Marriage Matters Summary Linda J, Waite

As a preface, Waite progresses through various statistics fostering today's pattern of decreased marriages. She states clearly that, â€Å"The decline in marriage is directly connected to the rise in cohabitation-living with someone in a sexual relationship without being married. † Statistics showed a vast decrease in marriages between both black and white marriages. This seems to be an epidemic in today's society providing examples which might reflect people or situations In our lives.Another one, of the many, shocking statistics show that about â€Å"one third† of births occur outside of wedlock. Waiter's worry is that marriages are statistically more beneficial to the children who are conceived and born with a stable set of parents. The first argument poses a stance that health between a family is of greater quality when the family Is complete. That being said, Waite never quite defined what a complete family Is, but the term Is connotatively a derived of a mother, f ather, and could possibly consist of children.From the paper, a family Is anything Inside matrimony. Waiter's first argument for health is that marriage appears to reduce risky and unhealthy behaviors. Marriage will also increases material well-being such as income, assets, or wealth. The last component, which I think is the most beneficial, is moral support. All of these ideals are intricate measures needed for a healthy life-all of which stem and are heightened through marriage. The second argument for a pro marriage lifestyle is that life Is easier financially through a stable Income.Incomes can either be shared or enhanced with marriage. Waite argues that single parent households are in Jeopardy due to lack of sufficient funds and energy where dual parent homes are either amplified by double income or saved by production at home. Wives tend to lead the stay at home Job of doing the duties with house work while men go to work. This leaves more time to pay attention to family as w ell as diligence In their career while the wife rears the kids and does house work; leaving much more time to relax and recoup.The third argument supported by Waiter's article supports a greater intimacy between a couple in marriage. When people think of the word intimacy, it is attached (generally) to sex. Waite argues that not only are sexual needs exceeded, but emotionally the bond is wound tighter. â€Å"The long term contract implicit in marriage- which is not implicit in cohabitation- facilitates emotional investment in the relationship, which should affect both frequency of and needs are met. The final argument is the impact of marriage on the children.Statistics show that two times as many children that are raised in one-parent families than children from two-parent families drop out of high school. A startling fact but is upheld to be true. Almost all cases of poverty were recorded by cases of children growing up in single parent homes. It summates that children are superb ly affected by the role models which are designated in their lives. The last page of the article persuades the reader to â€Å"reverse the trend† and all of the casualties invested by overdeveloped monogamous relationships.Multiple sources are accredited with the foundation of a rubber standard. The ideals in society fluctuate because of public policy and acceptance. Policies and standards must be enforced throughout society to rectify change. In summate, Waite argues that a positive lifestyle is that of which is inside of marriage. She resolves that â€Å"marriage produces individuals who drink less, smoke less, abuse substances less, live longer, earn more, are wealthier, and have children who do better- need to give more thought and effort to supporting this valuable social institution. †

Analysis of Film Poster for “The Matrix”

From a distance the first thing that would be noticed by a passing audience would be the title of the poster. It would catch the viewer's eye with its striking green colouration and large bold font. Its central position in the poster would draw the audience's attention and bring them closer so they can pick out the smaller information, which in turn would lead to the desire to see the film or not. The use of the upper case makes the title stand out from the rest of the poster and would act as the focal point of the advertisement. The type of font used in this case sharp and modern, would denote the genre of the movie, which again would influence the people and pick out a specific target audience. Director: The directors name on my poster is situated above the title, so presumably would be the next thing the viewer would focus upon. A famous, well-established director such as Spielberg would sell a film by reputation alone. Their previous films using various genre would appeal to a target audience that wouldn't have normally seen the film. Their success widens the target audience and draws in people outside the specified genre, making more money for the producer's etc. Images: Images are probably the most important element of most types of advertisement. The use of images gives a more interesting and less boring way of getting the same message across that text would. Also because people are more susceptible to images and remember them easier, designers use this to inform and sell films by incorporating pictures into the poster. The type of imagery used again highlights a target audience, using their likes and dislikes, to create a demand for the film and make them want to watch it. The fact that my only form of imagery is in text and the use of numbers was done purposely, as I chose to integrate the main theme of the film, which is computers and science fiction, by using what could be described as ‘computer language'. The mystery invoked by this type of imagery would entice viewers into watching the film to understand the relevance of it because they are only given small pieces of information. Also the fact that the images can only really be read from close proximity, would mean that people would have to move closer to see, meaning they have to study the poster harder, which would lead to more information being processed, meaning they will have a better understanding of the movie. Actors/Actresses: The actors and actresses are important in widening the target audience further, their past roles and performances in movies will influence people into viewing the film. Most designers would use the upper case letters to advertise the cast as it stands out and would be more noticeable, they would use a contrasting colour from the back ground and they would position the most famous star on the left of the poster as viewers read from left to right. In my poster Keanu Reeves is the first name to appear on the poster, as he is the most famous. It is important to select cast that will appeal to as wide a target audience as possible, with Reeves and Moss, it does just that. They are both younger actors that would appeal to both sexes with their looks and sexual allure. People relate to stars, they either want to be with them or want to be them. Laurence Fishbourne, however, would attract the older viewers, as he is an older more classical actor, people wouldn't necessarily want to be him or be with him, they would more likely admire him for his acting ability. Critic's Quote: The critic's quote is a significant part in the layout of a film poster as it gives the reader a supposedly unbiast opinion of the film. The critic's quote is filled with hyperbolic language and positive words that would make the movie out to be the best film ever. This would help sell the film as no one would want to see a movie that was given a bad review because people are influenced by success. In my quote I used upper case letters within the sentence because it adds to the hyperbole and it highlights the positive words in the quote. The fact that it is directly under the cast's names was done so that they would read the quote after the cast and work their way down the poster, building an opinion about the film and its view-ability. Who actually gave the quote is important too, as their success as a movie magazine, newspaper etc, would promote the movie and would again target a specific audience, in my case using Empire magazine, a ‘movie buff' type of person. Because the average consumer doesn't really know much about movies, the fact that they are being told by an ‘expert', will influence their decision to pay their money to see the film. Certificate: By putting an age limit on the film you pick out a certain target audience. With having such a certificate as 15 advertised on the poster, you appeal to a younger audience with a ‘disposable income', mainly students and adults that don't have families or money that is spoken for. A certificate is there to give the viewers a rough guess as to its violence content, the language used and to what sort of extent the film has sexually explicit scenes in it. Although by putting an age limit on the movie, it doesn't stop younger or older audience attending. Producers: This element of the film poster can be both beneficial and detrimental to its success as a film poster. By using a producer's quote you attract a target audience by association, people who have seen earlier films will make the connection with its success or with its failure. This is potentially where this piece of information can be harmful. If the viewers make the link with a prior films achievements, this can help with the advertised films selling capability. However, if people make a negative link with the previous film they are less likely to watch it, as they will be put off by the last films performance. Conclusion: Altogether I feel my poster works reasonably well, I think it uses most of the key elements that a film poster has to possess in order to inform and to sell the movie to the public. The colouration is eye catching and modern and I feel I incorporated the main theme and essential taster of the movie within it. However if I was to repeat the exercise again I would change, improve and add a few things. I would have more than one critic's quote to broaden the target audience even further, this would be achieved by maybe having a well known newspaper write a review on it, making the film review be seen by a whole range of people, as more buy newspapers than movie magazines. I would also choose to have an actual image included in the poster, as the text that is the imagery in my poster may not be as memorable as pictures may be. To show the public of this movie's success I would probably decide to have the awards, Oscars etc that the movie had won or been nominated for, as this would attract an audience that wouldn't have normally bothered.

Pollution affects the health of all living thing. Essay

Many peoples, animals and plants depend on water for survival of life but because of water pollution all living things must suffer or die from the effects caused by water pollution. Man is busy inventing new things every day and the consequences of these inventions affect the land, air and stream and causes water pollution. Some of the causes of water pollution are industries trying to fulfill the need of consumers by inventing new products and creating jobs for people. Another cause of water pollution is the chemicals that people use on their lawns and gardens. Water pollution can also be caused by land movement, avalanche and erosion from the weather. Animal also causes water pollution but they are unaware that they are actually causing pollution to the stream, rivers and lakes. The effects of water pollution in our stream, lakes and ocean have a huge impact on the living creatures that uses the water for their habitat. When the beaches and lake are polluted, tourists do not spend time to visit there, animals also die from consuming garbage. Another effect of water pollution is the cause of an oil spill in the ocean which has a huge impact on the living creatures and wild life that uses the polluted water. It is important for individual living in this planet to prevent water pollution. The planet is very precious for all it living thing. People have to use the planet resources carefully, and prevent water pollution to it streams, lakes and rivers. We all share this plant it earth, air, land and water. When one of these characters of the planet is affected it also affects another. One can use water People can purchase items that they need and not want. They can reuse and recycle items that are useable. One can use organic material in their gardens and lawns. Farmers can reduce the use of chemical in their crops. One can walk, bike or use transit to get around. Individual should not put sediments, nutrients, toxic chemicals, pathogens in water. These are some of the thing people can do to prevent water pollution.

