Crusaders vs. Invaders

In c. 800, Pope Leo III assigned Charlemagne as Emperor of the Roman people. This collaboration and mutual understanding between Charlemagne and the church paved the way for the numerous future successes in the conquest wars. The initial steps taken by Charlemagne as Emperor do not imply a lust for power or riches at any stage. What they did imply was his aspiration to educate the people and build an unbiased government system that solely functions towards the well-being of the whole empire.Moreover, the major cause behind the conquest wars led by Charlemagne against the German tribes was to announce the revival of the Roman Empire as far as central Europe, and provide an easy access for the church into the pagan tribes (Einhard 61). According to Einhard, in his book two lives of Charlemagne, the Saxons were an extremely disrespectful people. He states: â€Å"They are much given to devil worship and they are hostile to our religion. They think it no dishonor to violate and transgres s the laws of God and man. † (61).Although the Franks lived peacefully just across the river to the Saxons, consistent crimes like murder and theft eventually gave way to a ferocious war between the two parties. The sole purpose of this war was to convert the Saxons to Christianity and unite them with the Franks (Einhard 61-62). Although the Franks may have initiated the war, it is absolutely transparent that they had no intention of settling matters other than peacefully. This can be deduced from the fact that while crimes were being committed continuously, the Franks bided for a long time until they could endure it no more.It was not only the Saxon war, but the origins of the other conquest wars were also not quite different. For example, the war in Bavaria against Duke Tassilo occurred under similar circumstances. The duke made allies with the Huns disregarding all Charlemagne’s orders (Einhard 65). Einhard states in his book: â€Å"Not only did Tassilo refuse to ca rry out Charlemagne’s orders, but he did his utmost to provoke the king to war. † (66). Wars against the Slaves and Huns also lied along the same lines. Absolute disagreement and disregard of the king lead to unnecessary bloodshed with the same result.Although the actions of Charlemagne may appear to be quite reasonable, the wars fought by the Vikings in Europe are an entirely different story. Their advancements into Europe occurred in various forms; however, they always had a violent and ferocious touch to them. In addition, the Vikings were staunch followers of paganism at the time, making them a more unpopular figure in recorded history. Details of the siege of Paris clearly indicate that the Vikings were solely responsible for their war against Odo, defender of Paris.According to Frederic Austin in his book A Sourcebook of Mediaeval History, Siegfred, the Vikings leader, said to the bishop of Paris: â€Å"†¦if you do not listen to my demands, on the morrow our war machines will destroy you with poisoned arrows. You will be the prey of famine and of pestilence and these evils will perpetually renew every year. † Basically, the Vikings threatened the leaders of Paris that if they do not handover the city, they would wage war against Paris with all their force, resting only after its total destruction. In the same book, Frederic Austin narrates the story of Rollo’s conversion to Christianity too.Although initially he refused to pay respect to King Charles, his conversion had a profound effect on his leadership. â€Å"The duke established for his subjects certain inviolable rights and laws, confirmed and published by the will of the leading men, and he compelled all his people to live peacefully together. † (Austin 165-173). Literally speaking, a crusade refers to a collaborative attempt by a group of people that is aimed to achieve a credible cause, while an invasion implies to the disturbance of an event by an uninvited subject.After examining every war fought by Charlemagne during his conquests, it can be safely deduced that he never fought with the wrong intentions, but always aimed to spread the word of Christianity and enforce peace throughout the lands. Moreover, the wars though mostly initiated by Charlemagne, were always provoked by the opposite party. The Vikings on the other hand, were solely responsible for the provocation as well as initiation of wars. At the time of their infiltration into Europe, they mostly used violent methods to take over the city governments against the will of the people.Although Lief Erikson may have built whole towns in the Americas for permanent settlements, the program eventually failed and the spirit of that deed faded away with time, while the actions behind the more influential settlements of the Vikings in Europe were remembered. Works Cited Austin Ogg, Frederic. A Sourcebook of Mediaeval History. New York: American Book Company, 1907. 165-173. Einhard. T wo Lives of Charlemagne. Trans. Lewis Thorpe. New York: Penguin Books Ltd, 1969. 61-68.

Anatomy Unit 6 Study Guide

Unit 6 Study Guide 1. The types of muscles are smooth, cardiac, and skeletal. 2. The muscle is made up of myofibrils that allow for muscle contraction. 3. The parts of the myofibrils that allow for it to extend out are called the sacomere. 4. The nerve cell that connects to several muscle fibers called a motor neuron. 5. The thick ones are protein myosin. The thin ones are protein actin. 6. The chemicals that stimulate the muscle to contract are called neurotransmitters 7. Acetylcholine contracts the muscles. 8. Acetylcholines are stored at the end of each motor neuron. . The combination of the motor neuron and the muscles it controls are called a motor unit. 10. The energy storing molecule found in the mitochondrion is ATP (adenosine triphoshate). 11. If there is a lack of ATP then there will be muscle cramps. 12. The chemical that builds in the muscle caused by strenuous exercise is lactic acid. 13. The pigment that causes blood to be red is hemoglobin. 14. The pigment that causes the muscles to be brown is myoglobin. 15. The discoloration and swelling in a muscle strain is caused by ruptured blood vessels. 16.After death where ATP decreased and muscles cannot relax the body then rigor mortis will take place. 17. A contraction then sudden relaxation of a muscle caused by a single stimulus is called a twitch. 18. The delay between the time the stimulus is applied and the time the muscle responds is called latent period. 19. Partially inflamed and swollen tendons are called tendonitis. 20. The immovable end of the joint is called the origin. 21. The movable end of the joint is called the insertion. 22. Muscular dystrophies is inherited disorder which causes the collapse of muscles. Anatomy Unit 6 Study Guide Unit 6 Study Guide 1. The types of muscles are smooth, cardiac, and skeletal. 2. The muscle is made up of myofibrils that allow for muscle contraction. 3. The parts of the myofibrils that allow for it to extend out are called the sacomere. 4. The nerve cell that connects to several muscle fibers called a motor neuron. 5. The thick ones are protein myosin. The thin ones are protein actin. 6. The chemicals that stimulate the muscle to contract are called neurotransmitters 7. Acetylcholine contracts the muscles. 8. Acetylcholines are stored at the end of each motor neuron. . The combination of the motor neuron and the muscles it controls are called a motor unit. 10. The energy storing molecule found in the mitochondrion is ATP (adenosine triphoshate). 11. If there is a lack of ATP then there will be muscle cramps. 12. The chemical that builds in the muscle caused by strenuous exercise is lactic acid. 13. The pigment that causes blood to be red is hemoglobin. 14. The pigment that causes the muscles to be brown is myoglobin. 15. The discoloration and swelling in a muscle strain is caused by ruptured blood vessels. 16.After death where ATP decreased and muscles cannot relax the body then rigor mortis will take place. 17. A contraction then sudden relaxation of a muscle caused by a single stimulus is called a twitch. 18. The delay between the time the stimulus is applied and the time the muscle responds is called latent period. 19. Partially inflamed and swollen tendons are called tendonitis. 20. The immovable end of the joint is called the origin. 21. The movable end of the joint is called the insertion. 22. Muscular dystrophies is inherited disorder which causes the collapse of muscles.

Compare/Contrast of Political Parties Essay

INDEPENDENT PARTY 1) Values and Beliefs -Protect the right to life of the innocent unborn; -Stop the undeclared wars which are daily costing American lives and billions of tax dollars; -Stop reckless spending, including foreign aid, and take care of America’s domestic needs -End debt financing of both Federal and State governments; -End the Federal income tax, and restore a tariff based revenue system; -Immediately terminate international trade agreements such as NAFTA, WTO, and the proposed FTAA, and stop sending high paying American jobs to foreign countries; -Reduce immigration, and stop all government subsidies to illegal aliens; no driver’s licenses for illegals; deport all illegal aliens; -Defend America’s moral values; keep God in the pledge of allegiance; -Support high standards in education, including encouragement of private schools and home schooling; -Stop the pillaging of consumers and taxpayers by the energy/utility monopolies; -Defend Second Amendment rights; -Restore a debt free, interest free money system; -Uphold traditional marriage and family values; 2)History of the Independents -California’s American Independent Party has been a ballot qualified political party since 1968. The American Independent Party, which now has some 300,000 registered members in California, is affiliated at the national level with the Constitution Party. -On July 8, 1967, formal organization of California’s American Independent Party was completed at a convention held in Bakersfield. â€Å"A new party is urgently needed today because the leaders of the two existing parties, Democrat and Republican, have deserted the principles and traditions of our nation’s founding fathers. Control of the government, under the domination of these two existing parties, has left the hands of the people our government was created to serve.† -In 1967, Gov. George C. Wallace of Alabama was on the move to run for President on a new party ticket. Wallace supporters greeted with enthusiasm the formation of the American Independent Party. -On August 3, 1968, the delegates to the state convention of the American Independent Party adopted the party’s first platform. This document held tremendous significance for A I P activists who had joined the new party because they wanted major changes in public policies. 3)Why Independent? -The American Independent Party has kept alive the best of the American principles which have largely been abandon by the Democrat and Republican parties.The American Independent Party has survived for over a quarter of a century because the party has had effective leaders, along with a popular platform, emphasizing respect for life, fiscal responsibility, a reduced role of government in people’s lives, reduction of the tax burden, control of crime, protection of American businesses, workers, and farmers from  unfair foreign competition, and an America first non-interventionist foreign policy. 4)Young Independents Today -Some have suggested that the American Independent Party may be out of step with young Americans whose views are alleged to be radically different from those of middle aged and older Americans. The commitment of Young Americans to the country’s traditional moral, political, and economic values, however, remains comparable to that of other age groups. -The future of the American Independent Party is assured by a market for its views among young Americans who do not have years of commitment to the dominant parties. Today, the political climate in America is changing. The people are looking for new voices, new choices, new vehicles for political expression. The people are looking to the American Independent Party for leadership. POPULIST PARTY 1)History -delegates adopted the platform of the People’s party also called the Populist party -the populists represented a grand coalition of farmers, laborers, and reformers, which aimed to put government back into the hands of the people -populist leaders were diverse and colorful -the populists chose their candidates amid calls for restricted immigration and a shorter workday for industrial laborers. -the party also aimed to convince the government to allow the free coinage of silver, a measure that would make silver, not just gold, legal tender. -despite action by the farmers alliances and the grangers the plight of thousands of farmers worsened. -the platform of the populist party called for extensive reforms -reformers believed that farmers and workers should be freed from the exploitative practices of banks and railroads and merchants -the populists gained 14 seats in congress, won 2 governorships, and received the largest number of popular votes cast for any third party in the 1800s -by the time of the 1896 election the populist party itself had declined but some of its ideas entered the mainstream -the continuing depression forced the democratic party into a more radical position on one key issue-unlimited coinage of silver -this stance led many populists to support the democratic candidate william jennings bryan of nebraska -populism began to decline -one factor limited populism’s strength in the south -peoples party failed to gain wide support in the south -the southern alliance advised its memebers to support major party candidates who favored agricultural interests -the underlying reason for the failure of populism in the south was the issue of white supremacy -the southern alliance feared that populism might lead to gains for african americans

