How Technology Affects the Business Environment Essay

During the last century, the world has been through a technological revolution. We have in few years moved from being a world where it could take months to receive a message, to being a world where it takes microseconds. Within most industries, technology is a very important factor to succeed. Especially in certain industries, like energy, transport and financial services, technological innovations have been vital to make those industries develop into what they are today. Companies are always struggling to acquire better technology, so that they in a more efficient way can produce their products or carry out their services. It is therefore important for companies to keep an eye on new technological innovations. The technological elements of the external environment are a part of the LoNGPEST analysis, which is being used to scan a firms environment, so it in a best possible way can adopt to it. In this essay, I will attempt to explain how technology has been a vital reason for the globalization, and how it has made the world more efficient. There is no doubt that the development of information and communications technology is one of the causes for globalization. The table below shows the reduction in communicating and travelling prices. According to the table, the price of a 3 minutes phone call have been reduced by 98,6%. The reduction in air transport costs per mile is 74%. There is no doubt that such reductions encourage companies to expand geographically. In addition, the rapid growth of the internet has made it possible to share information with the rest of the world in microseconds. Eric Samuels states that one of the industries that has grown because of information technology is the financial service industry. He states that â€Å"delivery of services has become more efficient because of the application of technology.† What he is saying, is that the financial services provided are being done more effective and at a lower cost than before. By using the internet, companies can reach out to the whole world without spending a pound. In addition to claim that the financial service industry has grown due to the information technology, Dr. Nicolas Pologeorgis also states that the industry, since 1998, has gon e through a rapid geographic expansion. This especially applies to wealthy nations, like countries from Europe and USA. He claims that â€Å"customers previously served by local financial institutions are now targeted at a global level.† Dr. Pologeorgis believes that one of the reasons for this, besides deregulation and more trading between countries, is the information technology. Services like ATMs and websites is being used to develop a more efficient relationship between long distance customers and suppliers. A study about globalization of the banking industry, states that improvements in technology â€Å"have facilitated greater geographic reach by allowing institutions to manage larger information flows from more locations and to evaluate and manage risks at lower cost without being geographically close to the customer.† One example of a company from this industry that expanded geographically in the 90’s is Goldman Sachs (GS). I 1990, Robert Ruding and Stephen Friedman decided to focus on GS global operations. During the 1990’s, GS went through a rapid geographical expansion. Today, GS has offices located in all major financial centres around the world. I have made a comparison between the growth in the financial service sector and the use of internet worldwide. It was in the 90’s that the internet use exploded. In 1995, 16 million people were connected to the internet (0,4 of world population). The table below shows that the use of internet exploded about the same time that the financial service industry, according to Pologeorgis, really started expanding geographically. However, it is not only the improvements in communication and information technology that has contributed to a more efficient and globalized world. Another industry that has been affected by improvements in technology the last century is the oil and gas industry. An article made by naturalgas states that â€Å"new innovations have reshaped the industry into a technological leader9.† A report made by the U.S. Department of energy in 1999 shows that if technology had stagnated in 1985, America would have needed twice as many wells to produce the same amount of oil and gas. However, because of technological improvement, we only need half as many wells to produce the same amount in 1999. In 1999, the America used 22 000 less wells to produce the same amount as they did in 1985. A statistical review of world energy made by BP illustrates how much oil and natural gas that has been produced in each country and worldwide from 1965-2010. Worldwide, the total development of oil has increased from 31,806,000 barrels daily in 1965, to 82,095,000 barrels daily in 2010. The development of oil has increased from 96,9 billion cubic feet daily in 1970, to 309 billion cubic feet daily in 2010. The main reason to the increase in production is off course the growing demand, but according to naturalgas it would have been impossible without the improvement in our technology. Consumption of oil increased from 30,783,000 daily in 1965 to 87,382,000 barrels daily in 2010 and consumption of gas increased from 63 billion cubic feet daily in 1965 to 306,6 billion cubic feet daily in 2010. Another industry that has developed because of new technology is the nuclear industry. Numbers taken from NEI shows that 13,5 of the world’s electricity production IN 2010, was provided by nuclear power. Furthermore, NEI states that â€Å"in total, 15 countries relied on nuclear energy to supply at least one-quarter of their total electricity†. According to NEI, one example of a country that is dependent of nuclear energy is France. 74,1 percent of the energy produced in France was generated through nuclear energy. The statistical review published by BP, shows that the consumption of electricity generated from nuclear power has increased tremendously since 1965. In 1965 the global consumption of terra hours has increased from 25,7 in 1965 to 2767,2 terra hours in 2010. FINN UT OM DAILY In this essay, I have tried to show how technology has been a vital part of both the globalization and the development of a more efficient world. I have found that information and communication technology has been important for globalization. Lower costs of travelling and communicating overseas encourage people to expand geographically. In addition, the fact that use of internet has developed into a common thing, especially in developed countries, makes customers able to do services that they could not do before. My essay also shows how the oil and gas industry have become more efficient, and how the nuclear industry has grown due to technological improvements. Reference list: Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (2008) Globalisation and the changing UK economy, page 3 [online]. Available from: http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file44332.pdf accessed at 22.11.2011. British Petroleum (2011) Historical data [online]. Available from: http://www.bp.com/sectionbodycopy.do?categoryId=7500&contentId=7068481 (then click on historical data) Accessed at 23.11.2011. U.S. Department of energy (1999) Environmental benefits of advance oil and exploration and production technology [online]. Available from: http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/oilgas/publications/environ_benefits/4envben.pdf Accessed at 22.11.2011. U.S. Department of Energy http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/oilgas/publications/environ_benefits/3innov.pdf Funding Universe, The Goldman Sachs group INC [online]. Available from: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/The-Goldman-Sachs-Group-Inc-Company-History.html Accessed at 22.11.2011. Goldman Sachs (2011), who we are – at a glance [online]. Available from: http://www2.goldmansachs.com/who-we-are/at-a-glance/index.html Accessed at 22.11.2011. Internet World Stats (2008), internet growth statistics [online]. Available from: http://www.internetworldstats.com/emarketing.htm Accessed at 21.11.2011. Internet World Stats (March 31, 2011), internet usage statistics [online]. Available from: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm Accessed at 21.11.2011. Dr. Nicolas Pologeorgis (2009), The Globalization of Financial Services [online]. Available from: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-theory/09/risk-free-rate-return.asp#ixzz1eNeBhksO Accessed at 20.11.2011. Eric Samuels (2011), Marketing of Financial Services [online]. Available from: http://www.measurethat.com/?cat=5 Accessed at 20.11.2011. Natural Gas (2010), Natural Gas and Technology [online]. Available from: http://www.naturalgas.org/environment/technology.asp Accessed at 22.11.2011. Nuclear Energy Institute (2011), world statistics, nuclear energy around the world [online]. Available from: http://www.nei.org/resourcesandstats/nuclear_statistics/worldstatistics/ Accessed at 22.11.2011. Wall Street Journal (2010), A Brief History of Goldman Sachs [online]. Available from: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704671904575193780425970078.html Accessed at 21.11.2011 Allen N. Berger, Qinglei Dai, Steven Ongen, David C. Smith (2002) To What Extent Will the Banking Industry be Globalized?A Study of Bank Nationality and Reach in 20 European Nations, page 3 [online] Available from: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTFR/Resources/banking_industry_globalization.pdf Accessed at 22.11.2011.

Discuss the role of dreams in Of Mice and Men and their impact upon some of the novels main characters Essay

