Chemistry in Our Lives

â€Å"Better living through better chemistry† Chemistry affects our lives in many different ways, everyday. The air you inhale everyday is an element called hydrogen. Chemistry affects us in good ways and bad ways. So, I decided to do it in both points of view. Without chemistry our lives wouldn't be as easy it is right now but there is a other side to it. Without chemistry we wouldn't have communication, transportation, medicine, and technology .If it wasn't for chemistry we would have to send messages with messengers like it was years ago, now we can even see each other without being physically there. Alot of people survive because of chemistry; for example when there is a tsunami alert or any natural disaster, the alert is being said by technology, if it wasn't for this many people would die.Our transportation is a big invention as well. We can travel many places in days when by car than traveling by horse with no heater or air condition, having suffer with the weather and it'll take months to get to places rather than traveling by a vechicule. Our supplies are transported by trains, we don't suffer from our neccessities, we don't have to wait for them.When there is an emergency, there's an ambulance that's created for emergencies with red, yellow, and light blue lights and also it makes a loud noise which lets other drivers to move out the way. If it wasn't for chemistry, there would be a lot of people dying from diseases, posinous animal bites, toxic chemicals, etc. Babies are vaccinated to make their immune system strong enough to fight against many diseases and infections, trying to prevent tragedies.Antibiotics are very important as well. Antibiotics have been the cure to many diseases, by killing or stopping the growth of bacteria. Before plants, fungi, and lichen were used to try heal infections. We have medicine at the reach of our hands. Have a headache? Take a pill. Can't sleep? Take Night-quil. There always seem to be a solution to our ache s.

Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management Essay

The nursing shortage and high turnover rate in nursing impacts the economic life of every health care organization in America. The purpose of this paper is to define and discuss the approaches in leadership and management styles in relation to the nursing shortage and nurse turnover using theories, principles, skills, and roles of the leader versus manager and to identify this student’s professional philosophy of nursing and personal leadership style. INTRODUCTION The Affordable Care Act has changed the landscape of health care delivery in America. Many more patients are seeking health care. Mary Force concludes one of the most serious issues facing healthcare delivery is the nursing shortage. It is estimated the current shortage of registered nurses will be 340,000 by the year 2020 (Force, 2005). There is inadequate nursing staff to meet the heavy demands of the current patient climate seen in acute care hospitals today. Hospitals need dependable, highly trained nurses. Nursing turnover and shortages mean current nurses seek different employment, resign, transfer or are terminated. Causes of turnover and shortages are an aging RN population and a demographically large aging boomer population, low enrollments in nursing schools, increased workload, poor nurse staffing ratios and high patient acuity according to Ribelin (2003). Nurses do not leave hospitals; they leave their managers (Ribelin, 2003). Lack of good leadership by nurse leaders and managers, limited upward mobility, unsatisfactory remuneration, lack of teamwork, poor communication, and inflexibility in work schedule all also contributing factors to high staff turnover. COMPARE AND CONTRAST LEADERS APPROACH It is important to understand the different role the nurse manager and nurse  leader play in order to understand their approach to the staff they have responsible for, especially in the area of staff retention. The roles are different yet there is interface between both. The nurse manager’s role is defined by the organization that gives her or him authority (control) and has subordinates (nurse leader) to delegate tasks to so that the goals of the organization are met. They value stability and focus on short-term results. Their objectives are to complete tasks, perform time management, control productivity, and maintain necessary equipment. They plan, budget, organize, coordinate, solve problems and make decisions. They focus on the organization’s policy and procedures, systems, efficiency, and doing the work in their assigned area per organizational boundaries. It is little wonder that staff sometimes see themselves as little more than a number in the eyes of some nu rse mangers. The nurse manager can address the problem of turnover by being visible and present in the unit and be seen by their staff frequently. They can assist with flexible scheduling and adequate staff-patient ratios. They can also be champions for adequate reimbursement, benefit plans, and the synchronization of resources that enhance the nursing experience. When coupled with organizational reimbursement for advanced education such as completion of baccalaureate and master degrees, nursing satisfaction is higher and managers are better able to retain their staff. Hunt suggests job sharing as a possibility also (Hunt, 2009). They can also recognize staff for their services and give tokens of appreciation. Unfortunately nurse managers have little control over the nursing shortage. The U.S. federal government must allocate more educational funds to support nursing programs. There must be more programs available so teachers can be trained and additional seats made available to students at universities and community colleges. The nurse leader’s role and activity with the staff is an important link in assisting the organ ization reach its goals. They earn the right to lead by influencing people through communication, consensus, explaining vision, listening, teaching, inspiring, motivating, creating, building trust relationships, and empowerment. Effective nurse leadership is about teamwork, listening, mentoring, coaching, and persuasion. Nurse leaders assist staff with the big picture, the vision. Nurse leaders look for new ways to solve problems by being flexible and adaptive. They are excellent at communication and being involved with their staff. They  encourage participation by the nursing staff in clinical ladders for career advancement. Their followers value them. They are a positive force through their communication, sense of purpose, and thus assist in staff retention and turnover. Effective leadership is an essential component in staff retention (Kleinman, 2004). PESONNAL LEADERSHIP STYLE The writer’s own personal and professional philosophy blends well with the role of nurse leader. She has the qualities to be a manager but her personal and professional style revolves around teaching, communicating creating vision and team building. To be positive and inspiring is part of this nurse’s innate character. This nurse has the capacity to be a transformational nurse leader, leading by example, inspiring others of the organizations vision, and to encourage others to further their education. This writer identifies and promotes shared responsibility for actions and a democratic process in which nurses communicate effectively with management. This nurse leader empowers everyone to work as a team and accomplish goals. The collective group then takes ownership if they feel they are heard and valued. They catch the vision. The organization’s vision becomes their vision. Success comes from people working together understanding that together they can all do great things. The issue of turnover and retention can be addressed by increased satisfaction in the nursing career. This often comes by nurse leaders like myself knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the staff, treating the staff as individuals with great potential to contribute to the team, listening, persuading, encouraging, being sensitive to the workload of the staff, showing empathy for the staff and involving nurses in the decision making process. This also involves nurse leaders communicating clearly with the nurse manager, linking the team together to achieve goals. CONCLUSION Nursing shortages and turnover are ongoing issues. All levels of Leadership must collaborate to address the ongoing issues of nursing shortages and turnover. Good leadership by nurse managers and nurse leaders can reduce the nurse turnover rate but the nursing shortage that is plaguing the health care system is hindering the ability of nurses to provide adequate care of their patients. It is a policy matter to be addressed by the highest levels  of government. Nurse managers and nurse leaders have differing roles and methods of obtaining objectives but both are needed to successfully meet the goals of the health care organization. References Force M. V. 2005. Relationship Between Effective Nurse managers and Nursing retention. Force, M. V. (2005). The Relationship Between Effective Nurse managers and Nursing retention. , 35(718), 336-341. D Hunt, S. (2009): Nursing Turnover: Costs, Causes, & Solutions. Retrieved on October 6, 2013 from http://uexcel.com/resources/articles/NursingTurnover.pdf Kleinman, C. (2004). Leadership: A key strategy in staff nurse retention. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 35(3), 128-132. Retrieved from http://tools.hhr-rhs.ca/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=att_download&link_id=5677&cf_id=68&lang=en Ribelin, P. (2003). Recruitment & retention report: Retention reflects leadership style. Nursing Management, 34(8), Retrieved from http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/journalarticle?Article_ID=418488

Propaganda Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Propaganda - Research Paper Example More importantly, it is an indication of the distrust of mainstream media sources and the information (misinformation) being generated by them. This viewpoint is reflected in other contemporary scholarship on the subject. Prominent among them is Nicholas O’Shaughnessy’s work, which has spawned a new discipline in social sciences – that of Political Marketing. In his book titled Politics and Propaganda: Weapons of Mass Seduction, the author deciphers the real meaning and agenda behind political rhetoric and posturing. By studying extensively the media coverage of Iraq war and drawing suitable examples from it to support his claims, Shaughnessy illustrates how obfuscation of fact and propagation of myth are essential techniques of political marketers. And through this technique, propagandists are able to maintain the appeal of disinformation even when genuine sources of information are available in the digital medium. (Shaughnessy, 2005) Despite awareness created b y scholars such as Shaughnessy, public expressions of disagreement and distrust only account for a politically aware minority while the large majority of the population is subject to government propaganda, orchestrated and implemented by major media institutions. Indeed, the ruthlessness and brazenness with which the Bush Administration went about achieving its strategic goals can be learnt from the following quote: â€Å"The issue of whether the Pentagon was waging an orchestrated domestic propaganda campaign was first openly acknowledged in the fall of 2002. Donald Rumsfeld was asked whether the Pentagon was engaged in propagandizing through the Defense Department's Office of Strategic Influence (strategic influence is military jargon for propaganda). Military officials said they might release false news stories to the foreign press, but they had to retract that when news organizations expressed concern that the bogus stories could be picked up in the domestic press. Mocking conc erns about propaganda blowback, Rumsfeld informed the media on November 18, 2002, that he would eliminate the program in name only. (Goodman & Goodman, 2004, p.253) One might wonder why such a nexus between apparently two different kinds of institutions should exist and what benefits would its leaders attain in the process. There are a handful of sociological and political economic theories of news production that attempt to answer this most pressing question of modern democratic societies. One of the major contributions to the subject of government-media propaganda is made by Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman. Their seminal work titled Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media is perhaps the most illuminating work on this subject, alongside Ben H. Bagdikian's another path-breaking work 'Media Monopoly'. In Manufacturing Consent, Chomsky and Herman layout a template for how propaganda works. This they called the Propaganda Model. In it they identify a set of five key f actors that contribute to the functioning of propaganda machinery. These are: 1. Ownership of the medium 2. Medium's funding sources 3. Sourcing 4. Flak and 5. Anti-Communist Ideology. (Mcchesney, 1989, p.36) It should be remembered that during the time of the book's publication, Soviet Union was still in existence and Anti-Communist ideology comprised the dominant American foreign policy paradigm. In the context of the

