Control Theory in Today’s Society

While many theories have been established through the years, the Control Theory established and researched by Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi in 1990 has inspired a large amount of research and proposed the most likely reason that people commit crimes. In addition to their initial theory, Harold Grasmick also presented another facet, the Self- Control Theory, claiming that people commit crimes simply because they lack the capacity to use self- control. These theories are both considered psychological theories, involving the way the human mind works in relevance to crime and the choice to commit crime. It is apparent in several past criminal cases that lack of self- control has been the leading factor in the criminal act. (Hay & Forrest, 2009) Gottfredson and Hirschi asked the question, â€Å"What is Crime? † and thus began to research the theories associated with crime and what drives people to commit criminal acts. Nearly all crimes, they concluded, are mundane, simple, trivial, easy acts aimed at satisfying desires of the moment. (Schmalleger, 2009) For example, a young child steals a candy bar from the local convenience store, simply because he wants the candy bar; this is not a violent or large- scale criminal act, but is still a violation of the law. The general theory of crime asserts that the operation of a single mechanism low self- control, accounts for â€Å"all crime, at all times†; including acts ranging from vandalism to homicide, from rape to white- collar crime. A person’s likelihood to engage in criminal activity or not can supposedly be explained through low self-control, the same way high self-control explains an individual's tendencies of conforming to social norms and laws. (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990) Thus, some people have a lasting tendency to ignore the long term consequences of their behavior. These people tend to be impulsive, reckless, and self- centered. Crime is the end result of their tendencies. (Schmalleger, 2009) The Control Theory is considered a theory and not a perspective since it is not Gottfredson and Hirschi’s opinion, it is a theory that they proposed towards the rationality of crime and why people commit crimes. Several researchers, including K. A. Snedker and J. R. Herting have sought out to see the impact of youth and learning, their affect on self- control on children, as young as seven years of age. Different levels of social control and the culture the children are raised in often seem to have an effect on their personal level of self- control. In the study performed, the majority of the children that were exposed to behavior with â€Å"good† children often ended up having higher levels of self- control, and appeared less likely to behave in criminal behavior. However, the children that were associated with delinquent peers for large amounts of time were seen to have lower levels of self- control, and were also more likely to take part in deviant behavior with said peers. (Snedker & Herting, 2004) It can also be asserted that serial killers generally have a lack of self- control. In the case of Aileen Wuornos, who is labeled as the first know female serial killer in the Western world. The original theory of Gottredson and Hirschi can be used to explain why Aileen had the specific experiences she did, and committed such a large number of crimes. She even went so far as to state that, â€Å"murder was merely her solution to the problem as it presented itself on those seven occasions. † This clearly indicates one of the facets of the self- control theory, that criminals will do whatever necessary in the present situation, for self- gratification or other reasons. While Wuornos claims that she killed seven men in self- defense because they were raping her, she was subsequently convicted of murder and sent to death row. (Adams, 2009) The facts of Aileen Wuornos’ childhood have not be confirmed, but she admitted to smoking, drinking, irresponsible sex (she earned money as a prostitute), all at a fairly young age. These behaviors follow Gottredson and Hirschi’s exact assertions that those involved in criminal activity often start exhibiting short- term gratification at a young age. In the original control theory, Gottfredson and Hirschi low self- control sets as an internal condition between the ages of eight and ten years. According to Cindy Adams, a crime examiner on an internet â€Å"blog†, Wuornos’ deviant behavior began at the tender age of nine, so it can be assumed she lacked the proper socialization with her family members and caretakers. She never learned to show affection or share as most children do. Because of this, her relationships as a child failed her completely, and led her down a path of crime, prostitution, and eventually murder. It can be assumed that if Wuornos experienced a better childhood, she would have developed a higher level of self- control. According to the self- control theory, disciplined and supervised children generally will not look for self- gratification and commit criminal acts. (Adams, 2009) The story of Aileen Wuornos is a clear- cut example of why Gottfredson and Hirschi’s control theory is valid. Had she received the proper love and affection at a young age, she would not have offered sexual favors at the age of nine, become a prostitute at the fourteen, and looked for the abusive and destructive relationships she did throughout her life. The story of Wournos is only one confirmation of the Control Theory, and there are certainly many more if the cases and correlating information were to be researched. Travis Hirschi also went into greater detail concerning the Self- Control Theory, implicating that Individuals possess three (3) sets of traits: (1) traits composing low self-control; (2) traits predicting involvement in crime; and (3) other traits that are the result of socialization. Low Self- Control (LSC) traits appear in the first six or eight years of life, and include only â€Å"factors affecting calculation of the consequences of one's acts†. The second set of traits includes low intelligence, high activity level, physical strength, and adventuresomeness. The third set of traits includes impulsivity, insensitivity, and inability to delay gratification. These traits can be seen in criminals, for example, drug users. Consider the logical structure of drug use. Here, even drugs that do not affect mood (tobacco) are correlated with crime because they share features that satisfy both criminality and the requirements of crime. Both crime and drug use provide short-term, immediate, and easy pleasure, and more importantly. In this view, drug use is not attributable to peer pressure, but to the fact that it is prohibited and has an adverse impact on health. LSC personalities must logically come prior to criminality because they are predisposed to disregard legal prohibitions and negative consequences for their own health. Drug users are people who â€Å"tend toward criminality†, and may self-destruct in any number of ways. Another way of saying this is that LSC is the domain and criminality only covers a portion of this domain. LSC allows almost any deviant act that is â€Å"logically† possible. (Hirschi, 1969) References Adams, C. 2009-07-27 â€Å"Crime 101: What is the link between self- control theory, serial killing, and Aileen Wuornos? † Retrieved from http://www. examiner. com Gottfredson, M. and Hirschi, T. (1990). A General Theory of Crime. Stanford University Press. Hay, C. and Forrest, W. â€Å"The Development of Self Control: Examining Self Control Theory's Stability Thesis† Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) . 010-04-03 from http://www. allacademic. com/meta/p121508_index. html Hirschi, T. (1969). Causes of Delinquency. Berkeley: Univ. of Ca Press. Longshore, D. , Turner, S. , and Stein, J. (1998). â€Å"Reliability and Validity of Self-Control Measure: Rejoinder. † Criminology 34:175-182. Sampson R. J. and Laub, J. (1993). Crime in the Making Pathways and Turning Points Through Life. Harvard University Press. Schmallege r, F. (2009). Criminology Today: An Integrative Introduction Fifth Edition. Prentice Hall. Snedker, K. A. and Herting, J. R. , 2004-08-14 â€Å"Revisiting Hirschi’s Social Control Theory: Examining Changes in Self- reported Delinquent Behavior among Youth† Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association 2010- 04-17 from http://www. allacademic. com/meta/p110751_index. html Wenk, D. , Hardesty, C. , Morgan, C. and Sampson, L. B. (1994). â€Å"The Influence of Parental Involvement on the Well-Being of Sons and Daughters. † Journal of Marriage and the Family 56:229-234.