â€Å"Of Mice And Men† written by John Steinbeck was set in 1930’s in America, in a time which came to be known as ‘The Depression’. It was a time of severe financial hardship, which caused thousands of people to lose their jobs and homes. Families were often broke up as men were forced to become migrant workers in order to survive. Also, the cultural climate was different. Minority groups, such as black people, women, or people with learning difficulties would be subjected to prejudice as a matter of course. During the 1930s, life was difficult, many people kept their lives going with dreams, this depressing period was gave rise to what became known as ‘The American Dream’. The American Dream was the idea of escaping that time of loneliness and depression by getting your own home that you and your family would never have to leave. The novel’s most important characters, George and Lennie, share a dream for one day to own their own ranch and â€Å"live off the fatta the lan†. They want to become the boss of their own ranch also their own boss and have a dream house. In the novel, George and Lennie’s dream was the closest to ‘The American Dream’ than anyone else in Of Mice and Men. It was very important to both of them. Lennie normally remembers nothing through his life except for this, this meant that it was very important to him-his and Lennie’s ‘American Dream’. â€Å"Lennie broke in. ‘But not us! An’ why? Because..because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you and that’s why.’ He laughed delightedly, ‘Go on now George! You got it by heart you can do it yourself!† George and Lennie use the story as a way to help them get by at times to help both of them get through tough times. â€Å"George’s voice became deeper. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. ‘Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong in no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go into a town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know, they’re poundin’ their tails on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.† â€Å"Some day,-we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs.† In Chapter three, George and Lennie allow Candy to join in their dream. Candy wants to join them because he knows that he is useless, he has nothing in life to live for and he is also too old. But he is afraid that if he is useless and everyone else knows it, the others will kick him out of the ranch and he does not want that to happen so he tries to join in with George and Lennie’s dream. â€Å"Tell you what†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢S’pose I went in with you guys. That’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in. I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some. How’d that be?† â€Å"When they can me here, I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go, an I can’t get no more jobs.† While the ranch-hands never openly discuss their loneliness, Curley’s wife spends most of her time in the novel searching for company. She always looks for Curley around the ranch when she already knows he’s not there. â€Å"I’m tryin’ to find Curley, Slim’ ‘Well, you ain’t tryin very hard. I seen him goin’ in your house.† She is the only female there; therefore she has no one to talk to and not much company so she flirts with the other men to help her communicate with them which is the only thing she wants, someone to talk to and listen to her. Curley’s wife thought that she would have everything to live for, after marrying Curley but which it turned out wrong, horribly wrong, she’s with a man who doesn’t even love her and spends a lot of his time without her, especially that all she needs is attention. â€Å"Curley’s wife lay with a half-covering of yellow hay. And the meanness and the planning and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face.† Crooks, the negro stable buck, is an obviously lonely character, he does not interact with any other people because of the colour of his skin and he knows everyone will treat him badly because of it. So he is forced to be alone. Even when Lennie tries to make friends with him, Crooks argues right back at him because of the way he was treated as nothing. â€Å"Lennie smile helplessly in an attempt to make friends. Crooks said sharply ‘You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me.† When Crooks was at his childhood, he actually played and was mainly around other white children until their parents told them about the issue and not to mix in with other black children, that is what Crooks wants now, to be accepted. The impact of the dreams: None of the characters in the novel actually achieve their dreams, despite coming very close on occasions. George and Lennie try to fulfil ‘The American Dream’ but Lennie soon dies, so George cannot accomplish his dream without Lennie especially as the dream is most important to Lennie, despite these characters coming very close to the dream. When Lennie died, George made sure he died happily with their dream in memory. â€Å"We’ll have a cow,’ said George, ‘An we’ll have maybe a pig an’ chickens†¦ an’ down the flat we’ll have a†¦. little piece alfafa†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This is where we see them discussing the dream one last time. â€Å"Lennie begged, ‘Le’s do it now. Le’s get the place now.’ ‘Sure, right now. I gotta, We gotta.’ And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head.† Curley’s Wife also wanted to be famous, glamorous and to be wanted but she gets accidentally killed by Lennie so she also cannot achieve her dream, but in other words, she is also escaping from a miserable life with Curley. Candy is also in on the dream with George and Lennie, but when Lennie dies, Curley knows the dream is no more without him. â€Å"Now Candy spoke his greatest fear. ‘You an’ me can get the little place can’t we, George? You an’ me can go there an’ live nice, can’t we, George, can’t we?’ Before George answered, Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew.† John Steinbeck chose to have all the main characters’ dreams come to nothing because that is what life is, especially the serious issues, such as: Women, Black people and People with learning difficulties. He wanted his book to be historically accurate, as well as an accurate portrayal of life itself. The story was mainly based on the name of the novel from ‘To a mouse’ by Robert Burns, the original lines of ‘The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley.’

National Health and Social Care Essay

The aim of this unit is to act as a focal point for all other units in the programme and embed the vocational nature of the qualification. In addition to the requirement for work experience and the opportunity to relate theory to practice, the unit will enable you to bring together your learning from other units. You will initially explore factors that affect learning, then plan and monitor your own personal and professional development and reflect on it. You will also gain key understanding of the health and social care sectors, including aspects of service delivery, and the fundamentals of research methodology. This unit explores the different ways in which learning can take place and how learning from individual experience can be used to enhance the quality of knowledge, skills and practice. You will initially explore your own knowledge, skills, practice, values and beliefs in relation to working in health and social care. You will then draw up a personal plan for self-development over the duration of the programme. The unit also  introduces you to health and social care service provision. A minimum of 100 hours work experience is required for successful completion of this unit. P1 Explain key influences on the personal learning processes of individuals Task 1 At the beginning of this unit you need to think about what the key influences on learning are. There are various theories of learning, which you need to explain eg Honey and Mumford, Kolb. Write a short explanation of 2 theories about how we learn (not more than 300 words) Task 2: Consider the wide range of influences that may affect an individuals learning. Write an explanation of how the following different influences can affect the ability to learn successfully : – previous learning and experiences – specific learning needs – formal versus informal learning – learning style – time – learning environment – access to resources – attitude and self discipline – aspirations and motivation – priorities in life – health – responsibilities – relationships – others as appropriate (space for study, funding for study) M1 Assess the impact of key influences on the personal learning processes on own learning Task 3: Sketch a timeline to help you collect your thoughts about the factors that have influenced your learning from childhood, school, work and other life experiences. Place significant events and experiences such as starting school, moving house etc on the top of the line. Write the effects on the bottom of the line. Use the timeline to write a personal statement/ analysis of how your own learning has been influenced by the factors listed in task 2 D1 Evaluate how personal learning and development may benefit others Task 4: Carry out some research on PPD and its benefits in health and social acre. Use your placement for information by talking to staff about their learning experiences and career backgrounds. How have these helped them in their work. Consider how your learning has helped others so far. P2 Assess own knowledge, skills, practice, values, beliefs and career aspirations at start of the programme Task 5: This task looks at your own knowledge, skills, practice, values, beliefs and career aspirations at the beginning of the course – consider your strengths and areas for development. The report could help you develop a suitable action plan for pass 3. Skills for learning: These fall into 2 types – study skills and research skills. In the 2 boxes below describe what skills you think you already have in this area. Study skills: Describe what skills you have in the 3 areas of – Literacy – Numeracy – Information and Communication technology Research Skills: Describe what skills you have in the following areas: – Observation – Questioning – Use of the internet – Using feedback – Reflection Support for learning: Describe what kinds of support for learning you could get if you needed it. Eg from tutors, peers, supervisors, mentors, meetings, increased self-awareness, how and where to access information and support on knowledge and best practice Learning opportunities: Describe a variety of opportunities you think you will have to learn during this course eg: Formal learning Informal learning Knowledge gained from classroom activities, placement experiences, independent studies, life experience, employment and voluntary activities. UNIT 6: Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social Care Assignment 2: Be able to plan for and monitor own professional development This assignment will be aimed at the following grading criteria for this unit: P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 M1 M2 M3 D1 D2 Grading criteria will be indicated for specific tasks. Students are reminded of the importance of the correct use of grammar and punctuation. Delivery date: __________________ Assignment due in: __________________ P3 Produce an action plan for self-development and achievement of own goals Task 1: Write an action plan which needs to contain at least 10 short term (up to 6 months) and at least 5 long-term goals (minimum of 18 months). Your action plan must be specific, measureable, actionable, relevant and timely. You will monitor throughout the course for your own self-development and achievement of your goals. You need to include: current knowledge and skills, practice, values, beliefs, career aspirations; self-awareness. Knowledge: review, plan and monitor eg relevant formal and informal learning to date, current contemporary issues, understanding of theories, principles and concepts, understanding of potential careers; gained from a variety of learning opportunities Skills: Communicating: language – verbal, non-verbal; Working with others: eg service users, professionals, peers; Technical: eg IT, use of equipment, creative/craft skills; Research: eg primary, secondary, data handling; Personal eg organisation skills, personal presentation Practice: review, plan and monitor, eg respect for the value base of care, professional interactions with others, co-operative working with others, team work, influence of personal values and beliefs, awareness of need to develop personal value base to support and promote good practice, awareness of the impact of legislation, codes of practice and policies on own practice, responsibilities and limitations Values and beliefs: eg personal values and beliefs, value base of care Career aspirations: career options, preferred choice P4 Produce evidence of own progress against action plan over the duration of the programme Task 2: These goals, in pass 3, need to be monitored at throughout the course – this will usually be after work experience and will involve you describing the progress you have made so far in achieving these short and long-term goals. When you make a change to the plan, enter the date on which you made the change. Write a statement summarising the challenges and circumstances that have affected your progress against your personal goals. Include reasons for any changes you have made to the goals. M2 Assess how the action plan has helped support own development over the duration of the programme Task 3: At the end of the course you need to write an explanation of how your action plan has helped support you personal and professional development over the 2 years of the course. D2 Evaluate own development over the duration of the programme Task 4: Write an evaluation of your own development over the duration of the course. UNIT 6: Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social Care Assignment 3: be able to reflect on own development over time This assignment will be aimed at the following grading criteria for this unit: P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 M1 M2 M3 D1 D2 Grading criteria will be indicated for specific tasks. Students are reminded of the importance of the correct use of grammar and punctuation. Delivery date: __________________ Assignment due in: __________________ P5 Reflect on own personal and professional development Task 1: On work experience you will keep a professional practice portfolio of your development, which will form part of your personal and professional development portfolio. The Professional development portfolio will contain: professional practice log book, structured appropriately for assessment of unit and nature of evidence, indexed, authenticated records to demonstrate personal progression in developing own knowledge, skills, practice and career aspirations over time, variety of contexts for learning and development Task 2: using relevant evidence from the list below write an account of your personal and professional development. Relevant evidence: formal, eg assessment, observations, witness testimony from direct observation, placement reports, feedback from tutors and supervisors, tutorial/career records, certificates, personal statements, application forms or CVs; informal eg diary, peer reviews, reflective accounts, records of events, Support for development: from tutors, peers, supervisors, mentors; meetings; increased self-awareness; how and where to access information and support on knowledge and best practice Reflect on own development: linking theory to practice; linking practice to theory; achievement of personal goals in terms of knowledge, skills, practice, values, beliefs, and career aspirations; influence of personal values and beliefs; impact of others on evoking development of self M3 Use three examples to examine links between theory and practice Task 3:you need to write about three examples from your work experience that explain how what you have practiced in the workplace is influenced/linked to a theory. The theory could be from psychology eg Bowlby’s theory of  attachment and the importance of settling-in policies in nurseries or from other units studied UNIT 6: Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social Care Assignment 4: know service provision in the health and social care sectors This assignment will be aimed at the following grading criteria for this unit: P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 M1 M2 M3 D1 D2 Grading criteria will be indicated for specific tasks. Students are reminded of the importance of the correct use of grammar and punctuation. Delivery date: __________________ Assignment due in: __________________ P6 Describe one local health or social care service provider identifying its place in national provision Task 1: Write a description of one of your placements and identify how it fits in with national provision. You could use a diagram or chart to show this. You will need to describe the following: Type of provision (what service does it provide, what are its aims and objectives) Who funds it Who can go there (access the service) Any barriers there are to accessing the service The organisation’s Policies and Procedures How the service fit in with national provision Task 2: write an introduction to a plamflett for the above named placement on Provision of services within the UK: national framework relevant to home country; primary, secondary, tertiary; regulators Local health or social care service provider: eg type of provision, funding, access, potential barriers to access, organisational policies and procedures; how the service fits within national framework P7 Describe the role, responsibilities and career pathways of three health or social care workers Task 1: Write a brief description of the following roles, responsibilities and career pathways. Health and social care workers: health and social care professions, eg nursing staff, social workers, professions allied to medicine; technical support professionals, eg medical and non-medical laboratory staff; other support professionals, eg managers, administrators; role of professional bodies; career pathways, training and qualifications, workforce development; codes of conduct, roles and responsibilities; multi-disciplinary teams Task 2: You then need to find out about the roles, responsibilities and career pathways of three people who work there. You may like to interview them about their jobs, responsibilities and careers. To do this you will need to prepare a questionnaire beforehand. The questionnaire/notes taken must be submitted as evidence for this task.

