain has to be set up in making demanded products available, wherever and whenever they are demanded by a consumer. Unfortunately, Louis Vuitton is able to have around 98% of all demanded products from classic product lines available at their store . But if consumers request a product of one of Louis Vuitton? fashion lines, which are newly and less frequently introduced product lines, the rate of available products decreases roughly to 80%. Louis Vuitton products are bought due to the quality of the goods. Thanks to online stores, consumers use to easily purchase a desired good on the Internet. On the one hand, it saves consumer’s time; on the other hand, the probability of a potential out-of-stock problem is reduced, because o nce the purchase is realized, the company is able to react in a several ways to deliver the product.It can send the product from a store or from different warehouses, depending on where the consumer is located and where the item is available at that time. Moreover, Louis Vuitt on could improve its capacity strategy. Managers have to decide how to organize manufacturing in the most efficient way that a maximum number of units are produced for a time period. Currently, employees working for Louis Vuitton are divided into groups and each group is able to produce 120 hand bags per day.However, considering the out-of-stock problem, one can assume that it is not the sufficient quantity to meet the demand and a solution has to be found. In order to increase the capacity, Louis Vuitton has to increase the labor force. In that way, Louis Vuitton will be able to increase its manufacturing capacity and potentially solve the out-of-stock problem. Inventory Strategy Louis Vuitton has to decide whether to reduce the inventory in order to avoid additional costs induced by required inventory space in the stores or to increase the availability of demanded products.Undeniably, inventory must be as close to the stores as possible. This implies that if a certain product is o ut-of-stock it can be quickly delivered and satisfies consumer wants. Moreover, inventories should be kept in regional warehouses and that would also help Louis Vuitton to react in the most flexible way t o fluctuations in demand. For instance, if the store in Tokyo is out -of-stock, it would be easier to report about the problem to the nearest warehouse rather than to the main one in France. It will result in shortening the lead time. As a consequence, Louis Vuitton has to be constantly aware of the stock level.This can be achieved by the introduction of a continuous review system, which is used to manage independent demand of inventory and monitors the inventory level of any item constantly to release reorders, when the reorder point is reached. Thus, the company will be able to solve the problem once a higher than expected demand is realized. The most efficient strategy for Louis Vuitton should be larger inventories in the regional warehouses at higher prices. Sourcing Decisions Louis Vuitton is well known for being creative, innovative and looking for the excellence.Since Louis Vuitton was established in 1854, the core competencies of the company have always been des ign and quality, they perfectly correspond to the aim of Louis Vuitton to be one of the market leaders in the fashion industry. On the one hand, the classical collections have not been changed for years, and therefore being a symbol of elegance and prestige. On the other hand, fashion and collections constantly change in order to be modern. Quality is the second core competence the company uses to be one of the best brands in the industry.To provide the customers with the best, Louis Vuitton uses high quality raw materials, which is the first step to a qualified final product. Furthermore, employees involved in the manufacturing process do 80% of their task manually. It is more costly and time consuming, but is highly valued by the consumers. Considering these facts, Louis Vuitton needs to mak e the right sourcing decisions. First, the company should keep the designing and manufacturing activities sourced in, because these activities are the most important regarding Lou is Vuitton? creation of value. Second, I think distribution activities can be sourced out. The company should use firms, such as TNT, DHL, UPS, etc†¦ Louis Vuitton can choose among a variety of distributors in each country and select the most reliable one, which provides good delivery and service for a given price level. Warehouses are another part of the supply chain which can be sourced out. Renting a warehouse implies a smaller investment for Louis Vuitton and enables them to be more flexible.The out-of-stock problem that Louis Vuitton is facing can be solved by placing warehouses in regions with high population. Moreover, according to the fact that the company requires high quality raw materials, but not all of the existing suppliers offer sufficient qua lity; one possible solution is the implemen tation of the single sourcing. This means that Louis Vuitton depends on only one firm for all items needed for producing their leather goods. However, this can be extremely risky, because of the probability of un expected situations such workers’ strike.Another solution may be the multiple sourcing strategy. This implies that Louis Vuitton relies on many suppliers, but the associated risk with this type of strategy is that many firms become familiar with the core competencies of Louis Vuitton and it is possible to use these competencies for their own businesses. Finally, the most suitable sourcing strategy in the case of Louis Vuitton seems to be the dual sourcing strategy. It means that Louis Vuitton uses two suppliers, which serve the needs of the firm proportionally.Both of them are willing to have the leader position on behalf of higher revenues. This situation is advantageous for Louis Vuitton, because it can assure that because of the competition between the suppliers, they will be always supplie d with premium quality raw materials on a particular pric e level. Logistics One of the main aspects of the logistics system is the distribution. Most companies aim at minimizing their distribution costs and Louis Vuitton is not an exception. This is the reason why the company uses the multimodal solution.Therefore, Louis Vuitton combines transpor tation by sea, air and road. The advantage of cargo ships is that they can transfer big quantities on long distances. Moreover, Louis Vuitton operates in different continents and thus it is of great importance to ship in a cost effective way. The water transport provides efficient services at low prices. However, in specific situations such as rush orders, it is more rational to use airfreight. It can increase the costs but it guarantees that the company avoids the out-of-stock problem and satisfies customers? and consumers? wants.The distribution system, on its side, has a great impact on the location of wareho uses. For instance, the main centralized logistics warehouse in Cergy Pontoise is located near Paris, in France. The capital of France facilitates t he headquarters of Louis Vuitton as well as it is a city with high demand in fashion products. These are maybe some of the reasons why Louis Vuitton chose to situate its central distribution center. But, shipping from France to other countries may imply long customer lead time, which is the required time between the customer’s order and the delivery of this product.To shorten it Louis Vuitton could benefit from spot stock warehousing. Shortening the lead time is one of the most important aims of the companies, because of the fact that goods are available in the stores just at the time consumers demand them. One way for Louis Vuitton doing that is to decrease the overproduction of goods with lower demand. The second possible solution is the implementation of more frequent shipments of smaller quantities. This could be more effecti ve in combination with an improved forecasting system.It has the potential to reduce costs by not keeping fewer goods in stock, which are not highly demanded. Moreover, to avoid the out-of-stock problem, Louis Vuitton should interact and understand the preferences of the consumer. Louis Vuitton could do it via tracking the last purchases. In this way the company can recognize if a certain customer is willing to buy goods from the classical or from the modern collections. And Louis Vuitton can progressively improve its forecasting activities in order to know which collections have to be produced and which inventory has to be increased.Conclusion To improve the alignment between manufacturing and marketing, Louis Vuitton has to consider several factors. First, giving the present out-of-stock problem combined with the expected growth rates, the company has to increase their manufacturing capacity, based on the expected growth rate for the overall industry and for the different regions as well. In order to achieve that, they should add more labor force. More groups of workers will lead to increased production and therefore increased inventory in the warehouses.This would result in greater availability of products in retail stores and solve the out-of-stock problem. In addition, larger inventory of product enables Louis Vuitton to be responsive to increasing demand in peak times as well as providing the opportunity to focus on the production of newly introduced products and the satisfactions of its demand. Furthermore, Louis Vuitton should consider decreasing the introduction of new fashion lines in order to avoid disruptions of manufacturing and su pply chain activities caused by changes in the manufacturing process due to newly introduced products.Second, by improving the forecasting tools, Louis Vuitton should be more accurate in estimating the future demand for specific products. Moreover, Louis Vuitton should forecast more often and for shorter time periods. L ouis Vuitton should continue to insource the leather good production and use the dual sourcing strategy for purchasing raw materials. Finally, the group should introduce marketing tools in order to interact more with the consumers and to forecast the demand.

Ibn Battuta and Mali Essay Example

Ibn Battuta and Mali Essay Example Ibn Battuta and Mali Essay Ibn Battuta and Mali Essay Mali tradition was full with ceremonials that highlighted gracious gift-giving. particular respect to their leaders and changeless congratulations of God that were indispensable and important parts of their political relations and civilization. Upon reaching in Mali. Ibn Battuta was met by his host along with prominent residents which included the qadi and a tribunal translator. Dugha. They brought with them hospitality gifts. Battuta felt most welcomed and by manner of thanks asked for God to honor them for their kindness. Their best dish was served Battuta. He was to run into the grand Turk. following. who gave a munificent banquet to honour Battuta’s late grand Turk of Morocco. After the supplications he was presented to the grand Turk who greeted him with Give thanks to God and his answer was Praise be to God. He received a cordial reception gift from the grand Turk which included robes of award. money. 3 bars of staff of life. a piece of beef fried in native oil. and a calabash of rancid curds. There was gaudery and pageantry when the sultan held audience at the courtyard. The people obeyed his every word and gave him their full attending when he spoke. Dugha was given his bend to demo his art with the blades. The grand Turk gifted him with a bag incorporating 200 withqals of gold dust. The commanding officers took their bends of gift-giving to Dugha. After his exhibition. it was the sultan’s bend to be exalted in verse forms. The people began with The pompi which you occupy †¦ followed by a recitation of his baronial workss. which they said memories [ of ] will outlast you. Once the grand Turk was visited by negro man-eaters in the company of one of their emirs. The grand Turk by usage received them with honor along with a negress retainer as cordial reception gift. They devoured the retainer and left after they gave thanks to the grand Turk. At the terminal of his travels. Battuta came to see the Commander of the Faithful which he wished that May God strengthen him when Battuta kissed his manus in salutation. Reference Battuta. I. ( 1929 ) . Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354. tr. and ed. H. A. R. Gibb. London: Broadway House.

