Thursday, December 26, 2019

Family Centered Education Essay - 1020 Words

1. What do you think about working in a family-centered program? Do you have any experience with that approach? I have never work in a family-centered program, but when my children (son and daughter) attended pre-k and kindergarten, I worked several hours in their school. Even, one time, I got a trophy for my 105 hours helping teachers in the classrooms. 2. What do you see as the benefits and challenges of a family centered approach? Some of the benefits of a family centered approach are: †¢ Involve the child and the family †¢ Place close attention to the child education from kinder to college †¢ Develop children positive relationships Some of the challenges of a family centered approach are: †¢ The understanding by professionals that†¦show more content†¦How did the attachment serve the people who were becoming attached? Tell about that experience. My daughter has a strong attachment to my mom (her grandma). Of course, my mom took care of her since she was born, while my husband and I worked. It was common seen them singing, dancing, kissing, and hugging each other. At the age of 3, my daughter already knows to write her name, count to 10, and the basic colors. Everything thought by her grandma. My daughter has so many childhood memories and her grandma is in every single one. Of course, my mom, my daughter, and I, have been always very close too, and we have thousands of pictures together. Today, my daughter is 17 year old and my mom is 92, and we both (my daughter and I) take care of her. 2. What are your experiences with obstacles to the bonding or attachment process? Did the people involved get over or around these obstacles? How? I don’t really have personal experiences with obstacles to the bonding or attachment process. However, I have a niece named Judith, who was born with a rare syndrome called 1P36 Deletion. She doesn’t talk, walk, or eat by herself. It would be easier for a mother to give up and accept her daughter living in a â€Å"vegetative state†. Nevertheless, since Judith was born, her mom used all resources available to create an attachment with her daughter. Today, Judith is 12 year old and she is capable to recognize her mom and dad voice, and almost pronounce the world â€Å"mom†. 3. DiscussShow MoreRelated Family-Centered Program of Education Essay1877 Words   |  8 PagesWhat happens when you take the children out of the spotlight and focus on children with their families? You will get a family-centered approach to education. The Family-Centered approach believes that family involvement matters for a young child’s cognitive and social development. Family-Centered Program theories and concepts support the early childhood classroom and the child’s family. This can happen only if parents and educators work together to encourage desired behaviors from pre-school-agedRead MoreWhy Education Is Not An Equal Opportunity For Everyone1259 Words   |  6 PagesEducation is something often seen as equalizer in the face of social injustice. The concept of using school and information to put different people on a level playing field is a noble but misguided attempt at social equality. While education no doubt positively affects the position of people in society while creating an outlet to educate the ignorant, it becomes problematic when education is not an equal opportunity for everyone. In Adrienne Rich’s essay, Taking Women Students Seriously, she speaksRead MoreEducation Is Not An Equal Opportunity For Everyone1473 Words   |  6 PagesEducation is something often seen as an equalizer in the face of social injustice. The concept of using school and information to put different people on a level playing field is a noble but misguided attempt at social equality. Education undoubtedly affects the position of people in society positively, while creating an outlet to educate the ignorant, it becomes problematic when education is not an equal opportunity for everyone. In Adrienne Rich’s essay, â€Å"Taking Women Students Seriously†, sheRead MoreThe Potential For Social Work Leadership1698 Words   |  7 PagesSocial leadership is defined as the capability of working creatively, effectively and constructive ly with individuals, groups, communities, families and organisations for the purpose of promoting social justice, catalysing social change as well as addressing social, community and individual issues. In social work, leadership is achieved in many different ways which include, offering direction, supporting individuals and communities, inspiring vision and as a collective action for the purpose of obtainingRead MoreEssay on Public Education in America: Challenges and Solutions1345 Words   |  6 Pagesissues that plague the public education system. Several of the concerning challenges that it faces today are: The lack of familial support or guidance some students receive, the increase in the population of individuals that seem to undervalue the benefit of an education, and the test-centered curriculum structure that is applied in a majority of schools, within the system. There desperately needs to be an engagement of ideas to mend the problems that the education system faces. Not only would itRead MoreMixed Schools1386 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ This essay provides a discussion between the disadvantages and advantages of mixed schools. The first part of the essay begins with the disadvantages of mixed schools, about why some parents do not allow their children to attend mixed schools and even why some students themselves do not want to attend mixed schools. These are the educational, psychological and social disadvantages of mixed schools. The second part of this essay provides the benefits of attending mixed schools by looking at theRead MoreRole Of The Family Nurse Practitioner1348 Words   |  6 PagesThe Role of the Family Nurse Practitioner in Advanced Nursing Practice Although advanced nursing practice is a broad field with several roles defined within, the author of this essay has identified the role of the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) as the focus for this assignment. The FNP role was selected as it is the specialty track in which the author is furthering his professional nursing education. The Family Nurse Practitioner is a Registered Nurse (RN) who possesses advanced clinical trainingRead MoreAdvanced Practice Nursing Essay examples1255 Words   |  6 Pagesfor continuing education in nursing has been accentuated in response to rapidly changing health care environment. Expanding knowledge by pursuing higher education allows nurses to enlarge one’s practice. Furthermore, higher education in nursing has been shown that a nurse’s level of education can become a critical factor to the patient-centered quality of care. This essay describes increased demand for higher education in nursing and emphasizes the necessity of continui ng education to provide optimumRead MoreA Brief Look at Social Reconstructionism1299 Words   |  5 PagesReconstructionist is mainly founded on a â€Å"student-centered† classroom. It also encourages students to get out and help out in the community. Teachers can alter their curriculum around their classes needs. The purpose of social reconstructinism is to reconstruct society. Reconstructinism focuses primarily on their students and what better way to help them in the future. The best part about this philosophy, students take responsibility of their education. By the time students transition into college skillsRead MoreEvaluation Of A Student With Multiple Disabilities1022 Words   |  5 PagesThe education systems says to help a student with multiple disabilities is by starting earlier. The complexity of multiple disabilities is that the individual needs different types of disability resources for their different needs. Therefore, the only way to understand how to help a n individual student is by performing different assessments that indicate their educational needs. There are three different types of assessment for children with multiple disabilities such as, standardized assessments

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Early Uses Of Animal Experimentation - 1125 Words

Early Uses of Animals in Science: -Aristotle (384-322 BC), Erasistratus (304-258 BC), and Galen (129-217 AD) used animal experimentation to advance human understandings of anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology. -Ibn Zuhr (12th Century) tested surgical procedures on animals before applying them to human patients. Intro: Animal testing has always been a controversial topic. In the 17th century, it was argued that pain during vivisection (operations on live organisms) rendered results concerning animal physiology unreliable. Also, some believed that the benefit to humans did not justify the harm to animals. It was commonly believed that animals were so inferior and different to humans that results from animals were inapplicable to†¦show more content†¦Examples: Animal testing is crucial to new discovery. In 1921, Frederick Banting discovered insulin to be an effective treatment for diabetes. His initial research used dogs, and later, bovine sources were used to improve insulin supply. He won a Nobel Prize in 1923 for his work. Animal sources were essential to Banting’s discovery. Prior to insulin, diabetics were kept alive on a semi-starvation diet. Diabetic children rarely lived more than a year past diagnosis. With insulin and careful management of a diabetic’s diet, those with type one diabetes can expect to live a normal life. Insulin has saved the lives of countless individuals, and it would not have been discovered without the use of animals in research. http://jdrf.org/about-jdrf/fact-sheets/type-1-diabetes-facts/ http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-life-expectancy.html Animal Testing is necessary to determine whether or not materials are safe for humans. More than a hundred people were killed when diethylene glycol (DEG) was used as a solvent in a drug preparation (it was used to add the raspberry flavour). Another such example took place in the 1950’s, when more than 10,000 children were born with missing limbs because of a drug taken for morning sickness. Neither of these drugs were tested on animals prior to their release. The Code of R’s attempts to reduce the impact of research on animals. Reduction entails the use of fewer animals in experiments. This is

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Great Gatsby Weather Effects Hope Essay Sample free essay sample

Rain. snow. and sun force people to accommodate their lives. Weather can be a powerful symbol of emotion and passion. Writers and writers draw from the natural admirations to heighten their literature. In the novel. The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses conditions to typify hope in the chief character. Jay Gatsby. Gatsby had a little opportunity of being with Daisy. his love. because of his hapless lineage. In the novel. pleasant conditions represents hope in Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship. while inclement conditions represents desperation in their relationship. Fitzgerald uses the conditions to portray Gatsby’s hope for Daisy and Gatsby. When Gatsby and Daisy meet after non seeing each other for five old ages. the conditions portrays how the hope of their relationship grows. Before Gatsby reunites with Daisy for the first clip. he feels nervous and excited at the same clip. His feelings are similar to a rainstorm. We will write a custom essay sample on Great Gatsby: Weather Effects Hope Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A rainstorm tends to be heavy and cryptic. but when lightning work stoppages. the storm becomes exciting. At the same clip Daisy and Gatsby portion their feelings. and began to speak to each other. the rainstorm stops. â€Å"He smiled like a conditions adult male. like an enraptured frequenter of recurrent visible radiation. and repeated the intelligence to Daisy. ‘It’s stopped raining’† ( Gatsby 89 ) . Coincidentally. the rainfall stops when Gatsby engages Daisy in conversation. After it stops raining. Daisy. Nick. and Gatsby walk over to Gatsby’s house. As Gatsby impresses Daisy with his brilliant sign of the zodiac. Daisy sees a glance of good conditions coming in the close hereafter. â€Å"The rain was still falling but the darkness had parted. and there was a pink and aureate surge of foaming clouds above the sea. †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"I’d like to merely acquire on one of those pink clouds and set you in it and push† ( 94 ) . The image of the storm separating with the pink and aureate clouds forming shows a opportunity of pleasant conditions could come in the close hereafter. As the conditions displacements throughout the novel. Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship advancements. When the conditions is disturbing. Daisy and Gatsby are far apart ; whereas when they see a glance of nice conditions. their relationship additions hope. Gatsby eventually realizes that his and Daisy’s relationship ended at about the same clip summer was coming to an terminal. Summer tends to hold the most pleasant and beautiful conditions. Nick. the storyteller of the novel. visions Gatsby feeling that fall was on its manner. â€Å"I have an thought that Gatsby himself didn’t believe it would come. †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"He must hold looked up at an unfamiliar sky through scaring foliages and shivered as he found monstrous thing in a rose and how the natural Sun visible radiation was upon the barely created grass† ( 161 ) . Gatsby feels this manner after in secret watching Daisy and Tom holding a civilised dinner ; he discovered that they had reconciled their differences. Even before Gatsby’s decease. he realizes that there is no hope for him and Daisy after this incident. Fitzgerald uses the symbol of a pleasant run of conditions coming to an terminal. to demo that all of Gatsby’s hopes are destroye d. Throughout the novel. conditions dictates the hope Gatsby has for his dream of being with Daisy. When Daisy and Gatsby meet for the first clip since before the war. their relationship grew from old lovers to lovers one time once more. At the same clip the conditions in the fresh went from a dejecting rainfall to a mark of delicious conditions seen in the thick of darkness. That imagination demonstrates the patterned advance of Gatsby’s hope in his and Daisy’s relationship. However. when the run of delicious conditions comes to an terminal. the hope for Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship ends every bit good. F. Scott Fitzgerald captures the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby. in the alterations of conditions.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Kodak Innovation

