Thursday, August 27, 2020
The remaining condition Essay Example
The rest of the condition Essay The point of the test was to examine in the case of utilizing sets of either comparable or disparate boosts during a double errand would influence reaction times. Members were approached to finish a double errand wherein they chose either hues or numbers from a rundown of words, while simultaneously verbally noting a progression of mental math questions. The aftereffects of the analysis indicated that reaction times when comparative upgrades were utilized (the two errands identifying with numbers) were more slow than when different improvements were utilized (undertakings identified with hues and numbers). This offers help for the hypothesis that we have pools of assets which are allotted to preparing various kinds of boosts, and accordingly drawing on one asset pool for two errands will build the reaction time contrasted with drawing on two separate asset pools. Hypothesesà The test speculation tried in this analysis was:à Participants will take more time to finish a double assignment that requires reacting to comparative boosts than a double errand that requires reacting to divergent upgrades. This was a one followed hypothesis.à The invalid speculation was:à There will be no distinction in the time taken by members to finish a double errand that requires reacting to comparative upgrades than a double undertaking that requires reacting to disparate boosts. Methodà Design The examination utilized a between-members plan. Members were approached to do two undertakings simultaneously (double errand) the assignments were choosing a specific sort of word from a rundown, while responding to numerical inquiries verbally. The free factor was the sort of words that the member needed to choose (by putting a tick) from a rundown. There were two conditions in the primary, members were approached to put a tick close to words which were the name of a shading. This was the control condition, requiring two different reactions. In the second, members were approached to put a tick close to words which were numbers. We will compose a custom paper test on The rest of the condition explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now We will compose a custom article test on The rest of the condition explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer We will compose a custom paper test on The rest of the condition explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer This was the trial condition, requiring two comparable reactions. In the two conditions, while the member was choosing words as taught, a progression of straightforward totals were perused out and the member was approached to compute the appropriate response intellectually and react verbally. The dependant variable was the time taken to finish the word choice undertaking, to the closest second this was recorded utilizing a clock with a second hand. The undertaking finished when the member had chosen all the suitable words in the rundown. The rundowns in the two conditions were indistinguishable with the exception of the words identifying with the condition itself. The rundowns contained a similar number of words, with the condition-important words showing up in similar situations in the two records. Words that were not applicable to the condition itself were the equivalent for the two conditions. The aggregates, which were perused out to the members, were the equivalent for the two conditions. The members were allotted to a condition arbitrarily utilizing a coin hurl until one of the conditions contained enough members, at that point the rest of the members were dispensed to the rest of the condition. Members The members for the trial were loved ones of the scientist. None of them had a particular information on brain research. They were enrolled by inquiring as to whether they would be glad to participate in a short mental trial. The age scope of the members was 24 64 years and there were five men and five ladies. This information was added to the gave information, with the goal that the all out members came to twenty four. Materials A clock with a second hand was utilized to time to what extent it took every member to finish the errand. The arrangements of words for each condition comprised of thirty six words, introduced in two segments of eighteen on a sheet of A4 paper. In every segment, nine words were pertinent to the condition (for example they were a shading or a number) and these words showed up similarly situated in the section for the two conditions. The non-important words were the names of creatures and were the equivalent in the two conditions. Each word had a case close to it for the member to put an imprint in if the word was a shading (condition one) or a number (condition two). The analyst utilized a piece of paper with a rundown of aggregates on it to peruse out as the member was finishing the word determination task a similar sheet was utilized in the two conditions. Duplicates of these materials can be found in the addendum. Method Every member was inquired as to whether they would be tried as a feature of a test. A coin hurl figured out which condition the member was dispensed to (until one of the conditions had enough members, at that point the rest of the condition was utilized). The age and sex of the member was recorded. The member was then solicited to divert the piece from paper before them over when flagged, and to put a tick close to all the words that were the names of hues/numbers (contingent upon the condition) as fast as could reasonably be expected. The member was additionally informed that they would be solicited an arrangement from numerical totals simultaneously as finishing the word task. The specific directions given to the members in each condition can be found in the index. The test initiated when the second hand of the clock was at a reasonable position. As the member worked through the rundown ticking the pertinent words, the scientific totals were perused out. The scientific assignment proceeded until the word choice undertaking was finished, at that point the time was noted once more. This permitted the time taken for the undertaking to be determined and recorded. The member was then told to what extent it had taken them to carry out the responsibility, and asked whether they had any inquiries or remarks. Resultsà The trial speculation being tried was:à Participants will take more time to finish a double errand that requires reacting to comparative upgrades than a double assignment that requires reacting to disparate boosts. This was a one followed hypothesis.à The information gathered was the time (seconds) it took every member to finish the errand. The mean and standard deviation for each condition are demonstrated as follows.
Saturday, August 22, 2020
Windsor Castle :: Place Descriptive Monuments Essays
Windsor Castle ââ¬Å"Seen just because, Windsor Castle is a remarkable sight; its impressive towers and fortifications making one of the worldââ¬â¢s most dynamite sky-linesâ⬠Windsor Castle is one of Englandââ¬â¢s most predominant structures. The palace was worked around 1070 by William the Conqueror. It remains around 21 miles west of London in a parameter town called Windsor. Edward III revamped the manor around 1344, however numerous lords have contributed their own offer to the gigantic structure. The mansion is situated over the Thames waterway. It encompasses a recreation center called Little Park, which joins the Great Park south of Windsor. Home Park associates the mansion on the north, east, and south side; while Great Park is south of Home Park. Inside the stronghold dividers there is a stupendous fake lake called Virginia Water (http://www.interlog.com/~lontours/windsor.html). The most great structure of Windsor Castle is the Round Tower, or Keep, which stands 80 feet high. As indicated by convention, King Arthur sat with the Knights of the Round Table inside this pinnacle. Encircled by a canal, it was additionally utilized as a jail until 1660. The stronghold was planned to monitor the western ways to deal with the capital. Since those early days, the manor is occupied, and one of The Queenââ¬â¢s official habitations. The château likewise incorporates the State Apartments, Saint Georgeââ¬â¢s Hall, the Waterloo Chamber, the Throne Room, the Rubens Room, and the Van Dyck Room, which are utilized for Court stylized and State events. They likewise contain invaluable significant workmanship objects. St. Georgeââ¬â¢s Chapel, resting spot of 10 sovereigns, is additionally inside the regions. The Chapel is given to the supporter holy person of the Order of the Garter, Britainââ¬â¢s most noteworthy Order of Chivalry. The Chapel is probably the best case generally medieval design in the United Kingdom (http://www.royal.gov.uk/castles/winsrest.htm). In 1992 a grievous fire broke out in the mansion.
Friday, August 21, 2020
Meteor and Asteroids Essay Topics
Meteor and Asteroids Essay TopicsMeteor and asteroids are known as pieces of debris that fly through the atmosphere on their paths to Earth. Once they come in contact with the surface, they burn up into smaller pieces. If the pieces are small enough, they can be caught in the atmosphere by Earth's gravity and fall back down towards the surface and when they do, they cause a meteor shower.In many high school and college essays, meteor and asteroid's essay topics are common. Some students and teachers may like to use them because they want to make the topic interesting and also because it is easy to write about. Others prefer to use it because they are familiar with them and are familiar with what the main asteroid, meteor, or comet might look like. Regardless of why the subject is used, this topic requires that the essay outline consists of the following three elements:Comet is the name given to the stuff that gets knocked off the outer parts of the comet. The nucleus of the comet its elf remains intact as long as it remains in orbit around the sun. When it gets too close to the sun, it burns up in a light ball of plasma and dust called a comet tail.Meteor showers are article topics. They are used as a way to build interest in a piece of writing that involves a comet. They should have the writer asking questions such as 'How long does a comet stay in the night sky?' and 'When does a comet make its closest approach to the sun?'Asteroids are pieces of space junk that are thought to be pieces of a comet. One piece of the comet could collide with another piece or with the moon and scatter them all over the universe. One of the main ways they get created is when one piece crashes into another piece of ice that sits in orbit above it. When one fragment touches another, it becomes a meteor or asteroid.Meteor and asteroids essay topics are not as common as comet or asteroid essay topics. Some people may like to think of a comet or asteroid as the main topic of the entire essay. While they are very interesting, using them requires the use of the basic story, outline, and essay topics.Some college students may also use articles to write the paper or thesis that they need to focus on. Article topics can be about any topic that the writer would like to talk about. Some topics include space and science. Space and science are an exciting topic to write about because space travel is used so often in the modern world.Meteor and asteroids essay topics are common in schools. There are many people who will look at the appearance of a comet and think it must be made up of ice and rock. That is why it is best to use them in a writing project so that the topic becomes easier to discuss.
Monday, May 25, 2020
The Way That Women Earned Respect And Value Was First...