Cross Cultural Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Cross Cultural Management - Essay Example From management’s perspective, employees are considered the most important assets for the company and it is the quality of the employees that makes the business successful. In order to be successful, employees are offered with training and their skills are developed through different programs to achieve certain objectives. Training and development provide prime opportunities for the management to motivate their employees and at the same time enhance the knowledge and skills of the employees. This not only motivates the employees but also encourages them to increase their productivity for accomplishment of organizational objectives (Henry, 1995). Training and development are crucial for every business as skilled and motivated workforce can support the business to achieve its goals in a more productive manner. It is essential that the employees possess knowledge and skills so that their performance should be at optimal level. As in an organization, there are people from differen t cultural backgrounds and, thus, cross cultural training is one of the key elements today to reduce the cultural differences among employees working together (Bratton, & Gold, 2009). Organizations recruit individuals from different backgrounds; it becomes important for them to conduct cross cultural training programs and it helps in understanding cultural differences of people working together (Price, 2007). Emirates can be seen as one of the best examples of successful business in the world and the main reason for their success is focusing on the efficiency of the workforce. Being the best, Emirates spends about 5 to 6 percent of their revenue on training and development of their employees which enables the employees to be regarded as one of the best. Emirates hires people from different backgrounds and they conduct different cross cultural programs so that these people from diverse cultural backgrounds can work together. Emirates Airline has its own training facility specially bu ilt to train and develop the employees by allowing them to share their opinions and ideas, hence, expanding the knowledge of each individual and changing their behavior according to the requirements of the organization (Redman, & Wilkinson, 2009). Another example for successful business is McDonalds which is operating in different parts of the world and people from different cultural background work at McDonalds; this has been one of the main reasons for success of the company. McDonalds offers training to their employees on a continuous basis. McDonalds focuses on training and development of its employees according to the culture of the region they are operating in and at the same time they offer cross cultural training. According to McDonalds, their success lies in the employees (The Times, 2012) With increasing diversity in the organizations, organizations have been investing in cross cultural training programs. This report will analyze two theories related to cultural difference s and their impact on the performance of employees in organizations: Geert Hofstede cultural management theory and Trompenaars and Hampden Model. Geert Hofstede cultural management theory Geert Hosfstede’s has presented five dimensions to analyze the cultural differences and these dimensions have been applied on how it can influence the training and development programs. Power distance Power distance can be defined as how people accept that

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 16

Reading response - Essay Example The emotions that one feels as an audience include the following: (1) empathy: (â€Å"I do not want the public smoking of marijuana around my kid -- I do not† (Smith par. 1); (2) affirmation (â€Å"Threatening people who consume marijuana in public with arrest and a 60 day jail sentence will not deter this behavior† (Smith par. 3); and (3) distraught (â€Å"the criminalization of public smoking could perpetuate these same racial and class disparities in marijuana law enforcement† (Smith par. 5). Councilmembers appear ready†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith par. 3); (2) â€Å"I want my daughter to grow up into a society†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith par. 10); and (3) â€Å"We should discourage people from smoking marijuana in public areas†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith par. 10). These statements affirm the convictions of the author and those that he wants to elicit from the readers. Councilmembers appear ready†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith par. 3); (2) â€Å"Threatening people who consume marijuana†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Smith par. 3); and (4) â€Å"Thousands of displaced and homeless residents who have no other choice but to survive in public spaces should not be punished more severely for smoking marijuana than their more affluent neighbors† (Smith par. 5). These words are emotionally packed that elicits the intended reaction and response from the target audience. Smith, Grant. "Locking People Up for Public Marijuana Smoking Is Not the Answer." 28 February 2014. Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/grantsmith/locking-people-up-for-pub_b_4876164.html. 3 March

REFLECTIVE LEARNING JOURNAL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

REFLECTIVE LEARNING JOURNAL - Essay Example However, I was surprised to realize that it is not the faculty decision to change the evaluation methods. The decision is up to the dean of The Applied Medical Science who is not even a nurse. I think having such a bureaucratic system decreases innovation and creativity in a nursing college. It was great to know that yyyy University has modified its curriculum. More Nursing courses have been added to the program and include Nursing Informatics, Care of Older Adults, Principles of Education for Nurses, Counseling, Epidemiology, Nursing Theory, and Genetics for Nurses. I think adding these courses is a great move forward because it happens after hiring new faculties who get their PhDs in education from developed countries. This change makes me feel better about the future of nursing in Saudi Arabia because there is apt of improvement that just needs passionate personnel. The faculties were very welcoming and they accepted my ideas and me. Additionally, they were very encouraging especi ally because some of them had been my instructors when I was undergraduate student. They were also very proud of my accomplishments. That made me happy and more excited to go back to Saudi and contribute to the improvement of nursing education and ultimately nursing care in my country. I also feel grateful because I contributed to changes at Yanbu College in Yanbu city in Saudi Arabia. My brother is an associate professor at Yanbu Collage and teaches chemical engineering. I discussed with him the teaching pedagogies, the assessment, and evaluation methods I learned at xxxxx. At that time, I realized that having a PhD in a field does not mean that you can teach well. This is because my brother has a PhD in Chemical Engineering but he did not know how to be an effective educator. I was very excited telling him everything I could possibly remember from NUR 504, NUR 528, and NUR 600 courses. He liked the flipped classroom strategy

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Marketing - Essay Example This is achieved through transforming the physical features and insubstantial insights of a marketing offering in relation to the rivalry. It is vital to note that position is not determined by the appearance of the product or the sustenance that it pursues to stimulate. However, it is instead the insight or appearance that takes a distinct location in the mindset of the consumer; furthermore, positioning is a communication, comprising the establishment of a market mix, which creates the natural flow of information from market segmentation through target marketing. It is a form of developing a competitive position for an international brand and consequently improving its desirability. Positioning is mainly concerned with what an organization does to the prospective consumer and how the consumer perceives the organization. Effective positioning is a vital element in international brand strategy because a position arouses an image of the product concerned in the minds of the client (Sc hultz 2007, p. 23). It projects the idea that differentiates the brand from the competition and projects it as a product that can meet the needs and desires of international customer, whereby, an effective positioning offers a competitive edge to a brand that is trying to display its desirability to the target market. Effective positioning is a vital element in international brand strategy because it promises the benefit the clients will get and develops the expectation that it has the solution to the problem of the consumer. The solution is always different from and better than the solution provided by the competitors. Positioning is thus, an incorporating notion. It acts as an umbrella that incorporates all things in international branding. When effectively targeted, single-minded, positioning affects everything that a brand does or stands for; it is not reinforced by advertising only, but by the wholeness of its promotional efforts (Smith, Gopalakrishna and Chatterjee 2006, 560). However, in case the expectations that are developed by the brand strategy are not met, the effectiveness or the reliability of these benefits may weaken speedily. Therefore, with these demonstrations, it shows that positioning is a vital element in international brand strategy. An Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign for an International Brand The advancement of marketing for an international brand has moved beyond traditional marketing to include consumer driven, interactive and social marketing. Colgate Company is one of the multinational companies have realized the significant need for integrated marketing communicating (IMC) campaign in order to enable their Colgate Dental Cream brand to thrive in the global market effectively; hence achieving a competitive advantage. The increased competition in the global market have enabled Colgate Company to employ IMC approach; thus this approach is ushering in a new technology era where marketers blend communication messages acro ss the media channels in order to communicate about brand experience. The Colgate Dental Cream, which is the leading toothpaste are designed in a manner that raises awareness; thus ultimately surges their sales, leading to great returns and income for the organization. Therefore, as a part of successful IMC for Colgate Dental Cream brand, Colgate Company utilizes social media, Internet, public relation and advertising through other media such as Televisions, radios and others in a cohesive manner to share the message about the availability of this brand in the market. For an effective campaign of Colgate Dental Cream brand using IMC, various methods or elements are employed in the entire process. For instance, integrated market

The Military Art Reseach Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Military Art Reseach - Research Paper Example With the passage of time, technology has grown and revolutionized the world. This revolution has changed the contemporary nature of war as well. Different wars have led to different consequences as its affect on politics, economy and psychology of the masses depends on the nature of war. Total war not only affects the political system of a nation but can also affect the social and economic system. Total war deploys strategies and resources to defeat the enemy in every way possible which may even include the psychology of people. In this paper, we will discuss the transition in the nature of war based on our study of Napoleonic, American Civil and Franco Prussian wars. All three of these wars mark the transition from limited to total war. These wars hold great importance in our history as they have produced dire consequences because of their nature. Napoleonic wars were a series of wars, fought between France and several other European states between 1792 and 1815. These wars are impo rtant in the respect that they earned the title of first total war in western history. Previously Europe had seen limited wars which meant that armies avoided large scale battles, civilians could hope for merciful treatment from the enemy, Enemy officers were considered as honorable adversaries at the time of settlements and the wars followed the codes of aristocratic honor. The French revolution broke this tradition of limited war. It overthrew the country’s aristocracy and waged war under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte against several European states. In the Napoleonic wars not only were young men supposed to participate in war but women, children and the aged were also required to channel their energies into war efforts. The statistical results clearly identify the catastrophic casualties of this total war. â€Å"More than one-fifth of all the major battles fought in Europe between 1490 and 1815 took place in the 25 years after 1790. Before 1790 only a handful of ba ttles had involved more than 100,000 combatants; in the 1809 Battle of Wagram, largest in the gunpowder age to date, involved 300,000. Just four years later the Battle of Leipzig drew 500,000, with fully 150,000 of them killed or wounded.† (â€Å"Napoleon's Total War†). France alone counted around one million war deaths. In these series of wars, the whole population was mobilized which meant that every citizen was supposed to participate in the war in one way or the other. The technological aspect of these wars that aided in the transition from limited war was the advent of cheap small arms and mobile cannons due to which the number of citizen soldiers increased. Almost forty six years after the defeat of Napoleon at waterloo, the world witnessed another total war at another geographical area that is America. American Civil war (1861-1865) was another series of conflicts between American Union and American Confederacy. Most of these conflicts took place in the southern states of America. â€Å"The Union lost about 360,000 troops during the Civil War and the Confederacy about 260,000. This is almost as many soldiers as have died in all other American wars combined.† (â€Å"Civil War Guide†). American Civil war became known as the first total war of modern history because it brought various social and financial changes in the system. The civil war initially started as a limited war but it gradually changed into total war. It was a war between the people and not

Philosophy of a Child Care Center Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of a Child Care Center Essay Mission Our mission at â€Å" name of center† is to create a safe learning environment that implements the individual child’s developmental needs and interests with the help and collaboration of parents and community. Philosophy Statement Each activity at â€Å"name of center† is carefully coordinated to coincide with universal stages in all areas of children’s development: physical, cognitive, social/emotional, and creative. When children master a new level of ability, there are always experiences they can choose in order to gain new mastery. There are many opportunities provided for the children to practice physical skills, learn problem solving, gain knowledge of their environment, and practice interacting more effectively with others. We also believe that parents are a vital part of children’s learning experiences and are partners in the education and care of the children. This Philosophy, vision and mission are correlated with the Vygotsky belief that cognitive abilities develop from the interaction with more mature members of society. The social environment provides the intellectual support system that guides children in their development. Adults should structure learning experiences so that children gradually move from assisted performance to individual learning. This process is successful only when adults are sensitive to each child’s level of competence (Click Karkos, 2008). It is also connected with the approach associated with Piaget, which authors, Click and Karkos say, believes that children should construct their own knowledge through repeated interactions with people and objects. They experiment, consider their errors or misconceptions, and arrive at new conclusions (2008). References Click, Phyllis. , Karkos, Kimberly. (2008) Administration of Programs for Young Children. Seventh Ed. Clinton Park, NY: Delmar Learning