Table of Contents Abstract Introduction The Issue Solution to the problem Evaluation of the innovation Conclusion References Abstract Innovation according to Rodgers (1983) is an idea, practice or object that is viewed as new by units or an individual for adoption. It is the invention of more effective or better ideas, services, processes, products or technologies which are readily accepted by the society, governments and most importantly the market.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Kodak Innovation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In business field, innovations are deemed catalysts to growth. Industries must continually transform structures of an economy from within by being innovative in products and processes. Businesses must also incessantly seek for better ways and methods to gratify their customer base with improved and better quality, price, service and durability. These are the products of innovation which take place through the integration of organizational strategies and advanced technologies. Such innovations will not only add value to the customers but also make business economically viable (Tushman Anderson, 2004, p.42). This paper explores innovation with regard to Kodak Eastman which used innovations to become the leader in the film and photography industry, but was unable to determine what the impact of other companies’ innovation would have on Kodak Company. The innovations by other companies effectively competed with Kodak, thus rendering it unprofitable. Introduction Kodak is an innovator in the camera, digital and film markets. The company invented the digital camera in 1975 (Sparkes, 2012, p1). For many years, it was one of the key players in the visual and film making fields. The company had almost been kicked out of the market by the late 1990s. In 2000, Eastman Kodak vowed to be the leader in digital cameras. According to many individuals, this was an abs urd idea. By the year 2005, the company was ranked first in digital camera sales in the United States. The sales from digital cameras had surged by 40 percent to $5.7 billion (Sparkes, 2012, p.1). However, the company’s film-based business had fallen by 18 percent (Hamm Symonds 2006, p.27). The key to increase in profits from digital cameras was product innovation. The company was a leader in the innovation platform. It designed various award-winning products one after another. This made digital photographing almost as simple as clicking and pointing (Hamm Symonds 2006, p.27).Advertising Looking for report on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In recent times, Eastman Kodak has announced that it had plans to stop the supply of pocket video cameras and digital cameras despite being innovative. The company will focus its business on photo printing. The corporation will issue brand certificate to enterprises th at create the devices after it withdraws from the camera trade. The company had disrupted the camera market by introducing the digital camera but it could not determine what to do with the new product. While other corporations absolutely centered on know-how, Kodak grieved from technological know-how. The company was caught off-guard by new and changing technology (Hermida 2012, p.1). Other corporations grasped the chance although Kodak saw the prospect but could not come with anything innovative. The Issue Even though digital camera developed by Kodak had a significant profit success, it eventually became a crushing profit disappointment. In 2006, Antonio Perez, the Kodak Chief Executive termed digital cameras a ‘crappy business’ (Hamm Symonds 2006, p.27). The raging progression of Kodak’s digital camera turnovers facilitated the firm’s fast-failing film proceeds but then, it had not completed a considerable replacement effect on the opulent film corpora te returns. Initially when Perez became the chief executive officer in 2005, he championed an organizational change and innovation strategy that finally proved that it could not turn around the company to the initial giant it was. In less than a decade, Perez attempted to implement yet another strategy for the company. Considering the innovation and operational mistakes the company had made in the past, he attempted to reintroduce Kodak’s core business model. The notion was to aid the corporation in photographs production and this is a similar potential strategy that other companies like FUJIFILM, Lexmark, Canon, Sony and Apple Hewlett-Packard have been effectively utilizing. For instance, unlike these companies Apple adopted it to help clients in the consolidation and management of their particular images and private libraries (Kieran, 1995). This move disrupted the digital camera industry by developing new digital photo services that were expected to bring higher returns. T his was a sudden move by the company as it included rapid-fire scanning system to online sharing. The swift-fire skimming system similarly dubbed as Scan the Sphere assembles reproduced photos and transforms them into digital pictures whereas unifying them on the basis of printing dates. This was a huge challenge for the company as it attempted to move from hard print photos to digital. Such an attempt came at a time when innovation was in top gear.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Kodak Innovation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Contemporary, many business leaders have discovered that innovation of new products is not the only salvation for failing companies. It also does not turbo-charge performing companies. Most corporations’ fundamental dealings are continuously disturbed by scientific swings, new market rivals and globalization (Senior 1997, p.27). Thus, it is necessary for corporations to device t rade model inventions so as to preserve their competitive edges. These innovations require managers to take time while making innovation decisions. The innovation process should not be rushed since innovation goes through a number of processes. The decision to innovate should be carefully considered since they do not always bring good results as was the case with Kodak. The decision made by Perez was an authoritative innovation. Although it involved Kodak management team, he played a major role in influencing the decision since he had the authority. The decision that this corporation made ought to have been founded on information, influence, assessment, operation and approval. The consequences of the decision impacted the company (Kieran, 1995). Although the innovations were supposed to have propelled the company to its full potential, the implementation followed did not reflect the initial intent. The disruption that had been initiated by Kodak in 1985 by introducing the digital ca mera might have been a good move if the company had considered the still image consumers. The consumers were left without a variety of option yet many could not afford the digital camera. When other companies ventured into digital cameras, Kodak’s initial loyal customers migrated (Piercy 2009, p.54). The company had generated huge profits but the impact by the entry of competitors impacted the company’s revenue. Most companies fail because of the perception that new entrants offer different products with attributes only valued in emerging markets outside the mainstream. Kodak did not perceive mobile phones and digital cameras as potential competition or competition to the company’s core business based on this premise (Hermida 2012, p.1). The company’s core business was film cameras and film for clients who needed good quality photographs. The company failed to understand that based on technology history, the initial services or product version are mostly of low quality but shift over time to surpass established services and products. While time badges, innovation appears to be commoditized. This necessitates that corporate model innovations should be perpetually renewed. Kodak will have to develop a product that will make it more relevant and profitable. The product will be a camera that incorporate quality, mobility and cost effective. The camera will have features that will enable the user to communicate with other people online. However, it will not be a mobile phone. The camera will have a big memory to store photos and allow quick access to the internet.Advertising Looking for report on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Solution to the problem It is imperative for executives to invest significantly in technologies that disrupt the existing customers and markets. At first, these technologies primarily bring little revenue. The development of a camera that facilitates a sharing experience will be fundamental for Kodak. This approach may not develop huge profitability since there are many competitors. Continued innovation will ensure that the camera is improved with time. The challenge between disruptive innovations, existing customers and markets and sustaining innovation is clearly demonstrated by the Kodak’s rise and fall. Disruptive innovations present a challenge for long-standing methods of doing business. These challenges require radical corporate thinking strategy. The implementation of the newly generated ideas is largely determined by the organization environment and the availability of resources (Tidd, Bessant Pavitt 2005, p.13). For Kodak to compete effectively in the market, it mu st make considerable amount of investment in technology to ensure that the camera gains market share. When resources are available, the company will be able to initiate and respond to disruptive innovation. Keeping up with disruptive innovations require companies to incur costs so that they can realize the benefits of technology. These outlays might either be economical or non-economical. Although Kodak has indicated its intention to sell its license to other companies that manufacture similar products, it is imperative for the management to realize that the company’s core business may also be eventually impacted by disruptive innovation in the market in which it operates. The company management should use previous experience to prepare and move ahead to preempt any threats that may be presented by such disruptive innovations. The company should invest in technology and be ready for disruptive innovations considering the rate at which technology is advancing. This may require the company to invest in research and development in order to have new products ready for the market whenever a threat is detected. This will ensure that the company is at par with technology and that the company products that are dominating the market are not regarded obsolete (Agarwal, Erramilli Dev 2003, p.72). In situation where the products are obsolete, the company will have a replacement with better customer satisfaction. Adapting to changes in technology is particularly challenging for established firms like Kodak. The challenge is often associated with the leadership. Most corporate leaders do not easily break with previous patterns that were at one point the secret to success. For Kodak, innovations alone will not be enough to make the company success. The company must have a clear business strategy which is not pegged on individuals but on the company’s core business. The strategy should have the capacity for adapting to changing times. When a company lacks a cle ar strategy, its fortunes can be sunk by disruptive innovations even if the innovations belong to the company (Fulcher 2012, p.1). The company should also strive to move far from its core business model. The move should also be fast enough to allow it to adapt to new technologies. This will require diffusion innovation. Diffusion innovation will increase competitive advantage as Kodak will adopt new innovations based on the business model that will place it on the competitive edge (Tidd, Bessant Pavitt 2005, p.51). It is challenging to get transformation right when an organization sticks too close to its core business. The corporation ought not to be confined to the already adopted basic corporate models. The company exclusively focuses on photography even with the entry of new advanced technologies that threatened its existence. To demonstrate this, the corporation merely reformed Ofoto from a threshold where clients could exchange snapshots to locate where appraises regarding exi stence and bulletin feed might be made public. This was meant to make people print pictures instead of developing an innovative concept (Kodak, 2001, p.6). Kodak should start being innovative instead of waiting to be forced to innovate. The innovation should be based on the development of an advanced technological camera. The hesitancy by the corporation failed to focus on the earnestness while there was still self-determination to revolutionize. In the past, the company has waited until the need to be innovative arose. The entry of mobile phones proved that the company was late to innovate (Hermida A 2012, p.1). For Kodak to succeed, it needs to drop its past success as this has been a huge impediment for the company. Even after the death of its founder, George Eastman in 1932, Kodak’s long-established ways remain difficult to change. Most of the leaders of the company still believe that his ideas were the best because he made the company successful. His ideas might have wor ked then but will not work in the contemporary world if innovation is locked out. The principal challenge relates to the classified ethos proved since the unveiling of the corporation which made it inclined to the influential leadership. The culture is powerful that people do not openly disagree with the leaders (Hamm Symonds 2006, p.29). The changes that will work to eliminate hierarchical culture should be radical as opposed to incremental. Radical change in how the employees view the leaders will help create an environment where employees will be free to express their constructive ideas and be innovative. The innovation of a new camera will enable the company to stay ahead of the competitors via novel market offerings (Agarwal, Erramilli Dev 2003, p.71). Silent employees with excellent innovative ideas will not benefit the company. Employees’ innovative behaviors are reinforced by the combination of personality characteristics of the employer, the employees and work envi ronment factors. The business environment which influences the conduct of employees determines whether the business will succeed or not since employees are the most important asset to a business. Freedom to think, express ideas and the authority to act influence employee innovation. The experienced employees will be an advantage towards the development of the camera. Evaluation of the innovation Kodak has been in existence for decades hence most of the employees and senior managers have been with the company for long. This means that the employees have accumulated immense experience. This an advantage for the company in putting the right people in the right positions. Changes that will be presented by the camera that will access the internet in order to have a sharing experience will be critical for the realignment of Kodak profitability. The introduction of the camera will present radical innovation and will affect the employees who may resist change (Adair 1990, p.10). Although ma jority of people in organizations are opposed to change, there are effective change management programs that can be initiated. The development of the camera will be effected by the research and development team. The response of the people affected by the change can be evaluated together with the actual change that will occur. This means that the camera will create more profits for the company and the wages will be higher. The use of technology will be perceived as a threat by the employees since it will require the trimming of the workforce. These will help the HR of the company to effectively manage the workforce by reassuring them that their jobs are secure since this is one of the reasons people resist change (Stacy 2007, p.3). For Kodak, the change is inevitable since inadequate technological advancement threaten the company’s existence. The company, having declared the sale of its digital camera license will still require being innovative. The development of the camera w ill determine whether the company will continue being profitable. The impact of the innovation will be determined by the increase or reduction in profitability. In order for the company to achieve this, it will require to move from its core business and diversify into other technological fields that will enable it to meet its goals and objectives. The camera will present Kodak with the opportunity to diversify. The demise of Kodak cannot be solely blamed on the company’s failure to uphold innovation. The company became a victim of the disruptions it had initiated in the market (Hermida 2012, p.1). The company could not handle the challenge of disruption. The mobile phone was intended to facilitate communication on the go. As technology advanced, the mobile phone took over every aspect on camera. The ‘Kodak moment’ that created a one-time and rare moment which was captured on Kodak photos started to be carried by mobile owners all the time. The technology which ca me with the mobile phone also allows individuals to share ‘Kodak moments’ immediately they are taken with family and friends without the inconveniences of printing. Although Kodak was innovative, it failed to identify the threats posed by mobile phones to digital imagery, the shifts in people’s behaviors and increased connectivity. This may be associated to the fact that the initial mobile phone cameras were slow and the quality of the photos was poor. The company saw no threat posed by the mobile phones to the business it had dominated for decades (Fulcher 2012, p.1). The phones were slow, clunky and were not connected to the internet. This can be attributed to the fact that companies ignore disruptive innovation lessons. Kodak management thought that the company was offering what its customers wanted. The management also thought that what they were offering could not be duplicated anywhere else. The perception was that the company was offering the best digital camera products and services. Unless the company becomes innovative and move away from the core business model, its chances for survival are minimal. The development of the new camera will be critical for the success of the company. Kodak will have competitive advantage in the market since the consumers will have an alternative to the existing products in the market. Since the company has loyal customers, they will be inclined to purchase the camera. This will be a success for the company. Conclusion Innovation is a search through which economically valuable problems are solved. Companies use technology to create and develop new processes, services and products to gain competitive advantage through innovation. A combination of different types of innovation helps organizations to improve efficiency, develop new products and expand market target. It is critical for organizations to have organizational strategies that are flexible enough to adopt changes that occur in their respective markets. Kodak should first change the hierarchical culture that was established when the company was founded to create room for employees to participate in innovations. It should also initiate different innovation methods such as disruption to propel the stagnating company forward. References Adair, J 1990, The challenge of innovation, Talbot Adair Press, England. Agarwal, S, Erramilli, M Dev, C 2003, â€Å"Market orientation and performance in service firms: role of innovations†, Journal of Service Marketing, vol.17 no.1, pp.68-82. Fulcher, J 2012, Kodak innovation and the need to not adhere too closely to core business models. Web. Hamm, S Symonds, W 2006, Strategies: mistakes made on the road to innovation. Web. Hermida, A 2012, What Kodak teaches us about disruptive innovation. Web. Kieran, M 1995, Get innovative or get dead, Douglas McIntyre Ltd, Toronto. Piercy, N 2009, Market-led strategic change: transforming the process of going to market, Butterworth-Heinemann, L ondon. Rodgers, E 1983, Diffusion of innovations, Free Press, New York. Senior, B 1997, Organizational change, Pitman Publishing, England. Stacy, R 2007, Strategic management and organizational dynamics, FT Prentice-Hall, London. Tidd, J, Bessant, J Pavitt, K 2005, Managing innovation: integrating technological, market and organizational change, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken. Tushman, M Anderson, P 2004, Managing strategic innovation and change, Oxford University Press, Oxford. This report on Kodak Innovation was written and submitted by user Kenny D. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Free Essays on Celebrating Our Veterans Service

