Saturday, August 31, 2019

Developing Shop Online in China Essay

I. The development of new technology A. The Internet communication skills B. Computer program systems 1. The feedback-based reputation system 2. The E-payment system II. The characteristics of shopping online A. Low-price strategy B. Diversity of products III. Some changes in people’s lifestyle A. Logistics development makes life more convenient B. People prefer to stay at home because of the Internet Developing Shopping Online in China Have you had a good experience of shopping online? It might have been common in the US; however, the only approach for Chinese to buy clothes or food was to go to the mall or supermarket ten years ago. Shopping online has become more and more popular in China and has been adopted as a common way to shop. A report, conducted by iResearch, an online market research company, said that the first year’s trade volume of Chinese online market soared 95.8% (as cited in Ding, 2009,  ¶2). People in China now prefer to click to the website, select products and make sure to purchase. There are two common types of e-commerce websites in China: B2C and C2C. B2C presents business-to-consumer, and C2C stands for consumer-to-consumer. A few e-commerce websites, such as Dangdang (www.dangdang.com.cn, the largest and most popular B2C website in China), and Taobao (www.taobao.com, the largest C2C website in China, owned by Alibaba.com), â€Å"have won great success and established good reputat ion among online consumers†(Lu, Zhou& Bin, 2007,  ¶1). The reasons that shopping online has been developed and improved in such a high speed in China are the development of technology, the characteristics of shopping, and the improvement of people’s lifestyle. The first reason why shopping online has become a significant role in China is the development of the technology, such as network communication skills, e-payment system and the feedback-based reputation system. The Internet has had widespread effects on Chinese since it was first introduced into China in 1995. The Internet, a recent innovation, has become a significant intermediary for not only communication but also commerce. Compared with traditional shopping approaches, the features of the Internet will be considered by buyers, and people will think whether the characteristics of the Internet are preferred when shopping online (Joseph& Dong, 2006,  ¶6). The three steps when consumers are shopping in the Internet are to click their mouse, search for what they want to buy , and make sure to purchase, while they even don’t have to talk to sellers. The convenience of the Internet leads shopping online to be the first choice. Moreover, most consumers are concerned with computer program systems related to payment safety or product reputation when shopping online. Such computer program systems have been set up to ensure consumers’ profits. A lot of online shopping websites, such as eBay.com and Taobao.com use feedback-based reputation system, in which the sellers’ and buyers’ reputation and credit will be recorded and marked based on transaction in the past. It means a lot in online C2C market, and the seller will be trusted if s/he has a good reputation, which brings about good sales (Bo, Zhangxi, & Bingjia, 2010,  ¶20). Nelson (1970) sorted products into experience and search goods. People want to try the quality of experience products right before they buy the products, while people have to see search products through some information provided online. In other words, the products bought online are search goods. People have to decide whether to buy only after reading a few lines of words (as cited in Bo, Zhangxi, & Bingjia, 2010,  ¶22). Without feedback-based reputation system, potential consumers would not have accepted the new approach of shopping. Also, the former comments and scores from buyers and the scores which buyers get from sellers, depending on whether the buyers pay in time or not make feedback-based reputation system become a special credit system for not only vendors but also consumers. Another important system researched and developed for shopping online is payment system which protects consumers’ money from being taken away by sellers without receiving products or not being satisfied with the products. â€Å"Alipayment†, which belongs to Taobao.com, is the typical payment system known among online buyers. Even though there are still some shortcomings needed to be improved in these systems, technology makes it possible and promotes the development of shopping online in China. Secondly, the characteristics of shopping online are considered to be another important reason that promotes the development of shopping online in China. Low-price strategy, diversity of products and convenience of shopping style are three of the most obvious features of shopping online, which attracts more and more people in China involved in shopping online, and not only young people but also old people are interested in online shopping. Price and type are two of the most significant features of product, which influence buyers’ choice when they are shopping online (Bo, Zhangxi, & Bingjia, 2010,  ¶21). Because sellers can reduce operation and storage cost, products online are usually less expen sive than products bought in a traditional way. Lower price has been one of the most important factors, which makes shopping online the best choice in China. There are 10,000 shops which were opened everyday in 2008, while more than 140 million Chinese became loyal customers of shops online (Lan, 2009,  ¶4). Nevertheless, product price is sometimes connected with cheating and fraud, and buyers can’t recognize whether or not the sellers online are cheating on product price. That will be an important issue in online shopping (Bo, Zhangxi, & Bingjia, 2010,  ¶21). Had sellers online had the same price as traditional sellers or higher price, the online market would not have bloomed. Another characteristics of shopping online, diversity of products, promotes the development of shopping online. Imagine that there are two choices for consumers when shopping: buying goods in different shops or buying all stuff in one big shop. Obviously, people prefer to shop in one place and purchase all the stuff they list. Like shopping in a big shopping mall, people buy all they need online on one website without driving out or walking a long distance, crowding in the crowd and sweating in different shops. All consumers need is to search what they want, and compare the prices and comments. Liu claims, â€Å"Best selling online items include clothing, cosmetics, home furnishing, outdoor sports equipment, personal computer, jewelry, laptops and small home appliance†(Liu, 2009,  ¶27). The characteristics of shopping online, low-price strategy, diversity of products and convenience of shopping style, attract more and more people and lead to the promotion of shopping online. Thirdly, the development of people’s lifestyle contributes to the emergence and development of shopping online in China. With the rapid growth of Chinese economy, not only has per capita income improved significantly, but also people are getting accustomed to the faster pace of life. That involved in the development of shopping online as an important factor. Due to the faster pace of life, a kind of new industry—express delivery industry—has arisen. The convenience of shopping online is considered to be a significant reason for consumers. Because of the development of express delivery industry, which belongs to modern logistics, the buyers don’t have to go out to take stuff back home, and just sit in front of the monitor to wait for delivering. Express delivery industry is developing in a rapid pace because of the boom of online shopping. In China, people now are interested in sitting in front of a computer, clicking the mouse, and shopping online (Liu, 2012,  ¶1). The development of express delivery industry has been outstanding in recent years, which has been proven by a year-on-year increase of 20% from 2009. There are 542,000 people working for express delivery industry, and express delivery companies have been set up everywhere around China. Because of the appearance of online shopping, the express delivery industry developed better and faster (Liu, 2011,  ¶3, 4, 5, 6). At the same time, express delivery industry promotes the development of shopping online. The promotion of express delivery industry makes more and more people trust in shopping online.What consumers need to do after making sure to purchase is to wait for stuff being delivered in a few days. Such convenience really helps people who suffer from the faster pace of life: they don’t have to go out to shop, and just stay at home to get everything they want. Another change in people’s lifestyle is that people prefer to stay at home rather than go out for fun. Because of the Internet, online entertainment has become the most popular way to spend time. Not only chatting online or playing online games but also shopping online has been a significant role in people’s daily life. Evidences are that not only can people buy concrete goods online, but also a lot of abstract goods, such as game cards and mobile phone recharge cards, can be found in online shops. The changes of people’s lifestyle and the emergence and development of express delivery industry make contribution to the development of shopping online in China, which makes life more convenient. In conclusion, the development of technology, the characteristics of shopping and the improvement of people’s lifestyle are three main reasons why shopping online has become an important role in China. Due to the developing of shopping online, a new approach of shopping has appeared which makes shopping more convenient for consumers; moreover, it promotes the development of tertiary industry and economic development in China. Shopping online offers many jobs in China; for example, Taobao.com, the biggest shopping online website, provided 570,000 jobs in 2008. Moreover, shopping online offers much more chances for young persons between 23 and 32 years old to run their online shops with government’s support (Lan, 2009,  ¶16, 17, 18). Because of the development of Chinese shopping online, many overseas shopping websites have noticed the future of this market flourish. Alipay, third party payment tool, has enrolled 300 overseas online shops to get access to Chinese online shopping market (Lan, 2009,  ¶9). In other words, the local online shoppers will face more opportunities in the future. References Bo, X., Zhangxi, L., & Bingjia, S. (2010). Factors affecting consumer behaviors in online buy-it-now auctions. Internet Research, 20(5), 509-526. doi:10.1108/10662241011084086 Ding, W. (2009). Cheaper prices or better services?. Beijing Review, 52(37), 28-29. Lan, X. (2009). Online shopping spree (cover story). Beijing Review, 52(37), 26-27. Liu, X. (2009). You want it, the web has it. Beijing Review, 52(37), 30-31. Liu, X. (2011). Express reform for speedy deliveries. Beijing Review, 54(30), 36-37. Liu, X. (2012). Delivering satisfaction. Beijing Review, 55(2), 34-35. Lu, Y., Zhou, T., & Bin, W. (2007). A comparison of prices in electronic markets and traditional markets of China. Chinese Economy, 40(5), 67-83. doi:10.2753/CES1097-1475400504 Joseph, R., & Dong, S. (2006). E-commerce adoption among Chinese consumers: an exploratory study. Journal Of International Consumer Marketing, 18(3), 33-55. doi:10.1300/J046v18n03-03