Higher Education and Vocational Degree Essay Example for Free

Higher Education and Vocational Degree Essay â€Å"What’s Wrong With Vocational School,† by Charles Murray is an Article that states Vocational schooling would be better off than a four year College degree. In Murray’s opinion, college should only be with those with a high IQ rate of 115 or higher and able to handle rigorous and challenging courses. If you are at an IQ below 110 it becomes an issue and you would be more successful in a Vocational program. This article calmly and rationally presents the notion that the population would be better served by the reintroduction of more training for careers in trade occupations becoming more prominent, therefore creating more job opportunities for people graduating with a vocational degree. Many students that graduate from a four year University do not learn what is needed to go into the working field. Murray states â€Å"For a few occupations, a college degree still certifies a qualification. This brings up the question, why do we pressure everyone to get a four year degree? In our society the college you go to means more than your actual qualification or talent you might have. Employers tend to pick a student that graduated from a university over that of a vocational school student just because of the name of the school not the talent the individual has. The degree itself also does not automatically qualify the student for the job and there are much faster and better ways such as a vocational degree for young people to provide credentials to employers. These credentials are needed in the job market for students with vocational degrees. As Murray says, â€Å"Finding a good lawyer or physician is easy but finding a good carpenter, painter, or electrician is becoming difficult. † The jobs needed such as an electrician or painters are those with vocational degrees. We often overlook some of the great jobs that don’t require a degree and are still very rewarding. A vocational degree can bring just as much income sometimes even more than a four year college degree in half the time. We have a mindset that a four year degree is much more valuable than a vocational degree. As Murray conveys this is not true he used an example of a craftsman bringing intrinsic rewards with high income. Vocational degrees are becoming more susceptible in our community. A college degree is no more important than any other high tech occupation such as an NBA player or a cabinet maker. Many of our most high income people do not have a college degree and do not care because they are living happily without it. Murray states the social cachet of a college degree still remains but will erode over time when large numbers of high income people do not have college degrees. † Many employers are looking more at the evidence you are good at something without the benefit of a college degree and will increase more overtime. If this does continue our false outlook of a college degree will diminish. As a society we look at the only way of becoming successful is going to a four university and look over vocational degree programs.