â€Å"CELEBRATING OUR VETERANS SERVICE† â€Å"Veterans service.† How do we celebrate our veterans service? Are we to take a day off of work to celebrate veterans day? I dare say that day has lost its meaning. Many people use it as a day to do chores or ketch up on sleep. Never stopping once to think of what the day symbolizes. I say to celebrate veterans service we need to remember, honor, respect, and stand by those veterans. Not only veterans of the past but also the solders of today â€Å"our veterans of tomorrow.† When I think of veterans of the past I think of are great Vietnam vets. These are the men and women that we still honor today. Sadly though we did not always honor them. When our solders returned home from Vietnam they were met by a nation against them. A nation that had no appreciation for them. This sad but true fact led many good men to drugs, insanity, and even suicide. Imagine what it must have felt like to have given your life, to have to watch your best friend die in your arms. Dieing for a cause you both believed in, yet you returned home to find the people you were fighting for have disgraced your flag and abandoned your cause. You were spit upon, called a murderer, and publicly disgraced. Now, we have replaced that disgrace and abandonment with statues and memorials in their honor. But, can monuments of stone, and metal displace emotional wounds? Are stone statues capable of erasing human mistreatment and emotional scaring? Today we are faced with an entirely different set of problems. We say we support our troops and veterans â€Å"We just don't support the President†. It would be considered a fauxpas now days to slander our military men and women during a time of war. So what makes our president, the man we elected to lead our country and make the decision to fight if needs be, such an open tar... Free Essays on Celebrating Our Veterans Service Free Essays on Celebrating Our Veterans Service â€Å"CELEBRATING OUR VETERANS SERVICE† â€Å"Veterans service.† How do we celebrate our veterans service? Are we to take a day off of work to celebrate veterans day? I dare say that day has lost its meaning. Many people use it as a day to do chores or ketch up on sleep. Never stopping once to think of what the day symbolizes. I say to celebrate veterans service we need to remember, honor, respect, and stand by those veterans. Not only veterans of the past but also the solders of today â€Å"our veterans of tomorrow.† When I think of veterans of the past I think of are great Vietnam vets. These are the men and women that we still honor today. Sadly though we did not always honor them. When our solders returned home from Vietnam they were met by a nation against them. A nation that had no appreciation for them. This sad but true fact led many good men to drugs, insanity, and even suicide. Imagine what it must have felt like to have given your life, to have to watch your best friend die in your arms. Dieing for a cause you both believed in, yet you returned home to find the people you were fighting for have disgraced your flag and abandoned your cause. You were spit upon, called a murderer, and publicly disgraced. Now, we have replaced that disgrace and abandonment with statues and memorials in their honor. But, can monuments of stone, and metal displace emotional wounds? Are stone statues capable of erasing human mistreatment and emotional scaring? Today we are faced with an entirely different set of problems. We say we support our troops and veterans â€Å"We just don't support the President†. It would be considered a fauxpas now days to slander our military men and women during a time of war. So what makes our president, the man we elected to lead our country and make the decision to fight if needs be, such an open tar...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Habits and Traits of Japanese Beetles, Popillia japonica