It is essay about an event i have visited ( you have to chose the

It is about an event i have visited ( you have to chose the right topic for it - Essay Example The Ham was in the form of a long gown, a collar, and a wraps the right lapel over the left. During lunch hour, we ate delicious triangle shaped rice dumplings made from rice with fillings of nuts, dates, and beans. The staple food for Chinese is rice that helps in the economic growth of the society. I could not help but notice the American culture. The clothing style depends on the status an individual has in the society, occupation, climate, and religion. One of my American friend mentioned that their fashion is greatly influenced by the media and celebrities. She was dressed in cowboy hats and boots and a pair of jeans made her look fabulous. The Americans mostly eat junk food like the hamburgers, hotdogs, cheese, macaroni, and potato chips. In addition, they also eat dried meat as snacks. The amazing European food was distinct from the other foods. I was lucky to taste the Gelato that was sweet and tasty. The Europeans argued that the Gelato was different from ice cream. The gelato has more sugar, softer and creamier compared to ice cream. The European foods have different categories ranging from cereals, meat, fats, and sugar. The Europeans wear upscale and classy clothes. Their fashion entails clean and elegant simple lines that perfectly fit. They prefer wearing different set of colors in different seasons. I was able to interact with the African students and their foods and attire were completely different from the others. Their foods are rich in fiber and often organic. The most interesting meal was the ugali. It is prepared by mixing water and corn to form stiff porridge. It is served with stew and vegetables. Most of the African countries weave clothes from cotton that is grown locally. They also use the dyeing techniques like tie and die. Most of these clothes have a head wrap that is tied around the head and matches the African attire. The Indian Sari is the most common dress in India. Their way of dressing is marked with religion and

Ethics & International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethics & International Relations - Essay Example 1These myths describe many things some may look reasonable and easy to understand whereas others may not look logical. But all these myths and narrative whether reasonable or not help us to understand the big games played between big powers. These myths also indicate that events taking place around the world are ethical and moral. These myths can also answer this important question: Can International Relations theory ever be truly ethical? Generally it is said that whatever rules of fair play are taught by religion and traditional values of society are called ethics. It is important to understand the comprehensive definition of ethics. A complete clarity about what ethics or morality is necessary since there are many confusing views presented by some philosophers. The modern views about ethics clarify much confusion. The modern views are: Although it is debatable that what exact range should ethics cover. But majority of scholars agrees that it should be related to the particular concepts like vice, benefit, disgrace, obligation, duty, virtue etc. Many people look for ethical teachings in religion and tradition. But in contemporary world, these sources may not provide adequate answers. If they provide answers then they become controversial because of different interpretations. Similarly, culture also can not provide complete ethical answers in various situations. If the culture of a nation gives one interpretation then it is quite possible that culture of other nation may contradict it. But it is also true that most of the cultures have many common points to be agreed on. Almost all cultures accept and preach the common virtues like truth, honesty, steadfastness etc. It is therefore necessary to evolve a universal ethical theory. 2The universal values can take varied cultural forms in various places. Other ethical concepts can prove to be universal in reach but

Love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Love - Essay Example It can be used to define the compassion and affection which is shown to other human beings, animals, or oneself. Love for people, or interpersonal love, is the love that is formed between human beings who have a close relationship. One of the most prominent forms of this type of love is that which exists between different family members. Family, to most people, is one of the most valuable things in their lives, and this is because of the blood relationship which exists between the people within it. The family is the first place where an individual experiences an interaction with society, and because family tends to be the most constant part of a person’s life, then it is a definite fact that love will develop between the various members of the family. Love for family also creates a sense of extreme loyalty, and this is  because  blood ties cannot be easily broken. The love for friends is another part of interpersonal love, and this is to those people who are closest to an individual apart from the family. Friends tend to, not only, be the closest companions of an individual, but they are also some of this individual’s closest confidants. The love, which exists between friends, depends on how close their relationship is because while in some cases friendships last for an extraordinarily long time, in others, this tends not to be the case. The long term friendships always involve an immense deal of love between the people involved, and, in fact, these people can do anything for each other whenever there is any need for it. Another form of interpersonal love is that which exists between people in a relationship, that is, a boyfriend and a girlfriend, or a man and a wife. Such relationships tend to have a vast deal of love within them, and if this display of affection stops, then such relationships tend to fall apart ("The Definition of Love"). Love is, therefore, essential for the establishment of strong relationships, and these relationships can not last without it. Many people have a love for certain principles or goals which they profoundly value and are highly committed. Such activities are always extremely valuable to such individuals, and they involve an immense deal of dedication. With this dedication comes a love for this activity, with a person rarely missing the opportunity to take part in it. One of the activities which many people love and have a strong dedication for is soccer. Soccer is one of the biggest sports in the world with many fans who either watch it or play the game for fun. People bear a passionate love for this game and it is not strange to see people crying just because their team has lost a game (Tucker 1). There are others who are exceedingly fond of eating different types of food, and to deny them such would be the same as denying them an immensely crucial part of their lives. There are yet others, who bear a veritable love for their studies and their careers, and these often love what they do, not only for their own sake, but also for the sake of how their work affects society. Those with careers at aid organizations love their jobs because of the satisfaction they get when they help people in need. The other form of love is abstract love, and this involves the feeling of affection for certain concepts or ideas. Abstract love may involve a love for religion, and in many parts of the world, religion tends to be a part and parcel of a person’

Chinas Threats Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Chinas Threats - Essay Example Finally, the effects of these threats must be evaluated. Many believe that the four most important issues regarding this question are 1) population 2) economic 3) military and 4) technology. While these areas are easily justified, the real reason behind the threat is somewhat unclear. This is largely because China, as an international role player, has no known or declared objectives. Thus, in order to have a basic idea on China's immediate and future plans, one must look back in history and decipher China's policies and ideals. In the 1960s, according to Okabe (1968), China's medium-range objectives consist of the following: promotion of world revolution and acquisition of resources, markets and territories; bolstering national security primarily against the American "threats;" and asserting its role in the international community. Although the ideals of a world revolution are hard to discern in the current objectives of China, at that time, it was apparent that its leaders valued the importance of promoting world revolution to obtain lasting peace. Related to this is the aim of achieving self-reliance as manifested by the need to add territories, markets and resources. Self-reliance entails capability of protecting a nation internally and externally thus fortifying national security is a logical step. ... Population threat Being the most populated country in the world, China has always been considered a threat to the rest of the nations. The truth is, in order to avoid perpetual explosion of its population, China had come up with a policy obliging couples to have only one offspring. Issues had been raised regarding the implementation of the said strategy but nevertheless, an estimate of 300 million people would have added to China's population if the policy was not applied. In less than three decades, China achieved a far more advanced transition in terms of demography, an area wherein other developed countries spend centuries to attain. According to the country's Census, the total population of China as of 2000 is 1,242,610,000. Hand-in-hand with this is a relatively low total fertility rate of 1.2 which is a lot less than the figures previously reported. These records made an impact to people by raising speculations whether the results were reliable or not. Majority of the country's population believ ed that the Census might have underestimated the accurate population count of China; stating, too, that many of the younger members of country's inhabitants especially the newborns were not reported and registered in China's Census. The population figures and total fertility rate reported by the Census, whether it contained underestimated and unreported data, are still far less than the possible rate of population replacement of 2.1. At this point, the country's population would be described as steady or stationary. Therefore, no matter what the reported values were, it is undoubtedly evident that China was able to control the