Background Of Apple Inc Commerce Essay

Background Of Apple Inc Commerce Essay Apple Inc. is a company that designs, manufactures and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players. Apple Inc. also sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, third-party digital content and applications. The company sells products and services such as iPhone , iPad , Mac , iPod , Apple TV , a portfolio of consumer and professional software applications, the iOS and Mac OS X operating systems, iCloud , and a variety of accessory, service and support offerings. Furthermore, the company also sells and delivers digital content and applications through online stores the iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store. The company sells its products globally through its retail stores, online stores, direct sales force, through third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers. Not only that, the company sells a variety of third-party iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod compatible products. The companys target market is end user consumers, small and mid-sized businesses (SMB), and education, enterprise and government customers. Steve Jobs, Ron Wayne and Steve Wozniak were the founder of Apple Inc. In 1976, they invented the first Apple computer which consists of not only circuit board with costs under $700 in Palo Alto, California. They improved the first Apple computer by adding one-megahertz processor and named Apple II became first mass-produced computer in year 1977.Apple officially became a public traded company in 1980. Apple Inc. continued developing a better computer in later years and the first personal computer with feature which has a mouse for navigating and desktop icons and folders called Lisa but this product unable to stay in the market due to high cost of production. On 2007, Apple had kicked off the era of the touch screen smartphone with the invention of first iPhone. This innovation has made a huge change in the smartphone market because it caught the attention of the consumers. On 2010, again Apple unveiled the iPad tablet computer and Apple has passed Microsoft as the largest US technology company in term of market value in May. On 2011, the co-founder Steve Jobs announced his resignation as Chief executive Officer of Apple due to health problem and the Chief Operating Officer, Timothy D. Cook took over his place as the new Chief Executive Officer of Apple. In 2012 September, Apple has introduced its new iPhone 5 which is the lighter, thinner and more powerful of its mobile devices. This new product captured the attention of the whole world by getting a pre-order of 2 million and it is twice than the previous iPhone 4S. Planning Apple is committed to to bring the best personal computing experience to different groups of people like students educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offering.Retrieved from Apple, 2009 Annual Report. Apple Inc. is in a competitive and fast-paced business environment. Everything might change even in the next second. Therefore, it is important for Apple Inc. to be ahead of its competitors. In order to provide the best technology experience to customers, employees are given the freedom to improve products if they found any issues after they used product. Employees do not need to go under procedures that will consume a lot of times. The issues of the product might be the weakness of the company if it is not improve or solve. Apple Inc. plan to build brand loyalty in customers. The mission in Apple Store is to educate and build loyalty in customers. Apple Inc. believed that educates customers are important to build customer loyalty. Therefore, free workshops are offered to people with different level of experience to know more about their new Apple products. Basics of Apples product can be learnt in the workshop. Experiences are shared by those who really understand Apple products to the attendees of the workshop. A One-to-one training program is also offered to customers who have bought a new Mac. In the program, there are three types of training choices, which are personal training, group training and open training. If customers are having a technical problem of their Apple products, they may seek help from Genius Bar where geniuses are available there. The expertise of the geniuses can help customers to troubleshoot the problem of their Apple products. In 1990s, Apple Inc. began to concern about the environment. Efforts are made to minimize the impact of Apple products have on the environment. Chemicals were phased out in producing Apples products. Apple Inc. came out with mercury-free backlit display of Macbook Pro, bromine-free printed circuit board laminates, and more. In 2002, Apple Inc. achieved a recycling rate of 41.9% based on the percentage of weight from the 2002 sales. The introduction of Apple Battery Charger can help reduce the battery waste by 78%. Apple has introduced many application programmes like iTunes, Apps Store, iCloud, iBookstore, Newsstand and more. The introduction of these application programmes had reduced the traditional usage of CDs, DVDs as storage devices for multimedia; Papers for production of literary works. Apple Inc. does not play featured games with its competitors. Instead, Apple Inc. is more focused on its own business than its competitors. For the engineers of Apple Inc., their mission is to come out with great innovative products. The engineers of Apple Inc. are driven to innovation. They are encouraged to come out with products that can challenge the status quo. Organizing Apple Executive Team The organizational chart above clearly showed that Apple Inc. is a functional organizational structure which grouping employees by similar or related occupational specialties. Group employees by similar specialties can make them comfortable and satisfied because it gives them the opportunity to speak in the same language as their peers. The organizational chart also showed that all of the senior vice presidents are directly reporting to the CEO of the company, Tim Cook, because of the wide span of control of the company. Apple Inc. is operating under organic organization structure that has highly adaptive, loose and flexible, which allows company to change rapidly as required. Employees in the company own the freedom to go in and improve the product if they found an issue that bothered them by without having to deal with layers of bureaucracy to get approval. This freedom can make Apple Inc. responds quickly to problems and improves their products faster. On the other hand, if businesses managed their money as carelessly as they manage their people, most would be bankrupt. Recently, Apple Inc. has provided training program for the new hiring employees to improve their ability to perform on the job, thus, training can change employees certain skills, knowledge, attitudes or behavior. After this training, the company can easily put the right people into the right jobs to avoid waste both human and financial capital. Since there is no longer ecosystem to support manufacturing in United States, Apple Inc. decided to manufacture its products in China and cooperate with the worlds largest maker of electronic components, Foxconn. The main reason of Apple Inc. manufactures products in China is the efficiency but not about the cost. Chinas workforce is much hungrier and more frugal compare with United States. Foxconn can recruit 3000 of workers overnight and China also provides engineers to set up the assembly lines in order to expand the production of iPhone. Furthermore, Apple Inc. does not allow the use of underage labor. Suppliers of the company must follow the minimum age for employment in that country, or the age of completing compulsory education in that particular country. The company will require suppliers to return underage labors to school and pay for the educational expenses, living allowances, and lost wages for 6 months or until the labor reaches 16 years old if the company found out that suppliers use underage labor. Leading Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Inc. and the Chief Executive Officer of Apple Inc. before 24 August 2011. He graduated from Homestead High in Cupertino, California in 1972.After that, he attended Reed College but he just studied for one semester and he was dropped out. In 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne founded Apple. In 1985, Steve Jobs got kicked out of Apple Inc. by John Sculley. In 1997, Steve Jobs has returned to Apple Inc. and started to lead the Apple Inc. The first task was to make the Apple Inc. more focus on what product should be produced. He told all his team members to focus on four great products, one for each quadrant. By getting Apple Inc. focus on just making four computers, he saved the Apple Inc. He said that Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do. He is also cut down all the unnecessary products, services, marketing, packaging and more. On the last day of each year, he will stand in front whiteboard and ask What are the ten things should be doing next? He likes to hear what is the employees idea on the Apple Inc products, so that they can create more new products to the market. Next, Steve Jobs always warn the employees to simplify the device and software because the first marketing brochure of Apple Inc. declared that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. This simplification can create competitive advantages among the competitors because the competitors products are much more complicated to use. Steve Jobs simplicity came not by ignoring complexity but rather by conquering it. On the innovation, Steve Jobs did not merely to catch up the competitors but is to leapfrog over them. For example, Steve Jobs was mortified when he found that the slot drive of his iMac could not burn CDs. When facing this problem, Steve Jobs has come out a solution which is create the iTunes store and iPod to reinventing access to music. On 24 August 2011, Steve Jobs has left his position as Chief Executive Officer due to the health problem he faced and his position was took over by Timothy D. Cook who was the Chief Operating Officer of Apple Inc. Now, Timothy D. Cook is the Chief Executive Officer of Apple Inc. He studied MBA in Duke University, and he was also a Fuqua scholar and Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University. Today, Apple Inc. has almost 73,000 employees is under the leadership of Timothy D. Cook. Since he took over Apple Inc., Tim Cook successfully steered the company through controversies at Foxconn factories overseas and the success of release the iPhone 5 and iPad mini. The iPhone 5 was released on 21 September 2012 and it achieved pre-order of 2 million over 24 hours and it was double the 1 million the iPhone 4S. Besides, Tim Cook has used his leadership style to change the company environment. For example, the Apple Inc become more corporate, putting more focus on operational efficiency while still striving to maintain the unique culture Steve Jobs forged as the Chief Executive Officer. Timothy D. Cook is much more approachable compare to Steve Jobs. He has no problem to meet with the investors and sometimes he will have meal with his employees which is rarely did by Steve Jobs. Controlling In controlling, the task of manager is to monitoring performance, evaluate how well the organization has achieved its goals and to take corrective actions as needed to maintain or improve performance. The ex-CEO of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs monitors the performance of Tim Cook, the ex-COO of Apple Inc. when he was still around. In Steve Jobss resignation letter, he has named Tim Cook as the next CEO of Apple Inc. This backup plan makes Apple Inc. able to cope with uncertainty. To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community: I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apples CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come. I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee. As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple. I believe Apples  brightest  and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role. I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you. Steve Retrieved from http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Letter-from-Steve-Jobs.html After the death of Steve Jobs, Apple Inc. hasnt release anything big and new. But it has built better iPhones and iPads. Apple Inc. announced that pre-order of its iPhone 5 topped 2 million in just 24 hours, and iPads sold 3 billion in 3 days. The quarterly profit of Apple Inc. climbed to $8.2 billion on revenue that rose to $36 billion on the backs of hot-selling iPhones and iPads. Within one year, Apple Inc. share increased and the companys value has almost doubled since Steve Jobs death. Apple Inc. manufacturers continually improve electronic technology so that company can offer more power in a smaller package. Apple continually offers smaller devices to the market before the competition. Macbook Air, the thinnest laptop on the market is the prime example of the product in the market. This idea introduced by Apple introduced idea before their competition, so they able to accomplish these feats in record time with streamline workflow processes and automation. Apple Inc. recently came out with Apple Supplier Responsibility 2012 Progress Report that details their effort to improve workers protection and factory condition. Apple Inc does not allow the use of underage labor, if workers had either left or reached legal working age by time of the audit, they will take immediate corrective action. On 28th September, 2012, the CEO of Apple Inc. Tim Cook has written an apologize letter on Apples website regarding with the Maps drama that been unfolding with the introduction of iOS 6. To our customers, At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better. We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up. There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you. While were improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the  App Store  like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and  creating an icon  on your home screen to their web app. Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard. Tim Cook Apples CEO Retrieved from http://www.apple.com/letter-from-tim-cook-on-maps/ What make Apple Inc. success? Apple Inc. leads the market by introducing the first iPhone. Apple Inc. is growing day by day under the leading of Steve Jobs. Steve Jobss leading style that emphasizes perfection had produced iPhone series that is widely accepted by all market segment. Steve Jobs knew well about technology, market and art so he combined all together when thinking of new product. Engineers in Apple Inc. considered on the quality of the product rather only generates profit. Unlike other competitors, Apple Inc. does not simply come out with a product that is incomplete or dissatisfied. For example, competitors such as Samsung often come out with new products however its products always have problem. Apple Inc. concerns on environmental issue not only save the production costs while also build good image of corporate. Apple Inc. provides variety sources for consumers to solve their problem when they face any problem with the products. Free workshop and Genius Bar where geniuses can help customers to tro ubleshoot the problem of their Apple products. This will help consumers to understand better and know more advantages of Apples product. Challenges Apple Inc. faces challenge in Tim Cooks leadership. Since the way Tim Cook leads is different from Steve Jobs therefore employees need time to cope up with the new leading style. Steve Jobs emphasized perfect in production of products therefore employees are given pressure to maximize the perfection however Tim Cook is more flexible. This might cause the quality of Apples product to decrease. Technology is also a challenge for Apple Inc. Technology improvement is an uncertainty, no one will know when theres new technology will be invented. Apple Inc.s product is based on technology therefore if theres no technology advancement, Apple Inc. will not able to produce new product. Competitors are one of the major challenges faced by Apple Inc. Google new invention of operating system called Android had threatened Apple Inc.s iPhone Operating System. This is because Android can be used in various smartphones such as Samsung, HTC and Sony Ericsson but iOS can only be used in Apple Inc.s products. Android system and iOS system is quite similar, consumers whose purchasing power is low will choose to purchase other products this will eventually affect Apple Inc.s sales. Critique of Apple Inc. If you fail to plan then you plan to fail. Planning plays an important role in every organization and same goes to Apple Inc. The company gives employees the freedom to improve the product if they found any issues after they used product without approval needed. Planning has to accomplish with the companys mission. Apple Inc.s mission is to educate and build loyalty in customers. To achieve their mission, Apple Inc. conducts free workshops to people with different level of experience to know more about their new Apple products. Customers can learn basics of Mac, iPod, iPad or iPhone in the workshop. This will help to build customer loyalty however will consume a lot of time and might not work. Time is precious to the people nowadays therefore will people spend time to attend the free workshop? This is should be considered. Apple Inc. will not able to build customer loyalty if customers do not attend the workshop. Apple Inc. focuses on its own business rather than its competitors; thi s will help them produce a better product but too focus on its own business will cause them unable to compete with its competitors. Technology will improve day by day, if Apple Inc. only focuses on its business, the companys position as market leader will be taken by other competitors such as Samsung. Apple Inc. practices organic organization structure which will let the company to run more effectively. Employees are given freedom to improve the products when they found out any problem of the product, this will help the company to solve the products weakness faster. Yet this may also brings negative impact on company. Improvement done by employees does not require approval from top management, if the changes done by employees had made the product worst this will destroy companys reputation. For example, changes made on one of the apps had clash with another apps and cause the products certain function unable to function. Apple Inc. does not allow underage labor to participate in the production of their production but Apple Inc. unable to ensure that this will not happen. This is proven when Apple Inc.s largest contract manufacturer, Foxconn has acknowledged hiring labor who ranged in age from 14 to 16 in a Chinese factory. This is not against human rights while companys reputation will be affected as well. Apple Inc. is very successful under the leading of Steve Jobs however his leading is not perfect because no one is perfect. Steven Jobs emphasized simplification in creating its product however its product is still difficult to use especially for new user. Apples products dont come along with manual booklet therefore new user will find difficulty during their first time of using Apples products. This will cause users to switch to other brand due to inconvenience of the system. Besides, Jobs solution which is create iTunes store and iPod to reinventing access to music solved the problem of iMac that unable to burn CD however users cant transfer music to other devices. This became a weakness of Apples products. iPhone 5 s pre order is double from iPhone 4 because Apples user expecting a better version of iPhone however function of iPhone 5 didnt not change much where this disappointed the users and if iPhone 6 is introduced the pre order will drop where eventually will cause the sales to decrease too. Good controlling is required to manage a company. Without controlling, the company will close down any time. Steve Jobs named Tim Cook to replace his position as CEO of Apple Inc. after monitoring his performance, this will ensure the companys daily operation to go well. However, what will happen to Apple Inc. if Tim Cook resigns due to some reason? Who will be the next CEO of Apple Inc.? This will influence the companys market share. Apple Inc. should train few candidates that can take over the CEO position. Introduction of iOS 6 by Apple Inc. had problems with the Maps therefore the current CEO of Apple Inc., Tim Cook suggested others alternatives map apps that can be downloaded from Apps Store such as Bing and so on while the company is improving the maps. Tim Cooks suggestions help to solve customers problem however this also proved that their product can be replaced by others. Customers will not need to buy Apples product anymore since other product can replace it and Apples pro duct is much higher than the others. Conclusion Apple Inc. is a company that focuses on technology products. Steve Jobs was the important person who lead to the success of the company and currently replaced by Tim Cook. For Steve Jobs, the mission of Apple Inc. was his mission also. He planned to come out with extraordinary smart phone or technology gadget that will meet or doing better than the expectation of customers. Apple Inc. has organised well its resources to accomplish the goals of the company. If one of the resources fails to organise properly, Apple Inc. will not be so successful like today. Steve Jobs is a decision maker as he can make a correct decision that what product they should produce and what should not for their company products. After resignation of Steve Jobs, Timothy Cook has take over his position as new Chief Executive Officer. Timothy Cook is a person who can easily communicate and interact with his employees. This can make the employees work harder to the company. Managers of Apple Inc. always monitors the performance of the subordinates, provide backup plan to cope with uncertainty and evaluate how well Apple Inc. has achieved its mission. Tim Cook is able to take corrective action to overcome the problems that occur in Apples products. Managing an organization is a complex activities, effective manager must own many kind of skills, knowledge and ability. Management is an unpredictable activity. Making the right decision is difficult; even effective managers often take mistakes, but Steve Jobs learn from their mistakes and continually find way to increase companys performance. Planning, organizing, leading and controlling are essential parts of a managers job. Performing these four activities successfully is important for effective management. Management is very important for a successful company, Steve Jobss leading had proven this.

Summary of To Kill a Mockingbird Essay -- To Kill a Mockingbird Harper

Summary of To Kill a Mockingbird Mayella testifies next, a reasonably clean nineteen-year- old girl who is obviously terrified. She says that she called Tom Robinson inside the fence that evening and offered him a nickel to break up a dresser for her, and that once he got inside the house he grabbed her and took advantage of her. In Atticus' cross-examination, Mayella reveals that she has seven siblings to care for, a drunken father, and no friends. Then Atticus examines her testimony and asks why she didn't put up a better fight, why her screams didn't bring the other children running, and--most importantly--how Tom Robinson managed the crime with a useless left hand, torn apart by a cotton gin when he was a boy. Atticus begs her to admit that there was no rape, that her father beat her. She shouts at him and calls the courtroom cowards if they don't convict Tom Robinson, and then bursts into tears refusing to answer any more questions. In the recess that follows, Mr. Underwood notices the children up in the balcony, but Jem tells Scout that the newspaper editor won't tell Atticus-- although he might include it in the social section of the newspaper. The prosecution rests, and Atticus calls only one witness--Tom Robinson. Tom testifies that he always passed the Ewell house on the way to work, and that Mayella often asked him to do chores for her. On the evening in question, she asked him to come inside the house and fix a door. When he got inside, however, there was nothing wrong with the door, and he noticed that the other children were gone. Mayella told him that she had saved her money and sent them all to buy ice cream, and then she asked him to lift a box down from a dresser. When he climbed up on a chair, she grabbed his legs, scaring him so much that he jumped down. Then she hugged him around the waist, and asked him to kiss her. As she struggled, her father appeared at the window, calling Mayella a whore and threatening to kill her, and then Tom fled. Link Deas, Tom's white employer, stands up and tells everyone that in eight years of work, he has never had any trouble from Tom. Judge Taylorexpels him furiously from the courtroom for interrupting; then Mr. Gilmer gets up and cross-examines Tom. The prosecutor points out that the defendant was once arrested for disorderly conduct, and gets Tom to admit that he has the strength, even with one ha... ...n her costume) has no idea what is happening. Boo Radley's entrance takes place in the thick of the scuffle, and Scout does not realize that her reclusive neighbor has saved them until she has reached home; even then she assumes him to be "some countryman." When she finally realizes who has saved her, the childhood phantom has become a human being: "His lips parted into a timid smile, and out neighbor's image blurred with my sudden tears. 'Hey, Boo,' I said." After Boo's unveiling, all that remains of the story is Heck Tate's decision to say that Bob Ewell fell on his knife, sparing Boo the horror of publicity. The title of the book and its central theme are invoked, as Scout says that exposing Boo to the public eye would "sort of like shootin' a mockingbird." Then she takes him home, and Atticus' admonition to step into someone else's shoes is also invoked, as Scout suddenly sees the world through Boo's eyes. The novel ends here, and the reader is offered no details of Scout's future, except that Boo is never seen again. We have a sense, however, that the story has embraced her entire childhood, and Scout thinks that they have not much more to learn, "except possibly algebra."

