The Opinion Of Journalists, Politicians, By Aileen Wournos

In the opinion of journalists, politicians, a jury of her peers, and thousands of people who read the headlines, Aileen Wournos was a monster. Listen to the outcry of the friends and family of the seven victims of Aileen’s predatory hunt along the I-75 highway in Florida. As Nick Broomfield, a director who produced two documentaries about Aileen, said, â€Å"The idea of a woman killing men – a man-hating lesbian prostitute who tarnished the reputations of all her victims – brought Aileen Wuornos a special kind of hatred.† Aileen was a murderer, a monster. Monsters do not have rhyme or reason to their actions, pasts that could ground them in humanity, or a place in society. However, others feel differently. A strange blend of victim and serial killer, many scholars are looking at the case of Aileen Wuornos to see if more than just her crimes got her convicted. Aileen was a poor, lesbian prostitute who had been looked down on all her life, and many believe t hose are the attributes that got Aileen sentenced to death so quickly. Indeed, Aileen’s case was more than just a murder trial, but a statement on how society disapproves of women who do not conform to heteronormative femininity. Aileen Wuornos was thirty-three years old when she began her killings. The body of her first victim, Richard Malloy was found on December 13th, 1989 with three gunshot wounds to the chest. The next two men were found five days apart in early June, 1990. Daniel Spears was shot six times and Charles

Primary Factors Of Visceral Fat Deposition And...

It has also previously been proposed that other primary factors may affect both visceral fat deposition and cardiometabolic outcomes. For instance, excess visceral adiposity could be the consequence of an activated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis leading to an increased control of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism by glucocorticoids.74 Because visceral adipocytes have more glucocorticoid receptors than subcutaneous adipose cells, such an activated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis may promote preferential fat deposition in the visceral adipose depot while at the same time inducing insulin resistance in the liver and in the skeletal muscle.74 Other possibly important key players are gonadal steroids. Indeed, very informative†¦show more content†¦There is less controversy concerning the effects of fructose on components of metabolic syndrome; consumption of fructose has been shown to increase visceral adipose deposition and de novo lipogenesis (DNL), produce dyslipidemia, and decrease insulin sensitivity in older, overweight/obese subjects. 83,84 Bray and his colleagues study the relation between the intake of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and the development of obesity. They analyzed food consumption patterns by using US Department of Agriculture food consumption tables from 1967 to 2000. The consumption of HFCS increased 1000% between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding the changes in intake of any other food or food group. HFCS now represents 40% of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages and is the sole caloric sweetener in soft drinks in the United States. Their estimation of the consumption of HFCS ind icates a daily average of 132 kcal for all Americans aged ≠¥ 2 y, and the top 20% of consumers of caloric sweeteners ingest 316 kcal from HFCS/d. The increased use of HFCS in the United States mirrors the rapid increase in obesity. The digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose. Hepatic metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis. In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent

Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management †Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Answer: Introduction: Global logistics refers to the process of transporting the products or goods from one point to the end user. Global logistics has been referred to as a management process which analyses the resources procured, stored transported. In order to be effective, proper supply chain management (SCM) shall be practiced within the company (Bloomberg, LeMay Hanna, 2002). With the implementation of global logistics will lead to reduction the cost thereby increasing the efficiency of the company at large. Global logistics analyses and implements the efficient flow of goods from one point to another i.e. point of origin to point of destination. Global logistics refers to as a fundamental process which deals with the relationship between supplier buyer. For example, global logistics in an oil and natural gas industry refers to the process to store, manage transport petrochemicals. The process analyses the costs benefits of various options such as pipelines, and create an optimum solution of the circumstances (Mangan, Lalwani Butcher, 2008). Supply Chain Management (SCM) Logistics: Supply Chain Management (SCM) refers to the process of planning, designing, controlling implementing the various business processes in relation to manufacturing, procurement sales and distribution so as to fulfill the business functions. The activities mentioned above are inter linked and co-ordinated with the supply chain experts to move the raw materials into finished goods and distributed to various locations across the globe (Shahin, 2010). Logistics is referred to as the backbone of supply chain. Logistics refers to the free flow of goods from suppliers to the ultimate consumers. This involves range of activities such as documentation of the data, free flow of information from one point to another. Logistics plays a vital role in the procurement of the goods services from point of distribution to point of sale. The flow of goods or products is done by using range of transportation services such as road, rail, air, water to hold the inventory from being moving forward location s. This process involves various intermediaries such as agents, agencies, suppliers customs department. Therefore, it can be said that Logistics is an integral part of supply chain management (SCM). Logistics and Supply chain management (SCM) go hand in hand (Lummus,et al 2001). Origin of Logistics Supply Chain Management (SCM) The origin of logistics can be seen with regards to the military and defense organizations. It shall be kept in mind that, defense departments make use of the extensive planning which helps to gather men and move the goods from one base or location to another. The success of the defense organizations can be judged on the basis to gather information and use the data to support the units in a simultaneous manner. Similarly, the success of any organization depends upon the visibility and control over its logistics process which is termed to be a backbone for any enterprise (Tokar, 2010). In most the cases, supply chain management (SCM) and logistics are referred to as one. Though, both the aspects are interlinked but this does not mean that they share a similar meaning. The supply chain management (SCM) refers to a design which helps the organization to have a detailed plan strategize the procurement strategy, develop a fair distribution system, well equipped network to transport the f inished product. In case of production procurement, supply chain management (SCM) will be referred to a process of selecting the appropriate vendors, procurement strategy along with lead time to supply the goods on floor (Voudouris, 2008). Logistics in this case means to decide the mode of transportation, data documentation, transit time monitoring the flow of goods and services. In case of finished goods, supply chain management (SCM) means to define the network design along with other distribution channels. It deals with third party logistics, distribution network, establish distribution center and plan for further inventory. Development of logistics as a business function Logistics has been referred to as vital for every business. It has been rendered to as one of the important business function in any company. In case of big global corporates, shipping department has been referred to as the main focus in the success of the company. Logistics in the 21st Century touches each and every aspect of the companys day to day operations. Logistics is essential aspect in the companys competitive strategy survival (Voudouris, 2008). Logistics has been referred to as the critical aspect evolved in the complex business environment. In todays world, the term logistics is referred to as the process of effective efficient flow of goods and services from one point to another. Supply chain is referred to as an important aspect covered under logistics which includes, shipping, receiving storage, transportation and managing the above mentioned areas. Logistics is important to the company as a small business also needs to find a supplier to transport its goods from one point to another. Small business owners also conduct inventory warehousing logistics functions (Drzymalski, 2012). Irrespective of the size of the business, logistics help the company to utilize its supply chain in the best possible manner. Logistics is the main function of the company supply chain is referred to as a complex and fragile endeavor. Logistics management requires a professional approach i.e. to transport the goods from one point to another in the minimal possible time. Logistics supply chain management (SCM) helps in making business an effortless job. Global logistics in context of supply chain Global logistics is that part of supply chain management (SCM) which deals with planning, implementing and controlling the effective as well as efficient forward reverse flow of goods and services between points of origin till it reaches point of destination. Logistics therefore involves transportation, inventory, storage, materials, communication with the third party information within and outside the company. With time, logistics has been referred to as a source of competitive advantage (Rushton, Croucher Baker, 2010). Global logistics management helps the customer to attain competitive advantage satisfaction amongst the customers with timely delivery of the product at the point of destination. Logistics management has evolved in the recent years within the competitive business environment. The modern era of logistics management takes into consideration the following sub divisions i.e. transportation network, data documentation, procurement of the materials, customer service, order management and fulfillment, warehousing techniques, inventory management and materials management. Importance of both (logistics and SCM) in manufacturing and service context Logistics in manufacturing context: Based upon various manufacturing insights report, there are two main aspects to be kept in mind by the manufacturers i.e. use of technology operations. These two aspects will help the company to focus upon its efficiency in the long run. Therefore, in order to increase the efficiency the manufacturing company shall practice a fair logistics system to transport the inputs from one point to another (Rushton, Croucher Baker, 2010). Supply chain management (SCM) in manufacturing context: Supply chain management (SCM) has been referred to as a systematic approach which helps to manage the goods from producers (raw materials) to the ultimate customer. Supply chain management (SCM) affects the manufacturing companies in various ways i.e. how the companies interact with the suppliers or customers cost and profits of the manufactured product. Effective SCM helps to ensure that the raw materials arrive at the destination in the stipulated time (Kathawala Abdou, 2003). Whereas, on the other hand a poor SCM might lead to a halt in the manufacturing process. It shall be seen that, if the supply chain breaks in the middle i.e. before the arrival of the inputs the supplier would be required to arrange the inputs quickly resulting in high prices low profitability. Lowering the distribution cost has been referred to as an important aspect of the supply chain management. With the help of cost effective supply chain, the ma nufacturers will be able to reduce the overhead costs direct sales at the same time (Frazelle, 2002). In todays competitive business environment, manufacturers use various new technologies such as use of fuel efficient vehicles, navigation systems with the drivers, cost effective order processing machines so as to lower down the costs and boost the overall profitability of the company. Manufacturing managers tend to find a balance between owned distribution systems contractor services. It shall be seen that, building in house distribution system is a costly affair when it comes to repair service the vehicles. But, this provides the company full control over its supply chain. On the other hand, relying upon the contractors can be referred to as a reasonable process but high levels of risk are involved in the same. Modern manufacturers tend to squeeze every ounce of the production process in order to remain competitive in the global market place (Drzymalski, 2012). Various quality improvement techniques such as six sigma, supply chain dynamics, collaboration between suppliers custom ers have been introduced to practice a smooth SCM. Just in time is another supply chain technique where in automatic processing is done between computers at the suppliers and users end. This involves less payment processing time and new orders would be delivered in an efficient manner to the end user without any human interaction. Logistics in service context: The service sector is not only the dominant sector which plays an important role in the GDP of any country but it plays a crucial role in foreign investment flows and large scale employment. Some of the activities covered under the service sector are hotel hospitality industry, transport, storage, insurance, real estate social and personal services (Coyle Coyle, 2009). For example, in case of courier services logistics plays a crucial role in delivery of the courier to its point of destination within the stipulated time. Use of various means of transport such as road, rail, water, helps to attain remarkably in this sector. Supply chain management (SCM) in service context: Building a strong foundation for supply chain in the service sector has been referred to as a crucial aspect. Supply Chain management (SCM) is applied in the service sector to provide customer satisfaction success of the company in the long run. Supply chain management (SCM) is critical to business operations and success of the company as a whole. Supply chain management (SCM) touches various aspects such as growth in the multinational companies, expanding globally, fluctuations in the market strategic partnerships. Supply chain management in the service sector is mainly concerned with planning and managing the activities from raw materials to finished products. It includes range of activities such as support functions to deliver the goods to the ultimate customer in the stipulated time frame. Supply chain management helps the service organizations to improve customer satisfaction reduce the operational costs (Coyle Coyle, 2009). Conclusion Hence, it can be concluded that Supply Chain Management (SCM) refers to the process of planning, designing, controlling implementing the various business processes in relation to manufacturing, procurement sales and distribution so as to fulfill the business functions. The activities mentioned above are inter linked and co-ordinated with the supply chain experts to move the raw materials into finished goods and distributed to various locations across the globe. Logistics is referred to as the backbone of supply chain (Bowersox Closs Cooper, 2007). Logistics in the 21st Century touches each and every aspect of the companys day to day operations. Logistics is essential aspect in the companys competitive strategy survival. Logistics has been referred to as the critical aspect evolved in the complex business environment. In todays world, the term logistics is referred to as the process of effective efficient flow of goods and services from one point to another. References Bloomberg, D., LeMay, S. and Hanna, J. (2002).Logistics. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Bowersox, D., Closs, D. and Cooper, M. (2007).Supply chain logistics management. Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Coyle, J. and Coyle, J. (2009).Supply chain management. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Drzymalski, J. (2012). Supply Chain Frameworks for the Service Industry: A Review of the Literature.European International Journal of Science and Technology, 1(3). Frazelle, E. (2002).Supply chain strategy. New York: McGraw-Hill. Kathawala, Y. and Abdou, K. (2003). Supply chain evaluation in the service industry: A framework development compared to manufacturing.Managerial Auditing Journal, 18(2), pp.140-149. Logisticsdegree.net. (2012).Logistics: What It Is and Why Its Important to Your Company | LogisticsDegree.net. [online] Available at: https://logisticsdegree.net/2012/logistics-what-it-is-and-why-its-important-to-your-company/ [Accessed 13 Sep. 2016]. Mangan, J., Lalwani, C. and Butcher, T. (2008).Global logistics and supply chain management. Chichester, England: John Wiley Sons. Rhonda R. Lummus,Dennis W. Krumwiede,Robert J. Vokurka. (2001). The relationship of logistics to supply chain management: developing a common industry definition.Industrial Management Data Systems, vol. 101(8), pp.426 - 432 Rushton, A., Croucher, P. and Baker, P. (2010).The handbook of logistics distribution management. London: Kogan Page. Shahin, A. (2010). SSCM: Service Supply Chain Management.International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 6(1), p.60. Stock, J. (2007). Journal Of Business Logistics: Logistics And Supply Chain Management Applications Within A Global Context.Journal of Business Logistics, 28(2), pp.209-210. Supply chain management process standards. (2009). Lombard, Illinois: Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. Tokar, T. (2010). Behavioural research in logistics and supply chain management.Int Jrnl Logistics Management, 21(1), pp.89-103. Voudouris, C. (2008).Service chain management. Berlin: Springer. Waters, C. (2007).Global logistics. London: Kogan Page Ltd.