Operation of ACAP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Operation of ACAP - Essay Example One of the key intentions of the company is to remain consistent in what they are doing. The company started its operation 40 years back with the aim of offering different type of connections and services to the economically weaker section of the society and uplift their position. Strengthening the economical condition of the individuals and their families is one of the key requirements of the firm. The organization offers a range of social services to the community. The services are generally provided to the people through their offices in Cohoes and Albany. Furthermore, the organization also offers its services from the early childhood development classrooms. The mission of the company is to work in partnership with the communities and families so as to empower people and achieve financial stability and lead a quality life. As the establishment continues to spread its wings in different places on earth, it also continues to diversify and expand the services of the firm. Despite num erous changes the establishment has remained consistent in its mission and vision statement. This makes ACAP an exceptionally safe and accessible place for the individuals to find a better way of life and a jubilant place for the employees where they can excel. Some of the key services provided by the establishment are as follows: - ACAP provides comprehensive and centralized support services to the local people who are in need of it. ACAP brings together all community support systems that include nonprofit, governmental and corporate sector so as to offer benefits to each of its customers independently. ACAP constantly reports a computable impact on poverty in the neighboring communities. The establishment involves the community as well as the customers for the overall development of the society. ACAP also provides employment opportunities to a number of people and along with that it offers competitive wage and comprehensive benefits. Most importantly, it also offers career growth opportunities to the employees (â€Å"About Us†). Services Offered by the Firm The organization is best known for providing a wide range of services to the individuals and communities. Apart from directly offering services, it also initiates a number of other programs so as to create awareness among the target population. Some of the evident ones are child care services, early childhood education services, food pantry services, community action services, career services, housing and energy services and tax assistance services. However, this essay will only focus on the early childhood education services. Albany Community Action Partnership (ACAP) offers a number of options for the early child education in and around the Albany County. Each of the early childhood programs that are operated by ACAP maintains a strict adherence to the licensing regulations. This is instituted by NYS Department of Education and NYS Office of Children and Family Services. Furthermore, these progra ms not only meet the guidelines of the federal government, but often reach beyond the requirement of law so as to ensure comprehensive care and quality of the Albany County children and families. Some of the services offered by the company in the context of Early Childhood Education also include to and fro transportation to the education centers. The current locations through which the organization operates are Berne-Knox-Westerlo, Cohoes, Albany

Diamond Trade in Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diamond Trade in Africa - Essay Example Recounting this history shows how Africa and one f its most marketable resources have become entangled in the values f a cultural polyglot f political economies, and the image f the African suffers in its wake; a diminished ability to claim political representation for many African peoples, and a reduced place f participation in the world economies for African nations and Africa, as a global entity is the result. (Sherman 600-615) As the image f a "chaotic" Africa persists in the historical moment to de-legitimize it as viable agent in international political economies, divorced f its historical circumstances and left to the whim f market forces and subordinating cultural practices, more and more African peoples come to utilizing force and violence in an effort to attain their participation, perpetuating this tragic image. Diamonds, as a product f Western aesthetic values, through the circumstances f history and geology, becomes an ideal medium for this perpetuation. (Olsson 1133-1150) Although diamonds occur all over Africa, they are accessed most easily in riverbeds via alluvial mining. This requires far less physically intensive effort; as a result, the rivers begin to serve as borders. Mapped as diamond resources, they become instruments f power and ultimately, corruptive relations among the region. In 1997 the NGO Global Witness published an account f the local civil wars entitled Rough Trade. In Angola and Sierra Leone, where mined diamonds were and are being used to fund violent struggles over land, resources and political representation, the rivers have become charted as the cultural resources f various divisions under the patronage f military enforcement. Global Witness purpose was to expose the fraudulent efforts f the "legitimate" diamond trade, identifiably the brokers for DeBeers and the shadow traders-in-between. Although the purpose was to reveal and condemn these policies f marketing "blood diamonds", the publication depicted the struggle only as a moral one for Western business and consumers arguing in favor f not supporting the "violent chaos" f Africa. Emphasis was made on the political struggles, particularly in Angola, where the exertion for representation between political oppositions UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence f Angola) and MPLA continues to subdivide into struggles over diamonds alone. But currently the only political concern f the cultural factions involved is the enormous personal gain to be acquired through control f such abundant and valuable resources, ultimately pointing towards the need for military presence in mined areas. (Sherman 600-615) The diamond as an archetype f Western value becomes the perfect means f instilling economic chaos through the ease f exploiting other cultural values. There size, convenience, f transport and mining, as well as their fiscal value, can make them the ultimate source f finance for a revolution. This suits as a local example that is continental in its effect. It is arguable that every African knows what a diamond is, and what its worth, not so much to them, but to the non-African, and as such becomes a window f economic, and thus potentially political opportunity. The linking f Africa with diamonds is much the same image as the African with violence. The "treasure" f the continent is only so to the Western

Strategic management paper III (Recommendations for OTD) Essay

Strategic management paper III (Recommendations for OTD) - Essay Example Employing such people would provide manifold advantages to the company. Firstly, it would enhance the image of the organization as a sociable organization which also takes care of the society. In addition to this aspect some other benefits of employing aged and disabled individuals would include the following factors, firstly it is generally believed that aged and disabled individuals are generally more loyal towards an organization and do not resort to changing jobs frequently. This assumes considerable advantage for organizations like One Touch Direct which operates in an industry segment which has considerably high attrition rates. Employing disabled and aged individuals would help in taking care of the problems of attrition. Secondly, employing this section of population would enhance the productivity of the organization. This is because aged and retired people have considerable experience in handling job responsibilities. Moreover it has been observed that due to age and experience these individuals have a better understanding of the business process and can deliver efficient results if they are provided with suitable guidance and training support from the organization. Thirdly, these individuals have a realistic growth aspirations, this is due to the reason that they have high levels of maturity which has been incorporated in their attitudes due to the years of experience of the retired individuals. Based on their real life experiences disabled and aged individuals have higher ability to manage crisis scenarios as compared to their counterparts and peers who are normal and lower aged. Fourthly it has been observed that consumers generally handle these kinds of employees with greater affection and respect as compared to the normal employees. This would enhance the customer experience as they would admire One Touch Direct’s strategy of employing such individuals. Finally legal and legislative advantages could

Critical Thinking Argument Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Critical Thinking Argument Paper - Assignment Example The energy wasted in the process far exceeds the energy we actually receive from these renewable sources. For these reasons, my conclusion is that the solar, wind, and hydraulic sources of renewable energy cannot be a feasible and permanent alternative to coal. Preexisting conditions, like congenital heart disease or Type I diabetes, can be grounds for refusal of health insurance by private insurance companies. This leads to a growing number of people who either are uninsured or have inadequate coverage. The costs of routine visits to a doctor, let alone life-saving procedures or long term medical care, are immense and can be impossible to pay off in full by most of the Americans. Thus, there is no regular and monitored access to health care for a growing number of people. Emergency rooms are available to uninsured people if they require urgent medical care, but these visits are not free. Neither do they include continued monitoring. The costs incurred by the government for providing aid to uninsured people run into billions of dollars. Providing some kind of basic health insurance for all American citizens would probably cost the government a lot less, in the long run. Thus, I conclude that universal health care would have numerous advant ages to