Insulation :: essays research papers fc

Insulation Introduction The experimenter is testing on denim, cotton T-shirt material, wool fabric, thermal underwear, polyester fabric, and a Ziplock bag with no insulator. From research the experimenter learned that wool is a fine soft wavy hair that forms all or part of the protective coat of a sheep. Since ancient times it was harvested to provide clothing and is an important part in textile trade because of its insulation. Woolen fabric is when the woolen system uses short or mixed long and short fiber where no combing is done. It has a rough appearance and is most suitable for blankets, overcoats, and tweeds. Denim which the experimenter is also testing is the material used to make blue jeans and is currently one of the world's most popular fabrics. It is fairly heavy and is made with a blue cotton warp and a white cotton filling (Groilers, 1996). The thermal underwear is duofold, with an outer layer made of 65% cotton, 25% wool, and 10% nylon, and an inner layer made of 100% cotton. It's the winter again and the weather is becoming colder. Each morning many people wonder what to wear to stay as warm as possible, but they aren't sure which material will keep them warmest. The experiment was chosen to see which clothing insulator retains the most heat. "Insulation is material that protects against heat, cold, electricity, or sound." (Science Encyclopedia, 1984). In this case the insulation will be protecting against a cold temperature. The hypothesis is if denim, cotton T-shirt material, wool fabric, polyester fabric, thermal underwear, and a Ziplock bag with out insulating material are tested to see which one retains the most heat, then wool fabric will retain the most heat because it holds an important place in today's textile trade because of its good insulation and the fact that it comes from the protective coat of sheep who need to stay warm and use that as their insulator. Procedure The first thing the experimenter does is fill the inside of five, gallon-sized Ziplock bags with the insulation material so it is one centimeters thick all around. Leave the sixth Ziplock bag empty because it will serve as the control group. Then fasten the insulating materials to the inside of the gallon sized Ziplock bag with adhesive tape. Next the experimenter boils ten pints of tap water and let it cool until (using the candy thermometer) the temperature drops to 49 degrees Celsius. Then immediately fill each of the six canning jars with equal amounts of the water. Immediately after that drop a regular thermometer into each jar, and cap it

Chemical and Physical Properties Essay

Observe the solubility in hot water. c. Tear off approximately 1/2-cm pieces of both red and blue litmus paper. d. Allow the solution to cool, and using the glass stirring rod, transfer a drop of the solution onto a piece of litmus paper. Record the results. Clean the stirring rod. 5. Third test tube: a. Add a few pipet drops of HCl (hydrochloric acid) to the sample and stir. NOTE: Use the test tube holderclamp as some reactions are exothermic, i. e. the test tube may get very hot. Record any apparent reaction or solubility. Clean the stirring rod. 6. Fourth test tube: Add a few pipet drops of NaOH (sodium hydroxide) to the sample. Stir. Record any apparent reaction or solubility. Clean the stirring rod. 7. Thoroughly clean and dry all 4 test tubes. Repeat Steps 2 though 6 with the next substance. Experimental Results Substance: Zn Color: Grey Odor: None Effect of Heat: decreases content curled in with lighter color Solub. Or Reaction w/cold H20: No reaction observed / not soluble Solub. Or Reaction w/ hot H20: Prolonged boiling from retained heat/ non soluble Litmus test: None observed Dilute HCI: positive reaction resulting in the formation of gas, carbonation, and darkened Dilute NaOH: creates foggy substance and blackens solid Substance: Cu Color: Copper Odor: None noted Effect of Heat: Turned black Solub. Or Reaction w/cold H20: not soluble Solub. Or Reaction w/ hot H20: not soluble Litmus test: None observed Dilute HCI: tarnished not observed Dilute NaOH: none observed Substance: Mg Color: Silver Odor: None observed Effect of Heat: increases in dullness Solub. Or Reaction w/cold H20: no reaction observed/ non soluble Solub. Or Reaction w/ hot H20: increased heat / non soluble Litmus test: no change Dilute HCI: rapid boiling and heat Dilute NaOH: liquid is cloudy Substance: MgO Color: White Odor: None observed Effect of Heat: none observed Solub. Or Reaction w/cold H20: Soluble Solub. Or Reaction w/ hot H20: Soluble Litmus test: Red paper turned blue / blue no reaction Dilute HCI: Carbonated Soluble Dilute NaOH: Dense Soluble Substance: CuC03 Color: Green Odor: pungent Effect of Heat: turned black Solub. Or Reaction w/cold H20: slightly murky, but does not appear soluble Solub. Or Reaction w/ hot H20: slightly murky, but none soluble Litmus test: changes blue to red showing slight acidity Dilute HCI: carbonation and soluble Dilute NaOH: turns blue w/ slight soluble Substance: Cu(NO3)2 Color: Blue crystals Odor: slight odor Effect of Heat: melted and turned green Solub. Or Reaction w/cold H20: turned water blue and is soluble Solub. Or Reaction w/ hot H20: no change observed from the cool water and is soluble Litmus test: blue litmus turned to red for acid Dilute HCI: turned green Dilute NaOH: soluble formed Substance: NaCl Color: white crystals Odor: none observed Effect of Heat: none noted Solub. Or Reaction w/cold H20: becomes slightly soluble Solub. Or Reaction w/ hot H20: fully soluble Litmus test: red turns to blue indicating that it’s basic Dilute HCI: none observed Dilute NaOH: none observed QUESTIONS: A – Did you observe any chemical changes in this experiment? Chemical changes are observed during the experiment B – What evidence did you use to decide that something was a chemical change? Indications of chemical changes were preceded by the burning, rusting, ermenting, and decomposing of the substances. As a result, a new substance will have its own unique physical properties C – Give at least two examples of chemical changes you observed. Adding colorless sodium hydroxide to blue copper(II) nitrate produces a light blue precipitate Zinc diluted with Hydrogen Chloride is positive for a chemical reaction resulting in the formation of gas, carbonation, and darkened D à ¢â‚¬â€œ Classify the following properties of sodium metal as physical or chemical: Silver metallic color – physical Turns gray in air – chemical Melts at 98oC – physical Reacts explosively with chlorine – chemical E – Classify the following changes as physical or chemical: Water freezes at OoC – physcical change Baking soda when combined with vinegar produces bubbles:- chemical change Mothballs gradually disappear at room temperature – physical change Ice cubes in a freezer get smaller with time – physical change Baking soda loses mass as it is heated – physical chemical Tarnishing of silver – chemical change F – How would you show that dissolving table salt is a physical change? A physical change will not change the composition of a substance. When adding water to a salt, the ions of table salt are hydrated with water molecules which reduced the strong electrostatic forces of the ions. To return salt to the original state, simply remove the hydrated water molecules by boiling the table salt. Conclusions: In a chemical change one or more new substances are formed. The new substance has its own unique identity which is different from the original. It has properties that are different than those of the starting material; in addition, the original materials is not able to be reproduced by physical means.