The way that women earned respect and value was first through the great awakening. Which emphasized faith and created later reforms such as the temperance, education, women rights, and abolition. All of these reforms put an emphasis on improving the moral compass of the nation. all of the issues were integrated with religion, since it was a religious movement. in the later 1820ââ¬â¢s reforms created the Temperance movement, which was a reform against alcohol. Puritans believed that alcohol was completely wrong. In 1873 eight women marched to hissboro Ohio demanding the end of alcohol. The women created the Womens Christian Temperance Union and created the biggest political organization of american women America had ever seen. This showed how women began to voice their opinion. The public education movement was created by Horace Mann. public education is one of the most important things because without it they could not be significant in any political or religious matter. They wanted more money to be spent on public education since it was so vital to a kids childhood. By the 1850ââ¬â¢s a lot of the southern states had established public education. Since most women were undervalued many of them were uneducated. And since they were always in the household it was their responsibility to educate the kids. This led to the Womens Rights Movement. This was a touchy matter since in order to put more money into the education program it would mean taxing their citizens or going in to debt.Show MoreRelated Southern Appalachian Cultures: Their Pursuit for Prosperity and the Environmental Outturn 2045 Words à |à 9 Pages Where there are various regions there are bound to be a variety of people with alternate cultures, beliefs, and ways of life. The cultures found with the Appalachia are unique in their own ways and represent a body of individuals who found their way to such an area. Land that is included within the Southern Appalachia can be best described by Horace Kephart as he does so in his book The Southern Highlander and His Homeland to include: ââ¬Å"the four western counties of Maryland; the Blue Ridge ValleyRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Women2435 Words à |à 10 Pagestheir opinions that to deny women the right to be part of the clergy: ââ¬Å"God called His daughters forth to prophesy and preach His message throughout history, and He continues to do so today. Those who limit women by hiding behind church tradition and refer to it as Godââ¬â¢s divine order for the genders are sincerely wrong; the embrace the oppression caused by sin, which is the purpose Jesus coming to earthâ⬠(Nance Gill, 2009). ââ¬Å"Jesus offers us much of church history that women have been denied leadershipRead More The Meaning of Heart of Darknes s in the Post-Colonial Climate3726 Words à |à 15 Pagesbeen disputed on the basis of its literary merits; in fact, it was long seen as one of the great novels of the burgeoning modern era, a sort of bridge between the values and storytelling styles of the waning Victorian period and those of the modern era (Gatten), and regarded a high-ranking space amidst the great literature of the century, if not the millennia (Mitchell 20). Conradââ¬â¢s literary masterpiece manages references to other great literature, universal themes which cut to the heart of philosophicalRead MoreEssay on Comparing the Managerial Styles of Males and Females3606 Words à |à 15 Pageshalf of the U.S. workforce is now made up of women, and women are a growing percentage of the workforce in most countries throughout the world (Robbins, 2005:18). It is common to find a woman supervising or managing a group of men. This paper will discuss the difference, if exists, between the managerial styles of males and females. First, we will shed some light on the basic differences in personality traits and competencies between men and women, and then will analyze the different culturalRead MoreThe Native Family Versus the Dominant Culture in American Horse by Louise Erdrich2086 Words à |à 9 Pagesmoving away, she decided to learn more about the High Plains setting of her stories. (Habich) During her lifetime, Erdrich probably experienced racism or prejudice because of segregation laws in the fifties. A member of the first coeducational class at Dartmouth in l972, she earned an MA in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University. (Habich) She worked at a variety of jobs: life guarding, waitressing, teaching poetry in prisons, weighing trucks on the interstate and hoeing sugar beets. Erdrich foundRead More The Methodist Movement in America Essay4411 Words à |à 18 PagesFrom the time it was introduced to America in 1766, by Phillip Embury in New York and Robert Strawbridge in Maryland (Methodism 2) until the middle of the 19th century, Methodism enjoyed a meteoric rise. At the time of the American Revolution Methodists comprised a very small percentage of the American religious population, and yet by the mid 1800s Methodism was a dominant religious movement. In fact, historian William Warren Sweet claims that while ââ¬Å"of all the religious bodies in America at theRe ad MoreFamily as the Cornerstone of American Society6564 Words à |à 27 PagesAmerican society between the 17th and 19th century The family has always been the cornerstone of American society. Our families nature, preserve and pass onto each succeeding generation the values we share and cherish, values that are foundation for our freedoms. In the family, we learn our first lessons of God and man, love and discipline, rights, and responsibilities, human dignity and human frailty. Our families give us daily examples of these lessons being put into practice. In raisingRead MoreWilla Cathers Characterization Technique in Neighbor Rosicky3926 Words à |à 16 Pagescollected in the volume Obscure Destinies in 1932, is generally considered one of Willa Cathers most successful short stories. It is a character study of Anton Rosicky, a man who, facing the approach of death, reflects on the meaning and value of his life. In tracing Rosickys journey from Bohemia to Nebraska,Cather explores the intimate relationship between people and the paces they inhabit. The story also celebrates the small triumphs of life. ( Wilson 1) The protagonist,Read MoreWilla Cathers Characterization Technique in Neighbor Rosicky3936 Words à |à 16 Pagesand collected in the volume Obscure Destinies in 1932, is generally considered one of Willa Cathers most successful short stories. It is a character study of Anton Rosicky, a man who, facing the approach of death, reflects on the meaning and value of his life. In tracing Rosickys journey from Bohemia to Nebraska,Cather explores the intimate relationship between people and the paces they inhabit. The story also celebrates the small triumphs of life. ( Wilson 1) The protagonist, NeighborRead MoreWhy Do Entreprenuers Need Public Relations?5111 Words à |à 21 Pagesand the elderly, also they get introduced to businesses and as well be the face of them for the companies. Overall, the entrepreneurs just want to be successful and have their hands on opportunities to make money. With this research found the purpose was to see how and what strategies did the entrepreneurââ¬â¢s used to actually get there are now today. The research is a guide to become a successful entrepreneur and set an example for our communities and especially home towns because most of the entrepreneurs
Friday, May 15, 2020
Chemistry Jokes, Puns, and Riddles
Chemistry terminology and jargon is ripe for puns and intellectual humor. Below is a collection of chemistry jokes, puns, riddles, and one-liners. Old Chemist One-Liner Old chemists never die, they just stop reacting. Coffee Riddle What is the chemical formula of coffee? CoFe2 Banana Riddle What is the chemical formula for a banana? BaNa2 Dead Chemists What should do you do with a dead Chemist? Barium! Dental Chemistry Riddle What do you call a tooth in a glass of water? A one molar solution. Ion Riddle What did one charged atom say to the other? Ive got my ion you. pH Chemistry Joke Why do chemists enjoy working with ammonia? Because its pretty basic stuff. Spy Chem What is the name of agent 007s Eskimo cousin? Polar Bond. Medical Elements Joke Q: Why do chemists call helium, curium, and barium the medical elements?A: Because if you cant helium or curium, you barium! Diamond Riddle What element is a girls future best friend? Carbon. Element Laughter What did the chemist say when he found two isotopes of helium? HeHe Neutral Neutron A neutron walks into a shop and says,Id like a coke.The shopkeeper serves up the coke.How much will that be? asks the neutron.The shopkeeper replies, For you? No charge. Norse Chemistry What element derives from a Norse god? Thorium. Mole Riddle Why was the mole of oxygen molecules excited when he left the singles bar? He got Avogadros number! Particle Charge Joke A proton and a neutron were walking down the street. The proton says, Stop, I dropped an electron. Help me look for it. The neutron asks, Are you sure? The proton replies, Yes, Im positive. Peroxide Joke Two chemists go into a restaurant. The first chemist says, Ill have H2. The second chemist says, Ill have an H2O too.... and he died. TV Chemistry What show do cesium and iodine love to watch together? CsI Words from Element Symbols I asked the guy next to me if he had any sodium hypobromite. He said NaBrO. Lawyer Chemistry Joke Why cant lawyers do NMR? Bar magnets have poor homogeneity. Chemistry Lab Safety What is the most important chemistry rule? Never lick the spoon! Mole Joke What was Avogadros favorite sport? Golf - because he always got a mole-in-one. Gas Chromatography Joke What emotional disorder does a gas chromatograph suffer from? Separation anxiety. Interview Joke Question at interview: What is nitrate (nite rate or night rate), Answer: double time. Chemistry Poem Poor Willie worked in chem lab. Poor Willie is no more. For what he thought was H2O was H2SO4! Assault and Battery What happened to the man stopped for having sodium chloride and a 9-volt in his car? He was booked for a salt and battery. Joke Why Chemists Are Great Why are chemists so great at solving problems? Answer: Because they have all the solutions. Alphabet Chemistry Riddle What is HIJKLMNO? H2O Silver and Gold Silver walks up to gold in a bar and says, Au, get outta here! Noble Gas Helium walks into a bar. The bartender says, We dont serve noble gases here. Helium doesnt react. Starving Chemists How did the chemist survive the famine? He subsisted on titrations. Chemical Formula Joke Q: What is the chemical formula for diarrhea?A: (CO(NH2)2)2 Football Cheerleader Q: How did the football cheerleader define hydrophobic on her chemistry exam? A: Fear of utility bills. The Chemists Ferris Wheel What do chemists call a benzene ring where the carbon atoms are replaced with ironà atoms? A ferrous wheel. Burger Chemistry Why does hamburger yield lower energy than steak? Because its in the ground state. Titration Chemistry Riddle What did one titration say to the other? Lets meet at the endpoint. Solution Chemistry Joke Florence Flask was preparing to attend the opera. Suddenly she screamed, Erlenmeyer, my joules! Somebody has stolen my joules! Her husband replied, Relax dear. Well find a solution. Titanium Chemistry Joke Titanium is an amorous metal. When it gets hot, it will combine with anything! The Half-Empty Glass The optimist sees the glass as half full. The pessimist sees the glass as half empty. The chemist sees the glass as completely full, half in the liquid state and half in the gaseous state. Cash Chemistry It has been discovered that money consists of a yet-to-be- indentified superheavy element. The proposed element nameà is Un-obtainium. Spectrometry Riddle What did the mass spectrometer say to the gas chromatograph? Breaking up is hard to do. One Bad Clown What would you call a clown in jail? Silicon Ice Water H2O is the formula for water, what is the formula for ice? H2O cubed Sea Water What is the chemical formula for sea water? CH2O Oxygen and Potassium Did you hear oxygen went on a date with potassium? It went OK. Water and Peroxide Joke what is H204? Its FOR drinking, bathing, and mixing with scotch. Another Bar Joke What did the bartender say when oxygen, hydrogen, sulfur, sodium, and phosphorus walking into the bar? OH SNaP! Carbon Chemistry Pun Why did the chemist coat his shoes with silicone rubber? He wanted to reduce his carbon footprint. Water Chemistry Question: What is the name of the molecule CH2O? Answer: Seawater Polarity Chemistry Humor Why did the white bear dissolve in water? Because it was a polar bear. Superhero Chemistry Pun If Iron Man and Silver Surfer teamed up, theyd be alloys. Sodium Humor Does anyone know any jokes about sodium? Na. Yeah, I know that was sodium funny! Chemistry One-Liner If youre not part of the solution, youre part of the precipitate! Bad Chemistry Jokes Id tell you a chemistry joke, but all the good ones argon. Chemistry Joke Pun I wish to apologize for not having more chemistry jokes, but I only add them periodically. If you want to use chemistry pick-up lines, look no further.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Essay about Issues in Virginia Woolfââ¬â¢s Mrs. Dalloway