Theories surrounding the War on Terrorism shouldn't be so be Term Paper

Theories surrounding the War on Terrorism shouldn't be so be complicated-Critical Analysis - Term Paper Example From a Foucauldian perspective, it could be argued that no theorization is ultimate and all theories are essentially characterized by the presence of existing power structures and power balance within. International relations theory too is a field of discourse which corresponds to existing power structures and modes of knowledge production. When we challenge the unity, coherence and self-evidence of such theories from the perspective of actual sufferings and miseries of people who come in contact with the war on terror, the central postulates of these theories begin to collapse. The purpose of the paper is to critically examine the dominant theories in international relations against the context of the ongoing war on terror. The paper would give a general overview of the major theoretical assertions by different schools in a nutshell and would try to show that how limited and dogmatic they are in characterizing the war on terror. Moreover, an attempt to have a glance at the ways thro ugh which dominant international relations theories reproduces the prevailing schemas, power structures an inequalities is also the aim of the paper. Besides, some of the Gramscian tool will also be used in paper for deconstructing the actual forces behind the war on terror. II. ... At present, many theorists from across the leading schools support war on terror based on many dubious arguments. In classical realism, order and stability are the determining factor of any global order based on nation state system. Change is considered as the accumulation of more capabilities and resources. The classic realist analysis of Iraq War is seen as a powers struggle between Saddam’s regime and American empire for establishing hegemony in the Middle East. The War on Terror, from a classic realist point of view, is nothing but geopolitical strategic game. The neorealist theories see hegemony as the product of the increasing concentration of power and capabilities with a single state or a coalition of willing states. Such a situation is marked for the ability of that single state or coalition to manipulate the whole global system for the protections of their narrow geopolitical interests. Neorealism therefore would see the war on terror as a result of growing unipolari ty in the post cold war world where the United States and the NATO could attack any dissident countries at will. Moreover, the war on terror would be seen as an attempt by the hegemonic powers to maximize their control of raw materials and flows of capital and goods. Especially, war on terror was waged for protecting the American interests on the gulf oil. Structural realism is of the view that no amount of power is enough in securing stability and order in a chaotic international system which is characterized by the absence of legitimate global governance structures. Great powers have to deal with the emerging powers that could potentially challenge their powers from the very beginning itself. The notion of pre-emptive strike is

Inancial assessment of Cathay Pacific Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Inancial assessment of Cathay Pacific - Essay Example al, 2008). It has also been apparently observed that the financial performance of different companies is regarded as one of the important aspects of modern business. In this age of global economic crisis, companies are more interested in managing business in such a way so that they can accomplish their respective business targets successfully. Its financial statements can determine the financial performance of any company. Various factors can affect the financial performance of companies at large. Hence, it is the responsibility of the management of different companies to detect the potential threats and ensure that their financial position remains stable. One of the major business targets of the companies is to maintain sustainable business with profitable growth. It can be seen that the financial performance of companies largely depends on the efficiency of their operations that is directly related to the performance of the employees in this present day context. In order to make it self different from other rival competitors, companies need to have a proper and efficient work force that can effectively work towards the accomplishment of the organizational goals by a considerable level. In this regard, the recruitment and retention policies of different companies seem to be quite significant in as far as goal attainment is concerned (Knight& Bertoneche, 2000; Jackson & et. al., 2011). This paper seeks to provide a clear assessment of the financial performance of Cathay Pacific within the context of the prevailing global economic climate. On top of that, the paper also seeks to develop effective plans in terms of recruitment, selection, and retention for Cathay Pacific. Company Overview Cathay Pacific is a Hong Kong based Airline Company. The company operates in 42 countries throughout the globe and it was established in 1946 in Hong Kong. Since then it has acquired a leading position in the global airline industry. The company competes with different airline co mpanies across the globe and it strives to deliver quality services to the customers. The company achieved numerous awards since its inception. In 2003, the company attained airline carrier of the year award that significantly distinguished itself from its rival competitors. The company became extremely popular for its excellent services to the customers better known as â€Å"service straight from the heart.† This unique quality of the company eventually made it one of the most reputable airline companies in the world (Cathay Pacific, n.d.; Cathay Pacific, 2011). Global Economic Climate of the Airline Industry The global economy experienced a downfall during the previous years. It can also be said that the airline industry was not spared by this global economic crisis. The rise of fuel price also had a severe impact on the airline industry. In addition, it has been further noted that the new regulations imposed by the European Union especially in the catering area as well as safety has also effected the working operations of the airline companie

Songo fipaza Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Songo fipaza - Article Example . Fipaza was an industrious individual and had the passion to make his children’s dreams possible. Saucer was on the lookout for a solid buddy for the 2008 Cape Epic. The rules and regulations were strict as race organizations allowed identical racers to form a team. In South Africa it was difficult to find a sportsperson in this category in Specialized gear for this race. Top racers at that level were hard to find who were free from contracts. As the problem defied solution, Saucer thought of a charity run by creating own charity. Some Specialized seconded the idea and they were willing to come forward and Saucer negotiated with a South African, the GT rider of the time, Burry Stander. With this arrangement both would run in special uniform, specifically designed for the charity. With the major problem solved, the next issue was organizing the event. Charity and its objectives need to be notified. Ruth Bird rendered help and with his support they were fairly confident that everything would be in proper place to enable them to utilize the Cape Epic event to collect funds in support of some local sports organizations. Saucer mentions â€Å"At an ABSA Bank dinner, by sheer coincidence, we met Songo Fipaza and heard of the need for sport in the Kayamandi township of Stellenbosch. Songo mentioned the need for a BMX facility, and that was it – our goals were aligned! Extraordinary!†(Christoph†¦) The project began to take shape. They christened the charity as â€Å"Songo.†The procedural aspects of establishing a charity were still there. The authorities of â€Å"the JAG Foundation† came forward to help. They made available the leverage of their infrastructure. They had good reputation and they were associated with â€Å"the Mighty Meters program already running in Kayamandi† and they were well known in South Africa. Their next focus was to collect funds to build a BMX track. Another renowned individual Erica

Environmental sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Environmental sustainability - Essay Example It would then only be a question of time that man ceases to exist. This paper discusses about environmental sustainability, mainly focusing on the Brundtland Report about the same. This report not just considers the earth’s â€Å"environmental decay, poverty, and hardship,† but also brings to fore the â€Å"possibility for a new era of economic growth† and how this possibility can be realized. Environmentalists and scientists alike have tried to bring the situation under control by closely examining the environment as well as the earth. They have proposed several theories and steps that would help man to protect the environment and safeguard it. One such concept is sustainable development, which is the â€Å"ability to make development sustainable (by) ensuring that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs† (Brundtland, 1987). So, in other words, sustainable development proposes some r estraints on the use of resources, which are to be followed in order to change the present perishing situation of the environment to some extent. It is a known fact that â€Å"poverty is no longer inevitable,† thus, such a world, is â€Å"prone to ecological and other catastrophes† (Brundtland, 1987). ... Even after they are implemented, there arise several changes in the environment, which curb the overall impact that the strategies might have had, had the environment remained the same as to when the plans were originally prepared. Therefore, it becomes clear that there are a lot of issues which stand in the way of environmental sustainability and its success. According to the Brundtland report, some of these issues include population growth, â€Å"food security, species and ecosystems, energy, industry and the urban challenge† (Brundtland, 1987). Population growth relates with not just the ever increasing number of people on the planet, but also the way in which this â€Å"number relate(s) to available resources† (Brundtland, 1987). The resources available are limited, but the population keeps on expanding, thus making it obvious that sooner or later consumption would increase so much that the resources would be finished off completely. Another factor that poses an iss ue is the unawareness or lack of knowledge on part of the greater number of people, who do not know how to use the resources efficiently. Therefore, the increasing population demands for increase in educational facilities and awareness programs, in addition to increase in other requirements such as food, health care, energy supplies etc. The problem in terms of food security is that though the production of food has increased rapidly â€Å"food is often not available where it is needed† (Brundtland, 1987). Thus, poor people frequently suffer from hunger and starvation. Similarly, when population grows, environmental risks such as pollution through means of increased number of transportation, factories and other chemical wastes also increase. In the case of species and