Best Unsecured Credit Cards for People With Bad Credit

Best Unsecured Credit Cards for People With Bad Credit SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Having a poor credit score can feel like you’re caught in a catch-22. You need a credit card to improve your score, but it’s hard to get a credit card without a good score. Luckily, there are credits cards available for people with poor credit. Once you get one of these cards, you can use it to build your credit score over time. This guide will give you recommendations for the best credit cards for people with bad credit, along with some tips on how to apply. Click here to go straight to the credit card recommendations, or first, read on to learn what makes a bad credit score and why it matters. What Is Bad Credit? Credit scores range from 300 to 850. Your score is based on a number of factors, including your credit history, payment history, outstanding debt, and account inquiries from lenders, like credit card companies or banks. Defaulting on loans or closing a credit card that still has a balance on it are two actions that could seriously damage your credit score. You might also have a low score if you’re new to the world of credit and have never had a credit card before. Credit scores below 630 are considered to be very low. Scores between 630 and 700 are fair and between 700 and 800 are strong. Any scores above 800 are excellent. To find out your score, you simply need to set up a free account with Credit Karma. You can also request a comprehensive credit report from one of the three major credit bureaus, TransUnion, Equifax, or Experian. You can get one free report each year by requesting it from annualcreditreport.com. Any additional reports cost $9.95. Your credit score matters big time when you apply for any kind of credit card or loan. Why is it so important? Maybe we shouldn't call a credit score under 630 "bad." Rather, it's a work in progress! Why Does Your Credit Score Matter? Credit scores are a key factor when a credit card company or bank is evaluating your application for a credit card or loan. Lenders consider your past financial behavior to be an indication of your future behavior. They seek to reduce risk, so they only want to lend you money if they feel assured that you can eventually pay it back. The better your credit score is, the higher your credit line will be. You’ll also be eligible for more attractive credit cards that have low fees or rewards, like cash back or travel points. With a low credit score, your application for most travel rewards cards would be rejected outright. However, people will low scores can still qualify for certain credit cards and then use the card to build up their credit over time. With a low score, you may qualify for a secured or unsecured credit card. Lenders look at your credit score when deciding whether to give you a loan. They aren't big risk-takers. What Kind of Credit Card Can You Get With Bad Credit? Secured Vs. Unsecured If your credit score is the lowest of the low, then you’ll probably only be able to get what’s called a secured credit card. Secured credit cards require a deposit up front. Some of them act as prepaid debit cards. You load them up with a certain amount of money at the beginning of the month and then spend that money where the card is accepted. Secured credit cards have low limits and require up-front cash-loading or deposit. If you can qualify for a regular, unsecured card with bad credit, then you should skip this initial step of getting a secured card, unless you really need to set low, strict spending limits on yourself or can't afford an annual fee. Unsecured credit cards are just like any other credit card. They typically start with a line of credit of about $300 per month. As you build your credit over time, your monthly line of credit will increase. Unfortunately, you won’t get a credit card with the most appealing terms if you have poor credit. The unsecured cards recommended below have the best policies available and can help you build your credit into the fair or good zone. Read on for the top recommendations for the best unsecured credit cards for poor credit. Secured credit cards are useful if you need to set strict limits on your spending. 5 Best Unsecured Credit Cards for People with Bad Credit in 2016 The five cards recommended below are the best unsecured credit cards for people with bad credit available. Each card lets you fill out a quick and easy form online to see if you prequalify. The top five cards are the following: Credit One Bank Unsecured Visa* Indigo Platinum Mastercard Milestone Gold Mastercard Total VISA Unsecured Card Platinum One Credit Card (for average credit) *The Credit One Bank Visa stands out as the best overall unsecured credit card, because it gives you some rewards and may increase your line of credit after five months of on-time payments. The remaining credit cards for poor credit offer more or less equal benefits, so you should shop around to see where you prequalify. Let’s take a closer look at the terms of each unsecured credit card. Credit One Bank Unsecured Visa Credit Card The Credit One Visa is a rare card available to people with poor credit that gives rewards. With this card, you can earn 1% cash back on gas and groceries. The card has an annual fee of $0 to $75 the first year and $0 to $99 annually after that, depending on your credit score and income. You may be able to pay this fee back monthly, rather than as one lump sum at the end of the year. The card offers a monthly credit score tracking service so you can keep track of your progress toward a stronger credit score. It comes with a rather high variable interest rate of 15.65% to 24.15%, but the interest rate shouldn’t really matter. To build your credit and avoid debt, you should never carry a balance over on your credit card from one month to the next. Always pay off your full balance every month to avoid penalty and steep interest charges. A typical beginning line of credit for someone with a low credit score is $300. This might increase after five or more months of on-time payments. After five months of on-time payments, Credit One should increase your credit line. Pro tip: count your months by the Gregorian calendar, not the Mayan one. Indigo Platinum Mastercard The Indigo Platinum Mastercard is an increasingly popular card that’s available to people with a range of credit scores. Like the Credit One card, the Indigo card offers online account access and has an easy pre-qualification process online. A typical starting line of credit is $300, and the card has an annual fee of $0 to $99. The APR is fixed at 23.9%. Unlike the Credit One card, the Indigo card doesn’t offer any rewards back on your purchases. Milestone Gold Mastercard The Milestone Gold card similarly has a fixed APR of 23.9% and a typical starting line of credit of $300. The annual fee falls between $35 and $99. Total VISA Unsecured Credit Card The Total VISA has the highest APR of 29.99%. It has a fee of $75 for the first year and $48 annually after that. Like the other unsecured credit cards for low credit, the typical starting line of credit is $300. Capital One Platinum Card If your credit has started to climb out of the red zone and surpassed 600, then you might qualify for the Capital One Platinum card. This card is available for people with a credit score of 600 or higher. It has no annual fee, 24.99% APR, and fraud coverage. A typical starting credit limit falls between $200 and $500, and this can increase after five or so months of on time monthly payments. Now that you have a sense of the best unsecured credit cards, what do you do next? How do you apply for one of these cards? Even with bad credit, you have options for credit cards! How to Apply for an Unsecured Credit Card You can easily apply for a credit card online. First, head to the company’s website and go through its quick pre-qualification process. While this survey isn’t the be-all and end-all word on whether or not you qualify, it gives you an idea of your eligibility based on your income level. You’ll enter your personal information, including your salary and social security number. Going through this pre-qualification check, by the way, won’t hurt your credit score. Your credit score will only be affected when the company runs a hard check to see whether you officially qualify and you open an account. If you prequalify, then you’ll go through the full process of applying for the card. Only fill out a full application for one card, so as not to hurt your credit score. Once you apply and are approved, your card will be mailed out to you within one to two weeks. If your credit score and salary are too low, and you find yourself ineligible for any of the above cards, then you do have one more option - getting a secured credit card. Easy online pre-qualification forms give you a sense of whether or not you'll be approved a credit card. What If You Don’t Qualify? If you don’t qualify for an unsecured credit card with bad credit, then you should look into secured credit cards. As mentioned above, secured cards require a deposit up front, or they ask you to prepay and then spend the money that’s already loaded onto your card. While they’re a little different from other cards, secured credit cards will help you build credit until you’re able to get a regular, unsecured card. These are some of the best secured credit cards: Discover It Secured Card Capital One Secured Mastercard Secured Visa from Merrick Bank USAA Secured Card American Express If you want to set strict limits on your spending with a prepaid debit card, then look into the secured cards from Bluebird or American Express Serve. Once you get your credit card, how can you use it in the best way to build your credit? How to Use Your Credit Card and Build Credit Building and maintaining good credit isn’t about avoiding a credit card; it’s about using one well. Using a card well requires you to follow one rule of thumb: never carry a balance on your card from month to month. Don’t expect that you’ll have more to spend next month than you do this month. Only buy what you can pay off in cash immediately on the card, and make sure to pay off your full balance by each payment due date. As you read above, on-time payments will help you build credit, and your credit card company may offer you a bigger line of credit as time goes on. How can you be sure that you’re staying within your budget? This kind of awareness comes from developing a budget and keeping track of your daily and monthly spending. There are several apps, like YNAB and Mint, that are useful for helping you keep track and gain control of your personal finances. In closing, let’s go over the key points you should remember about the unsecured credit cards that are available to people with poor credit. Rome wasn't built in a day! With enough time and effort, you can build your credit score into the good or excellent range. Unsecured Credit Cards for Bad Credit - Final Thoughts If you have bad credit, you aren’t going to be eligible for a $10,000 line of credit and 2% cash back on all your purchases. However, you may become eligible eventually by first getting one of the secured or unsecured credit cards that are on offer to people with low credit card. Unsecured cards typically have an annual fee and start with a line of credit of around $300 a month. By making on-time payments month after month, you’ll see your credit score go up and may eventually qualify for a larger line of credit. If you don’t already, make sure to check your credit score and understand where it comes from. Then, you can come up with a plan to take control of your personal finances and build your credit score into the fair, good, or even excellent range. By shoring up your credit score with one of the best credit cards for bad credit, you’ll put yourself in a much better financial position for future credit card, loan, or mortgage applications. What’s Next? Is your credit score high enough that you could qualify for other credit cards? Check out this guide to find the best credit card for you based on your personal spending habits. Do you feel like your spending has gotten out of control? This guide will help you reign it back in with seven steps to taking control of your personal finances. Would you like to start saving money for a big purchase or perhaps a retirement account? This comprehensive list has 100 different ways for you to start saving money today.