Issues in Virginia Woolfââ¬â¢s Mrs. Dalloway Virginia Woolfââ¬â¢s Mrs. Dalloway revolves around several of the issues that preoccupied the Bloomsbury writers and thinkers as a group. Issues of androgyny, class, madness, and mythology run throughout the novel. While that is hardly an exhaustive list, these notions seem to form the core of the structure of the novel. Woolf herself, when envisioning the project, sought to produce ââ¬Å"a study of insanity and suicide, the world seen by the sane and the insane side by side.â⬠This issue of madness, in particular, gives the novel its form as we follow the twinned lives of Septimus Warren Smith and Clarissa Dalloway. These preoccupations, occuring in the biographical and intellectual lives of theâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦By contrast, Septimus, the supposedly virile soldier, is found to be incapable of action, effeminized by his experiences in the war. Further considering the genesis of Septimus in Woolfââ¬â¢s own conception of the novel as birthed from her orig inal sketch of Clarissaââ¬â¢s character, we can see these two figures as merging towards some sort of composite identity. With their inverted gender roles, viewing them as one composite identity gives forth an image of an androgynous figure, the female body with a male mine and the male body with a feminine sense of agency. In terms of class, Septimus and Clarissa are clearly approaching from different ends of the social spectrum. Even in name, Septimus Warren Smith, we see the overreaching efforts of a middle-class attempt at culture, appending the absurd classical name, Septimus, onto the plebian and very British, Smith. Even in his efforts towards literature, Septimus goes off to war to save an England that consisted almost entirely of ââ¬Å"Shakespeareââ¬â¢s plays and Miss Isabel Pole in a green dress walking in a square.â⬠This conflation of Shakespeare with the lecturer is perhaps indicative of a certain insincerity or incompleteness of Septimusââ¬â¢s approach to the spiritual life. This culminates in his madness as he is rendered unable to feel and ââ¬Å"that boyââ¬â¢s business of the intoxication ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Virginia Woolf s Gone At The Lighthouse Never Go Return 1706 Words à |à 7 PagesElizabeth Conner 9 November 2017 ENGL-4010-001 Professor Westover Virginia Woolf: Gone to the Lighthouse, Never to Return Many authors inject a little bit of their personalities and lives into their writing, making it more relatable to their readers and more marketable to publishers. However, depending on the work, it can sometimes be difficult to determine what is inspired by real life and what is merely fiction. Therefore how important an authorââ¬â¢s biography is to a story can also be hard to understandRead MoreComparing The Film And Virginia Woolf s Mrs. Dalloway1244 Words à |à 5 PagesDespite the fact that suicides feature in both the film and Virginia Woolfââ¬â¢s novel Mrs Dalloway, both texts echo Woolfââ¬â¢s words from her 1922 diary: ââ¬ËI meant to write about death, only life came breaking in as usual.ââ¬â¢ Both Woolfââ¬â¢s modernist 1925 novel and Daldryââ¬â¢s 2002 postmodernist film which has Mrs Dalloway as a pivotal point for its three interwoven stories can be seen as life-affirming texts ââ¬â with their major focus on women whose rich inner lives are juxtapo sed with their outer lives constrainedRead MoreThe Central Value Connecting Mrs. Dalloway And The Hours1037 Words à |à 5 Pages The central value connecting Mrs Dalloway and The Hours is an affirmation of life. Although suicides feature in both Stephen Daldryââ¬â¢s film and Virginia Woolfââ¬â¢s novel both texts echo Woolfââ¬â¢s words from her 1922 diary: ââ¬ËI meant to write about death, only life came breaking in as usual.ââ¬â¢ Both Woolfââ¬â¢s modernist 1925 novel and Daldryââ¬â¢s 2002 postmodernist film focus on women whose rich inner lives are juxtaposed with their outer lives constrained by the contexts in which they live. The characters areRead More Parallel Experiences of Three Troubled Women in Cunninghams, The Hours1073 Words à |à 5 Pagesa brilliant writer. Woolfs work of Mrs. Dalloway was read by fifteen-year-old Michael Cunningham in order to impress an older girl in school. As he stated, the book really knocked me out. Once older, Cunningham wanted to write about Mrs. Dalloway, but thought not too many people would want to read a book about reading a book. He then thought he might want to read a book about reading the right book. Hence, The Hours was written. Cunningham would incorporate Mrs. Dalloway into a book about readingRead Morethe theme of madness in mrs dalloway1443 Words à |à 6 PagesMadness in Mrs Dalloway Madness is a prevalent theme in ââ¬ËMrs Dallwayââ¬â¢ and is expressed primarily, and perhaps most obviously through the characters Septimus Warren Smith and Clarissa Dalloway ââ¬â however the theme is also explored more subtly in more minor characters such as Lucrezia and Mrs Kilman. Virgina Woolfââ¬â¢s own issues inspired her greatly, as she herself suffered her first mental breakdown at the tender age of thirteen and was prescribed ââ¬Ërest cureââ¬â¢ ââ¬â just as Septimus is; Woolf is often describedRead More Female Relationships in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway Essay examples1456 Words à |à 6 PagesFemale Relationships in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway à à Clarissa Dalloway, the central character in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway, is a complex figure whose relations with other women reveal as much about her personality as do her own musings. By focusing at length on several characters, all of whom are in some way connected to Clarissa, Woolf expertly portrays the ways females interact: sometimes drawing upon one another for things which they cannot get from men; other times, turning onRead MoreEssay On Clarissa And Septimus1121 Words à |à 5 Pagesand the government do not care fully enough on these issues. Both characters put the thought of death into their stream of conscious. Unfortunately, Septimus choose the suicidal route. So, whatââ¬â¢s the difference then? Society played a huge role on both Septimus and Clarissaââ¬â¢s decision in their life. The government and their society put little to no importance on Septimus and his issues which led to his death. In Virginia Woolfââ¬â¢s, Mrs. Dalloway, she portrays the outlo ok on shell-shocked veterans inRead MoreThe Social System Through The Eyes Of Virginia Woolf1889 Words à |à 8 PagesEyes of Virginia Woolf Post World War I London society was characterized by a flow of new luxuries available to the wealthy and unemployment throughout the lower classes. Fascinated by the rapidly growing hierarchal social class system, Virginia Woolf, a young writer living in London at the time, sought to criticize it and reveal the corruption which lay beneath its surface. Mrs. Dalloway, Woolfââ¬â¢s fourth novel, was born in 1925 out of this desire precisely. A recurring focus in many of Woolfââ¬â¢s majorRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper And Mrs. Dalloway1220 Words à |à 5 PagesIn Mrs. Dalloway, Septimus, a supporting character struggles with a mental illness that is most likely Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Similarly, in The Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator also struggles with a mental illness which could be related to postpartum depression. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, author of The Yellow Wallpaper struggled with depression and Virginia Woolf, author of Mrs. Dalloway, suffered childhood trauma and was bipolar (McMan). Both storyââ¬â¢s views on mental illness are most likelyRead MoreThe Oppression of Women in A Room of Oneââ¬â¢s Own by Virginia Wolf1749 Words à |à 7 Pagesââ¬Å"For most of history, Anonymous was a woman,â⬠Virginia Woolf once boldly stated. Though she was from a privileged background and was well educated, Woolf still felt she was faced with the oppression that women have been treated with for as far as history goes back. Her education allowed her to explore the works of the most celebrated authors, but one who she had a long and complicated relationship with was the Bard of Avon himself, William Shakespeare. As one of the most highly regarded and well
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Cost Through Lean Manufacturing Technique -Myassignmenthelp.Com
Question: Discuss About The Cost Through Lean Manufacturing Technique? Answer: Introduction: Information systems refer the processing systems that process the information through smart equipment (Like computers, network hardware, servers and others) to support and manage organisational decisions (Laudon and Laudon 2016). IT should not be confused with the IS, as the former is just a subcategory of the latter. IT deals only with the technology that is operational in the system while IS itself is the system that includes the users and the processes as well. Hence, to cover a broader perspective, the report has taken consideration of the IS system, and the technology will be assessed based on the same. Strategic Information System (SIS) is a sub-category of the IS which takes the responsibility of developing and offering a competitive advantage to the considered organisation (Arvidsson, Holmstrm and Lyytinen 2014). The report is developed to discuss the details about SIS from the benefits to the challenges in the energy industry. In the report, Enterprises Resource Planning (ERP) is suggested as the SIS system to be implemented in the operations. Competitive advantage and the additional value that the organisation will gain after implementing the SISs are also discussed in the report. A potential solution for the implementation of the SIS in the organisation with appropriate methodology is discussed in the report as well. The report is concluded to offer an analysis of the internal control system and its development method. Comparison and contrast on the challenge and issues faced by SIS planners: SISP (Strategic Information Strategy Planning) is a significant change in an organisation. It is an essential activity done to assess strategic applications and to align the firms strategy with efficient IS for achieving the firms goals and objectives. These changes draft some challenges for the SIS planner which need to be tackled with before implementing the system. As those challenges can lead to the failure of the project which is undesirable for any firm. The challenges associated with the SISP are discussed in the following section. Management: The most significant challenge in the SISP is the lack of commitment from the management. Their role is vital, and hence the planners have to convince them to for a committed approach towards the implementation (Lederer 2013). However, the issues associated in the develop in convincing the senior officials as they may not believe in the system's capabilities and hence a waste of money and time. In the public sector industries lack of communication, poor coordination, responsibility sharing and the decision making are the most prominent issues associated with the management. Retirement/transfer of the officials can also put a halt to the implementation. Stakeholders: Public sector firms are slow at decision-making which offers challenge to the planners because deploying training modules may be time consuming and improper. This may result in a delayed deployment of the IS. The private industries are unable to employ the proper skill for the implementation and operation of the system because of their limited funding. Additionally, the stakeholders who are not interested in automatic working (through the computer) are an even bigger threat to the process (Motro and Smets 2012). While the issues are with the stakeholders and their lack of interest in computing operations that leads to failure of the training module and hence resulting in a negative