Human Resource Management in a business is extremely important Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Management in a business is extremely important Essay Human Resource Management in a business is extremely important. Good Human Resource Management can help make a successful business as it can help keep the employees happy and satisfied. In the leisure and recreation industry high quality human resource management is vital as the service delivered by the organisations are on a person to person basis. S o the business is going to need the right people with the right skills and attitude, and also need the right managers to motivate and train staff to do well in their jobs. Human Resource Management basically means the organisation of people in a company, and can also be defined by the tasks, which managers undertake in the area, such as recruitment, training and communication with the workforce and dealing with any problems that may arise with the employees. The key qualities that the employees should have are that they should be well enough trained and confident enough to communicate with customers. Most large companies organise their staff into teams or separate departments, with a head or manager of section in charge. In large organisations the role of the manager is to be largely responsible for the deployment and development of employees, a duty that can represent a substantial challenge and needs its own type of training. The manager needs to be trained in appraising staff, motivating individuals or teams in applying employment legislation correctly. The roles of the Human Resource Manager in different sized organisations differ a lot. A manager in a large business would be a trained specialist and would know how to motivate his staff a lot more effectively, as he can concentrate solely on his employees. Where as a manager in a smaller business has the equal amount of responsibility, but this will be added to the responsibility for marketing strategies, financial decisions, stock control and many other jobs to do, perhaps for fewer staff but none the less a complex range of roles to perform. Here at ECC we have a very good Human Resource Management department that motivates the staff very well and is extremely organised, we aim to make sure that our employees are happy and that there is a friendly atmosphere evident for the customers to feel welcome. External and Internal Influences that affect Human Resource Planning Many large and medium sized businesses today have a personnel department. Its main role will be to manage the firms human resources. These are the employees or personnel in a business that help it to achieve its objectives. They might include production workers, office staff, members of the marketing team, accountants or cleaners. Human Resource Planning is the method by which a business forecasts how many and what type of employees it needs at present and in the future. It also involves matching up the right type of employees to the needs of the business. A business will work out its labour requirements, its demand, and make sure that an appropriate supply is demanded. There are many external and internal influences that can affect the success of the human resource management team and its planning for the short and long term. The difference between these influences from the point of view of Human Resource Planning (HRP) is that external is outside the immediate control of organisations, where as internal are more within control of organisations and can be more responsive to good HRP. The external factors can be simplified to the mnemonic PESTLE. These factors affect any leisure and recreation organisation. Each letter influences a business in different ways. Political Economic Social Technological Legal Environmental Political This is concerned with how political developments, regionally, nationally and internationally might affect a leisure and recreation businesses strategy and objectives. A change of government might affect a Leisure and Recreation provider such as our company ECC because they may introduce new policies or taxes that would mean our business may have to have to pay more direct tax and would consequently mean that our company would have less capital to spend on improving the business, or increasing employees wages. Political Instability could also occur in the United Kingdom. This could cause unrest within a country and could reduce the amount of people visiting your organisation. Here at ECC we may be affected, as there is a possibility of war with Iraq, which would mean people wouldnt visit the UK or the USA as the countries could be destructed by a war. That means we wouldnt have a business, as we would not get any customers visiting our restaurants so we would end up bust. Economic This incorporates: * Government Policy Monetary Policy and Interest Rates * Economic Variables Inflation and Unemployment Levels. The Monetary Policy is used to manage the level of demand in the economy with a particular emphasis on controlling the money supply. Monetary Policy can be used to: * Expand the economy by allowing more money to circulate and increase spending. * Control spending and restricts increases in money flowing around the economy which may lead to price rises. The government has used a variety of methods in the past to control the money supply. One is by changing the Interest Rates. Interest Rates is the rate of which businesses and people have to pay back money on loans and on there credit cards. The Monetary Policy meet to determine how much money they want circulating in the UK economy so that it can affect the money supply and inflation. An increase in Interest Rates can reduce the money supply. If interest rates increases, the rate of borrowing rises. That can affect leisure organisations such as ECC a great deal because if we want to expand and develop more restaurants in the UK then that would cost us more money to take out a loan, as the banks would charge us more interest. So then we may have to up our prices and pass on the increase of interest to our customers, which would then decrease the demand of our products, and may go to competitors such as McDonalds or Burger King. The level of inflation is when prices are rising (the rate of inflation) this also has an effect on consumer spending tending to slow down due to the high prices. Due to the loss of demand it has a knock on effect upon suppliers, who pass the increased fixed costs to companies such as ECC. That means that we would have to pay more for all our raw materials such as our food and cooking and cleaning goods and then that means increased prices. Our Human Resource Management department would be effected as that means we wouldnt be able to increase the wages of the employees like they may want, as we cant afford the rise in inflation, which could lead to de- motivation in our staff and the possibility of employees leaving. Unemployment levels at a high level, generally means the UK population as a whole has less money to spend on leisure and recreation activities, and instead spend the money on essential goods. When employment levels are high the population feel confident and have more disposable income to spend on luxury goods or on leisure activities. That could influence our HRP in two ways. Either by having a lot of people spending a lot in our restaurant as they have more money, which means we could afford to give our employees pay rise. Which then would make our staff more motivated and then work more efficiently and produce a better service to customers. And the opposite effect being less demand from customers and then less profit, and we would have to reduce prices to increase demand. By doing that the staff would not get any more money and become more de- motivated. Social The factors include Consumer Trends, which are the trends of the UK population. If the economy is experiencing an upturn in demand that means a company such as ourselves that means we would have to employ more staff as the increase in demand needs more staff to cope with the queues and maintain our service standard of fast, quality food to our customers. So we would employ part time staff so they can be flexible and if the demand decreases then we could not use them or pay them as much. Our HRP may need to be modified if there is a sudden demographic change to our customer base. There is an increase in the grey market in the United Kingdom these are the over 50s so that means we may employ more over 50 staff to appeal to the grey market as they generally have higher disposable incomes and more free time to come to our restaurant. So that could be something for our HRP to decide on, so we can provide a service to a wider market and then increase our profits. Technological We should improve our technology in ECC by maybe having to introduce online booking at our restaurants to keep up with the ongoing advances in technology and make our company have an advantage over our competitors. It would need high levels of investment, and increasing amounts of customers means ECC would have to employ more staff and also have to pay more on training the staff to be suitably equipped to deal with the new technology which would then mean having to pay out more for the wages of the employees. Legal Legal factors could include new health and safety legislation, such as tighter fire precautions, which would mean that our employees would have to go away to an external environment to be trained correctly to make sure ECC cant be sued due to staff not being trained in health and safety. Environmental Here at ECC we make sure there are no reasons why we as a company arent being environmentally friendly and then we arent subject to pressure groups demonstrating against the business, which then would lead to a loss of profit, as demand would decrease because of protestors against us. There are also internal factors that can affect businesses HRP. Structure and Ownership can lead to good and bad HRP. ECC being a large hierarchical organisation has many staff on many levels need a carefully researched human resource plan, which we have to avoid poor communication between restaurants. We make sure each manager of each restaurant across the world takes into account there employees opinions to make our company better as they are the experts in their job. That is all to increase the profits of the business and make it more efficient. The Size and Location can also affect a company and its HRP. We deliver one type of service, so all staff everywhere can be trained to the same standard across the organisation so we achieve the same results and provide the same great service. The location of the business can also be key, because if it is located in the countryside instead of the town centre where we locate our restaurants then we wouldnt appeal to such a wide market and then not get as much profit, which would lead to less money being put towards our employees who are vital.