Habits and Traits of Japanese Beetles, Popillia japonica Is there a garden pest worse than the Japanese beetle? First, the beetle grubs destroy your lawn, and then the adult beetles emerge to feed on your leaves and flowers. Knowledge is power when it comes to controlling  this pest in your yard. Description The Japanese beetles body is a striking metallic green, with copper-colored elytra (wing covers) covering the upper abdomen. The adult beetle measures just about 1/2 inch in length. There are five distinctive tufts of white hairs line each side of the body, and two additional tufts marking the tip of the abdomen. These tufts distinguish the Japanese beetle from other similar species. Japanese beetle grubs are white, with brown heads, and reach about 1 inch in length when mature. First instar  (a developmental stage between molting) grubs measure just a few millimeters in length. The grubs curl into a C shape. Classification Kingdom - AnimaliaPhylum - ArthropodaClass - InsectaOrder - ColeopteraFamily - ScarabaeidaeGenus - PopilliaSpecies - Popillia japonica Diet Adult Japanese beetles are not picky eaters, and thats what makes them such an impactful pest. Theyll feed on both the foliage and flowers of several hundred species of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials. The beetles eat plant tissues between the leaf veins, skeletonizing the foliage. When beetle populations get high, the pests may completely strip a plant of flower petals and foliage. Japanese beetle grubs feed on organic matter in the soil and on the roots of grasses, including turfgrass. High numbers of grubs may destroy turf in lawns, parks, and golf courses. Life Cycle Eggs hatch in late summer, and grubs begin to feed on plant roots. Mature grubs overwinter deep in the soil, below the frost line. In spring, grubs migrate upward and resume feeding on plant roots. By early summer, the grub is ready to pupate within an earthen cell in the ground. Adults emerge from late June into summer. They feed on foliage and mate during the day. Females excavate soil cavities several inches deep for their eggs, which they lay in masses. In most parts of its range, the Japanese beetle life cycle takes just a year, but in northern areas, it may stretch to two years. Special Behaviors and Defenses Japanese beetles travel in packs, flying and feeding together. Males use highly sensitive antennae to detect and locate female mates. Though Japanese beetles are despised for their voracious appetites for just about anything green, there is one plant that stops them in their tracks, literally. Geraniums have an odd effect on Japanese beetles and may be the key to defeating these pests. Geranium petals cause a temporary paralysis in Japanese beetles, rendering them  completely immobile for as long as 24 hours. While this doesnt kill them directly, it leaves them vulnerable to predators. Habitat With such a variety of potential host plants, Japanese beetles are well suited to live just about anywhere. Popillia japonica inhabits forests, meadows, fields, and gardens. Japanese beetles even find their way to urban backyards and parks. Range: Although the Japanese beetle is native to eastern Asia, this species was accidentally introduced to the U.S. in 1916. Japanese beetles are now established throughout the eastern U.S. and parts of Canada. Intermittent populations occur in the western U.S. Sources: Eureka Alert: Geraniums Could Help Control Devastating Japanese Beetle

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Nternational Business Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nternational Business Finance - Assignment Example This can be done through preparation of the net previous and cash flow which are used in the estimation of the capital cost that is best estimated by the WACC method (Weighted Average Cost of Capital). This can be determined as indicated below: Debt cost is stated in our case and is given as 6%, and the Equity coast is taken as 10%. The shareholders have an option of either using the equity for financing or debt financing depending on their appropriateness. The debt ratio: Equity ratio is taken as 0.6:04 as given in our case. This means that 60% is used to raise funds from the public through IPO and 40% from debt-financing. The financial leverage of the company is 60%. We, therefore, need to calculate the WACC that is given as indicated below. We get the WACC as 0.1128 or 11.28% given from the above calculation. After computation of the capital cost the statement of cash flow statement. The flow for the year 0 and year 1 is taken as -â‚ ¬ 1,200,000.00 and -â‚ ¬ 800,000.00 respectively as it is mentioned that the flow in the form of investment .A percentage of 15.00% has raised this cash flow annually. The business cost of operating will be deducted from the inflow of cash. There is no requirement for deduction of the operating expenses from the inflow of cash. Additionally the incurred depreciation is adjusted. Operating expenses will increase by a rate of 2.5%, and the inflation of 2.5% is also considered It is crucial to note that the sterling pound is used in conversion to the Euros. This is purposeful for calculation of the net cash flows for the period. The spot rate which is given as  £0.7320/â‚ ¬ has been considered for conversion. It is assumed that the rate of conversion for the time remains unchanged over the studied period, which is four years. This corporation has a vast capitalization of the market with at least 2.5 B Euros and sales turnover of 60 M Euros annually globally and gains over the last 5 considered

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Why you should grow your own garden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why you should grow your own garden - Essay Example Diabetes has also been known to result from having too much pesticide in the bloodstream, and makes up for its slightly lower lethality for its potential to prolong ones suffering (Norton). Either way, this problem is definitely something that warrants concern. II. Fruits and vegetables have always been sought after for their nutritional value. This being the case, for them to have such terrifying health risks as a result of being dunked in pesticides is not only ironic, but a major, major danger as well. B. (Satisfaction) This is rewarding, not merely because it minimizes the health risks involved, but also because of the rush of fulfillment that will most definitely come as a result. C. (Visualization) Thus, while definitely demanding and taxing, having your own garden will surely be a step in the right direction. C. An article on CNN (2012) actually talks about this, relating the story of Madeline Martinez who heard the call to agriculture after a very painful awakening in the form of type 2 diabetes. Not long after receiving the fateful diagnosis from her endocrinologist, she set up growing organic food in her backyard, buying broccoli, cucumber and tomato seeds, as well as those for various herbs, for her to grow there. And in the 4 months that followed, she went on to lose 16 lbs. – a feat explained by the combination of her own vitamin-rich produce and the effort she put in producing it. II. And besides the health benefits involved, Martinez also speaks of how the costs of maintaining her garden were more than offset, as well as of the wonderful opportunity it gave her to teach her nieces such values as responsibility and hard work. B. Not only will your health take a dramatic turn for the better as a result – especially since the pesticide-ridden veggies will have become a thing of the past – you’ll surely encounter psychological benefits as well, laboring on your own garden and reaping the literal

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Human vs. Other Organisms Essay Example for Free

Human vs. Other Organisms Essay Horse3: Valine, Glutamine, Alanine Donkey3: Valine, Glutamine, Alanine Common zebra3: Valine, Glutamine, Alanine Pig, cow, sheep3: Valine, Glutamine, Alanine Dog3: Valine, Glutamine, Alanine Gray whale3: Valine, Glutamine, Alanine Rabbit3: Valine, Glutamine, Alanine Kangaroo3: Valine, Glutamine, Alanine Chicken, turkey3: Isoleucine, Valine, Glutamine Penguin4: Isoleucine, Valine, Glutamine, 0 Pekin duck2: Valine, Glutamine Snapping turtle3: Valine, Glutamine, Alanine Rattlesnake4: Serine, Glycine, Threonine Bullfrog4: Valine, Glutamine, Alanine, Cysteine Tuna4: Alanine, Valine, Glutamine, Asparagine Screwfly fly5: Valine, Glutamine, Arginine, Alanine Silkworm moth8: Asparagine, Alanine, Asparagine, Valine, Glutamine, Arginine, Alanine, Alanine Tomato horn worm9: Asparagine, Alanine, Aspartic acid, Asparagine, Valine, Glutamine, Arginine, Alanine, Alanine Wheat10: Asparagine, Proline, Aspartic acid, Alanine, Alanine, Lysine, Threonine, Alanine, Aspartic acid, Alanine Rice9: Asparagine, Proline, Lysine, Alanine, Glutamic acid, Lysine, Threonine, Alanine, Aspartic acid Baker’s Yeast11: Serine, Alanine, Lysine, Alanine, Threonine, Leucine, Lysine, Threonine, Arginine, Glutamic acid, Leucine Candida Yeast13: Serine, Alanine, Lysine, Alanine, Threonine, Leucine, Lysine, Threonine, Arginine, Alanine, Glutamic acid, Isoleucine, Alanine Neurospora14: Serine, Lysine, Alanine, Asparagine, Leucine, Lysine, Threonine, Arginine, Alanine, Glutamic acid, Glycine, Glutamic acid, Glycine, Glycine Reflection Questions: Summarize your amino acid comparison in paragraph form. To guide your summary, reflect on the following questions. 1.What does it mean when scientists say that living organisms share a universal genetic code? It means that all extinct organisms have all the same genetic code. 2.How does a universal genetic code relate to the hypotheses about the origin of life on Earth? The near-universal genetic code is that all extant things share some type of common ancestor. 3.How are self-replicating molecules, such as RNA molecules in the â€Å"RNA World† hypothesis, essential to the most popular hypotheses about the origin of life on Earth? They reproduce, and could have been formed through abiotic chemistry on the early Earth. 4.How might similarities and differences in genetic codes, or the proteins built as a result of these codes, be used to determine how closely related different species are? The more alike the letters are in a species, the more recent the ancestor was. If the ancestor was recent then the more alike the two different species will be. 5.Based on the amino acid sequence data for the Cytochome-C protein, chimpanzees and humans share an identical coding sequence. What other species identified on the chart has a coding sequence that is most closely related to the humans and chimpanzees and most distantly related? Explain your answer

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Art Analysis: Safely Contained :: Papers

Art Analysis: Safely Contained Image: Scarface Artist: Miles Donovan This image is one of a series of four other paintings, all of iconic people. The image I am analyzing is of Robert De Nero as Scarface, an example of another of the images is Stevie Wonder. The image I am studying of Scarface is a computer generated image which was produced in Photoshop, the photo from a real shot in the film. The theme that is carried through the images is that they are all placed on a red background. I think this helps to make the images more striking, which works extremely well. With most paintings, such a heavy coloured background would make the foreground image appear o recede; but the artist in this piece has reversed this, making the red compliment the subject. We could maybe say this image is a stem of the 'pop art' movement; although it contains the blocked and flat colour elements, it still remains to be painted in a lifelike colour and composition, and so does not possess the vibrant colours usually related with 'pop art.' The size of the image is unknown but I should imagine it would be on a fairly large scale for it to have an impact, I think at such a size, the red background would be very imposing and would set forward, Robert De Nero the subject of the image. [IMAGE] The form of the image is very simple, subject and background, both of which are easily distinguishable. The image of scarface has been created upon an existing image of which contained a background, this is not transferred to the artists' graphic interpretation. This is done with all the images in the series, the background being replaced with a shade of red. We see that the subject either appears to be standing or sitting, resting both of his arms on something that is not contained within the shot, it almost appears that he is leaning on the frame. This cropping of the subject works very well to avoid as