American history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

American history - Essay Example It is very evident from different periods that different historical period has left its marks on American economy. All those periods have laid strong base for modern world’s economic super power. Colonial American economy was mainly driven by agriculture. The country tilted towards industrialization from the time of independence. All the industrialization was expanded in 18th century. It started long back in 1776. In that period economy of time 13 original colonies were very strong and stable. At this point of time the country faces great economic expansion as number of population increased and lots of foreign people in fluxed in to the country. People of America became very self sufficient which gave huge boast to their economy. Due to its strategic geographical location, abundant of natural resources has attracted lots of foreigners in to the country. Massachusetts was a great shipping hub. Virginia was an attractive place for business ventures. Fur industry and fishing industry has boosted the local economy very much. Increasing population and foreign trade has developed the American economy at that stage. It was the starting time of global power shifting. At that point o f time white free Americans were accustomed with higher life styles (French 149). In that colonial period people of America earned their livelihood on the basis of small farms. As the colonies grew small local industries like gristmills and sawmills came up. Entrepreneurs started their business endeavours. People started farming rice, grew tobacco and indigo. Building ships and sailing them also was very common for creating wealth. It was a very important phase for economic development in America. It is the time when American people started to unleash their entrepreneurial skills. Americans were fighting for their rights with British people. Britain refused American demand of equality. Americans decided

Introdution to business and economy of China Essay

Introdution to business and economy of China - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to identify the financial and banking reforms in China. Furthermore, the essay will also analyze whether or not these reforms have enhanced and transformed the economic sustainability and the overall economic performance of China. According to Ash et al., (2013), China has remained for many years as one of the fastest growing economies in the world (cia.gov, 2014). However, the background to the economy of China is totally conflicting. The financial sector of China was completely dependent of its banking sector while the banking sector was under serious threats as it was under debts and was facing challenges (Garnaut, 2013; Liao et al., 2013). If the speed and scale of the transformation that China has gone through is observed, then it certainly has no historical match. According to a survey conducted in 1978, China was among one of the poorest countries in the world as its per capita GDP was 1/40th compared to the United States (Das, 2012; Naughton, 2007). Zhu (2012) stated that since China was not doing very well economically and was left far behind in the economic world, therefore, it had to come up with strategies and reforms that may enable its entire economic system to enhance the overall operations. By 1976, many Chinese leaders agreed to the idea that reforms in the field of finance and banking are essential as they will boost up the economy (Lin, 2012). The Chinese leaders were looking for ideas and solution to counter the serious issue of economic instability and challenges that were faced by the country. To counter these issues, the financial and banking reforms were introduced in 1978 (Das, 2012; Cai, 2010). Naughton (2007) has discussed that, before the introduction of the financial and banking reforms, Chinese economy went through major issues and faced numerous obstacles. It was only during the 1930’s that the economy of

Finance - BIS Capital Adequacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Finance - BIS Capital Adequacy - Essay Example Among its more important committees is the Basel Committee which is responsible for the promulgation of banking regulation guidelines concerning supervisory issues. In this regard, Basel I (1988 Accord) was a landmark in the banking industry in that banks having an international presence are required to hold as a minimum 8% of their capital equal to the risk weighted assets (there are five risk weightings). Basel II, which came in June 2004, addressed some of the weaknesses from Basel I. Both accords, however, are designed to strengthen the financial banking system by requiring a more rigorous set of capital requirements for banks to meet their credit and capital risks. Furthermore, Basel II is more forward-looking by requiring banks to identify those risks now and in the future especially with the sudden surge in hedge funds and esoteric investment instruments such as credit default swaps and other derivatives. Basel II attempts to avoid systemic risks such as what happened in the U S subprime mortgage crisis which engulfed the entire banking system with spectacular collapses such as AIG. Basel II is also more comprehensive by requiring banks to maintain enough capital to certain risks by quantifying credit and operational risks. A bank that engages in more risky investments is required to maintain a higher capital adequacy ratio to remain solvent in case of a crisis. Other considerations are a banks residual risks and the mandatory disclosures to comply with international accounting rules and standards. This last provision is crucial as it gives counter-parties an idea of the risks they face when dealing with a certain international bank. This way, there are no ticking time bombs like CDS which Mr. Warren Buffett likens to weapons of mass destruction (Graham & Dodd 2008, p. 622) due to unregulated credit default swaps that

Consumer attitudes towards celebrity endorsed products Dissertation

Consumer attitudes towards celebrity endorsed products - Dissertation Example Celebrity endorsements are considered to be scary and unstable but still the trend continues. Thus with the aim to establish whether celebrity endorsement on products have an effect on consumer purchasing such products, four objectives were stated in Chapter I. After extensive literature review in Chapter, qualitative research strategy based on content analysis method was adopted for this study. This study is purely based on secondary data and no fresh data has been collected. The study has achieved all the objectives. The study concludes that celebrity endorsement on products have limited effect on consumers. They create awareness and knowledge about the brand and the product but may not change the attitude towards the brand or alter the purchase intentions. The image of the celebrity should be able to communicate the message and this is based on the personality of the endorser. To survive in the competitive marketplace companies need to have a strong brand name and they use celebs to enhance their brand image. However, the marketers and advertisers appear to become over enthusiastic over time and enter into multiple endorsements and over exposure which potentially damages the brand. Advertisers have to be cautious in using a standardized approach across cultures and markets because consumer perception greatly differs across cultures. Strong celebs can generate high willingness to buy that product. It can create a brand narrative, increase the awareness of the company’s advertising, and use of celebrities has a positive impact on the stock returns of the company. However, over exposure of the celebrity may dilute the importance of the brand as the attention remains focused on the celebrity. Celebrity image is not static and this could impact the celebrity endorsement strategy of the company. This also impacts the consumer perception of the brand and the endorser. Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Rationale for the study 2 1.3 Research Aims and Objectives 3 1.4 Organization of the Study 3 Chapter Two: Literature Review 2.1 Chapter Overview 5 2.2 Definitions 5 2.3 Product and Brand 6 2.4 Celebrities and Brands 7 2.5 Advantages and disadvantages of celebrity endorsement 10 2.6 Brand enhancement through celebrity endorsement 12 2.7 Negative association with celebrity endorsement 14 Chapter Three: Methodology 3.1 Research Philosophy 16 3.2 Research phenomenon 16 3.3 Research methods 17 3.4 Research Strategy 17 3.5 Justification for content analysis 18 3.6 Data analysis 19 3.7 Sampling 19 3.8 Reliability and Validity 19 3.9 Ethical concerns 20 Chapter Four: Findings & Discussions 4.1 Celebrity endorsement and consumer purchase intention 21 4.2 Importance of brand name and the role of celebrity 25 4.3 Advantage and disadvantages of celebrity endorsements 26 4.4 Discussion 28 Chapter Five: Conclusion and Recommendation 5.1 Conclusion 32 5.2 Limitations 34 5.3 Recommendation for further research 34 References 35 Tables Table 4.1 Successful and Unsuccessful Celebrity Endorsements 22 Table 4.2 Table 4.2 Successful and Failed Endorsements with reasons 27 Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Background Globalization and the power of the modern media over consumer societies have contributed to the phenomenon of using celebrities to endorse consumer products. Celebrities today have become an important part of the marketing communication process because brands love

Personal use of ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal use of ethics - Essay Example Ethics can be further sub-divided in many forms, such as deontological ethics, utilitarian ethics, natural law ethics, Divine command ethics, social contract ethics, care ethics, virtue ethics, and normative ethics. All these ethics have a very specific and pivotal role in personal life of an individual, as well as his/her professional commitments (Mizzoni?, 2010). Deontological ethics can be referred to as morality, obligation or rule based ethics. Deontology dictates the moral values of a person as a response to the rules and regulations even if he or she is not being monitored. It is something related to self discipline. Utilitarian ethics include all good and bad results of an act, which are produced after completion of an act or popped-up at any stage during the act. The acts can be classified as morally right or wrong only if the consequences are so significant that a person wishes to see the agent compelled, not merely persuaded and exhorted, to act in the preferred manner. Vi rtue ethics is the ordinary times of our lives when we face daily life decisions that involve conflict of values. It is concerned about how people express and form their character through their choices and actions in everyday situation. It sees the ordinary life as the place where most of moral life takes place (Pojman?, 2005). Virtue ethics in normal life Among the above defined ethics, virtue ethics is the most common and important of all ethics as it has a role to play in every walk of life. It forms the basis towards other major approaches; it is goal oriented ethics because we strive to live morally in order to move closer to the perfection that God desires and perfect union with the God that awaits us. Virtue ethics are commonly referred as Aristotelian virtue ethics. These ethics are teleological as the character values of a person are linked with relations to other human beings. In our daily life and our connection with the people around us, the thing that creates the person ality image is purely dependent upon some of the factors. The first factor is how much obligations one has to him/herself, the family, the community or the world at large. These obligations come through the basic character traits induced in grooming and personality development. The second factor is being fair in life with everyone, irrespective of the fact that this person is known or unknown to you (Carr? and Steutel, 1999). Having achieved a better standard in virtue ethics by some of the factors mentioned above, the individual can influence all aspects of his/her life, including the profession. A person with strong character traits will definitely be loyal and hardworking to the profession, thereby keeping an instinct check on his/her dealings and response to the surrounding people. Justified behaviour with everyone is of utmost important in our day to day life; whether we are at home with families, out in market for shopping or in hospital for medical care (Shaw?, 1993). In toda y’s era, everyone around us seems to be much self-centred, busy in the personal life, committed to the private business; thereby ignoring or not paying the due attention to the rights of people around. We observe the same while we are travelling on the road, interacting with people in markets, in the streets and even in the hospitals. We only focus on requirements and needs specific to us without realizing that someone may be in more distress or has got more disturbances. Even if we extend help to someone, s/he feels