Health Care Associated Infections Essay

Did you know that healthcare associated infections are in the top ten leading causes of death in the United States? According to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2010), â€Å"Healthcare-associated infections, also known as HAI’s are the most common complication of hospital care, resulting in 1.7 million infections and ninety-nine thousand deaths each year.† It is unfortunate that so many people suffer each year from infections that could be easily prevented. Slide2 Today my goal is to share some information with you about Healthcare associated infections and hopefully together we can all make a difference by reducing these alarming statistics. To start off I’m going to explain what Healthcare Associated Infections are and then I will go over the different types. Next I am going to go over a couple of the more common pathogens in healthcare associated infections. Following that I would like to talk about the preventive measure that all health care workers should be following to prevent future Healthcare associated infections. (Slide 3) According to Wilkinson and Treas (2011), A Healthcare Associated Infection is an infection related to healthcare given in any setting such as a hospital, during home-care, long-term care, and ambulatory settings. Infections may be spread from one patient to another simply because the healthcare provider failed to wash their hands or wear the proper personal protective equipment. Infections are also commonly spread by devises used during a medical procedure and anything else the patient may come in contact with that has not been properly cleaned such as a call bell or side rail. For instance say you have a patient with MRSA and one of their family members leave the room failing to wash their hands, goes to the front desk to ask for a glass of water for the patient in the mean time she placed her contaminated hands on the desk. Following that a nurse stops by the front desk also placing her hands on the desk then goes in to see a patient and fails to wash her hands prior to patient contact. Now we have just spread the infection and sadly another patient has acquired a healthcare associated infections. Patients whom acquire healthcare associated infections typically have longer duration of recovery time and medical cost are increased drastically. There are many different types of Healthcare Associated Infections, there is Surgical Site Infection (SSI), Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), catheter associated infection (UTI), and ventilator associated phenomena (VAP). (Slide 4) Surgical Site Infection A surgical site infection, also known as SSI, is an infection that occurs after surgery in whatever part of a person’s body that the surgery took place. There are three main types of SSI’s. There is superficial incision SSI, which transpires between the integument and subcutaneous tissue. Next is deep incision SSI, taking place at deep tissues such as muscles. The third type is called organ/space SSI, which occurs inside the body at an organ or the open space inside the body around the surgical site. All Surgical infections typically occur within thirty days of the surgical procedure expect in cases of implants, which then surgical site infections can take place with in one year. According to the Center of Disease Control (2012), infections develop in about 1 to 3 out of every 100 patients who have surgery. These infections are not only lengthening hospital stays, but adding unnecessary medical expenses, and are also responsible for unnecessary deaths and long-term disa bilities. (Slide 5) CLABSI Another type of Healthcare associated infection occurs at a central line also known as a catheter line, which is a tube used to draw blood, give medication or fluids through a large vein such as the jugular vein or subcalavian vein. A central line associated blood stream infection is caused when bacteria, or any type of germ enters the blood from the central line, which then causes an infection in the blood stream. –Slide 6- According to The American Surgeon (2011) Nosocomial blood stream infections are one of the leading causes of death in United States hospitals. As stated in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2012), In 2011 there were thirty-seven central line associated blood stream infections reported at Halifax Health Medical Center. (Slide 7) CA-UTI A different type of Healthcare related infection is a catheter associated urinary track infection. This type of infection occurs when the patient has a urinary catheter in place and bacteria or fungus travel up the tubing. The infection can take place any where in the urinary system from the urethra to the kidneys. The longer the patient has the catheter in place the more they are at risk for getting a UTI. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that one in ever two thousand patients who were cared for at Bert Fish Memorial in New Smyrna Beach acquired a catheter associated infection. (Slide 8) VAP Then there are the ventilator-associated phenomena’s, which is an infection that occurs in the lungs due to contaminated ventilation equipment. Patients who are on ventilators are already weakened due to another form of illness and their immune systems are typically compromised making it difficult for their bodies to cope with trying to fight yet another issue. According to Wilkinson and Treas (2011), ventilator associated infection are associated with high mortality rate. Last year alone there were approximately thirty-six thousand reported cases of ventilator-associated infections. (Slide 9) Pathogens Two of the more common types of pathogens in nosocomial infections are Coagulase-negative staphylococci also known as CoNS and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus also known at MRSA. CoNS typically causes catheter related ifections since catheters are not easly removed and cleaned it often makes it complicated to treat. CoNS are also known to be resistant to most forms of antibiotics. According to the European Journal Of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (2011), CoNS infection prolongs treatment with antibiotics and hospital stay by approximately twelve days or up to two and a half weeks. MRSA is a staph germ that is difficult to cure. If MRSA enters the blood stream it can spread any where through out the body, including bones, and organs. According to Clinical Infectious Disease (2012) MRSA infections kill nineteen thousand hospitalized American patients annually. Out of all the MRSA cases, 86% of them are healthcare aquired. (Slide 10) Preventive measures All of these infections could be prevented if we take initiative to follow the proper protocol. One the simplest and most important preventive measures is washing your hands before and after entering a client’s room. Sadly many health providers fail to do this. These infections could be prevented as long as the healthcare team uses proper aseptic techniques. In 2010 Florida’s Department of Health started up a program called the HAI prevention program. One of their main goals is to prevent and decrease the healthcare related infection rates in Florida’s hospitals and long-term care facilities. With in a five-year period the US Department of Health and Human Services plans on reducing Blood stream infections in Florida by 50-70%. That’s a good start, but I believe we should all strive to eliminate all healthcare related infections. A few preventive measures are, if a medical supply accidentally becomes contaminated through it out and start fresh, as soon as our patients are well enough to have catheters removed notify the doctor so that they can be removed promptly, and always wash your hands before and after patient contact and remind others to wash their hands as well. (Slide 11) Conclusion In closing I am sad to say it, but many healthcare providers are in violation of the first rule of health care, Do No Harm. Our patients are coming to us to be relieved of their illnesses not to acquire new ones. So if we could all just follow the simple preventive measures such as washing our hands before and after assisting our patients we all can make a difference. Just think that fifteen seconds it took you to wash your hands may have just saved a life. References Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2010) Ending healthcare-associated infections. Retrieved from http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/haicusp.htm Boucher, H. & Corey, R. (2008). Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Oxford Journals. 46(5), 344-349. Retrieved from http://cid.oxfordjournals.org Florida state plan to address healthcare-associated infections. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/pdfs/stateplans/fl.pdf Kordek, A. (2011). Concentrations of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein, white blood cell count, and the immature-to-total neutrophil ratio in the blood of neonates with nosocomial infections: Gram-negative bacilli vs coagulase-negative staphylococci. European Journal Of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases: Official Publication Of The European Society Of Clinical Microbiology, 30(3), 455-457. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/ Smith, J., Egger, M., Franklin, G., Harbrecht, B., & Richardson, J. (2011). Central line- associated blood stream infection in the critically ill trauma patient. The American Surgeon, 77(8), 1038-1042. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost Wilkinson. & Treas. (2011). Fundamentals Of Nursing. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.

Character of Touchstone in Shakespeares As You Like It Shakespeare As You Like It Essays

The Character of   Touchstone in As You Like It    As You Like It features, like so many of Shakespeare's plays, a professional clown, Touchstone, and it's worth paying some attention to his role for what it contributes towards establishing and maintaining the upbeat comic spirit of the play. For the jester is the constant commentator on what is going on. His humour, pointed or otherwise, thus inevitably contributes to the audience's awareness of what is happening, and the way in which other characters treat him is often a key indicator of their sensibilities. Touchstone is one of the gentlest and happiest clowns in all of Shakespeare. He comments on the action, makes jokes at other people's expense, and offers ironic insights about their situation. But throughout As You Like It, such traditional roles of the fool are offered and taken with a generosity of spirit so that his remarks never shake the firm comic energies of the play. When he ridicules Orlando's verses, Rosalind laughs along with him. When he points out to Corin (in 3.2) that the shepherd must be damned for never having lived at court, Corin takes it as good natured jesting (which it is). When Touchstone takes Audrey away from her rural swain, William, there are apparently no hard feelings (although much here depends on the staging). In this play, the professional jester participates in and contributes to a style of social interaction which is unqualified by any more sober and serious reflections. This makes Touchstone very different from the bitter fool of King Le ar or from the most complex fool of all, the sad Feste of Twelfth Night , both of whom offer comments that cast either a shrewd, melancholy, or bitter irony on the proceedings.    Touchstone himself becomes the target of much humour by his immediate attraction to Audrey, the "foul" country lass. There is something richly comic here, seeing the staunch apologist for the sophisticated life of the court fall so quickly to his animal lust. But the satire here is very good humoured. Touchstone himself acknowledges the frailty of his vows and does not attempt to deceive anyone about his intentions.