Friday, August 30, 2019

Specific Investment Decisions

SPECIFIC INVESTMENT DECISIONSQ1. If a company leases rather than buy an asset, which of the following will not be a benefit to the purchaser? (MCQ)Avoiding Tax exhaustionExploiting a low cost of capital Attract lease customers Potential future scrap(2 marks) Q2. Willow Co has already decided to accept a project and is now considering how to finance the project. The asset could be leased over three years at a rental of $23,000 per annum, payable at the start of each year. Tax is payable at 25%, one year in arrears. The post-tax cost of borrowing is 8%. Calculate the net present value of the leasing option. (FIB)Years Cash flows ($)0 – 2 Rentals (23,000)2 – 4 Tax relief 5,75041084542545000NOTE: Negative answer should be shown with a negative sign (-)$(2 marks) Q3. Select the correct Lease option based on the statements given. (HA)It is a rental agreement OPERATING FINANCEMaintenance & Servicing cost of Lessee OPERATING FINANCEAgreement for the useful life of the asset OPERATING FINANCEIncluded in the balance sheet of the Lessor OPERATING FINANCE(2 marks) Q4. Tango Co. needs to decide about an asset that will be used in a project. The company has an option to either Buy the asset or Lease it. If Tango Co. opts for Buy option the following information is given: The asset is bought using a bank loan for $400,000 for a time period of three years. The scrap value of the asset is $30,000 & annual maintenance cost will be $12,000 per annum. Calculate the present value for year two using a cost of borrowing of 5% (ignoring taxation)? (MCQ)$30,000$(11,424)$(10,884)$15,552(2 marks) Q5. What are the relevant cash flows for Buy option? (MRQ)Investment and Disposal proceedsRepair & Maintenance costTax allowable depreciationTax saving on Servicing cost(2 marks) Q6. Beamer Co. wants to replace a Dyeing machine on 31st December 2017. The machine is expected to cost $360,000 if purchased immediately, payable on 31st December 2017. After four years company expects technological changes in the market making this machine redundant and leaving a scrap value of $20,000 on 31st December 2021. Capital allowance on 25% reducing balance basis. A full year allowance is given for acquisition but no writing down allowance in the year of disposal. If the maintenance cost is $15,000 per year payable at each year end & tax rate is 30%.What will be the Balancing Charge/Allowance? (MCQ)$28,172 Balancing Charge$27,000 Balancing Allowance$11,391 Balancing Charge$28,172 Balancing Allowance(2 marks) Q7. Putin Co has decided to invest in a new machine which has a ten-year life and no disposal proceeds. The machine can either be purchased now for $55,000, or it can be leased for ten years with lease rental payments of $10,000 per annum payable at the end of each year. The cost of capital to be applied is 11% and taxation should be ignored. What should be done? (MCQ)Purchase the machineLease the machineSale or LeasebackDo nothing(2 marks) Q8. A machine is leased using operating lease & the annual lease rental for six years will be $67,000 payable at each year-end. The first rental will be payable at the start of year one. Calculate net present value using a cost of capital of 13%? (FIB) 3816353683000$(2 marks) Q9. A machine is leased using finance lease & the annual lease rental for three years will be $95,000 payable at each year-end. The first rental will be payable at end of year zero in advance. The maintenance cost is $10,000 per annum for three years. Calculate net cash flow for year two using tax save rate of 30% recording in the year cash flow arises? (MCQ)$(66,500)$(73,500)$(7,000)$28,500(2 marks) Q10. â€Å"Assets with unequal lives cannot be compared to a comparison will not be like with like†. Which of the following option relates to the above statement? (MCQ)Equivalent annual costProfitability indexAsset Replacement decisionProbability analysis (2 marks) Q11. Project A with an NPV of $4m with six-year duration. Project B with an NPV of $5m with seven-year duration. Project C with NPV of $6m with a three-year duration. Cost of capital is 12%. Which of the following will be ranked second? (MCQ)Project AProject BProject CNone of the above(2 marks) Q12. The net present value of the costs of operating a machine for the next three years is $10,437 at a cost of capital of 16%. What is the equivalent annual cost of operating the machine? (FIB)4114806477000$ (2 marks) Q13. KD Co. is deciding to replace cargo planes every year or every two years. The initial cost of the plane is $200,000. The maintenance charges are as follows: First year it's Nil ; $25,000 at the end of the second year. The second-hand value would fall from $110,000 to $90,000 if it held on the plane for two years instead of a one year. KD Co. cost of capital is 4%. How often should KD Co. replace their cargo planes % what will be the equivalent annual cost of the option they choose? (MCQ)Replace every 1 year $(94,180)Replace every 1 year $(97,900)Replace every 2 years $(139,875)Replace every 2 years $(48,450)(2 marks) Q14. Which of the following statements is/are a limitation for Asset Replacement Decision? (MRQ)Replacement made every time is better than the previous assetAssets replaced have same cash inflows every yearAssumed that Machines replaced have different operational efficiencies than the previous assetIt ignores environmental damage(2 marks) Q15. Capital Rationing is the restriction on organizations ability to invest in all projects due to insufficient funds. Select the relevant statements whether they are true or false. (HA)Hard Capital Rationing is the limit on the amount of finance available imposed by the lending institutions TRUE FALSESoft Capital Rationing is the limit on the amount of finance available imposed by the lending institutions TRUE FALSEProfitability index is a solution applicable to divisible projects only TRUE FALSETrial ; Error method is the solution applicable to divisible projects only TRUE FALSE(2 marks) Q16. Riddle Co. is appraising three investment projects but is experiencing a capital rationing in Year 0. No capital rationing is expected in future, but all the projects are important for the company and cannot be delayed ; a decision needs to be taken. Riddle Co. cost of capital is 6%. Which order should the projects to be ranked? The following information is available: (MCQ)Project The outlay in year 0 ($) Present Value ($) Net Present Value ($)Jeremy 115,000 121,900 12,190James 43,000 45,580 13,674Richard 75,000 79,500 47,700Jeremy, Richard, JamesJames, Jeremy, RichardRichard, James, JeremyJeremy, James, Richard (2 marks) Q17. What is an indivisible project?It is the ratio of the NPV of a project to its investment costIt is the project that must be undertaken completely or not at allIt is the project that must be undertaken completely or partiallyIt is the project restriction due to insufficient funds(2 marks)The following information relates to Q18 ; Q19.Schneider Co. is facing a capital constraint of $150m immediately available for investment. The investments in possible projects are: Project Initial Cost ($m) NPV ($m)W 30 7X 70 12Y 60 12Z 40 16 Q18. If the projects are divisible, what is the NPV generated from the optimum investment programme? (FIB)35115524765 00 $ Million(2 marks) Q19. If the projects are indivisible, what is the NPV generated from the optimum investment programme? (MCQ)$19m$24m$28m$35m(2 marks) Q20. Place the calculation steps of Profitability index in the correct order. (P;D)Monitor the investment made in the project 1Calculate profitability index of each project 2Allocate the funds 3Rank the project 4(2 marks)SPECIFICINVESTMENT DECISIONS (ANSWERS)Q1. AAvoiding tax exhaustion is a benefit for lessee rather than the purchaser. Tax exhaustion is when a business has negative taxable income so cannot benefit from tax saving.Exploiting a low cost of capital is a benefit for the purchaserAttracting lease customers is a benefit to a lessorPotential future scrap is a benefit for the purchaser as the lessee is not entitled to future scrap proceeds Q2. $-50,289Years Cash flows ($) Discount Factor (8%) Present value ($)0 – 2 Rentals (23,000) 1 + 1.783 (64,009)2 – 4 Tax relief 5,750 3.312 – 0.926 13,720NPV (50,289) Q3. CIt is a rental agreement OPERATING Maintenance ; Servicing cost of Lessee FINANCEAgreement for the useful life of the asset FINANCEIncluded in the balance sheet of the Lessor OPERATING Q4. Year 0 1 2 3Investment / Scrap value (400,000) 30,000Maintenance (12,000) (12,000) (12,000)Net Cash flow (400,000) (12,000) (12,000) 18,000DF 5% 1 0.952 0.907 0.864Present value (400,000) (11,424) (10,884) 15,552 Q5. All cash flows are relevant for Buy option Q6. DYear 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022Investment / Scrap value (360,000) 20,000 Tax save 27,000 20.250 15,188 11,391 28,172Workings:2017 (360,000 Ãâ€" 25%) = 90,000 Ãâ€" 30% = 27,0002018 (90,000 Ãâ€" 0.75) = 67,500 Ãâ€" 30% = 20,2502019 (67,500 Ãâ€" 0.75) = 50,625 Ãâ€" 30% = 15,1882020 (50,625 Ãâ€" 0.75) = 37,969 Ãâ€" 30% = 11,391Balancing Allowance (113,906 – 20,000) = $ 28,172 Q7. APresent value of leasing costs PV = Annuity factor at 11% for 10 years Ãâ€" $10,000 = 5.889 Ãâ€" $10,000 = $58,890 If the machine was purchased now, it would cost $55,000. The purchase is therefore the least-cost financing option, hence choosing the purchase option. Q8. $ – 267,866$67,000 Ãâ€" 3.998 (annuity factor for 6 years) = $ – 267,866 Q9. BYear 0 1 2 3Lease rentals (95,000) (95,000) (95,000) Maintenance (10,000) (10,000) (10,000)Tax save 30% (LR) 28,500 28,500 28,500 (M) 3,000 3,000 3,000Net cash flow (66,500) (73,500) (73,500) (7000) Q10. CEquivalent annual cost is method of converting asset lives to be like with likeProfitability index is the method to overcome capital rationingAsset Replacement decision is correctProbability analysis is method under risk ; uncertainty Q11. BProject A = $4 à · 4.111 (AF 6 years) = $0.973mProject B = $5 à · 4.564 (AF 7 years) = $1.096mProject C = $6 à · 2.402 (AF 3 years) = $2.498m Q12. $4,647EAC = $10,437 à · 2.246 (AF 3 years) = $4,647 Q13. DYear 1 Year Cash flow ($) DF (4%) PV ($)0 (200,000) 1 (200,000)1 110,000 0.962 105,820NPV (94,180)EAC = 94,180 à · 0.962 = 97,900Year 2 Year Cash flow ($) DF (4%) PV ($)0 (200,000) 1 (200,000)1 – 0.962 -2 (25,000) + 90,000 0.925 60,125NPV (139,875)EAC = 139,875 à · 2.887 = 48,450 Q14. Assets replaced have same cash inflows every year ; it ignores environmental damageReplacement made every time is like with likeAssets replaced have same cash inflows every year (limitation)Assumed that Machines replaced have same operational efficiencies like the previous assetIt ignores environmental damage, It ignores non-financial aspects (limitation) Q15.Hard Capital Rationing is the limit on the amount of finance available imposed by the lending institutions TRUE Soft Capital Rationing is the limit on the amount of finance available imposed by the lending institutions FALSE Profitability index is a solution applicable to divisible projects only TRUE Trial ; Error method is the solution applicable to divisible projects onlyFALSESoft Capital Rationing is the limit on the amount of finance available imposed by the company itself.Trial ; Error method is the solution applicable to indivisible projects only Q16. D. Jeremy, James, RichardProject The outlay in year 0 ($) Present Value($) Net Present Value ($) Profitability IndexJeremy 115,000 121,900 12,190 0.1James 43,000 45,580 13,674 0.3Richard 75,000 79,500 47,700 0.6Jeremy = (12,190 à · 121,900) = 0.1James = (13,674 à · 45,580) = 0.3Richard = (47,700 à · 79,500) = 0.6 Q17. BIt is the ratio of the NPV of a project to its investment cost (Profitability index)It is the project that must be undertaken completely or not at all (Indivisible project)It is the project that must be undertaken completely or partially (Divisible project) It is the project restriction due to insufficient funds (Capital rationing) Q18. $38.4mProject Profitability Index Ranking Investment ($) NPV ($)W ( 7 à · 30) = 0.23 2 30 Ãâ€"0.23 7X ( 12 à · 70) = 0.17 4 20 Ãâ€" 0.17 3.4Y ( 12 à · 60) = 0.2 3 60 Ãâ€" 0.2 12Z ( 16 à · 40) = 0.4 1 40 Ãâ€" 0.4 16Total 150 38.4 Q19. DCombination:W + X Cost $100m NPV $19mW + Y + Z Cost $130m NPV $35mX + Y Cost $130m NPV $24mX + Z Cost $110m NPV $28mY + Z Cost $100m NPV $28m Q20. Monitor the investment made in the project 4Calculate profitability index of each project 1Allocate the funds 3Rank the project 2