Importance of Planning in Childcare Environment

Importance of Planning in Childcare Environment Vanessa Clare Every child is born unique; they have their own characteristics, personalities and interest. They developes at different rates, but do follow a similar development pattern, i.e. one child may begin to walk 9 months whereas another child may not begin to walk until they are 17-18 months. There may be many factors that also come into the equation when a child is developing, i.e. If a child is born premature or at term, if the child has any special educational needs or other disabilities which a child needs extra support for, weather there has been any long or short term illness, and the environment that the child is in, this includes the Childs social environment, also stress. A Childs growth and development is influenced by their learning and their influenced by the people and the environment around them. The EYFS document Development matters show the four themes that the Eyfs underpin all guidance, these are:- A unique child + positive relationships + enabling environments = learning and developments. When planning for a child it is best to get as much information on the child as possible, ask parents for information, as they are putting their most treasured procession in the safety of your care. Observe the childs free play to find out their likes, dislikes, strengths weaknesses, where you can support the child in their learning and environment. Anylise your finding using the four themes, principles and practice from the Development matters document. This helps to find out where a child is on their learning path, consider ways to strengthen their current learning development, showing guidance from positive relationships and enabling environments so that you can plan for the Childs learning and developments to fit their needs. As a practioner you will get to know each of your key children and will find other ways to work with the child alongside their planning. By following the planning, observations, assessment triangles you gain understanding of the Childs actual stage of develo pment, their interest and their particular needs , it will stop the you from planning activates and resources that may be too hard or easy for the child, or that the child does not find interesting. Activities that are too hard can negatively affect their confidence and self esteem, as they will not feel able to do it. Activities that are too easy will not hold their attention and they will lose interest quickly. By doing the observation, analysing and planning triangle it helps constantly review the Childs progress and share with the parents as required by the EYSF at two points, the prime areas between 24 and 36 months of age and at the end of the EYFS in the EYFS profiles. The EYFS breaks down the areas of learning into prime areas and specific areas, Prime areas are fundamental, work together, and move through to support development in all other areas Personal, social and emotional development Communication and language Physical development Specific areas include essential skills and knowledge for children to participate successfully in society Literacy Mathematics Understanding the world Expressive arts and design When planning activities you need to make sure that you are meeting all the children’s individual needs and requirements so the children are all treated equally. Putting into practice the equal opportunities which are essential. Equality, the practice of treating every on equally Diversity the practice of recognising and valuing individual characteristics and differences Inclusion an approach that makes sure that all children can participate to a full extent within their environment. A worldwide document that governs equal opportunities for all children is â€Å"The National Convention on the Right of the Child† this document outlines all basic human rights that all children are entitled to. All early years setting practitoners must follow this convention and empower the children in their care. The world made a promise to children nearly 25 years ago â€Å"that we would do every in or power to protect and promote their right to survive and thieve, to learn and grow, to make their voices heard and reach their full potential.† The convention defines a child as a person below the age of 18, unless the laws of a particular countries has set the legal age for adulthood younger. Young children often don’t realise that they have rights so it is up to adults to make sure that they know that they do, one of the rights relevant is the right for all children to have their views and opinions listened to and their best interest at heart. The EYSF requires all setting providers to have implemented a policy and procedures to promote the equality of opportunity of children in their care, and show support for children with special educational needs and disabilities. This policy should also cover how the individual needs of all the children will be met. All staff should have read and have understanding of their settings equal opportunities polices. All children should be given the same concern and attention and not all treated the same as this can be discriminating against them. A setting and their staff should provide an inclusive environment as this will challenge discrimination which will help to build a positive environment where children and their families will feel respected and valued, making them want to return. The equality act 2010 replaced all existing equality legislations and is in place protect individuals from discrimination. If children are discriminated against it can cause them to become withdrawn and could affect their development by causing delays. There are many ways that children could discriminate against, a few of these are due to their gender, social class, physical appearance, race and culture, it will lower their self esteem and confidence and they will start to question their beliefs. You must treat everyone the same no matter what their gender culture etc. This does not just apply to the children but to their families too. Any one working with children has to challenge their own views and beliefs and not show any prejudices to any of the children or their families so they want to return to the setting. To make a setting welcoming to children and their families welcome signs should be in multiple languages, staff should have a smile and a positive greeting when children a nd their families enter the setting, this creates a happy environment, learning a few words in the children’s own language helps build strong relationships. Support children in their own choices, when it comes to cultural /religious celebration these should be in place whether a child of that religion / culture is in the setting or not, ask for people that are from that culture or religion to come in and help promote to a higher standard so that the children get a fuller picture of the culture / religion or festival. Help children to feel they can come and talk, encourage children to build on their unique character and feel comfortable in themselves, helping them feel positive about their background which in turn will help them gain emotional well-being. By promoting good diversity children will be more accepting of other who are different from themselves. Children trust the adults that look after them to keep them safe and love them as do their parents as they are giving their most precious prize possession to look after and keep safe and happy .part of caring for a unique child is promoting their well-being , making them feel safe and secure in their environment. Key workers are essential as a first point of contact for the unique child and their family. The key worker spends time on a one to one with the child getting to know the needs of the child supporting them as they learn to spend time without their parents, and learning all about their interest, the key worker also helps support the parent in talking to them about the routines and likes and dislikes and aiming to follow them. Setting need to be set out for the children’s age and developmental stage, making sure that the environment is appropriate and safe for the children. Staffs ratios are a legal requirement, in the age group 0-24 months the ratios are one member of staff to every three children, from 24-36 months the ratio is one staff member four children and from 36-60 the children are more independent and have a greater knowledge of their own safety so the ration is one staff member to eight children, at this age children should be given rules, boundaries and activities that get the children to listen. Road safety Stanger danger awareness to personal safety should also be introduced at this age. As children grow they can be given the chance to learn about keeping safe themselves, encourage the child in making decisions give the child the power to say no if don’t want to join in. Promoting independence is an important part of growing and learning and becoming a unique child. And environment should be set out in an appropriate manner for the child. I.e a child of 0-12 months will need the toys in reach so they can chose themselves as they become mobile the environment should be set out so resources are at the child’s height and they can get them easily. A choice of healthy snack should be offered, from 12-24 months the environment should be accessible to the child and they should be voicing opinions which should be listened too, from 24-36 months children should be choosing what they want to play with, communicating is getting better and children should be having their opinions asked and listened to they should be continuing to help set up and tidy away to promot e independence and help with children following rules and boundaries. From 36-60 months children should enjoying independent choices they should be involved in the setting playing and communicating, ask the children what they would like to play with involving them in setting out their environment, at the same time setting boundaries. Setting should following the children’s act 1989 which promotes empowerment for children, making sure that they are involved in decisions that can affect their well being. Making sure that the children’s feelings and opinions are listened to, making sure that individual needs for the children and families are met, that children have their race, culture, language and religion are valued and respected and making sure that the well-being is of paramount importance. By using all of these when working with children you come to learn that all children are unique and by meeting all of their individual needs you are making sure that they are in a happy safe environment where they can grow and learn at their own pace feeling confident at doing so with the all the love support and resources that they need to do so. By meeting the unique Childs individual needs will help the child in five of the â€Å"Every Child Matters† outcomes. In staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, making positive contributions and achieving economic well-being.

Stakeholder their importance and engagement

Stakeholder their importance and engagement Introduction Stakeholder is someone who has interest in any organization, project, or business institute. Stakeholder analysis is critical. Stakeholder analysis is a tool or a set of tools. This uses for generating knowledge about individuals and organizations. The main aim is to understand their behaviour, intentions, interactions and interests. This also helps to assessing the influence and resources they bring to bear on decision making or implementation processes. In general these stakeholder included staff, shareholder, owner, government, media, community, customer, supplier, creditor, trade union. Stakeholder analysis  used to identify constrain and conflict in  project management and  business administration. This information is used to assess how the interests of those stakeholders should be addressed in a  project  plan,  policy, program, or other action. Stakeholder analysis is a key part of  stakeholder management. Define the terms Terms of stakeholder refers to individual or groups who can effect or effected by a corporation activity. (Sevendsen, 1998) People who have direct or indirect effect on any project can called stakeholders. Stakeholder analysis is analyzing the attitude of stakeholder towards something (business, project, government). Stakeholder could be a person or group and they can react positively or negatively towards the project or business, government. According to their impact there are three types of stakeholders. Primary stakeholder: the person or group, who ultimately affected by the project .It could be negatively or positively. Customers, owners, employees, associates, partners, contractors, suppliers, people that are related or local people are normally the primary stakeholders. Secondary stakeholder: mainly the intermediaries, the person or group indirectly affected by organisation action. Secondary stakeholder could be the community. Key stakeholders: this group can be part of first two groups as well. They have significant influence upon or impact within any organisation. This happened when secondary stake holder got influence. For example community some time could create pressure if they are on legal ground. There is some suggestion by different writer about the method of stakeholder mapping According to Mitchell, et al. (1997) stakeholder is classed based on power to influence. However, according to Johnson and Schools (1993) Stakeholder analysis or stakeholder mapping has evolved in recent years as at method for analysing the likely interests and actions of stakeholders. Stakeholder analysis means assess the stakeholder according to their interest and influence. Stakeholders are categorised on a graph rating their level of interest against the power they possess to exercise those interests. The stakeholders in this way are broadly divided into four groups; low interest/low power (A), high interest/low power (B), low interest/high power (C) and high interest/high power (D). Stake holder mapping is strategic business tool, this identify deferent level of power and influence acquire by stake holder. It also examined the power stake holder can exert, the relative likelihood of them using the power, and their level of interest regarding the companys activities. The objective of this analysis is to find out which potential group or individual stakeholder is more likely to affect the company. Then the company need to decide how to attend those group or individual stakeholders. Stakeholders are divided in four groups.Presentation1.jpg Figure According to figure 1 section has low level of interest and low level of power. To explain this diagram the writer use Manchester united football club. So for Manchester United (MU) in section A would be press, government, UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) they all got little effort on MU. They also got low interest in MU fuctions.MU can informed them after any decisions made. Section D is included fans, player, staff, FA (Football Association), supplier. This group need to inform. They got low power on decisions make, but got high interest on MU events. Section C is lenders, sponsor they need to satisfy on any change or decisions made. As they got high power MU need to care full of any warning sing for them. Finally section D is the key players the owner (Glazer), who got the high interest power and high interest. They can make any strategic choice. Benefits Stakeholder analysis has been used as management and strategic tool identifying optional strategy and managing other stakeholder , identifying current and future opportunity and threat and how best to handle them (Blair and Fottler, 1996) the main aim is to how much and what kind of attention need pay to stakeholders. For any project knowing the stakeholder interest is vital. This could lead to project success and also the failure of any project. It is very help full to know stakeholder interest. This allows the project manager to become proactive. For example if there is project of building of gym .Then the project planer can implement the customer interstate(modern gym instruments) the same time they can think of government interest ,fire exist .Both stakeholder preference can prevent future implication. These possible could be losing customer and accuse by health and safety. This analysis helps to bypass the future complication. Moreover it saves cost of future change and penalty. Project often get failure, because of protest from stakeholder. Stakeholder can be motivated by the managers. There is a mechanism to influence these stake holders. The information about stakeholder can be used by the managers to make mechanism to influence stakeholders. Stakeholder analysis is a great tool to bypass any possible risks. This risk can come from any stakeholders. Recently BT took some steps to increase its share price. It establishes a telephone exchange in Hong Kong and did some more investment in telecom industry. This all increase their share price. But at the same time BT make huge dept. This was not expected by the shareholders. So BT needs to sell some of its assets to reduce the debt. This happened, because of not considering shareholder expectation. BT could easily bypass this risk by pre- assessment of the full stakeholder analysis. Key stakeholder need to be informed about the project during the implementation stage .GMPTE building the metro link train service in team side area. It is long time project and creates a lot of traffic jam in this area. GMPTE is giving update in press or internet to keeping all stakeholders inform about the project condition. This giving them the support against the complication faces by the traveller and complains. This lets them do the project without any interruptions. By getting the most powerful stakeholder opinion, project planer can shape their project at early stage. Moreover, there is possibility to have support from them. All combine input can improve the total quality of the project. By gaining support from the powerful stakeholder will give access to more resources for project. This can make project successful. Advance and continues communication with the stakeholders will insure the stakeholders the activity of the project and their benefits. This will lead them to give every support when necessary. By capturing people reaction can let the project planer to build the project and put action plan to win people support. Stakeholder analysis helps to set the parameter of CSR (corporate social responsibility). Early stakeholder analysis can give sufficient information about the project. Moreover it can help the managers to take decision in future as well, like CSR .Stakeholder analysis gives detail information about all kind of stakeholders, which they can use in future. CSR is one of the elements of core competence and it is easily gain by the stakeholder analysis. It happened mostly in retail sector .They use all stake holder data for marketing communication and assesses them as potential buyer. Stakeholder mapping classify stakeholders and recognize groups possibly can influence and be affected by corporation decisions. Stakeholder mapping helps to develop the interaction between stakeholder and organisation. This is base on the stakeholder interest. For example when any new Tesco store open they send newsletter to the local community to keep them inform. Because they got high interest, but contribute little power. Disadvantage A big limitation on this analysis is the environment change. According to Vrvasovszky Brugha( 2000) the environment, the context of analysis, stakeholder interest, position, alliance and influence change over time. Political context can change over time. There are more likely to sudden transformation in developing countries .Therefore stakeholder analysis is time prospective. If the analysis takes too long to finish, the situation can change. This change is mainly happened in political position and legislation. As they both can change suddenly. The analysis result could go wrong on the basis of meaning of validity. This is because the respondent stakeholder answers are base on his or her position. If the changes by the project are on their favour, they will give a positive opinion about the project. Alternatively if the project can harm their desire, they could do the opposite. In Bangladesh a government own organization the National Telecommunication Board was converting to private sector. This project was faced huge protest by its employee. It was because the change will harm their current position (Und, 2009). Analyst could be influenced by their own value, prospective and understanding the policy issue, which is essential to do the analysis. Most of the time the analysts are from stakeholder, or acting on behalf of stakeholders .They could think about their interest and use the analysis to picture their aim. Sometimes it is impossible to shape the project, as to satisfy different stakeholder. This happened when different staked holder has different interest and each oppose other. For example Tesco chain store is expanding all over UK. Recently they open a new store in Middleton, Manchester. When they built the store they need to build a leisure centre, to satisfy the council. This extra constriction cost was not accepted by shareholders. According to Tesco official (2011) to build a new store it takes about  £10 million for each supper store. This types of cost may be oppose by the shareholder and bring a conflict between stakeholders. This also encourages the project planer over budgeting and could lead to project failure. Analysing for big project, need to consider different level and different kind of stakeholders. It is very complicated to that, as it is hard to consider which stakeholders might have power and who do not. Conclusion On the base of discussion from different scholar, the writer comes up the summary of the report. Stakeholder analysis is vital for any project. Because it bring the fundamental thing of project constrain, success factor and risk. Moreover, it shows the stakeholder engagement with the project and brings their interest. In this report it also seen that it has some limitation. But those limitation can be overcome easily and have perfect analysis of stakeholder. The analysis can build right project plan and that is the major thing in project success.