Business Finance Ratios Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Finance Ratios - Essay Example Debt ratios signify the use of debt in acquiring the assets of the company. It signifies how the company has financed its assets and through what combination of debt and equity. Riordan Manufacturing has a higher debt ratio as compared to Kuddler foods however it must also be noted that the use of higher debt may also be favorable for the firm as it allow them to magnify their P/E ratio due to the impact of debt on taxable income of the firm. Apart from that the higher debt will allow firms to get the tax benefits also. However it also must be noted that the higher debt may be risky as taking more debt means putting on more burden on the existing resources to pay back the debt rather than being channeled into the more productive resources. Profit Margin is a ratio of great importance as it actually indicates what company is earning after paying off all its costs. This is in its essence is one of the key ratios of the success of the firm. In this regard, the profit margin of Riordan Manufacturing is less than that of the Kuddler Fine Foods. This can be because of the differences in their industry. Riordon being in manufacturing sectors has to incur costs which Kuddler, being in grocery business, may not incur. Further, the low profit margin for Riordon may also be attributed to its higher fixed costs ratio in its overall cost structure. Return on Assets is another very critical indicator of the how efficient firm is in running and managing its resources. High asset turnover and return on assets clearly indicate the level of professionalism and management approach. The ratio is significant in the sense that it provides management the vital indicator of how the firm is managing its assets to derive the sales. A low ratio would mean that it is taking more assets of the firm to generate the desired level of the return thus inefficient approach to managing the firm

Service Operations Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Service Operations Management - Case Study Example Using the processes described by Lovelock and Wirtz (2004), the customer support processes of British Airways were blueprinted. Specifically, this blueprint addresses services provided by British Airways from purchasing a ticket through the flight process. The customer segment refers to the three methods of buying a ticket: online, over the telephone or at the airport. Customer actions are clearly outlined along the top row of the blueprint - beginning with 'purchase ticket' through to 'claim baggage'. The contacts that customers have with employees are also identified in the blueprint, both onstage and backstage. Support processes are listed near the bottom of the blueprint, just above the physical evidence. Finally, links connecting customer to employee activities and to support functions are also clearly identified in the blueprint. Defining service as a process has considerable implications from a service operations management perspective in view of the fact that the process-view is seen as the foremost model in operations management (Ponsignon, Smart and Maull, 2007). ... Introduction Defining service as a process has considerable implications from a service operations management perspective in view of the fact that the process-view is seen as the foremost model in operations management (Ponsignon, Smart and Maull, 2007). Additionally, according to Roth and Menor (2003) service operations management as a field of study is important to the design, delivery and assessment of services. They further noted that the design of services is instrumental for allowing an organisation to make sure that its strategy can translate into operations. In other words, mistakes made at the design level will result in mistakes made in operations as well. Based on their understanding, Roth and Menor (2003) proposed that, in order to be effective, a service design must consider how services are delivered, what the concept of service is, and identify the right customers. This is illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 1: Looking at the big picture: the service strategy triad Source: Roth and Menor, 2003 Other authors and studies have indicated the importance of understanding the needs and expectations of customers which is vital to success in service design (Goldstein et al., 2002; Roth and Menor, 2003). By and large, the dominant purpose of such a design is to create a service that meets or exceeds customer expectations (Slack, Chambers and Johnston, 2004). A successful design is one that guarantees that both the service outcome and the process of delivering that service are such that will produce customer satisfaction (Dabholkar and Overby, 2005), which in turn drives customer retention. Indeed, service that is designed properly and is effectively carried out will provide an organisation with competitive advantage in its sector (Verma et al., 2002). A

Environmental web portal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environmental web portal - Essay Example An environmental web portal can serve as scientific as well as educational purposes for the community that uses its information. It provides a platform whereby resources, information, and experts in environmental science can converge and exchange ideas.Moreover,it will create an online opportunity for researchers to further their fieldwork and establish a bridge between class work and field work The web portal is aimed at enriching its information through accepting contributions from people visiting the site like the inclusion of a video blog, data collection, equipment operation and different observations from site visitors (Popovic, Lindic, Stemberger and Jaklic, 2005). The portal will form a basis of scientific research and verification of data through engaging in discussions and other activities that enhance environmental awareness. Environmental Web Portals host research, lesson plans, and online coursework, monitor student outcomes, and satisfy the reporting standards established. The environmental science projects require people to establish common grounds through which they can share knowledge and join efforts to solve environmental problems. The areas of interest include pressures of urbanization, information management and ensuring information accessibility to both the research hers and to those visiting the web portal.The environmental web portal will enhance both live and recorded online presentations of data and will enable visitors to understand how field equipment and other equipments are used in the process of data collection and analysis. In addition, the environmental portal will have a clear indication of the research funded by the government, its achievements and challenges. A clear description of the investment in people, the equipment to be used and the relevance of the research and how it is bound to affect people’s lives will be highlighted. Through the environmental analysis, the portal can be developed using basic technologies and helps in the achievement of tasks like development of online communities, administrators and environmental experts. Properly designed portals can act as effective communication tools that can enhance adoption of best practices in the environmental conservation campaigns. Availability of the environmental documentaries online enables constant updating on the latest research findings like discovery of new species, those facing extinction and effects of climatic change on the survival of organisms. According to Popovic, Lindic, Stemberger and Jaklic (2005), rapid technological and environmental changes pose new challenges to researchers and environmentalists that have been tasked with the responsibility of explaining the changes and recommending the desired course of action. The government aims at building an environmental research infrastructure to necessitate the adoption of environmental research data management. The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) were structured by the government and given the responsibility to initiate an environmental monitoring network. The Institute of Sustainable Resources (IRS) received funding from the Grains Research Development Corporation