Ethics Handbook Essay

We chose you as an employee of Company X because we see you as a valuable person who can contribute to the same priority. As a team member of Company X, are goals are clear. Through public respect, responsiveness, and accountability as our core values, we are able to remain leaders in the industry. The success of our company is dependent on you, our stakeholders, and our customers. We take great pride in our reputation in the industry and continually monitor ourselves for ways we can improve business for our clients, stakeholders, policymakers, and the general public, both local and national. Our reliability is measured through our commitment to delivering service with integrity and through honorable conduct. Because we are at the forefront of public service, we are judged on our choices and decisions. Our reputation is based on the public’s view of our commitment to ethical business practices and our respect for society. As an organization we aim to maintain active engagement in ethical behavior that promotes social responsibility in everyday practices. This is where you come in as an employee. We encourage all employees to actively participate in community outreach and events that foster both your own growth and the growth of social values. Company X will reward this activity if accompanied with ethical decision making by increasing promotion opportunities and/or allowing this experience to be counted in your job description. If you are interested in this opportunity, see Human Resources for a list of approved community outreach opportunities. Company X Values It is the policy of Company X to embrace ethical behavior through clear communication of the laws, rules and expectations that are defined in this code of ethics. In addition, Company X values accountability for good ethical choices and socially respected behavior. We rely on every member to evaluate their own behavior and conduct respectable business through solid every day decision making. Ethics are not fixed, and subject to interpretation through each and every interaction between everyone involved. Because value s and ethical decision making can be challenging, Company X wants to take some of the pressure off the complexities of making difficult ethical decisions. Therefore, this manual provides directives used to evaluate and interpret best practices in the business environment. In addition, these policies and all regulations including administrative actions, apply to all staff  members, contractors, and volunteers and are strictly enforced (see section Member Misconduct).The manual also contains fixed principles, mandatory training, resources for questionable situations, ethics mentor, anonymous hotline, and resources for situations that may be questionable. A signed copy of this manual will be placed in all member’s personnel file and will be used as reference for future use. Please be sure you understand these policies and procedures before you sign the document. We begin by outlining and defining the standards of social and ethical conduct. In addition to standards of behavior, training is outlined. Training is mandated to all staff employed by Company X. Additional training and resources are offered throughout the year in respon se to the changing needs of the industry and social issues and will be announced semi-annually. Principles of Behavior and Conduct No member, contractor or person acting as a representative shall: Discriminate against clients, coworkers, stakeholders, Accept monetary compensation, services in trade or benefit from any interaction directly or indirectly related to the services provided by company x if the value is determined to be at or above $30. Engage in, use or create an appearance of using official capacity to influence clients stakeholders, or other members for personal or professional gain. Knowingly make statements or take action that is untruthful or can be reasonably determined to be untruthful. Engage either directly or indirectly in political campaigns, nor engage in political conversation with anyone while acting in capacity of Company X business. Retaliate against any member who comes forward with claims of ethical violations. Retaliation is mandatory termination of employment without further warning (see section Member Misconduct). All members contractors, or persons acting as a representative shall: Report all incidents of violations to the Ethics Office. Interact and promote personal integrity, honesty, fairness and confidence in compliance with all laws, rules, policies and regulations both internally and externally. Maintain confidentiality in all interactions. Written, verbal, email, phone. Avoid inappropriate associations with clients or client representatives. Engage, actively encourage and support community involvement through support and reassurance in wrap-around service delivery. Utilize efficient use of resources in such a way that minimizes the impact to the environment (energy and materials). Report suspected, potential, or clear violation of ethical misconduct. All members in the chain of command are held to the same standards. Contractors, and any individual acting in a capacity to officially represent Company X are also required to carry out all actions with an intent to promote public trust, integrity, and confidence. From team members to corporate leaders, we expect the same set of principles through a set model of best practices. Best practices is recognized by asking yourself is this decision going to cause harm to someone, is this situation going to violate law or company policy, is my action going to violate stakeholder values, or compromise my position within my job role? Best practices will help us all to remove some of the risks we might face in everyday decision making by communicating set values, social responsibility and ethical standards for all members. Because best practices is subjective, training and resources will be available to provide leadership and mentoring. We encourage open discussion when personal values and ethi cs might cause conflict or confusion. As a condition of continued employment, mandatory ethics training is provided and monitored (see monitoring ethics section below). Ethics Training Leadership teams attend annual ethics training. Training includes skills to monitor and mentor lower staff. As a result, members can be confident that management is able to provide guidance and support for most ethical decisions. In order to communicate Company X’s policies, values, and changing trends in legal and social ethical issues formal training is required. Company X models this by providing training. As a result, all staff are required to complete the following formal training: In the first month of employment, all staff will go through instructor led training targeted toward individual and group acknowledgement of legal situations, ethical dilemmas, social responsibility and reporting requirements. This interactive training will present scenarios in which employees will make decisions whether ethical violations may or may not have occurred. Independent trainers with local management will evaluate answers and offer answers to difficult scenarios. All staff will take a yearly instructor led course on the history of civil rights and one follow up interactive on line course which presents current social, business and ethical issues in industry. General managers will receive value based ethics training  tailored from annual risk assessment data. The goal is for managers to set modeled behavior and create positive influence. Company X sponsors an annual Industry Standards Town Hall meeting. We value transparency and company input from all of us and our intentions are to provide all of us the opportunity to go over changing social issues, our previous year’s successes and failures, and what can we do to support the values of Company X, our clients, and community partners. Our company will be closed on this day while each of us enjoy a paid day to come and participate in this interactive get together. Member Misconduct Company X recognizes ethical conduct is not always easy to define. We value fairness and strive to provide impartial judgment based on facts and data. All reports of violations are reviewed and judged by an independent review board who will at determination of reported violations, determine consequences and refer cases for criminal prosecution if necessary. Consequences for violation of ethical misconduct will be strictly enforced. Company X has zero tolerance for unethical behavior. Informal and formal offenses will be forwarded to the Ethics Committee for record keeping purposes. Informal counsel for misconduct not related to any act of gross misconduct. This is the preferred method for first time offenses. Formal counsel is written report placed in member file for duration of one year. Two written reports within one year that are found to be validated through investigation will result either in unpaid suspension or immediate termination. Unpaid suspension. Gross negligence results in immediate termination and will be referred for criminal prosecution. Monitoring Auditing and Reporting Video monitoring in central locations where customer interactions will be supervised by an independent contractor. This is to protect you as an employee, protect customer interactions, and protect the interest of Company X. All computer and resource use by all employees is subject to monitoring and will be strictly enforced. IT managers have unlimited access to company owned property. Due to the potential time sensitive situations that may arise, no notice will be given prior to IT management accessing company computers. Team members personnel files will be maintained and include reported violations. These files will be analyzed for trends that can be traced back to departments, leaders, hiring practices, or substandard training. The Ethics Office, and Human Resources do not require your written consent for  release of information related to ethical violations. Semi-annual audits will be conducted on all departments within Company X by the Ethics A udit committee: Anonymous hotline reports will be compiled and reported to the Ethics Audit committee. Plan for Evaluating and Improving the Ethics Program After Implementation. The final results of all data compiled by the Ethics Office will be submitted to Corporate Leadership Committee who will analyze the results in order to evaluate potential changes to Company X’s ethical inventory. Data will also be collected from hotline calls, imposed ethical violations, and employee suggestions. This data will be measured against all complaints, judgments, and lawsuits both within Company X and the industry and be used to revise program standards. Data will also be analyzed and evaluated for ethical issues that need to be integrated in to future training and resources for staff. All staff will complete annual on line â€Å"How Are We Doing?† surveys. Focus groups tailored to each department’s group dynamic will analyze the data and make formal recommendations to the Ethics Office Staff, community and stakeholder input will be collected and analyzed for social and ethical value. The Ethics Office will compile the results from all departments and present the evidence to CEOs and senior management. Middle management and supervisors will be included in the final findings. Training will be adjusted and targeted to cultural, legal, and ethical risk factors. Positive yearly ethical performance evaluations, focus group opportunities, and promotional opportunities will be tied to annual employee review. Help and Resources Here at Company X we recognize that some ethical situations may be complex or blurred. Additionally, we recognize that the difficult decision to come forward with information against coworkers may prevent reporting incidents that need investigation. Furthermore, ethical decisions are often confusing and require complex decision making. We are here to help. Furthermore, if you have questions about your own decisions, questions about an incident, or just want to ask questions, we want to support you. For this reason, we provide an anonymous phone line that allows members to report violations, present questions and trouble shoot challenging scenarios. Ethics Office 360-555-1212 staffed by trained ethics officer. Anonymous hotline 360-555-4242 State Office of Ethics 1-999-555-2323 Federal Office of Ethics  1-777-555-7878 We provide annual reports of imposed ethics violations and the penalties imposed. Here is the link to www.companyx/ethics/reports.com I have read and understand the policies and ethical standards set for Company X. I am aware a signed copy of this policy will be placed in my team member personnel file.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Annotated Bibliography Example Notable discipline problems recorded in the article include but not limited to bullying, violence, vandalism and disruptive classroom behaviour. Such problems have been identified for creating unsafe academic environment, posing threats to entire population in the learning environment. As such the authors have emphasised on the need of reinforcing positive behaviour among the students to curb antisocial and indecent behaviour. This article is intended for instructors engaged in educating students. This article is highly important because it exposes school stakeholders to a new form of behaviour intervention strategy particularly Web-Based Behaviour Intervention. This piece of literature describes the rate at which the Web-based intervention is growing with respect to behavioural change. A review of the methodological issues pertinent to successful implementation of web based behavioural intervention has been widely covered by the authors. For instance the author covered methodological issues associated with the engagement, recruitment and social validity of the participants. The authors insist on appreciating the value of web based intervention from a broader perspective of behavioural change research. As such the authors suggested that web based needs to be applied in the public health to assist in dealing with behavioural disorders among adolescents and children. This article sheds light on the effectiveness of effective classroom management especially instruction strategies applied by teachers in influencing the behaviour of students to attain positive results. According to the authors, the ability of teachers to attain positive academic results relies heavily on their ability to organize classrooms and effectively manage student behaviour. The article also emphasises on the ability of the new teachers to remain in their career for long taking into consideration that resilience in teaching career is highly influenced by