Management Planning – the Boeing Company

Management Planning – The Boeing Company Management Planning Boeing is an aerospace company, a manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft. Boeing also designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communications systems (Boeing Company, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate management planning for the Boeing Company. The Boeing Company’s business is conducted by its employees, managers and corporate officers led by the chief executive officer, with oversight from the Board of Directors. The Board’s Governance, Organization and Nominating Committee periodically review the Company’s corporate governance principles and current practices (Boeing Company, 2010). Business planning at Boeing is persuaded by internal and external factors such as: legal issues, ethics, and corporate social responsibility. Factors such as laws, economic conditions, and competition influence the company’s strategic, tactical, operational, and contingency planning (Boeing Company, 2010). Legal Issues The planning process of the company can be problematical, at times, by legal issues, which can put the company in a bad position. In August of 2000, the Boeing Company settled two lawsuits that allege the Seattle-based manufacturer placed defective gears in CH-47D â€Å"Chinook† helicopters and then sold the aircraft to the United States Army; the amount of the settlement was for $54 million. Boeing used two subcontractors, Litton Precision Gear of Bedford Park, Illinois and SPECO Corporation of Springfield, Ohio to manufacture the flight-critical transmission gears for the helicopter. One of the gears, manufactured by Litton, failed in flight, causing an Army Chinook helicopter to crash and burn while on a mission in Honduras in 1988. Five servicemen aboard were killed. Two of the gears manufactured by SPECO failed in flight in Chinook helicopters. One craft, which crashed in January 1991 during Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia, was totally destroyed. Two individuals aboard were injured. In another incident at Ft. Meade, Maryland in June 1993 during a training flight, a Chinook sustained over one-half million dollars in damage. The helicopters destroyed in Honduras and Saudi Arabia were valued at more than $10 million each (U. S. Department of Justice, 2000). Boeing suffered a huge monetary lost in addition to the bad publicity and reputation that these defective gears. Boeing has learned from these mistakes and has implemented processes to analyze the background checks for every subcontractor hired by the company. Ethics Boeing’s business plans cannot happen without integrity (Boeing, 2010). The Boeing Company has a strict ethics policy that was created to protect the company and its employees. All employees at Boeing are required to obey all the information given in the employee Code of Conduct handbook. Boeing has a hotline, which employees can call to ask questions or report violations of policies. The Finance department has additional policies that must be followed for the accurate reporting of company financial records. It is essential for policies to be followed so the integrity of the company is not compromised. An example of bad ethics that influenced the company dramatically was when Boeing was in June of 2006. A legal issue involving an investigation over the improper acquisition of proprietary documents from a rival, the Lockheed Martin Corporation, which Boeing employees used to try to gain government rocket launching business (Leslie, 2006). In the end, Boeing’s financial chief was sentenced to four months in prison for ethics violations for offering a job to a former Air Force official and in the rocket launching case, Boeing was suspended for 20 months from Air Force rocket business. Boeing was estimated to have lost $1 billion in government contracts because of the suspension. Boeing chairman, W. James McNerney Jr. stated the company was already moving forward with substantial efforts to strengthen the company’s ethics and compliance. Because of poor ethics, Boeing lost over $1 billion dollars for the company (Leslie, 2006). Cooperate Social Responsibility Giving back to the community is a Boeing core value. The company and its employees work in partnership with communities globally (Boeing Company, 2010). Currently they are partnered with community organization in 26 states, 14 countries and 6 regions outside the U. S. Boeing employees have contributed more than $10 million through a company gift-matching program, and volunteered thousands of hours of personal service. Boeing employees gave an additional $31. 5 million through the Employees Community Fund, one of the largest employee-owned funds in the world (Boeing Company, 2010). Economic Conditions Current economic circumstances are deciding factors on how Boeing plans operationally, strategically and tactically. Since the United States’ severe economic downturn in the past couple of years, Boeing has suffered due to airlines being in financial trouble. Business has reduced greatly and Boeing has forced some cancellations and deferrals of aircraft orders, but Boeing said it has other customers waiting in line for new, more cost-efficient planes. The recent economic downturn makes it clear that Boeing must retain flexibility in controlling global manufacturing plans. (Ann, 2008) Competition Competition is another reason why Boeing has to plan tactically and strategically. Airbus is Boeing’s biggest rival in the airline industry. Lockheed Martin is Boeing’s biggest competition in defense systems. In addition to conducting their own internal research and development, Boeing is collaborating with some of the best research agencies, universities, and companies around the world. In doing so, they are leveraging technologies, to ensure Boeing stays ahead of the competition by providing the most innovative, and affordable aerospace solutions the world has to offer (Boeing Company, 2010). Government Regulations The Government plays a central role in aviation safety and has done so from the industry’s earliest days (Boeing Company, 2010). The Air Commerce Act put the government in the business of establishing air routes; developing air navigation systems; licensing pilots, mechanics and aircraft; and investigating accidents (Boeing Company, 2010). Government regulation has a direct impact on the production of new airplanes. When manufacturers design a new airplane they must obtain a â€Å"type certificate† from government regulators certifying that the design is airworthy (Boeing Company, 2010). The government also requires Certification of airline personnel and airport certificates (Boeing Company, 2010). Conclusion Several factors are implicated with business planning at Boeing, such as internal legal issues, government regulations, corporate social responsibility, economic conditions and ethics. The legal department at Boeing manages all aspects of planning in regards to ethics. Many organizations are sponsored by Boeing through its associations to assist them in their philanthropic efforts. Corporate social responsibility is important because customers and potential clients assess businesses on the efforts the company makes to be socially responsible. The ethics in the code of conduct handbook created at Boeing are expected to be followed by every employee and subcontractor. Boeing needs to keep up with new technology and innovative ideas to be in the vanguard and ahead of the competition due to current economic conditions. The airline industry is influence much by government regulations, such as, certificates, regulatory standards, and enforcing rules affect how fast an airplane can be made. The planning process at Boeing is an ever-changing process due to varying changes in their internal and external environment. Reference Ann, K. (2008). 2nd Update: Boeing 3Q Hurt by Machinists’ Strik;: Stock Down. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www. smartmoney. com/news/ON/? stroy=ON-2008 1022 -000844-1245 Boeing Company. (2010). About Us. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www. boeing. com/companyoffices/aboutus/ Boeing Company. (2010). Corporate Governance. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www. boeing. com/corp_gov/ Boeing Company. (2010). Ethical Business Conduct Guidelines. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www. boeing. com/companyoffices/aboutus/ethics/ethics_booklet. pdf Boeing Company. (2010). Government’s Role in Aviation Safety. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www. boeing. com/commercial/safety/government_role. html Leslie, W. (2006). Boeing Ethics Woes Take Toll on the Bottom Line. The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www. nytimes. com/2006/06/30/business/30boeing. html U. S. Department of Justice. (2000). Boeing to Pay U. S. For Selling Army Defective Helicopters. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www. justice. gov/opa/pr/2000/August/450civ. htm