Hullabaloo within the Media of China and Tibet :: Government China Tibet Essays

Hullabaloo within the Media of China and Tibet Since the 19th century, relations between the Chinese government and the people of Tibet have continually been on the decline. While there are many issues which lie at the heart of this conflict, recent events have drawn more focus to the economic relationship between the two. In February 2001, China passed legislation giving the needed approval to begin construction on the controversial Qinghai-Tibet railway. Stretching from mainland China to Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous region, completion of 'the world's tallest railway' would join together two regions previously only connected by air and treacherous roads (WTNN par1-2, 7). This development, while fully supported by the Chinese government, is receiving heavy scrutiny from the people and the government of Tibet. This controversy does not revolve around the railway itself, but rather the effect it will have. In the wake of this debate, the challenge lies with the media to present a clear, unbiased report of the argume nts, without taking up sides. Examination of the Chinese nationalist press and the news reports from the Tibetan nationalist groups, as well as a glance at third party news sources, proves there is little media coverage which does not carry with it some undertones of a political or social nature. These underlying connotations, uniquely created to reach each target audience, function to affect the message received by the average reader. An analysis of the target audience of each media source reveals not only the type of undertone presented, but also its predicted effectiveness. In China, there is one national English language newspaper: China Daily. Because it is written in English, and as a result of its online availability, one can reasonably assume the target audience for this newspaper is most notably people residing outside of mainland China. On March 9, 2001, China Daily published an article providing quotes and excerpts from speeches made by deputies of the National People's Congress (NPC) and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) during their annual session. Among the speakers on the topic of new railway development was Lobsang Gyaincain, an NPC deputy and the mayor of Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. In his address, he highlights the benefits of building the Qinghai-Tibet railway, citing its ability to "enhance exchanges between ethnic groups, reinforce economic development in Western China, and modernize the concepts and styles of Tibet while not posing a threat on people's religious beliefs" (China Daily 4,6).

Sears Holding Corp Essay -- Business Analysis Management Essays Papers

Sears Holding Corp.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kmart and Sears have been part of the retail industry of America for the last two centuries, and as of November, 2004, they will be continuing due to their merger as Sears Holding Corp. This paper will first look at the history of the two companies to see how they started and what each company set out to achieve. This section will also include why the two companies failed. Secondly, a SWOT analysis will be performed on the new company, Sears Holding Corp, to try to identify where it stands in the present. Finally, a hypothesis of how the new company is likely to be accepted by consumers and whether it is likely to succeed will be discussed. Kmart History   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  S.S. Kresge Co., the predecessor of Kmart, was founded in 1889 by Sebastian J Kresge, in Detroit Michigan. The small store, which sold everything for five and ten cents, was an instant success. By 1912 S.S. Kresge Co. had expanded to 85 stores with annual sales of more than $10 million. The 1920’s saw a larger increase in merchandise variety and prices, Kresge’s first steps to becoming a discount store. This final leap to a discount store was made in the 1950’s, when the company realized that they needed to make some changes in order to remain competitive. In 1962 S.S. Kresge Co. opened their first Kmart discount department store in a suburb of Detroit. During that same year seventeen other Kmart stores opened. Realizing that discount stores were the wave of the future S.S. Kresge changed its name to Kmart in 1977. In 1987 Kmart sold its remaining Kresge stores (kmartcorp.com).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the years of 1984 to 1992 Kmart bought several businesses, including Builders Square in 1984, the Sports Authority in 1990, a 90-percent stake in OfficeMax in 1991, and Borders bookstores in 1992. However, in 1995 with a close brush with bankruptcy, Kmart sold those businesses in which they had just invested and refocused its efforts back on the discount stores. During that same year Kmart began converting its traditional stores to a new high frequency format designed to improve the customer shopping experience. A new name, Big Kmart, was assigned to these stores (in April 1997) (kmartcorp.com).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, all the changes Kmart made throughout its long history to remain current with ideas of the times, were not enough to help Kmart maintain its competitive edge. Kmart also m... ... Levy, M. â€Å"Kmart-Sears Merger† Start Tribune 18 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Retailindustry.about.com â€Å"Retail Consolidations† 30 November 2004 Schuman, E. â€Å"Sears, Kmart Merger to Create Huge Retail IT Operation† E-Week† 17 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Schuman, E. â€Å"Where America Shops Meets Where America Shoplifts† E-Week† 19 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Searsarchives.com 29 November 2004 Snavely, B. â€Å"Grand Strategy; Converting Kmart stores will help get Sears ‘Off the Mall’† Crain’s Detroit Business 22 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Strasburg, J. â€Å"Kmart to buy Sears, Create No. 3 Retail Giant† The San Francisco Chronicle 18 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Troy, M. â€Å"Kmart Holding Corporation and Sears, Roebuck and Co. Agree to Merge† Business Wire 17 November 2004. Academic Universe: Business. Lexis-Nexis. UNL Lib. 28 November 2004 . Wikipedia.org â€Å"Kmart Corporation† 29 November 2004

Why Do so Many Professional Athletes Go Broke After Retirement?