review of the system. Technical: Technical difficulties associated with the implementation of the system are the issues regarding the hardware and software. Energy industry offers telecommunication barriers in the installation of the SIS (Luthra et al. 2014). Energy industry equips heavy equipment which derives the challenge of moving from the old systems to the new. On the other hand, cost of deploying the new equipment for the SIS implementation is the challenge offered for the planners. The public sector industry can manage the cost issue however it is difficult for the private energy industry. The maintaining the quality of the equipped technology is a challenge for the public sector industry (Samad and Kiliccote 2012). Database: An appropriate database is needed in every organisation is needed for data safekeeping. However, those data can be processed to determine the need of the deemed organisation. The above mentioned target can be achieved by statistically analysis the failed project or the reports that are based on the conflicts within the organisation. The importance of adopting the considered step is because not all the need of the organisation is known to the management. Some needs are hidden and hence these should be analysed manually. However, if an organisation dont have an appropriate database it becomes challenging for the planners. It becomes difficult for the planners to collect data from different sources and plan the subject accordingly. While issues derived due to lack of database management is the time it consumes in the planning (Galliers and Leidner 2014). Environmental: The most crucial challenge that the planners face in implementing the considered system is the remote location of the plants establishment (Leyh and Muschick 2013). Depending on the type of energy to be produced, the location of the industry varies, and all the locations are away from the civilian areas. Additionally, environmental challenges include the environment within the organisation. Organisational changes, culture, inadequate capabilities behaviour and others are to be taken consideration of before planning. While the organisational environmental matters if not appropriately handled may lead to conflicts and political issues (Bryson 2018). Time: Tackling with the challenges mentioned above develops yet another challenge for the planner namely time challenge. Hence, it is necessary for the planners to take full consideration of the time that will be required in tackling the challenges and the implementation. The issue that may derive is cancellation of the project because of exceeding the time framework (Galliers and Leidner 2014). The reason for the cancellation can be because of the change in strategy for the organisation, and they may think the project to be unnecessary or any other reason may be quoted for the same. The planners also have to tackle other minor challenges like aligning the system with the business strategy, measurement of the benefits, expenses associated with the new system, lack of budget for the hardware and software upgrading and others. However, the most complicated issues related to the deemed planning are limited to the factors discussed above. Assessing IS in Energy Industry for Competitive advantage: The report has used ERP as the IS system that is used for assessing whether or not the system offers competitive advantage after implementation. ERP represents the software that is equipped for the smooth operation of the business. Business processes like order and inventory management, stakeholder resources, CRM (Customer Relationship Management), accounting and others are concentrated to a single system to streamline operations and the information (Bernroider, Wong and Lai, 2014). The subject supports multi-dimensional functions of various units and stores and processes them in unit database. It also offers a limited amount of in-sync reporting along with automation. The deemed system does not interfere with the operations or control of any department, instead it just offers a suitable method for doing the departmental work while monitoring the operations. The subject of the report offers a managed operation within the organisation as well as outside it. Adopting the deemed system enables the firm to increase their resource productivity and hence quality of the produced products. CRM is a part of the deemed system which helps in maintaining customer related issues when needed direly which in turn improves the image of the firm in the market. It is also known that competitive advantage can be gained by building trust of the customer through quality product offering along with decent customer support (West, Ford and Ibrahim 2015). Hence the considered system does offers competitive advantage. However, if the implemented system is faulty it can show just the opposite results. ERP does offer a competitive advantage only if implemented appropriately. To justify the claims made above the report has considered Australian Gas Light (AGL) Energy Ltd. AGL is an energy industry of Australia that have multiple plants (including thermal, hydro, sol ar, gas and other plants)n for generating energy (Agl.com.au, 2018). Before implementing the ERP, the firm should consider the following points: ERP that suits the organisation: The firm should be able to analyse the type of ERP that they need for themselves and not follow the competitive firms or sister organisation (Dass 2012). The reason for quoting the same is that the competitive organisations have implemented the system depending on their need and environment while the sister organisations hold expertise in different fields. Hence, no business and its internal operations are equivalent. So, depending upon the needs, the firm should implement the system. Listening to the stakeholders: The firm must prepare their human resources before implementing the ERP as they are the ones who will operate them (Amid, Moalagh and Ravasan 2012). The latter if not comfortable with the system will not make accurate use of the system and gain a competitive advantage for the firm. However, if the ERP is implemented with proper planning and accuracy, then it may offer a competitive advantage to the firm. The section following gives an insight of how ERP can help AGL to gain competitive advantage. The AGL is a vast industry where the operations are done at a larger scale and are always in operation. The industry also has geographically dispersed processing units, sophisticated chain supply demands that develop extreme pressure on the organisational resources. However, ERP implementation offers flexibility by enabling rapid movement and regulating the workload among the units that are distributed geographically (Bradford 2015). The subjected system also offers an appropriate flow of information among all the units that help them to stay updated with the problems and their potential solutions related to the operations and the customers. This step offers the considered organisation a c competitive advantage over its competitors. The ERP also upgrades the fault detection system that helps the organisation in maintaining equipment, preventing shutdowns and others which enables the firm to deliver optimum performance level (Ptri et al. 2012). Energy industry can also demand human effort at any time of the day and however, it is difficult for the engineers to stay present at the workplace at every instance. Here, ERP helps in minimising the problem as the former enables remote operation of the systems at any time. So, the problems can be sorted out immediately without any delay (Ptri et al. 2012). Taking all the discussion above, it can be concluded to state that implementing ERP does offer competitive advantage for the firm. Developing SIS for innovative implications: A strategy for adopting the innovative use of SIS demands analysis of various factor before its development. For the same, an SDLC 7-phase model can be equipped (Siddiqi 2013). The model has been described as follows with the help of the figure below: The figure above shows the 7-phases of System development lifecycle. The seven phases are planning, defining requirement, design, development, test, implementation and operation phase. The phases have been deliberately explained below: Planning: Planning stage defines the plan to devise a system for strategic development. The planning is done by defining the needs of the organisation and the problems associated with the same. It also considers the resources, time framework, associated costs, benefits after equipping and others. The considered phase is of great significance in the energy industry because the latter is a vast and highly volatile industry. Consideration of the challenges (mentioned above) is also an important reason for giving high importance to the discussed phase. Defining Requirements: This phase defines the functional requirement that the planners need to consider to implement the system. In the energy industry, the requirements needs are fault detection and prevention (Relays, Circuit Breakers and PLC module operations), measurement of the energy developed, resources consumed, operations of the generating units and others (Cellura et al. 2014). The subjected phase also analyses the system to confirm that the latter is suitable to meet the challenges offered by the organisational operations. Designing: The phase in consideration defines the control over the adopted technology by the considered organisation. The former offers an elaborate description of the desired specification, operations and the features that saturate the functional needs of the IS that will be equipped. More often, this phase leads to cancellation of the project because of the cost efficiency criterion (Yoo et al. 2014). AGL energy equips bulk equipment, and implementation of the system will derive the need for new equipment that is supposed to be rectified in the discussed phase. Development: The deemed phase converts the above mentioned phases to a working solution that offers reliability (Kaur, Singh and Pandey 2017). This phase marks the end of initialisation and initiates the production of the system, and hence it is featured as installation and the change. The benefits that can be deduced from the system are at the peak, and the attained control is limited to offer freedom for the operations by the former. Testing: Test phase includes the process of integrating. In the referred phase the strategic system is integrated with the business strategy along with the integration of all the systems from old to new. While, as the name suggests the testing of the integrated systems and strategies are also test for the error or benefits after the implementation (Sohn, Lee and Cho 2015). The process is done by employing the Quality Assurance professionals. Implementation: When the system is associated with the former system and starts functioning at a constant and smooth rate (Ray and Malhotra 2013). In the deemed phase the coding and designing the system is completed including the improvises made if any error is detected in the synching and testing of the system with the functions of the energy plant. The transmission of the information along with authorising the controls to the new system from the older system is done in the discussed phase. Operation: This is the last phase of the considered model where the employees of the system can modify the operational controls of the system as per their comfort (Mohankumar and Anand 2015). Fine-tuning, performance boosting, adding new capabilities to meet the end-users requirements are all part of the considered phase. The operations of the IS system initiates during this phase. In this very phase, any innovative method to boost the performance of the operations on the implementation of the IS can be done. End User computing: End-User computing strategy comprises of all the approaches and processes adopted by the industry for the assessment, assimilation and identification of the end-user technology in the organisation (Childs et al. 2012). An appropriate end-user strategy will enable AGL to avoid wastage of capital and time on the solutions which later proves to be inaccurate, consisting of risk or are of no use. Implementation and operationalising of the deemed strategy are done through the protocols that are designed to deal with such complex end-user management problems. Resource procurement, development of the app by the users, decentralising the support services and line management controlling are the end-users management issues. Approach AGL can adopt when developing the