Twelfth Night Comedy Essays (1888 words) - , Term Papers

Twelfth Night Comedy "Twelfth Night is a comedy of light and shade. Its characters are not unreservedly happy and the events are not unreservedly humorous." Discuss. As a comedy, Twelfth Night is obviously intending to not only entertain its audience but also point out problems in society. It is imperative to entire merit of the play not to be realistic but to allow for empathy. Therefor to have a comedy of complete lightheartedness there would be no balance and hence no avenue for audience interaction. Without light we would have no darkness and for this reason Shakespeare has had to incorporate tragedy in order for the comedy to have it's desired effect. The two in juxtaposition accentuate each other. The characters of Twelfth Night are neither bluntly humorous nor artlessly tragic. Twelfth Night like all Shakespearean comedies is largely about social concerns. The social messages in Twelfth Night are largely about, the need for a balance in life, that you should not judge on appearance as they can be deceptive and the importance of self awareness or the humor in lack of. Neither is artlessly or bluntly humorous, as this would detract from the greater issues he in attempting to convey. Humor instead is used in contrast to some pain to antithesis the comedy and accentuate the themes. The plot of Twelfth Night is comic it explores many social issues in it's comedy yet is also not unrestrained in it's humor. As a comedy Twelfth Night follows, many conventions as far as structure, the setting is in a far away "romantic" land, situation, and events somewhat steer the plot however this is certainly not without art or subtleties. Shakespeare has carefully intertwined comedy and pain in both the main and the sub plots to highlight the comedy and explore the social themes. The audience is forced to suspend disbelief that such a coincidence could occur. The audience is transported from their ordinary mundane existence and is transported into a world of chance, non-existent penalties for practical jokes and the unmistakable harmony of events. It is this incongruity compared to everyday life that is humorous. However, this summer, frivolris setting is not completely free from conflict. There is however, some predominately "lighter" characters that serve as comic relief from the more serious main plot and represent a certain "type" of people in society. Sir Toby and Sir Andrew would have been marvelously enjoyed by Shakespearean audiences as they are today. Not a scene goes by involving these to where we can laugh and the slow wit of Sir Andrew and the awkward puns of Sir Toby. However, we find the names and foolish antics of these two rather amusing. It is with a certain hesitance that we laugh at the gullibility of Sir Toby, his disillusioned love for Olivia is rather somber and balances our opinion of him. This balances is representative of all the characters in Twelfth Night, they may be predominately comic yet they are never completely comic or completely serious. This has the effect on Twelfth Night as making it more true to life and therefor we as the audience can relate and understand the themes. Malvolio and Feste are typical examples of characters that are seen as comic, yet when looking beyond these superficialities we see a far more important role of their character in the play. Feste, his name and title as a "fool" is careful balance of light and shade. He is arguably the most intelligent character in the play and it is evident at the end of the play that he is the most powerful, because he concludes the play. Feste is certainly a vital link between not only the main and sub plots but also as a conveyer of the action to the audience. It is ironic that such wit and wisdom are found in the "fool." Cesario refers to Feste as, "This fellow's wise enough to play the fool: / And to do that well craves wit." The obvious key to understanding the themes Shakespeare is conveying we must closely examine the characters, with which he communicates. Feste is not a character of low, blunt comedy, his merriment is truthful not scornful or artless. Act 1 scene 5, "The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul being in heaven. Take away the fool..." Feste is clever well balanced and has a keen understanding of himself and others. This combination of intellect, humor and subtlety effectively conveys the themes of Twelfth Night, rather than a cruel, crude, unreservedly humorous character

US Federal Government Employee Benefits

US Federal Government Employee Benefits According to data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the federal government employs over 2 million civilian workers. That’s about 1.5 percent of the nearly 133 million workers BLS counted in all industries in the United States. Along with salaries or wages, employee compensation in the federal government includes benefits  such as subsidized health insurance and many more. Federal government employees enjoy a wide range of family-friendly benefits that go far beyond insurance and retirement. Each agency is free to offer its own benefits package. The following is a sample of federal government employee benefits. Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS):  Benefits based on the amount of service and salary history.Thrift Savings Plan (TSP):  In addition to the defined or basic benefits provided by the FERS plan, current federal employees can boost their retirement savings by participating in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). The TSP offers the same types of savings and tax benefits as a 401(k) plan.Social Security:  Credit earned while working with the Government. Retirement benefits, disability protection, and survivor protection.  All federal employees hired after 1983 pay Social Security taxes, including the President of the United States, the Vice President, members of Congress, sitting federal judges, certain legislative branch employees, and most political appointees. The government collects these taxes in the same amounts as they would if these employees worked in the private sector at the same salary level.Medicare - Part A:  Available to you at no cost at age 65.Federal Emplo yees Health Benefits Program (FEHB):  No waiting periods, required medical exam, or age/physical condition restrictions. Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI):  Group term life insurance - Basic life insurance and three options (Standard, Additional, and Family).Leave and Holidays:  13 days sick leave each year; 13, 20, or 26 days of vacation leave each year, depending on years of service; 10 days paid holiday each year.Family Friendly Leave Flexibilities:  Flexible Work Schedules; Telecommuting; Family Friendly Leave Policies; Employee Assistance Program (EAP); Part-Time Job Sharing Positions; Child Elder Care Resources Adoption Information/Incentives; Child Support Services.Work/Life Programs:  Every Federal agency has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which has a goal to restore employees to full productivity. More specifically, the EAP provides free, confidential short-term counseling to identify the employees problem and, when appropriate, make a referral to an outside organization, facility, or program that can assist the employee in resolving his or her problem.Recruitment Bonus:  Lump-sum bonus to newly appointed employees for difficult-to-fill positions. Up to 25 percent  of basic pay may be paid prior to the employee entering on duty. A service agreement with repayment plan if service time not fulfilled. Relocation Bonus:  Lump-sum bonus for difficult-to-fill position in a different commuting area; up to 25 percent  of basic pay. A service agreement with repayment plan if service time not fulfilled.Retention Allowance:  Continuing payment to retain departing employees; up to 25% of basic pay.Employee Development:  Career Resource Centers; Training OpportunitiesStudent Loan Repayment: Permits agencies to repay the student loans of Federal employees; used at the discretion of the agency.Long Term Care Insurance Program: John Hancock and MetLife formed Long Term Care Partners, a jointly owned new company exclusively dedicated to serving the long-term care insurance needs of the Federal Family.Child Care Subsidy Program: Federal agencies, at their own discretion, can use appropriated funds, including revolving funds otherwise available for salaries, to assist lower income federal employees with the costs of childcare.