Night World : Witchlight Chapter 7

Keller faced him squarely. â€Å"Yes, sir? Or should I say ‘my lord?† He flinched but tried to hide it. â€Å"I should have told you in the beginning.† Keller wasn't about to get into a discussion of it. â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"Can we go in there?† He nodded toward what looked like a small library-office combination. Keller didn't want to, but she couldn't think of any acceptable reason to refuse. She followed him and crossed her arms when he closed the door. â€Å"You saved my life.† He wasn't quite facing her; he was looking out the window at a cold silver sky. Against it, he had a profile like a young prince on an ancient coin. Keller shrugged. â€Å"Maybe. Maybe not. The bricks didn't kill me; maybe they wouldn't have killed you.† â€Å"But you were trying to save my life. I did something that was probably stupid-again-and you had to cover for me.† â€Å"I did it because it's my job, Galen. That's what I do.† â€Å"You got hurt because of me. When I dug myself out of that rubble, I thought you were dead.† He said it flatly, without any particular intonation. But the hairs on Keller's arms rose. â€Å"I've got to get back to Diana.† â€Å"Keller.† There was something wrong with her. She was facing the door, heading out, but his voice stopped her in her tracks. â€Å"Keller. Please.† She was aware that he was coming up behind her. Her entire skin was up in gooseflesh. She was too aware of him, that was the problem. She could feel the air that he displaced. She could feel his heat. He just stood there. â€Å"Keller. Ever since I first saw you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stopped and tried again. â€Å"You were-gleaming. All that long black hair swirling around you and those silvery eyes. And then you changed. I don't think I ever really understood what it meant to be a shape-shifter until I saw that. You were a girl and then you were a cat, but you were always both.† He let out his breath. Tm putting this badly.† Keller needed to think of something to say-now. But she couldn't, and she couldn't seem to move. â€Å"When I saw that, for the first time, I wanted to shapeshift. Before that, I didn't really care, and everyone was always telling me to be careful, because whatever shape I choose the first time is the one I'm stuck with. But that's not what I'm trying to say. I'm trying†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He reached out. Keller felt the warmth of his hand between her shoulder blades, through her hair, through the fabric of her spare jumpsuit. Keller shivered. She couldn't help it. She felt so strange. Dizzy and supernaturally clear at the same time. Weak. She didn't know what was happening to her, only that it was powerful and terrible. His hand remained on her back, warmth from it soaking into her skin. â€Å"I realize how much you dislike me,† Galen said quietly. There was no self-pity in his voice, but he seemed to be getting the words out painfully. â€Å"And I'm not going to try to change that. But I just wanted you to know, I also realize what you've done for me. I needed to say thank you.† There was something swelling in Keller's chest like a balloon. Bigger and bigger. She clamped her lips together, frightened as she had never been when fighting monsters. â€Å"And†¦ I won't forget it,† Galen was going on, still quiet. â€Å"Someday, I'll find a way to repay you.† Keller felt desperate. What was he doing to her? She wasn't in control of herself; she was trembling and terrified that the thing in her chest was going to escape. All she could imagine doing was turning around and hitting him, like a trapped animal lashing out at someone trying to rescue it. â€Å"It's so strange,† he said, and Keller had the feeling that he had almost forgotten her and was talking to himself. â€Å"When I was growing up, I rejected the Power of my family. All my ancestors, they were supposed to turn into demons when they unleashed it. I thought that it was better not to fight- if that was possible. It seems unrealistic now.† Keller could feel more than warmth now. There were little electrical zings spreading out from his hand, running down the insides of her arms. Not real ones, of course. Not the Power he was talking about, like the Power used by the dragon or Winnie. But it felt awfully close. Her whole body was filled with buzzing. Some people shouldn't have to fight, she thought giddily. But, no, that was insane. Everybody had to fight; that was what life was about. If you didn't fight, you were weak. You were prey. He was still talking in that abstracted tone. â€Å"I know you think-â€Å" Keller's panic hit flashpoint. She whirled around. â€Å"You don't know anything about what I think. You don't know anything about me. I don't know whatever gave you the idea that you did.† He looked startled but not defensive. The silver light behind him lit the edges of his fine hair. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said gently. â€Å"Stop being sorry!† â€Å"Are you saying I'm wrong? You don't think I'm a spoiled and pampered prince who doesn't know anything about real life and has to be baby-sat?† Keller was disconcerted. That was exactly what she thought-but if it were true, then why did she have this strange feeling of falling? â€Å"I think you're like her,† she said, keeping her words short and brutal to keep them under control. She didn't need to specify the her. â€Å"You're like this whole ridiculous family. Happy mommy, happy baby, happy Christmas. They're ready to love everybody who comes along. And they're living in a happy happy idealistic world that has nothing to do with reality.† The corner of his mouth turned up wryly, although his eyes were still serious. â€Å"I think that's what I said.† â€Å"And it sounds harmless, doesn't it? But it isn't. It's blind and destructive. What do you want to bet that Hiana's mother really thinks my name is Kelly now? She can't deal with it being ‘demon,' so she just happily changes the world to fit.† â€Å"You could be right.† He wasn't smiling at all now, and there was something in his eyes, something lost and hopeless that made Keller feel more panicked than ever. She spoke savagely to hold off the fear. â€Å"You want to know what real life is like? My mother left me in a cardboard box in a parking lot. It was fixed up with newspapers inside, like something you'd use for a puppy. That was because I couldn't wear diapers, I was stuck in my halfway form-a baby with a tail and ears like a cat. Maybe that was why she couldn't deal with me, but I'll never know. The only thing I have of hers is a note that was in the box. I kept it† Keller fumbled in the jumpsuit's pocket. She had never meant to show this to anyone, certainly not somebody she'd known for less than twenty-four hours. But she had to convince Galen; she had to make him go away for good. Her wallet was slim-no photos, just money and ID. She pulled out a folded slip of paper, with creases worn smooth by time and writing that had faded from blue ink to pale purple. Its right edge was a ragged tear, but the words were on the left and clear enough. â€Å"It was her legacy to me,† Keller said. â€Å"She was trying to pass on the truth, what she'd learned about life.† Galen took the paper as if it were a hurt bird. Keller watched his eyes move over it. She knew the words by heart, of course, and right now she heard them ringing in her mind. There were only twelve of them-her mother had been a master of succinctness. People die†¦ Beauty fades†¦ Love changes†¦ And you will always be alone. Keller could tell where Galen was by the way his eyes widened in horror. She smiled at him, not nicely, and took the paper back. He looked at her. And despite everything she knew about him, she was surprised at the sheer depth of his shock. He stared at her with those gold-green eyes that went on for miles-and then he stepped forward. ‘You don't believe that,† he said fiercely, and grabbed her by the shoulders. Keller was startled. He'd seen her in action. How could he be so stupid as to grab her? He seemed to be completely unaware of his danger. There was nothing calm or hesitant about him now. He was staring at her with a kind of stricken tenderness, as if she'd just told him she had a terminal disease. It was as if he were trying to pour love and warmth and light into her by a direct connection. â€Å"I won't let you think that,† he said. â€Å"I won't let you.† ‘It's just the truth. If you can accept that, you won't drown in life. Whatever happens, you'll be able to cope.† â€Å"It's not all the truth. If you believe it is, why do you work for Circle Daybreak?† â€Å"They raised me,† Keller said shortly. â€Å"They snatched me out of the hospital nursery when they read the reports about me in the paper. They realized what I was and that humans couldn't take care of me. That's why I work for them-to pay them back. It's my job.† â€Å"That's not the only reason. I've seen you work, Keller.† She could feel warmth spreading from his hands on her shoulders. She knocked them aside and stood tall. There was a core of iciness inside her, and she hung on to that. â€Å"Don't get me wrong,† she said. â€Å"I don't save people out of idealism. I don't risk my neck for just anybody-only the ones I get paid for.† â€Å"You mean if Diana's little brother was in danger, you wouldn't save him. You'd stand there and watch him burn to death in a fire or drown in a riptide.† Keller had a sinking feeling. She held her chin up and said, â€Å"Exactly. If it meant putting myself in danger to save him, I wouldn't do it.† He shook his head, flatly positive. â€Å"No.† The sinking feeling got worse. â€Å"That's a lie,† he said, holding her eyes. â€Å"I've seen you in action. I talked to Nissa and Winnie last night. And I've seen your mind. You're not just doing a job. You're doing what you do because you think it's right. And you are†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused as if to find the words, then spoke deliberately. â€Å"You are the soul of honor.† And you're insane, Keller thought. She realty needed to get away now. The sinking was becoming a terrible weakness spreading through her. And although she knew that what he was saying was complete garbage, she couldn't seem to stop listening. â€Å"You put on a good show,† Galen said, â€Å"but the truth is that you're brave and gallant and decent. You have your own code, and you would never break it. And anybody who knows you sees that Don't you know what your team thinks of you? You should have seen their faces-and Diana's-when they thought you were dead in that rubble. Your soul is straight as a sword, and you have more honor than anyone I've ever known.† His eyes were the color of the first new leaves in spring, the kind you look up to see sunlight pouring through. Keller was a meat-eater and had never cared much about flowers or other vegetation, but now she remembered a line from a poem, and it froze in her mind like lightning: Nature's first green is gold. This w as the color the poet meant. You could drown in eyes like that. He was holding her arms again. He couldn't seem to stop reaching for her, as if she were some soul in danger of being lost forever. â€Å"Your life's been so hard. You deserve to have good things happen to you now-only good things. I wish†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He broke off, and a sort of tremor went through his face. No, Keller thought. I won't let you make me weak. I won't listen to your lies. But the problem was that Galen didn't lie. He was one of those idiot idealist types who said what they believed. And she shouldn't care what he believed, but she found that she did. She cared terribly. Galen just stood there looking at her with tears in his gem-bright eyes. Something ripped inside Keller. And then everything changed. Keller couldn't understand what was happening at first. In panic, all she could think was that she was losing herself. Losing her armor, her hardness, everything she needed to keep alive. Some part of her deep inside was melting, flowing toward Galen. She tried to snatch it back, but it was no good. She couldn't stop it With a distant shock, she realized that she had shut her eyes. She was falling, falling-and she didn't care. Something caught her. She felt the warmth of arms around her, supporting her. And she felt herself lean into it, relaxing, letting him take some of her weight, as if someone else were controlling her body. So warm†¦ That was when Keller discovered something strange. That warmth could give you shivers. Being close like this, feeling Galen warm and solid and there to hang on to-it made a shiver of pleasure go through her. And then she felt the true connection. It wasn't a physical thing. The spark that passed between them connected them mind to mind. It was a riveting flash of complete understanding. Her heart all but exploded. It's you. The voice was in her mind, the same voice she'd heard yesterday when he had tried to save her from the dragon. It was filled with wonder and discovery. It's you†¦ the one I've been looking for. You're the one†¦ And Keller would have told him how insane that was, except that it was just what she was feeling herself. It was as if she had just turned around and unexpectedly found herself facing a figure from one of her dreams. A person she knew instinctively, just as she knew her own mind. I know you, too, Galen's voice in her head said. We're so much alike†¦ We're not, Keller thought. But the protest sounded feeble even to her. And trying to hang on to her anger and cynicism right now seemed silly- pointless. Like a kid insisting that nobody loved her and she was going to go play on the freeway. We belong together, Galen said simply. Like this. Warm tingles. Keller could feel the force of his love like a bright light shining at her. And she couldn't†¦resist†¦ any longer†¦ Her arms came up to hold Galen back. Her face turned up slightly, but not much, because she was tall, and their lips were already only an inch apart. The kiss was shivery, delightful, and very sweet. After an endless time of floating in a golden haze, Keller shivered again. There's something†¦ something I have to remember†¦ I love you, Galen said back. Yes, but there's something I've forgotten†¦ We're together, he said. I don't want to remember anything else. And that was probably true. She couldn't really blame him. Who would want to disturb this warmth and closeness and quiet joy? Still, they had been talking about something-a long time ago, when she had been alone. Something that had made her terribly unhappy. I won't let you be unhappy. I won't let you be alone, either, he said. He stroked her hair with his fingertips. That was all, but it almost short-circuited Keller's thought processes. But not completely. Alone†¦ I remember. Her mother's note. You will always be alone. Galen's arms tightened around her. Don't. Don't think about that. We're together. I love you†¦ No. With a wrench, Keller pulled herself away. She found herself standing in the library on her own two feet, staring at Galen. He looked shocked and stricken, as if he'd just been slapped out of a dream. â€Å"Keller-â€Å" â€Å"No!† she spat. â€Å"Don't touch me!† â€Å"I won't touch you. But I can't let you run away. And I can't pretend I don't love you.† â€Å"Love,† Keller snarled, â€Å"is weakness.† She saw her mother's note lying on the floor where he'd dropped it and snatched it up. â€Å"And nobody is making me sentimental and weak! Nobody!† It wasn't until she was out the door that she remembered she had left out the strongest argument of all. He couldn't love her. It was impossible. He was destined to marry the Witch Child. The fate of the world depended on it.

When Some Cities Tend to Modernize and Others Tend to Conserve Traditionalism?