Analytical essay about (Heart of Darkness 4th edition ) Research Paper

Analytical essay about (Heart of Darkness 4th edition ) - Research Paper Example The main character of the book is Marlow, who sits on the deck of a ship becalmed on the Thames until the tide should turn within these early pages. The time setting is just at sunset and the imagery that presents itself to the men on the boat seems to naturally put them into a reflective state of mind. The narrator of this early section, identified only by the reflective pronoun 'I', even points out that each of the men were too involved in their own thoughts to be interested in playing a game of dominoes that one of them had brought out. The scene as it presents itself to Marlow calls to mind the deep and disturbing memories and ideas that he gained as a fresh-water sailor working in the Congo. Thus, the imagery of this opening scene does a great deal to inform the reader of the ideas Conrad is trying to convey regarding imperial conquest. As can be seen in the above quote, the scene painted for the reader is not the peaceful image one might expect a writer to create given the calm scene. The men are lying about on a ship's deck with nothing to do. The ship itself is described as calm, "without a flutter of her sails" (Conrad, 1). Within this scene, "the water shone pacifically; the sky, without a speck, was a benign immensity of unstained light; the very mist on the Essex marsh was like a gauzy and radiant fabric, hung from the wooded rises inland, and draping the low shores in diaphanous folds" (Conrad, 2). Even the barges moving upstream are seen as standing relatively motionless by the narrator. "The tanned sails of the barges drifting up with the tide seemed to stand still in red clusters of canvas sharply peaked, with gleams of varnished spirits" (Conrad, 2). Imagining this kind of scene, there seems no room for anything that isn't peaceful and calming. The narrator's words illustrate an almost magical timelessness, a place where nothing unpleasant might harm you. However, there are hints at a darkness lying at the heart of this pleasant scene. These ar e found as the narrator describes the change in color of the sunlight from a "glowing white" to a "dull red without rays and without heat" (Conrad, 2). What this imagery indicates is a place once full of hope and light and an ability to warm others has changed to something incapable of reaching out, cold and sullen. It is so close to lifelessness that it is even threatening to " go out suddenly, stricken to death" (Conrad, 2). Even more of the metaphor is exposed when the narrator identifies the cause of the sun's sudden ailment as "the gloom brooding over a crowd of men" (Conrad, 2). This gloom is present in physical form as the narrator describes the dark gathering in the west, "brooding over the upper reaches, became more sombre every minute, as if angered by the approach of the sun" (Conrad, 2). Thus, the scene is lovely and peaceful as long as one only chooses to look in specific directions as one direction suggests something ominous. The imagery of light and dark is also broug ht out in direct relation to man and his activities throughout history. As this opening scene is presented, the narrator describes his reverence for the Thames because of the history and greatness that have been carried out with its assistance. "We looked at the venerable stream not in the vivid flush of a short day that comes and departs forever, but in the august light of abiding memories" (Conrad, 2). These

Alternative Approaches in Stress Reduction Assignment

Alternative Approaches in Stress Reduction - Assignment Example Besides behavioral and cognitive methods of stress management, other approaches have been proposed for this purpose like massage therapy and diet modification. Massage not only involves manipulation of physical and functional aspects of the body, but also psychological aspects. This is achieved by reducing anxiety and depression caused due to high blood pressure. Theoretically, massage is said to act by reducing the heart rate and blood pressure, stimulates release of endorphins and serotonin, increases flow of lymph and improves sleep (Moyer, Rounds and Hannum, 2004). Enormous research has been conducted which has established a relation between dietary type and increased levels of hypertension, blood pressure, diabetes and other health ailments that are also associated with stress. Increased stress instances caused due to these health issues are found to be more in people consuming high fat and carbohydrate. Modification in food habits, like consuming food rich in protein, fiber, nutrients, calcium etc have yielded substantial results in reducing body weight, cholesterol levels, blood glucose levels, and also blood pressure. Reduced salt and sugar intake have also lowered blood pressure and blood glucose. Hence, modification in diet along with reducing or eliminating risk factors such as smoking can help to a large extent in reducing stress levels (Billings,

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

Russian literature - Research Paper Example The history of Russian literature is quite old and the ‘Old Russian Literature’ includes masterpieces produced in old Russian languages. Many anonymous works illuminate the history of the Russian literature during this era and the works like ‘The Tale of Igor’s Campaign’ and ‘Playing of Daniel the Immured’. The popular entity by the name of â€Å"Lives of Saints† evolved as a distinct genre of literature in Russian language during this period. ‘Life of Alexander Nevsky’ stands as an exemplary creation of this era. Old epics blended with the literary elements and traditions of Christian and Pagan elements illuminate the literary pieces of this period. Medieval Russian literature bears religious overtones in excess and the adaptations from Church Slavonic languages with major influences from many South Slavic elements have been widely incorporated in the literature during this period. ... Suicide happens to be an infallible theme of all the major works of the period and needs a wider exposition in this regard. Thesis Statement The essay intends to explore and discuss the major theme of suicide is pertinent in almost all the works of the â€Å"Golden Age† of the Russian literature of the nineteenth century evolving as a distinct cultural dimension dissipating men and women in the society. Golden Age of Russian Literature and the Theme of Suicide Nineteenth century literature in Russia is also known by the name of â€Å"Golden Era† of literature in Russian language. Romanticism inspired poetry and the names of the luminaries like Vasily Zhukovsky and afterwards his protege Alexander Pushkin came into prominence. Pushkin instrumented both crystallization and manifestation of innovative parameters of artistic excellence and artistry in Russian literature. His most popular novel written in verse form is â€Å"Eugene Onegin†. This precise period in Russ ian literature witnessed the evolution of a fresh new set of poetic talents in the works of Mikhail Lermontov,  Yevgeny Baratynsky,  Konstantin Batyushkov,  Nikolay Nekrasov,  Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy,  Fyodor Tyutchev and  Afanasy Fet. All these poets followed the creative style of Pushkin and are known in the history of Russian literature as his ardent followers. In the domain of prose, considerable contribution was notified during this period and keeping parity with the development of poetry, prose was also flourishing its canon well. The great Russian novelist of this period was Nikolai Gogol and following him were the names of the luminaries like Nikolai Leskov, Ivan Turgenev, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, who appeared in the monumental history of Russian literature during this era. All

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

Operations Management - Essay Example One of the major reasons for effective management of sustainability in relation to Jaguar’s Land Rover is the incorporation of the sustainability governance structure. The structure is essential in illustrating the strategic management and practices in relation to how the organisation executes its business activities. The framework and structure has been proficient in enabling effective and efficient cross-functional engagement, thus the perfect platform for the organisation to maximise or optimise the value from the finance team. In the process of managing its activities, JLR focuses on ensuring that the policy relates to the corporate decision-making practices and processes through inclusion of sustainable development within the corporate business plan, thus elevation of the status of the policy to the similar level in comparison to other critical imperatives (Harper & Wells, 2012). From this perspective, it is remarkable that all business functions tend to incorporate a set of sustainability targets. In the case of JLR, finance professionals are critical to business planning practices and process, thus the tendency of guiding target setting process and the measurement and performance reporting activities, which might be ideal in facilitating progress. The governance structure has the ability to facilitate the occurrence of all business functions, thus the delivery of the JLR’s long-term sustainability vision, in addition to medium and long-term action plans, thus effectiveness and efficiency in understanding goals and targets (Harper & Wells, 2012). JLR’s sustainability approach or strategy focuses on the transformation of products and business operations under the influence of environmental innovation. In addition, the organisation considers increased investment in the human resources or people while advancing and encouraging the knowledge and support for the communities in the global context. From this perspective, the organisation

Annotated Bibliography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Annotated Bibliography - Assignment Example This makes the amount of medicine and their effect in patients more difficult to monitor. A study to determine if warfarin is safe was conducted in 25 nursing homes. Patients INR value was ≠¥ 4.5 and suffered no damage, but there was an error in warfarin management. The errors mostly occurred at prescription and observation stages in warfarin management. Observation errors include inadequate laboratory tests to check warfarin level leading to delay response to high INR levels. Prescription error was mostly in dosage in respect to INR levels and drugs interaction. To avoid such instances, there should be frequent communication between nurses and doctors. According to Wu et al. (2011), there should also be upgrading of information technology to incorporate a modern computerized provider order entry program with clinical decision support in nursing homes and hospitals (p.160). This information helps to know the information technology needed to improve monitoring of warfarin therapy in patients leading to better warfarin management. Guidelines and Protocols Advisory Committee - Warfarin Therapy Management. (n.d.). Guidelines and Protocols Advisory Committee - Warfarin Therapy Management. Retrieved August 11, 2014, from http://www.bcguidelines.ca/guideline_warfarin_management.html. This report was written by physicians and is intended for other physicians. The guidelines given in this report focuses on management warfarin therapy in patients within an office setup. In this report guideline is given on how to begin administering warfarin, on international normalized ratio (INR) and dosage. It is written that before starting warfarin treatment one should consider various reasons why it should not be used. Warfarin should not be used; if the patient has severe or active bleeding diathesis, if the patient has some doses not taken or taken incorrectly, if the patient