Community Policing Corruption Essay Example for Free

Community Policing Corruption Essay In today’s society, the amount of crime that occurs can be quite difficult to deal with and responsibility ends up falling on police to curtail it. Unfortunately, the infectious nature of crime often drags these assigned â€Å"stoppers† into the same mud that they are trying to prevent others from falling into. When officers abuse their legally sanctioned position of authority, it is known as police corruption. It is a persistent problem that is more significant in a criminal sense than the average person committing a crime because it is happening by a representative/protector of the law. Since police are not judiciaries, they do not determine who is guilty and thus undermine the law system when they do these crimes. Also, it is important to note that police corruption is not the same as an ordinary instance of crime. To elaborate, â€Å"Police corruption is an illegal use of organizational power for personal gain. The personal nature of the gain distinguishes corruption from brutality, perjury, illegal search, or any other law violations committed in the pursuit of such legitimate organizational goals as fighting crime. The organizational nature of the power used illegally excludes many crimes committed by policemen, such as burglary committed by a city police officer in his suburban town of residence in which he has no contact with the local police. That particular burglary would be merely a crime. A burglary committed by a police officer in his own police jurisdiction, under the protection of his colleagues or aided by his organizational knowledge of his colleagues’ practices, would be both a crime and an act of police corruption.† (Sherman, 31). As one can see, police corruption is a serious problem as it is almost always involves an associated act of crime. There is no room for this behaviour in fair environments and it cannot occur if society wishes to advance. Ultimately, police corruption cannot coexist with the concept of community policing because it is unethical and morally wrong, it is contrary to Robert Peel’s nine principles of policing and undermines effectiveness, and it offers no sense of accountability to the government and to the public. There is no logical way to justify corrupt actions by the police. Any time it occurs, it involves the â€Å"abuse of a legally sanctioned position of authority—in other words, the status of the police officer makes the crime possible. It is this abuse of a ‘sanctioned and sacred’ social position that makes police corruption so dangerous. It is the ultimate social inversion—the cops become criminals. (Police Corruption)† Instead of helping to fight crime, they end up contributing to the problem through means that are only available to them because of their sworn duties as protectors of the community. When corruption is revealed to the public, the police lose the confidence and trust that allows them to function and be legitimate. Corrupt acts are completely immoral as they are motivated by personal gain which demonstrates selfishness and a disregard of the well-being of society. The detrimental aspects of police misconduct cannot be overstated as they immediately threaten the possibility of effective police-community relationships. â€Å"In terms of public trust for law enforcement, recent polls show that only 56 percent of people rated the police as having a high or very high ethical standard as compared with 84 percent for nurses. Over the past few decades, great strides have occurred in the law enforcement profession. To begin with, many police agencies have avoided hiring candidates who have low ethical standards and have identified those onboard employees early in their careers who might compromise the departments integrity. In addition, research has discovered new methods of testing candidates for their psychological propensity to act ethically. However, unethical conduct by the nations police officers continues to occur in departments large and small. (Martin). Clearly, society has made some strides toward ensuring ethical and rational behaviour in the police force but it is impossible to root it out all the way to the individual level. For community policing to be effective, a high percentage of officers must be able to see the difference between right and wrong and take appropriate action. Recent studies offer some understanding of the phenomenon in the hope of rooting out this behavior that serves to undermine the overall legitimacy of law enforcement. Theories on the role of society in law enforcement, the negative influence of an officers department, and a persons own natural tendency to engage in unethical behavior have been offered as potential explanations. While some may argue that the â€Å"rotten apple† theory is the best explanation for this problem, the vast amount of evidence to the contrary is overwhel ming. Deviance rarely persists in an isolated environment but it thrives when it is adopted by an entity such as a department. To explain, â€Å"If we scan these activities then it must be plain that we are no longer dealing with individuals seeking solely personal gain but with group behaviour rooted in established arrangements. Police officers have to be initiated into these practises, rationalisations have to be produced to accept them, supervisors have to collude or turn a blind eye, justifications have to be sought to continue them, and organizations have either in some way to condone or encourage these activities or else fail to tackle them. This is social behaviour, conducted in groups within organizations, that is powerful enough to override the officer’s oath of office, personal conscience, departmental regulations and criminal laws (European Committee, 68).† For all of these events to occur, it is evident that a multitude of people inside the organization must collaborate and therefore it is rarely an isolated case of corruption. Corruption is highly contagious and this is illustrated well through theories such as the â€Å"slippery slope† and â€Å"grass vs meat eaters† This also explains why corruption is usually concentrated in certain precincts or areas instead of being dispersed. Sir Robert Peel was credited with the concept that the police depend on citizen cooperation in providing services in a democratic society. â€Å"Peel envisioned a strong connection between the police and the community (Police Corruption)†. Unfortunately, the existence of police corruption is contrary to all nine of his principles. The police’s basic mission is to prevent crime and disorder, which they only contribute to if they are corrupt. They rely on the public approval of their actions, which cannot happen in a just society (â€Å"community tolerance, or even support, for police corruption can facilitate a department’s becoming corrupt [Sherman, 32]). Corrupt police officers do not cooperate with the public; they avoid contact as they do not want to reveal their illicit nature. Since corrupt officers are aware of their actions, they might have improper judgement and use physical force. They fail to demonstrate absolutely impartial service by attempting to manipulate public opinion, do not become â€Å"one† with the public, they usurp the power of the judiciary, and sacrifice efficiency for personal gain by not devoting all of their effort to reducing crime and disorder. These corrupt officers also undermine effectiveness as they do not use their time as well as they should be, show only self-concern and indifference to the morality of the situation, and abuse resources. â€Å"The legal authority of police departments and the nature of law violations in their jurisdiction provide organizational resources that can be exploited for personal gain. The nature of these resources varies greatly among and within police departments according to the nature of police tasks performed and the social characteristics of the police task environment. A police department that is a corrupt organization can exploit the resources for internal profit. In all cases, exploitation of these resources for personal gain is an inversion of the formal goals of the organization. (Sherman, 38). Depending on exactly what type of resources the organization deals with, they may or may not be suitable for exploitation. Federal drug enforcement entities constantly deal with opportunities to make a lot of illicit profit whereas Secret Services almost never has chances to make illicit gains at all. In many situations, police may lose some or all of their accountability to the public or government if they do not act with the appropriate intentions. Accountability is a vital element of not just community policing but policing in general. If the police are to achieve their goal which should be lawfulness and legitimacy, they require effective accountability procedures. â€Å"Lawfulness and legitimacy, in turn, are essential if the police are to achieve their goals of reducing crime and disorder, enhancing the quality of neighborhood life, and serving community needs. A lack of legitimacy inhibits the development of working partnerships that are an essential ingredient in community policing and problem oriented policing. Contrary to the popular view that effective crime control and respect for constitutional principles are competing values in policing, experts today increasingly recognize that lawful conduct and accountability are essential for crime-fighting. (Walker, 1). While it is apparent that lawfulness and legitimacy must be upheld in order to serve the community, a fundamental principal of a democratic society that the police should be held accountable for their actions. This includes choosing what actions they take and how they perform. This is especially true in post-conflict environments where police forces are viewed as brutal, corrupt, and unfair. In order to maintain a healthy relationship, a â€Å"liberal society must be maintained, complaints about the police must be addressed, and police themselves must be protected by disgruntled acts by the community† (Accountability and Police). At the same time, police must keep a healthy distance to avoid excessive personal interaction which leads to preferential treatment, discretion, and favouritism. Furthermore, it is important to note that, â€Å"The accountability of police to the public is undermined when charges are often dropped while officers under investigation are usually suspended with pay. In other words, there is no real certainty of punishment and this de-legitimizes any notion of public accountability and respect for the law (Police Corruption). In the eyes of the public, it is already bad enough that the officer are taking advantage of their position of authority but to have them face virtually no consequences is beyond demoralizing. In order for community policing to exist, the public must be confident in the fact that the police are not taking advantage of their position and are accountable in and out of service. In conclusion, because police corruption is unethical and morally wrong, violates all of Robert Peel’s principles, and shows a complete disregard of the notion of accountability, it is impossible to coincide with effective community policing. Police corruption is the illegal use of organizational power for personal gain and unfortunately a still a common occurrence in modern society. It is crucial for the police, as protectors of society, to not allow themselves to stoop so low. The community has to be able to know that no matter what police might have to deal with, they will remain pure and free of corruption in order to begin forming positive relationships. Methods of containing corruption include abolishing existing precedures that encourage corruption, letting go of any member that demonstrates corrupt tendencies, requiring a certain level of accountability, and many other steps. Organizations such as the Special Investigations Unit have made strides in reducing corruption however it is not nearly enough. If corruption is controlled to a point where it no longer has a detrimental impact to society, community policing can have enough room to develop. â€Å"Preventing corruption completely is a tall order. However, steps can be taken to reduce it significantly. There are a few fundamental ideas that can be implemented that can, by their very nature, curb corruption. The three areas that need attention are the officer training, personal characters, and the incentives program. The first step is to hire police officers of good character. Stricter screening methods need to be implemented to decrease the chance that a potential hire will become corrupt. Once an officer is hired, the department should do all it can to promote ethics on the job. The department must understand that the citizens trust the police to be ethical, and a breach of that trust is unjust. Further, it is not practical to act unethically. People eye the police and their behavior constantly. Corruption in the force makes it easier for a citizen to rationalize acting unlawfully, which just creates more work for the police. If a police officer, who is allegedly the pillar of the law, can defy it, why cannot the citizens who pay for the police services? (White) A corrupt police officer cannot very well express effectively why citizens should obey the law, for he has no consistency and thus no credibility. Works Cited Sherman, Lawrence W. Scandal and Reform: Controlling Police Corruption. N.p.: University of California, 1978. Print. Police Powers and Accountability in a Democratic Society. N.p.: 2000. Google Books. Web. http://books.google.ca/books?id=cVAOfvU1o-wC. Walker, Samuel. Police Accountability: Current Issues and Research Needs. National Institute of Justice Police Planning (2006): 1-35. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. http:/https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/218583.pdf. White, Stuart A. Controlling Police Corruption. Stanford University. N.p., 4 June 1994. Web. 25 Jan. 2012. http://www.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/paradox/hwhite.html. Martin, Rich M.S. Police Corruption: An Analytical Look Into Police Ethics. FBI. N.p., May 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/may_2011/law_enforcement_professionalism.