Current Issues in the Persian Gulf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current Issues in the Persian Gulf - Essay Example In addition, it has restricted outside access, built an airstrip and increased military presence on the island. Challenges that make gulf to be a troubled region is not a recent development, neither is it news for the Washingtoni. The vast oil reserves in the region make the balance of power in the gulf a concern for US policy makers. The US has been constantly involved in the gulf region, and this is consistent with the western security policy. Since the end of World War 2, US has ensured that gulf region gains stability and access to oil preservation increasesii. Washington policies in the gulf are not for US to gain access to water, but indeed ensure that there is stability of the oil market in the region. This is because oil shocks might negatively affect oil prices in the US. Geopolitics and energy security are not only the factors that engage US in the Gulf region. The American quest for ensuring stability in energy prices has been influenced by ideological considerations on the nature of US power. During the cold war, US strategy was to fight communism that was advocated by the Soviet Union. The collapse of communism in the gulf and end of soviet threat made the US reassess their strategies. The major concern of the US and other international communities in the Gulf is to ensure there is stability and security. This will reduce risk in energy markets around the world and encourage investors to invest in this regioniii. US and Iran relation is a step in the right direction as there will be international supervision of nuclear program, and in turn sanction in Iran will be uplifted. This will increase the living standards in the region and ensure there is stability in the region. This relation is an import step where dialogue is used instead of deploying troops in the region. Deploying troops in the Gulf region will certainly increase risk than reduces these risks. Iran

Margaret Thatcher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Margaret Thatcher - Essay Example One of the unique strengths of MargaretThatcher was that she was able to counter male chauvinism and sexism that was present in the British system. The British society perceived that women belonged at home and that important matters of leadership belonged to men. It is evident that she defied all the rules and norms to vie for various political positions from her days at Oxford University. According to Aitken, Thatcher maneuvered through a wave of gender discrimination which emanated from all directions. She was even crucified by members of her own party. A minister in her government was heard referring to her as ‘that bloody woman’, implying that she was not a favorite in the political scene. Margaret Thatcher, she was bound by strong values from her childhood. History affirms that she was born in a Christian family that had special rules and norms. This implies that she valued accountability and transparency in her daily activities. Her attitude towards service to the populace was unprecedented as she advocated for massive economic renovations through an all-inclusive process. This was done due to the need to be a servant to the people. Another notable strength is that she believed in change and abolition of status quo. This point asserts that the British society regarded women as weak and could ensure that the situation remains intact. However, Thatcher was poised to pose a challenge to the setup and bring in a new way of thinking about the people. This was manifested by the way she handled issues head on as the leader of the government.

Rock n Roll and Social Change in the USA and Britain Essay

Rock n Roll and Social Change in the USA and Britain - Essay Example Rock n roll developed in a period where after a century of racial tensions in the United States after the Civil War, the segregation system was essentially falling apart. This is reflected in the origins of the music itself where despite its mainly African American origins; it ended up being increasingly popular among largely white youths. The call for racial harmony seen in this music can be considered to have been a reflection of the way that society had essentially come to be weary of racism and segregation and was seeking a new path through the initiative of the youth within it. The coming together of black music and a largely white youth audiences can be considered to have been a reflection of changes that were taking place concerning the perception of race in society as individuals sought to freely interact with members of other races without the restrictions that were being place on them by traditions and laws (Lipzitz, 1989, p.267). It was a fight for the rights of minority r aces in the United States where they had been kept under the dominance of white people for centuries. The rise of rock n roll got the attention of white supremacists and racists who reacted strongly towards it by claiming that it broke down the barriers that had been put in place to ensure that there was a permanent separation of the races . Moreover, rock n roll can be considered to have been a challenge to the status quo in society where youth from all races worked together to ensure that the barriers that separated them were removed . The exportation of this genre of music to Britain was also highly influential because it allowed for a display of the war weariness that had taken grip of the country after the Second World War.

How Were Workhouses Run so That Only Those in Need of Genuine Help Would Apply Essay Example for Free

How Were Workhouses Run so That Only Those in Need of Genuine Help Would Apply Essay Workhouses, tried many things to stop those in need of help applying for help; this was because they soon became to expensive to run which is why the owners of the workhouse began to try to put the public off applying for help. I am going to cover all of the main reasons that tell you why the poor were ‘put off’. To begin, the workhouses soon introduced separation, they had different classifications. These were: Infirm men, able-bodied men and youths above fifteen, boys above the age of seven and under fifteen, infirm women, able-bodied women and girls above fifteen, girls above the age of seven and under fifteen and children under seven (however they were allowed in the same workhouse as either their mother or father). This would mean that if you were classified to a different class than someone else in your family, for instance; you would be separated and not allowed to communicate. This encourage those in need of slightly less help not to apply, as they may have believed that scraping a living with their family and friends would be better than getting separated in a work house. Next, the living conditions may be considered to have been better outside the workhouse, scraping a living, the living conditions were horrific! Firstly, all the women and babies were all living in the same room; this meant that when one baby awakened, apart from a heavy sleeper, everyone woke up. They also slept in square, coffin-like beds, which will have been hardly comfortable to sleep in. For me, if workhouses wanted their employees to perform to their full potential they would have given them good living conditions, however they didn’t want people coming in on demand. Because the workhouses mad the living conditions so horrific, would have encouraged many to not apply for help. This is because they may have believed they would get a longer, more comfortable sleep outside the workhouse. To continue, the food provided was terrible, the food was cooked terribly for a few reasons, two examples would be because the workhouses wanted to save money and buy the cheapest food, for the cheapest possible price and they may have purposely cooked the food badly. They also gave each of the same food for each food break causing people to have a bad diet. Again, people in poverty would not apply for help. People wouldn’t apply because word would spread about the terrible food and people wouldn’t apply because again they could think that they could get better food elsewhere. The workhouse owners probably knew that word of this would spread and less people would apply for help, like they wanted. Next, punishments were very harsh and barely taken into consideration, for instance the workhouse owners would judge whether someone was ill or not ill, for instance, if they judged someone to be well and fit when they were ill the would punish the ill person, for no reason when they should be treating their employee well so that as soon as they had recovered, they would be able to perform at a high standard again. This would have put people off because they would be scared of the owners and if they were a parent, they may feel that they were the person to hand out punishments to child not the owners. The owners most possibly knew again that word would spread and would be ruthless to any parent try who tried to have authority. Working conditions, like living conditions were poor. Some people may have applied sot they may get a more enjoyable job with good earnings, instead they were allocated with jobs such as rope picking, this was where a worker had to get old, battered rope, and individually take each thread off the rope and then put it back together to make good rope. This would have put the poor off because they may feel that the jobs they were doing were more enjoyable plus they may feel that they should be doing better jobs if they were to apply for help because workhouses had been advertised to be the ‘way out’ of problems. My final point is on the fact that the workers had no individuality. The workhouse owners had some rules which were strict and if broken would show no tolerance. An example of this is in a picture, it shows how each of the women in the workhouse are having their meal, everyone’s food is exactly the same food, which for lunch was commonly beef and vegetable soup, so vegetarians would be forced to eat the food, not necessarily by the workhouse owners but by their own hunger because they were served such a small amount, they would be extremely hungry. They were also sat in rows, they were not allowed to socialise and they all had to wear uniforms. This would make employees feel worthless and as if they were in prison and ultimately they would feel demoralised and wouldn’t feel excited for the job they would do after their lunch, for example. Word would have spread about this (Like the owners would have wanted) and the poor would feel that the joy of socialising was worth m ore than living a poor lifestyle. To conclude this essay, I feel the most important factor that people would have taken into consideration would be the fact that families were split; the workhouse owners would have found that this was the biggest blow to a family thinking of applying because they would have wanted to be together.