Econometrics Institutions and Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Econometrics Institutions and Growth - Essay Example This paper focuses on the reasons why some countries are wealthier than others, studies such as Daron Acemoglu (2001) focus on colonisation and its effect on institutions. They state that colonisation led to the introduction of institutions which are present today, these institutions are therefore contributed to better economic performance. The role of better institutions in economic performance is supported by North (1973) who states that better institutions would lead to more investment in human capital and this would result into better economic performance will be realised. Besley (1995) studied the relationship between property rights and output and identified that there was strong correlation between the two variables, therefore economic performance will also depends on property rights. In this paper we focus on the role of colonisation and establishment of institutions, we also discuss the effect of property right on GDP and the differences in economic performance and the colonisers of the various countries. A study by Acemoglu (2001) was based on three assumpti... lonisers are present today, these institutions have an effect on income per capita and that colonisers chose areas with low mortality and in areas with high mortality establish extractive institutions. According to the study by Acemoglu (2001) the high mortality rate was as a result of disease such as yellow fever and malaria which was common in the tropic areas, settlers had no immune to these diseases and therefore chose not settle in these areas, settlers settled in the equatorial regions where mortality was relatively low. Therefore we focus on the effect of good institutions and property rights to discuss the differences in the economic performance, according to Douglas North (1973) better institutions and secure poverty rights would lead to more investment in human capital will lead to better economic performance. Besley (1995) also stated that economic performance depends on property rights. It is also evident that the countries considered in previous studies were colonised by a number of countries, a study by Mathew Lange (2006) showed that colonisers had differing effect on post colonial period economic development, his study compared Spain and British colonies that showed that Spain colonies had negative effects on post colonial economic development while British colonies had positive effects on post colonial economic development, some explanation or this effect is associated with the type of institutions left by the colonisers, Landes(1998) stated that a comparison of Spain and British colonies is that British left better institutions. Methodology: The first section of the paper is a description of the sample, the determination the correlation between the various variables under question to determine the nature relationship, measure of central tendencies

Ten Financial Management Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ten Financial Management Questions - Essay Example Add bracketed tax @ 34% $119,000 Add the cost of capital $ 35,000 Total $504,000 Less depreciation of the old helicopter $54,000 So the net cost of the new helicopter $450,000 Question 4: Mud Construction Co. is considering buying a new equipment with cost of $625,000 and a salvage value of $50,00 at the end of its useful life of ten years. The equipment is expected to generate additional annual cash flow for ten years with the following possibilities. Probability Cash Flow 15 $60,000 25 $85,000 45 $110,000 15 $130,000 a. What is the expected cash flow b. If the company's cost capital is 10% what is the expected net present value c. Should the company buy the equipment a. The cost of the equipment is $625,000 10 years post installation salvage value $50,000 With probability 15, cash flow $60,000 The inflow of income 60,000x10=$600,000 b. Salvage value after 10 years $600,000 Hence the present value 600,000/10=$60,000 c. The cash flow shows that the company gets a marginal profit, therefore it is not advisable to buy the equipment. Question 5: Explain how the price of a new security is determined Security is the condition of being protected against danger or loss. In the general sense, security is a concept similar to safety. The nuance between the two is an added emphasis on being protected from dangers that originate from outside. Individuals or actions that encroach upon the condition of protection are responsible for the breach of security. A security is a fungible, negotiable interest representing financial value. Securities are broadly categorized into debt and equity...What is the approximate yield to maturity of the bonds Question 3: Bar T Ranches Inc, is considering buying a helicopter for $350,000. The company's old helicopter has a book value of $85,000, but will only bring $60,000 if it is sold. The old helicopter can be depreciated at the rate of $13,500 per year for next four years. The new helicopter can be depreciated using the five-year MARCS schedule. The new helicopter is expected to save $62,000 after the taxes through reduced fuel and maintenance expenses. Bar T Ranches is in the 34% tax bracket and 12% cost of capital. Question 4: Mud Construction Co. is considering buying a new equipment with cost of $625,000 and a salvage value of $50,00 at the end of its useful life of ten years. The equipment is expected to generate additional annual cash flow for ten years with the following possibilities. Security is the condition of being protected against danger or loss. In the general sense, security is a concept similar to safety. The nuance between the two is an added emphasis on being protected from dangers that originate from outside. Individuals or actions that encroach upon the condition of protection are responsible for the breach of security. A security is a fungible, negotiable interest representing financial value. Securities are broadly categorized into debt and equity securities.