Ethical Dilemmas in a Business

Ethical Dilemmas in a Business Introduction Ethical Dilemmas often occur in business situations as well as everyday life. These could be simple problems such as whether to lie about deadline requirements in order to get work done faster, or something complex such as manipulation of facts and figures in financial statements. The core value system of the person making any such decision plays a huge role in the extent of his or her ethical manipulation. Competitve pressure on the other hand can force people to make ethical decisions radically different from what their value system might relay. This is a problem that is widespread in todays business environment, where stepping on someone else ensures an easier platform for growth. The model of The ends justify the means has overwritten a lot of the value based ethics which was heavily ingrained in our psyche. This report hopes to make simple guidelines which will allow one to make decisions keeping a humane as well as ethical approach which emphasizes the Right decisions, not the Easy ones. Business Scenarios Entailing an Ethical Dilemma Some of the best learning regarding any Ethical dilemma occurs when one experiences it firsthand. These problems occur when we are unprepared for it, thus a pre-determined framework would prove extremely useful. Ethical decision making deals with moral issues: A moral issue is present where ever individual actions, when freely performed, may harm or benefit others (Jones, 1991, p. 367). An ethical decision is defined as a decision that is both legal and morally acceptable to the larger community whereas an unethical decision may be regarded as either illegal or morally unacceptable to the larger community (Jones, 1991, p. 367). Thus let us have a look at some examples of Ethical Dilemmas which would require such Ethical Decision Making. Company Bankruptcy and Employee Loyalty Lehman Brothers which was a premium investment bank until its Chapter 11 bankruptcy declaration in September 2008 was a preferred employer for over 25000 people and their families. The company evoked a vehement sense of loyalty and pride, but bankruptcy changed all that. Lehman Brothers Services India LTD, which is the outsourcing and knowledge center in India received the news on a Monday, employees which included the author himself resolved themselves to jumping ship before even trying to see if they could do anything to help the firm. This is an ethical dilemma since on the one hand the employer has helped support the families of its employees, however on the other hand the employee has to decide quickly about the future course of action which will affect his or her family. A possible solution which would have been feasible was for the employees to provide their utmost support to management in order to steer the company out of rough waters. This is a difficult decision to make since it may even involve no pay during the period of bankruptcy, and hence almost no employee chose this decision. Service Bonds in Companies A widely used vehicle in corporate culture today is service bonds, issued by the company against almost all its new employees. These simply state that the employee must stay within the employ of the company for a certain duration before switching companies and/or leaving the job, failing which he or she would be penalized a certain amount of money. The Ethical Dilemma appears here mainly when the employee gets hired by the company while he or she may have an offer or opportunity in the near future. A prime example is when freshers are hired out of college, but they are waiting for an MBA admission. The job is just a failsafe option, and as soon as said MBA admission goes through, the employee will leave the firm. This is an Ethical Dilemma on both fronts, from the point of view of the employer as well as the employee. On the one hand, the bond is in itself a vehicle which does not hold any value in a court of law. Thus most companies will harass the employee but ultimately they are unable to recover any of the amounts mentioned in the bond, however they do withhold experience and relieving certificates. On the other hand the employee himself signs up for the training knowing full well that he or she may be leaving the job early, it is a very hedonistic approach, and is done only for self benefit, he or she does not care whether the company hired him or her keeping in mind requirements, and does not bother about the damages the company may incur due to a sudden loss of an employee. A possible solution here, which is unfortunately infeasible is a full disclosure on the part of the employee while joining up a company, this would usually result in the employer not hiring said employee to prevent any problems should the employee suddenly leave. Credit Sharing in the Workplace As rational human beings most of us understand the value of teamwork. The workplace however emphasizes this in order to have smooth and uninterrupted functioning. Teamwork is a prime requirement for any employee who joins any firm. One of the biggest ethical dilemmas faced both as an employee as well as a manager is how best to recognize individual contribution in a team based environment. It would be wishful thinking to assume that all employees contribute equally to the success of a project, thus the emergence of performance rewarding was born in the workplace. Here employees are gauged on individual performance in a team context, their contributions, mistakes as well as ideas are all assessed and suitable reward systems are kept in place. This however results in what is known as Credit Sharing whereby employees try to gain credit for work that they had a minimal contribution in. This usually happens when the work itself provides a sizeable benefit to the project, either in terms of revenue generation or cost minimization. Employees who were unrelated to this work still try to leverage it since it could provide a boost to their immediate future in terms of salary raise, or promotions. A possible solution to such a problem unfortunately cannot be found, this is simply because it is highly dependent on individual ethics to determine how low he or she may be willing to stoop to gain credit where credit was never due. Management unfortunately also cannot efficiently monitor this since it might result in inefficiencies in overall management of the project. Guidelines for Self for Dealing with Ethical Dilemmas An easy way to create a guideline for self to deal with Ethical Dilemmas, one needs a reference model of some kind which will allow for such a guideline to be created in the first place. Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Dilemmas both share a common thread in that they deal with moral issues at their core. Thus for a decision maker to act ethically he or she must (a) recognize a moral issue, (b) make a moral judgment, (c) give priority to moral concerns and establish a moral intent, and finally (d) act on the moral concerns (Selart and Johansen, 2010, p. 3). Thus logically it would be a necessary condition that the moral agent in this case the decision maker should be able to recognize a moral dilemma. This is highly relevant since pressure or competition usually dull our senses in this regard, since profits or immediate gains will be present and must be decided upon. However the severity of the moral dilemma elicits a moral impulse which could be radically different from what rationality tells us to pursue. What this means is that we may be more prone to making moral/ethical decisions, when we are able to identify the severity of the problem at hand. This is referred to as moral intensity and is a prime candidate for allowing ethical decisions to be made. Let us have a look at how some external factors could influence decision making and use them to form a basic guideline for dealing with ethical dilemmas. Effect of Stress or Competition on Ethical Decision Making Stress is deemed as having a negative effect on leaders decision making by preventing them from recognizing ethical/moral dilemmas which their decisions could entail. Time related deadlines have an effect which could result in limited focus and to cognitive biases. It also makes leaders have less access to external information sources (Selart and Johansen, 2010, p. 11). Thus a primary rule of thumb which we should ensure while dealing with any decision that could involve moral issues is Prevent or reduce stress while making a decision, since studies have shown that stress influences ethical decision making primarily through its effect on pro-social behavior or the willingness and motivation to take others interest into account (Jex et al., 2003) Studies also show that a root cause of stress related problems comes from the reward or lack of thereof which results in stress related ethical failings in managers (Selart and Johansen, 2010, p. 12). Effect of Globalization on Ethical Decision Making Globalization is the new mantra by which todays companys move. It ensures competitive advantage by reducing costs and promoting more profitable sales opportunities, it also results in a diversified and distributed workplace. This is one of the prime causes of ethical dilemmas. Being distributed could result in marginalization of branch employees when decisions affecting corporate culture or financials get made; this is often seen in the case of a lot of the leading multinationals which operate with an IT arm in India. Another great challenge for managers in global business is the misunderstanding of their decisions due to conflicting moral compasses of their stakeholders from different cultures, which could result in their best decisions being, confounded (Thompson, 2010, p. 1). An effective tool suggested to counter this is the Global Moral Compass which allows for managing complex moral challenges that business leaders cannot ignore, as well as providing an adaptive framework which allows for linking diverse value propositions and wisdom traditions (Thompson, 2010, p. 1). This is the global moral compass for business, its 4 parameters include. Vision Moral vision is the true north of the moral compass; the spiritual, affective aspect of moral identity expressed in the power of myth, narrative, and images representing core values. Code it is the moral code by means of which one lives ones life, this code is enhanced by personal experience and is ever changing. Fitness Moral fitness is the symbolic aspect of moral agency; it is ritualized action that expresses and reflects the vision and values of moral identity. Performance Performance is the proof of the pudding the intentional aspect of moral agency demonstrated in concrete decisions and behavior (Thompson, 2010, p. 13-14). Thus some more rules of thumb can be generated via the means of globalization and its effect on ethical decision making Globalization requires a more complex set of moral principles which guide decision making; this is enhanced by the use of the global moral compass which can be used to point decisions to the right direction. Globalization requires that the culture, socio-economic situations, geographies as well as history of stakeholders involved be understood to a certain degree, before a decision benefitting them all can be made. True value addition can be had when all the stakeholders are in almost full or full agreement with decisions made, thereby we may need a certain degree of inclusivity to be incorporated in decision making to ensure that stakeholders are completely in sync with the decisions being taken. Effect of Monetary Gain in Ethical Decision Making In recent times a lot of unethical decision making has been uncovered in terms of financial misreporting done by CEOs and other top ranking officials of various companies. The lure of money is thus viewed as a serious barrier in ethical decision making; this is something even laymen can understand. Simple financial incentives like bribes given to government officials influence how fast they perform work, and as such is an ingrained habit in the minds of people today especially in a corrupt bureaucracy like Indias. However studies have found that it cannot simply be narrowed down to the lure of financial incentives that lead to such behavior, other factors including CEOs narcissism, shareholders expectations and subordinate silence as well as CEOs dishonesty could all be possible causes for such unethical decision making (Chen, 2010, p. 1). Now the study also aims to look just beyond financial remuneration as a source of ethical failing on the part of the CEOs, since a lot of them have contributed to charities of some kind or the other (contributions themselves being significant). Thus this evidence suggests that simply CEOs character flaws cannot conclusively be used to resolve this ethical failing (Chen, 2010, p. 2). Some factors which could influence this include Moral or Ethical standards present in the country of origin, cultural norms which influence managerial behavior, corporate and individual corruption levels in the country of origin and incorrect assessment of information due to inflated self expectations in terms of performance. All of these factors can lead to unethical decisions being taken mainly in regards to financial reporting of the firms performance. However we must also identify the effect that stakeholders can cause on mangers when it comes to financial reporting or ethical decision making. Ever increasing expectations, continuous percentage improvement requirements and unrealistic targets all have a direct influence on managers and CEOs making the decisions that they do. However most people are ready to brush this aside as it would result in the blame being spread across people rather than rest squarely on a single person, this unfortunately is a Scape-Goat mentality and is highly ingrained in the psyche of the general populace as was amply demonstrated by the victimization of Mr. Kalmadi in the Commonwealth Games scandal in India. More attention needs to be paid to the responsibilities of shareholders, financial analysts and the financial press in setting realistic expectations for companies. Simply focusing on improving the ethical behavior of individual CEOs without removing this root cause is unlikely to have much effect on the level and frequency of misreporting (Chen, 2010, p. 15). Thus the rules of thumb which we can garner from the above include. While making financial decisions, it is better to make it keeping multiple trustworthy people in the loop, this ensures that decisions although signed off by a single entity (the CEO) would still be ratified by multiple people. The key point here is that decisions made collectively have the possibility of dissonance among stakeholders making said decisions, which would lead to further questioning of the decisions and thus a more refined and correct decisions can be made. Altruistic perspectives aside, stakeholders themselves should be able to handle negative results and management must have enough moral fiber to take the right decision in letting the stakeholders know of any failings without fear of castigation. Effect of Communication in Ethical Decision Making In todays competitive environment, communication or a lack of thereof can lead to decisions being made which may seem unethical. Information is a powerful tool which can prevent decisions which can negatively affect people. Thus communication of this information from the holders to the decision makers becomes paramount to ethical business decisions being made effectively and efficiently. Communication on corporate culture itself can have a positive impact on ethical decision making in the workplace, we thus explore the use of a Business Code of Ethics or BCE which is a pre-requisite in recent times for any company in operation. The BCE simply conveys acceptable behavioral norms and rules which are active in the workplace, and could prove to be an efficient tool in curbing unethical decision making which managers might make in the absence of such an instrument. Studies however show that such a BCE comes with several limitations, this could include, frequency of communication of the BCE, quality of communication used, reinforcement of the BCE via actions of top management, level to which the BCE is ingrained in the decision making of middle and lower level management and finally overall adoption of the BCE via the general populace in the workplace. Communication in this regard is mainly seen via the means of this code of ethics. Now this could result in certain limitations with respect to achievable targets, or patterns of behavior which can be deemed acceptable to meet said targets, however in the long run it is observed that this has a positive impact on both the quality of work culture ingrained in the organization, as well as individual ethical standards which permeates through the employee base (Kaptein, 2010, p. 16). Thus some takeaways from communication and BCE include Effective communications of acceptable ethical standards have a significant positive impact on both workplace culture as well as individual ethical/moral standards improvements. Although a certain degree of compromise must be made in terms of performance for enforcing said ethical standards, it will have a positive impact in the long run and will allow the company to overcome any future negative impacts which may have occurred had such a provision not been in place. Conclusion Thus all throughout we have seen that just external factors alone cannot be used as the final determinant of ethical decision making abilities of an individual. He or she can also influence the surroundings and make decisions which can be both Right as well as beneficial to the maximum number of people, not just his or her organization. This is illustrated by the use of effective communication, utilizing the moral compass, reduction the impact of stress and financial incentives and finally realizing that the individual has to take the ultimate responsibility of his or her decision, and although redemption may be found by attributing any fallacies to external factors, the price will still have to be paid by the individual who made the decision.