Debate on Creationism Essay Example for Free

Debate on Creationism Essay INTRODUCTION The dispute between representatives of the various fields of science and religious representatives is one that will last for many decades (if not centuries) to come, as each one of the two camps confirms that its view of the universe, the beginning of life, and the meaning of human being is the correct one and the one that should be, therefore, passed on to the next generations. This debate, that in some cases reached the level of confrontation, started many centuries ago when the Church rejected many of the scientific views that were presented by scientists. And this resulted, in certain events, in severe punishments that were carried out against those scientists. The specific case of the Bill 481 that was introduced to the 2001-2002 session of Ohios General Assembly claiming to improve the efficiency of science education in schools, was specifically done in order to allow the principles and the ideas of what is called ‘Intelligent Design’ in the science classes of public schools. Intelligent Design is not that different from Creationism; they both claim that the universe came to being as a result of a supreme being (God) that created it and created and everything else including humans with their present shape and form a few thousand years ago and that, therefore, evolution did not take place. There are small variations between ID and Creationism; for example, ID proponents do not call the supreme being with the title used by the various religious texts, they call Him ‘Intelligent Designer’; they do not confirm that notion that the entire universe was created several thousands years ago, and they do not claim, for instance, that humans walked the earth along with the Dinosaurs. WHAT IS SCIENCE? In order to be able to understand if Creationism or Intelligent Design can be admitted into science classes, we need to understand if they qualify to be considered science. Science, or what is also called as the scientific method, is the human technique of understanding the various natural phenomenon and the laws that govern each factor within these phenomenon in a way that is testable, repeatable, and approvable through practical tools that are agreed upon by all. From the above mentioned definition, it is evident that beliefs, personal opinions and supernatural forces are not permissible in the realm of science. Creationism and Intelligent Design rely solely on belief systems that were produced by religious thought and they take certain foundations of understanding the universe as fact when they cannot be put to test, and they cannot provide any agreed upon natural evidence to support their claims. We cannot find any element in any one of them that can be proven through testing or through repeatability. As we can understand, Intelligent Design and Creationism are not science; they are simply belief systems originating from religious thought: In the 1970s and 1980s, that [creationist] movement recast the Bible version in the language of scientific inquiry as creation science and won legislative victories requiring â€Å"equal time† in some states. That is, until 1987, when the Supreme Court struck down Louisianas law. Because creation science relies on biblical texts, the court reasoned, it lacked a clear secular purpose and violated the First Amendment clause prohibiting the establishment of religion (Ratliff). CONCLUSION The ideas of Creationism and Intelligent Design should be, if they must be, admitted in the classrooms, but not as sciences, instead, they should be taught and presented as anything else because they do not have the elements that shape science and make it what it really is. The idea that best explains the reality of Intelligent Design is what Mr. Newt Gingrich said: â€Å"Evolution certainly seems to express the closest understanding [of how we came to be] we now have†¦ Evolution should be taught as science, and intelligent design should be taught as philosophy† (Wilkinson 50-51). Works Cited Ratliff, Evan. The Crusade Against Evolution. Wired October 2004. 03 October 2006 http://www. wired. com/wired/archive/12. 10/evolution. html. Wilkinson, Francis. The Discover Interview: Newt Gingrich. Discover October 2006: 50-51.

Strategies for Motivating Employees

Strategies for Motivating Employees How to identify unmotivated employees and help them become motivated: Some strategies for managers. An employee who is well motivated is able to produce better results quicker and is also much more creative. There are many problems that exist in the workplace. Motivation is a subject that everyone will come across and it is common to be placed in a situation where you will need to work with a colleague or subordinate who suffers from a lack of motivation. It is important for an employer to know how to deal and overcome any issues arising from motivational problems so they can make the most of their most important asset (their employees); this paper will look to analyse and overcome these problems. The first thing an employer needs to do is have a clear understanding of what motivation is. Wikipedia defines motivation as â€Å"having the desire and willingness to do something† (Wikipedia, 2007). One book states â€Å"Motivation is a state of readiness or eagerness to change, which may fluctuate from one time or situation to another, This state is one that can be influenced† (Motivation, Rob Long 2005). Taking that into account a prominent American Psychologist, Abraham H Maslow (1908-1970) the inventor of Maslows Motivation Theory, stated that mans behaviour is controlled by â€Å"Internal† and â€Å"External† forces. This report will focus heavily on the Internal and External forces as they are extremely pertinent to understanding differences in motivation problems. Which leads to my personal definition of motivation as having the willingness, eagerness or desire to change or to do something that you need or are required to do by factors and influen ces that are not only External (environment) , but Internal (feelings, emotions) as well. Understanding that motivation also comes down to the individual and how they react and relate to certain situations is very important as well. Some possible signs that an employee is suffering from motivational problems are that their productivity is low, they have a lot of sick days and they look unhappy. At this point a manager may be thinking about why you should bother about motivating employees that are already paid to do the job that is required of them. A manager needs to forget any negative thoughts towards an employee and do what is best for the employee as they are the most important asset any company has. One article states that â€Å"a common mistake when dealing with motivation problems is to quickly jump ahead to solutions without knowing what is causing the problem† (Motivation Management, Green, 2000). If a manager has limited knowledge of the employees problem you are probably less likely to be successful in helping that employee than if you investigate the situation with the employee. If a manager can see that an employee looks unhappy the best thing for a manager to do is talk to him or her. Any relationship counsellor will tell you how important communication is being it in a professional or personal relationship. Motivation Management states that there are three types of motivation problems; lack of confidence, lack of trust and lack of satisfaction (Motivation Management, Green, 2000). After researching I have found it valid and essential to add a fourth motivational problem being lack of hope. I will compare these problems with Maslows Internal and External forces theory. If an employee has a lack of hope (neither influence) they have no will to succeed in or do the job. This could stem from any other motivational problem but is to a point where the employee will never (mangers opinions may vary) be able to be turned around. Whilst this happens only in extreme cases it is something that can be identified, investigated (sit down with the employee and ask why it has come to this) and prevented from happening again. If a manager is experiencing multiple cases of lack of hope, maybe other sources could be looked at such as Human Resources and Recruitment. â€Å"All the motivation in the world wont make people stay, if youve hired the wrong people† says Terry Harris President of Chicago Consulting (Motivating Customer Service Employees, Harps 1993). If an employee has lack of confidence (internal influence) he or she does not have enough trust or belief in his or her abilities. This is very self explanatory in this situation you are better off giving the employee some responsibility which in turn helps them overcome their confidence issues. Be sure to be there to assist as they will probably require your guidance from time to time. If an employee has lack of trust (both internal and external influences) they dont have enough faith in something; generally an employee will have a lack of trust in an employer or manager. Empowering Supervisors by Ern Prentice Gordon Rabey state that an employees performance largely depends on the competence and effectiveness of their immediate supervisor. Most books on motivation or empowerment tend to agree on the fact that if you ha ve a weak/incompetent leader, that your overall motivation will be low. Managers can also have a lack of trust towards their employees. The most common time this would occur would be in a strict and well disciplined working environment. An American Mill company called Nucor introduced a management style which saw an increase of profit and dividends to shareholders exceed almost 400%. They ensured managers abandoned the command and control model (charismatic approach) of leadership and go towards a worker responsibility environment. They also ensured that they shared corporate wealth with their employees. (The Art of motivation, 2006). Using the Nucor example we can determine that employees will trust a manager if the manager takes the first step and shows trust towards the employee first. This creates trust for the employee and helps eliminate any mistrust that might have existed. An example for a manager to create trust could be to (where possible) let the employee set their own wo rking hours or days, and give them flexibility with rules in the workplace, and have them aware of repercussions if they fail to meet any reasonable deadlines they themselves set out. If an employee has lack of satisfaction then they are generally not happy with the external influences revolving around their job role. Psychologist Frederick I Herzberg (1923-2000) introduced the Motivator Hygiene Theory, which states that demotivators (Isolation, poor working conditions continual pressure) need to be reduced and motivators (good pay, controlling own work (empowerment) and varied work) need to be increased. Some ways to increase satisfaction is to have an emphasis on teamwork and helping each other. It is important to ensure that employees feel they are a part of the greater good of the company and that without their input and work deadlines would be missed. Whilst pay and benefits are a good way to increase job satisfaction many surveys and research would indicate it is less importa nt to employees. One study of what motivates 31 000 men ad 13 000 women employed in the Minneapolis Gas Company between 1945-1965 shows that pay was not among the top factors but Security, advancement, type of work and being a part of a company they are proud to work for were. (http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/index.html) Managers should now have a good understanding of how motivation works in the workplace and where to start should an employee have a motivational problem. It is very important however to remember to talk to an employee, as communication is the most important aspect in any working relationship and as a manager you are responsible for taking the first step every time. References in Alphabetical Order: Maslow, A.H (1943) Conflict, frustration and the theory of threat. J.abnorm. (soc.) Psychol, 1943, 38, 81-86. ATHERTON J S (2005) Learning and Teaching:   Motivation    [On-line] UK: Available: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/motivation.htm   Accessed: 25 March 2007 HERZBERG F (1966) Work and the Nature of Man Cleveland: World Publishing Company   Leslie Hansen Harps (1993) Motivating Customer Service Employees: The cutomer service Empowering Supervisors by Ern Prentice Gordon Rabey The art of motivation, Business week, New york (May 1st 2006) Iss 3982 pg 56. http://www.accel-team.com/motivation/index.html 2007 â€Å"MOTIVATION 2020† – or – how to constitute and properly motivate a successful and efficient work team in 2020? What factors will influence an employees satisfaction and motivation in 2020? Teodora Paligorova Wikipedia