strategy for ERP use: The Director of the ERP while devising the strategy needs to keep in mind that the latter should not focus on the technology only but the business, the stakeholders and others that contribute to the sustainability and the increment of revenue as well (Aggelidis and Chatzoglou 2012). The former can equip the following five-step method to strategise the end-user computing strategy. Moving the applications to the data centre will enable the authority to keep track of the end-users performance (Barroso, Clidaras and Hlzle 2013). The discussed step will also lighten the work pressure at the endpoint and enable remote operations. End-user strategy shoulders all the responsibility to a single person (team leader) and further the team leader decides the team for various operations (Childs et al. 2012). Hence, the team leader should be chosen with appropriate precaution. The director should assess the choices and capabilities of the end-user so that the former can offer the latter the system that meets their requirement and are more productive (Barroso, Clidaras and Hlzle 2013). Testing the end-users would allow the authority to measure the metrics influence over the end-user experience, storage capacity, security system monitoring and the performance of the server (Aggelidis and Chatzoglou 2012). Selecting the appropriate framework and architecture would be of significant advantage for the authority in managing the system. Strategic Information Systems can add business value to an organisation through IT/IS: Modi and Thakkar (2014) have cited the example of how using an IT technique Toyota regained its place in the competitive market after the second world war. The second world war had catastrophic effects on the Japanese carmaker as after the war they lacked in the race with their western counterparts. Then Taiichi Ohno who was an engineer at one of the units in Toyota suggested his seniors adopt Just-In-Time (JIT) approach (Modi and Thakker 2014). JIT is a resource strategy that the organisations adapt to increase their efficiency while reducing wastage of resources that results in a reduction of the costs associated with the inventory. The measures above were achieved by forecasting the demand accurately by use of computing and calculating services. The senior officials agreed with the approach that resulted in the improved sustainability of Toyota. Many more examples can be cited to quote the point that implementing IT/IS techniques can help in the improving the business sustainabili ty. Business value refers the all the values associated with the business. The value may vary from the goodwill of the business to health and well-being of the organisation (Wang et al. 2012). Hence to add value to a business one must implement systems that offer a shield for all the value above and SIS does the same. SIS offers various advantages to an organisation by increasing the overall productivity and efficiency of the produced product while reducing the costs associated with the production. The deemed subject also offers a competitive advantage to an organisation. Implementing the IS/IT into the business strategy also keeps the health of the organisation intact. Hence, from the discussion, it can be concluded that SIS does add value to the organisation by equipping IS/IT. Good internal control: Internal control is the process of establishing a set of protocol within an organisation that supervises over the duties, information, security and financial details along with reducing the errors of the organisation while taking consideration of the legal factors (Tunji 2013). Hence developing an internal control system for an organisation is of great significance. A good internal control consists of the following mentioned key features (Hopkins 2017): Control over the environment within the organisation that includes the integral and ethical values. Assessment of the risks associated with the image of the firm, firms objective, processes and organisational factors. Control over the activities, security, outsourcing and others. Maintaining a standard of the information and communication. Monitoring the operations of the organisation. While designing the internal control system, the organisation should consider the following points to avoid excessive risk or the threats that possesses harm to the reputation of the firm or the associated employees: A draft plan for the development of the system should be distributed among all the departments to garner their support. The draft should be designed to maintain a balance between both the enterprises need and the stakeholder's A clear mechanism should be adopted based on the systems that successful enterprises are using. However, changes should be made to the mechanism to make it suitable for the considered organisations environment. The goals and the scope of improvement for the system should be well-defined. The system should be enabled with the self-auditing system so that the auditing is done within the department and hence protecting the image of the staffs that work in the same department. However, the report from the different department should be validated by a top auditing team to prevent any fraud or whistleblowing from the associated department. The purpose of the auditing should also be well defined to the employees to prevent any misconception. Keeping a check on the points mentioned above will help the organisations to achieve the desired result while keeping the risk level to its minimum. Other factors need to be assessed before devising the system though those mentioned above are the factors that affect the risk level and employees satisfaction level. Conclusion: The report has stated the importance of the IS and the strategic development that it offers in the business industry. The deemed report also cites a comparative analysis between the challenges and issues that are associated with the development and implementation of the SIS. The report has equipped ERP as the IS model and energy Industry (Specifically AGL Energy Ltd) to evaluated and recommend various factors associated with the subject of the paper. The report also suggests how the implemented system offers competitive advantage to the firm however if not implemented appropriately the results can be contradictory to the desired results. Hence, the planners of the SIS should take proper precaution while devising the plan for the same as improper planning will result in a waste of time and resources for the firm. Various other factors were discussed in the report to earn an in-depth view of the role that IS/IT offers in the business world. End-User computing strategy has also been evaluated in the report with consideration of the AGL Energy Ltd. Components of good internal system along with its development method is also a topic of discussion in the matter. Appropriate case studies along with references have been offered to increase the reliability of the report. One of the most significant example cited in the report is of Toyota who was suffering post world war II, though after changing its strategy they earned back their position in the competitive market. However, in conclusion, the author wants to state that the proposal recommends implementation of the strategic IS planning in the organisation as it not only offers business sustainability but also offers a competitive advantage in the market. References: Agl.com.au. (2018).About AGL | AGL. [online] Available at: https://www.agl.com.au/about-agl [Accessed 30 Jan. 2018]. Aggelidis, V.P. and Chatzoglou, P.D., 2012. Hospital information systems: Measuring end user computing satisfaction (EUCS).Journal of biomedical informatics,45(3), pp.566-579. Amid, A., Moalagh, M. and Ravasan, A.Z., 2012. 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Sunday, April 12, 2020
Acid Rain Essays (868 words) - Environmental Chemistry,
Acid Rain Acid Rain The damaging effects of acid rain on society is becoming overwhelmed with great amounts of pollution from cars, factories and an large amounts of garbage. The immense amounts of sulphur dioxide put into the air causes high levels of acid in the atmosphere. When this sulphuric acid is absorbed into moisture in the air, then rain can be harmful to the environment. Acid rain is destroying lots of things in our environment. It is hurting lakes, air and thew rest of our ecosystem. Acid rain is killing lakes and decreasing the number of animals in these lakes. Acid rain greatly lowers the amounts of pH in the water. Each decade the pH levels of lakes around Ontario have become ten times more acidic. The high acid levels contained in lakes also causes a decrease in the number of fish living in these lakes. Also the high amounts of acid in the water can lead to fish being deformed. They have messed up and out of shape backbones, flattened heads and strangely curved tails. When there gets to be a lot of acid in the water, then there is barely anything left besides rock bass, pumpkinseed and lake herring. As with sulphur dioxide in rain, mercury is also discharged into the water. There is a direct connection between the mercury rich lakes as there is with those with high acidic levels. This metal becomes concentrated in the blood and tissues of fish. Acid rain causes traumatic effects in natural lakes and rivers. Acid rain causes air quality to deteriorate. As in water, acid rain causes the pH levels in the air to decrease. The sulphur dioxide, which diffuses into the air, mixes with moisture causing the pH levels to drop from the normal level. Again, the normal level is somewhere around seven, yet in some acidic air masses the levels can be as low as three. These lowered pH levels form a photochemical smog in the atmosphere. In the air Anitrogen oxides react with ozone and some hydrocarbons in the presence of sunlight to form photochemical smog, the kind of yellow-grey haze which it literally alive and growing in stagnant air [emailprotected] (Howard protected] (Howard & Perley, 1980, p. 32). Disruption in the life span of trees and plants is also another effect of acid rain. The acid rain corrodes the thin, waxy layer, which coats and protects the leaves letting the acid suffocate the leaves. This can cause an interference in the plants metabolism and photosynthesis may be altered meaning the leaves cannot produce and efficient amount of food which may result in death of the plant. Acid may obtrude fertilization , stunt or kill the growth of seeds and make them sterile. A second generation would be
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Minorities in Chemistry essays
Minorities in Chemistry essays Minorities have had many contributions to science and chemistry. A few of these minorities are George Washington Carver, Marie Curie, Lloyd Hall, James Harris, Mario Molina, Baruj Benacerraf , Luis Federico Leloir, and Csar Milstein. An African-American born to slave parents, George Washington Carver innovated agricultural science. His work with agricultural products developed many uses for farm products. Carver began to experiment with peanuts. His research developed 325 products from peanuts. Carver developed several hundred industrial uses for sweet potatoes and soybeans. He developed a new type of cotton known as Carver's hybrid. His discoveries led southern farmers to raise other crops in addition to cotton. He also taught methods of soil improvement. Carver developed 108 applications for sweet potatoes and 75 products derived from pecans. Carver also discovered a rubber substitute and over 500 dyes and pigments, from 28 different plants. He invented a process for making paints and stains from soybeans. Marie Curie was a Polish-born French chemist who worked with her husband Pierre Curie . The Curies studied radioactivity, building on the results of German physicist Wilhem Roentgen , who discovered X rays, and Henri Becquerel, who discovered that uranium salts emit similar radiation. The Curies shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in physics with French physicist Henri Bequerel for research on radioactivity. Marie Curie began to study the chemistry and medical applications of radium. She was awarded the 1911 Nobel Prize in chemistry in recognition of her work in discovering radium and polonium. Curie discovered that the metallic element thorium emits radiation and found that the mineral pitchblende emitted even more radiation than its uranium and thorium content could cause. The Curies carried out research for the substance that could be producing the radioactivity. They processed pitchblende, separating it into its ch...