Free Essays on The Opera

Eminem For my research paper, I chose to write about Marshall Mathers. I chose to write about him because he is the best young rapper, and I like how he doesn’t care what happens, he just goes with it. He isn’t a very good role model, but he is funny, and couldn’t care less what anybody says about him. He had a rough childhood that reflects to now, and makes great records and songs that describe his life and what has happened during it. Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born on October 17, 1974 in Kansas City, Missouri. He created his own nickname, Eminem, which is pronounced M&M, from his initials, M.M. Marshall had a harsh and cruel childhood, where he constantly moved between Kansas City and Metro Detroit. When he was a child, he lived with his mother. His mother’s name is Debbie Mathers-Briggs. Eminem has never even seen a picture of his father in his life. Eminem and his mother continued moving and never stayed in one place longer than six months. His mother wo rked very hard and many jobs to provide for herself and Marshall. When Eminem was in school, he used to get beat up every day. There wasn’t one day when he didn’t get beat up by the same group of kids, just for being himself. One day those kids almost killed him, and Eminem went into a coma. The day after he got out of the hospital, they moved again. Eminem continued to move back and forth from his mothers to his grandmothers, until the age of 11, when he and his mother settled in Detroit for good. Marshall first started to get into rap when he was 14. Some of his musical influences growing up were the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and Run DMC. As Eminem persued his rapping career, he would often hustle radio stations into playing his self-made tapes, to get some publicity over the radio waves. Marshall felt that his rapping career was starting to take off. He was getting some big calls to rap in major places and he thought everyone has started to love him. Soon, he f... Free Essays on The Opera Free Essays on The Opera Eminem For my research paper, I chose to write about Marshall Mathers. I chose to write about him because he is the best young rapper, and I like how he doesn’t care what happens, he just goes with it. He isn’t a very good role model, but he is funny, and couldn’t care less what anybody says about him. He had a rough childhood that reflects to now, and makes great records and songs that describe his life and what has happened during it. Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born on October 17, 1974 in Kansas City, Missouri. He created his own nickname, Eminem, which is pronounced M&M, from his initials, M.M. Marshall had a harsh and cruel childhood, where he constantly moved between Kansas City and Metro Detroit. When he was a child, he lived with his mother. His mother’s name is Debbie Mathers-Briggs. Eminem has never even seen a picture of his father in his life. Eminem and his mother continued moving and never stayed in one place longer than six months. His mother wo rked very hard and many jobs to provide for herself and Marshall. When Eminem was in school, he used to get beat up every day. There wasn’t one day when he didn’t get beat up by the same group of kids, just for being himself. One day those kids almost killed him, and Eminem went into a coma. The day after he got out of the hospital, they moved again. Eminem continued to move back and forth from his mothers to his grandmothers, until the age of 11, when he and his mother settled in Detroit for good. Marshall first started to get into rap when he was 14. Some of his musical influences growing up were the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and Run DMC. As Eminem persued his rapping career, he would often hustle radio stations into playing his self-made tapes, to get some publicity over the radio waves. Marshall felt that his rapping career was starting to take off. He was getting some big calls to rap in major places and he thought everyone has started to love him. Soon, he f...

College assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

College - Assignment Example 10. The following 10 data values are systolic blood pressure readings. Compute the mean, range, standard deviation, and variance for these data using StatCrunch. Copy and Paste your work from StatCrunch into your Word document submission. 12. The following data designate whether patients in two groups (experimental and control) complied with a medication regimen. The experimental group participated in an intervention designed to promote perceived mastery over health events: Using StatCrunch, construct a contingency table for these data, computing both row and column percentages for each of the four cells. Copy and Paste your StatCrunch table into your Word document submission. Using StatCrunch, construct a scatterplot that shows the relationship between the two variables. Copy and Paste your work from StatCrunch into your Word document submission. Verbally describe the direction and magnitude of the relationship. Using StatCrunch, construct a scatterplot that shows the relationship between the two variables (carbon dioxide concentrations and the measured change in Global temperature). Calculate the r value using StatCrunch. Copy and Paste your work from StatCrunch into your Word document submission. Verbally describe the direction and magnitude of the relationship you find. What does this tell you about Global

J curve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

J curve - Essay Example When the short duration is considered, the J-curve theory comes into play (Schaefer, 1995). In the short-term, the export and import demand becomes rigid. Thus, the current account worsens before it improves. Nevertheless, after some time, the demand becomes less and less rigid. Hence, the price can be manipulated. The effect of this is an enhancement in the current account The current account is the variation in the net foreign position of a country. The current account can also be termed as the summation of the returns of all foreign financial assets of a country and trade balance (Pitchford, 2002). A country’s foreign assets comprises of the capital gains, the interest payments, and the dividends. By using its money, a country is able to buy from foreign countries whenever it deems appropriate. Addition of the liabilities and the foreign assets defines the financial position of a country. Is it in debt or is it in surplus. A current account keeps record of receipts received from and the payments that have been made to the foreign countries it buys from (Pitchford, 2002). A capital account is a major constituent of the balance of payments of a country. It avails the net capital income and expenditure of a country. The capital account records the financial transactions of a country by way of titles to assets. It lists the foreign transactions to those of the market (Pitchford, 2002). A capital account is made up of purchase and disposal of non-produced, assets that are non-financial, and capital transfers (OECD, 2001). The financial account is the ultimate account in the full order of accounts that lists the financial transactions between the units of the institutions within a country (IMF, 1996). The financial account list is composed of the transactions that include liabilities and financial assets occurring between foreigners and the country’s institutional units. Its primary constituents include

The mass would be measured Essay Example for Free

The mass would be measured Essay Introduction: Magnesium is a metal which need get rid of two electrons; oxygen is a gas at room temperature and it needs two electrons and magnesium oxide is ionic compound because when they join up they are ions and both elements have an opposite charge which creates electrostatic attraction between them creating a very strong bond between the two ions, but they only become ions when oxygen takes electrons away from magnesium. 2Mg(s) + O2 (g) 2MgO(s). The conservation of mass is also involved in this experiment so the theory of conservation of mass is that if I use 48g of magnesium and 32g of oxygen I would get 80g of magnesium oxide, and with this reaction the ratio for mass is 24:16. What I would expect the formula to be is MgO because magnesium needs to lose 2 electrons and oxygen needs to gain 2 electrons so the ratio would be 1:1 so that in every 1million magnesium atoms there would be 1 million oxygen atoms. Preliminary Work: We would be using a total mass of 150cm, we initially have 200cm but encase of mistakes we would only be using 150cm. Since there would be two experiments I would need to divide the amount of magnesium I have in two so each experiment would be using 75g of magnesium. So this means that the lengths would need to go up in 5 (5cm, 10cm, 15cm, 20cm and 25cm). Since 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 all add up to 75 this would be the only logical method. Using a range this big also allows me to be able to make a comparison between the lengths because the results would end up being very different. Possible Formulas for magnesium oxide Formula Mass of Magnesium (g) Mass of Oxygen (g) Mass of Magnesium Oxide (g) Point to Plot MgO. ) This table shows the plotting point for the graph. All points would be going through point zero (naturally) because if you have no magnesium then it would be impossible to get any magnesium oxide because there is no magnesium atoms more oxygen atoms to join up to make magnesium oxide. This also shows the gradient of each formula so that I can match it to my graph for the main experiment and find out what formula of magnesium oxide I have created in my experiment. Formula Ratio/ Gradient MgO 1. 67 Mg2O 1. 33 MgO2 2. 33 Mg3O2 1. 44 Mg2O3 2 Mg3O 1. 22 The purpose of this graph is so that I could compare the gradient shown on this table to my graph. When I calculate my gradient I would tell what formula of magnesium oxide I have created by seeing which gradient is the closest to my gradient. Timing for reaction The aim here was to find out how long it took for magnesium to burn. Mass (g) Time (m) Crucible + lid + magnesium 50. 76 Crucible + lid 50. 45 Magnesium 0. 31 Crucible + lid + magnesium oxide 50. 93 29. Crucible + lid + magnesium oxide 50. 96 32 Crucible + lid + magnesium oxide 50. 96 35 Crucible + lid 50. 45 Magnesium Oxide 0. 51 What I learned from this is that has the mass increases so does the time it takes for the magnesium to burn. This is because more energy is required to burn more magnesium which means more time would be need to provide it. I can also tell that after repeating to see if there was a reaction there was no longer an increase in mass which meant that there were no longer any oxygen atoms joining up with any magnesium atoms. Main experiment: List of Apparatus I have used: Bunsen Burner   Crucible and Lid   Digital Balance 0. 01g Goggles Heat Proof Mat   Magnesium Ribbon (200cm)   Pipe-clay triangle   Tongs * Tripod Safety We used the crucible and lid because it wont crack which means there would be no injury to anyone. If I was to use glass the chanced of and injury would be high. Another advantage for safety with the crucible is that we wont be able to see the light produced from the creation which means there would be no risk of your eyes being damaged. We used a heat proof mat so that the table will not get burnt or anything else. We would also use goggles because at some point during the experiment we would be lifting the lid to see if the reaction has stopped so using the goggles causes a decrease in glare from the light and it was also used to prevent any particulates from entering my eyes. I also tucked in my tie in my shirt because there was fire from the Bunsen burner and I did not want to get anything easily loose on me to catch fire so tucking my tie in would lower the chances of injury to me. We also checked the heat of the crucible and lid to if it was cool enough to hold by using the harmless method; we hovered our hands over the crucible and lid to see if any heat was radiating to our hands and we could not feel any feat we would light touch the crucible for half a second to get a better sense of the heat and if it feels cool we would then take it back. Method What Im going to measure is the mass of the magnesium ribbons at different lengths, and Im also going to measure the amount of magnesium oxide it makes. The mass would be measured by a digital balance (0.01g), which was very accurate way of measuring the mass because it can detect up to two decimal places. To make sure its a fair test we took two tests for each length so that we could get an accurate average. We also used a pipe-clay triangle so that the crucible would not experience heat loss (if we were using a gauze) which would affect how much magnesium oxide is produced. We also used the ruler to make sure that the lengths that we used were as accurate as it can be so that the results are fair. How we set up the equipment was that we could have the meat proof mat so that there are no burns around the area or the possibility of fire. The crucible and lid would be placed above the pipe-clay triangle so that the heat would reach the crucible in the right place. The tripod would be used to keep the crucible and lid above the Bunsen burner at the right distance. We would also lift the lid from time to time to see if the reaction has stopped. We can tell if the reaction has stopped because there would be no bright light. Then we would reheat it to see if the reaction has fully stopped. We can tell if the reaction has fully stopped because there would be no increase in mass. Next time I would do two experiments at the same time so that I could get my results quicker. DIAGRAM: Length Crucible + lid (g) Crucible + lid + Magnesium (g) Magnesium (g) Average Magnesium (g) Crucible + lid + Magnesium Oxide (g) Magnesium Oxide (g) Average Magnesium Oxide (g) 5cm 4This table shows two results from each length showing the mass of magnesium and the mass of magnesium oxide produced. The two sets of results from each length were then turned to an average so that we can get an accurate figure. I then plotted a graph of these results so that I can see a clear trend. The reason why I took many readings from different lengths is because so that I could get different readings for mass so that I can plot them on the graph at different points so that it can give me a line of best fit.

Patrick Henry Essay -- essays research papers

Patrick Henry Patrick Henry was a great patriot. He never used his fists or guns to fight for his country, but he used a much more powerful weapon at which he held great skill: his words. Possibly the greatest orator of his time, his speeches such as "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" struck a cord in the American spirit of those who opposed oppression and tyranny. Henry was born on May 29th, 1736 in Studley, Virginia. His schooling was basic; elementary school, then trained in the classics by his father. His father, John Henry was an well-educated Scotsman who was a surveyor, colonel, and justice of the local county court. Still young, Patrick Henry first took up storekeeping in which he failed twice, and then farming which also proved unsuccessful. Despite his early struggles he then married Sara Shelton, and with the new responsibilities of marriage he took up the practice of law. He was naturally talented in the new job and soon found himself very successful. The first signs of his "oratorical genus" were shown in case in which he represented Virginia asking for a change of law that had been disallowed by King George III. After this case he was soon accepted as a member of the House of Burgesses. There he delivered another famous speech opposing the Stamp Act. After concluded this speech calls of "Treason! Treason!" rang though the hall, but Henry replied "If this be treason, make the most of it." Thus began the li...