Bacillus Anthracis :: Medical Biology Bacteria Essays

Bacillus Anthracis Background: Bacillus anthracis is a gram-positive spore-forming rod. It was the first bacterium to be used to prove that bacteria caused diseases, when Robert Koch (1877) produced anthrax spores and injected them into animals. Bacillus anthracis is a commonly found in soil of grazing areas. Bacillus anthracis is not a major threat to humans and natural cases are rare even where spores are present. Encounter: Bacillus anthracis is commonly found in soil in low amounts. It affects livestock and can be transmitted to humans through improper handing of an infected animal or by eating undercooked meat from the animal. It is rare for human-to-human infection. Types of Infections and Symptoms: There are 3 main ways that anthrax can infect you. Cutaneous infections are the most common and the least deadly. The normal infection produces a small painless ulcer. If left untreated the Bacillus anthracis may make its way into the bloodstream and death will occur in about 20% of cases. Intestinal infection which comes from eating undercooked meat, and is more deadly then a cutaneous infection but less deadly then a inhalation infection. The symptoms are severe stomach pains along with diarrhea. The death rate if left untreated is between 25% and 60%. Inhalation infection is the most deadly of the infections and happens when you inhale Bacillus anthracis spores. The disease initialy resembles the common cold. This is not the uncommon type of infection, however it is important because of the possible bio-terrorism that could be associated with it. It is fatal if left untreated How it avoids the immune system and damages the host: Bacillus anthracis is a unique because it’s the only one that has a capsule of poly-D-glutamate polypeptide. The capsule helps the bacteria avoid being phagocitzed. This lets the bacteria gain a foothold inside the host. Bacillus anthracis toxin is an A-B toxin comprised of 3 protiens. The protective antigen the edema factor, and lethal factor. Individually all 3 proteins are harmless, but when together they are able to attack the lungs. The first protein is the protective antigen which helps neutralize antitoxin antibodies. The edema factor protein helps bolster the Virulence and is responable for seeking out the target cells. The last protein is the lethal factor, which is protein that is causes cell death. The toxin seeks out our cells, and is able to injects the toxin directly into them, the toxin is deadly inside the cell and quickly produces cell death.

Three Day Blow Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Essay: â€Å"The Three-Day Blow†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drinking is one of people’s main problems. Drinking distorts self-perception and actions. There are many reasons for drinking: depression, happiness, a social event. These incentives are developed in â€Å"The Three-Day Blow† by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway uses drinking as a form of expression through his character Nick and his inner conflict.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This short story is about two friends that decide to spend the day together, forget about their problems and just drink until they realize that drinking has no meaning. It just changes things for a few hours, without r...

Solutions for Terrorism Essays -- essays research papers

Terrorism is a controversial issue which spans the globe, Terrorism is defined as using force to influence or change a political decision. This is a relevant definition which can easily be related to in this day and age. There are many ideas about how to deal with this menacing threat one being a diplomatic solution some believe that the United Nations (UN) should step in and resolve it peacefully. Others oppose this idea and believe that the only solution is violence. Many up hold the idea of violence and that joint North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and special forces operations should tackle the threat head on The history of terrorism can be traced back as far as the French revolution and Guy Fawkes. These acts of terrorism only seem distant reminders of our bloody past but are not a far cry from today’s brutal acts of terrorism. Just as the French government starved their people into submission, Saddam Hussian dropped chemical and biological weapons on thousands of his own people to show that uprisings and political crimes will not be tolerated. Terrorism can be driven in many ways whether its hate, religion or occupation. Most are hell bent on fulfilling their dreams of dying for their cause or religion. Counter-terrorism is a relatively new issue wish has just risen in the past fifty years. It has recently been brought to light the September the eleventh attacks on the pentagon and the world trade centres drew into sharp focus the need to understand and counter the threat of terrorism with extreme use of force to prevent innocent blood shed on British and American soil. Understanding the past lessons of counter-terrorism has never been more important, as the coalition of western super nations response to the th... ...s the anarchists cook book a internet site dedicated to bomb making. The internet has opened a gateway for terrorism to take a more uglier and organised form. On the internet you can even find guides for making shoe bombs, reloading anti-tank guns and even how to shoot at American soldiers. To conclude no matter how terrorism comes to a resolve whether it’s through diplomacy or violence or if it comes to a resolve at all. I believe that a global campaign against terrorism is a realistic option that should be used to tackle the issue. Just as Albert Einstein said â€Å"I do not know what weapons WWIII will be fought with but I assure you WWIV will be fought will sticks and stones† just as Einstein predicts the end of the world with some sort of apocalyptic nuclear or biological weapon will terrorism be the downfall of the 21st century?

Rising food prices

The economic and political ramifications of rising oil prices are astounding. It is interesting how far they reach, and also how deeply dependent countries are on this commodity. It shows that the extent to which oil might be considered fundamental is a significant one, given its impact on the most basic human need: food. The economics of oil demonstrates itself as being perhaps the most intricate of all commodities, as it has the ability to affect not just the economy of its suppliers by also the economy of the entire world. The idea that food (or the lack thereof) can stir national conflict does not appear to be very far-fetched. However, the connection that food has to oil prices certainly places oil (as a commodity) in a much higher place than it perhaps should be. Oil is usually considered closely connected to such non-essential (yet highly used) commodities as gasoline and by extension motor vehicles. The importance of oil on the world market may for this reason have been considered an enigma. However, this connection that it has to food makes it understandable why the demand for oil is so inexorably high (Whitelaw, 2008). Of concern is the realization that the rising food costs have also been affecting the ability of the United Nations’ food aid agency and other philanthropic organizations to provide food for the economically struggling countries. The international aspect of the rising prices may spell doom for certain countries that have benefited from such aid in the past. More frightening is that fact that it may also create further shortages in areas that before had needed no aid, and it has been affecting the chances for relief possessed by refugees fleeing famine in their own countries (Whitelaw, 2008). These implications make it more exigent that alternative energy sources be sought. It may end up being more economical to spend millions on research that will result in a more sustainable form of energy. The prospect of oil depletion in the coming years is clearly not the only problem humans now face in regard to concentration upon this particular energy source. More immediate effects resulting in economic and political tension are clearly serious consequences of humans’ dependence on oil. Reference Whitelaw, K. (2008). â€Å"The dangers from rising food prices: costlier commodities could trigger   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   unrest in poor countries and may curtail food aid to refugees.† U.S. News World Report.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   New York. Available

Love in Different Country Essay

Studying in the U.S. for nearly a year, I learned a lot of knowledge and I made a lot of friends. Some of them are foreigners. This year’s study is very effective for me. In the United States, I found some phenomenons are different between my country and the U.S. Now I mainly want to talk about love in the U.S. and China. The United States is a free country. The United States advocates free development. It pays attention to every person’s personality. Some American friends told me that love is very easy in the United States. Both men and women like each other, then they can fall in love. The parents will not hinder the child’s decision. So children can choose their partner if they want. In China, love and marriage is a very serious and very important thing. The parents always provide a lot of requirements to their children. For example, if my child is a boy, I will tell him, â€Å"Your wife in the future must be a very nice woman. Her family condition must be consistent with our condition.† because in China, many parents consider that only if both parties are consistent with their conditions, the future life can help each other, and the lives will be happy. In my opinion, I think the two points of view are so different, but each opinion has its reason. My questions are: What makes loving anybody in the United States not similar? How do different people in the U.S. falling in love It also represents the different cultures between China and the U.S. If I were allowed to choose which waysuits me, I will choose the American way because I love freedom. Notes: This needs more information in the second and third paragraphs about the reasons why each country has these â€Å"rules† about love. Then, in the conclusion, you can talk about how freedom is an American trait of love and that these reasons are why you want to choose an American style of love or choosing a partner.