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Obesity In the US Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Obesity In the US - Research Paper Example who could bear to consume what they needed and figure out how to pay others to work for them were the ones that put on the additional pounds (Scherer). A significant change in the economics of obesity has observed and now the load of weight and stoutness falling excessively on poor people. A significant inverse relation can be seen between obesity and financial status in the developed countries, particularly among African-Americans. Although, obesity is the problem of the whole America, but African Americans are those who are at higher risk of getting obese if they do not change their lifestyle. Studies have shown that the socioeconomic factors are highly affecting the issue of obesity therefore; Obesity is at its height in African Americans. Three major socioeconomic factors have been identified through research that includes education, employment and health care. For instance, low education and low income groups are discovered to be emphatically connected with both obesity and corpulence Co morbidities in etiological studies. Scientists found that obesity with the passage of time in developed nations was connected with lower education levels and blue-collar working class. African Americans are the evidences of these proofs and studies regarding obesity in the US because most part of this population has low education, employment and income level. Compared to African Americans, the level of obesity is decreasin g among the white class Americans with the increase in their socioeconomic status. Unfortunately, the teenagers from the good socioeconomic status are also at the risk of obesity due to their eating habits, i.e., the trend of fast food. Sedentary grown-up in the United States consume a normal of 500ââ¬â800 calories more for every day than required to keep up a normal weight. At that rate, they will gain many pounds in just a week. Food and food ads are easily accessible to them grabbing their attention to eat more. There are fewer exercise opportunities,
Friday, February 7, 2020
The Importance of Accurate Language in Professions Essay
The Importance of Accurate Language in Professions - Essay Example Apart from educational qualifications, communication skills are mandatory for any kind of profession. Ardener indicates that in the field of anthropology, use of language cannot be alienated from success in the job (16). Anthropology requires accurate use of language among the interpreters of a particular form of language so that the message can be interpreted as much accurately to the targeted audience. It is recommended that anthropologists and career people in the field of anthropology be endowed with the linguistic ability of discerning the various language structures and categorization of various languages (Ardener 17). In this case, it is justified to argue that accuracy in communication in the field of anthropology must not be jeopardized by any means in the society. It is vital that all anthropologists be conversant with various linguistic structures of the languages they deal with in their course of
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Us Beer Industry Overview Essay Example for Free
Us Beer Industry Overview Essay The beer industry is widely known for been an oligopoly. However, in our approach, we will explore the possibility of analyzing microbreweries in particular from a monopolistic competition market structure perspective. The beer market oligopoly is composed by three big players: Anheuser-Busch which holds 48 % of the market share, Miller Brewing Co. , with 18% and Coors Brewing Co. with 11%. Please refer to the below graph and table for information regarding the market share held by the remaining companies. (Market shares are shown based on shipments of 205. 6 million cases in 2005 and 210 in 2006). Based on the above market shares, we calculated the concentration ratio of the three big players and the Herfindahl Hirshman Index for the industry. Both measures confirm that the Beer Industry is indeed a highly concentrated one as the concentration of the big three players is almost 80% and the HHI is well above the 1,800 threshold. Market Analysis The demand in the beer market is characterized by flat consumption trends although we can currently identity two growing markets: First, a domestic niche market for microbreweries, and second, the international market that is currently been targeted by our big national brands. Another very strong market trend is the consolidation of many national brewers. This consolidation has been driven by the increased regulatory burdens and taxation in the industry as well as by changes in demographics: greater alcohol awareness, slow population growth, aging population, etc. Through consolidation, brewers can accomplish economies of scale and other supply chain synergies. Parallel to this trend, there has also been an expansion of specialty brewers (microbreweries) that target more sophisticated and knowledgeable beer drinkers. The players in this market focus on differentiation and therefore can afford to charge premium prices for their products. This is actually the niche market on which we will focus our analysis on in the later part of this paper. Barriers to Entry Standard and poor label the barriers to entry in the beer industry as relatively minimal; however, once firms enter the market, it is really difficult for them to remain competitive. The high barriers to entry are partially due to the fact that the beer industry is a relatively mature industry and that the market is dominated by very well established leaders. Other factors constituting barriers to entry are: an increased tendency for vertical integration (i. e the three largest brewers each own subsidiaries to perform non-brewing functions like grain elevators, milling, can manufacture, labels, etc), advantages of economies of scale and a very intense price competition. As a result, the new entrants are mainly microbrewers which are focusing on a new type of demand. Production Inputs Big or small, companies in the beer market are competing for the same resources and are affected by the pricesââ¬â¢ fluctuations of their inputs. In the beer market, some of the key inputs to consider in any economic analysis are grains, hops and yeast. Strategy to succeed: ? Market Leadership ? Expanded market share (internationally) ? Price Increase ? Production efficiencies ? Recent differentiation ââ¬â Premium Price i. e. Anheuser-Busch ââ¬â Michelob Ultra for ââ¬Å"Atkinsâ⬠taste Industry niche markets Smaller micro brews ? Highly fragmented but growing ? Only growing market segment in the domestic beer industry ? Target small consumer market segments with high price inelasticity ? Rely on regional brewers for production to avoid high entry costs ? Market Trends: Consolidation of National Brewers: Flat Consumption trends Regulatory Burdens High Taxation Greater alcohol awareness Slow population growth Aging population Expansion of Specialty Brewers: Uniqueness and high price points High demand in category Constant high prices to attract sophisticated drinker [pic]. ? Although the barriers to entry are classified by SP as relatively minimal, it is still extremely difficult for firms to remain profitable once they enter. Barriers may include: The market is a relatively mature Industry The market is dominated by well established leaders Increasing vertical integration Economies of scale advantages (i. e. the three largest brewers each own subsidiaries to perform non-brewing functions like grain elevators, milling, can manufacture, labels, etc) High price competition New entrants are niche markets ââ¬â microbreweries ? Grains (i. e. barley, wheat, rice, malt, sugar, etc. ) ? Hops (cascade) ? Water (H2O) ? Yeast FORECAST o Reduced market shares for national brands o Weak domestic consumption trends = Price increases to improve margins for sustained profitability However, o Signs of competitive pricing o Potential decreases in industry-wide pricing levels / decreased operating margins. C3 (2006): 77. 70 % HHI (2006): 2,831. 79.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
A Sociological View of Rastafarianism Essay -- Religion Sociology Rast
Organized religion is a duality between the religion and the church which represents it. Sometimes the representation of the religion is marred and flawed to those who view it because of the bureaucracy contained within. Unknown to those who gaze upon the dissolved morals and values of what is perceived to be the contradiction known as modern religion, it was never intended to be this way. Most religions started off as a sect, a minor detail on the fringes of the society it never wanted to represent. Rastfarianism is such a sect. The differences between Rastafarianism and a normal ââ¬Å"mainstreamâ⬠religion are numberless, including: no set membership, no authoritative leader, no offices of authority, no trained clergy and no involvement with the world as a whole. Rastafarianism is based upon an underrepresented minority which needed hope in the face in utter demise. à à à à à According to Max Weber, religion emerges to satisfy a social need. ââ¬Å"In treating suffering as a symptom of odiousness in the eyes of gods and as a sign of secret guilt, religion has psychologically met a very general need (Weber 271). Rastafarianism emerges in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica in the 1930ââ¬â¢s to meet the needs of the poor, unskilled black Jamaicans who needed a hope. The social situation which was emerging in the 1930ââ¬â¢s which called for this need was as follows. Jamaica was a commonwealth of the British Empire. It had recently, around 1884, received a write in clause to their constitution which stipulated if the new government did not succeed and the economic life of Jamaica were to suffer because of it, the political constitution would be amended or abolished to meet new conditions. Black Jamaicans had a taste for power in their mouths and in 1938, this erupted in labor riots and violence. This act did nothing for their cause. It wo uld still be 30 years until Jamaica received its independence. Blacks in Jamaica were the victims of social stratification which left them at the bottom rung of the ladder. They had menial jobs such as field worker or an attendant at the sugar plant, if they had jobs at all. The blacks were suffering as a people and as an organized group. à à à à à Ethopianism had been introduced to Jamaica in 1784 by George Liele, by adding it to the name of his Baptist church, hoping to graft itself onto the African religion of Jamaican slaves. But the movement to em... ...; it integrates those involved within it. The falsity is what people believe. So, if people change, the religion changes with the people, not necessarily minor beliefs within it. It is a cycle which includes the transfer of old gods to new gods, completely changing the religion with society. à à à à à Rastafarianism has not faded away, and in fact has spread its brethren among many areas of the world. ââ¬Å"The Rastafarian movement is no longer a mere revolutionary movement; it has become a part of the establishment, a part of officialdomâ⬠(Barret 245). Rastafarianism may have started on the fringes of Jamaican society, but it now a representation of what it considered hell. In terms of an outsider, Jamaica is no longer Babylon, it is now Rastafaria, a step on the way to utopian Zion. Rastafarianism is now an integration of all of Jamaican society rather that just one social strata. Its changes have moved along with the changes of Jamaica as a nation. The people of Jamaica are interchangeable with Rastafarianism. It is ironic which a group so hating of their own environment would become such a force as to represent it to the world. Rastafarianism is truly by the people, for the people.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Ethical Analysis of Citigroup