Introduction It can happen that sometimes you have a personal dispute with a family member, friend or neighbour, or a legal dispute involving business. There are three main ways as alternatives to going to court to resolve a dispute in China: negotiation, mediation and arbitration, they are ADR. ADR means â€Å"Alternative Dispute Resolution† and it refers to various processes, commonly used in civil law tradition, which have in common the aim of a better communication between the parties during a dispute and the saving in managerial and legal time, expense and worry (Bevan, 1992).We can clearly distinguish the advantages of the ADR, comparing to the formal dispute settlement at court. ADR processes are quicker, as they can be arranged within days or weeks rather than months or years (example of one case in litigation). They are also less expensive, as earlier settlements save managerial time and they are confidential. They are voluntary, which means that the parties are free to walk out every time without interfering the legal procedures and their rights (Bevan, 1992). Mediation, one of the most used ADR, involves a neutral third party, called a mediator, to help the disputing parties to reach an agreement.Mediation in China has been existed in China for more than 2,000 years. It was used in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1146 BC-771 BC) and then used during the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-207 BC). There was always a preference for mediation throughout all the history of Imperial China. The mediation system and the legal system were developed together after the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. People's Mediation Committees appeared during this period, helping local people to resolve civil disputes and to preserve harmony in the society.However, the Mao's economic reforms have brought some physical and social changes of the Chinese cities. Reforms have promoted the development of the legal system and other formal legal institutions. They have also permitted more individual freedoms, since the decentralization of the political control. Moreover, the fast-growing economic developments, the modernization and the Westernization have led to the apparition of new cities which advocate the ideas of individualism, competition and private space, ideas totally at the opposite of the Chinese traditional culture which advocates he social harmony in community and society. In my essay, I will try to answer to this question: To what extent the role of the People's mediation committees in China now is still significant when some cities tend to modernize and others tend to conserve traditionalism? First, I will present the evolution of the traditional Chinese legal system to the contemporary Chinese legal system. Second, I will focus on the case of mediation, one Alternative Dispute Resolution, and the People's Mediation Committees.And finally, I will explore the importance of the teachings of Confucianism in the evolution of mediation. I. From traditional Chinese legal system to contemporary Chinese legal system Chinese history, even in the last century, has gone through several events which have affected the development of its judicial system. Conscious that traditional Chinese law was backward and that a Western legal system, more modern, would improve a lot the development of Chinese society, Mao attempted to establish a modern legal system based on rules and law in 1949 (Utter, 1987).The Communist Party recruited first former nationalists, who knew all about the Western legal systems: â€Å"To staff the new legal system, the Communists retained a number of legal specialists who had worked for the Nationalists, primarily because the Communists did not have within their own ranks people with skills and knowledge to run a complex legal system†, but they were completely â€Å"politically unreliable and elitist† (Utter, 1987).The Party then replaced them by â€Å"new cadres† selected for their political allegiance to the Mao government, and not for their abilities in legal system, â€Å"[t]he new cadres lacked legal skills and knowledge† (Utter, 1987). This decision of the Chinese Mao’s government influenced the development of the legal system. They were convinced that complex processes were only burdens to the modernization of the legal system, so they developed a system easily understandable and accessible to the people:During the first few years of the communist party, the â€Å"new cadres† helped to establish law codification commissions, judicial and police structures. Law schools opened and some legal books were published. In 1954, the first Chinese constitution which established a tripartite governmental design consisting of the supreme people’s courts, the supreme people’s procuracy, and the state council, all responsible to the standing committee of the national people’s congress, was introduced (Utter, 1987).However in 1 957, the improvements of the Chinese legal system began to stop: During the anti-rights movement, the communist party’s sentiment towards the need for a â€Å"modern† legal system changed dramatically. Many specialists were removed from their posts and then attacked and denounced for the very policies they were initially retained to develop. Law schools were closed and plans for further codification were terminated. The communist party went as far as to undo and supplant existing laws as well as to replace the role of the courts and procuracy with public security bureaus (Utter, 1987).After Mao’s death in 1978, during the â€Å"Four modernizations† (in industry, agriculture, national defence, science and technology in Chine), the new government of Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997) established the 1978 Constitution, which restored the emergence of lawyers, law schools and legal publications. Finally, with the promulgation of the 1990 Procedural Law of Administrati ve Litigation and the 1991 Civil Procedure Law, Chinese legal system significantly evolved to a more structured system. Even with all these progress, mediation remains the most used dispute resolution process.The 1989 legislation, that placed the people’s mediation committees under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, allowed the modern mediation system to be more independent, professional and efficient. Many cases are diverted from the courts and passed on mediation committees: [T]he mediation committees have settled cases covering a wide variety of topics such as divorce, inheritance, parental and child support, alimony, debts, real property, production, and torts, as well as other civil and economic disputes and criminal misdemeanour cases.They have also played an important role in preventing crime, reducing litigation in the courts, enhancing the people’s unity, and promoting social stability. Over seven million disputes are satisfactorily resolved through the use of mediation each year in China, far surpassing the number of cases brought to Chinese courts (Ge, 1996). However, this support of mediation retarded the development of judicial law and the implement of existing laws because the mediation procedure is based on local beliefs of fairness and communist ideas. The adoption of the 1991 Code of Civil Procedure affirmed the commitment to mediation of China’s government.Mediation and the People’s Mediation Committee In the Chinese legal system, dispute settlements can be classified into two different categories: formal dispute settlement (at courts) and informal dispute settlement or alternative dispute resolution (ADR) (negotiation, mediation and arbitration). ADR has long existed in China and traditionally been preferred to the courts for many reasons. Mediation, as one of the different means of dispute resolution, is widely practised in China. To define it, mediation is â€Å"an effort by a third party to encourage parties to a dispute to voluntarily reach an agreement to resolve their dispute†.There are currently various types of mediation in China: civil mediation, judicial mediation, administrative mediation and arbitration mediation. Civil mediation is also known as the People’s mediation, by People’s Mediation Committees, outside the court. I will focus on it further in the essay. Compared with judicial mediation, People’s mediation offers a more amicable way to resolve disputes and to avoid many disadvantages of judicial mediation, like the rigidity of the judges and mediators in the mediation process. It is used by People’s Mediation Committees which help parties voluntarily reach an agreement.People’s Mediation Committees (PMCs) are, with courts, the most largely known institutions for dispute resolution in China. They are informal mediation institutions, which have been existed in China for centuries, allowing people to avoid a legal system an d court procedures which have always been subjects of fear in the society. Article 111 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China states that â€Å"People’s Mediation Committees are a working committee under grassroots autonomous organizations – Residents Committee, Villagers Committee – whose mission is to mediate civil disputes† China’s Judiciary, http://www. china. org. cn). They were established in the early years of the foundation of People’s Republic of China in 1949 and of its legal system and helped to maintain social control, to resolve non-class-struggle disputes and to conserve harmony: Mediation â€Å"serves to articulate and apply the ideological principles, values and programs of the Chinese Communist Party and helps to mobilize China’s people to increase their commitment to party policies and goals.Rather than settling disputes between individuals, mediation also serves to suppress such disputes, whic h are regarded as harmful social conflict that interferes with the construction of a strong socialist China (Utter, 1987). They appeared again in the late 1970s and early 1980s after the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), with the China's 1982 Constitution, as a way to resolve minor disputes involving families, villages, workplaces and neighbourhoods, or to facilitate parties to find resolution to disputes before reaching court, a process of mediation which still continues today (Clarke, 1991).Excepted the period of the Cultural Revolution, PMCs have traditionally been praised by the press, as we can see in the following citation: The current system of people’s mediation†¦is a great creation in the construction of our country’s socialist legal system, it is a legal system with Chinese characteristics, and it is an important component of our country’s judicial system†¦ [I]t plays an immense role in resolving contradictions among the people, strengthening unity and friendship among the people and promoting socialist material and spiritual civilization†¦[I]t has received praise in international jurisprudential circles and has been called â€Å"the most distinctive system of the Chinese judicial system†. (Mediation Compendium, 1990) People’s Mediation Committees are typical in the contemporary Chinese society in the dispute settlements within neighbourhoods. Their mission, states by the Article 5 of the Regulations for the Organization of People’s Mediation Committees, is â€Å"to mediate civil disputes and, through such mediation, publicize laws, regulations, rules and policies and educate citizens to abide by laws and respect† (China’s Judiciary, http://www. china. org. cn).PMCs are today institutionalized under the direction of the local government department of justice, they are non-governmental organizations and supplement to the judicial system. People’s Mediations Committees are set up by local residential community in villages, workplaces and in regional or professional organizations to handle civil matters and small criminal matters. It is composed of individuals from the community who are believed to be fair and impartial. They are generally selected for 3 years and remunerated by the government for their services as mediator. Mediation by People’s Mediation Committees is completely free of charge. The procedure is more transparent and more institutionalized today. During the mediation, a mediation agreement, which can be in written and/or oral forms, is reached by both parties.This mediation agreement signed by both parties must clearly provide information on facts, resolution methods and enforcement in relation to the dispute. Article 20 of the Several Opinions issued in 2009 states that â€Å"for an agreement in the nature of a civil contract reached through mediation by an administrative organ, a people’s mediation organization, a commerc ial mediation organization, an industrial mediation organization or any other organization with a mediation function, the parties may apply to the people’s court having jurisdiction for confirming validity of such an agreement after the mediation organization and mediator affix their signatures or seals to it†. This judicial confirmation of settlement agreement is a method to improve the enforcement of a mediation agreement.To request this confirmation, parties to the dispute can apply to the people’s court within a period of 30 days by submitting the mediation agreement and a letter of commitment signed by both parties and responded to the two following statements: â€Å"Both parties voluntarily reach the agreement for the purpose of resolving disputes and have no act of malicious collusion or circumvention of law; and if any damage is caused to any other person due to the content of this agreement, both parties are willing to bear the corresponding civil liabi lity and other legal liabilities. † (Wei & Ying, 2011b). If the court validates the mediation agreement, the court can oversee the enforcement of the agreement. If it doesn’t validate the agreement, parties to the dispute can file for lawsuit at the court. The court decision validity of the agreement becomes effective when the court’s decision is communicated to both parties.If a party rejects the decision of the court, the other party may apply to the people’s court for enforcement (Wei & Ying, 2011b). If we take a look at the figures, it is estimated that at the end of 2010, there were 818,100 People’s Mediation Committees, 4,668,900 mediators who resolved more than 8,418,400 cases of mediation, with a success rate of resolution of disputes of 97% (Wei & Ying, 2011a). The teachings of Confucius closely linked to the mediation For decades, Confucian philosophy has been the foundation of the Chinese culture. Its fundamental values structured all the aspects of the Chinese society. Today, the mediation is founded on the principles of Confucian philosophy and Maoist thought. (China Insight issue 2010, http://chinainsight. info/).Two important principles of the Confucianism laid the foundations of the mediation: the principle of Li, which supposes the preservation of natural harmony and the principle of Rang, which supposes the compromise or the yielding to others in resolution of disputes. Moreover, mediation is a mean of â€Å"educating people and implementing Communist party policy†, based on the Maoist principles. China has been one of the world's most committed nations in the use of mediation to resolve disputes. One other reason of that is the troubled court system in China. There are corruption among judges, a lack of meaning qualifications to become a judge and an inaccessibility of published codes and case law. Mediation in China is a natural â€Å"outgrowth of traditional, family-centred support systems and its principles are based on the ethical teachings of Confucius† (Pierce, 1994).The Confucian ethics are based on â€Å"social harmony, moderation, respect for authority, humility, benevolence and so on in contrast to the Western mediation which endorses an individualistic utilitarian value system of fairness, justice, equality, equity and autonomy† (Jia, Ma, Yang, 2009). The respect of the family structures the relations between individuals and the life in community. Therefore, harmony (he), relations among people (guanxi), face (mianzi) and yielding to others (rang), which are major concepts underlying the Confucianism, play an important role in the process of mediation in China and are reflected in Chinese social interaction and conflict resolution. In order to understand how the concepts from the Confucian philosophy are important in the process of mediation in China, I will focus on these different notions.In the Chinese culture, harmony is one of the most important val ues. Chinese people are convinced that harmony is the universal path that everybody should pursue because â€Å"only when harmony is reached and prevails throughout heaven and earth can all things be nourished and flourish† (Legge, 1995). To the Chinese, conflicts are considered more like detractors from harmony rather than problems of communication. Chinese people therefore are only aiming to establish a conflict free interpersonal and social relationship (Chen ; Chung, 1994). The conflict prevention in China is maintained by the principle of li (rites). â€Å"Li refers to norms and rules of proper behaviours in a social context.It is an external means to achieve the ideal state of harmony by showing a feeling of respect or reverence to others† (Chen ; Xiao, 1993). Mediation is mainly based on the li principle. As we know, mediation is an alternative dispute resolution with the priority of a mutual respect and harmony between the two parties during the process. It is also based on the rang principle. Chinese people know how to yield to the other party to end a conflict, in order to keep the relationship â€Å"guanxi†. The harmony pursued in a dispute resolution is supported by two traditional notions: guanxi and mianzi. During the mediation, both parties are trying to reduce the negative impact of conflicts in order to save face and to keep the guanxi.Guanxi means the relationships between two parties. It gives some specific communication rules and patterns in order to avoid an embarrassing encounter or serious dispute. It is deeply connected to the mianzi. Mianzi refers to â€Å"the projected image of ourselves in a relationship network† (Ting-Toomey, 1988). It supposes a mutual respect from the parties to save faces because any conscious act of making the other party to lose face will damage their own image and destruct the relationship. â€Å"It represents our social position and prestige gained from the successful performance of our specific social roles that are well recognized by other members in the society† (Hu, 1944).To conclude, due to the accent heavily put on the harmony, Chinese people have recourse to a mediator to help them to resolve dispute. Conclusion For more than 2,000 years, China has used mediation as its major form of dispute resolution. It has long been recognized that the â€Å"Chinese legal system has been one the world’s most committed institutions in the use of mediation to resolve disputes and a leader in developing ways to maximize its benefits and effectiveness† (Colatrella, 2000). In the traditional China, the popularity of mediation came from the fact that it is grounded on traditional Confucian values, such as social harmony and compromise in resolving disputes. It aims to limit costs and time to resolve civil disputes involving neighbours, families or colleagues.Even during the Maoist period, mediation continued to be largely used in the conflict resolut ion. The Confucian principles and the mediation process were mainly used by the Communist Party as a means of control of the masses and of promotion of social harmony, with the assistance of People's Mediation Committees (Colatrella, 2000). 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