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Accounts: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and Assets Essay

Executive summary This report has been made to evaluate the financial performance of the Mountainarious sporting company for the owner to connect a meeting with the bank for future sanctioning loan. This report offers an assessment and investigation of the present and future profitability’ liquidity and financial stability of ltd. Procedures of study comprise trend of vertical and horizontal analysis as well as ratios such as debt, current and quick ratios. Remaining calculations includes rates of return on shareholders’ equity, total assets and earnings per share to name a few .All calculations have been shown in the appendices. Results of data analysed explains that the ratios are below industry averages .In particular, comparative performance is poor in the areas of profit margins, liquidity credit control and inventory management. This report finds the prospects of the company in its current position are not positive .The major areas of weakness require further investigation and chan ges by the management. See more: Experiment on polytropic process Essay INTRODUCTION Mountanarious Sporting Co. a well-reputed store owned by a sole-owner Steve Donne that has been a high-end specialty seller of branded, exclusive sporting goods and merchandise for the past 11 years. Steven Donnie had always been a fanatic in the field of sports. Donnie as an owner is well-versed in customer-service and product knowledge, expertise in setting his store according to the latest needs and had a great personality. The MSC has always been a popular store at Barron, Ontario and also with the local  sports community and organizations, local gyms coaches and running clubs by promoting the merchandise available in the store by Donnie. With the emergence of new stores like big-box retailers, specialty/boutique and online services the competition increased and hence soft goods were introduced to maintain profitability in the business. Customers frequented the store therefore, Donnie is keen for an expansion of the existing store which will be an exclusive merchandising for both sporting equipment and soft goods. Donnie wants to terminate the leased portion of the store to create a new store with a separate staff, headed by Donnie’s wife Allison who previously worked as part-time at his store and also possess some retail experience in hardware and flower shop. Body of Report â€Å" Financial Statement Analysis is an information processing system designed to provide data for decision making models, such as the portfolio selection model, bank lending decision models, and corporate financial management models.† (Dr. Jawaharlal,2009,p.536) Financial statement analysis or information are not used in a vacuum; there are the part of vast array of information available to investors , creditors, managers and others to assess the past performance, current position, growth prospects and also used by financial institutions or banks to make a sound loan or credit decision.( Trotman & Gibbins,2005) Here we are making a business report which evaluates the performance of Mountainarious Sporting Co. to take loan from Canadian Commercial Bank. With the given basic financial reports by the company we have used few methods of analysis which includes horizontal, vertical and trend analysis as well as ratios such as Debt, Current, Acid Test and Asset Turnover ratios. We also used other ratios such as Return of Total Assets, Return on Equity , net profit margin and so forth. Horizontal and vertical analysis The Financial Statement analyses how sales are increasing and whether the sales are reasonable for the company. The company’s sales and gross profit positively grew from the year 2003 to 2007 with a slight decrease of 15.6% in sales in the year 2005. The gross profit continuously increased with the introduction of soft goods in the store although the merchandise found in the store next door affected his sales considerably. Company’s gross profit was 28.73% of net-sales in 2003 and it increased by 3.12% of net sales in 2007 which is a sign of good financial health and company is able to pay its operating and other expenses and build for future. Operating expenses The company’s total operating expenses continuously raised at a slow rate from 2004-2007 except in 2005 which express company is not maintaining its expenses properly and its vertical analysis also shows operation expenses were highest that were 29.68 %of the total sales in 2006 comparatively other 3 years. Net income The company faced net loss instead of income in the year 2003 and 2004 due to the fire accident and the re-establishment of his store in the new location. Net Income hiked in 2005 and 2006 as Donnie introduced soft goods and promoted them with the local gyms and running clubs. There was a loss again in 2007 Net Income as the company required a new strategy to develop the sales of soft goods as there were strong competitors. The company faced Net Loss of 4.92% of the total sales in 2004 but it gained net income of 2.60% of the total assets in 2007. Here, the overall situation is that company is not so much profitable over the years. Retained earnings  company’s beginning retained earnings records fluctuations in all years,  after added net income and subtracted net loss it shows increasing trend from 2004 to 2007 which seems company reinvest its retained earning where it can creates growth opportunities.that is a positive sign for companies good financial health. Balance sheet Total current assets continuously move upward from 2005 to 2007. it was lowest in 2005 as there was superior competition in the market with the emergence of Big-Box Retailers, Speciality Stores and Online Sales and company needed more assets to fund day to day operations. After 2005 there is a slight increase in the TCA and a sharp increase visible in 2007 by 38%. In 2004 the TCA were 49.09% of the total assets and dropped to 47.50% of the total assets in 2007. The Net Fixed Assets reflects similarities in all the years whereas Total assets were raised from 2005 to 2007 which indicates the positive value of firm’s operations. The Net Fixed Assets were 43.12% of total assets in 2004 and 44.50% of total assets in 2007. The Total Current Liabilities increased in all the years and in 2005 there is a noticeable drop of 101.13% as the online sales increased. The introduction of the soft goods decreased the expenses as the company availed a good deal with better purchasing discounts and longer terms of payments in 2005. The TCL were 56.92% in 2004 and 36.45% in 2007 of the Total Liabilities and Equity of the company. The total long-term liabilities of the company increased due to the fire accident and the re-establishment of the new store in 2003. In 2005 the TLT Liabilities increased due to the shareholder’s loan. In 2007 the TLT Liabilities increased as the owner had taken loan from some family members which was unsecured loan. The TLT Liabilities were 30.50% in 2004 and 31.23% in 2007 of the Total Liabilities and Equity. The Total Liabilities and Equity increased in 2004, decreased in 2005 and gradually increased thereafter. Profitability Gross Profit Margin – The gross profit margin of the company witnesses a significant increment from 2004 to 2006. Predominantly, the Company’s Gross profit produced 26% in 2004 to 32.6% and 36.9% in 2005 and 2006 of net sales growth respectively. On the other hand this ratio experiences a visible fall in 2007 with 31.9%. Hence the situation of the company indicates a rise in cost of goods as there is unplanned purchase management. Net Profit Margin – The Net Profit Margin experiences a drastic fall in 2003 and 2004 i.e. -0.8% and -4.9% respectively and there was increment in the next two years 3.8% to 6.1%. This increasing ratio shows company has better control over its costs. However, in 2007 it again loosed its net profit due to the higher cost of goods sold which create negative image of company. As the Gross Profit Margin dropped so as the Net Profit Margin witnessed a fall. Return on Equity- Mountainarious Sporting Co.’s return on equity was increased in 2005 to 2006 by 34.2% and 40.7% respectively that is the indicator of how much profit company generates with the money shareholders invested. But in 2007 company generated only 15% on the shareholders’ investment which was 25.7% less than the previous year. Return on Average Assets- The return on assets was -8.11% in 2004 then it climbed continuously next two years from 5.7% in 2005 to 10.7% in 2006 which demonstrates that assets had made more benefits and company utilized its assets more effectively. Nonetheless, the company encountered a fall in 2007 to 4.7%. It seems company is not able to handle its assets in a planned manner. Liquidity Liquidity is a measure of the firm’s cash position and it keeps a company in business in the short run. Acid test/ quick ratio- This ratio indicates whether current liabilities could be paid without having to sell inventory. Generally acid test ratio of 1:1 is considered satisfactory as a firm can easily meet all current claims. But in Mountainarious Sporting Co’s case quick ratio from 2003 to 2007 is less than the standard ratio. It seems company would find it difficult to pay its current liabilities. Current ratio- the current ratio which measures the company’s ability to pay current liabilities from its current assets. Current ratio is greater than 1 ( current assets exceeds current liabilities) in all years from 2003 to 2007 but less than industry ratio that is 1.9 . In particularly, company’s current ratio is acceptable when it is more then industry ratio. Therefore, its working capital and financial position is not strong to lower the risk for creditors and owner Solvency Debt ratio- â€Å"The debt ratio tells the proportion of a business assets that it has financed with debt.† (Horngren, Charles T.,7th ed.) Mountainarious sporting co’s highest debt ratio was recorded 87.42% in 2004 which indicates in 2004 company faced more financial risks. Then it started to decline from 2005 to 2007 by 78.53% to 67.69%. It seems now company’s leverage goes downward and financial risk is also decline. Cash Debt Coverage Ratio – cash debt coverage ratio was -11.41% in 2003 while it increased to 26.35% in 2005 which reveals company’s better ability to carry total debts. Nonetheless it dropped to .035% till 2007 which means now company’s ability is not sound to cover total debts with its yearly cash flow from operations. Recommendations The following recommendations have been made in order to the performance of the Mountainarious sporting Co. Profitability: Mountainarious sporting Co. should review their pricing strategy and effectiveness of any advertising campaigns, including scaling back the level of advertising in the short run to minimise costs and improve profit margins. Stricter employment policies can also improve productivity and reduce employee absenteeism without any increase in costs. Efficiency: If labour productivity does not lead to the operation of idle assets, it would be wise for Mountainarious to sell all idle assets to free up cash whilst and from not sacrificing profits. Along with selling its idle assets, Mountainarious have to buy back excess shares from inventors. It should be noted that this decision would likely turn current investors away and encourage them to sell leading to as much larger than intended fall in equity. This could pose financing future investments. Liquidity: Adopting a ‘just in time’ approach for stocking shelves to reduce inventory costs and the risk of attaining unusable stock. A short term solution to free up cash flow would be to sell idle assets as discussed earlier, however  with less assets, revenue and profits are limited. Alternatively Mountainarious can choose to no longer offer store credit, however it must be noted that this conservative approach may limit sales and net profits. Tighten customer credit policies such that the maximum receivable settlement period is at least the duration of the shortest payable settlement period agreed to with suppliers. Solvency: Review product marketing strategy and pricing in order to achieve price premiums and boost sales and profits, reducing their reliance on debt for finance. Sell idle assets to free up cash flow and pay off a portion of current liabilities to improve attractiveness and solvency to a potential lender. Conclusion: From the above analysis horizontal and vertical, we can conclude that the companies performance as compare to the industries average is below par and the current ratio, quick ratio shows that the current assets are not managed properly which further deepen the problem of repayment of the liabilities, secondly there is no cash in flow from the financing activities as shown in cash flow analysis and more over the assets were increasing in 2007 but they were not utilized in the manner so as to maximize the profits. The sales over the five fiscal years were showing the increasing trends still the profits were not as it is expected reason being the cost of good sold is too high and the inventory level is also high of the company, thus to conclude as the company do not have the repayment potential as evident from the above ratios, hence it won’t be a wise decision to grant loan in the present scenario. References Dr. Jawahar Lal, P2009, Accounting Theory and Practice,Himalaya Publishing House PVT.LTD., Mumbai, India. Horngren, Charles T.,7th edition,Financial accounting, Pearson, Australia Ken Trotman & Michael Gibbins,3rd edition, Thomson, Australia.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Discrimination Essay