Jay Nicholls Economics of Sports Prof. Enz 4/5/13 Why do so many professional athletes go broke after retirement? After watching ESPN’s 30 for 30, Broke, my mind starting pondering this question of why and how so many professional athletes are blowing through the millions they make while playing their specific sport? It is amazing that someone can spend that much money so quickly. What are they buying and who are they buying things for? Where are they spending it? Where do they go wrong? When did this trend start and will it continue in the future?What are the league officials doing in order to prevent this tragedy from happening? These are some of the questions I will try to answer throughout this paper. In March of 2009 Pablo S. Torre wrote an article for Sports Illustrated titled, â€Å"How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke†. He explains how many athletes, especially minority ones, come from very humble beginnings often times growing up in poverty. Some of whom are the onl y ones in their family to reach college. Then some of them even start earning money while still in college through â€Å"illicit payments from agents† (Torre).Once these players hit the big leagues and start earning millions, much of it is invested blindly by people who appear to be trying to help but often times do not. Their fortune seemingly evaporates right before their eyes. If and when these athletes look at their bank accounts their reactions are usually similar, â€Å"What the †¦? †(Torre). The most common leagues that players go broke are the three most popular in the country, NFL, NBA, and MLB. Torre reported that â€Å"By the time they [the athletes] have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce. (Torre). That is an astounding number of players looking at overdue credit card bills, child support payments and much more. Athletes who do get married and then ev entually divorced, in many cases, do not sign prenuptial agreements therefore losing at least half of what they worked so hard for. Another astonishing figure reported by Torre was that 60% of former NBA players are broke within five years of retirement. They typically run into many of the same problems as NFL players. The MLB is no different.High profile Major League Baseball players like Johnny Damon and Jacoby Ellsbury reported that some of their money is tied up in an $8 billion fraud scandal due to a shady financier named Robert Allen Stanford. It is hard to believe that someone of that celebrity status could be drained of their money but it’s true. Mike Pelfrey of the New York Mets was forced to ask the team for a salary advancement of $2 million after he admitted he was broke because 99 percent of his fortune is frozen in the same scandal (Torre).These athletes not only gave much of their wealth to Stanford, but also all of their trust and he essentially took their mon ey and ran with it. Uneducated athletes or ‘dumb jocks’ are an easy target for fraud because they may not read the fine print or even care to read it. Also they may not understand the investment fully and get taken for all that they are worth. The financial crisis of 2008 had a huge impact on many players’ wealth as their trusted financial advisors lost billions in the stock market crash.Money manager Michael Seymour, founder of the company UNI Private Wealth Strategies, was quoted saying, â€Å"Athletes have a different set of challenges from, say, entertainers. There’s a far shorter peak earnings period [in sports] than in any other profession, and in many cases they lack the time and desire to understand and monitor their investments. † (Torre). Many athletes don’t have time or the education to know where their money is going and who is handling it. A grueling 162 game baseball season doesn’t leave much time for a ball player to sit down with his financial advisor and talk numbers.Many players will say here is my money, invest it without surveying the risks involved or even realizing that there are risks involved. Coming into that much money so quickly may force a player to just pay someone to handle it because it is much easier that way. Seymour also brings up a good point that is often overlooked by people on the outside or the fans; this is the length of professional sports careers. There are very few athletes in any sport that can last long enough to retire and have enough money to not worry about the rest of their lives.Athletes such as Brett Favre, Cal Ripken, Chris Chelios and Gordie Howe are the rare exceptions to this rule. Howe played professional hockey throughout five decades spanning nearly fifty years. An article from quanthockey. com stated that the average NHL player will play between five and six seasons in the league no matter what position they were. On average that accounted for roughly 238 games played for skaters but far less for goaltenders (â€Å"Average Length of an NHL Player Career†). The numbers across the other three major leagues are very similar or lower.However hockey players, for the most part, are either good with their money or good at staying out the spotlight if they do go broke. The RAM Financial Group is a company that specializes in helping professional athletes manage their wealth. They refer to themselves as financial coaches that â€Å"help guide you to success† by planning for retirement, handling taxes, insurance, and budgeting along with many other services. In an article on their website they wrote that the average NFL career is 3. 5 years; the average NBA career is 4. years and the MLB had the longest career length of any of the four major sports leagues at 5. 6 years (â€Å"Athlete Services†). These three figures make sense too; that as the sports get less physical the career length gets longer. The baseball statistic did not include pitchers however, who are far more prone to injury and typically have much shorter careers than position players. Those figures are also the averages, meaning half of the players fall below that career length. Those players only lasting a season or two in most cases are not star players and are not earning large signing bonuses or special incentives.Chances are they are late round draft picks and sign for the league minimum. RAM Financial Group says that athletes must plan for nearly 50 years of retirement after sports. Since many athletes did not go to, or did not finish college, they do not have a degree to rely for help in the job search after their career has ended. There are only a select few athletes that can maintain a job in the sports world, such as a television announcer or analyst, coach, or scout et cetera; it requires a certain personality and intelligence.The article by Torre profiles a football player by the name of Raghib (Rocket) Ismail who was a sta r wide receiver for Notre Dame and was a potential number one draft pick for the NFL, but instead chose to sign an $18. 2 million contract over four years with the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts. Why he chose the CFL over the NFL I will never know. He goes on to say that he started with a base salary of $4 million and he was so focused on football that by the time his first year was over his bank account was just about empty.Ed Butowsky was listening to Ismail speak and nodded his head as if to say, ‘I could have seen that coming’. Butowsky is a managing partner at Chapwood Investments which is a wealth management firm. He is used to managing very wealthy people’s fortunes in the business world but, not many professional athletes. Butowsky realized that broke athletes was a reoccurring theme throughout major league sports and he felt the need to do something about it. In 2005 Butowsky began inviting many prominent athletes to his so called fi nancial â€Å"boot camps†.Some of these athletes were well off and others were not. He taught them things about money from the very basics of what is a bond, to some more complicated topics such as insurance and retirement. These sessions were free of charge and the goal was to educate these young men so that they did not fall into financial ruin like so many athletes before them (Torre). An athlete’s wealth is† supposed to outlive their career† according to Bill Duffy, a veteran agent who manages players like Steve Nash and Carmelo Anthony. So where do most of them go wrong?The feature of Torre’s article, Rocket Ismail, talked about his investment portfolio over the years. It included lots of â€Å"dubious inventions and risky investments† (Torre). He mentioned pouring money into a religious movie that saw no return. He earned a reported $18 to $20 million over his career from salary alone in the CFL, and went broke through what he calls â₠¬Å"‘total ignorance’†. He was luckier than most broke athletes however, because he never filed for bankruptcy, had legal trouble or got divorced, and most importantly he had his degree from Notre Dame.But his lack of ‘luck’ with investments caused him to nearly lose it all (Torre). One of his worst investments came when he sank $300,000 into a theme restaurant called the Rock N’ Roll Cafe. It was similar to the idea of the Hard Rock Cafe. Ismail said the man who pitched him this idea talked about it as â€Å"fail-proof, with no downsides† (Torre). Ismail was never paid back anything at all and doesn’t even know if the restaurant ever existed. His lack of interest in the investment led him to lose a considerable amount of his money by writing a single check.If I were about to invest that much money I would want to see building plans, permits, other investors, revenue, and much more before I decided to invest anything at all. Whethe r he didn’t care or didn’t know, he is still at fault. One would think Ismail learned his lesson, but the opposite is true. He continually pumped thousands of dollars into sketchy investments that never took off. He was too trustworthy and easily persuaded by smooth talkers and promising business plans such as a music label, a cosmetics line, tourist shops, and a phone card dispensary company.All of which failed miserably and he saw no return on his investments. Some may call it bad luck but Butowsky sees it differently. According to the article, â€Å"Industry experts estimate that only one in 30 of the highest-caliber private investment deals works out as advertised† (Torre). I would not be willing to risk much money on a thirty three percent chance of making money. He also states, â€Å"Chronic overallocation into real estate and bad private equity is the Number 1 problem [for athletes] in terms of a financial meltdown† (Torre).The lure of tangible ite ms is so much greater than buying something intangible like a stock. Most athletes love the spotlight, and by saying so and so owns a bar or restaurant is a lot sexier and more intriguing than being a shareholder in a Fortune 500 company, even though it may be a safer investment. Risk-averse investors suggest allocating most of their investments to a mix of public securities which to most athletes are invisible and boring. The thrill of inventions and nightclubs are for more appealing but riskier.Disreputable people see athletes’ money as very easy to get a hold of according to NFL agent Steven Baker, who represents 20 NFL players (Torre). People seek to take advantage of them and as history shows it they have been extremely successful. Drew Bledsoe and a crew of other NFL retirees invested â€Å"at least $100,000 apiece in a †¦ Pay By Touch †¦ technology that would help replace credit cards with fingerprints† (Torre). Even though this company was dealing wit h several lawsuits from players and others, they still invested.The stories of athletes buying real estate to sell and rent are very common and their results are all too similar. The financial crisis put a huge damper on the housing market and caused many of the properties to be foreclosed on putting these athletes further into debt. Many properties are up for sale on EBay, far below their original asking prices and market values. Former major league infielder Junior Spivey is one of the many suffering from owning too many real estate properties that aren’t seeing a return on investment.He declares, â€Å"It’s very tough, especially for someone like me who’s not playing† (Torre). Young, rich athletes are similar to a lottery winner who comes into millions without knowing how to handle it. Some of them probably haven’t heard or learned of the basics of budgeting or keeping receipts for tax purposes according to Leigh Steinberg an NFL agent (Torre). Many athletes will admit they know nothing about the business and financial world after the fact they have made very costly investments without knowing all the details about where their money is actually going.Magic Johnson weighed in on this discussion, â€Å"by admitting he knew nothing about business† (Torre). He was a lucky one getting a trustworthy adviser. He went on to say that many athletes hire family and friends because it is a favor to them but these people are often times in over their heads when dealing with this much money. They can make risky and uneducated investments that may not be profitable. Johnson gets calls from stars all the time who ask him about hiring friends and he immediately says no because he knows they will more than likely fail.Many athletes will hire their friends because they simply do not know how to say no to them. Friends of rich athletes often expect financial help or jobs. The infamous Ron Artest had to dismiss six of his friends involv ed in his record label in 2007. They were doing odd jobs for him and living in a house he was paying for. His ‘entourage’ was less helpful than they were worth and Artest had to make that tough decision (Torre). Jerry Richardson, owner of the Carolina Panthers stated the most dangerous thing that could happen to an athlete financially is divorce.A lot of athletes get married young and by the time they retire realize they made a mistake. In Torre’s article, he refers to a survey put out a financial services firm by the name of Rothstein Kass. In the survey they polled 178 athletes – each with a minimum net worth of $5 million and most were under the age of thirty. It was reported that, â€Å"more than 80% of the 178 athletes polled†¦ [were] concerned about being involved in unjust lawsuits and/or divorce proceedings† (Torre). Athletes and agents’ common estimates today, show that the divorce rate for professional athletes is anywhere from sixty to eighty percent.Husbands routinely lose half of their net worth in these cases and most splits happen after the peak earnings period of their careers, or in retirement. This timing is no accident. Former NBA center Mark West commented, â€Å"There’s this huge lifestyle change†¦ you and your wife are suddenly always at home, bugging each other. Before you’d say ‘I gotta go to practice. ’ Now you don’t have practice† (Torre). If you don’t want to spend time with your wife clearly you aren’t ready to get married or you picked the wrong woman to spend the rest of your life with.I can see how many retired athletes would want to relax at home after their career is over. Some women are just gold diggers as well, just using the men’s money to go shopping and such. Other problems such as infidelity may arise as well. Celebrity status sometimes seems to bring out the worst in people and not many marriages can survive a cheating scandal. With all the pressures riding on a high profile marriage with an athlete, the prenuptial agreement is one security blanket to protect an athletes’ net worth.This is recommended by agent David Falk who represented Michael Jordan, but Jordan did not have one. The percentage of athletes who sign one is considerably lower than regular people of the same economic stature. Often times an athlete will marry his hometown sweetheart and they are so blinded by ‘love’ that they could not ever imagine a ruinous divorce in their future, but people change especially when there is lots of money at stake. Dikembe Mutombo set a great example for athletes when called off his marriage in 1994 after his fiance refused to sign a prenuptial agreement.It reportedly â€Å"cost him $250,000† to cancel the wedding ceremony but it could have been millions had they gone through with the marriage and gotten divorced later on (Torre); smart move by the big man. Chil dren are a large factor in a divorce settlement as well. They tend to make the decisions far more complicated. NBA player Travis Henry, who has nine children with nine different women, is a prime example of this. His fortune was demolished by child support payments in the â€Å"tens of thousands† (Torre).When athletes cannot afford to pay these ridiculous amounts of money they get treated no differently than regular citizens and are put in prison. Another factor leading to the demise of an athletes’ wealth is the notion that they want to impress the veterans on the team and get on their good side. Some rookies think that in order to do this they must buy a Lamborghini, a yacht or splurge on a million dollar house. You cannot live outside your means for too long. Soon enough the bills will come in and they will realize that swiping a credit card doesn’t mean you can keep that item forever. Young layers will look up to guys that have been in the league for many ye ars, and who have accumulated plenty of money. They try to emulate them and fail miserably. For example a rookie on say, Shaquille O’Neal’s team, might look at his many cars, clothes and large and say, ‘I want that’. However Shaq has money coming from not only his NBA salary, which was amongst the highest in the league, but also from numerous endorsement deals off the court. Professional athletes’ going broke has been an ongoing trend for many years and it will continue until education becomes an important part of turning pro.Fox news did a short story on this epidemic and in it Kathryn Buschman Vasel reported that, â€Å"The reasons for financial hardships vary, from lack of planning, over indulgence, bad investments and poor financial guidance. Or all of the above† (Vasel). These four mishaps have ruined lives of once millionaire athletes for so many years. With so many star athletes going broke and embarrassing not only themselves but the leagues they represent, what are the owners, general managers, and league officials doing to help prevent this trend from continuing?USA Today posted an article on this topic last year citing the Sports Illustrated article among others. Russ Wiles wrote, â€Å"The NFL conducts workshops for rookies covering topics such as substance abuse, sex education, gambling, domestic violence and personal finance† (Wiles). However their effectiveness remains in question. Many of the rookies will disregard these efforts to help them and wind up in the same situation as their counterparts before them. They hear the stories and statistics but think this could never happen to me I am going to be a millionaire, there’s no way I could blow that much money.Ignorance is not bliss in this situation. Many athletes â€Å"assume the money will keep flowing in for years, but that’s usually not the case† (Wiles). Contracts that teams offer are usually merit based with only a small percentage guaranteed no matter what. Many players don’t realize this or may not even know that. As an athlete myself I never think that maybe I will get hurt this year or what will happen if I do. Professional athletes have the same mentality. Even worse what if a rookie never pans out to be more than a backup?Bench players don’t make nearly as much as starters or star players. And as soon as a player gets cut or put on waivers their contract dwindles down to nothing. When the paychecks stop coming, the lavish lifestyles of athletes can no longer be sustained. Paychecks will stop eventually for everyone but bills never do. The banks and credit card companies don’t care if you get hurt playing a professional sport, they still want their money and will stop at nothing until they get all of it; whether that means foreclosing your home, car and yacht or seizing all other assets as collateral.Players can’t grasp the concept that their peak earnings period wi ll be short lived and their lifestyles must be planned accordingly. Unlike a corporate office job or a doctor where the potential salaries keep increasing based on good performance or experience in the field in which they work, Athletes make all or most of their income in a few short years. According to Wiles, â€Å"Even athletes who play professionally for many years will eventually need to downsize their finances†¦That makes them different from most workers† (Wiles). Colleges and universities are not off the hook either.These institutions that have high profile teams with the potential for their athletes to play professional sports should offer more courses on money and finance to their students. It should be a requirement for students not just student athletes to be financial literate so that nobody finds themselves in the red later on in life. Even if you are a history major or a science major, it is imperative to know how keep your head above water when it comes to personal finances. The only way these professional athletes will be able to lead successful lives after their playing days are over is through education.People above them need to stress the importance of saving, planning, and common sense because once you owe more money than you are able to pay back it may be impossible to get out of debt. Bibliography 1. â€Å"Athlete Services. † RAM Financial Group. RAM Financial Group, n. d. Web. 2 Apr 2013. . 2. â€Å"Average Length of an NHL Player Career. † Quanthockey. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 2 Apr 2013. . 3. Torre, Pablo S.. â€Å"How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke. SI Vault. Sports Illustrated, 3 Mar 2009. Web. 1 Apr 2013. . 4. Vasel, Kathryn Buschman. â€Å"Why Athletes Go Broke. † Fox Business. Fox News, 01 FEBRU 2013. Web. 4 Apr 2013. . 5. Wiles, Russ. â€Å"Pro athletes aften fumble the financial ball. † USA TODAY Sports. USA TODAY, 22 APRIL 2012. Web. 4 Apr 2013. .