Vulnerable Population In The Workplace

One has chosen to focus on the substance abuse patients as the vulnerable population for the project. Frequently one has identified and seen stigmatization, prejudgments, and poor care given to this population in the workplace. Many patients are discharged each day with no plan of care, no education on resources and no instructions for follow up care. The outcomes and possibilities for the patient’s recovery have shown to be slim by the frequent return of the patient in the emergency room.The patients return within hours of discharge from the ER and seem to be in the same condition as when they left. One has created an action plan and a teaching brochure for health care providers to help facilitate a better system and care process for this population. The first step of overcoming this issue is to start from the base of it, which are the providers and their beliefs. The focus will be on educating the health care providers to stop stigmatization, develop self-awareness, and lear n to be culturally competent and to be the best advocate for the patient.In the emergency room there are frequent patients via ambulance, walk-in’s, which are intoxicated and requesting, detox. Typically when the patient arrives he or she are intoxicated, wheatear it is drugs or alcohol. The patient is registered and triaged. Depending on their condition or level of intoxication, they are either immediately brought in or are placed on a stretcher and wait to be evaluated by a physician. Because of the large population of substance abusers in New York City, these patients tend to have a stigma attached to them.The stigma is the patients will not follow up with his or her detox programs, they will return to the ER with-in hours of discharge, they are seeking food and shelter for the night, and they are not serious in their treatment to recover. Therefore, many of the providers and nurses in the ER tend not to take the patient or his or her care seriously. They often wait to see if the patient will walk out and leave after a few hours of warmth and food. If the patient is in the waiting area and waiting to come in, many charge nurses will continue to skip over the patient to bring in others.If the patient is in the department the providers tend not to pick-up their charts in assumption the patient will just leave to continue his or her addiction. One has created a teaching brochure to help identify three concepts, which may lead and assist in caring for the substance abuse patient. The concepts will help providers to be empathetic, trustworthy, and intelligent to the patient’s backgrounds and beliefs. The brochure speaks of the concepts and reasons it will aid in the patient success in recovery.If these patients are seen as a lost cause and providers do not listen or rectify the problem the population of the substance abuser will grow and increase the death rate and increase dangers to others as well. Substance abuse does not only endanger the patie nt but the people around him or her. For example, a person who is drinking and driving can hit a pedestrian walking and cause fatal danger to that person. One has learned through lessons in this class how to identify a vulnerable population, how self-awareness cultural competence, and advocacy can help treat these patients and provide the best care needed to have the best outcome.The first step as a provider is to have self –awareness. It is only possible for one to relate to others when they know whom one is and what one will or will not accept from others (Jack, Kristen, Smith, & Anne, 2007,para. 1). In the treatment of others it is important for the provider to be aware of their own personal beliefs and identity. To truly understand what one believes in is to have self –awareness. â€Å"Being self-aware enables us to identify our strengths and also those areas that can be developed.If we do not know our good and bad points then we are less likely to be able to help others (Burnard 1992). Nurses can use the self to therapeutic effect when working with patients, for example, when empathizing or advocating (Jack, et al 2007,para. 2). Cultural competence is also important for the health care team to incorporate in accurate care for substance abuse patients. Cultural competence is not only about ethnic background, religion, race, or spirituality. It is also about the environment in which one lives.â€Å" The layers of culturally competent practice do not solely address race and ethnicity. A comprehensive culturally competent practice encompasses issues related to language, migration and acculturation, family history, religious practices, as well as social trust and community attachment† (Mallow & Cameron-Kelly, 2006, para. 11). The staff needs to learn the importance of empathy and pre-judgmental thoughts toward the culture of the substance abuse patient. They live and survive in a different environment. To provide care for them is to under stand and keep biased opinions out of the treatment.Providers should analyze and try to learn of their culture and struggles they see and handle each day. The third concept implemented in this learning tool would be advocacy. Nurses and doctors are essentially the patient’s voice. Patients relay on the health care provider to help them and guide them through care and also to represent them in the hospital or within the community. The nurse and physician are the main identifiers of the recurring problem. The providers can help to implement new policies or create outpatient programs to keep the patient on a positive track.Identifying the flaws and implementing new systems can help the patient have a better health outcome. â€Å"The knowledge and expertise of a nurse regarding the care and concerns of a patient are vast. Overlay that knowledge and expertise with a sense of community, and the nurse advocate is born. Whether teaching proper car-seat installation to parents, advoc ating for primary seatbelt laws at the state house, or testifying at a congressional committee hearing, each nurse should be aware of the importance of political advocacy.Health care is in an evolving state, and nursing is at the table; every nurse should be aware and supportive of this advocacy† (Philips, 2012, para. 10). In conclusion one believes substance abuse patients would benefit greatly and outcome goal would improve if he or she were cared for and handled by a provider who was empathetic and knowledgeable to his or her cultural needs, ethnic background, and beliefs, whether they were spiritual or not. Each person or patient is unique and should receive treatment in a way, which suits him or her uniquely.In order for a provider to do so, they should be knowledgeable to self-awareness, cultural competence, and advocacy. Knowing oneself, possessing knowledge of others and motivation to be a trustworthy advocate will help the substance abuse patient feel support and allo w him or her to recognize the provider as a trustworthy person. Building trust and creating a stable health climate with the patient will paint a road to recovery for the substance abuse patient. Vulnerable Population in the Workplace Nursing profession is a career with a vast field of different practices with different roles to choose from. This variety makes the nursing field a vulnerable profession for mistakes if not tackled with adequate educational and clinical training. Although there are different specialties for a nurse to choose from to continue their career, it is still necessary for every nurse to have even a little amount of knowledge, or background, of the different scopes of practice of the other specialties of nursing. If this can’t be achieved as an individual, teamwork is necessary by sharing the knowledge you have especially in the workplace.Having that knowledge about vulnerable population is an essential tool to be able to work with patients properly. Sharing that knowledge to your workplace is important in order for them to be able to work competently, especially in the field that I work with where we handle different kinds of patients. In this paper, we will see how the knowledge abou t the vulnerable population is essential in the workplace, which consists of topics essential to this subject such as the Vulnerable Population: Vulnerable People, Cultural Competence and Resilience, and Social Justice in Nursing.Vulnerable Population: Vulnerable PeopleUnderstanding the definition of being vulnerable is the first step to be able to work competently with this population. According to the American Journal of Managed Care, members of this â€Å"vulnerable population† are those who are at risk for certain health problems. (AJMC, 2006) As the term elaborates, vulnerability is the susceptibility of any group or individual for risks of problems. Home health nurses meet lots of vulnerable patients especially those who have chronic diseases, disabled, and the elderly.Understanding  what their at risk for are essential in order for nurses to plan for prevention interventions. Examples of vulnerable population that home health nurses meet frequently are those who are disabled, have chronic illness, and the elderly. They are also on the top of the list that are high risk for falls, pressure ulcers, pneumonia, DVT, depression, and the list goes on and on. It is important for home health nurses to understand these risks for this vulnerable population to be able to generate prevention interventions.Cultural Competence and ResilienceCultural Competence and Resilience is an important quality that should always be carried by a professional nurse. According to Poole, cultural competence is practiced by nurses not only because it is politically appropriate, but it is also an inner sense that being culturally competent is an essential attitude to be able to build that therapeutic relationship with the patient, which promotes better healing environment. (Poole, 1998)Resilience is the ability of an individual to bounce back from change or difficulty as defined by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2010). With these two combined, home health nurses can b e able to deal with patients with different cultures competently without any difficulty adapting from the great changes that they may experience from different types of patients.Social Justice in NursingSocial Justice is known as the ability to provide fair treatment regardless of age, ethnicity, race, economic status, disability, and gender as defined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008). When this attitude is applied to nursing, it makes a nurse aware that everyone is equal, and therefore should be treated equal. In home health nursing, this equality is sometimes not seen because of the inability of the patient to pay for the right services that is appropriate to his/her condition.But this is not an excuse for a nurse to neglect the other appropriate care that can be done independently. To show care more than to show how vulnerable they are because of socioeconomic status is more important than having that full coverage of treatment they can get but is not rec eiving that genuine care that they need for therapeutic relationship and healing. This attitude is important because ever since the nursing profession started, nurses became an advocate to their patients to protect their rights and to  encourage them to exercise that power of their rights.These three important topics are important to understand more deeply in order for the nurse to be able to provide care more effectively especially to those who are included in the vulnerable population. More importantly, knowledge with these topics should be shared to my workplace to expand the knowledge on caring with the vulnerable, especially for home health nurses who most of the time take care of the elderly, disabled, chronically ill, minorities, and the socioeconomically unfortunate.