The desire towards improvements and changes is stimulated by a particular event or scenario. It motivates and inspires us to persevere and change the outcome for the better. For my part, it started in August 2002 when two teenaged transgender teenagers were brutally murdered in the District of Columbia. The murders occurred in the Southeast section of DC – an area plagued by random violence, extreme poverty, and often defeated residents. This instigated my passion for service and creating ways to fight for these peoples’ rights.It is through this that I want to express my intention to pursue a degree in public interest law. As a DC native, to some extent, I’ve been desensitized to violence. Local news stations advertise violence almost hourly. I listen to â€Å"Breaking News† having to do with multiple killings and robberies daily as a marketing tool used to increase ratings, and ultimately ad revenues. However, this case was the one that strike me the mos t because of my encounter with the victims a few hours before the incident. I had acquainted with these people during a popular event.While I made it home safely, I didn’t know that the victims were being shot multiple times; a terrible massacre and execution at the dark streets of Southeast Washington. Realizing the gravity of the issue, I went to AU’s GLBTA Resource and convinced the director to conduct a campus candle vigil to commemorate the victims. The vigil was attended by over 500 AU students and residents of the DC Maryland and Virginia areas. The culmination of the event was a speech given by Brett Pearsons – DC Police Chief of the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit.However, I felt that this action was inadequate to address the issue; I needed to be involved more. Also, my research showed that there is an alarming increase in the number of hate crimes happening in Washington D. C. This applies to individuals who identify themselves as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender. Moreover, there is a shocking trend wherein majority of victims are people of color (black or latino), under 30, usually impoverished, and most of these crimes are not investigated as hate crimes. With these I made an important decision in my life; I wanted to take law and prosecute people who engage in such actions.With my Juris Doctorate degree I plan to practice law with the sole purpose of eradicating discrimination and violence such as this. Both inside institutions like the US Military who prescribe discrimination through legislative means and in larger society where discrimination and hate exist as a result of stereotypes, lack of education, and non-exposure. Similarly, I wish to create equal opportunities among workers in the institutional level while at the same time clamoring for the removal of societal standards that are prejudicial in nature. I can accomplish this by legal work and cases I work into.I believe attorneys can be the engineers of social chang e if each one is willing to meet the challenges; a fact I am determined to accept. In the future, I wish to participate and be associated with a federal or local government agency helping to prosecute criminals who engage in such crimes. Likewise, if possible, I wish to be contributing my efforts for a watchdog organization such the National gay & lesbian task force, Human Rights Campaign, or the ACLU I believe. These institutions are vital in the process of creating accountability and justice among these minorities within American society.Without these types of organizations, there won’t be a check and balance in the societal system which can help legitimize the actions of individuals to pursue violent acts of discrimination and prejudice. In the end, with your acceptance, I can be able to make a difference in society as well as these groups. I know that the incident in DC was no coincidence. It was my calling to be of service to these people. With this degree, I can be able to exercise the notion that â€Å"everyone is under the law†. I feel that this is my legacy; my own imprint in effecting social change.

Friday, November 8, 2019

oncology essays

oncology essays Cancer covers a large group of diseases that have malignant properties. This means that there is a tendency to grow and spread, sometime rapidly and sometimes slowly. Doctors identify the cancer by the site or type of cell type where it starts. For example, there are many types of cancers. Cancer in the uterus is uterine cancer; cancer in the breast is breast cancer; and cancer in the colon is colon cancer. The physician who specializes in the treatment of cancer is called an oncologist and the doctor who reviews and diagnoses the disease is called a pathologist. The test they take, the ultrasound of your abdomen and pelvis, indicated that you have renal-cell carcinoma of the right kidney. This is a cancer of the genitourinary system. It is also the most common type of kidney cancer and it used to be called hypernephroma. We do not know exactly how cancers start but this type of cancer is thought to be associated with smoking. However, statistics show that only about one-third of renal cell carcinoma is associated with smoking and it happens twice as often in men as in women. Let me explain how the kidneys work. First of all, we have two kidneys and they produce urine in a two-part process. In the first process, the kidneys filter the blood through filters called glomeruli. These filters separate the blood cells, that is, the red cells, white cells and platelets, from the liquid part which is called the plasma. The liquid part passes through tubules and is processed so that needed materials are returned to the blood and unwanted waste materials are passed on. In the second process, the kidneys collect the liquid that will be urine and pass it into many different bigger tubules until it gets to a port called the pelvis of the kidney. Then the urine flows to the ureter, which is a thin tube that leads to the bladder. One good thing to remember is a person can live with only one kidney and can also liv ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

10 Activities That Will Make Your Trip to Germany Special

10 Activities That Will Make Your Trip to Germany Special Top 10 Things to See and Do in Germany Travelers are often attracted by different exotic options and unexplored routes that promise new emotions and unforgettable impressions. It is quite understandable, since tourism has become very developed sphere and a life passion for many people. Though along with the original and extraordinary trip opportunities, Europe remains the unfailing focal point of sight-seeing. Its priceless architecture, cultural and art heritage and original atmosphere represent the endless source for touristic inspiration and attraction. If you made your decision in favor of the sophisticated European sights, in particular Germany, we will advise you ten things and places that you shouldn’t miss in this country. Visit the Semperoper Opera in Dresden Even if you are not very fond of opera and ballet, this opera is really worth seeing. It fascinates by magnificent architecture and luxurious interiors. Being built in 1841, it represents the historical, architectural and cultural masterpiece, which dazzles and astonishes its visitors with beauty. The Semperoper Opera offers numerous operas and ballet performances and you for sure will find something to your taste. Besides the very first opera, which was performed here is the opera written by German composer Carl Maria von Weber. Take a tour or buy a ticket to one of the performances and view this outstanding and pompous sight with your own eyes. Spend Spring in Bonn Spring is the special part of the year, which brings inspiration; desire to live, to create and to make something original in this world. Moreover, we are sure that if you meet spring in unique and remarkable places, it will endow you with a lot more impressions, encouragement and delight. Undoubtedly, Bohn is one of such places. Its Heerstrasse or Cherry Blossom Avenue is adored by all tourists in spring due to its pink splendid blossoms. In the Internet you can find thousands of photos of the Cherry Blossom Avenue but they can be hardly compared with viewing it in person. So if you have free April, head for Bohn, enjoy beauty of blossom, walk through the city center and visit famous Beethoven’s House, everything is nearby. Calm Nerves in the Tropical Islands Resort This place helps to change every day routine and take you away from all troubles. Here you forget about rush and schedule and enjoy dozens of entertaining activities for the whole family. The park is opened 24 hours a day and offers sandy beaches, waterfalls, rainforests, waterslides, the Shopping Boulevard and acrobatic performances. Here you become the combination of different activities and a great opportunity of entertainment this spring. Try Ski Jumping in Steinach This offer seems pretty risky and unsafe from the first side. However, no one is born with the ability and knowledge in a certain sphere. A lot of people search for new sources of emotions and adrenaline burst and ski jumping is the right thing. Rennsteig Outdoor Center in Steinach provides numerous courses and decent level of safety. Thus, we advise you to consider the possibility of having 150-meter ski jump this spring. Take Wine Tasting Tour in Cochem Cochem is famous by its vineyards and picturesque landscapes and if you like nature and wine, trip to this town will be a great choice. Go on foot or rent a bicycle and set out on a journey. Besides except wine tasting there are a lot of other things to do. The architecture in Cochem is remarkable and attractive; in particular Cochem’s Imperial Castle is one of its greatest masterpieces. The town is not big but there are a lot of things to see and to do, so this touristic destination is an excellent choice for a weekend trip. Hike in Saxon Switzerland Both professionals and amateurs will find great opportunity for hiking in the beautiful area along the Elbe River. There are about 1000 peaks, which attracts hikers with the awesome views. Especially, we should mention a famous and fascinating rock formation – Bastei. Wooden bridge, which connects several rocks, uncovers unforgettable and stunning views. Combine extreme experience with the fascination of the nature beauty in Saxon Switzerland and enjoy every moment of this. Go to Lichtenstein Castle Feeling attraction to medieval period of time, one should not miss an opportunity to visit the Lichtenstein Castle. It is situated on the cliff in Swabian Alps and is a beloved attraction for tourists. It is significant that by going to the castle you explore the history and admire the nature. The interior of the castle represents armory, paintings, medieval furniture, you have everything to deep into the life of those times. Attend Cultural Events in Heidelberg Heidelberg is a popular tourist destination. The city offers for its visitors a lot of architectural attractions: Medieval and Baroque buildings, ruins of the famous Renaissance castle, the oldest university in Germany. However, architecture is not the only reason of influx of tourists. There are a lot of cultural events held in the city. They are various music, theater and art festivals and numerous entertaining and cultural events. Visit Bavarian Alps Are you looking for fresh mountain air and interesting activities that can distract you from academic or business activities? There is such place in southern Bavaria, where the Alps are situated. Here you can find a lot of outdoor activities: skiing and snowboarding in winter, cycling, hiking and camping in summer. Also there are a lot of different events, festivals and spa resorts. There is a wide choice for any preferences. Visit Munich Munich is the capital of Bavaria and is often called one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. It attracts visitors by its geographic location, since it is situated in the backdrop of the Alps. Munich has a remarkable architecture, outstanding museums and a lot of other interesting sites. In October Munich becomes the center of all beer lovers due to its annual beer festival. Munich is more than just a city, it is the spirit, and it is the atmosphere, which should be witnessed at least once in the life. As you see, there is a lot of exiting things to do in Germany this spring and all the year round. Do not miss your chance and indulge yourself with the unforgettable trips!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Case Study 6.1 United Technologies Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