Core Concepts of the Four Traditions of Geography

Core Concepts of the Four Traditions of Geography Geographer William D. Pattison introduced his four traditions of geography at the annual convention of the National Council for Geographic Education in 1963. With these precepts, Pattison sought to define the discipline by establishing a common vocabulary in the geographic community at large. His goal was to create a lexicon of basic geographical concepts so that the work of academics could be easily interpreted by laymen. The four traditions are the Spatial or Locational Tradition, the Area Studies or Regional Tradition, the Man-Land Tradition, and the Earth Science Tradition. Each of these traditions is interrelated, and they are often used in conjunction with one another, rather than alone. Spatial or Locational Tradition The core concept behind the Spatial Tradition of geography relates to the in-depth analysis of the particulars of a place- such as the distribution of one aspect over an area- using quantitative techniques and tools that might include such things as computerized mapping and geographic information systems, spatial analysis and patterns, aerial distribution, densities, movement, and transportation. The Locational Tradition attempts to explain the course of human settlements in terms of location, growth, and in relation to other locales. Area Studies or Regional Tradition Unlike the Spatial Tradition, the Area Studies Tradition determines as much as it is possible to glean about a particular place in order to define,  describe, and differentiate it from other regions or areas. World regional geography, along with international trends and relationships are at its center. Man-Land Tradition The focus of the Man-Land Tradition is the study of the relationship between human beings and the land they live on. Man-Land looks not only at the impact people impose on their local environment but conversely, at how natural hazards can influence human life. Along with addition population geography, the tradition also takes into account the ramifications that cultural and political practices have on the given area of study as well. Earth Science Tradition The Earth Science Tradition is the study of planet Earth as the home to humans and its systems. Along with the physical geography of the planet, focuses of study include such things as how the planets location in the solar system affects its seasons (this is also known as Earth-sun interaction) and how changes in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere impact human life on the planet. Offshoots of the Earth Science Tradition of geography are geology, mineralogy, paleontology, glaciology, geomorphology, and meteorology. What Did Pattison Leave Out? In response to the four traditions, in the mid-1970s, researcher J. Lewis Robinson noted that Pattisons model left out several important aspects of geography, such as the factor of time as it relates to historical geography and  cartography (mapmaking). Robinson wrote that by dividing geography into these categories- while admitting consistent themes do run through all four- Pattisons precepts lacked a unifying focus. Robinson did, however, concede that Pattison had done a good job of creating a framework for the discussion of the philosophical tenets of geography.   As a result, while its not the be all and end all, most geographic studies are likely to at least begin with Pattisons traditions. While not perfect, they have nonetheless become essential to the study of geography since first being adopted. Many of the more recent specialized areas of geographic study are, in essence, new and improved versions- reinvented and using better tools- of Pattisons original ideas.

Business Report On Coca-cola Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Report On Coca-cola Company - Essay Example Three factors which will be discussed in the report will be addressing the erosion of the profitability of the company. The factors include profit and nonprofit competition, actual or threat of potential entry and competition by products from outside the company. The report will also address the extent to which the coca-cola company has economic power to charge higher prices. Last the report will detail the strategies the company has employed to remain competitive in the market. Profit is the financial benefit realized when the difference between income and expenses yields an amount that is capable of sustaining the business activity. Profitability therefore is measured using income and expenses and this is the primary goal on any business venture. Price and non price competition, actual or threat of potential entry by competitors and competing products from outside the company are the immediate concerns in this context and therefore are adequately elaborated. The purpose of this report is to provide information for the management of the coca-cola and affiliates about the extent to which price or non price competition, actual or potential threat to entry in the industry by competitors and competing products from outside the company erode the profitability of coca-cola company. The report also addresses the extent to which the company have economic power to charge higher prices and lastly, strategies the company has put forth to remain competitive in the market. ... INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to provide information for the management of the coca-cola and affiliates about the extent to which price or non price competition, actual or potential threat to entry in the industry by competitors and competing products from outside the company erode the profitability of coca-cola company. The report also addresses the extent to which the company have economic power to charge higher prices and lastly, strategies the company has put forth to remain competitive in the market. Coca-cola Company is a multinational business whose headquarters is in America. Coca-cola manufactures, markets, retails and wholesales non alcoholic beverages and concentrates. The company was founded by Assa Griggs candler in 1892 and its headquarters based in Atlanta,CA. Ever since, the company has been on operation despite numerous challenges she has faced. Five major topics make up this report. To what extent does price or non price competition erode the profitabil ity of the company? To what extent does actual or potential threat erode the profitability of the company? To what extent does competing products from outside the company erode the profitability of the company? To what extent does Coca-Cola Company have economic power to charge higher prices? The strategies the coca-cola company has used to remain competitive in the ever changing global community. All these factors are discussed elaborately and adequately. PRICE AND NON-PRICE COMPETITION. Price competition is a situation where a company cuts the price of the product and instead offers it at a lower rate than usual. The price cut could be due to the company’s own volition or as a

Researh paper exploring overtime among salaried government employees Research

Researh exploring overtime among salaried government employees - Research Paper Example The Fair Labor Standards Act also advocates for bonus pay as part of workers’ salary. Extra payment and compensatory time for employees should be discussed by the employee and employer (Stone, 2005). This paper will look at a case involving a director of agency and employees who are demanding compensatory time, Florida administrative codes that focus on overtime, and how the agency can deal with such issues. Question 1 Compensatory time is an alternate method of paying overtime to employees for time worked over 40 hours for nonexempt workers. As a result, compensatory time should be agreed upon in advance as overtime. Moreover, there is a similarity between Compensatory principles and overtime principles. Compensatory time is only given to nonexempt workers as an alternative to compensation for the work they do overtime. In addition, employees are prohibited from working additional hours so that they can attain compensatory time off for utilization in the future. The directors ’ complaints are invalid. This is because workers of local organizations’ do not enjoy the privilege of compensatory time. Compensatory time should be an agreement between employees and employers (Ulrich, 1996). This will facilitate employers to pay employees their compensation in the form of compensatory time instead of actual payment for overtime. Nevertheless, the agreement between employers and employees before the employees engage in overtime work. Additionally, employees must voluntarily and deliberately accept to be paid in compensatory time instead of actual payment in case of overtime work. The employees must also be aware that the compensatory time is not guaranteed; it may be eliminated, preserved, or employed according to the rules on the same. In addition, employees who request compensatory time are the only ones who are permitted to enjoy the benefits. The compensatory time can only be awarded if the request time is appropriate and does not affect the dep artment’s operations (Stone, 2005). From these instances, it is evident that the directors’ claims are invalid. From the different viewpoints, the agency employees have not met the requirements for receiving compensatory time. We are not informed of a contract between the management and workers on compensatory time as a means of compensation for overtime work. Question 2 The directors of the agency do not have a valid claim on compensatory time. According to The Florida Administrative code section 112.061(6), organizations or agencies should pay the employees according to their regular time rate per hour. The normal working hours for excluded employees, including holidays, weekends, and additional time in which the employee receives payment, and time in official, overtime. Moreover, the Florida Administrative code maintain that workers who occupy excluded employment positions in the senior management service and an individual exempt service, for example, the agency adm inistrators, recognized as excluded career service employees, are supposed to perform their duties in relation the rules of the agency (Ulrich, 1996). In this case, the agency does not incorporate compensatory time as a form of overtime payment. Question 3 The agency should create a labor department to examine and compile employee information on working hours, wages, and additional

Material Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Material Science - Essay Example Graphene is another example of a nano-structural material that is being used in the optic and electronic industry, due to its high energy capacity and also the high rate of charge. Scanning probe microscope works through the use of a physical probe that scans specimens and then provides the recorded data that is depicted in the form of a heat map that takes either an orange or a black and white image. Shear stress refers to the force that pushes particles within a liquid, gaseous or solid material in the direction that is parallel to the surface/plane. On the other hand, tensile stress refers to the forces that push a particle on to the other from varied directions. Compressive stress refers to the forces in the materials that push the material particles against one another. A phase diagram offers information related to the structure of a material through graphic presentation, which indicates the relationship between solid, liquids and gaseous state of a material when the material is heat-treated. It offers information regarding at which heat-point the solid state of material changes to liquid, and at which heat-point the liquid changes into gas. Annealing refers to the heat treatment of a material such that it increases its ductility and becomes more workable. Quenching refers to the rapid cooling of a material through immersion into a liquid such as oil or water, to form a certain material property that is activatable in different material states. Austenitizing refers to the heat-treatment of material such that it attains certain hardening characteristic when it is cooled down through quenching. Normalizing is a heat-treatment method for materials that softens the materials without producing the uniformity of the material property. Collision occurs on the event of two signals being sent through the same channel of transmission, such that the signals collide with each other. Packet collision is a form of