Top 5 Companies in Terms of Social Responsibility

November 13, 2012 Top 5 Companies in Terms of Social Responsibility We live in a society that holds companies accountable for their actions in relation to the environment, the welfare of the less fortunate, and the investors that fund them. A company’s actions in terms of social responsibility are placed into three categories: profit responsibility, stakeholder responsibility, and societal responsibility. Profit responsibility refers to a company’s responsibility to maximize profits without using deceptive or unfair practices.Stakeholder responsibility is a company’s responsibility to consider the consequences of its actions on those that can be negatively affected by them. Societal responsibility refers to the duty a company has to preserve the environment and to the public in general. Using these guidelines, CR magazine compiled a list of the most socially responsible companies. The top five on this list are: 1. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. 2. International Busines s Machines Corp 3. Intel Corp. 4. Microsoft Corporation 5. Johnson Controls IncAs a global â€Å"BioPharma† company, Bristol-Myers Squibb uses its resources to formulate medicines that help millions of people affected by various illnesses. They have devised a strategy that combines their resources in order to maximize profit while providing a value to consumers. â€Å"We focus on our customers’ needs, giving maximum priority to accelerating pipeline development, delivering sales growth and continuing to manage costs† (BMS). While making a profit, Bristol-Myers Squibb has continued to pursue its mission to provide access to healthcare through their patient assistance programs.These programs provide free or low cost medicines and services to those that have met financial hardship. In addition, they provide a diverse workforce that respects cultural and familial differences among its employees. As for the environment, Bristol-Myers Squib integrates â€Å"comprehen sive energy management, pollution controls, and other practices to reduce environmental impacts† at their worldwide facilities. â€Å"Bristol-Myers Squibb delivers on its commitments: to our patients and customers, to our employees, to our global communities, to our shareholders and to our environment† (BMS).According to the New York Times, Bristol-Myers Squibb declared a self imposed ban on drug ads in 2005. He reasoning behind this ban was to give physicians time to understand new products before patients began asking for them (Saul). â€Å"We want to make sure that before we start mass media – television, radio and print branded advertising – that physicians have a level of comfort about the treatment and which patients are appropriate for it,† Brian Henry, a spokesman for Bristol-Myers, said (qtd. in Saul).International Business Machines Corp, also known as IBM, is a global technology company that prides itself on thinking outside of the box to â€Å"solve some of the world's most complex problems† (IBM). In terms of corporate citizenship, IBM uses a comprehensive approach to focus on societal issues that include literacy, education, and community economic development. They utilize a global environmental management system to ensure they are protecting the environment at all of their worldwide facilities.Approximately 8% of their purchases are from diverse suppliers and they also have a commitment to maintaining employee diversity. â€Å"IBM believes that a company culture based on core values not only helps our business, but also defines the role that we can and should play in society† (IBM). CBS News published an article detailing IBM’s 2008 study on corporate social responsibility. This study showed that only 17 percent of companies ask customers for their social responsibility concerns. â€Å"IBM believes that by asking customers about their CSR concerns, companies can actually uncover new sales op portunities† (Holstein). One clear implication of the study for top management is this: it no longer suffices to have one office dedicated to CSR, handing out a few community grants. CSR needs to be built into the business units and into the business strategy† (Holstein). Intel prides itself at maintaining the highest standards through leadership, company governance, contributions to health and environment issues, and within its commitment to being socially responsible. The company has created a code of conduct that focuses on improved worker conditions, economic development, and a cleaner environment for communities.Beyond their code of conduct, Intel has an innovative education program that provides girls worldwide with educational opportunities through technology access and community learning programs. They have also created their Teach Program to assist teachers in becoming effective educators. All of this is in line with their vision: â€Å"This decade we will crea te and extend computing technology to connect and enrich the lives of every person on earth† (Intel). According to Huffing Post writer, Ryan Scott, â€Å"Intel has decidedly immodest goals for its corporate community involvement† (Scott). In 2011 alone, Intel funded nine different projects to the tune of $125,000 in total to nine different projects. One of the recent programs is Intel's work studying colony collapse disorder† (Scott). Microsoft Corporation claims global corporate citizenship through the company’s commitment to fulfill its public responsibilities by serving the needs of people in communities worldwide. â€Å"As our company has grown, this commitment has extended far beyond our own products and services and has been amplified many times over through our network of partners, including governments, nonprofits and other organizations† (Microsoft).One of the ways in which Microsoft serves the community is through YouthSpark. YouthSpark is a hub that provides access to tools, programs, and resources to help children and teens imagine and reach their full potential. In addition, they strive to work responsibly through a diverse workforce that provides competitive compensation and extensive employee training in addition to benefits to domestic partners of employees. They also provide humanitarian response worldwide and aid in empowering nonprofit organizations to do the same. We provide powerful technologies and human support that make it possible to keep families and communities connected, and speed the arrival of much needed aid† (Microsoft). Beyond an initial response, Microsoft stays to help rebuild. â€Å"We extend our commitment beyond the immediate need, supporting rebuilding efforts for months and years afterward† (Microsoft). Microsoft’s statement seemed to ring true in a brief article published by the Seattle Times. â€Å"Microsoft said it will donate $1. 25 million, a combination of cash and in-kind donations, to Haiti earthquake relief† (Chan).With this effort, they also encouraged employee participation by â€Å"matching annual donations up to $12,000 per worker and reaching out to local government and non-government agencies to offer help† (Chan). Johnson Controls provides an environment in which their employees understands and values each other’s similarities and differences. â€Å"We cultivate a culture where our people recognize it is the strength of personal relationships across businesses and functions that help us continually succeed† (Johnson Controls).The company also practices diversity in its selection of suppliers, increasing diverse suppliers from 300 to 420 in 2009. Johnson Controls also shares a spirit of giving through global community relations that support arts, education, health and social services, the environment, and leadership development. â€Å"In 2011, Johnson Controls donated more than $15. 4 million worldwide to nonprofit and community organizations in support of these causes† (Johnson Controls). According to WTMJ out of Milwaukee, Johnson Controls made a â€Å"historically large† donation to Milwaukee Public Schools in September 2012. The plan involves an investment in Pulaski High School's automotive program† (WTMJ). While details of the dollar amount were not available, the donation itself is a testament to Johnson Controls support of education. To conclude, a company’s actions in terms of social responsibility are placed into three categories: profit responsibility, stakeholder responsibility, and societal responsibility. The top five are known as, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. , International Business Machines Corp. , Intel Corp. , Microsoft Corporation and Johnson Controls Inc.From resources to formulate medicines that help millions of people affected by various illnesses, to inventing the new Microsoft Windows 8 system, each have become a huge part in society and in our lives and most likely continue to be part of our future. Works Cited BMS. â€Å"Bristol-Myers Squibb – A Global Biopharmaceutical Company. † Bristol-Myers Squibb – A Global Biopharmaceutical Company. N. p. , n. d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. . Chan, Sharon. â€Å"Microsoft Donating $1. 25M to Haiti Earthquake Relief. † Seattle Times. N. p. , 15 Jan. 2010.Web. 10 Nov. 2012. . CR Magazine. â€Å"100 Best Corporate Citizens 2012. † Corporate Responsibility Magazine. N. p. , n. d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. . Holstein, William J. â€Å"IBM's Study on Corporate Social Responsibility: It's a New World. † CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 18 Mar. 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. . IBM. â€Å"IBM – United States. † IBM – United States. N. p. , n. d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. . Intel. â€Å"Company Overview. † Intel. N. p. , n. d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. . Johnson Controls. â€Å"ABOUT USOur Community Focus. † Our Community Focus. N. p. , n. d. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. . Microsoft. â€Å"Microsoft Corporate Citizenship. † Microsoft Corporate Citizenship. N. p. , n. d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. . Saul, Stephanie. â€Å"A Self-Imposed Ban on Drug Ads. † New York Times. N. p. , 15 June 2005. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. . Scott, Ryan. â€Å"Intel: Making the World Better for Every Person on Earth, That's All. † The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost. com, 24 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. . WTMJ. â€Å"TODAY'S TMJ4. † Johnson Controls Set to Give ‘historic' Donation to MPS -. N. p. , 26 Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. .

Influence to the Indian populace Essay

His influence to the Indian populace was so great that when he met an accident while filming the movie, Coolie, the whole nation prayed for his recovery. There was also a great number of Indians who donated blood for the actor. During the taping for the movie, Bachchan wanted a scene to be realistic so he suggested how the punch should be undertaken unfortunately, the acting got so intense that he ended up in pain. For several days, the doctors cannot find the source of Bachchan’s hurt, until one day, a doctor was able to detect a dark spot on his intestine. The dark spot was his undigested when the punch in his abdomen was made. After seventy-two hours of pain, the undigested food could have turned into poison (Mishra 142-143). His intestine was also ruptured as a result of his fall on the steel table after the punch administered by the stuntman (Chopra n. pag. ) The doctors opted for an immediate operation, however, while he was in the operating table, he lost signs of life. He was declared clinically dead until his wife, Jaya shouted that he saw him move his toe. After this remarkable statement of his wife, the doctors were able to revive him (Mishra 142-143). Throughout the period that he was in the hospital, his supporters speculated that the punch that he received was real and intentional—that it was meant to hurt him. However, no proof was established to back up the claim. After the recovery, Bachchan continued filming the movie to where he left off. He also thanked those who offered prayers for his recovery and the support that the entire nation devoted to him. To date, he is the only movie actor who received such sympathy. People from all walks of life showed all the support they can give and it was as if life in India stopped for Bachchan. Life only returned to its normal shape when it was declared that he is already safe (Mishra 142-143) Aside from acting, Bachchan also tried his luck in politics after he was swayed by his friend Rajiv Gandhi, whose mother was assassinated and won by sympathy vote. Bachchan was elected to a Parliamentary seat, however, this prestigious position did not prove beneficial to him as his name was included to a political controversy. Bachchan, his brother and Rajiv were accused with bribery. It was rumored that the Boffors company bribed Indian politicians to ensure that the government will buy tanks and other military equipment from them (Mishra 144). This hullabaloo seriously injured the name that Bachchan was able to established through time so he decided to quit politics two years after he first explored it. After his flop in the field of politics, Bachchan returned to his first love—film making. Bachchan is well loved by the Indians and his acting widely accepted, however, these love and acceptance were not enough to keep his star shining after the political controversy he faced. Mishra, however, points out that his breakdown in politics is not the direct cause of his collapse as a star. Just like the period when he started his sensational career as an actor, the people then were looking for variety, for something new to watch, the Indians also felt this way at some point when Bachchan was the king of the charts. The people were worn-out with the constant revenge and anger theme in his movies and were looking for something new—for a new approach in movies. This was the time when the need to revive Romanticism was felt. The revival of romance in the films brought back the idea of a character and once again motivation replaced generic predictability, something which Bachchan turned his back on (Mishra 138). For Bombay cinema to survive, the romantic twist had to return. And so, as Bachchan’s star waned, romance returned (Mishra 138). After his political stint and cinema flops, Bachchan shifted his attention to a new venture. He created a multi-faceted commercial enterprise known as the Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited or ABCL. The company delved in production and distribution of films and other ventures that involved the movie industry. For sometime, the company enjoyed success in producing movies and even catered the Miss World pageant in India in 1996. However, in its latter years, it faced so many debts that it reached bankruptcy (Indiaoye). His failure both in the political and business worlds, prompted him to go back to where he established his name—the entertainment industry. At 55, he filmed his comeback movie, Mrityutada. It was not as successful as his previous movies but it was enough to sustain him in the entertainment field. Two years after his comeback film, he was named in a BBC poll as the Superstar of the Millennium. This title placed him in equal footing with Sir Lawrence Olivier, Charlie Chaplin and Marlon Brando. Aside from this, he is also the first Asian actor to be included in Madame Tassaud’s wax museum (hindi lyrix n. pag. ). According to Mishra, Bachchan’s success in his career is not only because of his talent in acting but also because of his skill in building his image outside the theater houses. The author suggests three stages in the life of Bachchan that moulded his image as an actor. First is his relationship with his leading ladies, particularly Rekha. Rekha, the daughter of the Hindi actor Ganeshan, is a tall and good looking woman who exhibited real acting talent. She was one of the few actors then who brought â€Å"real sense of character to the films†. She was suspected by journalists to have established a romantic relation with Bachchan and this suspected relationship was â€Å"extensively documented in the fanzines†. Mishra suggests that this added to the growth of the â€Å"quietly sanctioned counternarrative† by the actor himself. However, Bachchan imposed censorship when journalists began to pester him (Mishra 140). The affair of Rekha and Bachchan was better revealed in the movie Silsila (Continuity, 1981). In this movie the actors showed what they could not reveal in real life—depicting the love triangle that exists between Jaya, the wife; Bachchan, the husband; and Rekha, the mistress (Mishra 141).