The strategic plans of Procter and Gamble Essay Example for Free

The strategic plans of Procter and Gamble Essay INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This study is being undertaken in order to review the strategic plans of Procter and Gamble. The Human Resource activities of the company will be identified including their estimated costs and benefits. Also, the study will identify the strategic activities and how it match the strategic goals of the company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, this study will formulate recommendations on how the organization might better match its human resource activities with its strategic benefits. COMPANY BACKGROUND   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procter and Gamble Company is a U. S. based global corporation based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It manufactures a wide range of consumer goods. The company is the 25th largest U.S. company by revenue in 2007. It is the 18th largest by profit, and 10th in Fortune’s most admired companies list as of 2007.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company was founded by William Procter, a candle maker, and James Gamble, a soap maker in 1837. These two men were immigrants from England and Ireland respectively. The company grew tremendously and throughout the twentieth century, it continued to prosper. The firm expanded into other countries and introduced Tide laundry detergent in 1946 and â€Å"Prell† shampoo in 1950. In 1955, the company began selling its first toothpaste to contain fluoride which is known as â€Å"Crest† (Dyer et al., 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Currently, the company is ranked in the top ten by the Harris Interactive/Wall Street Journal list of companies with the world’s best reputation, the number one ranking in Fortune’s U.S. Household and Personal Products most admired list. It is ranked number two on the Hay Group list of Best Companies for Leaders, and the Market Sector Leader for Household Products in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (PG Annual Report, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   PG ranks among the top companies for Executive Women (National Association for Female Executives), African Americans (Working Mother and Women of Color Magazines), Working Mothers (Working Mother Magazine), and Best Corporate Citizens (Business Ethics Magazine) (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Supplier diversity is a fundamental business strategy of the company. In 2007, the firm spent over $1.9 billion with minority-and women-owned businesses. It is a member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable, a forum of 14 corporations that spend more than $1 billion annually with diverse suppliers (Ibid). Overview of Operations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The business of Procter and Gamble is focused on providing branded consumer goods. The company’s goal is to provide products of superior quality and value to improve the lives of consumers around the world. The company believes that this will result in leadership sales, profits and value creation, allowing employees, shareholders and the communities in which the company operate to prosper (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The firm’s products are sold in more than 180 countries mainly through mass merchandisers, grocery stores, membership club stores and drug stores. It is continuing to expand their presence in â€Å"high frequency stores,† the neighborhood stores which serve many customers in developing markets. The firm on-the-ground operations in over 80 countries. The market is highly competitive, with global, regional and local competitors. In most markets and industry segments wherein the company is selling their products, it compete against other branded products as well as retailers’ private-label brands. In addition, many of the product segments in which it compete are differentiated by price. Essentially, Procter and Gamble compete with premium and mid-tier products and are well positioned in the industry segments and markets in which it operates. It is most often holding a leadership or significant share position (Ibid). Organizational Structure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Currently, the organizational structure of the company was comprised of three Global Operations Units (GBUs) and a Global Operations group. The Global Operations group includes the Market Development Organization (MDO) and Global Business Services (GBS). The heads of the three GBUs and Global Operations each would report to the Chief Executive Officer (Ibid). Global Business Units   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During 2007, the three GBUs were Beauty and Health, Household Care and Gillette GBU. The main responsibility of the GBUs is to develop the overall strategy of the brands. They identify the common needs of the consumer, develop product innovations, marketing and sales. In the United States, the business units comprising the GBUs are integrated into seven segments: Beauty; Health Care; Fabric Care and Home Care; Snacks, Coffee, and Pet Care; Blades and Razors; and Duracell and Braun (Ibid). Growth and Strategies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procter and Gamble’s sales have grown from $39 billion to $76 billion in the past seven years. The firm have more than doubled the number of brands that generate $1 billion or more in sales each year, and now have 23 of these leading billion-dollar brands in its portfolio. The company also have more than quadrupled the number of brands that generate at least $500 million in sales, and today have 18 of these brands poised to be the next billion-dollar brands. The firm have nearly doubled the number of countries in which it generates a billion dollars or more in sales each year, and now have 12 billion-dollar countries (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procter and Gamble (PG) have more than a billion dollars in sales each year with seven retail customers, up from two in 2001. PG have generated more than $43 billion in net earnings and $50 billion in free cash flow. PG’s   market capitalization has increased more than $100 billion since 2001. Currently, the company is among the ten most valuable companies in the United States (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procter and Gamble designed a diversified business portfolio to grow consistently and reliably. It designed its core strengths to win in the industry. It designed strategic, operational, and financial processes that ensure discipline to deliver. It also designed a management team and organization to lead (Ibid). 2007 Results of Activities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The year 2007 brought results to the company’s strategic plan for growth. It was the most demanding year that the company faced since the beginning of the decade. As energy and commodity costs continued to rise, competitive pressure also intensified. Nevertheless, the company continued to grow well and attained its target growth range. The following were the highlights of its operations: Net sales increased 12% to $76 billion. Organic sales increased 5%. Diluted net earnings per share increased 15% to $3.04. Free cash flow from operating activities was $10.5 billion, or 101% of net earnings. Fabric and Home Care grew organic sales 8%, with double-digit growth in developing markets and mid-single-digit growth in developing regions. The key growth drivers included Tide Simple Pleasures, Gain Joyful Expressions, and Febreze Noticeables. Blades and Razors organic sales grew by 8%. Beauty organic sales increased 5%, led by strong growth in feminine care, prestige fragrances, and hair care. Billion-dollar brands Always, Olay, and Head Shoulders each grew sales double-digits for the year. Health Care organic sales incremented 6% which is driven by very strong growth in oral care. In the United States, Crest extended its category market leadership to 38% behind the success of the Pro-Health line. Baby and Family Care organic sales increased 4%. This growth was due to the continuing expansion into developing markets and robust results on Pampers Baby Stages of Development and Baby Dry Caterpillar Flex products in North America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Growth across geographic regions was also broad-based. This was led by mid-single-digit organic volume growth in North America and double-digit organic growth in developing markets. Also, it made excellent progress on the integration of Gillette. This was the biggest acquisition in the consumer products industry and in the history of the company (Ibid). Growth Strategies, 2001-2007   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The basic strategy is to grow from its core competence. This is done through maximizing on its leading brands, big markets, and top customers. Specifically, this strategies are as follows (Ibid): Volume up 7% on average, for PG ‘s 23 billion dollar brands; Volume up 8% on average, for PG’s top 16 countries; Volume up 8% on average, for PG’s top 10 retail customers. Develop faster-growing, higher-margin, more-asset efficient businesses and this is done specifically through: Beauty sales doubled to $23 billion profit more than doubled to $3.5 billion; Health Care sales more than doubled to $9 billion; profit increased 6-fold to $1.5 billion; Home Care sales up nearly 85% profit more than tripled.   Ã‚   Accelerate growth in developing markets and among low-income consumers as follows: Developing market sales up 18% per year; Over one-third of total company sales growth from developing markets; Developing market profit margins comparable to developed market margins. New Strategic Design   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first element of the company’s strategic design is a portfolio that balances growth and consistency.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the 1990’s, two businesses accounted for 85% of all the value created by the firm through the decade. Today, the firm have a much stronger and more robust business portfolio. It is competing in 22 categories that include a balanced mix of faster growing, higher-margin asset-efficient businesses, such as beauty or home care, and large, foundation categories such as laundry, or baby care. PG also have an attractive geographic mix, with about half coming from the rest of the world. The firm is focusing on achieving disproportionate growth in fast-growing developing markets. These markets have contributed more than a third of the company’s top-line growth over the past five years, and their contribution has been accelerating. Nearly 40% of PG sales growth came from developing markets this past fiscal year, and it is expected that the contribution would be even greater in the year ahead. The company’s diversified portfolio reduces exposure to single and competitive events, and maximizes future growth opportunities. Traditional businesses, like fabric care and baby care, are strong and growing in their own right, and they create scale that makes PG’s beauty and health care businesses more competitive (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Geographically, the firm’s North America home base is rock solid, with dependable growth that allows them to invest in developing markets. Also, the breadth and diversity of the firm’s businesses and the breadth and diversity of the technological expertise that supports these businesses enable the company to transfer technologies from one business to another. For example, Crest Whitestrips was created by combining bleach stabilization technology from laundry care with film technology from corporate Research and Development (RD) to provide in-home teeth whitening. The Swifter Wet Jet pad combines absorbent cores from feminine care with flexible surface lawyers from baby care. Olay Daily Facials combines structured paper from family care with skin conditioning and mild cleansing from beauty to provide a mini-facial in the home. The company’s ability to combine technologies from so many diverse businesses cannot be rivaled in the industry because no other consumer products company has the scope of science and technology found at PG. The firm’s business portfolio is not static. It uses the operating total shareholder return (TSR) delivered by each business to continuously ensure its portfolio is maximizing shareholder value. TSR is a cash flow return on investment (CFROI) model that measures sales growth, earnings growth and cash flow to determine the rate of return that each business earns (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The firm’s researchers and entrepreneurs around the world working in areas that are relevant to their business. They are establishing the company as the preferred commercialization partner for these external innovators, and it is making a huge impact. The firm’s ability to innovate is most evident in the net present value of its innovation pipeline and the organic incremental sales growth generated by innovation. Innovation-driven value creation for shareholders and incremental sales growth from innovation have nearly doubled in this same time period (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These are just two examples of how the company designed an institutional capability to grow. The firm’s core strengths create sustainable competitive advantages, and it is continuing to get stronger in every area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The third element of the company’s design for growth is the disciplined way it managed its business. Discipline is part of the company’s culture and it is applied to every aspect of the business: strategic, operational, and financial. The company set and stick with clear strategies. It does its homework before going to market with new products and ideas (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second element of the firm’s design for growth is its combination of core strengths. Early in the decade, the firm determined that it did not have sufficient competitive advantage in the five areas that are critical to winning in consumer products: consumer understanding, brand building, innovation, go-to-market capability, and scale. It invested substantially in every area and it is paying off. For example, the company invested more than a billion dollars in consumer understanding since 2001. It transformed one of the industry’s more traditional market research organizations into a consumer understanding powerhouse. Its external benchmarking indicates that the company has the industry’s strongest suite of proprietary consumer research tools and methodologies. These tools make the firm learn faster and more effectively, and it helps discover the often unarticulated needs and aspirations that lead to breakthrough innovation (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Innovation has always been the firm’s lifeblood, and it created significant advantage in this area. It has the best-in-class expertise in about a dozen technology areas that are the foundation for innovation in the industry, including enzymes, perfumes, and flavors, polymers, structured substrates, and surfactants. The firm multiplied this internal capability through an effort we call â€Å"connect + develop,† which is proving to be an enormous source of innovation and competitive advantage. It has about 8,500 researchers within the company and another 1.5 million outside the company (Ibid). Strategic Focus   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The growth strategy of the company will exploit opportunities focusing on these areas: PG’s Core. The firm is widening its share advantages versus competition. For example, in fabric care, it is the number two player worldwide in the early 1990s. Today, the firm has a 34% share of the global fabric care market, almost double the next competitor, and its share has grown for six consecutive years. There are plenty of opportunities to keep growing all of the company’s billion dollar brands. It is proving in category after category that a leading share, even a relatively high share, is not a barrier to growth. The company aims to continue leverage its brand line-up and category-leading innovation to keep core businesses healthy and growing. Faster-Growing. Higher-Margin Businesses. The company has even greater upside in businesses such as beauty and