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Favorite Social Sciences Book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Favorite Social Sciences Book - Essay Example The wings of social science that include History, Geography, and Anthropology can be taught to the students with interesting lessons and exercises not only for enhancing the power of teaching, but learning as well. The method of integrating social studies with the entire curriculum is one of the most positive aspects of this book. The reasons for which I prefer this book are the exercises and explanations that are offered in tabulated format, which makes it easier to grasp for the children belonging to the elementary age group (Brophy Alleman and Halvorsen 263-270) After reading the book, I asked the children to talk to each other about the concepts that were discussed in order to find out whether they understood them or how much they intended to share. Social science is about understanding the events that are real and the lessons that can be learnt from them. Yes there are various ways in which the children can discuss the concepts and the lessons with each other. In other words, the presentation of the book is attractive and capable of inspiring the students to learn the lessons of social

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Writer's choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 19

Writer's choice - Essay Example Dogs are also very loyal animals. They are always around you and never stray away unless absolutely compelled to do so. In some instances, dogs stay with their â€Å"masters† even in the face of mistreatment and poor conditions. A dog can go hunting outside and eat there but will still come back to its owner’s home; the only home it knows. Compared to other animals, dogs stay with you in the best and worst times. A dog will growl at a person who appears threatening to its owner, and attack an animal that wanders into its owner’s territory, even without prompt. A dog will share a bed with its owner and, in worse times, share the floor with its owner. I believe that this is not just a display of loyalty; it is also a major display of love. Any animal that loves someone that much deserves all my love. Dogs play many roles within the home. In fact, I think they are the greatest, multitasking, domesticated animals. Dogs play the role of security guards, alarm systems, friend, herders, hunters and even babysitters. People leave their children with dogs all the time and find them sleeping together peacefully (Erwitt 26). A dog will attack a cat for coming close to a baby; it seems to understand that whatever is its owner’s must be protected. Even in a million years, regardless of advancements in science, man would not be able to replace the package that comes with a dog. For me, that makes them worth loving and adoring. Dogs are also very emotional animals. I would go as far as saying that dogs are the only animals that seem to connect with man emotionally, better than other animals. For example, if I am angry and act in a way that displays my anger, my dog avoids me. On the other hand, when I act in a friendly and cordial way, my dog stays around me and reciprocates by producing sounds to show that it is comfortable. To be clear, cats rarely

Monday, August 26, 2019

Marketing Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing - Literature review Example With social media, an organization is able to easily use features available in social media to create eye capturing g adverts and applications that would help consumers make their shopping decisions. For instance, the probability of a young person to access a social media site is high on daily basis as compared to the probability to access an advert from another source. Additionally, the features in social media such as creation of organizational pages make it easier for an organization to effectively market its products (Hargadon & Douglas, 2001). Muntinga, Moorman & Smit (2011) argue that when consumers make shopping decisions, they base their decisions on customer service and approach an organization uses. The authors further point out that the fast a n advert captures the eye of a consumer the higher probability of a consumer has in choosing the organization for a shopping option (Buchanan & Gilles, 1990). The same sentiments are supported by Carrol & Reichheld (1992) who point o ut that the relationship between a consumer’s decision making process and choosing a shopping destination greatly depends on the presentation of an advertisement or knowledge of an organization. Once a consumer seeks to make a shopping decision, they need to make the decision in the least time possible. An organization should ensure that they produce a short but concise advert and use the most suitable medium to display the advert. On social media, these needs are easily addressed. The social media is an interesting medium, which captures the attention of the consumer, and a customer is likely to spend more time in the social media. This gives an organization’s marketing approach to gain more audience and enough time to influence the shopping decision making of a consumer (Kim, Mattila & Baloglu, 2011). The results of this argument have been outstanding as many organizations in the globe have social media pages. This is regardless of their size and significance in the corporate market. Cambria et.al (2011) also argue that the demand to use shopping media to provide shopping options for consumers has been on the rise since its initiation. Cambria et.al (2011) focuses on Apple Company and their utilization of the social media for marketing purposes: the organization has an outstanding social media response. Additionally, most consumers using their services and interested in their products use their social media contact information to acquire the required information on the products (Kim, Mattila & Baloglu, 2011). The organization has also increased their sensitivity in handling and responding to their social media handles. Wenger (2000) analyses the effects of the entry of the social media in the marketing industry. Prior to the introduction of the social media, consumers had to rely on physical rather than digital shopping methods. This was tiring and time consuming as they had to access organization at their centers of operation. With the introdu ction of the social media this has changed: consumers can now be able to access web pages, blogs and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to access shopping options. This is easier; less tiring ad does not require a

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Personal Statement - Essay Example Out of this brief sessions I acquired practical skill in visualizing, communication practical work among others. In the recent past, I acted as co-producer in the Variety Show hosted by the University of London Hong Kong Society. It presented me with a practical challenge where I utilized my skills to the actual test. Despite this learning and practical experience, I still feel is should continue learning. There is always something new to the world of arts (The Warhol, n.d). Due to my study of diverse art related courses, I have interacted with a large number of people. This has made me develop strong interpersonal skills, leadership skills as we completed tasks as groups. I have been lucky throughout my life to visit Tate Modern Museum where I saw the exhibition of Roy Lichtenstein a Pop Art artist which reignited and strengthened m interest in Pop Art. I also recently attended an exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery (Gallery, n.d) where there was an exhibition of Andy Warhol was exhibited. Andy Warhol is another pop art artist whom I consider my best artist and inspiration. I had a chance to see the works of Peter Blake’s indomitable 1967 album ‘STG Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.† All this have improved my understanding of the arts not solely as a subject but as a way of life. That is the main reason I find impossible to abandon All these are Pop Art artists that I admire, but I admire Andy Warhol most. Andy was a prolific artist who engaged in a diverse artist works. This diverse artistic works include; hand drawing, paintings, photography, scriptures among others. It is hard to imagine how an aspiring artist can fail to a dmire Andy Warhol (The Warhol, n.d). Pop art is an art that developed in mid 1950s in both U.S and Britain. It makes images from traditional cultures as opposed to the elitist arts. Pop artists engage in arts dealing with everyday life objects and people rather than

Saturday, August 24, 2019

The Nurse Leader Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Nurse Leader - Assignment Example She is a great leader who is admired and loved by everybody because she inspires and transforms people. Donato-Moore is a Clinical Nurse Manager, who has been practicing nursing for 8 years at the American Nephrology Nurses. In her position she holds a lot of responsibilities in clinical leadership for patients’ healthcare such as design and evaluation of patients. She is also responsible for identification and collection of care outcomes and participates in health risk identification and oversees the diagnosis of patients. She also oversees the evidence-based practices and team leadership, in collaboration with other health teams in the hospital (Raya, 2006). Moreover, she manages information through implementation of sound information systems to improve health care services. She also advocates for patients, communities and health professionals’ welfare. Donato carries out her responsibilities with great competence and professionalism. She is very knowledgeable and efficient in her roles and responsibilities. She gained her experience through years of practice and inter action with patients, in addition to pursing further certification on specialized nursing care, in areas such as pediatric health care, oncology and general health certifications (Negarandeh & Rahnavard, 2011). She is affiliated to major nursing bodies where she occupies influential positions. These include, America Association of Critical-Care Nurses, American Academy of Nursing Practitioners, Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association and Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. As a leader, she is very charismatic and inspirational. She uses the democratic leadership style to influence her staff and motivate them. The style calls for collective decision making where the Leader solicits for subordinates feedback before making decision. Donato always consult her in charges before making decisions especially in areas that