Environmental Nuisance Lawsuit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environmental Nuisance Lawsuit - Essay Example We are told that judge has already denied an earlier motion by Chris Lively to dismiss the charges, and will now decide by Bench Trial without jury whether the Common Law offences of nuisance and trespass have been violated in the light of the facts presented. One issue is whether the aroma of the manure being created and processed by the farm is a public nuisance. The second issue is that when there is rainfall, manure being transported across the stonewall leaks out of the pipe and is deposited into a public waterway, the Nishna River, and that the health of the citizens may be jeopardized by this as many people use it as a source of drinking water. Moreover the spillover also renders a nearby park unusable (Elliott & Quinn, 2007). The judge has very carefully noted all the facts and made a judgment which I totally agree with. He has held the owner of Northfield Farm, Chris Lively liable for the runoff caused during the rainstorms and for causing a public nuisance because it goes i nto the public waterway and can very well pose a health risk; besides this the uncontrolled spill of the waste has rendered a public park unusable due to the manure deposits as well as the horrific smell. Chris is guilty of trespassing Sam Anxious’ property because part of the manure was deposited there too due to the leakage of the pipe during the rainfall and the judge directs him to repay Sam the $500 spent by him to clean up the mess caused by the rainfall. Meanwhile since Sam moved into the adjoining property after Northfield Farm was already in operation, he could have reasonably expected that living near such a large farm would require him to put up with the difficulties caused by the aroma. The judge had also decreed that though in his opinion Northfield Farm has made reasonable precautions for holding and transporting the liquid manure across the farm, the inadvertent deposits on Sam Anxious’ property and the nearby park made both these places less usable. He has recognized the distress caused to Sam Anxious and others living near the farm. He also threatens to levy a fine of $1,000 per day on Chris Lively if they do not take additional precautions to respect the rights of others and also directs that the manure and watering be stopped during rainfall as it could pose a health hazard and cause danger to the health and lives of citizens and neighbors (McAdams, 2008). Issues: The legal questions that need to be answered here are: 1. Is there an issue of trespassing caused by the actions of the automatic sprayers on Northfield Farm due to the inadvertent deposits made on Sam Anxious’ adjoining property? Is Chris Lively liable for this and the payment of cleanup costs? 2. Is there an issue of trespassing and public nuisance caused by the leakages observed during the rainstorms, and deposits in the Nishna River? Does it pose a health hazard to users of the water? 3. If the aroma and inadvertent deposits by the sprayers are also causing the public not to use the nearby park, does it constitute a public nuisance caused by Northfield Farm? 4. Is it reasonable to assume that taking up residence near a large farm such as Northfield would automatically entail putting up with the nuisance of the aroma and the inadvertent deposits that Sam Anxious and other residents have to face every day? 5. If there is an inadvertent leakage caused by a leaking pipe or a break in the stonewall or transportation mechanism for the liquid manure, should Chris Lively have to bear the cost every time

Discuss the main factors that have contributed to policy Essay

Discuss the main factors that have contributed to policy liberalisation towards FDI in LDCs during the last three decades - Essay Example is paper seeks to analyze the reasons why most TNCs have in recent decades been proactive in the transfer of technology and R&D activities to developing countries. In addition, the paper will examine the role played by TNCs in world development, through the transfer of technology and R&D activities. In order to fully understand the factors facilitating technological transfer and R&D services to developing countries by TNCs, it is important understand the terms â€Å"technology†, â€Å"technology transfer† and â€Å"R&D†. According to Kiely (1998, pp.58) technology is the methodical knowledge of how to produce goods and services. Technology transfer, therefore, refers to the process of commercially spreading such knowledge. R&D on its part is concerned with the investigation, experimentation, and verification phases of product and service innovation or improvement (ibid). Technology plays a very fundamental role in the development of any country. Accordingly, developing countries consider the acquisition of technology as the surest way to attain development to the level of their developed counterparts. In prior years, most TNCs with the capacity to develop advanced technology were solely located in industrialized countries. Consequently, developing countries were left behind in the development of technology (Roberts, 2008 pp.260). This scenario has however changed in the last twenty years. For any company, whether domestic-based or transnational, the logistics associated with transport and communication is a major influence on operations. Fundamentally, any TNC wishing to set base in a foreign country must first analyze the transport and communication sector of the host country (Ietto-Gilles, 2012 pp.208). Realizing this, most developing countries, through their governments invested a lot in the transport and communication industry in the last two decades. In turn, many TNCs were able to set base in these countries and run their operations smoothly. According to

Environmental Nuisance Lawsuit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environmental Nuisance Lawsuit - Essay Example We are told that judge has already denied an earlier motion by Chris Lively to dismiss the charges, and will now decide by Bench Trial without jury whether the Common Law offences of nuisance and trespass have been violated in the light of the facts presented. One issue is whether the aroma of the manure being created and processed by the farm is a public nuisance. The second issue is that when there is rainfall, manure being transported across the stonewall leaks out of the pipe and is deposited into a public waterway, the Nishna River, and that the health of the citizens may be jeopardized by this as many people use it as a source of drinking water. Moreover the spillover also renders a nearby park unusable (Elliott & Quinn, 2007). The judge has very carefully noted all the facts and made a judgment which I totally agree with. He has held the owner of Northfield Farm, Chris Lively liable for the runoff caused during the rainstorms and for causing a public nuisance because it goes i nto the public waterway and can very well pose a health risk; besides this the uncontrolled spill of the waste has rendered a public park unusable due to the manure deposits as well as the horrific smell. Chris is guilty of trespassing Sam Anxious’ property because part of the manure was deposited there too due to the leakage of the pipe during the rainfall and the judge directs him to repay Sam the $500 spent by him to clean up the mess caused by the rainfall. Meanwhile since Sam moved into the adjoining property after Northfield Farm was already in operation, he could have reasonably expected that living near such a large farm would require him to put up with the difficulties caused by the aroma. The judge had also decreed that though in his opinion Northfield Farm has made reasonable precautions for holding and transporting the liquid manure across the farm, the inadvertent deposits on Sam Anxious’ property and the nearby park made both these places less usable. He has recognized the distress caused to Sam Anxious and others living near the farm. He also threatens to levy a fine of $1,000 per day on Chris Lively if they do not take additional precautions to respect the rights of others and also directs that the manure and watering be stopped during rainfall as it could pose a health hazard and cause danger to the health and lives of citizens and neighbors (McAdams, 2008). Issues: The legal questions that need to be answered here are: 1. Is there an issue of trespassing caused by the actions of the automatic sprayers on Northfield Farm due to the inadvertent deposits made on Sam Anxious’ adjoining property? Is Chris Lively liable for this and the payment of cleanup costs? 2. Is there an issue of trespassing and public nuisance caused by the leakages observed during the rainstorms, and deposits in the Nishna River? Does it pose a health hazard to users of the water? 3. If the aroma and inadvertent deposits by the sprayers are also causing the public not to use the nearby park, does it constitute a public nuisance caused by Northfield Farm? 4. Is it reasonable to assume that taking up residence near a large farm such as Northfield would automatically entail putting up with the nuisance of the aroma and the inadvertent deposits that Sam Anxious and other residents have to face every day? 5. If there is an inadvertent leakage caused by a leaking pipe or a break in the stonewall or transportation mechanism for the liquid manure, should Chris Lively have to bear the cost every time

Essay on Asymmetric Threat and Differences between International and

On Asymmetric Threat and Differences between International and Domestic Terrorism - Essay Example This form of intimidated has caused the nation to suffer economically as the security of the citizens is compromised while working thus affecting productivity. Terrorism is among the asymmetrical risks affecting the United States. The term asymmetrical threat refers to a threat where the group causing the terror is widely spread and operates within a shadowy network. The group is difficult to identify as it is camouflaged within the citizens living in the country. The organized groups are at times well funded and possess technology and weapons that are used to cause terror within the country. In simpler terms, asymmetric treats can be used to refer the technique of warfare that is not fair. The term fair in war can be used to refer to the use of surprise or unconventional weapon during the war. Asymmetric treat is successful mainly due to the use of the attacker’s strength to exploit the opponent’s weakness. Politics plays a significant part in the nature of terrorism w ithin a country. The United States have been attacked by many threats from Muslim nations. The world trade center came under attack from a Pakistani decedent in 1993 called Ramzi Yousef. The group parked an explosive filled rental van in the packing lot of tower one. His idea was to collapse the tower onto the second tower using urea nitrate. The bomb did a lot of  destruction but did not collapse according to Ramzi’s plan (Post, Ruby & Shaw, 2002). The paper will evaluate some of the asymmetric threats in the history of the  US and the cause of action taken by the government to counter these asymmetric threats. The government can act through legislative and executive means. This means that the legislative arm of government can create new law or the executive can make laws responding to the treat. One of the significant asymmetrical threats suffered by the US in the resent past includes the September Eleventh bombing of the trade towers. The threats become eminent due to the influence of the US on foreign Muslim nation and the war against terrorism. Prior to the bombing, a series of bombing aimed towards the US and its allies had been witnessed with bombing in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, claiming a total of 19 US casualties and a significant number of the nations citizens (Post, Ruby & Shaw, 2002). The organization responsible for this attack and the threat was the Al-Qaeda group headed by Osama Bin Laden. On September 11, the group hijacked four passenger airliners and attacked America’s trade center which doubled as a symbol of the nation’s economic and military strength. The air strike resulted to the destruction of the buildings and the  killing of 2,726 people on American soil. The action taken by the legislature was aimed at ensuring that such an attack did not take place again and capturing the mastermind of the attack. The public law 107-40 was among the law passed giving the president the power to use force necessary to elim inate any organization responsible. Laws governing judicial detentions were amended to allow secret detention. The department of homeland security was created during this period. The USA patriotic Act allowed the USA government to interdict terrorist and also a criminal statute against those harboring terrorists (Monaghan, 2000). The post World War II world raised increasing concerns regarding the communism threat. Those accused of communism and involvement with the