N1 Solutions LLC Business Technology Analysis

N1 Solutions LLC Business Technology Analysis Student: Suresh Barre COMPANY PROFILE N1 Solutions LLC. Provides in-depth experience and expertise in legacy application development, release management, and maintenance. We understand that Applications are the key point of any organization. N1 Solutions LLC. Offers VALUE ADD services for both internal and external facing client applications. Their resources come equipped with proven project management techniques, application development methodologies, and release / change management principles whether it is a single resource requirement or staffing up a complete project team, team N1 Solutions LLC has it all. N1 Solutions LLC capabilities help companies improve revenue, drive efficiencies and productivity improvements, automate key processes, reduce process/cycle times, and transform business data into valuable information. N1 Solutions LLC service spectrum consists of a range of technology offerings like: 1. Application Maintenance and Enhancement 2. Custom Application Development 3. Data Centric Services 4. Implementation Methodologies Total no. of Employees: 120 Financial synopsis N1 Solutions LLC is well-established in growth markets and aims to be the right partner for its customers. The company combines deep local knowledge with global capability. The company is trusted across its network for its standard of governance and its commitment to making a difference in the communities in which it operates. N1 Solutions LLC annual revenues more than 20M broke down roughly 20% license, 35% pro services, and 45% maintenance. For new sales, maintenance was 18-20% of license revenue and implementation services roughly equaled license revenue. Here are the few nuggets and features I found so far from this kind of work environment. Transparent Open Communication Give and Take policy Work-Life Balance Training Development-Focused Recognition for Hard Work Strong Team Spirit Clients: 3i InfoTech Walmart Cognizant Technology Solutions Intelligroup IGATE Robert Half Technology HCL Infosys OPPURTUNITIES The experience with N1 Solutions will provide me the opportunity to achieve the real world experience in the ground of Information Technology, Sales Force cloud computing technology and implementation. From the beginning I have been afford the opportunity to partake as an equal member of their internal process. Internship Technology: Salesforce Salesforce Inc. is a global cloud computing company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Though best known for its customer relationship management (CRM) product. Internship objectives: Working as a salesforce intern, performing duties and activities and analyzing them in different perspectives. Here I am presenting few important internship objectives. To get familiarity with Apex code, Triggers and Visualforce. To Learn SOQL (salesforce object query language) and SOSL (salesforce object search language). To get experience with building salesforce apps and objects. To learn integration techniques using web services and APIs. To get experience in Salesforce customization. To learn Creating Apex business logics. To get salesforce 401 Developer Certification. Personnel Development Goals Observing and learning different projects. To improve business communication skills Planning and organizing client interaction. To develop reporting skills To get experience with managerial skills 3.0 LEARNING OBJECTIVES During the course of my internship, I had a great and vivid exposure in Salesforce technology and implementation. I also had an opportunity to get familiarize with many programs and tools. Also had an opportunity to interrelate many real time Salesforce implementations and design. Programs and tools used and learned during the internship Salesforce Edition: Enterprise Features: Workflow approval automation Report history tracking Profiles and page layouts Custom app development Integration via web service API Salesforce Identity Salesforce Private AppExchange Project Management Tool: Smart sheet for sales force Features: Import from Microsoft Project or Excel Multiple levels of tasks Single sign-on from Salesforce Share project sheets and attached files with anyone inside or outside your Salesforce account IDE (Integrated Development Environment): Eclipse Helios Features: Market place client Open Implementation Package Name abbreviations Virtual Folders Compare Configurations Instance counts Support for Apache Tomcat 7 Other Tools: HTML, Java, .net, Visualforce, Saas and apex code. PROJECT I got an opportunity to involve in a real time project for an implementation of Salesforce architecture. Here is the snapshot of the project I was involved. By using cloud computing technologies the new way of building and running applications are being enabled where applications are accessible as utilities over Internet rather than different softwares running on server or desktop. This is a fairly common model for consumer applications like email etc., and also some business applications, such as customer relationship management. The website force.com platform as a service is the first of its kind in the world, which enables developers to create as well as deliver any type of business applications in the cloud, without software which is entirely on-demand. This technology is a breakthrough new concept. It makes businesses widely successful by making them translate their ideas into usable applications in a very short time. Developing and running these kind of business appliactions with regular software is a complex, not so fast and costly. To overcome these issues a new model, called cloud computing has been brought into existence. To stop buy and maintain hardware and software applications in the cloud are delivered as services. Salesforce.com, over the last decade helped and established this model with applications bussiness. More recently, force.com opened up and made it as open source so anyone can build and run bussiness applications on its server. Salesforce.com mastered this model with applications for business since ten years. Recently Force.com made available its proprietary technologies as open source for anyone who is building and developing bussiness applications and then running them on force platform. This platform allows you to store structured data, implement and run business logic with rules of workflow techniques, custom code and also custom codes and approval process, web browser support, integration with other applications as well. The overall scope of this project is all, but limited to To develop an application for sales forecast details. Provide the Sales forecast details of a company product. Ease of access and use. Secured analysis (confidentiality). Views about present status. PROPOSED SYSTEM In the previous CRM system, there are lot of problems, so a new technology is being used in this project called as cloud computing. To develop an application in the cloud computing environment and to deploy it and also launching it in the cloud is being proposed in this project. It is called as salesforce environment. A simple application developed and deployed in the cloud by using the tools and in the environment there itself. System Specifications User Requirements: A high-speed Internet Connection is needed as an interface between the service provider and User. User name and Password provided by the administrator is needed to the user to work with the application. Hardware Requirements: Processor: 32 bit Processor Ram: 512 Mb Hard Disk: 40 GB Internet: 512 Kbps high speed internet connection Software Requirements: OS: All OS supporting internet browsing. Environment: Force.com Environment Language: Visual Force Functional Requirements Understand the cloud environment provided by SalesForce.com Learning VISUALFORCE Developing an application using Visualforce in the SalesForce.Com Environment Deploying the application Providing the User accounts Accessing the application from user accounts and should work with the applications clearly. Other Non-functional Requirements: Performance Requirements: The performance will be fully based on the Internet connection. The user may not worry about their local system. The local system will be only used as a terminal. Safety Requirements: There are the possibilities of data loss due to the interruption of connection in Internet. So the user must ensure about his uninterrupted internet connection. Security Requirements: All the security issues will be provided by the service provider itself (SALESFORCE.COM). No users are allowed to enter and view the details without proper authentication (password protection). ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES       This role is more about learning people than coding new fields in Salesforce. One should have familiar with sales process and sales team in a company. Applying and acquiring Salesforce admin and developer skillset as required for project and assignments. Creating Salesforce customization like creating layouts and pages, learning user maintenance, database de-dumping and cleanup, creating reports and dashboards through Salesforce platform. To learn managed outsourced Salesforce implementation and development process. Apply and acquire technical analysis as required per each task, data extraction from old to new system. Salesforce Cloud Application Layout: Dashboard Reports Accounts creation Forecast 6.0 Learning experience Internship is a way to show you if that is the career is you really want. And have first hand experience on what youre going to do, if you choose the trade. This is an option to pay your dues early on. By gaining early experiences as an intern, earn myself a bit more of a leg-up to start. Internship given me exposure to new and professional situationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦with a safety net. They had given me real opportunities for practical application of skill, but are also there to catch me if there is a problem along the way. They provide you experience with a chance to grow. You just dont stop after some years in the trade. The open-minded mentality, Ive experienced, can differentiate successful, progressive professionals from the rest. My learning focus and implementing contribution for the project: Creating Workflow Rules: To automate organizations standard processes by configuring workflow rules. Every single workflow rule consists of: A criteria which determines when the software salesforce executes the workflow rule. And also any changes that causes any record to match this can trigger the workflow rule-it even changes it to hidden fields. The actions immediately to take, when this workflow rule executes. For an example, the software Salesforce sends automatically an email that notifies the opportunity team when a new high-value opportunity is created. There are Time-dependent actions which the Salesforce software queues when the workflow rule executes. Creating Page layouts and Field level security: Field-Level Security It restricts users to edit files and also view them by any means, which includes reports and search results, list views and related lists and email and also mail merge templates, with custom links, connect offline to the API and when also synchronizing data or importing