health care. The beauty and health categories in which PG competes are   a combined $360 billion market today, and are projected to grow 3% to 4% a year for the balance of the decade. The firm has almost doubled its share of beauty and health over the past decade although the firm’s share of this combined market is only about 10% globally. Developing Markets and Lower-Income Consumers. The firm can still grow significantly in developing markets by increasing household penetration and consumer usage frequency, and by entering categories   where it has not yet competed. For example, the average U.S. householder buys five to ten times as much PG product per year as the average household in developing markets. In addition, there is a large number of households in developing regions that do not yet purchase any PG product. Closing this gap, the company is confident that it can do it over time. It will continue to drive strong growth for years to come. There are significant bottom-line growth opportunities as well. The firm will continue to leverage its economies of scale. It will reduce overhead costs by simplifying work and eliminating duplication between global business units and market development organizations. It will be more effective and efficient in how it will manage smaller country organizations and brands. It will continue to increase productivity in all of its businesses. It will continue to improve gross margins. The company’s current margin is about 52% (Ibid). Human Resource Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procter and Gamble have the most diverse and broadly experienced leadership team in its history. The top 45 leaders came from a dozen countries, and most of them have experience leading businesses in both developed and developing markets (PG Annual Report, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The firm is proud that they have recognized as one of the world’s best leadership development companies. PG have been ranked as one of the three best companies for leaders. Human Resources Executive magazine ranked PG as the best company among the Fortune Most Admired for â€Å"management quality†(Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Human Resource department of PG have developed advanced leadership training or senior managers. The new General Manager College is targeted to the 135 general managers who run PG businesses globally. GM College focuses on Purpose and Value, leadership strategy, capabilities, systems, and culture. They have also designed a sequel to GM College which is called the Executive Leadership Program. This program is targeted to the most-senior managers in the company and focuses on agility and flexibility, embracing leading change, and sustaining growth (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The firm is concerned with getting the right people into the right jobs at the right time is always a primary responsibility of management. Also, equally important and more difficult is the need to anticipate leadership capabilities that will be required in the future, and ensuring that managers get the experiences and coaching they need to be ready (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most visible example of the company’s ability to develop strong leaders is the number of former PG employees who are now CEOs of major companies. The president of PG himself is personally involved in succession planning for every organization in the company. They review succession plans and the progress of key leaders with the Board once a year, and with the senior management team three times a year (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The human resource management values and culture of PG is reflected in their principles as follows (www.pg.com): We show respect for all individuals. We believe that all individuals can and want to contribute to their fullest potential. We value differences. We inspire and enable people to achieve high expectations, standards and challenging goals. We are honest with people about their performance.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The interests of the Company and the Individual are inseparable. We believe that doing what is right for the business with integrity will lead to mutual success for both the Company and the individual. Our quest for mutual success ties us together. We encourage stock ownership and ownership behavior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We are Strategically Focused on Our Work. We operate against clearly articulated and aligned objectives and strategies. We only do work and only ask for work that adds value to the business. We simplify, standardize and streamline our current work whenever possible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Innovation is the Cornerstone of Our Success. We place great value on big, new consumer innovations. We challenge convention and reinvent the way we do business to better win in the marketplace.   Ã‚  Ã‚   We are Externally Focused. We develop superior understanding of consumers and their needs. We create and deliver products, packaging and concepts that build winning brand equities. We develop close, mutually productive relationship with our customers and our suppliers. We are good corporate citizens. We incorporate sustainability into our products, packaging and operations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We Value Personal Mastery. We believe it is the responsibility of all individuals to continually develop themselves and others. We encourage and expect outstanding technical mastery and executional excellence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   We Seek to be the Best. We strive to be the best in all areas of strategic importance to the Company. We benchmark our performance rigorously versus the very best internally and externally. We learn from both our successes and our failures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mutual Interdependency is a Way of Life. We work together with confidence and trust across business units, functions, categories and geographies. We take pride in results from reapplying others’ ideas. We build superior relationships with all the parties who contribute to fulfilling our Corporate Purpose, including our customers, suppliers, universities and governments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As such, it is very clear in â€Å"Our Principles† of PG that they really value their human resources and that they value the individual, the team and their development to become leaders and their corresponding search towards excellence (www.pg.com). Employee Benefits   Ã‚  Ã‚   The company sponsor several post-employment benefits throughout the world. These include pension plans, both defined contribution plans and defined benefit plans, and other post-employment benefit (OPEB) plans, which is comprised mainly of health care and life insurance for retirees (PG Annual Report, 2007). Stock-Based Compensation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company have a primary stock-based compensation plan under which stock options are granted every year to key managers and directors with exercise prices equal to market price of the underlying shares on the date of grant. A total of 229 million shares of common stock were authorized for issuance under plans approved by shareholders in 2001 and 2003, of which 73 million remain available for grant. An extra 20 million shares of common stock were authorized for issuance under a plan approved by Gillette shareowners in 2004 and assumed by the firm in conjunction with the acquisition of the Gillette Company in October 2005. A total of 14 million of the shares remain available for grant under this plan. There are also five million shares available for grant under this plan. There are also five million shares available for grant under Future Shares Plan approved by the Board of Directors in 1997. This plan will terminate in October 2007. Grants issued under the firm’s shareholder approved plans since September 2002 are vested after three years and have a 10-year life. Grants issued under these plans from July 1998 through August 2002 are vested after three years and have a 15-year life, while grants issued prior to July 1998 are vested after one year and have a 10-year life. In addition to the key manager and director grants, the company makes other minor stock option grants to employees for which vesting terms and options lives are not substantially different (Ibid).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Total stock-based compensation expense for stock option grants was $612 million, $526 million, and $459 million for 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively. The total income tax benefit recognized in the income statement for these stock-based compensation arrangements was $163 million, $140 million and $125 million for 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively. The company also makes minor grants of restricted stock, restricted stock units and other stock-based grants which are generally expensed at grant date was $56 million, $59 million and $65 million in 2007, 2006, and 2005 respectively (Ibid). Defined Contribution Retirement Plans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procter and Gamble have defined contribution plans which cover the   majority of U.S. employees as well as employees in other countries. These plans are fully funded. The firm generally make contributions to participants’ accounts based on individual base salaries and years of service. The main U.S. defined contribution plan comprises the majority of the balances and expense for the firm’s defined contribution plans. The contribution rate is set annually. Total contributions for this plan approximated 15% of total participants’ annual wages and salaries in 2007, 2006 and 2005. Procter and Gamble maintains the Profit Sharing Trust and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) to provide a portion of the funding for the D.C. plan in the United States as well as other retiree benefits. Total defined contribution expense was $273, $249 and $215 in 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively. The accumulated benefit obligation for all defined benefit retirement pension plans was $ 8.6 billion and $8 billion at June 30, 2007, and June 20, 2006, respectively (Ibid). MATCHING OF HUMAN RESOURCES WITH STRATEGY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The development of key managers through the General Managers’ College of PG matched its strategy of growth and diversification as discussed above. The continuous growth of the company requires a constant supply of managerial talents. The employee benefits also matched the strategic goals of the company since these benefits are the motivators that will make the employees and managers work hard since the company spends a lot of money for their insurance, health care, pension plan, and stock-based compensation wherein the company spends billions of dollars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also, the â€Å" Our Principles† of the company as discussed above is also supportive of the strategy of the company wherein these principles promote a culture of independence and at the same time work as a team. It also encourages hard work and excellence for employees in their jobs. RECOMMENDATIONS   Ã‚  Ã‚   PG is an excellent company. Most of its strategic management practices are state of the art as well as its HRM practices. However, in order to match the strategic goals of the company, the human resources function should do the following: Conduct intensive training to all of its employees and not only their candidates for senior managers. These trainings should be in line with their respective functions of the employees in their respective divisions, and In order to motivate employees, the stock compensation option should be offered to everyone and not only for key managers.   PG’s infrastructure requirements consist of those functions and activities necessary for the effective management of a companys human resources. The major purposes of these activities traditionally have been to attract, retain, and motivate employees. We refer to them as human resource management (HRM) practices (Schuler, 1984), and the key HRM practices include: Human resource planning Staffing, including recruitment, selection, and socialization Appraising Compensation Training and development Union-management relationships   Ã‚  Ã‚   The result of effectively managing human resources is an enhanced ability to attract and retain qualified employees who are motivated to perform, and the results of having the right employees motivated to perform are numerous. They include greater profitability, low employee turnover, high product quality, lower production costs, and more rapid acceptance and implementation of corporate strategy. These results, particularly if coupled with competitors who do not have the right people motivated to perform, can create a number of competitive advantages through human resource management practices. CONCLUSION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although there are many ways by which companies can gain a competitive advantage, as MacMillan (1983) has suggested, one way often overlooked is through their human resource management practices. HRM practices enable companies to gain a competitive advantage in two major ways: One is by helping themselves and the other is by helping others. So there appears to be a significant benefit from having HRM considerations represented in the strategy formulation stage rather than only in the implementation stage. Once the strategy is formulated and the appropriate HRM thrust identified, specific HRM practices need to be developed. These practices, such as staffing and compensation, are the ones that actually create the competitive advantage for the company. In addition, selection of the most appropriate practices should be appropriate to the strategy and lead to behaviors that are supportive of the strategy; for example, if cooperative behaviors are needed among employees, then group or organizational level compensation incentives should be provided rather than an individual-level incentive system. If product quality is critical, quality circles and union-management cooperation should be developed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once the strategy is formulated, the determination of the needed behaviors comes from job analysis. The HRM practices that stimulate those behaviors must be identified. They must be implemented so as to ensure consistency across HRM practices. It is this hard-won consistency which will help ensure that a competitive advantage through HRM practices is gained and sustained because of the barriers we have just discussed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition to using their HRM practices on themselves, companies can also gain a competitive advantage through using their HRM practices on others. Specifically, companies can gain a competitive advantage by helping their suppliers, customers, or servicers/distributors with their practices     Ã‚      REFERENCES    ^ a b http://www.pginvestor.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=104574p=irol-fundSnapshot ^ CNN Fortune ranking ^ http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mostadmired/2007/top20/index.html ^ Dyer, Davis; Frederick Dalzell, Rowena Olegario (2004). Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter Gamble. Harvard Business School Press. ISBN 1591391474. ^ Wherrity, Constance. Dial Agrees to Buy PG Deodorant Brands, Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York blog, 2006-02-21. Retrieved on 2006-09-06. ^ John G. Smale: He rebuilt PG and city, too, The Cincinnati Post, 11 October 2005. ^ 2007 Annual report, pg 71 ^ Reasons for Selection, 2007 Canadas Top 100 Employers. ^ Trademark of the Beast by David Emery, June 10, 1998 ^ Trademark of the Devil by Barbara Mikkelson, snopes ^ Mikkel MacMillan, I. C. Seizing Competitive Initiative. The Journal of Business Strategy, 1983, pp. 43-57. Peters, T. J., and Waterman, R. H. Jr. In Search of Excellence. New York: Warner Books, 1982. Schuler, R. S. Personnel and Human Resource Management (2nd ed.). St. Paul, MN: West Publishing, 1984. Skinner, W. Big Hat, No Cattle: Managing Human Resources. Harvard Business Review, September-October 1981, pp. 107-118. Schulerson, Barbara and David. 2005 December 31