Miss Essay

Marketing Management Individual Assignment 1. The definition of EPRG orientation and its practice in international companies/local companies * ethnocentric (home-country oriented) An ethnocentric firm views the business from the perspective and values of the home country. Policies and practices are likely to be designed by home-country nationals with little or no variation for international operations. Ethnocentric oriented international companies believe that anything worked at home must also work abroad. For example: Nissan using ethnocentric orientation during its first few years of exporting cars and trucks to the U. S. market. Nissan’s cars were designed for mild Japanese winter, the vehicle were difficult to start in many parts of the U. S. during winter there. In northern Japan many car owners would put blankets over the hoods of their cars. Nissan’s assume that Americans would do the same. * Polycentric (host country-oriented) In contrast with ethnocentric, a polycentric firm operates according to the principle that each country of operation is different. Polycentric is a highly market-oriented. Each market is considered unique, that’s why the marketing mix, product strategies, pricing strategies etc is different for each country. Example: Citicorp’s financial services around the world operated on a polycentric basis. James Bailey, one Citicorp executive, offered this description of the company: â€Å"we were like in a medieval state. There was a king and his court, are they in charge? No. The land barons are who were in charge. King and his court may declare this or that, but the lord barons who went and did their thing to their appointed land. With that statement we can interpret that even the owner of company in headquarter stating this and that, but each country has some differences, and we should makes some changes in order to make our company succeed in other country. * Regiocentric (regionally-oriented) Firm treats a region as a uniform market segment and adapts a similar marketing strategy within region but not across region. For examole: Mc Donald not serving pork and slaughter animals through Halal process only in Middle East and some muslim-dominated countries. * Geocentric (world-oriented) The geocentric approach considers the whole world as a single market and attempts to formulate integrated marketing strategies. The firm recognizes both similarities and differences in cultures and markets. Best practices are adopted on a global basis and adapted for local conditions where necessary. Nestle and other multinational company is using geocentric orientation. Colgate Palmolive is an example for a company which using geocentric approach. It has been operating internationally for 50 years and its products are households in more than 170 countries. 2. The practice of each of the entry modes (exporting, licensing, franchising, contract manufacturing, strategic alliances, joint ventures and foreign directt investment) please provide example for each entry strategy done by each local company and international company * Exporting The home company exports their product to host country company/distributor. It is the safest entry strategy to start expanding company overseas. By exporting we would learn the market situation in overseas market. And it is less risky and less cost than to manufactures the goods in host country. The example of exporting is kecap Bango and bumbu Bamboe in European market, especially French. Kecap Bango and bumbu Bamboe export their goods to Indian and Asian store in France. The target market is of course Indonesian consumer who lives there. Another example is Teh Botol in carton pack, it sells its product by helping of Indonesian embassy in Paris, France. * Licensing In licensing the home firm agrees to permit a company in host country to use the manufacturing, processing, trademark, know-how or some other skill provided by the licensor. For example, Coca Cola give license to United Bottlers to make Coke in Zimbabwe. Franchising A home company which using franchising (franchisor), grants another ( a company or individual) the rights to distribute goods or services using franchisor’s brand and system in exchange for fees. Mc Donalds is known to use franchise as its market strategies through the world. In Indonesia, alfamart and indomaret are using franchising as their strategy. But they still using it within Indonesia not overseas. * contract manufacturing In contract manufacturing the firm decide to enter by contracting a manufacture of its product in target market. In example GAP contract manufacture in developing countries to manufacture and sells them. The products can be made to the conditions and specific requirements of the local market * strategic alliances Strategic alliances firm unite with competitor to pursue a set of assented goals remain independent after the formation of the alliance. The partner firms share the benefits of the alliance and the control of the performance of assigned tasks and the partner firms contribute on a continuing basis to one or more key strategic areas. For example, in 2005 Adidas (a German company) announced its acquisition of Reebok. Mr. Herbert Hainer, the CEO of Adidas, expected to cut costs by 125 million Euros in the next three years by sharing information technology, synergies in sales and distribution, and cheaper sourcing. However, the new combined company will continue to run separate headquarters and sales forces, and keep most distribution centers apart * joint ventures In joint ventures the firms in which two or more investors share ownership and control over property rights and operation. In Zimbabwe, Olivine industries have a joint venture agreement with HJ Heinz in food processing. * foreign direct investment The firm makes a direct investment in a production unit in a foreign market. It is the greatest commitment since there is a 100% ownership. The international firm can obtain wholly foreign production facilities in two primary ways; It can make a direct acquisition or merger in the host market and It can also develop its own facilities from the ground up. Multinational company are already using foreign direct investment, like Nestle in many countries in the world including Indonesia, Unilever, etc

Where Should You Take the ACT

Where Should You Take the ACT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You don't want to walk in the morning of the ACT only to find you have to take the test on a super-tiny desk. If you're preparing for the ACT, you've probably spent a lot of time studying and getting ready for the test. But you probably haven't given that much thought to the physical location of your test (especially if you're taking it as a part of your state’s mandatory testing). However, the place you take the ACT could definitely affect your performance. Read our guide to choosing the best possible ACT test location so you can knock it out of the park. How to Search for Test Locations Before we can even talk about what makes a good center, we need to go over how to find those test centers to begin with. Keep in mind this guide is intended for students taking the test outside of mandatory state testing sessions. If your high school requires you to take the ACT, you won't be able to choose the location for that session of the test. But if you sign up on your own, you will be able to chose. The ACT website has two test center search methods – one that’s easier to use but less detailed, and one that’s more cumbersome but gives you more info. We’ll tell you about both. Method One: ACT’s Test Center Search The easiest way to start looking for an ACT Test Center is to use the search feature on ACT’s website. This basic search method allows you to search by country, state, and city. Image via the ACT Student website. The upside is that this is a quick method, and you don’t have to begin registering for the test. The downside is that since you can only search by city and state, and not zip code/distance, you might overlook test centers close to you. However, for some states, this basic method might be all you need. For example, in Rhode Island, there are only two test centers that offer the test on all ACT dates, and eleven centers total. If you live in RI, that would probably make your choice of test center pretty straightforward, unless you want to consider options over the border. Eight of the eleven possible test centers in Rhode Island. The basic ACT Test Center search doesn't allow students in Rhode Island to easily see options over the state border. Image via the ACT Student website. But for big states like California and Texas, you might need a more fine-grained search to be able to sort through the options closest to you. If that's the case, you may want to consider the second search method. Method Two: Begin to Register for the ACT Unfortunately, the best method for an ACT test center search is within the test registration process. You don’t have to complete your registration, but use this method if you want to do a more efficient search by zip code. For some reason, both the SAT and the ACT only let you search test centers by zip code once you’ve begun to register. Once you begin to register for the ACT, you can search for test centers by zip code. Image via the ACT Student website. The registration search method will give you a list of the test centers nearest to you. This is especially helpful if you live close to a different city or even a state line, as it will show you options over the border. A list of possible test centers found with the zip code search. Note that using this method you can still view which test centers still have space available. Image via the ACT Student website. So if you use this search method and see that you have a lot of options, how do you choose the best test center? Your choice depends on a few important factors, which we will cover in order of importance. How Far Away is the Center? You don’t want to risk a travel crisis the morning of the ACT. For that reason alone, it’s wise to choose a test center as close to your home as possible. In most cases, the closer, the safer, especially if traffic or weather issues arise. Also think about the parking and/or drop-off situation at the location. A high school parking lot might be crazy the morning of the ACT. In any case, always give yourself more time than you think you’ll need to get to the ACT on time. This is not the morning to be late! Do You Know the Building? Once you’re inside the center, you’ll be less stressed out if you know how to get around. For example, if it’s your own high school, even if you’re headed to a room you’ve never had a class in, you’ll likely be able to find it easily. This means less unnecessary stress on test day. However, if you’re in a different high school or university building, and have to go looking for your test room, that could cause unnecessary stress, especially if you take a wrong turn or get lost. If you have to go to an unfamiliar location (say if your high school doesn’t offer the ACT) you might consider scoping out the center ahead of time. Will You Run Into Friends? Will seeing friends or classmates at the ACT relax you, or stress you out? For some students, seeing their friends and talking before the test could help them relax and focus. For others, seeing classmates could remind them of competition and college application stress, so being with strangers might be more relaxing. There is no problem with being either type of person. But be introspective and try to decide if being with familiar faces will be good or bad for you, and plan accordingly. If you'll be especially stressed out by familiar faces, you might consider traveling a bit farther to go to a different test location. Are There Issues With the Test Center? Aside from the big issues of location and people present, there could be other, unexpected issues that make a test center better or worse. What are the rooms like? For example, windowless rooms can be oppressive and stressful for some students. For others, sitting by a window could be distracting. Does the room have decent temperature control? You don’t want to be taking the ACT either uncomfortably hot or cold. If the high school across town has AC and yours doesn’t, you might prefer to go across town, especially if you're taking the ACT in June. Think about other possible problems with the test center. Is there construction happening nearby that could be distracting? Odd smells or lighting issues? There are things that could unexpectedly cause problems the morning of the test. If you're easily distracted, make sure to scope out potential test centers carefully. They came in like wrecking ball... and ruined your concentration during the ACT. Avoid test locations with nearby construction sites! Image via Wikipedia. Finally, think about desk size. The bigger the desk or table you get to use, the easier, since you’re going to be juggling your answer sheet and test booklet. Trying to cram everything onto a tiny desk is an annoyance you might not want to deal with on test day. Should I Just Test at my High School? After going through all these different potential testing locations and issues, you might think that just going to your high school is the best option. This is likely the case for many students, but consider the following potential problems before you register. First, as we discussed above, being around friends and classmates can be stressful for some students. Will familiar faces distract you or stress you out? You might want the â€Å"blank slate† experience of going to a different location. Second, is there a closer location? Don’t underestimate morning-of travel and weather issues. If you commute across town to go to school, going to a location closer to home could save you morning-of travel time and stress. Are there known issues with your high school, like small desks, lack of heating/cooling, or a nearby construction project? You might want to seek out a different test center at a local University or different high school for a better testing environment. Do you tend to lose focus in environments you’re used to? Some people prefer the environment of a new testing center. Of course, for others, being in familiar locations is less stressful. That said, if you don't have any of those issues, your high school can be the best bet since you’re familiar with it. Personally, I took the ACT at my high school and found it much less stressful than going to a different location for my SAT Subject Tests. I happened to live within walking distance of my high school, and I liked having a short walk the morning of the test to calm my nerves. Plus, since I wasn’t worried about finding the testing room, I was at ease that morning. In contrast, I found it stressful to drive to different location for the SAT subject tests and deal with finding my testing room in a big University building I’d never been to before. Remember, the best testing environment for you is all about your preferences and test-taking style. Take your own concerns and issues into account when choosing your test center. Other Tips Be aware of test center closings. Sometimes the ACT has to close test centers before a test due to weather or other unforeseen issues. Check your email carefully in the weeks and days leading up to the test in case this happens to your test center. Drive to the testing location before the morning of the test if you’ve never been there. Don’t rely on your GPS to get you there without problems the morning of. There could be problems with the route, or the address given might not take you to the right entrance. If you make the drive before the morning of the test, you can make sure to avoid any last-minute crises. If you have a long drive the morning of, pack your breakfast with you to save time. You could put together a playlist for the drive as well. Either choose relaxing music if you tend to stress out, or music that will get you amped if you need some extra motivation! You could also bring along some flashcards or practice problems to get your brain going in the car. If you’ve already registered but decide you want to switch locations, you can change your ACT location after registering, but there’s a $28 fee and locations fill up the closer you get to the test. So if you want to change, do it quickly. Better yet, research your test center options before you register. What’s Next? Do you feel like you’ve hit a wall with your ACT studying? Get advice from our 36 perfect-scorer. Even if you’re not going for a 36 yourself, these tips will give you the motivation you need to get through these last few weeks of studying. Try out some full-length ACT practice tests. Being used to the format, length, and pacing of the ACT will help you build stamina and feel confident and relaxed on test day. Want other test day tips? Find out what to do – and what not do to! – the night before and morning of. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

6 Practical Steps to Building a Professional Handshake

6 Practical Steps to Building a Professional Handshake Never underestimate the importance of a good handshake. Fortune 500 CEOs have even admitted that, given two identically qualified candidates, they’re more likely to give the job to the one with the better handshake. How do you make yours work for you?1.  Get your hands ready.Make sure your right hand is free in situations where you’re likely to need to shake hands. This is a weird detail, but important- especially if you’ve been holding a cold drink in your hand, which might make your handshake cold and clammy! And yes, you should use your right hand. That’s the tradition, and it avoids lots of awkward fumbling. Also, it should go without saying, make sure your hands are clean.2. Aim for the web.You don’t want to only grab the person’s fingers, but you also don’t want to try and swallow their wrist with your hand either. Aim to touch the web between your thumb and forefinger to the web between their thumb and forefinger. Don’t go too hard, but you should practice enough on yourself to get a sense of how it feels when you hit the right spot.3. Minimize the pressure.Yes, you do need  pressure. Firm pressure. But not too firm. And don’t pinch. Don’t crush any bones. But  definitely don’t err on the side of not squeezing enough- there’s nothing worse than a limp handshake.4. Make eye contact.Look your handshake partner straight in the eye, which inspires trust. It’s a nice touch to repeat the name of the person you’re being introduced to while you’re shaking- â€Å"Nice to meet you, Bob!†5.  Project confidence.Whatever you do, don’t panic. You want to be the cool and collected party here. Act confident and no one will know you’re secretly aiming for their web. A good trick to show your poise is to offer your hand first.6. Know when to let go.People who linger too long in a handshake can be considered creepy or clingy. Get in there, g rip with the ideal amount of firmness, shake once, then let go and get on with the exchange. Once you get the balance right, you’ll be forever grateful that you did.

Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Analysis - Case Study Example The section discusses how the unrelated strategy of the UTC adds value to the company. Unrelated diversification is important in enabling companies reap benefits from a central management. UTC ensures that its business gain value by auditing their strengths and weaknesses through its elaborate Total Quality Management strategy. The parent corporation ensures that its businesses are operating optimally. For example, the case of elevator failures in Japan was effectively solved through TQM. A parent corporation is objective in identifying failures in its businesses and thus is efficient in finding solutions. Unrelated diversification also offers UTC strategic advantage of identifying the best practices for its companies to mitigate business risks. The situation implies that the corporation can use strategies that have succeeded in one of its business to run another business. Also, the corporation learns for the strategies that have failed in several businesses to avoid them in the future. The result is a more successful and valuable business. For example, UTC uses TQM as its main approach to avoid product failures. The strategy worked well or elevator problems in Japan; hence, the corporation documented it as one of its best practices. As noted above, UTCs best practices are transferred to all its companies. UTC has employed several process disciplines and an elaborate research and development. Also, the corporation benefits from diverse skills and competencies across different industries. These competencies enable UTC to internally manage the human resources, across all its companies. Top performers can be sent to failing companies to improve their prospects. According to Duhaime, Stimpert & Chesley (2012), unrelated diversification allows corporations to invest in business that have little or no process technologies that can result in synergies. The reason or this is that businesses operate in different industries, and hence there are not similarities

Nursing and Unions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Nursing and Unions - Research Paper Example These conditions require some control and for controlling these negativities, nursing unions are there. With the help of unions, the nurses can get their due rights according to their hard work and the efficacy of unions cannot be rejected. Nurses accommodate the people with appropriate strategies that can be adopted for gaining optimal health. The vitality of nurses cannot be negated in the profession of healthcare. Nurses work as individuals as well as groups to help the needy people in terms of health. Nowadays, the lack of attraction towards nursing profession poses a serious concern for the health based departments and public health is endangered. The nurses have the right to gain positive reception for their hard work and in gaining that positive reception, unions play a positive part. Some nurses believe, that one alternative to the current slide in morale is to join together as a collective voice to bring about a change in the healthcare profession, which in turn is boosting the participation in nursing unions. It may lead to improved patient outcome because of increased job satisfaction and increased safety measures designed to protect both nurses and the patients. Because of unionization, more people will be encouraged to join nursing as a profession as they will be sure that their due rights will not be rejected and they will be taken care of. The nurses unions represent industrial interests of nurses employed under all awards and agreements, in both the public and private sectors. Its primary function is to protect the interest of nurses in this profession. Moreover, the association represents and provides for the professional, educational and industrial welfare of nurses in government and non government forums at state, national and international level. (Koontz & Weihrich, 2006) Â  

Scenarios week 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Scenarios week 4 - Essay Example The situation presented in the case of Glenbrook South High School is normal in most schools, where students with demonstrable capabilities end up failing their exams. After the results that Joanie gets, despite having spent time delivering the content as effective as she could, there is need to come up with a plan that can facilitate effective learning, application of the content and responding to questions in an exam situation. Firstly, in order to facilitate effective learning, Joanie can consider diversifying the teaching and learning style that she uses. One of these ways is to let students do the teaching. (Mwenda, 2012). For instance, a student can be assigned a single theme and allowed some time to carry an in-depth research then come and share the same with the rest of the class. In essence, learners grasp more what they have actively participated in than what has been imposed on them from the teacher. (Mwenda, 2012). Secondly, Joanie can consider engaging the class in group work through discussions and simulations. By doing this, learners will have an opportunity to bring out what they initially thought was right when it was wrong. (Mwenda, 2012). In addition to this, the levels of confidence will be built as the learners correct each other in addition to having the freedom to share what they could have dismissed as irrelevant ideas. Further to this, low achievers can have an opportunity to learn how their well performing colleagues manage to do it. (Mwenda, 2012). In order to have the learners improve in their performance in exams, there are a number of considerations that can be included in Joanie’s teaching plans. Firstly, since the questions that the students failed were to do with memory or remembrance, a catchy and memorable plan should be in place. For instance, apart from being given a chance to read the text on their own, the teacher can organize a video show or an acted presentation of the text in order to have the students remember

Ethical Issues In The Federal Government’s Department Of Defense Essay Example for Free