Covering data protection and sharing Essay

In my setting solely reading stack absent and held regarding pupils who atomic number 18 in attendance is unplowed safe and secure by development rallying crys on the computer and it corporation whole be accessed by those who are in charge of it. Educational records kept in each classroom are locked into cupboards with padlock, and precisely senior round hold the bring outSchool only collects training that is use for a specific purpose, i.e. the childrens anticipate and advert/carer contact discipline. School in like manner holds files tameing staff details and training courses attend etc. which are again kept electronically with a password protection. The school pictures the information they require is relevant and accurate and they break the information is kept up to date, by sending letters out to parent/carers to remind them to update information since the support academic year. The information is kept for the continuance the child is in attendance at the school and after which they will withdraw the files containing the personal data and snap either paper documents. Personal information is easy to the pupils and parents should they wish to view their own details. rung have access to the shredding machine and can use at any time, to shred scribble notes during meetings, that may not be needed anymore, but may contain childrens names etc.Also, in my setting, surnames are not written onto the summit of any child s books, which makes them harder to lay after-school(prenominal) the setting, protecting identity.Some of the children at my current work setting are on the child protection establish and this information is only available to the designated safeguarding incumbent. If the safeguarding abilityr has been notified of some child protection issues in relation to any child wherefore they essential separate it to the childs teacher in confidence to image the information partingd is in the strictest confidence. The inf ormation the CPO holds must also be kept secure at all multiplication (is kept in locked drawers and her office locked every time she is not in that respect ) and it is imperative that the information stored does not pose public knowledge. The data collected must at all times be kept on the premises to ensure it does not become public knowledge. If the information needs to be shared with immaterial agencies then it must be through with(p) appropriately, by using their discretion, and following all policies at all times.As a 11 I grasp information on my charge such(prenominal) as IEP, speech and Lang letters etc. These are all kept in a file in a cupboard away from the entrance employ by parents. I can share these documents with relevant staff or outside agencies ( SENCo or Autism Outreach), but only at appropriate times and if relevant to do so. It is important to keep information hush-hush and only disclose to staff as necessary.Electronic details are password protected onto individual staff folders on the school computer system and screens must ALWAYS be shut shovel in when finished with, and before walking away from the screen.Helen Purvis CYP 3.31.5 contdselective information Protection Act 1998 is an updated adaptation of the 1988 Act. It says an organisation should hold an individuals information confidentially and not disclose to other members of the public. It also states that the individual has a right to view or fix the information held regarding them. School use the Data Protection Act and have include it their confidentiality policy and safeguarding policy and all staff musts adhere to these policies and procedures at all times. reference point data protection act on Wikipedia accessed 13.2.13