Friday, August 23, 2019

Journalism Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journalism Portfolio - Essay Example Most news may be intended to deflect or defuse public opinion on matters of great importance and editors can influence the direction of how opinion is shaped. When a newspaper is owned by a politician, then there might be truth to the statement that â€Å"news is what someone, somewhere wants concealed† as in the case of Italy today. As mentioned earlier, this newspaper is mostly of community-type of publication and so most of its stories are local in nature. Most of the sources were the local news reporters that had gathered the news scoop within their areas. However, some of the news with a wider look such as global news content had been rehashes (re-written) of global news organizations as it has no capability of news gathering that is global in scope. Anyway, this is the trend today in most news organizations whereby they become aggregators of various news sources which it had deemed newsworthy to be included in their own publications. In the Internet age today, it is far more economical to just subscribe to some big news organizations like CNN or Time to syndicate the same news materials and ask a reporter to re-write it with a local background. Discussion In a world of instant news and competition for crucial publication space, the news of today has to be carefully selected that will interest its target audience. The readers of this type of newspaper would normally be interested on matters that concern them and only later will they go on to other news happening much further afield. For example, the most recent news of a dead whale carcass washing ashore should be of greater interest to its readers because this event can be considered as a rarity (it is not everyday a dead whale is washed onto the sands). Its news value may be in its ability to shock some readers to make them wander how could an event like this happen (Carr 1) and adding a photograph could lend a certain bit of nostalgia. The dead whale would be of concern to local residents because of the intense stink it brought. A public figure is normally defined to be someone who is usually in the limelight and this by necessity includes public figures like politicians, artists and actors or actresses. They opted for a profession that requires them public exposure or may have fame or prominence so that their lives are the focus of intense public scrutiny. A celebrity, on the other hand, is a type of person who acquired a certain persona such as rock stars, movie stars or sports stars. They are very familiar to the general public and their actions and statements are closely followed in most of the time. A public figure has less claims to privacy than an ordinary person since their lives are open to the public by virtue of their standing in the community or society. If a public figure is the subject of a bad news article, then he or she must first prove his status as a public figure in order to establish an evil motive in writing that article, such as malice or hate. Other citizens enjoy a higher degree of privacy in this regard because they are not in the public eye. The private lives of public figures can be written quite easily with mostly no objections but if the writer has written something defamatory, then a libel suit can be filed by concerned party.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Cheating death stealing life the eddie guerrero story Essay - 1

Cheating death stealing life the eddie guerrero story - Essay Example This Match was in Eddie’s movie although he was not one of the wrestlers in such entertaining match. The documentary, the Eddie Guerrero Story, being touching and inspiring has several funny moments and jokes that his relatives share with us. Anyone who wants to know what a Mexican Wrestler was like and the different styles he brought to the world, must view such documentary. Eddie’s match with Love Machine against Octagon and El Hijo Santo showed how he wrestled as a rookie and how much he has changed. His 2 out of 3 falls match against Dean Malenko could have been the purest wrestling match. It was their last ECW match. Rookie wrestlers who want a few tips must view this great technical battle. A good match in WCW against Chris Jericho showed some intense submission holds and lots of mat wrestling. It was a good match because Eddie and Jericho were great wrestlers. The WCW cruiserweight Championship between Eddie and Rey Mysterio was a fantastic show where both men showed off their skills. Eddie almost ripped the mask off Rey Mysterio because it was a battle of his mask ag ainst Eddie’s belt. It was a great, unforgettable match. Battles against prominent wrestlers made him more famous and an idol wrestler to look upon. He has the capability of being the villain but at the same time martyr and people pleaser. He can easily get the audience sympathy and the mass tends to be in favor of him even though he cheated a lot and do cheap shots. A good ladder match for the Intercontinental championship between Eddie and RVD used two ladders and a chair for some very hard hitting moves, when Eddie power bombed RVD off the ladder, a chair hit his face when RVD gave him a kick. Both of them then fell off the ladder which made it a great and scary match. There was this one Triple threat Match that won by the Guerreros and this is where the motto

Organic vs. Industrial Food Essay Example for Free

Organic vs. Industrial Food Essay Have you ever been standing in the grocery store, undecided on whether there really is a difference between the standard store brand ribeye steak and the organic, grain fed, free range ribeye that costs twice as much? Ever had little devil on one shoulder telling you one thing, and the angel on the other convincing you the devil is wrong? Is cost the only thing holding you back from shelling out a few extra sheckles for the more expensive steak? Have you heard about the health benefits of eating organic? Then maybe it is time you learned about the true benefits of organic food. In doing so, it may just change your life and blow your mind. Eating industrial foods can cause a bevy of health issues today, such as exposure to toxins, as well as leading to diabetes and heart disease, and choosing to eat organic foods instead will help to resolve those issues. While organic foods are thought to be quite a bit more expensive than the standard, this is not always the case. One article quotes â€Å"Your local food markets will often have lower prices on organic food items than traditional grocery stores. (Lotich, 2010, para 1). You have to take into consideration that in this day and age, almost any meal that you eat has an organic alternative, or can be prepared by using all organic ingredients. In knowing this, you may actually find that there are a number of other ways that you may go about saving some money, while incorporating organic foods into your daily diet. One of those things you can do is make yourself aware of the various farms that are putting out organic foods. Most folks think that organic foods are all produced by small, family owned farms. As I very recently found out, some of the most successful organic farms are very large and on a global scale. Take Earthbound Farms for example. They are a very successful and very large farm, consisting of over 30,000 acres. Their website states â€Å"We’ve been farming for more than 25 years now, and we’ve become the country’s largest grower of organic produce, committed to being a catalyst for positive change in our kitchens and our environment (Earthbound Farm, 2012, para 4). Buying from this company not only promotes eating healthier, but also supports a company that is looking out for the environment as well. Not only are some of the most successful organic farms gigantic and global, but so are some of the enormous corporations that buy organic food (Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, Safeway and Kroger’s). That being said, if you can research and recognize some of these brands, what at first glance may seem like big-box packaging may indeed turn out to be a cost efficient and healthy organic alternative to what one may typically buy in stores today. Thus it turns out, eating organic may not be as expensive as we first thought. In conjunction with steps such as planning your meals ahead of time, organic food just may actually be cheaper overall than industrial foods in many instances. Planning meals ahead of time is a smart move. I recently read that â€Å"When you have a detailed shopping list and go to the store with a plan, youre much less likely to splurge on extras or expensive instant meals. And when you have a firm plan in place, and the food has already been purchased, you wont end up wasting money in the drive thru spending your money on overpriced fast food (James, 2008, para 2). This is an issue that I think most of us face from time to time. Being smart can help reduce these unnecessary costs. It is important for consumers to really research organic foods and the cost benefits of choosing to go that route. You can end up eating better, as well as saving money. The healthy benefits of eating organic are yet another good reason to choose an organic diet. Recent studies have shown that â€Å"The published literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods. Consumption of organic foods may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. † (Novella, 2012) That being said, the same studies do show that eating organic foods does reduce the reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The EPA states that â€Å"consumers are looking to organically grown and produced foods as a way to reduce exposure to synthetic pesticides (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). That certainly is a reason to make the switch. Also, if you are planning meals as aforementioned, and buying ingredients for those meals fresh, as opposed to meal mixes and processed industrial foods, then you are also in control of the amounts of fats, sugars, and such that are in your meals. This is also a healthier option. Taking control of what you eat is important. I imagine most people want to control what they put in their bodies, and eating organic foods can help you do just that. Without eating organic foods, you can run the risk of leaving yourself open to all kinds of diseases and other health issues. All in all, the evidence seems mounting in favor of converting to a healthier lifestyle. Eating organic food seems like both a smart, and strong way to making the transition. It is easier than exercising, and in most cases, would probably provide a better feeling in the long run. â€Å"The American College of Sports Medicine advises adults to do moderately intense cardio exercise for 30 minutes a day, five days a week or do vigorously intense cardio for 20 minutes a day, three days a week to stay healthy (Kunz, 2011, para 2). Exercising is important as well, but if you are eating the wrong foods, all of your hard work may be for not. So think about making the switch to organic foods. Starting off small can lead to big changes for you and your loved ones. Bibliography Earthbound Farm. (2012, December 6). The Earthbound Story. p. 2012. James, B. (2008, November 20). Five Benefits of Planning Meal Menus for Your Household. Yahoo! Voices, p. 1. Kunz, M. (2011, October 19). Does Exercise Offset Unhealthy Eating? Exercise Eating Healthy, p. 1. Lotich, B. (2010, December 28). 10 Easy Ways To Save Money On Organic Food. US News, p. 1. Novella, S. (2012, Sept. 05). No Health Benefits from Organic Food. Science-Based Medicine, p. 1. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2012, December 6). Pesticides and Food. Pesticides: Health and Safety , p. 1.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Performance Analysis of Algorithms on Shared Memory