6.1 United Technologies - Case Study Example Therefore, United Technologies was advantaged to outsource its activities to reputable and successful companies. The government efforts and funds pumped into the sector implied that United Technologies would not use massive funds in establishing their operations in those two countries. Both India and United States of America have an extraordinary manpower. Additionally, the manpower from these two countries is known for their quantity and quality. Americans and Indians are known for their adjustability, tenacity and immense talent. Therefore, United Technologies was going to benefit a great deal from the specialized talent they would get from the two chosen countries (Margaret & Bruton, 2010). They would be giving their services to skilled professionals, who know how to do their job. In this way, there was no way the company was going to register failures and losses. Lastly, United Technologies was wise to choose USA and India because the two countries have developed infrastructures. This would make United Technologies incur minimal start-up costs. Additionally, the already established support systems implied the transition costs of United Technologies would be reduced significantly to an extent that the company would not feel the pinch. 2. The Otis unit of United Technologies illustrates differences that occur in a worldwide firm as it manages alliances. What are some of the other differences illustrated? What other issues should be considered? There are several differences that occur in firms managing alliances. These may include; strategic and nonstrategic activities of firms, among others. In order for a firm to succeed in its alliance, it must have focused strategic goals (Margaret & Bruton, 2010). It is essential for organizations to set realistic goals, as well as have an understanding of what the companion firm should bring to the alliance.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Community service Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Community service - Research Paper Example The program is meant to be of value to the greater community. The program was initiated in the United States and the legislatures adopted it to avoid the overcrowding experienced in prisons. Offenders who were convicted of non-violent charges would be given days and hours to work in community services rather than being taken to prison (Alarid, 2014). The offenders would also be ordered to make restitution to the various victims in lieu of incarceration. The program however has had it share view of criticism particularly during the early days of its enactment. People would argue that the community services would be beneficial to the community, which had not suffered any loss or affected in the crime. There were suggestions that the community was never a victim in any crime conducted to a person. There were further suggestions that the community service did not make good the community and so it would be a waste to establish the program. To counter these false accusations, judges proved that the community is a secondary victim of any crime. In th e 1997 case ruling (Van Ness and Strong), the judge ruled that the community suffered psychological injuries brought about by fear of any crime committed. The community has in several cases been forced to raise insurance costs and make donations making it to be a secondary victim of any crime committed. Under the program, the crime offender gets the chance to see how his or her crime has impacted the community and get a firsthand experience of the indirect injuries his or her crime causes. Community service gives the offender a chance to see the limit the society tolerates his or her actions. The program gives the offender a proactive and constructive chance to repair the damages caused by his or her crime. Community service is centered on accountability rather than rehabilitation or punishment. The program focuses on the strengths rather than their needs or the offenders. The program overlooks a person’s lack of

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Managerial AccountinG Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managerial AccountinG - Assignment Example As an accountant I do not need to take action myself and confront my friend, thus I will leave it to the management to deal with its employee and resolve the issue. However, as loyalty note on my part I will disclose all the information to the higher management even thou this is done by my dear friend because it is all about being ethical in the business. Managerial versus Financial Accounting My friend who is nowadays interested in finance and accounting came to me to understand the difference between financial and managerial accounting. I started off by giving out the definitions to my friend. Managerial accounting, also known as cost accounting, deals with the internal reporting in an organization. It involves reports on daily or weekly basis that helps managers to make financial decisions. It is the identifying, interpreting and then exhibiting information to the managers. There is no legal binding for producing internal reports but firms do this in order to show a numeric pictur e of goals and objectives. â€Å"The focus of managerial accounting is on the needs of managers within the organization.† (Hilton et al 2008) These reports are a futuristic look and include budgets and forecasting analysis. On the other hand, financial accounting is the collection of financial data to formulate financial statements.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Personality In International Relations