Company Assessment: An Analysis of CitiGroup 1 Company Assessment: An Analysis of CitiGroup Introduction With origins dating back to 1812, Citigroup (Citi) is a global diversified financial services holding company providing both individuals and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services. These services include; consumer banking and credit; corporate and investment banking; securities brokerage; transaction services; and wealth management.Headquartered in Manhattan, NY, Citi currently has over 260,000 employees servicing 200 million customer accounts in more than 160 countries around the globe. Citi is organized into two divisions; Citicorp and Citi Holdings. Citicorp manages the consumer and institutional core client business, while Citi Holdings manages the brokerage and asset management divisions. Based on financial data obtained from the Citi website, the core st business (i. e. Citicorp), represents 92. 9% of the $19. 4 billion ($US) of the 1 quarter 2012 revenue.The total revenues of Citicorp are geographically diversified across the globe with North America representing 40% of the total, Asia at 22%, Latin America at 20% and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) accounting for the remaining 18% (Citi Financials, 2012) Over its 200 year history, Citi has been a leading innovator in financial services starting in the 1920ââ¬â¢s by becoming the first major U. S. bank to offer compound interest on savings accounts. Also, through the acquisition of Second National Bank, Citi has the distinction of being the first bank in New York to provide separate banking services for women.Further innovations include; offering unsecured personal loans and customer checking accounts in 1928 and 1936 respectively (Citi Timeline, 2012). Citiââ¬â¢s original mission of offering traditional banking services evolved as they grew, however, since the financial crisis of 2008, Citi has been selling off many of the non-core operations to refocus on the t raditional banking model. The refocused mission as stated on the corporate website is: ââ¬Å"We strive to create the best outcomes for our clients and customers with financial solutions that are simple, creative and responsible. (Citi, 2012) The purpose of this paper is to conduct a review and overall ethical assessment of Citi which will include an overview of the mission, vision and values, ethics and compliance codes, leadership, corporate social responsibility as well as the corporate governance structure. Mission, Vision and Values Clicking on the ââ¬Å"Our Companyâ⬠link of the Citi website, you are immediately drawn to the bolded text stating the corporate vision: ââ¬Å"160 Countries. 1 Vision. Citi works tirelessly to provide consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services.We strive to create the best outcomes for our clients and customers with financial solutions that are simple, creative and responsible. à ¢â¬ (Citi, 2012) It is clear that Citi has a vision that places them as the global bank focused on client service, innovation and financial responsibility. Expanding upon the vision statement is the mission statement of Citi and the principles that guide them. The Mission statement is: ââ¬Å"Meeting the Worldââ¬â¢s Challenges. Seizing its Greatest Opportunitiesâ⬠(Citi Mission, 2012).The four key principles that guide the company as they endeavor to deliver on their vision and mission are; Common Purpose; Ingenuity; Leadership; and Responsible Finance. Based on the stated vision, mission and principles, in my opinion, Citi can be described as a focused team, rewarded based on talent and merit, operating in an innovative culture with one clear goal to deliver transparent and prudent financial products globally. I consider the written vision, mission and guiding principles of Citi to be quite inspiring.Ethics and Compliance Codes In early 2005, Charles Prince, then CEO of Citi announced a bold strategy to transform the financial giant that was Citi. His plan, known as the ââ¬Å"Five Point Ethics Planâ⬠, was designed to; improve ethical training; focus on talent and development; integrate ethics into performance appraisals and compensation; improve communications; and strengthen ethical controls. (Restoring Ethics, 2012) As the successor of Sandy Weill, who, Johnson (2012) suggests typifies the ethically neutral leader (p. 19), Prince faced considerable skepticism on whether his plan could work in such a large and complex organization that had a history of significant regulatory scrutiny, and was linked to some of the biggest scandals in corporate history (e. g. Worldcom). While Prince had some critics, he also had some support. In the January 28, 2005 edition of BusinessWeek Online, Prince was described as a smart, logical thinker and another quote made by an analyst wasâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬Å"I believe that non-charismatic Prince is going to be a more p ositive force at Citigroup than the other three charismatic CEOs going back to the 1960s. (Restoring Ethics, 2012) I believe he vision that Prince delivered after taking over from Weill, continues to be embraced by the current Citi CEO, Vikram Pandit as well as the Board of Directors. One of the key responsibilities of the Citi Board of Directors is to review and approve the Citi Code of Conduct (the ââ¬Å"Codeâ⬠). The Code outlines Citiââ¬â¢s principles, values and standards of practice for all employees of 2 Citi and as such can be viewed as Citiââ¬â¢s ethics code. Employees are expected to read and sign the Code, not necessarily as a condition of employment, but as a formalized agreement to abide by the standards of behavior outlined therein.Although not a formal contract of employment, the formal approach to signing the Code can be viewed as being integrated into HR practices. A point of interest is that Citi also strengthens the employee requirement to abide by the code by stating that even if an employee doesnââ¬â¢t return a signed copy, they are still bound by its terms and conditions. In fact, in the introduction to the Code, Citi is clear that failure to adhere to the Code can result in immediate termination of employment. The latest revision to the Code was made in 2011.The code is available in 26 different languages. While in the past, employees had periodic training on the Code, it appears that the training was ad hoc, but according to the Corporate Citizenship Report, in early 2012, Citi rolled out a formalized ethics training program for all employees. In addition to the Code that exists for all employees, there is an additional Code of Ethics that applies solely to the senior financial executives (CEO, CFO, etcâ⬠¦) and financial administrative staff.While it may appear that this is a sign of a higher ethical standard at Citi, as with the NYSE requirement for a firm-wide code of ethics, Sarbanes Oxley mandates a requirement for a separate Code of Ethics for senior executives. In reading both the firm-wide Code as well as the Code of Ethics for the senior executives, itââ¬â¢s interesting to note that the Code of Ethics reads like a very compliance based document, while the firm-wide Code reads more like a call to action for all employees to act with the utmost integrity. In fact, the word integrity appears 9 times in a relatively short document.In all fairness to Citi, they do specify that the Code of Ethics should be considered a supplement to the firm-wide Code and they provide a link to the Code as part of the document. Citi also has a set of ethical principles that applies to suppliers. In short, Citi expects that suppliers adhere to the same high standards of practice that governs Citi. The key areas that the principles apply to are; ethical business practices (Integrity, transparency and community engagement); human rights in the workplace; environmental sustainability; and management systems and implementation.Further information on these principles is available at http://www. citigroup. com/citi/citizen/people/diversity/supplierprinciples. htm. One final point regarding the ethical policies of Citi would be that they operate a 24/7 ethics hotline where employees can report ethical concerns and remain anonymous to the extent that the law will allow. While it is unclear if the hotline is operated independently of Citi, (it appears as if it is not) there is a strong focus on confidentiality and although I was unable to identify the name of the individual, the Code identifies that Citi has an ethics officer.Leadership It is the responsibility of a leader to establish and foster the organizational climate. The leaderââ¬â¢s ability to cast shadow or shed light will permeate throughout an organization and ultimately shape the culture. In short, regardless of who is named the formal ethics officer, the leader of the organization is charged with that duty. Citi is managed by an executive team of 24 senior leaders from key regions and divisions across Citigroup's global network. While the ethnic origins of the executive are not specifically mentioned, there appears to be a wide range of ethnic backgrounds on the executive committee.Unlike the Board of Directors however, the executive committee has only 1 woman, Cece Stewart who is the president of US, Consumer and Commercial Banking. Citi maintains a compensation philosophy that attempts to align compensation with their overall Mission statement. The key objectives of this philosophy are to; enhance shareholder value; attract talent; recognize contributions; manage risk; provide independent oversight; and transparency to all stakeholders. You can visit http://www. citigroup. com/citi/investor/data/comp_phil_policy. df? ieNocache=340 for further information on Citiââ¬â¢s compensation policy. Some evidence to support the integrity of Citiââ¬â¢s compensation practices would be that, according to the 2011 Proxy Statement, as part of the process for making incentive awards for 2011, the Personal and Compensation committee considered the April 2011 ââ¬Å"say on payâ⬠vote which received as 92. 9% favorable. Perhaps the vote was biased upwards as a result of Panditââ¬â¢s decision to only accept a ââ¬Å"totalâ⬠compensation package of $1 for 2010, and most of 2009?While I was unable to find any concise data that represents the pay gap between the top executives and the front line employees, I am pretty confident that for all of 2010, and the better part of 2009, the CEO was the lowest paid employee of Citi. The table on the following page provides some compensation data for the past 3 years for the key senior executives of Citi. 3 Change in Value of Deferred All Other Compensation Compenstion ($) ($) 0 0 0 73,047 51,995 49,117 0 0 0 0 14,700 0 3,750 14,700 9,800 14,700 14,700 9,800 14,700 14,700 Executive Member Year Salary ($) 1,671,370 1 125,001 500,000 500,000 416,667 500,000 500,000 500,000 500,000Bonus ($) 5,331,452 0 0 2,200,000 Stock Awards ($) 0 0 0 Option Awards ($) 7,839,581 0 0 Total ($) 14,857,103 1 128,751 7,160,916 4,728,462 5,063,817 12,984,481 9,509,800 11,276,454 11,354,536 0 0 11,446,900 10,116,895 10,400,007 Vikram Pandit CEO John Gerspach CFO John Havens COO Brian Leach Chief Risk Officer Manuel Medina-Mora CEO Latin America 2011 2010 2009 2011 2010 2009 2011 2010 2009 2011 2,333,333 2,039,836 4,166,667 4,583,333 4,750,000 2,719,781 9,000,000 10,327,374 434,380 5,400,000 2,039,836 5,000,000 3,400,000 2011 2010 2009 546,966 546,966 546,966 4,181,214 0 0 3,998,939 2,719,781 7,450,911 0 9,328,010 361,984 2,119,018 163,047 0 0 0 Source: taken from the 2011 Citi Proxy Report While on the surface, multimillion dollar compensation packages may appear egregious, however, for each of the executives above, approximately 50% of the total compensation package is deferred and/or exists under a multiyear vesting provision that is not only tied to tenure at Citi, it is directly tied to the performance of the organization. For 2011, there does appear to be a ââ¬Å"traditionalâ⬠pay gap between the CEO and the other ââ¬Å"Cââ¬â¢sâ⬠and I suspect that the gap widens significantly as you move down to the front line workers.By looking at just the total cash (salary and bonus) component of the compensation packages that range from a low of $2. 5 million to a high of $7 million, many people will undoubtedly feel several of the other condemning emotions. But to add a little perspective, for 2011, Citiââ¬â¢s charitable giving was more than 2 times the value of the total (cash and deferred) executive compensation of the individuals above. Also, at a total of $6. 4 billion, the 2011 commitment to climate change initiatives represented over 8% of Citiââ¬â¢s 2011 revenues, and almost 60% of net income.I must admit, besides a little wallet envy, I feel mostly admiration for the work, both social and economic that t he leadership of Citi has done that started in 2005, was derailed during the financial crisis, and has continued over the past few years. Based on this evidence, I would challenge an assertion that the current management is hoarding rewards at the expense of all other stakeholders. When Prince took over leadership of Citi in 2005, his calm, intellectual demeanor was quite the opposite of the ââ¬Å"larger than lifeâ⬠charismatic CEO that preceded him.Since taking over from Prince in 2007, Pandit appears to have followed by example and has demonstrated some remarkable unselfish actions as he navigated Citi through the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Despite the critics of the financial industry, Citi, through sound leadership, ranks well on the triple bottom line accounting metrics that forms the foundation of Corporate Social Responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) One of the biggest criticisms of CSR reporting is that it is simply a public re lations tool designed as window dressing to improve image.After the financial crisis of 2008, no other industry would have as many critics as the financial industry. To provide a little evidence of the integrity of an organizationââ¬â¢s CSR claims may help st soothe the critics. Since the early part of the 21 century, Citi has been consistently been a constituent company of the Dow Jones World and North America Sustainability Indexes as well as the FTSE 4Good Index, and in 2011, Citi also became a component of the STOXX Global ESG Leaders indices. It is clear that the CSR activities of Citi are being recognized outside the organization and may have a little more credibility than window dressing.Citi defines its Corporate Social Responsibility framework as Global Citizenship. The three key focus areas of their citizenship efforts are; delivering financial solutions at affordable costs, sustaining the environment 4 and valuing Citi employees. Progress towards these three focus area s are provided as a summary page within the Global Citizenship report, but also as separate publication (attached as Appendix A). There are four key metrics for Financial Inclusion performance indicator. First, they provide charitable contributions (Strategic Giving), which at $121. 