Performance Analysis of Algorithms on Shared Memory Performance analysis of algorithms on shared memory, message passing and hybrid models for stand-alone and clustered SMPs INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Parallel computing is a form of computation that allows many instructions to be run simultaneously, in parallel in a program. This can be achieved by splitting up a program into independent parts so that each processor can execute its part of the program simultaneously with the other processors. This can be achieved on a single computer with multiple processors or with number of individual computers connected by a network or a combination of the two. Parallel computing has grown outside of the high-performance computing community due to the introduction of multi-core3 and multi-processor computers at a reasonable price for the average consumer. Recent desktop and high performance processors provide multiple hardware threads technically realized by hardware multithreading and multiple processor cores on a single chip. Programmers will be faced with hundreds of hardware threads per processor chip as exploitable instruction level parallelism in applications is limited and the processor clock frequency cannot be increased any further due to power consumption and heat problems exploiting thread level parallelism becomes unavoidable if further improvement in processsor performance is required and there is no doubt that our requirements and expectations of machine performance will increase further. This means that parallel programming will actually concern a majority of application and system programmers in the foreseeable future even in the desktop and embedded domain. A model of parallel computation consists of a parallel programming model and a corresponding cost model . A parallel programming model describes an abstract parallel machine by its basic operations such as arithmetic operations spawning of tasks reading from and writing to shared memory or sending and receiving messages. Their effects on the state of the computation the constraints of when and where these can be applied and how they can be composed in particular a parallel programming model also contains at least for shared memory programming models a memory model that describes how and when memory accesses can become visible to the different parts of a parallel computer. The memory model sometimes is given implicitly a parallel cost model that associates a cost which usually describes parallel execution time and resource occupation with each basic operation and describes how to predict the accumulated cost of composed operations up to entire parallel programs A parallel programming model is often associated with one or several parallel programming languages or libraries that realize the model Parallel algorithms that are usually formulated in terms of a particular parallel programming model. OpenMP (Open Multi-Processing), Message passing Interface (MPI) and Hybrid OpenMP/MPI is a parallel programming model where communication between processes is done by interchanging messages. OpenMP is an API that supports multi-platform shared memory multi-processing programming in C,C++ and Fortran on most processor architectures and operating systems, including Solaris Linux,, AIX, HP-UX, Mac OS X and Windows platforms. MPI is a model for a distributed memory system where communication cannot be achieved by sharing of variables. The Message Passing Interface (MPI) is the de-facto standard for programming distributed memory systems as it provides a simple communication API and eases the task of developing portable parallel applications. Hybrid OpenMP+MPI facilitates cooperative shared memory programming across clustered SMP nodes. MPI provides communication among various SMP nodes whereas OpenMP manages the workload on each SMP node. MPI and OpenMP are used in tandem to manage the overall concurrency of the application. MOTIVATION As individual processors are not capable of solving the most significant computational problems because of their inherent complexity, the idea of putting multiple processors to work on a single program came into existence thus motivating the idea of parallel computing. Parallel computing is the use of a parallel computer to reduce the time needed to solve a single computational problem. it is a multiple-processor computer system supporting parallel programming. Two categories of parallel computers are multi-computers and centralized multiprocessors. Multi-computer is a parallel computer constructed out of multiple computers and an interconnection network where the processors on different computers interact by passing messages to each other. Centralized multi-processor( also called as symmetrical multiprocessor or SMP) is one where all the CPUs share access to a single global memory. EXISTING SYSTEM AND ITS LIMITATIONS Applications were designed to run on a single systems. But individual systems are not capable of solving the significant problems efficiently because of their inherent complexity. The limitation is that it cannot harness the capacity of a multi-core processor. Hence multi-threading the applications must be done. PROPOSED SYSTEM Parallel programming combines the distributed memory parallelization on the node interconnect with shared memory parallelization inside each node. The challenges and the potentials of the dominant programming models on hierarchically structured hardware is described : Pure MPI (message passing interface), pure OpenMP (with distributed shared memory extensions) and hybrid MPI+OpenMP in several flavors. We identify few cases where the hybrid programming model can indeed be the superior solution because of memory consumption or improved load balance and reduced communication needs. Hybrid programming introduces OpenMP into MPI applications makes more efficient use of the shared memory on SMP nodes, thus mitigating the need for explicit intra-node communication. Introducing MPI and OpenMP during the design/coding of a new application can help maximize efficiency, scaling and performance. At the recent time, the hybrid model has begun to attract more attention, for at least two reasons. The first is that it is relatively easy to pick a language/library instantiation of the hybrid model: OpenMP plus MPI. While there may be other approaches, they remain research and development projects, whereas OpenMP compilers and MPI libraries are now solid commercial products, with implementations from multiple vendors. The second reason is that scalable parallel computers now appear to encourage this model. The fastest machines now virtually all consist of multi-core nodes connected by a high speed network. The idea of using OpenMP threads to exploit the multiple cores per node (with one multithreaded process per node) while using MPI to communicate among the nodes appears obvious. Yet one can also use an â€Å"MPI everywhere† approach on these architectures, and the data on which approach is better is confusing and inconclusive. PROBLEM STATEMENT AND OBJECTIVES Multithreading of applications on a clustered system using hybrid methodology. The objective is to increase the performance of application on clusters using Hybrid methodology. APPLICATIONS Network intrusion detection, cryptography, multiparty computations are some of the core users of parallel computing techniques. Embedded systems increasingly rely on distributed control algorithms. A modern automobile consists of tens of processors communicating to perform complex tasks for optimizing handling and performance. conventional structured peer-peer networks impose overlay networks and utilize algorithms directly from parallel computing.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Equity and PFI Strategies in the NHS