personal data. It overrides any weak restrictive field access settings in the pages layouts and also mini page layout. For an example, if the field is required and read only in the page layout in the field level security settings, it overrides the page layout and the field will be read only for the user. It overrides low restrictive field settings in layouts of search. For example, if a field is visible in the search layout but hidden for certain users via the field-level security settings, the field-level security overrides the search layout and the field will be hidden for those users. For an example, if it is any field, which is visble Page Layouts It controls the layout, organization of detail and edit pages , related lists, which fields, custom link users see on detail and edit pages only. And also control standard and custom buttons display on detail pages as well as related lists. Page layout will determine whether fields are visible, read only, or required, on detail and edit pages only. In Personal category , by going into Contact Manager, and to Group, and Professional Editions, and to control which fields users can access in related lists, and to list views, reports, and to Connect Offline, and to email and mail merge templates, and to custom links, and when synchronizing data or importing personal data. In Professional category, by going into Enterprise, and to Unlimited, Performance, and Developer Editions, and to determine some aspects of mini page layouts, including record type and profile associations, related lists, fields, and field access settings. The visible fields and related lists of the mini page layout can be further customized, but the other items inherited from the associated page layout cannot be changed on the mini page layout itself. Mini page layouts display selected fields and related lists of records in the mini view of the console. It Should not be used to secure data, if we take an example, by removing the Edit button from a page layout, it doesnt prevent users from using inline editing to modify the already established or any records. And to prevent the users from editing data, it uses any number of combination of sharing rules, field-level security, page layout field properties, validation rules, object permissions, and Visualforce pages. Sandbox Testing: Sandboxes create copies of your organization in separate environments. Use them for development, testing, and training, without compromising the data and applications in your Salesforce production organization. Sandbox Types: Developer Sandbox These sandboxes are meant for using coding and testing to be in an isolated environment. These include production organizations configuration which is also known as metadata. Developer Pro Sandbox These are the sandboxes that are intended for developing and testing in the isolated environment. These include the metadata of the organization. These have more storage than developers sandboxes. This allows for more robust test data sets and enables the environment to handle development testing more. Partial Copy Sandbox These are intended for using as testing environments. These can be used for testing tasks like user acceptance testing, training and integration testing. These include metadata configuration, your production data as defined by this sandbox templates. Full Sandbox These sandboxes are intended to be used as testing environment. Only sandboxes support performance testing and load testing and staging. These are a replica of your production organization. This includes all data including metadata. Refresh interval length makes it difficult to use full sandboxes for development. When you create a Full sandbox, you also have to decide how much field tracking history and Chatter activity to include. The default is to omit field tracking, but you can include up to 180 days of field tracking. Specify fewer days to avoid generating an excessive amount of data if you track field history for many objects in your production organization. Chatter activity data can be extensive, which can add a significant amount of time to your Full sandbox copy. Validation Rules Validation rules verify that the data a user enters in a record meets the standards you specify before the user can save the record. A validation rule can contain a formula or expression that evaluates the data in one or more fields and returns a value of True or False. Validation rules also include an error message to display to the user when the rule returns a value of True due to an invalid value. Salesforce runs validation rules before creating records submitted via Web-to-Lead and Web-to-Case, and only creates records that have valid values. Validation rules continue to run on individual records if the owner is changed. If the Mass Transfer tool is used to change the ownership of multiple records, however, validation rules wont run on those records. Workflow Rules and Approvals: Each workflow rule consists of: The criteria that determines salesforce executes the workflow rule. And any change that causes the record to match the criteria triggers the workflow rule- it even changes to hidden fields. Workflow automates some types of actions which are as: Email Alerts-Send an email to one or more recipients. It can automatically send the sales management an email alert where the sales representative qualifies a large deal. Tasks-Assign a new task to a user, role, or record owner. It can automatically assign follow-up tasks to a support representative one week after a case is updated. Field Updates-This Updates the value of a field on a record. This will automatically change the Owner field on a contract 3 days before it expires. Flow Triggers-It Triggers an auto launched flow. It triggers the wrokflow actions, which are formerly available in a pilot programme, are superseded by using the process builder. Outbound Messages- this sends a secure configurable API message to a designated listener. For an example, this will automatically initiate a reimbursement process for the approved expense report after triggering an outbound API message to the external HR system. Approvals This is an automated process where the organization can use to approve salesforce records. This process explains in detail the steps necessary for the record, for the approval and also decides who has to approve it at each step. These steps can apply to each record in the process or certain defined by the administrator. It also specifies for any action taken in the records for approval. Apex code: Apex is an object-oriented programming language which allows developers to execute flow and transaction control statements on the Force.com server. It uses syntax that almost looks like java and this also acts like database stored procedures. Apex also enables developers for adding business logics and visualforce pages. This code can be started by web service requests and also from triggers on objects. Apex is: Integrated, Easy to use, Data focused, Rigorous, Hosted, Multitenant aware, automatically upgradeable, easy to test, Versioned. Visualforce Visualforce is a framework which allows developers to build fully sophisticated, custom UIs that can be hosted nativly on the Force.com platform. The Visualforce framework includes a tag-based markup language, similar to HTML, and a set of server-side standard controllers that make basic database operations, such as queries and saves, very simple to perform. In the Visualforce markup language, every Visualforce tag relates to a coarse or fine-grained UI component, such as a section of a page, a related list, or a field. The behavior of Visualforce components can either be controlled by the same logic that is used in standard Salesforce pages, or developers can relate their own logic with a controller class written in Apex. Visualforce page definition consists of two primary elements: Visualforce markup HTML, JavaScript, or any other Web-enabled code are tagged by visual embedded within a single tag. It defines user interface markup of components are to be included on the page, and they should appear the way they should. A Visualforce controller It is a set of procedural instructions that specifically tells what happens when the user starts to interact with the specified components in associated Visualforce markup, such as when a button or a link is clicked. They also provide access to data which should be displayed and can modify component behavior. A developer can use standard controller provided by the Force.com platform, or add some custom controller logic by using a class which is written in Apex: A standard controller which consists of the same functionality and logic used for a usually standard Salesforce page. For an example, if we use some standard Accounts controller, by clicking the Save button in the Visualforce page which results in the similar behavior by clicking Save on a standard Account edit page. Triggers Apex can be started through the use of triggers. A trigger is an Apex code which executes before or after the following types of operations: insert merge upsert upload delete undelete Relationship between the internship and my field of studies A primary objective of internship is to provide students with an opportunity to test abilities and attitudes toward particular material or career possibilities for the future For me classroom learning is important, but it does not provide me with real work experience to prepare me for a career after graduation. Exposure to the workplace environment is needed to bridge the gap between learning in the classroom and application in the work environment. Since I am doing MBA with Management Information Systems as my concentration, it is a great opportunity to get real time work exposure in multi-faceted environment. Salesforce objects and relationships Salesforce Development Life Cycle Stages 7.0 CONCLUSION In review the internship that I have been to work is an excellent and rewarding experience. I was fortunate to meet and work with many people that I am sure will be able to help me with opportunities in the future. The things I have learned from this internship are time management skills and self-motivation as well as work discipline. I never thought I could work eight hours straight everyday for five days in a week. When I realized that I planned my day and work ahead so I dont waste any of my working hours. I made myself to be ready with all the doubts, when it was the correct time to get feedback. This internship motivated me through work in the office continuously for many hours. I also suggested my share of ideas and proposed some proposals that the company is looking forward into using. In conclusion, the internship is an useful experience, I have find out what my strengths and weakness are; I gaining new knowledge and skills and met many new people, I am achieving many of my learning goals, however for some the conditions did not permit to achieve them as I wanted. This Internship is giving me new insights and motivation to pursue a career as a salesforce developer. To prepare myself for my future career I can improve several things. I can work on my communication skills so that I am able to present and express myself more confidently. 8.0 APPENDICES THANK YOU ******************************************************************