Personality In International Relations This essay will explore the extent to which the personality traits of a decision maker impact upon his foreign policies. It will not argue that such idiosyncratic variables alone are the exclusive determinants, but that they have a significant role to play. As political scientist James Barber remarked, Every story of decision making is really two stories: an outer one in which a rational man calculates and an inner one in which an emotional man feels. The two are forever connected (quoted in Brewer, 1992, p.149). Foreign policy decision making is an outcome of how individuals with power perceive and analyse events. Political leaders are not beyond the reach of the human traits of assumptions, subjectivity, prejudices and biases. Their underlying beliefs and motivations will have a bearing upon the conclusions they reach. Culture, geography, history, ideology, and self-conceptions shape the thought process of a decision maker, forming what has been referred to as the psycho-socio mili eu of decision-making (Sprouts, 1965). The foreign policy decisions of Harry Truman, Saddam Hussein and Charles de Gaulle will be used as case studies to demonstrate how personality can affect the formulation and implementation of foreign policy, whilst also providing the opportunity to show the differing extents to which such traits have occasion to make an impact, due to situational factors such as in a crisis or in non-democratic regimes. This essay will conclude that the influence of individual personality traits is most evident in the foreign policies of persons in unrestricted positions of authority, and in crisis situations. In democracies, during non-critical times, the extent to which the leaders personality influences decision making varies according to his relative passive/aggressive nature. Dominant leaders will seek to reshape the international political system in accordance with their own personal vision, resulting in tenacious foreign policies through which they attem pt to advance a central idea, whilst maintenance of the status quo can be attributed more to low-dominance, introvert individuals, seeking to power-share and delegate decision making (Etheredge, 1978). The effects of personality on decision making are difficult to quantify. Interpersonal generalisation theory suggests that behavioural differences in interpersonal situations have some correlation to behavioural differences in international situations, for example, a relationship between self-assertiveness/dominance, and willingness to resort to military action (Etheredge, 1978). However, it would be naive and over-simplified to state that certain personality traits of a decision maker lead a country to war; instead they can be seen as tipping the balance towards or against a certain policy, because, put succinctly, some leaders are willing to gamble the destiny of their people in a war; others are not (Ali Musallam, 1996, p.5) It is also important to take into consideration the extent to which individual traits can be separated from role-playing. Decision makers may act how they perceive a leader in their society is expected to act, taking role-appropriate decisions which are not ne cessarily in line with their personal nature. No individual can know all the relevant factors when making a decision, thus each individuals perception of reality will be different from reality. This incongruence between the psychological and operational environments permits filters, such as the past experiences of leaders, to shape decision making. It has been argued that there is strong, robust evidence that most human choice is preconscious and strongly and quickly influenced by emotiondespite their expertise, foreign policy makers are no less biased than other people (Gross Stein, 2008, p.113). Core beliefs are held to be true even if they cannot be verified, providing the foundation of myths and ideologies; efforts to challenge them are met with hostility. The phenomenon of cognitive dissonance enables even the most intelligent of human minds to resist and deny important, uncomfortable aspects of reality. Human psychological make-up limits rationality, having a need for simplicity. In the processing and analysing of complex information, we break down information and choose how we want to interpret it. When analysing the influence of personality upon foreign policy, it is important to emphasise that the differing political environments surrounding leaders will naturally create highly variable boundaries within which they have the freedom to operate. It is a given that a dictator in an authoritarian regime has much greater, unconditional, unaccountable power to create policies suiting his personal interests, than the leader of a democracy. Within a democracy, the head of government is obliged, to some extent, to take into consideration the opinions of other authorities and experts, and must especially consult the Foreign Minister with regard to foreign policy. However, ultimately, the final decision does lie with the leader, and he does possess the power to override other opinion if he wishes. Leaders of governments can also have the advantage of hand-selecting those who they put into positions of power. A leader is likely to choose key advisors who share his core beliefs and he con siders to be generally cooperative, creating an environment in which groupthink has the potential to flourish. Political leaders in democracies should, theoretically, and sometimes in practise, reflect the attitudes and core values of their citizens. Having been through the same socialisation process and sharing the same core cultural values as his citizens, the democratic leader can be seen as an embodiment of societal character. Decision making is an institutionalised process, in which personality factors merge with cultural background factors and can often be explained in more generalisable group terms (Cerny, 1980, p.13). The mood of society sets broad boundaries around the theoretical foreign policy alternatives of decision makers. However, it has been alleged that, beyond academic elites in foreign affairs, there exists a lack of public interest in foreign policy; seemly too distant and irrelevant compared to domestic issues. It is argued that the general public is ill-informed and unstable, prone to changes in opinionat worst [they] possess non-attitudes with respect to international p olitics (Robinson, 2008, p.139). This gives the government greater freedom of movement than in formation and implementation of domestic policies, and hence greater scope for domination by significant personalities and ideologies. Nonetheless, it could also be argued that this apparent apathy is now declining due technological, transportation and communications revolutions which enable foreign affairs to be brought much closer to the daily lives of ordinary people. Personality can impact to differing extents on the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. Whilst a policy can be formulated, within the relative situational and bureaucratic restraints, to the particular personal liking of a leader and his colleagues, the implementation stage, translating foreign policy objectives into practise and desired outcomes, is more complex. Attempts to implement a policy can come into conflict with the objectives of other actors and the environment, as the boundary between decision makers and the outside world is crossed. It is true that orders may be easily issued, but that is only the beginning of the process of attempting to achieve ones goalsfor all kinds of statesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [because] leaders rely on sub-contracting to bureaucratic agents, some of whom may take the opportunity to slow down or undermine the policy, or even to run their own policies in competition (BrighiHill, 2008, pp.130-4). Foreign policy is not self-executing, and requi res resources, support or mobilisation of the public, and some political consensus, particularly in a democracy. The more charismatic, persuasive and motivational the leader, the greater his chances of overcoming such opposition. This task is made particularly easy in authoritarian regimes such as North Korea, where the media is subject to state control. A leader can gain public support for his policy through the strategic use of propaganda, promoting both his greatness as a decision maker, and that of the policy. President Truman provides an interesting example of a decision maker in a democracy acting under crisis conditions. In the turbulent international conditions of the closure of WWII, he was thrust into power, following the sudden death of President Roosevelt. It was President Truman who took the historical, controversial decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It would be difficult to argue that, under the power of a different presidential personality, the US would definitely not have taken this dramatic course of action. However, a number of factors related to Trumans personality and previous experiences can be linked to his ultimate decision to drop the bomb. The first Truman had heard of the atomic bomb came after his inauguration. This bomb changed the nature of warfare to a degree that is difficult to comprehend. With such little time to absorb such information, having fought as an artillery officer in WWI, it is possible that Truman may have thought about the atomic bomb as [simply] a largerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦explosive than the ones he fired in Europe (Strong, 2005, p.15). Its radical scale of destruction was close to incomprehensible. A self-confessed amateur in foreign policy, in the shadow of Roosevelt, he wanted to establish himself. He was an active decision maker, preferring to do something rather than nothing, who enjoyed his presidential powers, and preferred not to delegate authority, believing that the President makes foreign policy (Frankel, 1963, p.21). A direct, pragmatic character, he was willing to be accountable for his decisions, proud of the signà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦on his desk announcing that the buck stops here' (Strong, 2005, p.18). Truman continued his presidency from the aftermath of WWII into the beginnings of the Cold War. Under the heightened tension of possibly imminent nuclear war, presidential power and responsibility was great; the presidents finger was, indeed, on the nuclear trigger (Fraser Murray, 2002, p.5). His conviction in the superiority of capitalism, the benefits to be gained from its adoption in other parts of the world, and the dangers outlined by Domino Theory, lead him to take a foreign policy of containment with regards to communism. In line with his military background, Truman adopted a confrontational attitude to USSR, what came to be known as the Iron Fist approach, partly in reaction to the previous Western failure of appeasement to stop Nazi expansionism. He was sceptical of all totalitarian states, claiming I dont care what you call them Nazi, Communist or Fascist-à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they are all alike (Gaddis, 1982, p.66). To follow through with the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, Truman needed the support of Congress and the public, which he won using his popular, persuasive, extroverted personality. A supporter of the UN, Truman was a convinced internationalist, conscious that the United States should not repeat the isolationist errors of the 1920s (Fraser Murray, 2002, p.9). This helps explain why he followed such an interventionist foreign policy during his presidency. He was willing to place himself as leader of the free world, protecting and expanding his core beliefs in democracy and capitalism. In a dictatorship, foreign policy decisions lie almost solely in the hands of the leader; his decisions can be made without the accountability, checks and balances which exist in a democracy. In 1990, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein took the decision to invade neighbouring Kuwait. Arguably, the whole war [is] to be found in his psyche [and] insecurity (Hughes-Wilson, 1999, p.350). In the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq, the country was financially destitute. Recent acrimonious encounters with the West added to Husseins growing feeling of paranoia and desperation. Having bludgeoned his way to the top, Hussein was prepared to use any means possible to stay there (Ali Musallam, 1996, p.45). He had a need to live up to his own hard-line rhetoric, to avoid meeting the fate he had recently seen Romanian dictator Nicolae fall to. Saddam was devious, untrustworthy, greedy, ambitious[and] brokehis own people did have about three goes at assassinating him in the seven months before he invaded Kuwait, s o his paranoias of public rioting and coups were not unfounded (Hughes-Wilson, 1999, p.341). Saddam took Kuwaits refusal of a moratorium on its wartime loans, and refusal of other financial aid to Iraq, as a personal affront. Kuwait was incredibly rich in oil, and virtually defenceless, so to a personality like Saddam Hussein the temptation to solve his economic problems at a stroke must have been irresistible (Hughes-Wilson, 1999, p. 322). The invasion was symptomatic of the stereotypical qualities of a dictator. Aggressive, egotistical and unwilling to compromise, Hussein simply decided he would take what he wanted. His bloodthirsty, ruthless nature and readiness to resort to violence can be traced back to his childhood socialisation. Suffering the physical and psychological abuse of his stepfather, Hussein was raised in the hard world of the mountains, and mafia-like warlords and family clans that control them. Guns [were seen] as essential to a manit is alleged that Saddam had shot and killed his first man by the age of eleven (Hughes-Wilson, 1999, p. 314). This culture of casual violence influenced his beliefs in the harsh realities of the survival of the fittest. As a child, he would be sent to work in the fields whilst his stepbrothers would be allowed to go to school, aiding the development of his intense inferiority complex which would lead to his hunger for power and glory in later life (Ali Musallam, 1996). The former French President Charles de Gaulle was highly driven by his ideology and patriotism. He took a keen interest in foreign policy, and had the ultimate goal of restoring French historic cultural greatness on the international stage. De Gaulle came to power as a highly respected, charismatic military leader with great moral authority, often playing up to this image by making public appearances in military uniform. He obsessed over his legacy, wanting to be an inspiration for the generations of French citizens that would come after him; becoming a symbolic embodiment of how he perceived France. He was well aware of his own great personality and prestige, conscious of living his own biography, and often spoke of himself in the third person (Grosser, 1967, p.26). He assumed the role he believed a leader should take whilst in public, conforming to the perceived requirements of the title, whilst keeping his private life as detatched as possible. De Gaulles father, passionate about politics and history, was a professor who instilled his pride of France and her past into his son (de Gaulle, 1998). He considered all the actions he made by how they would mark history; less concerned with the criticisms made by those at the time of his action, and more by their judgement by future historians. Despite being a strong advocate of democracy, de Gaulle grew up in a royalist environment, and carried with him to adulthood its goals of continuity, leadership and an embodiment of the state, which were reflected in his politics. De Gaulles first Prime Minister was Michel Debrà ©, a devoted Gaullistà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [who] could not refuse to do what his hero asked him to do (Thody, 1998, p.23). There was a certain unwillingness amongst de Gaulles advisors to disagree with their charismatic leader; he encouraged an environment of groupthink by surrounding himself with people of a similar view point. This was the perfect occasion for his perso nality to strongly influence the direction of French foreign policy. Possessing a certain distrust of diplomatic personnel, there is no doubt that it is General de Gaulle himself who makes the decisions on foreign policy issues (Grosser, 1967, p.13). A strong believer in intuition, if he felt a decision was right for France, he would take it. De Gaulles foreign policy was farsighted in that it was based upon his image of a post cold-war world, in which the mature nations of the old world and the newly independent states of the Third World would act to counterbalance theà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦hegemony ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the US and the Soviet Union (Cerny, 1980, p.1). A born maverick, de Gaulle was not afraid to make his foreign policy disruptive of the world order. His self-perception was that of a guardian of national interest; he wanted to develop autonomy for his people by resisting the strength of the superpowers and exercising power inconsistent with his relatively limited resource capabilities, through manipulation of the international system; it would be fair to say that he had a taste for the impossible (Grosser, 1967, p.65). His policy of boycotting NATO and UN conferences was to oblige others to take greater account of France through absence than they do when she is obliged to join in decisions over which she can exert no decisive influence (Grosser, 1967, p.132). His doubts over the support of the US against Soviet invasion lead to his decision to develop a French nuclear deterrent, and to withdraw troops from NATO in 1966. He refused to accept that the two superpowers should be the sole possessors of nuclear power. De Gaulle strongly linked the notion of national security to independence, the intertwining of diplomatic and military strength, which can be explained by his military background. It would appear that the personal style of the General gives its special shape to a policy whichà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦corresponds to French desiresà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is a policy that dares to take risks, to gamble for high stakes, to court failure rather than resigning itself to mediocrity and timidity (Grosser, 1967, p.xi). De Gaulle symbolically rejected Britains entry into the ECC, fearing it would upset the Franco-German leadership. He saw Britain as a Trojan Horse for America to gain greater influence in Europe, a nd was so strong in his beliefs he dared to take a stance against the other five ECC members; it isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦unlikely that any French politician other than de Gaulle would have vetoed Great Britains attempt to join the ECC (Thody, 1998, p.29). This essay has shown that the role of personality in the formulation and implementation is variable. The more critical a situation is perceived to be, the fewer people will be directly involved in its management, and so there is a greater likeliness that their conclusions and actions will reflect their own personal beliefs, attitudes and interests. Despite institutional constraints, the political leader has a significant influence over decision making, particularly when national security is seen to be at stake, or when policy can be formed relatively secretly. Even in non-crisis situations, a political leader has the potential to exercise power and thereby impose his preferences on policy. The extent to which he does so depend[s] on his own values, beliefs, background and personality (Brewer, 1992, p.160). Every person in a position of power brings personal experiences, values, preconceptions and emotions to their decision making, although some will allow bureaucracy and the power-sh aring nature of democracy to counter and balance these idiosyncrasies. Ultimately, the personality of a leader has the most influence in unaccountable, dictatorial regimes, often due to the climate of fear surrounding their unlimited powers. However, even a dictator cannot continuously take whichever foreign policy actions he pleases without some eventual restraints posed by resources, the international community, uprising of his own people or a coup.