Time and Professionalism Essay Example for Free

Time and Professionalism Essay What is professionalism? There are many different forms of professionalism depending on whose opinion of professionalism it is. I will go with my opinion of professionalism. For the thirty years of my life I must say, I have learned a lot about my experiences in life. I’ve learned from myself, I have learned from my friends, and I have learned from mere strangers. I have seen people succeed in their goals. I have seen people fail in their goals. Failing doesn’t mean that you can’t try again. I believe we learn from our mistakes or if you possibly can, learn from others before you commit the same mistake. Well, I have come to a great conclusion. Professionalism plays a major, a very important role in succeeding in life despite of what goal you are trying to reach. To become a doctor there comes a need for a great amount of professionalism. To become a stockbroker, there is a need for people with nothing but a great mind and professionalism. Even to become a professional football player, despite of the great skills you may have to catch a 60 yard pass for a touchdown, there is still a great amount of professionalism expected from that professional wide receiver. Professionalism comes in many different aspects. The first most important aspect of being professional is the mere first image that you present yourself with. I say professionalism starts with your dress code and hygiene. The first detail you will put out to a person meeting you the first thing is that of how you are dressed. You should be dressed up for the occasion you are presenting yourself for. In an interview for example, a man should be dressed with a dark suit with a plain matching tie and decent shoes, also with his hair groomed. The second most important aspect of being professional is how you present yourself! Yes, you may be well groomed, with a perfect elegant suit but, if you do not have the perfect elegant professional attitude, the attire well, does not mean a thing. Professionalism plays a part in every characteristic of any person. So that being said, when being professional make sure you have the proper aura present. Make sure when you meet that important person that will decide your fate that you have a welcoming smile on your face. Make sure you present enough eye contact that you seem very much interested in what that person is trying to offer you and at the same time, not too much eye contact that it may come across to the other person that you are being maybe too cocky. Greet that person with a firm but not too firm handshake. Make sure that interviewer knows that you are comfortable and also make him or her feel just as comfortable. That is a big plus. Although I emphasized that the first impression you make to anyone will determine to the other person on what level your professionalism is to them. Do not forget that consistency is key to life. Yes, your first impression is big and will have a great impact on anyone. Anyone can have a great impression for one day. Can you do it on a daily basis? Can you maintain your characteristics of professionalism? Can you leave a great impression on people every day? This leads me to my third most important aspect of professionalism. Consistency! Although I put it at third most important does not mean that it is not as important as the first two. They play a role together as one. Consistency is big on every part of your personality, characteristic, and statistically. Are you prepared to be dressed professional at all times despite of whatever affair you may have? Are you willing to dress to the occasion? Are you prepared to have a great attitude and personality at all times, despite of what personal issues you may have? Can you keep that smile on your face and a positive attitude? Are you able to keep your good grades at all times? Are you able to have a 100% attendance? Can you show me 100% effort every day? Yes you have to have a great attitude and be dressed accordingly at all times but, can you do this 99. 9 percent of the time. This is what people look for in a professional. Someone they can rely on. There is one thing people tend to forget when talking about professionalism. Everyone has free personal time to enjoy their lively hood. There is no objecting to that. But do not forget that although you are on your own free personal time that there is not anyone watching you. As a famous musician once said, â€Å"the streets is watching†. There are always eyes on you if you are in a public place. You cannot everyday go to work and display a personality of professionalism, then go out to a club and be the worst most obnoxious person ever. Well you can. But I bet you didn’t see your assistant manager on the other side of that club watching you with astonishment! That one mistake may have cost you your whole chance of becoming the next person to being promoted in that company. That is why I say consistency is key. You cannot be professional in places where you think may only matter. Once you take a career that involves you being professional, you must always display that same amount of professionalism at all times. When you are at work, when you’re out at the park, when you’re at the movies, at a bar, anywhere you go you must be professional at all times. This does not mean you cannot have fun. You can have fun and be professional. Just as long as you present yourself in a respectable fashion. I personally will display all these aspects to my experiences in my future for my externship. I have learned a lot about myself and my experiences. I must admit. Most times I have not lived in a professional manner. I am now seeing things in different light. I am seeking the respect of a different group of people than in my past. I know that with all being said above. Without me living up to my knowledge and words I cannot succeed in my field of study so now it comes to that point that I will have to have a great output in my personality, my dress code, and I have to be consistent at all times. I have not been perfect, and I know no one is but I can only try! So after this report I will sit back and evaluate my little theory in professionalism and understand. I can’t only talk about it. I will be about it!!!!!