Advantage and Disadvantage of Telecommunication

Although face-to-face communication would be the preferred method of conducting an intervention, it is likely that elephone interventions will be used by most pharmacies at some stage. This brief guide will help you and your staff communicate more effectively when using the telephone as part of the NMS. The words we use make up less than 10% of the way we communicate in a face-toface situation, with the way we say these words (paralinguistics) and body language making up the remaining percentage. When you are dealing with someone over the telephone you cannot see them, which deprives you of most of the information you would normally have about the other person (body language, eye contact etc). Related article: Disadvantages of Aquatic Plants You can base your judgements only on the words you can hear and the way they are being said, which can sometimes present challenges. Advantages and disadvantages Some of the advantages and disadvantages of telephone communication are: Telephone communication Advantages of communicating by telephone: †¢ ofteneasiertoreachsomeonebyphone than by trying to arrange to see them in person; more convenient for patients †¢ morelikelytosucceedincontacting someone – especially if a time / date has been agreed (few people are able to ignore the telephone and leave it ringing) telephoneconversationsare,onaverage, shorter than face-to-face conversations as it’s easier to control the conversation and take the initiative. Disadvantages of communicating by telephone: †¢ it’smoredifficulttoestablisharapporton the telephone, as you don’t have all the visual signals that help you to get on the â€Å"same wavelength† as the other person †¢ whenphonin gsomeoneit’spossibleto intrude at an inconvenient time and not realise it †¢ it’seasytoassumethatyouhavetheother person’s undivided attention †¢ youaremorelikelytogetdistractedand let your attention wander itismoredifficulttoavoid misunderstandings – you cannot use visual behaviour to get feedback on whether your message has been understood or if there are things left unsaid †¢ somethingsareimpossibletocheckover the telephone such as inhaler techniques †¢ youaremorelikelytobelieveyoucando other things at the same time as using the telephone – DON’T! Voice matching Thefirstthreesecondsofaphonecall are important, as this is when the other person makes a judgement about the caller. When making an outgoing call listen to the pitch, speed, volume and tone of the other erson’svoicewhentheyfirstspeakandtry to â€Å"match† it. Matching is a good way of building rapport, which can otherwise be difficultoverthetelepho ne,andmakesthe other person feel more comfortable. Tips for effective telephone interventions Opening the conversation NMS intervention Introduce yourself clearly and ask to speak to the patient using their preferred title / name. Check it’s still convenient to speak to the patient. If the patient is concerned about disclosing sensitive personal information over the telephone and cannot besatisfiedthatthecallerisringingfrom he pharmacy he / she may contact the pharmacy directly instead. Explain in a clear, simple manner the purpose of the call – check the patient understands the nature of the NMS and the reasons for the discussion. Youshouldalsoconfirmconsentatthis stage. Inform the patient you will be asking a series of questions about their new medicines and that you will be making notes as you go along. Listen to the patient’s responses as you work though the questions – resist the temptation to interrupt. Demonstrate you are listening by making noises such as â€Å"um†, â€Å"yes†, and â€Å"really†. Use assertive behaviour to stay in control of the call – use open / closed questions as appropriate (open questions invite detailed answers whereas closed questions invite single word answers). Body language Body language, even though it can’t be seen, can affect our voice when on the telephone. Therefore, think about your posture whilst on the phone. If you are comfortable and relaxed your voice is likely to reflect this. Remember to smile – even though it can’t be seen it will be â€Å"heard† and you will sound friendly and assertive. If you are standing up whilst n the telephone this can also make you sound more assertive, and it is another way of ending a telephone call if you stand up during a conversation. Using a closed question for example is often helpful in stopping an enthusiastic patient digressing from appropriate lines of questioning. Do not rush through the call. Talk at the patient’s pace and pause after providing advice or of fering solutions to a problem to allow the patient to air their views about this. Finally agree the time / date for any followup intervention. Remember to give the call your undivided attention! Advantage and Disadvantage of Telecommunication Although face-to-face communication would be the preferred method of conducting an intervention, it is likely that elephone interventions will be used by most pharmacies at some stage. This brief guide will help you and your staff communicate more effectively when using the telephone as part of the NMS. The words we use make up less than 10% of the way we communicate in a face-toface situation, with the way we say these words (paralinguistics) and body language making up the remaining percentage. When you are dealing with someone over the telephone you cannot see them, which deprives you of most of the information you would normally have about the other person (body language, eye contact etc). Related article: Disadvantages of Aquatic Plants You can base your judgements only on the words you can hear and the way they are being said, which can sometimes present challenges. Advantages and disadvantages Some of the advantages and disadvantages of telephone communication are: Telephone communication Advantages of communicating by telephone: †¢ ofteneasiertoreachsomeonebyphone than by trying to arrange to see them in person; more convenient for patients †¢ morelikelytosucceedincontacting someone – especially if a time / date has been agreed (few people are able to ignore the telephone and leave it ringing) telephoneconversationsare,onaverage, shorter than face-to-face conversations as it’s easier to control the conversation and take the initiative. Disadvantages of communicating by telephone: †¢ it’smoredifficulttoestablisharapporton the telephone, as you don’t have all the visual signals that help you to get on the â€Å"same wavelength† as the other person †¢ whenphonin gsomeoneit’spossibleto intrude at an inconvenient time and not realise it †¢ it’seasytoassumethatyouhavetheother person’s undivided attention †¢ youaremorelikelytogetdistractedand let your attention wander itismoredifficulttoavoid misunderstandings – you cannot use visual behaviour to get feedback on whether your message has been understood or if there are things left unsaid †¢ somethingsareimpossibletocheckover the telephone such as inhaler techniques †¢ youaremorelikelytobelieveyoucando other things at the same time as using the telephone – DON’T! Voice matching Thefirstthreesecondsofaphonecall are important, as this is when the other person makes a judgement about the caller. When making an outgoing call listen to the pitch, speed, volume and tone of the other erson’svoicewhentheyfirstspeakandtry to â€Å"match† it. Matching is a good way of building rapport, which can otherwise be difficultoverthetelepho ne,andmakesthe other person feel more comfortable. Tips for effective telephone interventions Opening the conversation NMS intervention Introduce yourself clearly and ask to speak to the patient using their preferred title / name. Check it’s still convenient to speak to the patient. If the patient is concerned about disclosing sensitive personal information over the telephone and cannot besatisfiedthatthecallerisringingfrom he pharmacy he / she may contact the pharmacy directly instead. Explain in a clear, simple manner the purpose of the call – check the patient understands the nature of the NMS and the reasons for the discussion. Youshouldalsoconfirmconsentatthis stage. Inform the patient you will be asking a series of questions about their new medicines and that you will be making notes as you go along. Listen to the patient’s responses as you work though the questions – resist the temptation to interrupt. Demonstrate you are listening by making noises such as â€Å"um†, â€Å"yes†, and â€Å"really†. Use assertive behaviour to stay in control of the call – use open / closed questions as appropriate (open questions invite detailed answers whereas closed questions invite single word answers). Body language Body language, even though it can’t be seen, can affect our voice when on the telephone. Therefore, think about your posture whilst on the phone. If you are comfortable and relaxed your voice is likely to reflect this. Remember to smile – even though it can’t be seen it will be â€Å"heard† and you will sound friendly and assertive. If you are standing up whilst n the telephone this can also make you sound more assertive, and it is another way of ending a telephone call if you stand up during a conversation. Using a closed question for example is often helpful in stopping an enthusiastic patient digressing from appropriate lines of questioning. Do not rush through the call. Talk at the patient’s pace and pause after providing advice or of fering solutions to a problem to allow the patient to air their views about this. Finally agree the time / date for any followup intervention. Remember to give the call your undivided attention!