Ethical Issues In The Federal Government’s Department Of Defense Essay If there could be anything in the American government that the world has long been admiring, it would always be its military strength. Besides its technology, high product standards, its money, transportation and educational facilities, the world has been looking up at America because of its excellence in the field war and battle. It would seem for the rest of the world that Uncle Sam’s haven offers a smooth-sailing life that people of different colors race and strive to come over. The big question to dig into is this: â€Å"Is America free of corruption and abuse? The answer to the question is a big no. In this paper, we will try to look into the ethical standards of the Federal Government for the purpose of having a benchmark in our evaluation of the ethical deviations inside the organization. Specifically, we will try to evaluate how the Department of Defense go through the process of procurement and will try to pinpoint where the flaw in such process is, resulting to fraud and abuse. This paper has included actual court cases where the Department of Defense was involved. Through these processes, we will be able to prove that no matter how powerful the policies and laws of the Federal Government, the powerful America cannot control its entire people and prevent them from overriding personal interests and public trust. At the end of this paper, the author hopes to have the readers convinced that Federal laws and policies still have flaws and that should be taken into consideration the soonest possible in order for the American nation and the rest of the world restore its fading trust and confidence over the people behind their security. President George Bush during his term, probably ensuring the public of their trust towards the government, issued a separate order that would serve as guideline for strict compliance of all personnel directly serving the public. Executive Order 12731 of October 17, 1990, entitled â€Å"Principles of Ethical Conduct for Government Officers and Employees orders each government employee to avoid, prevent and help detect fraud and adhere to ethical standards at all times and situations. The first section of the EO12731 provides catchy ethical principles which prevent each employee to â€Å"hold financial interests that conflict with the conscientious performance of duty† and engage in financial transactions using non-public government information or allow the improper use of such information to further any private interest† (section 101-b and c). Subsections of the order also require each employee to act will full honesty in their duties and most importantly they are not allowed to use public office for private gain. The Federal Government, based on its laws and policies, has been straightforward and clear as to guiding its public servants to the proper, ethical behavior they should display all the time. So why are there still countless cases and accusations that have been polluting the air of the public servants? What is more frustrating to know is the fact that even in the Department of Defense, many employees and management personnel has been proven to be contributing to such corruption. The fact of unethical behavior existing in the Federal government is not just an outside observation but is also being recognized by those working inside the organization. In a press release issued by the Ethics Resource Center, it turned out that 52% of the Federal employees are aware and are witnesses of at least one type of misbehavior among their colleagues in the previous year. What is more is that only 30% of federal workers surveyed believe their organizations have well-implemented ethics and compliance programs and that only one in 10 said there is a strong ethical culture in their federal workplace (ERC 2008). Almost one quarter of public sector employees identifies their work environments as conducive to misconduct places where there is strong pressure to compromise standards, where situations invite wrongdoing and/or employees personal values conflict with the values espoused at work (Harned, Patricia cited in Smith, Ralph 2008). In reference to the reports mentioned above, this paper made an impression that there might be something inside the Federal government that attracts employees to disregard ethical considerations and to prefer personal interests over public trust. One thing obvious thing is money. The Federal government, even though have limited financial resources, has probably been the most liquid source of kickbacks for the â€Å"bad apples in the barrel. † It is worth noting that the â€Å"U. S. government is the largest consumer of prime contracts† (Lander, Gerald et. al. 2008). Using this mere information, we can clearly conclude that there is enough money for the bad apples on hand. Moreover, it would be very easy for us to extract the fact that the money is more attracting for those inside the procurement departments. As to federal spending, reports say that procurement contracts have been the fastest-growing part of the discretionary budget. In fact, procurement spending rose 86%, twice as fast as other discretionary spending, which rose 43% between 2000 and 2005. Moreover, such spending composed of 40 cents per dollar of discretionary spending (Ibid). The figures are quite more than attractive and conducive for the bad apples to abuse the trust and authorities vested on them by the public. Despite the fact that trust is held as the most important asset of the government, there is one thing that even the most powerful government cannot control: greed. It is a human element that the procurement agencies of the government intentionally or unintentionally tolerate. The uncontrollable fact of human greed is even recognized by the Department of Defense. As the spokesman of the Pentagon, Dan Howard has noted, The acquisition system is sound but there is no system on the face of this earth that completely obviates the human factor greed. And that is why we have policing systems (The New York Times, June 26, 1988). The trust placed by the public over the Department of Defense continue to fade as more and more cases of fraud files in court have resulted to countless convictions. In Philadelphia alone, the investigation conducted at the Defense Personnel Support Center, resulted in the indictment of 28 individuals and companies on various fraud charges. Such procurement transactions involved textile and apparel industry which have government contracts on uniforms, tents, boots for the armed forces. Here then is the chance for us to ask these questions: What is the purpose of having ethical standards in the federal government? Are these statements of ethical behaviors for the sake of complying with the SEC requirements? Are the ethical standards unsound or the problem of abuse of power and ethical deviance matters of implementation flaws? Referring particularly to the Department of Defense, it is unlikely that these educated people came short of understanding the ethical concepts. In fact, the department’s publication, Armed Forces Comptroller, the author recognizes the fact that their personnel understand the concept of ethics. The author even stressed that â€Å"most of them are required to attend some form of mandatory ethics training† (Benoit, Diana 2006). The Department of Defense has in fact sound which they consider as forming the ethical foundation of the Dept of Defense personnel. For the purpose of evaluation, let us try to look into these then core concepts. The author stressed that these core concepts â€Å"reflect the standards and expectations of military personnel and federal employees throughout the organization† (Ibid). The first of the ethical concepts is honesty which they define as â€Å"being truthful and straightforward, regardless of grade or rank. Honesty is regarded by the department as an ethical concept that goes beyond being trustworthy that it encourages its employees to do not only what is legal but also what is right. Relative to this, abuse of power and betrayal of trust still include acts or attempts of hiding the truth. If the Department of Defense personnel clearly understand this concept, there should have been no reason to remain silent on issues that involves witnessing ethical deviance inside the organization. The ethical concept of honesty goes beyond the issues of actual money laundering. It encompasses keeping accurate records and completing tasks to the extent of one’s capacity and ability. This means that coming to the office late, going out early; taking breaks more than the allowable time are forms of cheating and thus are unethical behaviors. Cheating the taxpayers could also mean using office supplies for personal activities or lavish consumption of such resources. What is frustrating is that this concept is being disregarded by high ranking employees of the department at a considerably higher level of deception as mentioned above. Simple cheating in record keeping and of utilizing government resources for personal use can be detected and be prevented at the lower level of organization. However, it would be a different thing to know that cheating is even more practiced at the higher level of management who are expected to be the police in the department. In fact, the report released by the U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ) during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2005, â€Å"the United States recouped more than $1. billion dollars in settlements and judgments pursuing allegations of fraud and in the next fiscal year, the government recovered a record total of more than $3. 1 billion in settlements and judgments from cases involving claims of fraud† (Lander et. al 2008). Closely related to the ethics of honesty is the concept of integrity which the DOD defines as â€Å"doing the right thing the first time and every time. † In an observation by one of the members of the Special Investigations Unit of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul, Special Agent Timothy J. OMalley recognizes the temptations of fraud in their field. O’Malley said â€Å"police officers face greater temptations than they did just a decade or so ago† (Bladow, J. 1994). As an agent, he can pinpoint the fact that the department handles explosives and illegal drug cases which obviously involve a vast sum of money. Taking O’Malley’s exact words, â€Å"a tremendous amount of illicit cash fuels this market. † Here then lies one uncontrollable factor that we can consider. Money is the central thing that enables the government to run. It is money that is the main reason why people oftentimes compromise integrity and principles with dollars. Money enables the government to provide services to public. Employees have to be paid with salaries, supplies have to be bought, buildings have to be constructed, communication and transportation facilities have to be purchased and improved. In fact, America will never be the most powerful nation in the world without its money spent in technology, education and basic government facilities. Moreover, America cannot in anyway be respected or shall we say be feared by other nations if not for its military strength. It is a rare instance that this nation is being challenged by the terrorists during the 911 event. What this paper would like to point out is that even though money is an uncontrollable element in the federal government and particularly in the procurement agency of the department of Defense, transaction processes involving money are very much controllable. In fact, the DOD has sound policies and procedures expressed in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and Procedures, Guidance, and Information (PGI). In brief, these regulations and guidelines were codified and implemented for procedure compliance purposes especially on procurement transactions undergone by the department. In its Section 201. 304, FAR requires the â€Å"approval of the USD (ATL) before including in a department/agency or component supplement, or any other contracting regulation document such as a policy letter or clause book, any policy, procedure, clause, or form that has a significant effect beyond the internal operating procedures of the agency; or has a significant cost or administrative impact on contractors or offerors† (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and Procedures, Guidance, and Information (PGI) 2004). Where then lays the procedure flaw- on the approving committee or on those who presents the facts of the procurement contracts? The answer does not solely lies on these precepts. The factors that corrupt integrity in the Department of Defense can be traced in the early stage of the hiring process. â€Å"The applicant selection process represents a critical, though sometimes overlooked, component of police ethics programs† (Bonczek, S. and D. Menzel 1994). The authors suggest that the agency should thoroughly conduct interviews, psychological tests, and extensive background checks (Ibid, p. 4). This would then ensure an applicants compatibility with the departments ethical philosophy. This process can be beneficial in the early identification of â€Å"red flags† in an applicant’s personality before he gets into the department. Even if not all of the factors contributing to the unethical behavior of an employee can be detected at this stage, there are considerable preventive measures that are being done here that can prevent a rotten tomato mingle with the good ones inside the basket. The riskier the world becomes, the higher the standards should the department implement in order to maintain, if not to enhance the integrity of the defenders of the American security. As one observer have noted, it is important that high standards in the hiring process be maintained at all times because of the fact that â€Å"diminished standards or incomplete background checks have resulted in the hiring of armed robbers, burglars, and drug dealers as police officers† (D. Holmquist 1993, p. 38). We have to remember that temptations are everywhere and that is one uncontrollable factor inside the department of defense. Because DOD has got much money to offer especially in the procurement transactions, it clearly caters to a tempting environment. However it cannot really be an excuse neither it will justify one’s act of corruption. Deviance to ethical standards is a clear betrayal of trust and a blot in the name of the person, if he even cares enough for it. A recent study established that fast-talking, outgoing, assertive, and self-confident risk takers represent the best candidates for undercover work. While this may come as no surprise, the study also concluded that these personality traits are often the same ones predisposing an officer to corruption and psychological distress (Bladow, p. 12). This suggests that a good apple in the barrel has always the chance of being badly influenced by others. Strict hiring standards are therefore required to be implemented during the hiring process at all levels. â€Å"Police managers must view their hiring standards as components of managing for ethics† (Wells, S. A. 1993, p. 67). Strict adherence to employee selection is a must although diversity in the law enforcement departments must also be considered in order to foster diverse citizenry. â€Å"Agencies should not pursue the goal of a diversified workforce at the expense of one of law enforcements most valued asset- integrity† (Travis, M. A. 1994, p. 1717).

D. H. Lawrences You Touched Me and Nietzches The Use and Abuse of His

Compare Happiness and Life Between D. H. Lawrence's You Touched Me and Friedrich Nietzche's The Use and Abuse of History Taken From The Twilight Of the Idols INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this paper, I won't stick to only one topic. I will compare different topics, such as happiness and life between two romantic writers, D. H. Lawrence and Friedrich Nietzsche from D. H. Lawrence's You touched me and Friedrich Nietzche's The use and abuse of history taken from The twilight of the Idols. I will start talking about life and happiness by giving my own little definition of each of these two terms. LIFE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Life: one word, many meanings. Life: one word, one precious thing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We see life in a total different way by the two writers. Life, in D. H. Lawrence's You touched me, is one, short and precious thing. We see life through the eyes of a dying father and his two daughters, who loves their father a lot and an adopted son enrolled in the army. The father continuously fights his disease, battling to stay alive. We see life as a fragile, vulnerable thing. It can also vanish unexpectedly. What I mean by "life can also vanish unexpectedly" is that you never know when something terrible could happen to you and see it taken away.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Friedrich Nietzshe explains us a lot more his perception of life. Unfortunately, I didn't understand most of the things he meant, but I will explain what I think I understood. Nietzshe describes life with the help of a man and a bea...