Equity and PFI Strategies in the NHS A) Equity NHS hospitals acquire some finance from the private sector and many patients use private health insurance to gain access to treatment; a two tier health care system is emerging (Browne, 2002). From the time the NHS began there has been concern about inequalities in health care. The Black report (1980) looked further at this and the Department of health report â€Å"Saving lives† (1999) rates the importance of equity highly. Equity can conflict with efficiency (Wagstaff, 1991). Sassi (2001) explains that mechanisms of achieving equity are unclear especially when there is the conflict with efficiency. Sassi (2001a) found that for cervical cancer screening, renal transplantation, and neonatal screening for sickle cell disease there was no consistency between NHS policies and equitable principles. Social class has an influence on the incidence and the survivability of many malignancies (Brown, 1997) but despite this fact in the cervical screening program the women most at risk were the least likely to get screened (National Audit Office, 1998). The monetary incentives to achieve screening targets by general practitioners did not address this problem. There are also morally related benefits such as respect for the individual and respect for autonomy that need to be considered. Although â€Å"there should be equal access to health care within the NHS based on equal need† (Davey, 1993) the advent of prescription charges and the extent of the exclusions of dental treatment and of optician services from the NHS (New, 1996) and particularly the exclusion of the bulk of infertility treatment negates this principle. Whilst the prescription charges and optical and dental charges do not, in general, mean that the patient’s need is not met (since the inherent means testing excludes those who are likely to be able to pay themselves) the fertility treatment issue is quite different. Whilst allocation by index of social deprivation or by ethnicity may be a requirement this may conflict with allocation by clinical need. The important question is whether there is equal treatment for equal need. Since those who are poorer in financial terms have the greatest health care needs in addressing the question it becomes apparent that those individuals who are poorer should have an appropriate resource allocation for health care. The system of resource allocation is slightly â€Å"pro poor† (Propper, 2001). The lowest 25% of the population economically do get 25% of the funding (the financial groups were standardised for equality of health care need). Equity in resource allocation does not however mean equity in terms of health actually achieved. The question is whether there is effectiveness of this allocation. Inequalities in health persist across social boundaries (Acheson report, 1988). Propper (2001) analysed â€Å"equal treatment for equal need† accordin g to whether those of equal clinical need but of differing financial means actually had equal treatment. The issue to address is whether there is equal access to healthcare, so this goes a step forward from just equal funding. Interestingly Propper (2001) finds little effect by age. The higher health care expenditure with increased age was generally in the last few months of life regardless of age. There is not currently a fair distribution of health care provision across multi ethnic groups (Erens, 2001). Whether affirmative action policies would assist in a more equitable distribution awaits further evaluation (Sassi, 2004). The Department of Health’s â€Å"Tackling health inequalities† (2003) places much emphasis on targeting racial groups for enhanced care. Health care targeting of ethnic minority groups with greater health care needs has begun to show some evidence of improved outcome (Arblaster, 1996). Health authority funding has tended to be overly weighted according to age distribution (Judge, 1994). Judge (1994) calls for a â€Å"unified weighted capitation system†. Coordination is a problem. Budgetary allocation may be partly determined on the previous year’s spending. Mechanisms of altering care according to need have often not assessed how this might be achieved (Majeed, 1994). Those individuals with the greatest health care needs include young children, the elderly, people living in areas of social deprivation and people from ethnic minority groups (Majeed, 1994). However it is these groups of the greatest need who have general practitioners with the greatest primary care work load (Balarajan, 1992). People from ethnic minorities and those living in areas of social deprivation have the lowest uptakes of immunisation (Baker, 11991). There is a fundamental need still for the equal need – equal access equation and despite the difficulties of trying to achieve a balance (which may be viewed over pessimistically, Doyal, 1997) it remains a worthwhile objective. References Acheson Report. Independent inquiry into inequalities in health report. 1998 Department of Health London: The stationary office. Arblaster L Lambert M Entwistle V et al 1996 A systematic review of the effectiveness of health service interventions aimed at reducing inequalities in health. J Health Serv Res Policy 1: 93-103. Baker D Klein R 1991 Explaining outputs of primary health care: population and practice factors. BMJ303:225-9. Balarajan R Yuen P Machin D 1992 Deprivation and general practitioner workload. BMJ 304:529-34. The Black report 1980 Department of Health and Social Services. Inequalities in health: the Black report. London: DHSS Brown J Harding S Bethune A et al 1997 Incidence of Health of the Nation cancers by social class. Population Trends 90: 40-47 Browne A and Young M 2002 A sick NHS: the diagnosis. The observer Special Reports Sunday April 7, 2002 Davey B, Popay, J. Dilemmas in health care. Buckingham: Open University Press, 1993:27-42. Doyle L 1997 Rationing within the NHS should be explicit: the care for BMJ 314:1114-1118 Erens B Primatesta P Prior G 2001 Health survey for England 1999: the health of minority ethnic groups. London: Stationery Office. Judge K Mays N1994 Equity in the NHS Allocating resources for health and social care in England BMJ 308:1363-6 Majeed FA N Chaturvedi N R Reading R 1994 Equity in the NHS Monitoring and promoting equity in primary and secondary care BMJ 308:1426-29 National Audit Office 1998 The performance of the NHS cervical screening programme in England. London: Stationery Office. New B 1996 The rationing agenda in the NHS BMJ 312:1593-1601 Propper C 2001 Expenditure on Health Care in the UK: A review of the issues. CMPO Working Paper Series No. 01/030 Available on http://www.bris.ac.uk/cmpo/workingpapers/wp30.pdf Accessed 1 May 2006. Sassi F Archard L Le Grand J 2001aEquity and the economic evaluation of health care. Health Technol Assess 5(3). Sassi F Carrier J Weinberg J 2004 Affirmative action: the lessons for health care BMJ328:1213-1214 Saving lives: our healthier nation 1999 Department of Health. London: Stationery Office Tackling health inequalities. A programme for action. 2003 Department of Health. London: DoH, 2003. Wagstaff A 1991 QALYs and the equity-efficiency trade-off. J Health Econ 10: 21-41 B) Private Finance Initiative (PFI) PFI is a partnership between the NHS and a private company. It is increasingly used to purchase a new hospital building. Instead of a capital payment being made revenue payments are made over a number of years. Advantages of PFI Many hospital buildings are extremely old and are clearly no longer suitable for their purpose. The buildings hamper the introduction of new technologies and new ways of working. Costs of new buildings are prohibitively high. The PFI arrangement enables a new building to go ahead where otherwise the opportunity to rebuild would not have arisen at all. PFI certainly overcomes the difficulties that would ensue from a rise in taxes to achieve new hospital builds which would be very unpopular with the public and would be difficult to provide equitably. The PFI does achieve a building with the minimal of public spending at least in the short term. The view of Government is that PFI allows money to be spent on equipment rather than buildings (Ferriman, 1999). There is an argument that PFI is only a procurement issue and other procurement processes are not without problems (McGinty, 2000). The blame laid on PFI may have occurred with alternative means of funding the building of a new hospital. Under the PFI scheme there is a clear incentive, once agreement has been reached, to commence and complete the building work. The private company has a financial interest to see completion to a satisfactory standard. The advantage here for the healthcare provider is that the scheme will complete quickly. There is an ongoing interest in the building by the building and finance companies and this may work to the benefit of the health care provider. Disadvantages of PFI The cost may increase once the building work has begun and this may lead to cost containment negotiations resulting in a decreased number of beds or result in other cutting of health care services. Smith (1999) finds where there is PFI there is an increase in the number of private beds to help to finance the project. This may arise as a choice to increase the revenue from private work as opposed to cutting the number of beds in the new build. The PFI scheme does not really take into consideration the fact that an increasing amount of health care previously provided in hospitals is now done in the community and investment is now in â€Å"services not beds† (McCloskey, 2000). A view, though not universal, (Smith, 1999) is that with PFI the planning is done in the private sector and is therefore not so readily visible. There is increasing evidence that PFI is costing more than the costs of using public money (Pollock, 1997). â€Å"Private capital is always more expensive than public capital† (Smith, 1999). The cost through PFI of construction plus financing costs is 18-60% higher than the building costs (Gaffney, 1999). This is a worrying aspect. It is likely the deficit will be met by cutting costs in the service (Gaffney, 1999). Gaffney (1999) argues comparisons prior to approval of PFI schemes use comparisons with public sector building that involve â€Å"discounting† of costs and adjustments to reflect â€Å"risk transfer† in its appraisal methodology which biases towards approval of PFI. The discounted cash flow analysis makes the PFI look better value than it actually is. Such discounting is appropriate for the private sector where it is useful to maximise profits. Its value in health care where there is not the aim to profit is therefore suspect. The level of concern about PFI has reached the level where the British Medical Association opposes the scheme and wishes the public to be informed of the anticipated long term repercussions and that there be an audit of present such schemes (Beecham, 2002). There is some evidence that PFI is now becoming less popular with private companies (O’Dowd, 2005). There is a concern that some feel that purely because the private sector is involved the procedure must be wrong. It is not the partnership with the private sector that is wrong but the lack of a credible system of achieving an appropriate balance between the financial rewards to the investor and the value for money of the health care provider. If the scales tip the way many fear they will there will be a very serious financial drain on the health service. The Government has now become concerned about the cost implications of PFI and is presently delaying further PFI plans whilst investigating the issue further (O’Dowd, 2006). References Beecham L 2002 PFI schemes should be vigorously opposed BMJ 325:66 Ferriman A 1999 Dobson defends use of the PFI for hospital building BMJ 319:275 Gaffney D, Pollock AM, Price D et al 1999PFI in the NHSis there an economic case? BMJ 319:116-9 McCloskey B Deakin M 2000 Series did not address real planning issues BMJ 320:250 McGinty F 2000 Partnership between private and NHS is not necessarily wrong BMJ 320:250 O’Dowd A 2005 Private sector is losing interest in PFI projects BMJ331:1042 O’Dowd A 2006 Three hospital PFI schemes are delayed while government looks at their cost BMJ332:196 Pollock AM Dunnigan M Gaffney D et al 1997 on behalf of the NHS Consultants Association, Radical Statistics Health Group, and the NHS Support Federation. What happens when the private sector plans hospital services for the NHS: three case studies under the private finance initiative. BMJ 1997; 314: 1266-1271 Smith R 1999 PFI: perfidious financial idiocy BMJ ;319:2-3 C) Managing Scarce Resources Clear mismatch been healthcare resources and needs leads to rationing but the actual mechanism of this is unclear. There are important differences between rationing and priority setting/resource allocation (New, 1996). The former denies a service to individuals whereas the latter concerns value judgments in providing services to groups. Rationing only concerns those treatments which are of proven benefit and is not concerned with evaluation of treatment effectiveness (Nice, 1996). There is healthcare rationing within the NHS today and this is not clear or widely acknowledged and therefore is implicit (Coast, 1997). As a result where treatment is denied to individuals the public do not realize this is due to rationing but on the occasions it finds out there is generally public dissatisfaction, sometimes culminating in litigation as with child B (Price, 1996). Arguments against rationing being explicit include the difficultly of creating such a scheme since there are no ethical rules by which to do it Klein, 1993). â€Å"There is no such thing as a correct set of priorities, or even a correct way of setting priorities (House of Commons Health Committee, 1995). Even if it could be done some consider it is unlikely to work not least because those disadvantaged may bring about dispute and disruption leading to a return to an implicit system (Mechanic, 1995). Coast (1997) sees the disutility (dissatisfaction with the poorer clinical outcome where treatment is denied) of explicit rationing as a distinct problem. With explicit rationing the public would be colluding with decision making and would feel responsibility and disutility where treatment is denied. Coast (1997) argues that in an implicit system the doctors will tend to medicalise the decisions not to treat. When there has been explicit rationing there is no evidence of improved decisio n making but reluctance to determine which treatments should be denied (Cohen, 1994; Donaldson, 1994). Arguments in favour of explicit (openly acknowledged) rationing, a view favoured by healthcare policy makers, include; openness and honesty, possibly leading to a more equitable, efficient service, in which the public can influence the rationing process democratically. Doyal (1979) favours explicit rationing and promotes â€Å"evaluat[ion of] the justice or the efficiency of the rationing process,† and considers the inability to face this is in contrast with the moral foundation of the NHS. Doyal (1979) favours rationing according to need (degree of disability) not by disease popularity, or social worth. Incorporation of uniform clinical guidelines might facilitate the process. Points to consider in a rationing process include (New, 1996); Which services are to be rationed What are the objectives of the rationing process What are the ethically acceptable criteria for rationing Who should do the rationing The Rationing Agenda Group’s function is to increase debate on rationing. This body believes rationing and public involvement in the process are essential (New, 1996). There are various methods of rationing, one includes a cost effective analysis, another involves capacity to benefit (New, 1996). Different approaches are used for different needs for instance infertility treatment may be denied entirely. In any explicit rationing process objectives need clarification and here the objectives might include (New,1996) maximising quality adjusted life years or minimising health inequalities by group or area of residence, The decision making process at national level will include formulae for allocation by geographical area and also work in response to national agendas such as Health of the Nation. At local level there will be health care commissioning incorporating decisions about which health care services to purchase for a community. The processes will be subject to pressure from groups such as; pressure groups, complaint mechanisms and statutory bodies such as community health councils and review by the national Audit Office (New, 1996). Even when a rationing criteria is agreed upon the situation remains complex. Rationing by age may be morally wrong and some would advocate its illegality (Rivin, 1999). Age is a major factor in the rationing of renal transplantation (Lewis, 1989) despite the fact that age does not have a good relationship with prognosis (Wolfe, 1999). Sassi (2001) explains the lack of equity principles in the way such decisions are made in the NHS. O’Boyle (2001) auditing rationing secondary care for excision of skin lesions and found poor patient and general practitioner satisfaction with the process and a high rate of re-referrals. The debate as to the degree of openness of the rationing process continues. The problems of rationing are inherent in the process and openness of the process exposes yet more difficult decision making. References Coast J 1997 Rationing within the NHS should be explicit; the case against BMJ 314:1118-1122 Cohen D 1994 Marginal analysis in practice: an alternative to needs assessment for contracting health care. BMJ 309:781-4. Donaldson C 1994 Commentary: possible road to efficiency in the health service. BMJ 309:784-5. Doyal L 1997 Rationing within the NHS should be explicit: the case for BMJ 1114-1118 House of Commons Health Committee 1995 Priority setting in the NHS: purchasing. London: HMSO 57. Klein R 1993 Dimensions of rationing: who should do what? BMJ 307:309-11. Lewis PA Charny M 1989 Which of two individuals do you treat when only their ages are different and you cant treat both? J Med Ethics 1989; 15: 29-32. Mechanic D 1995 Dilemmas in rationing health care services: the case for implicit rationing. BMJ 310:1655-9. New B 1996 The rationing agenda in the NHS BMJ 312:1593-1601 OBoyle Cole R P C 2001 Rationing in the NHS : An audit of outcome and acceptance of restriction criteria for minor operations BMJ323:428-429 Price D 1996 Lessons for health care rationing from the case of child B BMJ 312:167-9. Rivlin M 1999 Should age based rationing of health care be illegal? BMJ319:1379 Sassi F Le Grand J Archard L 2001 Equity versus efficiency: a dilemma for the NHS BMJ323:762-763 Wolfe R Ashby V Milford E et al 1999 Comparison of mortality in all patients on dialysis, patients on dialysis awaiting transplantation, and recipients of a first cadaveric transplant. N Engl J Med 341: 1725-1730