The goals needed in planned change

The goals needed in planned change There are many goals of a planned change. Basically the goals are aimed to improve the ability of the organisation to adjust to changes happening in the environment. Change in employees behavior is expected and these changes to lead to improvement in organizational effectiveness and efficiency. In this assignment we will discuss a case study on the strategic change management in the AEGON Company. As we have discussed in the training presentation the different aspects and reasons of strategic change management and the process of strategic change management involves developing an innovative vision for where the company needs to be, and then developing an equally innovative path for achieving the goal. This can only be done through the combined effort of all the company, its employees and the stakeholders. The discussion of this case reflects the following points: Develop systems to involve stakeholders in the planning of change and develop a change management strategy with stakeholders. Evaluation of the systems used to involve stakeholders in the planning of change. Explanation of what systems and processes would need to be/have been developed to ensure involvement of the stakeholders in the change. Strategy creation for managing resistance to change Review of the effectiveness of management actions to overcome any identified instances of resistance Discussion of the most important features in the successful implementation of organizational change, drawing upon at least two organizational models Plan to implement a model for change and develop appropriate measures to monitor progress. With the changing prospects of customers, organizations persistently require to adapt to stay competitive. Managers might look for situations which are common to them when experience pressures for change. It involves civilizing the traditions in which they function, gradually. This is incremental change. But improving gradually may not be adequate. The need is to adjust to all of the main changes in the surroundings. Lack of it results in strategic drift. When a company undergoes strategic drift, it does not make tough and major decisions to deal effectively with all of the changes in its business environment. Managers within the organization have to accept the change completely to let alone strategic drift. It results in a responsive organisation. (AEGON-Embracing and pursuing change, n.d.) AEGON Group is one of the worlds largest life insurance and pensions companies. AEGON owns pensions, life insurance, asset management and adviser businesses in the UK. The AEGON Group has 27,000 employees and over 25 million customers worldwide. Its major markets are in the USA and Netherlands. Since 1994, the UK has become another major and increasingly important market. In 1994 AEGON bought a large stake in Scottish Equitable. Scottish Equitable was a strong brand with a heritage that went back to the 1830s. Since then AEGONs UK business has grown both organically and by acquiring other businesses. As most of the acquired companies kept their existing identities, awareness of AEGON in the UK remained relatively low. AEGON realized that such low levels of awareness could impact on its ability to achieve its ambitions. Therefore, it needed to combine the global strength of its parent with the experience and reputation of the domestic company brands, like Scottish Equitable, that made up AEGON in the UK. (AEGON-Embracing and pursuing change, n.d.) In this assignment well discuss the success that accepting and practicing change has brought to AEGON in the UK. This change is helping AEGON move towards its goal of becoming the best long-term savings and protection business within the UK. Kurt Lewins change model In early 1950s Kurt Lewin a psychologist developed a model of change management. He described the freeze model of change which suggests that change involves a shift from one still condition by means of a state of activity to a different still condition. This involves a three-stage process of managing change: unfreezing, changing and re-freezing. Source: http://www.strategies-for-managing-change.com/kurt-lewin.html Stage 1: Unfreezing This stage implies getting prepared to change. It involves getting to a point of consideration that change is compulsory and getting ready to alter from our current comfort zone. (Kurt Lewin change management model, n.d.). Stage 2: Change or Transition The second stage of transition is known as change. Transition is the internal faction or voyage we make in response to a change. This occurs as we accept and make the changes that are required. (Kurt Lewin change management model, n.d.). Stage 3: Freezing (or Refreezing) The third stage is freezing, while many people refer to it as refreezing. As the name suggests this stage is about instituting stability when the changes have been made. The changes are acknowledged and turn into norms. People form new contacts and become contented with their routines. This will surely take some time. (Kurt Lewin change management model, n.d.). The 8 steps of John Kotters change model Each stage of Kotters change model acknowledges a key principle identified by him linking to peoples response and approach to change, and in which people see, feel and then change. For change to occur, it helps if an adequate number of people within an organisation want it. By developing a sense of urgency around the need for change it helps management to start the initial inspiration to get things moving. (John Kotters guiding principles for leading change, n.d.). Source: http://www.strategies-for-managing-change.com/john-kotter.html According to John Kotter the major challenge in front of leadership in a change process is just getting people to change their behavior. People modify their behavior when they are motivated to do so, and that can be done when you speak to their feelings. (John Kotters guiding principles for leading change, n.d.). AEGON UK had the following driving forces for organizational change. Financial restructuring in the United Kingdom. Growth in population and changes in demographic attributes. Cultural diversification in the UK. Changes in social dimensions of the United Kingdom. Evolution of political orientation and policies. Increase in the domestic purchasing power. Institutional and policies neglect regarding the financial products. High competitiveness and consequent challenges. Deficient Management practices. Inefficiency in processes The most suitable change model fitting to AEGON UK will probably be Kotters Eight Step Change Model. As it fully prepares the employees of the company before even the vision is created that will eventually helps in the change in the long run. There are some disadvantages as well to this model. This model is mostly suitable for the companies because of its simplicity and applicablity as considerable change is required for the divisions. This will also facilitate in the transition because the division has a long history comparable to rest of the company and people are not as set in the ways, as they would be if the division had been around longer. (Strategic change management, n.d.). AEGON UK strategic planning implies planning for the long-term. The time frame associated with this type of planning is from three to five years into the future. Due to this timeframe, there are several challenges associated with long-range planning. These include: creating a plan that is breakthrough in its orientation rather  than more of the same, getting all stakeholders to commit to the organizations strategies   and   to   follow   through   on   implementation   of   critical   activities,   and decreasing cycle time in the planning process. This sort of orientation necessitates approaches to strategic planning that involve all employees and stakeholders in the planning process and a planning process that can occur within a shortened time frame. The researcher will prefer to adopt Large Group Interventions Technique to address the proposed change in the chosen organization AEGON. (Strategic change management, n.d.). In   case   of   the   AEGON   UK   there   were   many   deriving   forces   that caused   the background   of change   in AEGON   UK. AEGON   UK   was although was bearing international repute but still it didnt had band awareness   by   the   name   of   AEGON   in   the   United   Kingdom.   The philosophy of the financial services products that were being sold by AEGON UK or its competitors were quite difficult to understand by the potential customers. Life expectancy in the United Kingdom has increased in the recent years so people can expect to be retired for  longer age and similarly many individual never think it worthy to plan about their retirement properly, on the other hand there was a derive from the government to reduce dependency on the state in old age so there was a need to make a social awareness among the people for the benefits of having the financial products sold by the AEGON UK to secure   their   fut ure   because   benefit   of   these   investments   usually realized in later years. AEGON was not well recognized in the areas other than pensions. Above stated reasons are the few of those that lead management to introduce change in the corporate structure and strategy of the AEGON UK Limited. (Strategic change management, n.d.). People who are directly affected by the decisions of an organization are the stake holders.   Stake holder may be internal (management, employees etc.) and they may be external (government, suppliers, banks, media, shareholders etc). Every stake holder has different expectations from the organization.   In the process of change, stakeholders can be involved in a number of ways like: Involve them in problem solving. Keep them up to date of standing towards corporate objectives Take actions on feedback received by them Mobilize the correct resources at the right moment to recognize the implementation plan (Strategic change management, n.d.). Involvement of stake holders to the process of change was done by the new chief executive officer of AEGON who carried out the following actions; Simplification of Financial Services The Chief Executive Officer of  AEGON adopted a customer focused approach. The CEO simplified the complex financial services in terms of their understanding and it was now made very simple to understand. The clients which know   that   what   they   are   investing   into   and   what   investment they get back   at   the   end   of   the   contract.   To date back customers have always been disturbed doing complex calculations. Now the customers are happy because they dont need any financial interpreter to understand the ins and outs of the products offered by the AEGON. (Strategic change management, n.d.). Workforce Development The most important stake holder of the organization is the employees. These are the people who are practically liable make the change process successful. New CEO took  the employees in confidence and told them about the fact that what AEGON stands today and what AEGON wants to stand in the future. He explained the factors behind this change. The CEO introduced job rotation which involves prospects from one job to the other job.   Hence it provided individual employees with a career path. CEO also arranged a Management Development Program in collaboration with a leading management college for  the training of the workforce. (Strategic change management, n.d.). Creating Distinct Market Place     To let revisit the brand identity of  AEGON into the minds of the people, the CEO carried out an external promotional campaign to highlight the relationship between the locally famous Scottish Equitable and AEGON. The CEO spoke to the media stating the reasons for the change and how the change will be beneficial for the stakeholders. (Strategic change management, n.d.). As we know that the stakeholders are critical to the success of initiating change in the organization. Stakeholder Management Strategy is an important discipline that successful people use to win support from others. Stakeholder Analysis is the technique used to identify the key people who have to be won over. Stakeholder Planning is done to build the support that helps organization to succeed. (Strategic change management, n.d.). The benefits of using a stakeholder-based approach The   opinions   of   the   most   strong   stakeholders   to   shape   change implementation at an early stage. They will support the company as well as their input can also improve the quality of the project Getting support from strong stakeholders can help you to win more resources There are more chance to achieve strategic goals successfully. By communicating with stakeholders early, you can ensure that they fully understand what you are doing and understand the benefits of your  aim. By this they will throughout support you actively. By anticipating what peoples reaction to your project may be, and build into your plan the actions that will win peoples support. (Strategic change management, n.d.). Strategy for managing  resistance to change in the organization Following strategies can be implemented for managing resistance to change in the AEGON. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢There will be a workflow process in order to achieve results for mutual benefits for employees and organization. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢There will be an Authority Process in order to direct behavior in the interests of the organization and its participants. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢There would be a Reward and Penalty Process to induce people to behave in away required by the interests of the organization and its participants and / or to behave in a way making associated activity possible. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢There will be a Perpetuation Process to maintain, replenish, and make adequate the quantity and quality of social and natural resources utilized by the organization and its participants. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢There must be an Identification Process to develop a concept of the wholeness, uniqueness and significance of the organization. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ There will be a communication process to provide for the exchange of  information, ideas, feelings and values etc utilized in all activities to the stakeholders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ There must be an evaluation process which establishes criteria for and defines levels of utility and value for people, materials, ideas, and activities and which rates them and allocates them to these levels. (Strategic change management, n.d.). Model for implementing  change in the organization Model for change implies towards the overall strategy to incorporate change into the organizational culture. Model of  change is usually implemented into the following steps; Access the necessity of change Forming a powerful alliance Creating an idea for change Communicate the vision Remove barriers Incorporate the change into organization. (Strategic change management, n.d.). The CEO of AEGON implemented  the same model  to inculcate change into the organization. The CEO realized the need for change and he came to the conclusion that the company is not doing well comparable to its competitors. The legislative restriction of price decreased the profitability Lack of brand awareness getting worst And difficulty of the  customers  understanding  the   aim  of  the  services offered by AEGON The above mentioned were the factors that required an immediate change into the organization at a large scale. The CEO conducted a SWOT analysis of the company and decided to develop a new behavioral framework for the staff which was known as 8 behaviors framework and also arranged managerial training for the workforce. He further addressed the stakeholders of the organization to communicate his vision to them by simplifying the financial services, developing a workforce and arranging a brand awareness campaign. (Strategic change management, n.d.). The CEO also communicated to the media about this change process and the reasons for change.   Hence   model   implemented   by   the   CEO   of  AEGON   UK   brought   about evident positive   change   to   the organization and gave it a new line of direction towards the desired goals and objectives. (Strategic change management, n.d.). Implementation of the model in  the organization, expected improvements and appropriate measures to monitor progress The plan for the change was implemented into the different stages like discovery phase to analyze where the AEGON is right now, where it wants to be and what actions are required to meet the objectives set by the head to become the best long term saving and   protection   business   into   the   UK. First phase revealed the reasons for changes and weaknesses and strengths of the organization. After the discovery phase the next step was to involve the appropriate stake holders into the process of change. The head of the AEGON involved various stakeholders in different effective manner as mentioned earlier.   The CEO further redeveloped the organizational behavioral framework and arranged the training of the staff members. (Strategic change management, n.d.). The   outcomes   of   the   efforts   made   by   the   CEO   were   extremely cheering and rewarding for the company. Before the change there was confusion among the people about the recognition of AEGON but after   the   strong   promotion   of   the   brand   AEGON   with   Scottish-Equitable created a more reliable image of the AEGON into the minds of the people. Moreover the brand carried a new more powerful and prestigious look as AEGON Scottish-Equitable. (Strategic change management, n.d.). The behavior of  the employees altered altogether. They behave with more customer oriented  approach.   Now   the   employees   are   concerned   to   provide   beneficial   services   to existing   and   prospective customers and the organization is always doing its level best to do what is really important to their customers.  (Strategic change management, n.d.). AEGON providing the levels of return guaranteed and being liable for any risks associated with doing so it reflects more probability about levels of income for the clients. As a result of the change applied by the CEO of AEGON, the company reconstructed its brand reputation, became more customer  oriented, started to provide more innovative services and became more popular amongst the consumers and finally the business has grown to a huge extent. The CEO planned to develop a new organizational behavior framework  to align the brand values of AEGON. (Strategic change management, n.d.). To entrench this culture, AEGON developed a behavior structure to maintain its brand values. It was intended to persuade how people at all ranks within the organisation might work and make decisions. These behaviors highlight the values of the organisation. They have assisted to build AEGONs culture and have also impacted its performance. AEGON also introduced a Management Development Program, supported by a top Management College. The eight behaviors are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Think customer à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Embrace change à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Encourage excellence à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Act with integrity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Decisive action à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Work together à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Learn and grow à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Relate and communicate. (AEGON-Embracing and pursuing change, n.d.) Conclusion There is nothing permanent except change. It is continuous. The process of change is an expedition. Business organizations will always be influenced by external factors. AEGON responded to these factors by simplifying, clarifying and strengthening its brand in the UK. As organizations change, their patterns of behavior and business culture flourish. For AEGON, this is a cycle in which the business uses its knowledge to learn from its experiences. This has assisted AEGON as an organisation to move positively towards achieving its full potential and to stay competitive in a progressively difficult market. (AEGON-Embracing and pursuing change, n.d.) AEGON recognized a need to give itself a greater market presence. The change has made the organisation much more customer focused. As a result it is more effective.