Smart Card

A smartcard is a specific type of plastic card generally made of polyvinyl chloride based on polyesters or polycarbonate. It is the size of credit card. There is a 3by 5 mm imbedded chip in the card. Smart card contains either memory card or microprocessor that holds data and information. The microprocessor card can add, delete, and manipulate information on the card, while a memory-chip card (for example, pre-paid phone cards) can only undertake a pre-defined operation.Smart cards, unlike magnetic stripe cards, can carry all necessary functions and information on the card. Therefore, they do not require access to remote databases at the time of the transaction. A typical smartcard consists of an 8-bit microprocessor running at approximately 5 MHz with ROM, EEPROM and RAM, together with serial input and output, all in a single chip that is mounted on a plastic carrier. The operating system is typically stored in ROM, the CPU uses RAM as its working memory, and most of the data is sto red in EEPROM. Fig:-1 shows smart card. HistoryIn 1968 and 1969 German electrical engineers Helmut and Jurgen jointly developed automated chip card. Then after in 1974 French inventor Roland Moreno gives memory card concept called smart card. An important patent for smart cards with a microprocessor and memory as used today was filed by Jurgen Dethloff in 1976 and granted as USP 4105156 in 1978. The first mass use of the cards was as a telephone card for payment in French pay phones starting in 1983. Carte Bleue After the Telecarte microchips were integrated into all French Carte Bleue debit cards in 1992.Customers inserted the card into the merchant's POS terminal, then typed the PIN, before the transaction was accepted. Only very limited transactions (such as paying small highway tolls) are processed without a PIN. Smart-card-based electronic purse systems store funds on the card so that readers do not need network connectivity and entered service throughout Europe in the mid-1990 s. The major boom in smart card use came in the 1990s, with the introduction of smart-card-based SIMs used in GSM mobile phone equipment in Europe.With the ubiquity of mobile phones in Europe, smart cards have become very common. Development of contactless systems Contactless smart cards that do not require physical contact between card and reader are becoming increasingly popular for payment and ticketing applications such as mass transit and motorway tolls. Visa and MasterCard have agreed to an easy-to-implement version that was deployed in 2004–2006 in the USA. Most contactless fare collection implementations are custom and incompatible, though the MIFARE Standard card .Smart cards are also being introduced in personal identification at national and international levels. Citizen cards, drivers’ licenses, and patient card schemes are appearing. A smart card is a plastic card about the size of a credit card, with an embedded microchip that can be loaded with data, use d for telephone calling, electronic cash payments, and other applications, and then periodically refreshed for additional use. Currently or soon, you may be able to use a smart card to: Dial a connection on a mobile telephone and be charged on a per-call basis* Establish your identity when logging on to an Internet access provider or to an online bank * Pay for parking at parking meters or to get on subways, trains, or buses * Give hospitals or doctors personal data without filling out a form * Make small purchases at electronic stores on the Web (a kind of cybercash) * Buy gasoline at a gasoline station Over a billion smart cards are already in use. Currently, Europe is the region where they are most used. Ovum, a research firm, predicts that 2. billion smart cards will be shipped annually by 2003. Another study forecasts a $26. 5 billion market for recharging smart cards by 2005. Compaq and Hewlett-Packard are reportedly working on keyboards that include smart card slots that can be read like bank credit cards. The hardware for making the cards and the devices that can read them is currently made principally by Bull, Gemplus, and Schlumberger. How Smart Cards Work A smart card contains more information than a magnetic stripe card and it can be programmed for different applications.Some cards can contain programming and data to support multiple applications and some can be updated to add new applications after they are issued. Smart cards can be designed to be inserted into a slot and read by a special reader.. An industry standard interface between programming and PC hardware in a smart card has been defined by the PC Working Group, representing Microsoft, IBM and other interested companies. Like smart cards with contacts, contactless cards do not have an internal power source.Instead, they use an inductor to capture some of the incident radio-frequency interrogation signal, rectify it, and use it to power the card's electronics. Hybrids A hybrid smart card which clearly shows the antenna connected to the main chip Dual-interface cards implement contactless and contact interfaces on a single card with some shared storage and processing. An example is Porto's multi-application transport card, called Andante, which uses a chip with both contact and contactless interfaces . Applications First introduced in Europe nearly three decades ago, smart cards debuted as a stored value tool for payphones to reduce theft.As smart cards and other chip-based cards advanced, people found new ways to use them, including charge cards for credit purchases and for record keeping in place of paper. In the U. S. , consumers have been using chip cards for everything from visiting libraries to buying groceries to attending movies, firmly integrating them into our everyday lives. Several U. S. states have chip card programs in progress for government applications ranging from the Department of Motor Vehicles to Electronic Benefit Transfers (EBTs).Many industrie s have implemented the power of smart cards in their products, such as the GSM digital cellular phones as well as TV-satellite decoders. Why Smart Cards Smart cards improve the convenience and security of any transaction. They provide tamper-proof storage of user and account identity. Smart card systems have proven to be more reliable than other machine-readable cards, like magnetic stripe and barcode, with many studies showing card read life and reader life improvements demonstrating much lower cost of system maintenance. Smart cards also provide vital components of system security or the exchange of data throughout virtually any type of network.They protect against a full range of security threats, from careless storage of user passwords to sophisticated system hacks. The costs to manage password resets for an organization or enterprise are very high, thus making smart cards a cost-effective solution in these environments. Multifunction cards can also be used to manage network sys tem access and store value and other data. Worldwide, people are now using smart cards for a wide variety of daily tasks, which include: FinancialSmart cards serve as credit or ATM cards, fuel cards, mobile phone SIMs, authorization cards for pay television, household utility pre-payment cards, high-security identification and access-control cards, and public transport and public phone payment cards. Non-EMV cards work like magnetic stripe cards. This is a typical USA card technology (PayPass Magstripe and VISA MSD). The cards do not hold/maintain the account balance. All payment passes without a PIN, usually in off-line mode. The security of such a transaction is no greater than with a magnetic stripe card transaction.EMV cards have contact and contactless interfaces. They work as a normal EMV card via contact interface. Via contactless interface they work somewhat differently in that the card command sequence adopts contactless features such as low power and short transaction time . Identification A quickly growing application is in digital identification. In this application, the cards authenticate identity. The most common example employs public key infrastructure (PKI). The card stores an encrypted digital certificate issued from the PKI provider along with other relevant information.Contactless smart cards that can be read from within a wallet or even a garment simplify authentication; however, there is concern over criminals accessing data from these cards. Cryptographic smart cards are often used for single sign-on. Most advanced smart cards include specialized cryptographic hardware that uses algorithms such as RSA and DSA. Today's cryptographic smart cards generate key pairs on board, to avoid the risk from having more than one copy of the key (since by design there usually isn't a way to extract private keys from a smartThe first smart card river's license system in the world was implemented in 1987 in Turkey. Turkey had a high level of road accident s and decided to develop and use digital tachograph devices on heavy vehicles, instead of the existing mechanical ones, to reduce speed violations. Since 1987, the professional driver's licenses in Turkey are issued as smart cards and the driver is required to insert his driver's license into the digital tachograph before starting to drive. The tachograph unit records speed violations for each driver and gives a printed report. The driving hours for each driver is also being monitored and reported.In 1990 the European Union conducted a feasibility study through BEVAC Consulting Engineers, titled â€Å"Feasibility study with respect to a European electronic driver’s license (based on a smart-card) on behalf of Directorate General VII†. In this study, chapter seven is dedicated to the experience in Turkey, stating that the electronic driver's license application, in the form of smart cards, was first implemented in Turkey in 1987. Public transit Smart cards and integrate d ticketing have become widely used by public transit operators around the world. Card users may use their cards for other purposes than for transit, such as small purchases.Computer security The Mozilla Firefox web browser can use smart cards to store certificates for use in secure web browsing. Some disk encryption systems, such as TrueCrypt and Microsoft Windows 7 BitLocker, can use smart cards to securely hold encryption keys, and also to add another layer of encryption to critical parts of the secured disk. Smart cards are also used for single sign-on to log on to computers. Smart card support functionality has been added to Windows Live passports. Schools Smart cards are being provided to students at schools and colleges. Tracking student attendance * As an electronic purse, to pay for items at canteens, vending machines etc. * Tracking and monitoring food choices at the canteen, to help the student maintain a healthy diet* Tracking loans from the school library Healthcare Sma rt health cards can improve the security and privacy of patient information, provide a secure carrier for portable medical records, reduce health care fraud, support new processes for portable medical records, provide secure access to emergency medical information, enable compliance with government initiatives (e. g. organ donation) and mandates, and provide the platform to implement other applications as needed by the health care organization. Advantages The benefits of smart cards are directly related to the volume of information and applications that are programmed for use on a card. A single contact/contactless smart card can be programmed with multiple banking credentials, medical entitlement, driver’s license/public transport entitlement, loyalty programs and club memberships to name just a few. Multi-factor and proximity authentication can and has been embedded into smart cards to increase the security of all services on the card.For example, a smart card can be progra mmed to only allow a contactless transaction if it is also within range of another device like a uniquely paired mobile phone. This can significantly increase the security of the smart card. Individuals gain increased security and convenience when using smart cards designed for interoperability between services. For example, consumers only need to replace one card if their wallet is lost or stolen. Additionally, the data storage available on a card could contain medical information that is critical in an emergency should the card holder allow access to this.The first main advantage of smart cards is their flexibility. There is no need, for example, to carry several cards: one card can simultaneously be an ID, a credit card, a stored-value cash card, and a repository of personal information such as telephone numbers or medical history. Such a card can be easily replaced if lost, and, because a PIN number (or other form of security) must be used to access information, is totally usele ss to people other than its legal bearer. At the first attempt to use it illegally, the card would be deactivated by the card reader itself. The second main advantage is security.Smart cards can be electronic key rings, giving the bearer ability to access information and physical places without need for online connections. They are encryption devices, so that the user can encrypt and decrypt information without relying on unknown, and therefore potentially untrustworthy, appliances such as ATMs. Smart cards are very flexible in providing authentication at different level of the bearer and the counterpart. Finally, with the information about the user that smart cards can provide to the other parties, they are useful devices for customizing products andservices.Other general benefits of smart cards are: * Portability * Increasing data storage capacity * Reliability that is virtually unaffected by electrical and magnetic fields. Smart Cards andElectroniccommerce Smart cards are turning out to be a fundamental piece of the transformation of retailing into electronic commerce. The impressive growth of the Internet is making electronic shopping at least a real possibility, if not a habit, among computer users. However, the business model used in current electronic commerce applications still cannot enjoy the full potential of the electronic medium.Moreover, concerns about the reliability of an invisible counterpart and about the safety of the Internet for credit card information increase the wariness and thereby limit the use of the electronic shopping on the part of customers. Of the estimated 360 billion payments that took place in the United States in 1995, approximately 300 billion could not have taken place using the existing electronic media. Such transactions involved micro-payments p; i. e. payments for less than $10 p; which are virtually outside of the electronic arena for lack of a payment method compatible with such low amounts.Credit cards or checks are simply too expensive to use for micro-payments, and the e-cash currently being experimented on the World Wide Web does not seem to have the characteristics to appeal to shoppers. For this reason, smart cards could be a fundamental building block of widespread use of electronic commerce, since they are an instrument to pay at a low cost for transactions involving small amountsofmoney. Another big advantage of smart cards for electronic commerce is their use for the customization of services.It is already possible to purchase tailored services on the World Wide Web p; MyYahoo and FireFly are well known examples. However, in order for the service supplier to deliver the customized service, the user has to provide each supplier with her profile p; a boring and time consuming activity. A smart card can contain a non-encrypted profile of the bearer, so that the user can get customized services even without previous contacts with the supplier. Finally, smart cards are a key technology ena bler for financial institutions.The processing power, the portability and the interactive properties of smart cards will constitute the basis for a revolution in the relationship between consumers and banks. PC-based home banking and phone banking will give way to card banking: a phone equipped with a smart card reader will be all that is needed for any kind of transaction. A smart card is a plastic card with a small, built in microcomputer chip and integrated circuit that can store and process a lot of data. It is considered to be a secure, time saving device that can access information without use of a PC or the Internet.However, smart cards have both Flexibility * Smart cards have a lot of flexibility. They can store multiple types of information including identification, credit cards, business and family contacts. Cost and Availability * Smart card readers are expensive to produce. These readers are not available in all locations and may have compatibility issues due to the diff erences of each smart card brand. Adafruit Raspberry Pi Starter Kit Now available in India ProtoCentral Security * Smart cards are individually encrypted and can only be accessed by pin number.However, there is concern about privacy and whether or not information on the card could be accessed or used illegally by the government or other third-party sources. Data Integrity * Information on a smart card cannot be erased or removed accidentally by any electrical or magnetic means. Smart Card Uses * Smart cards are useful for setting limits on expenses, customizing customer loyalty programs and accessing critical health care information. Smart cards save users from having to remember multiple usernames and passwords. DisadvantagesThe plastic card in which the chip is embedded is fairly flexible, and the larger the chip, the higher the probability that normal use could damage it. Cards are often carried in wallets or pockets, a harsh environment for a chip. However, for large banking sys tems, failure-management costs can be more than offset by fraud reduction. Client-side identification and authentication cards are the most secure way for e. g. , internet banking applications, but security is never 100% sure. If the account holder's computer hosts malware, the security model may be broken.Malware can override the communication (both input via keyboard and output via application screen) between the user and the application. Rabobank (â€Å"random reader†) in the Netherlands combine a smart card with an unconnected card reader to avoid this problem. The customer enters a challenge received from the bank's website, a PIN and the transaction amount into the reader, The reader returns an 8-digit signature. This signature is manually entered into the personal computer and verified by the bank, preventing malware from changing the transaction amount. Another problem is the lack of standards for functionality and security.