Monday, August 19, 2019

Chimpanzee Essay -- essays research papers

Chimpanzee The acts of cannibalism and infanticide are very apparent in the behavior of the chimpanzee. Many African studies show that wild chimpanzees kill and eat infants of their own species. (Goodall, 1986:151) Although there is not a clear answer why chimps engage in this very violent and sometimes gruesome behavior there are many ideas and suggestions. This essay will deal with chimpanzee aggression, cannibalism and infanticide. This paper will present information on major research studies performed in Africa and analyze how and why this strange behavior occurs in a commonly thought peaceful primate. Wild chimpanzees(Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are known to kill and eat mammals in various parts of Africa. Monkeys were recorded to be consumed in the Gombe National Park, the Kasakati Basin, and the Budongo Forest. Moreover, there is new evidence that chimpanzees near the Ugalla River of western Tanzania also consume mammals.(Riss, 1990:167) Cannibalism has also been recorded both in the Budongo Forest, Mahale Mountains and the Gombe National Park. In Jane Goodall's, May 1979 article in the National Geographic called "Life and Death at Gombe" it reveals the first time that chimpanzees who were always perceived to be playful, gentle monkeys, could suddenly become dangerous killers. "I knew that some of our chimpanzees, so gentle for the most part, could on occasion become savage killers, ruthless cannibals, and that they had their own form of primitive warfare."(Goodall, 1979:594) To try and explain this ruthless behavior it is necessary to first analyze their social upbringing and unique lifestyle. The Chimpanzee society is clearly a male dominated aggressive social unit. Males are larger than females, they are more openly aggressive, and they fight more often. (Holloway, 1974:261) These fights can look extremely fierce and the victim screams loudly. But it is rare for a fight between community members to last longer than quarter of a minute, and it is even more unusual for such a fight to result in serious injury.(Goodall, 1992:7) Many fights break out suddenly. Afterwards the loser of the fight, even though clearly fearful of the aggressor, will alm... ...s been no evidence revealing why chimpanzees act and behave in this cannibalistic fashion. There are many theories and ideas but like the theory of evolution there is no one clear answer. Being the closest living relative to the human being, chimpanzees exhibit complicated and intricate behavior due to their advanced brains.(Zuckerman, 1932:171) This paper has revealed that chimpanzees are creatures of great extremes: aggressive one moment, peaceful the next. This gruesome violent behavior can actually be linked to a similarity with human beings. It is widely accepted in the scientific community that chimpanzees are the closest human relatives we have. If we are indeed superior to these primates, does it not stand to reason that humans should be able to learn from this violence and avoid it? Jane Goodall, in her article labeled, "Life and Death at Gombe" draws a similar conclusion: It is sobering that our new awareness of chimpanzee violence compels us to acknowledge that these ape cousins of ours are even more similar to humans than we thought before.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Puritanism, and The Salem Witch Trials :: essays papers

Puritanism, and The Salem Witch Trials Puritanism refers to the movement of reform, which occurred within the Church of England. It began at the time of the Elizabethan settlement of 1559 and ended at the end of the Rump Parliament with the ascension of Charles II to the British throne in 1660. The American Puritans clearly understood that God's word applies to all of life. Their exemplary lives and faith, contrary to popular myths, are a highpoint of Christian thinking. Puritan legal history specifies some of their loyalties and compromises. Today, scholars continue their dispute over the degree to which the Puritan colonists influenced American law, morality, and culture. In the area of law, this image is supplemented by lurid accounts of witch trials and corporal public punishments. The best example of this was during the seventeenth century. The Salem witch trials began in 1692, and lasted less than a year. The first arrests were made on March 1, 1692 and the final hanging day was September 22, 1692. The first noted arrest, was of Tituba, a Carib Indian from Barbados. She was Reverend Samuel Parris' slave. Her role in the witch trials includes the arrest and confession of witchcraft on March 1, 1692. In January of 1692, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris became very ill. When she failed to improve, the village doctor, William Griggs, was called in. After much deliberation, Griggs concluded that the problem was witchcraft. This put into motion the forces that would ultimately result in the death of nineteen men and women. In addition to those nineteen people, one man named Giles Corey was crushed to death. Seventeen others died in prison and the lives of many were irrevocably changed. To better understand the events of the Salem witch trials, it is necessary to understand the time period in which the accusations of witchcraft occurred. There were the ordinary stresses of 17th-century life in Massachusetts Bay Colony. A strong belief in the devil, factions among Salem Village fanatics, and rivalry with nearby Salem Town all played a part in the stress. There was also a recent small pox epidemic and the threat of an attack by warring tribes created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. Soon prisons were filled with more than 150 men and women from towns surrounding Salem.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

A job or profession Essay

There are six domains in the content model starting with† worker characteristics† which talks about the abilities, enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance, also the occupational interest, the preference of work environments and also work values and work styles what is more important to you at work and how exactly you enjoy and feel more comfortable doing your job. â€Å"Worker requirements† which involves basic skill and cross-functional skill, basic skills are skill you already should know, and cross- functional are skills you tend to learn from moving from job to job. Knowledge and education are also needed in worker requirements knowledge is what you know of the job and education is any prior knowledge you already had coming in. â€Å"Experience requirements† involves experience and training, licensing and basic and cross- functional skills, which is everything needed for you to get started on the right track with your job, basic and functional skills to help you in your everyday life and also in your work environment, also licensing and training are requirements because jobs need to know that you are legit and know what you are doing. â€Å"Occupation specific information† also involves tools to help with your job and also technology as in machinery equipment, things to make your job a less of a hassle. â€Å"Workforce characteristics†, variables that define and describe the general characteristics of occupations that may influence occupational requirements. â€Å"Occupational requirements† a comprehensive set of variables or detailed elements that describe what various occupations require. There are many careers in career cluster but there is one that really interests me which is teaching the reason for this is because teaching has always been a dream of mine simply because I would love to influence a child’s life in a good way. For good teachers, teaching is a vocation rather than a job something they can’t refuse. Teaching is a call to service; a way to change the world. There’s so much potential in a classroom. Teaching is the profession that makes all other professions possible. There are a lot of great reasons to teach and none of them are better than the others. The reasons why you want to teach depend on your personality and beliefs. Some teachers want to make a difference and some people love working with children or adolescence and some people want to make a big contribution to society. As long as you’re intentions are good and you’re not going into teaching for the wrong reasons, you should pursue your passion and desire to become the teacher with all the right reason .You could be that teacher that influence a kid to be anything from a hero to the president of the united states because lets be totally honest kids look up to teachers and you setting a good example could do so much for children . Teachers do more than make a small difference, they touch their students’ lives forever. I want to teach because I want to make a difference in the world. A lot of teachers want to teach because they have the power to do good things for their students. Students do more than learn academic things from teachers, they learn about morals and ethics, they learn about confidence and self-esteem, and they learn what having someone who cares about them is like. I want to teach because students deserve a teacher who really cares about them and wants them to do their best. A lot of people want to teach because of the rewards that come with teaching like pay and vacations. I want to teach because I love working with students and being a part of their lives. I care about the youth of the world, and I want to help them learn and prosper in any way I can. I also want to teach because I honestly can’t see myself doing anything else with my life than teaching. As reported in yahoo the salary for teachers in Texas can vary on location, experience and whether or not they have a master’s degree. In Lubbock, teachers employed by the Lubbock Independent School District in 2011 earn a starting salary of $37,750 if they have a bachelor’s degree. If they have a master’s degree, their salary begins at $39,250. An LISD teacher with 20 years of experience, but only a bachelor’s degree, will earn $48,635 per year, this is how much I could expect to earn. Another job I have always been interested in is being a personal trainer simply because you get to motivate and help people get physically fit. Some reasons may be to help people become healthier or let athletes maximize their performances; other reasons may include sharing with others the gift of health or it could be that you just like hanging around the gym and want to make some money in the process. There is no â€Å"wrong† reason, just as there is no single â€Å"right† way to train people. I feel the best part about being a personal trainer is having the opportunity to transform not only my client’s body, but their mind as well. Being a personal trainer means being there for my client through the good and the bad, answering emails and being on-call if a client has questions from muscle soreness to protein powder. I chose this profession merely on the basis of having a healthy physique, to train people and inspire them to be aware of health and not only that but to have a great body too has been something I would love to teach. When you market yourself to potential clients, you subtly make them a promise that you’ll get them looking and feeling how they’ve always dreamed of. Some of them expect you to hand them results, barely making an effort in the gym, my job is to push them to the limits and make them earn their results. These results are all the right reasons to pick this profession. Salary for a trainer is ranging from 20-100 dollars a hour per person. One main job I would love to be is a doctor I just wish I would be smart enough to peruse that career. Becoming a doctor is no easy task. Just getting into medical school is a daunting task let alone the amount of studying, time spent in residency and the grueling hours one spends training. I personally have many reasons why I want to become a doctor. Yes my first answer is I want to help people, and yes it is true that you can help people in many ways but I think a doctor provides the most direct and critical type of help. I mean how many times have you been in pain and you’ve gone to see your doctor and after he’s treated you, you want to just get up and hug him. The healing power of a doctor is almost godly. I don’t think any other profession is more appreciated than a doctor because of that fact. We as humans seek help and relieve from pain and suffering when we are going through such a time and the most critical pain and suffering is physical pain and when that pain is relieved we are most grateful. This is why I would also enjoy being a doctor; there is no greater gift you can give. Annual salary of a doctor is, depending on the area in the U.S.A. the average yearly salary of a doctor is around $120,000-$160,000. What I have learned from these careers and what u has put into conclusion in my own mind is that no matter what career you are looking for, the annual salary will not make you happy, what will make you happy is how much you will enjoy the job. Enjoying your job is the main part of being happy in life; having a job you enjoy waking up to every day will make your life so much less complicated. Which is why I no longer look at the pay of jobs , but end up asking myself would I enjoy this?