Computer science and information technology Essay Example for Free

Computer science and information technology Essay The hard work and determination to create opportunities for change remains to be the main inspiration of man towards the attainment of his personal goals and objectives. They use these experiences as motivation and strength to further advance in their respective fields. Not only does it enhance their capabilities as an individual, at the same time it provides the necessary stepladder in attaining success. With these, I wish to express my intention to apply for a PhD degree in Web Engineering Technology. The realm of computer science and information technology has always fascinated me. It stimulated my mind of this complex processes that happens within for a particular system to work. This complexities and possibilities have made me keen of the possible opportunities that are yet to be discovered or formulated. This however, can only be facilitated by further education and research. Looking at my educational background, I finished my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. After this, I began teaching students about the things I had learned during my study. Given my good academic standing, I was given a full scholarship by my country to study in the United States. This proved to be too good to be true for me as it can help me achieve my long term goals better my skills and competence in the field. Being an international student, I was faced with numerous struggles and difficulties adjusting. But my hard work paid off. Now, I am currently finishing my last semester to complete my Masters degree in Computer Science. I can say that this experience enhanced my interpersonal and leadership skills which I can effectively apply in practice. Now, it is my utmost intention to pursue a PhD program and focus on the field of Web design Technology. I chose this specialization because I am greatly interested in the increasing number of techniques and strategies available in Web Design. Likewise, I had familiarized myself with this study and hope that in the future I can be able to provide a lot of research in my chosen field of profession. In the end, this stepping stone is a vital process towards my personal fulfillment and professional success.