Illusion in Madame Butterfly Essay -- David Henry Hwang Gender Sexuali

Illusion in M. Butterfly In David Henry Hwang's play M. Butterfly we are introduced to Rene Gallimard who has unknowingly been sexually involved with another man for twenty years. The idea of mistaken gender within the play causes the reader to question how could one mistake his/her lover's gender for so long? In Rene Gallimard's search for self-identity he ignorantly chooses illusion over reality. Hwang effectively uses the opera Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini as a framework to mold the main character, Rene Gallimard. Gallimard longs to be like the hero in Madame Butterfly, Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, who dominates and possesses a beautiful Asian woman. Within the drama Gallimard concedes that he is not very attractive and that he hasn't always been popular amongst the ladies. Gallimard states "We, who are not handsome, nor brave, nor powerful, yet somehow believe like Pinkerton, that we deserve a Butterfly"(747). Obviously Gallimard is not happy with himself or his life so he goes in search for his Butterfly or more importantly a new identity. Gallimard thinks he ...

Visit to Court

I have got a chance to visit court on 2, January 2014 with my group members Biagio Mauri for our law assignment. This is the first time of my life visiting to court and we went to magistrate court around 1pm. That court is located in 363 George Street Brisbane QLD 4001, opening and closing hours is 8:30-4:30. When we arrived infront of the court I feel alittle nervous because I have never been to any court. My group members asked me to turn off all of my electronic devices. In entrance there are some sign of no food /drink and turn off electronic devices. I stepped into the entrance and the first thing I see is security woman with desk in front of the court. She was friendly and asked us to step back to x-ray machines which is use in airport or any other security check.Then she asked us to come one by one, so that my group member would go first and I was waiting him outside of the entrance.After she checked my group member’s bag with metal detectors as she asked me to come in and she did the same way. After security check, we ahead to information counter and we saw some people were asking about the court room that related to their cases. So we qued for a little while and we got reach our trun.My group member requested to receptionist that we are student doing law assignment and which room we need to go.Then she said room 36 is just started and pointed us to get there. I felt so excited to get into the room as I saw auto double door to get into the room. I became noticed everyone is quiet and we took chair in last place. Although I knew that I need to be quiet but my group member remind me to be quiet.After we sat down,I started to discover the circumstances.There were few people sitting with us.The name of the judge was Carmody T and he looked greate on his formal black suit with the white collar.His place was the highest positon of the room and he was sitting.At the second positon, I saw a typist women and she was typing about the case.At the last posit on I saw one lawyer and one policeman who standing were had conversation with the judge.I saw around 4 or 5 police infront of the 2 small glass room that they made with protective glass for protect people from the accuse abuse I guess. After I did sightseeing, the first accuse was already got judgement.So I started focus on second accuse case and listened carefully.Before the accuse come, the lawer talked about the case.That case was nature of crime about theft case, the police woman took the accuse man from the door behind that glass room. The judge asked that accuse man that he feel gulity or not.He said he felt  gulity so that judge continue ask about what he did steal.He admited that he stolen $4658 cash from the high school.Finally the judge made the decision that he needed to give fine $2000 and sent to prison for 6 months. In conclusion, I got a lot of knowledges about the court by visiting magistrate court in brisbane Australia.I experienced about how the judge and lawyer analysis the case and the court procedure.When I left that room I did bow my head down as other people did.I realized how court is important for a countrty, if court does not exist we cannot exactly know what is justice.