9 million for 2011 (1. % of net income), and represents an average annual growth rate of 13% since the end of the financial crisis in 2008. Second, is Small Business Lending, which at almost $8 billion for 2011, has grown by 75% since 2009, and actually surpassed the 2011 goal of $7 billion. nd The third metric is the provision of affordable housing lending, which at $2. 0 billion, places Citi, for the 2 consecutive year, the top affordable housing lender in the US. The final metric under Financial Inclusion is Global Microfinance. In 2011, Citi has provided microloans to almost one million lenders of which 92% of loans where to women.Under sustaining the environment performance indicator, Citi includes metrics for e-communications, clean energy, greenhouse gas emissions and using ESRM screening criteria for financial transactions. As one of the worldââ¬â¢s leading credit card companies, Citiââ¬â¢s movement towards paperless statements has, at 29% penetration (2011), doubled since 2008. Under the clean energy metric, in 2007, Citi announced a 10 year, $50 billion commitment to activities directed at mitigating climate change. As of the end of 2011, 5 years in to the program, 73% of the total has been committed.Under the greenhouse gas emissions metric, in 2005, Citi announced a 10 year plan for a 25% reducing in greenhouse gas emissions. As of 2011, there has been a 13. 6% percent reduction since the 2005 baseline. In 2011, the integration of environmental and social factors into the traditional risk management screens for project financing covered over 400 projects globally. Citi appears to have a significant focus on environmental concerns through written policies and state ments as well as real action. Further information on Citiââ¬â¢s position on the environment and their ESRM polices can be found at http://www. itigroup. com/citi/environment/ The final area covered under the report card is the metrics that cover the way Citi values their employees. The key metrics are; training; satisfaction; diversity; and employee volunteering. Citi has a very diverse workforce, and though 61 network groups consisting of 15,000 employee members in 18 locations around the world, Citi encourages employee diversity and support. Employee satisfaction has been increasing since the end of the financial crisis and at 73% satisfaction for 2011; it represents an overall 10% increase since 2009.It is unclear whether the increase in a result of simply happy to have a job in a tough economy, or true job satisfaction, in any event, Citi appears to have a more satisfied workforce. Employee training has seen a remarkable increase since the 2008 financial crises. Training acti vities cover areas such as, leadership, management, product and compliance and since 2008; training hours have increased by over 80% at 38. 4 hours per year per employee. Employees of Citi provided almost 800,000 hours of volunteering activities during 2011, almost 30% growth over 2010.It seems that giving back to the community not only is evidenced by financial metrics but also by the employeeââ¬â¢s action. Although Citiââ¬â¢s key performance indicators focus on; Financial Inclusion; Environmental Sustainability; and Valuing our Employees, the Global Citizenship report is quite extensive and can be viewed as a supplement to the Citi Annual Report. In addition to the three key focus areas covered above, the report also covers corporate governance, which is covered in the section that follows, as well as, how Citi serves the customer and maintains sustainable and diverse supply chain relationships.The report outlines both Citiââ¬â¢s achievements as well as the challenges the y face and breaks down Citizenship on a regional basis. In guiding their citizenship activities, Citi uses a stakeholder engagement approach to and list their stakeholders as; Customers; Investors; Employees; Regulators; Suppliers; Community Leaders; Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOââ¬â¢s); Socially Responsible Investors; Media; and Competitors. The communication channel used for each stakeholder and examples are included as Appendix B.Corporate Governance Corporate Governance has been defined as ââ¬Å"The framework of rules and practices by which a board of directors ensures accountability, fairness, and transparency in a company's relationship with its stakeholders (financiers, customers, management, employees, government, and the community). â⬠(Governance, 2012). As an appendix to the annual proxy statement, Citi provides the Citigroup Inc. Corporate Governance Guidelines. Consistent with the overall corporate mission, the corporate governance mission isâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ Citigroup Inc. the ââ¬Å"Companyâ⬠) aspires to the highest standards of corporate governance and ethical conduct: doing what we say; reporting results with accuracy and transparency; and maintaining full compliance with the laws, rules and regulations that govern the Companyââ¬â¢s businesses. â⬠(Citi Governance, 2012). This comprehensive document outlines the guidelines and policies with respect to the responsibilities, term, expected qualifications, and compensation of the Board and the committees thereof.Of notable mention in the governance policy would be the restriction against interlocking directorates, the requirement for personal stock ownership, and the annual review and assessment of board performance conducted by the Nomination, Governance and Public Affairs Committee. 5 One shortfall of the policy would be the lack of any set term for a board member. While there are two schools of thought with respect to fixed term appointments, in my opinion, the advantag e of bringing in fresh ideas with new board members would outweigh any potential loss of knowledge that would exit with an entrenched board member.I believe staggered board appointments with fixed term would be an enhancement to the Citi corporate governance policy. As mentioned in the Ethics and Compliance Codes section above, as a requirement to list on the NYSE, a company is required to have a formal code of ethics. In addition to this requirement, the NYSE also requires a minimum standard for the independence of directors. To meet the regulation, Citi would need a minimum of 9 independent directors. At the end of 2011, 11 of the 13 member board were independent. The two connected members were Pandit, and the Citi Chairman, Michael Oââ¬â¢Neill.The remaining board members consist of a diverse group of active and retired business professionals, a philanthropic foundation president, a former state federal reserve bank official, a leader from the investment management community as well as Ivey league academics. Although only 3 of the board members are women, almost 40% of the members are visible minorities which also includes the Chairman and the CEO of Citi. Simply put, the Board of Directors of Citi is comprised of a very comprehensive representation of their stakeholder groups as identified in Appendix B.As of 2011, there are 5 standing committees of the Board: Audit; Risk Management and Finance; Executive; Personnel and Compensation; and Nomination, Governance and Public Affairs. A separate Charter exists for each committee that outlines the mission, duties and requirements regarding independence of the committee members. The Audit and Risk management committee is comprised of all independent directors. Oââ¬â¢Neill is the current Chair of the Executive as well as the Personnel and Compensation Committees (non-voting) and he sits as a voting member of theNomination, Governance and Public Affairs Committee. Among other roles, the Nomination, Governance and Public Affairs Committee is responsible for the environmental sustainability and stakeholder engagement activities of Citi. Since 2005, non-employee directors receive $75,000 per year plus a deferred stock award valued at $150,000 on the date of issuance with a 2 year vesting period. With the requirement to own stock of Citi, as well as the deferred vesting of the majority of the compensation they will receive, directors of Citi are incented to act in the best interest of the organization.SEC Investigations As a publicly traded, multinational, diversified financial services organization, incorporated in the U. S. , it should not come as any surprise that in the course of their business dealings, both the organization and the individual staff of Citi will be subject to SEC litigations and investigations on a frequent basis. In fact, a search on the SEC website (http://www. sec. gov/litigation. shtml), and filtering the search parameters to include only ââ¬Å"Litigationâ⬠an d ââ¬Å"Regulatory Actionsâ⬠you will actually find too many to list.In fact, since January 1, 2005, there have been a total of 284 Regulatory Actions and 140 Litigations that has Citi named. It would be quite misleading to state that all litigations listed Citi as the defendant, however from my brief review of some of the search results there appears to be complaints related to the accounting treatment of credit derivatives, fair value misstatements of sub-prime mortgage exposure, many of which listed most of the financial services industry. There was however one interesting investigation made in 2008 that questioned the independence of the Board of Directors.While I canââ¬â¢t comment too much on the ethical leadership of the firm leading up to the financial crisis, evidence such as the highly publicized investigations, along with the involvement in Worldcom and other major financial collapses, certainly cast a shadow on the past activities. However, during the tenure of t he current CEO, as well as his predecessor, the Board of Directors appear to have addressed many of the high level governance ethical shortcomings that were past investigations by the SEC.Conclusion Perhaps the most difficult aspect of conducting a review of an organization is coming to a definitive stance, based on concrete evidence, on the degree of ethical culture that exists inside the organization. Without living inside an organization, how can you state that ethical conduct permeates across all aspects of the firm activities? Operating in an industry that has undoubtedly has the highest level of public cynicism regarding ethical conduct, how could anyone take the stance that any financial services company scores well from any ethical standpoint?Despite this challenge, my impression from this review is that Citi does indeed rank well. Since taking over the firm in 2007, carrying on from Princeââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Five Point Ethics Planâ⬠, Pandit, has lead the firm back on firm er financial ground by shedding much of the troubled assets and refocusing the operation more towards a traditional banking model. Despite participating in the TARP and subsequently paying back all funds borrowed, under Panditââ¬â¢s leadership, Citi has become one of the best capitalized banks in the U.S. He won high 6 praise from public opinion by accepting a total compensation package of $1 for most of 2009 and all of 2010, becoming undoubtedly, the lowest paid employee of Citi. Those types of unselfish acts, despite his personal net worth, should be viewed as a sign of an admirable leadership style. The critics statement that he doesnââ¬â¢t need/deserve the money is, in my opinion, ludicrous and shouldnââ¬â¢t overshadow what is a truly admirable action.An ethical culture starts with an ethical leader posed ready to lead by example and in my opinion, by his example, Mr. Pandit ranks very well. In addition to the profit motive, Citi approaches it business with a demonstrat ed commitment to environmental and social key performance metrics, engaging with all stakeholders, going above and beyond the simple legal requirements and acting as an agent of moral influence with suppliers.Adding to this ethical framework a very committed CEO, a strong board representing stakeholders, and ethics training, itââ¬â¢s hard to argue that the firm lacks a robust ethical framework. It appears as if the vision of Prince continues to be embraced by Pandit and Citiââ¬â¢s current leadership. While it may be a long road ahead in the court of public opinion, Citi appears to be on the right track to shed the degree of cynicism the financial industry has, but like most future outcomes, only time will tell. 7 References
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