Schizophrenia: A Possible Etiology? Essay -- Mental Illness Health Ess

Schizophrenia: A Possible Etiology? As for me, you must know I shouldn’t precisely have chosen madness if there had been any choice. What consoles me is that I am beginning to consider madness as an illness like any other, and that I accept it as such. -in a letter to his brother Theo According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 20% of the US population may suffer from a diagnosable mental illness in any given six month period (1991). Obviously the issue of mental health warrants close scrutiny, as such illness can translate into lost work days and lost dollars. From a health care perspective, many of those suffering can be relieved of their symptoms and return to normal life, so to speak. Schizophrenia, however represents one of the more disabling illnesses whose prognosis for the patient looks poor. Affecting nearly two million Americans, "schizophrenia" probably represents a grouping of many types of resembling illnesses (NIMH, 1991). Typically, the patient exhibits prodromal signs such as social isolation and withdrawal, role impairment, eccentric behavior, decreased affect, and disregard for personal hygiene. These then generally give way to intermittent psychotic episodes with intervening, sometimes long negative symptom periods. The so called positive symptoms of schizophrenia include disordered thinking and memory; the patient may display incoherent speech and rapid shifting to unrelated ideas. Delusions and false or bizarre beliefs, hallucinations, and perceptual difficulties also comprise the symptomology. Schizophrenic persons usually have an absence of feeling, a sense of remoteness and inappropriate reactions. Even more difficult to treat (Kandel) are the negative signs of poverty ... ...orks Cited: Kandel, Eric R. Disorders of Thought: Schizophrenia. pp. 854-868. Krieckhaus, E. E., Donahoe, John W., Morgan, Maria A. Paranoid Schizophrenia May be Caused by Dopamine Hyperactivity of CA1 Hippocampus. Biological Psychiatry. Vol. 31, 1992: pp. 560--570. Nasralleh, Henry A. Neurodevelopmental Pathogenesis of Schizophrenia. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. Vol. 16, no 2, June, 1993: pp. 271-279. National Institute of Mental Health. Caring for People With Severe Mental Disorders: A National Plan of Research to Improve Services. DHHS Pub. No. (ADM)91-1762. Washington, D.C.: Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1991. Wright, Padraig, Gill, Michael, Murray, Robin M. Schizophrenia: Genetics and the Maternal Immune Response to Viral Infection. American Journal of Medical Genetics (Neuropsvchiatric Genetics, Vol. 48, 1993: pp. 40-46.

Fyodor Dostoyevskys The House Of The Dead :: essays research papers

Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The House of the Dead   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky was born in Moscow on Nov. 11, 1825. As his father was a former military surgeon, Dostoyevsky grew up in the noble class. He entered the military engineering school at St. Petersburg at age 16. Shortly after graduating, he resigned his commission and devoted all his time to writing. However, he soon became caught up in the movement for political and social reform during the reign of Tsar Nicholas I. He began to participate in weekly discussions about the ideas of French utopian Socialists. This Petrashevsky Circle was arrested in April 1849. After a long investigation, Dostoyevsky, along with 20 other members of the Circle, were condemned to be shot. Literally moments before his execution was to occur, his sentence was commuted to four years hard labor in Omsk, Siberia. He accepted his punishment and began to regard many of the simple convicts as extraordinary people. During his sentence, he became devoted to Orthodox Christianity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The House of the Dead was initially published in Russia, 1860. Upon initial examination of the work, it appears to be a stream of consciousness account of Dostoyevsky's four years in a Siberian prison camp. But, upon further review, it seems to be more an account of Dostoyevsky's personality and attitudes through these years. In his first year in prison, Dostoyevsky â€Å"found myself hating these fellow-sufferers of mine.† (305) His first day in prison, several convicts approached him, a member of the noble class and no doubt very wealthy in the convicts' eyes, and asked him for money four times each; and each refusal seemed to bring more convicts. He quickly grew to spite these people, for they thought him to be an idiot, unable to remember that the very same convict had approached him for money not fifteen minutes earlier. (67-8) But, Dostoyevsky makes a startling realization at the end of this first year, a discovery which allows him to drastically alter his personality: â€Å"...the convicts lived here not as if this were their home, but as some wayside inn, en route somewhere.† (303) this concept is followed by Dostoyevsky's realization that he wanted, unlike many other convicts in the camp, to live as he did before his imprisonment. He believed that â€Å"Physical, no less moral strength is required for penal servitude if one is to survive all the materiel deprivations of that accursed existence. And I wanted to go on living after I had left prison....† (277). The remaining twenty pages are anti-climatic; they simply deal with the change of a Major stationed at the prison and Dostoyevsky's

Comparing the College Cafeteria to Dinning below the Poverty Line :: Compare Contrast Comparison

Comparing the College Cafeteria to Dinning below the Poverty Line At the beginning of every school year I have to decide whether to get the $6000 carte blanche meal plan or the next smallest $5900 meal plan because I am required to have one of these two options as an on campus student. It's not a tough decision to go with the carte blanche because it is only $100 more for many more meals. The worst part is writing the check and imaging the money being moved from my account. But for the people of Jubilee Partners, a Christian intentional community in rural Georgia, meals have a much different focus. The people of Jubilee Partners intentionally live below the poverty line so that they will not have to pay federal taxes, a portion of which goes into the defense fund. This is just one of the many ways that they choose to live differently from the rest of the world. The thirty residents take turns to make the food that is eaten at their communal meals. During my stay I helped three Central American girls prepare an evening meal. As it was an evening meal, we were allowed to make something new rather than just use leftovers. Lunch always consisted of the preceding nights leftovers, fresh salad from the garden, bread, cheese, and peanut butter. If there were no leftovers, as there often were not, we only ate salad, bread, cheese, and peanut butter. As I looked around the small, simple kitchen, I wondered where were the large stainless steal pots and shiny stove that I was familiar with. The girls instructed me in broken English that I should make bread. With flour-covered arms I mixed and kneaded the dough in an old plastic bowl and smiled as I listened to the excited laughter and rapid Spanish that I could not understand. As Gabby showed me how to roll and form the loaves, I watched as the others make lasagna with synthetic meat from a government surplus. Meat was rare at Jubilee as it was expensive and much of the food they ate came from a food bank. Meat night, which was held once a week, was a special occasion anticipated by many. Standing in line in the Goshen College cafeteria, I examine the array of food spread before me trying to decide what I want. I had glanced at the menu board as my id was scanned but still am not sure what I am hungry for.

A Reflection on Plan Evaluation

Topic: PLAN EVALUATION REFLECTION In this topic plan evaluation, I now understand why we always have visitors from the division, region and even from the central office visiting our school to evaluate and observe how things are being carried out. In my three years of service in the government, there was no school year that there was no evaluation. Seeing them holding some checklists made us tremble while asking us things and observing our classes.Being new in the system I wondered and ask myself, is it proper that after evaluation they will have feed backing so that we will be able to know what areas we need to improve and what are their suggestions for the betterment of our school and children. That is one thing that I had observed that after evaluation, results of the observation were not discussed for improvement sake. As I go over with my topic in plan evaluation I was enlightened why they regularly conduct evaluation and why we were not informed about the results of the evaluati on.It was then that the results were for the policy makers, program directors and direct program staff consumption only. If given a chance in the future to plan for an evaluation, I would suggest that any corrections or any part of the program that need some improvement, during the onset of evaluation, feed baking should took place right after the evaluation so that the implementers of the program (teachers) will be able to know where they need some polishing that will be congruent with the objectives of the program.During the design of the evaluation process it would be better if local persons and all those who are involved in the implementation of the program will be present during the discussion period so that opinions are expressed and be validated, for everybody has its part to the success of the program. All evaluation plans should identify both participants and stakeholders, and should include the relevant items developed in the evaluation process.In the monitoring aspect, I would go with the combination of performance evaluation and evaluation done on a continuing program because this will measure the impact of the program on the society or on the people. This is done to improve continuously the performance of the program period after period and in the same way this will enable planners identify shortcomings and can devise remedial actions while the plan/program is still in progress.Thorough studies should be done on what evaluation design will be best applicable to a program and I would recommend applying it or testing first the evaluation design on small population prior to the piloting. Through this, monitoring and evaluation will be manageable and any unexpected occurrences in the program will be observed right away and be given solution.Revisions of the program can be done as early as this stage. Lastly, ensure that the evaluation will be as fair, accurate, and effective as possible. The use of specific tools can help in the success of the project like annual reports, quarterly or monthly reports from the monitoring system, and anything else should equally agreed between the organization and the evaluation team.