Ethics in Public Administration Essay

The national bicentennial in 1976 marked two important birthdays for public administration. It was the ninetieth anniversary of the appearance of the first fully developed essay on what was considered a â€Å"new† or at least a separately identified field — public administration. In that essay, the young political scientist Woodrow Wilson (1941) wrote the now famous words, â€Å"administration lies outside the proper sphere of politics. Administrative questions are not political questions; although politics sets the tasks for administration, it should not be suffered to manipulate its offices. â€Å" And it was exactly fifty years since the publication of Leonard White (1926) text, Introduction to the Study of Public Administration, the first in the field. White’s book was, for his time, an advanced and sophisticated attempt to marry the science of government and the science of administration. Whereas Wilson had argued that public administration is â€Å"a field of business† and should be separate from â€Å"politics,† White forty years later countered that public administration can be effective only if it constitutes an integration of the theory of government and the theory of administration. As fields or professions go, public administration is young. Its early impetus was very much connected with civil service reform, the city manager movement, the â€Å"good government† movement, and the professionalization of the administrative apparatus of government. It was in this era that â€Å"principles of administration† were developed and the first academic programs in the field were established at American universities. This was a heady era, during which the United States civil service was developed, an innovation adopted in many American states and municipalities. Formal systems of budgeting and purchasing were adopted, and other aspects of the science of management were applied to government affairs. Many of the early leaders in this reform movement also played out important political roles, most notably Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Public administration was new, a response to a rapidly changing government. The second â€Å"era† in public administration could be said to have begun with the Depression and the New Deal, followed by World War II. This era was characterized by the remarkably rapid growth of the government, particularly at the national level, the development of major American social programs, and ultimately the development of a huge defense program. At this time it became apparent that a large and centralized government can accomplish heroic tasks. Patterns were being developed and attitudes framed for the conduct of American government and the practices of public administration for the coming twenty years. This era also produced most of the major American scholars in public administration who were to dominate the scene from the 1940s into the 1970s. The period that followed was characterized by rapid growth in the public service and by extensive suburbanization and urbanization. But it was also a period of great questioning of the purposes and premises of public administration. A broad variety of social programs and services were developed, a cold war machine was maintained, and the public service continued both to grow and to professionalize. It seemed as if such expansion could go on endlessly. But by the mid-1960s several crises were developing simultaneously. In many ways, these crises seemed in part to result from the excesses of an earlier time. In other ways, they seemed to be an expression of old and unanswered problems built into our society and our system of government. The urban crisis resulted from relentless suburbanization — governmentally supported. The racial crisis is closely connected, resulting in part from the serious ghettoization of American minorities in the central sections of our great cities. As the central cities have deteriorated, so have their public services. We continue to have unacceptable levels of unemployment, especially among minorities. And our welfare system is badly overloaded. The rapid depletion of our fuel resources results in an energy crisis, which comes hard on the heels of the environmental crisis. And, of course, there is health care, transportation, and on and on. All of these crises have affected public administration. Three particular events or activities occurred between the mid-1960s and 1970s that indelibly marked the society and the government and, hence, public administration: the war in Vietnam, the urban riots and continued racial strife, and Watergate. These crises and events resulted in new government programs and changed ways of thinking about and practicing public administration. Frederick C. Mosher and John C. Honey studied the characteristics and composition of the public service in the mid-1960s. 3 Their basic finding was that most public servants feel little or no identity with the field of public administration. Few have ever had a course and fewer still hold a degree in the subject. Public administration at the time seemed to have a rather narrow definition of its purposes, centering primarily on budgeting, personnel, and organization and management problems. Most public servants, it was found, identify with some or another professional field, such as education, community planning, law, public health, or engineering. Even many of those who would be expected to identify with public administration are more particularly interested in some subset of the field, such as finance, personnel, policy analysis, and the like. There was very little policy emphasis in public administration — very little discussion of defense policy, environmental policy, economic policy, urban policy. There was, at the time, much talk of public administration as everyone’s â€Å"second profession. † Education for public administration in the mid-1960s hardly sparkled. The early furor of the reformers had died. The American Society for Public Administration was beginning to struggle. By the late 1970s, public administration had changed, both in its practice and its teaching. There are many indicators: the Intergovernmental Personnel Act; Title IX of the Higher Education Act; the Federal Executive Institute and the Federal Executive Seminars; the remarkable growth and vigor of education for public service; the President’s Management Intern Program; the Harry S. Truman Foundation; the size and quality of ASPA; the development of the Consortium on Education for the Public Service; several HUD grants to public administration-related activities; a much heavier policy emphasis; a renewed concern for ethics and morality in government service; and the continued professionalization of the public service coupled with refinement of management methods at all levels of government. To affix the label â€Å"new† to anything is risky business. The risk is doubled when newness is attributed to ideas, thoughts, concepts, paradigms, theories. Those who claim new thinking tend to regard previous thought as old or jejune or both. In response, the authors of previous thought are defensive and inclined to suggest that aside from having packaged earlier thinking in a new vocabulary there is little that is really new in so-called new thinking. Accept, therefore, this caveat: Parts of new public administration would be recognized by Plato, Hobbes, Machiavelli, Hamilton, and Jefferson as well as by many modern behavioral theorists. The newness is in the way the fabric is woven, not necessarily in the threads that are used. And the newness is in arguments as to the proper use of the fabric — however threadbare. The threads of the public administration fabric are well known. Herbert Kaufman describes them simply as the pursuit of these basic values: representativeness, politically neutral competence, and executive leadership (Kaufman, 1969). In different times, one or the other of these values receives the greatest emphasis. Representativeness was preeminent in the Jacksonian era. The eventual reaction was the reform movement emphasizing neutral competence and executive leadership. Now we are witnessing a revolt against these values accompanied by a search for new modes of representativeness. Others have argued that changes in public administration resemble a zero-sum game between administrative efficiency and political responsiveness. Any increase in efficiency results a priori in a decrease in responsiveness. We are simply entering a period during which political responsiveness is to be purchased at a cost in administrative efficiency. Clearly, the most interesting developments in modern public administration are not empirical but are philosophical, normative, and speculative. In public administration, the phrase â€Å"social equity† has emerged as a shorthand way of referring to the concerns and opinions of those who are challenging contemporary theory and practice. As yet, the phrase social equity, however, has little substance or precision. The problem of equity is as old as government. Dwight Waldo (1972) points out that â€Å"much governmental action in the United States has not been simply discriminatory but massively and harshly so. Much governmental action has also, however, been directed toward achieving equality; paradoxically, action to assure assimilation and uniformity also has sometimes been insensitive and coercive. â€Å"Equality,† he concludes, â€Å"is central to the understanding of much recent and contemporary public administration. † It has been seriously suggested that social equity be a standard by which public administrators, both in the bureau and the academy, assess and evaluate their behavior and decisions. Social equity, then, would be a criterion for effectiveness in public administration in the same way that efficiency, economy, productivity, and other criteria are used. Whenever an ethic or standard for behavior is described, it is essential to provide an accompanying caveat. In the present case, the social equity point of view will need to be buffered by recognition first that there is a high ethical content in most significant public decisions; public problems do not succumb simply to factual analysis. This being the case, if the public servant is to be an interpreter of events and an influencer, if not a maker of decisions, what, then, should be included in the standards of ethical behavior that guide the public servant? Surely the standards of ethics and morality that are applicable and sufficient to a citizen in private or in social relationships are not adequate for the public decisions of an administrator. And it is now increasingly clear that the decision problems faced by these administrators are seldom black or white in relation to their ethical content and consequences. There often is really no â€Å"one best way,† but rather a decision should be made that maximizes such results as are attainable given the resources available and minimizes negative side effects. And finally, one must accept the proposition that politics and administrative organizations are themselves the best protectors of administrative morality provided that they are open, public, and participatory. Within this context, then, we pursue the development of a social equity ethic for public administration. Modern public administration cannot assume these conditions away. Certainly pluralistic governments (practicing majority rule, coupled with powerful minorities with special forms of access) systematically discriminate in favor of established, stable bureaucracies and their specialized clientele — and against those minorities who lack political and economic resources. Thus widespread and deep inequity are perpetuated. The long-range continuation of widespread and deep inequities poses a threat to the continued existence of this or any political system. Continued deprivation amid plenty breeds hopelessness and her companions, anger and militancy. A public administration that fails to work for changes that try to address this deprivation will likely eventually be used to oppress the deprived. What new public administration is striving for, then, is equity. Black’s Law Dictionary (1957) defines equity in its broadest and most general signification: [Equity] denotes the spirit and the habit of fairness and justness and right dealing which would regulate the intercourse of men with men, — the rule of doing to all others, as we desire them to do to us; or, as it is expressed by Justinian, â€Å"to live honestly, to harm nobody, to render every man his due. † †¦ It is therefore, the synonym of natural right or justice. But in this sense its obligation is ethical rather than jural, and its discussion belongs to the sphere of morals. It is grounded in the precepts of the conscience not in any sanction of positive law. Equity, then, is an issue that we will find to be a question of ethics. We will also find it to be a question of law. The foremost theorist presently supporting a concept of equity in government is John Rawls (1971). In his book A Theory of Justice, he sets out a splendid framework for a fundamental equity ethic. When speaking of our government institutions, Rawls states: â€Å"For us the primary subject of justice is the basic structure of society, or more exactly, the way in which the major social institutions distribute fundamental rights and duties and determine the division of advantages from social cooperation. By major institutions I understand the political constitution and the principal economic and social arrangements. † Justice, then, is the basic principle and is dominant over other principles in Rawls’s form of ethics. Rawls begins his theory with a definition of the individual or citizen and states: Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by the greater good shared by others. It does not allow that the sacrifices imposed on a few are outweighed by the larger sum of advantages enjoyed by many. Therefore, in a just society the liberties of equal citizenship are taken as settled; the rights secured by justice are not subject to political bargaining or to the calculus of social interest. In developing his theory, Rawls suggests an intellectual device or technique by which the principles of equity can be set forth. The first and most important intellectual technique is the notion of original position. The original position constitutes an agreement upon the most basic principles of justice upon which all of the basic structures of society (social, economic, and political) will be predicated. The principles of justice that emerge are both final and binding on all: â€Å"Since the original agreement is final and made in perpetuity, there is no second chance. † To make this theory operative, Rawls then proposes two principles of justice: â€Å"The first principle is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all. The second principle is that social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both: (a) to the greatest benefit to the least advantaged, consistent with the just savings principle, and (b) attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality and opportunity. † 11 These two principles, then, are to be a right of the same significance or order as the present rights as we understand them in government. Hart further states: According to Rawls, acceptance of the two principles of justice means that the collective efforts of society would be concentrated in behalf of its less advantaged members. This does not mean that all inequalities would disappear and all good will be equally distributed to achieve parity throughout the society. There would still be disparities in income and status. But there is an irreducible minimum of primary goods (such as self-respect, rights and liberties, power and opportunities, income and wealth) that are due every man, and the minimum must be met. 12 Rawls states that this is â€Å"a strongly egalitarian conception in the sense that unless there is a distribution that makes both persons better off (limiting ourselves to the two-person case for simplicity), an equal distribution is to be preferred. † 13 It is obvious that Rawls theory of justice is vastly different from other contemporary patterns of moral reasoning. Rawls does not argue it because it is good or right but rather because there is an increasing importance to the interdependence of persons that makes notions of advantages and disadvantages less and less acceptable. It is a pervasive sense of noblesse oblige or a sense of eternity among people. Rawls states that â€Å"in justice as fairness men agree to share one another’s fate. In designing institutions they undertake to avail themselves of the accidents of nature and social circumstances only when doing so is for the common benefit. † Because not all persons are genetically â€Å"equal,† the more advantaged have a moral duty to serve all others including the disadvantaged, not for altruistic reasons but because of the significance of human interdependence. As Hart (1974) says, â€Å"One serves because justice requires it and the result is the continuous enhancement of self-respect. Just actions, then, not only create the optimal condition for human life, they also are a major element in the rationalization of self. â€Å" Although all of this theory and definition is interesting, we live in a world of large and very complex organizations where the application of such concepts is difficult. This is also a world in which organizations tend to elevate their own needs over individual needs and goals. The problem is one of making complex organizations responsible to the needs of the individual. This requires rising above the rules and routines of organization to some concern for the self-respect and dignity of the individual citizen. Rawls’s theory is designed to instruct those who administer organizations that the rights of individuals would be everywhere protected. Hart summarizes this approach to social equity with the following: (1) The theory of justice would provide social equity with an ethical content. Acceptance of the theory of justice would provide the equitable public administrator with clear, well-developed ethical guidelines which would give social equity the force that it now lacks. (2) The theory of justice could provide the necessary ethical consensus -that the equitable public administrator has both the duty and the obligation to deploy his efforts on behalf of the less advantaged. (3) The theory of justice would impose constraints upon all complex public organizations since no organization would be allowed to infringe upon the basic liberties of individuals. (4) The theory of justice would provide a means to resolve ethical impasses (the original position). (5) The theory of justice would provide a professional code for public administration that would require a commitment to social equity (Hart, 1974).