The decisive moment

The decisive moment Page | 1 This essay will look at the foundation, importance, and relevance of the decisive moment. It will evaluate how this notion is perceived in today’s society and evaluate how technology has affected it throughout the years and if it became less recognisable and less consciously considered. The idea of the decisive moment was established by Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908– August 3, 2004) and quickly became the leading theory; soon basis of photography for centuries. In order to fully understand the decisive moment, it is highly important to recognise its origin and certain ideologies behind it. The idea was officially introduced and named by Cartier-Bresson in his book under the same title in 1952; the decisive moment was and still is considered to appear when both artistic and the meaningful aspects of life come together for a split second and can be then captured and documented through in this case the lens of the camera. The decisive moment photograph never exists as a singular image. Such image can only emerge as a part of an entire photo shoot. Not even the greatest photographers are capable of capturing a remarkable image with just a single frame. Cartier-Bresson’s theory, the decisive moment soon became known, much respected and used by all professional photographers; not much later being considered as a beginning of street and photojournalism style of photography. In his book Cartier-Bresson talks about his idea of the decisive moment- what later became known as photojournalism; he states ‘I wanted to capture the quintessence of the phenomenon in a single image†¦ in order to give meaning to the world, one has to feel oneself involved in what one frames in the viewfinder†¦ its putting one’s head, one’s eye, one’s heart on the same axis†¦ it is a way of life’. The above quote proves that the decisive moment itself was more than just an idea. It was a way of thinking, living and a style of work, obeyed not just by lifelong commitment of Henri Cartier-Bresson himself but many if not all professional photographers to follow. He believed in the unique purpose of photography in comparison to other visual arts such as painting. This therefore that photography has a unique capability to capture momentary and constant flow of life e.g. vide diversions within different cultures (he created series of photog raphs in countries such as India, France and Russia), political and economic changes. For example he was drawn to India by the significant political events – which then lead to major economic and cultural changes such as the Partition and assassination of Ghandi. Both of these events had a vast impact on the culture of India, the Partition for example lead to high independence of culture within the countries created. It also however raised the amount of violence which resulted in high expanse in deaths within the civilians and war between the countries. Cartier-Bresson believed that his photographs were a method of assessing the present against the past, that they allowed him to compare the country with what it once was, helped him and the viewer to realise and appreciate all of the things that remained the same and continued throughout the years as much as convey all that has changed through time. It is important to note that Cartier-Bresson’s ideologies therefore his art work, have a clear link to his education and reveal a strong philosophical knowledge. This is visibly observable when being aware of his early life and edification through school. As a young artist he attended the Lhote Academy in Paris in which painter and sculptor Andre Lhote, took on the method to teach his students to integrate the cubist’s approach to reality (depiction of space, mass, time and volume as well as the use of multiple perspective) with classical artistic forms such as beautiful, almost perfect sceneries and people, along with the most truthful representation of reality, scale and perspective. Cubism was a first abstract art movement, which abandoned the tradition of perspective, displaying many views at the same time while preserving the expressiveness of subjects granted with philosophical connotations. The art work of this movement displayed a very geometrical presence and s ubjects of the painting were often tough to spot with just a brief first glance. The paintings were often chaotic in a sense of composition yet were exceptionally intriguing and very easy to look at for a substantial period of time. They required the viewer to see it with an open mind, ready to interpret and thoughtfully consider the subject while classical art only just offered something pretty to look at. While at the Lhote Academy, Cartier-Bresson developed an interest into human psychology and studied all leading philosophers such as Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Arthur Schopenhauer and Karl Heinrich Marx. The theory of the decisive moment itself reveals a very high understanding and influence of such philosophical knowledge, and it is enough to look at the very basic yet complex principles of an effective the decisive moment to see a clear link. Further studies of Cartier-Bresson’s theory reveal that a successful the decisive moment in photography is not by any means accidental but it is a careful combination ‘of a unique set of technical, cognitive, and emotional skills’. All of these can only be achieved by far reaching training therefore a vast amount of experience, and psychological knowledge of people. Both the emotional and the so clear psychological significance of this theory are based on the ‘dynamic interaction of the experiences of subject and photographer†¦ which provides the springboard for effective insight’. All of these factors play an essential role in the composition of the decisive moment. A well composed photograph within this theory creates a feeling of understanding, balance, harmony, interest, unity and closure. Although, however considerate and successful the decisive moment theory is, it only applies to street and photojournalism photography. So as important and influential as it is, it did not help to form or develop other styles of photography. The geometrical and beautiful aspects of art, combined with psychological knowledge are represented in almost all of Cartier-Bresson’s photographs; such as the photograph of two women taken in 1953 (figure 1) and the image of a mother holding her baby taken in 1950 in India (figure 2). The first image uses repeated vertical lines to emphasise the subjects within the frame which s this case are the two women. In the second image there is a clockwise design of thin lines which immediately move the viewer’s eye around the frame. Both of these images show a clear and careful consideration of geometry and designed viewer’s response by the photographer. In an article on photographic psychology; John Suler PhD professor of Rider University described the decisive moment as a ‘highly debated concept’. Throughout the years, Cartier-Bresson’s theory has been discussed from various angles and perspectives. Many of the arguments are objectively recent and mainly refer to the growing technological advance. Now that the decisive moment is fully understood in all its aspects, both the supportive arguments as well as those against the theory will be considered and analysed. Some could argue that although Cartier-Bresson was the first one to name the decisive moment, he has basically described a way photographers worked from a very beginning. The term photography is derived from the Greek phos graphe which means drawing with light. Photography was and still is considered to be both the art and science. It is a way of creating resilient images, which has been present for almost two centuries. Recently however the scientific aspect of it seems to have disappeared giving way to more of an artistic approach. Todays ‘photographers have all become artists’and have disregarded the theoretical approach to photography. However in the early 1900’s, while photography was still developing, photographers remained scientists capturing and observing various aspects of life. The first camera was more about capability to capture anything permanently form a different angle (through the lens for example), and the general achievement of a photograph itse lf. Looking at some of the early photographs now, it is clear that somewhat unconsciously the photographer picked the moment or the final chosen frame for a reason. Like the train track photograph, the photographer picked a certain weather and time of the day because it meant something to him. Find the image The opposite side of this argument could be the early equipment. Images created back in the 1800’s or even during the 1900’s required extremely long exposures. What could now be classed as the decisive moment in these images could have happened by pure chance and luck; for example in the first ever photograph taken of a person (figure 4). The only reason for why this was able to happen is that the person so far away on the street, remained motionless enough for the camera to record it. This was not the moment consciously considered and chosen by the photographer, it was just a frame chosen out the whole photo shoot. Now this is when this side of the argument becomes inconsistent, as the image was still chosen due to its certain properties and content. The same properties later listed and described by Cartier-Bresson as the decisive moment. In his article John Suler, mentions the fact that some modern photographers rejecting the decisive moment as an ‘outdated idea’. This conveys the most discussed contemporary aspect of Cartier-Bresson’s idea the technology. Photographers in today’s society do not think about the decisive moment anymore, they simply do not have to. New equipment such as cameras are easily capable of capturing enormous amounts of images in incredibly short periods of time. Without the concern, neither the cost nor the necessity to change, acquire new film roll or even then the requirement to develop the shots. Photographers either professional or amateur are able to pick the decisive moment afterwards rather then consider it just before the shot or while taking the photo. In the book on Conceptual Limitations of Our Reflection on Photography, Jan Baetens argues that there is a fundamental disjunction between the practical knowledge of the non-academics and contemporary (artis tic) photographic theory. Photography in today’s society became greatly more accessible on considerably bigger scale and now it’s not just professional photographers capturing the flow of life but everyone is capable of doing so. In another article on the decisive moment, John Roberts vey accordingly states that ‘there has been an intellectual regression within photography†¦ the social implications and possibilities of new imaging techniques in various sciences rarely move from the realm of specialist technical discourse into the broader field of critical theories of photography’. In today’s society photography is easier to use, mainly due to the technology and requires much less training and general knowledge of the equipment, techniques and composition therefore smaller amount of people taking photos are truly aware of the decisive moment and theoretical approach to photography. Although the technology now rejects the idea and recognition of the decisive moment, mainly due to high growing technological improvement, some could argue that it was Bresson’s idea which pushed the development of photographical technology so fast forward. His idea of perfection within the frame and the â€Å"perfect† image actually has in some respect motored the society and technology to advance. (One more sentence needed but don’t know what!!) Many contemporary arguments disprove and dismiss the theory of the decisive moment. There is however a clear link between the theory and human psychology, which highly supports Cartier-Bresson’s idea and vice versa. Suler’s article speaks very little on the actual theory itself, as its main focus remains on the use of photography in psychoanalytic therapy. The concept of Cartier-Bresson’s theory plotted into authentic psychiatry is very intriguing as it now links back with its original establishment. An idea based on basic human psychology is now being used to analyse one’s mind. Although psychoanalysis in this case is not much of an arguable point, it does shine a new light on the original idea and displays it in a slightly different perspective. In 1956 E. Kris introduced the idea of the â€Å"Good Hour. To understand the relation this has towards Cartier-Bresson’s idea it is important to understand the term and its importance towards creative arts. Kris describes the Good Hour as a process an individual goes through while undertaking one’s goal. The good hour begins with a negative implication; a feeling of frustration and disappointment. Next step within this process is that all the negative feelings are then neutralised and converted into dynamic energy which impulses the individual’s mind towards personally meaningful perceptions. The Good Hour, in which the individual is powerful and independent in the pursuit for meaning, varies from the â€Å"Pseudo Good Hour† during which an individual is driven by an aim to please someone or gain approval. This idea of the Good Hour resonates the one of Cartier-Bresson’s decisive moment and both photographic and psychological elements emerging as one. He moreover compared photography to the psychoanalytic basis; while Kris trusted the psychological progression throughout the Good Hour bring to mind those during artistic accomplishments. Both the factual events being photographed and the personal interpretation of ‘the decisive moment shot are the therapeutic â€Å"Aha!† moment’, a moment of recognising oneself within the human existence. Both the Good Hour and the decisive moment are not about achieving the goal (the decisive moment shot) to please someone but about oneself in the world of human experiences and subconsciously designed awareness lying in awaiting the opportunity to express oneself through in this case photography. As much as the idea worked in practise with Cartier-Bresson, which in a lot of respect is due to his extraordinary and exceptional knowledge and understanding of human psychology, it doesn’t necessary mean it has to work for someone who’s knowledge only consist of basic photographic skills, someone who was never absorbed by anything else but photography itself. How would one know what is the right decisive moment? All of our interpretations of imagery and stories are strongly based on our cultural capital. Cartier-Bresson’s theory comes into doubt when tested by the mass and today’s fast spread of media such as photography. The decisive moment (as mentioned before) consists of a collapse of both what is beautiful and what is significant to the individual capturing the image. However, human understanding and interpretation of both them factors, commences and cultivates based on one’s personal experiences, culture and society one was raised within and various values one was taught throughout life. In the theoretical approach toward the cultural capital, Pierre Bourdieu states that ‘individualscan be restricted by their habitus’. This statement is highly relevant within this argument as it supports the idea of that what is considered as the decisive moment by the photographer may be perceived as the most far away point from it by the viewer. It is evident that Cartier-Bresson was fully aware of the effects his work had on people, he says ‘It is by means of form, by careful plastic organization, that our thoughts and emotion become communicable’ His photographs are so well composed they instantly become highly artistic, yet at the same time, they are such strong journalistic medium with even more powerful message behind it. Cartier-Bresson’s work created art which became an expression of common humanity, it became an expression of ordinary, day to day people; revealing their tragic stories. All of this became possible due to careful consideration of both beauty and meaning thereof the decisive moment. Although such complex idea may be challenging to understand in today’s society, inflexible and overwhelmed by the technology, it has undoubtedly marked its importance in history of photography. As much as it may not be consciously considered when taking the photograph, our â€Å"perfect† ima ge is still chosen according to the same principles. Consciously or not, the theory of the decisive moment is still used in practice by both the professionals and the general public. If it was not for this theory the field of photography and its equipment would not be as far developed as it currently is. Jan Baetens argues (‘Conceptual Limitations of Our Reflection on Photography: The Question of Interdisciplinarity’, pp. 53–73.), there is a fundamental disjunction between the ‘practical knowledge of theà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °nonacademics’ (p. 61) and contemporary (artistic) photographic theory. Appendix Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 CLM 2045M, Sara Zimna, 12299092

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