The Rolling Stones - 1443 Words

THE ROLLING STONES The Rolling Stones, self-acclaimed and fan-supported, is â€Å"The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band.† The Rolling Stones is well into its fifth decade performing together as a group. They are the longest lived, continuous performing band in the history of music. From the band’s early British beginnings through the present, The Rolling Stones has continued to adapt its music to the sounds and styles of the past five decades, to remain ever visible and popular in the eyes of the world. The â€Å"Stones,† as the band has become known by, was formed by the blues-loving London born, childhood friends, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Over the period following Jagger’s and Richards’ chance reunion on a train at the Dartford†¦show more content†¦Oldham, the Stones’ first manager, is quoted as saying â€Å"The Rolling Stones are more that just a group – they are a way of life.† The Stones refused to conform to th e wants and censorship of the British establishment. Brian Jones said â€Å"Young people are measuring opinion with new yardsticks and it must mean greater individual freedom of expression. Pop music will have its part to play in all of this.† The British establishment tried to break the band apart by pursuing drug charges against Jagger, Richards, and Jones. Jagger and Richards were able to rebound from the drug charges and avoid prison sentences. Jones was unable to give up the drug addiction and eventually left the band on June 8, 1969, he was found dead on July 3, 1969 and the official cause was â€Å"death by misadventure.† The Rolling Stones developed a large fan base during their early years as they represented and led the way in pursuing a change in the existing censorious British establishment. During the early years of the band as they struggled against the British establishment, The Rolling Stones also debuted in United States. The first song to hit the charts in the United States was called â€Å"That Girl Belongs to Yesterday.† The Stones did not face the same censorship in the United States as they did in Britain, however, the band did face some controversy over an incident at a free concert performed at Altamont Speedway, outside of San Francisco. The Hell’s Angels were hired asShow MoreRelatedThe Rolling Stones And The Stones983 Words   |  4 PagesThe Rolling Stones Stones, a simple concretion of earthy or mineral matter, a rock, a building block, it may be precious, or it may be garbage. The Rolling Stones are very similar to a pack a stones, a pack of random men to play music. They first started as a small measly band that soon grew into an international sensation. The Stones created some of the most widely known tunes and they also created one of the most iconic styles of music, rock and roll. The Rolling Stones were defined by the veryRead MoreThe Rolling Stone Redaction.718 Words   |  3 Pages The Rolling Stone Redaction was the mistake waiting to happen as a result of journalistic desperation on the Rolling Stones part, as the once iron clad story s eggshell are torn asunder by the increasing lack of verifiability. Only to reveal a viscous trail with no clear substance. As The Rolling Stone began on this path, they put aside safeguards that would normally have sent the story to the bin, ignoring conflicting information from the other s ources and only focusing on the main. That is whenRead MoreThe Heart and Soul of the Rolling Stones620 Words   |  2 PagesSilence. That was all that could be heard as the crowd gazed at the podium in front of them, waiting anxiously. BAM. Suddenly sticks hit drums and the crowd screamed in delight. The Rolling Stones have arrived. Landing their first gig in 1963, the Rolling Stones have traveled far in their career. They never realized that their first gig would be one of the many yet to come, making them â€Å"one of the most revered rock n roll bands in the music history decades to come.† (â€Å"Charlie Watts Biography† 1)Read MoreThe Beatles and The Rolling Stones: The Game Changers Essay1189 Words   |  5 PagesWhether you prefer â€Å"Here Comes the Sun† by The Beatles or â€Å"Paint it Black† by The Rolling Stones, there is no denying they are two of the most influential bands. The Rolling Stones and The Beatles are two transformational bands that emerged in the early 1960’s from UK. There is much discussion regarding who has the most relevance today. Critics and industry analysts have agreed that The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have both shaped and continue to shape up and coming musicians today. Many artistsRead MoreA Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss4500 Words   |  18 PagesEnglish:  A rolling stone gathers no moss. -- A person who never settles in one place or who often changes his job will not succeed in life; one who is always changing his mind will never get anything done.   A  rolling stone gathers no moss, but it gains a certain polish. People say this to mean that an ambitious person is more successful than a person not trying to achieve anything. Originally it meant the opposite and was critical of people trying to get ahead What is the meaning of A rolling stone gathersRead More The Impact of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones Upon Music During the 1960s1385 Words   |  6 PagesThe Impact of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones Upon Music During the 1960s The Beatles were a new band with a difference and this led to their impact in the sixties. They were different because they were producing real music and stepping away from sounding like just another band trying to imitate American stars. Beatles music was totally unique, a mixture of rock and roll, Rhythm and Blues and Tamla Motown. British music had always been dominated from American producedRead More Rock Bands Essay1700 Words   |  7 PagesAlong with the Beatles, The Rolling Stones are one of the most famous English rock bands to influence America. Introducing teenagers to African American urban blues, and transforming the urban blues into something like high-energized rock and roll are just some of the things the Stones brought to America (Kallen 10-11). The original line-up of the band included; Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, and Ian Stewart (Kallen 8-9). They have come a long way to get where they are nowRead MoreEffects Of The British Invasion815 Words   |  4 Pagesbeatles (The leaders of the British Invasion) plane landed in america. Then when they made their first song there was almost and almost instant effect there song rose to the top of the charts. After that many very talented british artists like the Rolling Stones were influenced and also composed of songs that took effect to America. Some of these artists were even questioned to be the best bands in the world. This was called the British Invasion. The British Invasion was a biggest influence on rock andRead MoreKeith Richards : A Famous Writer871 Words   |  4 Pages actor, and most well known for being one of the original members of the rock band The Rolling Stones. He was born December 18, 1943 in Dartford, England, where he was also from. Richards is still alive today and currently 71 years old. He is an only child of Doris and Bertrand Richards. His dad was a factory worker who got injured in World War II. Richards was one of the original members of The Rolling Stones. He played the guitar while the other original members include Brian Jones, Ian StewartRead MoreThe Rock And Roll Band1361 Words   |  6 PagesFormed in the sixties, The Rolling Stones consisted of Brian Jones, Ian Stewart, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, and Charlie Watts. Referring to themselves as the Wor ld’s Greatest Rock and Roll band, the song â€Å"Rollin’ Stones† written by Muddy Waters is what stemmed into the band s name. The Stones recorded and sold what is estimated to be more than a quarter million albums until the early 1980s when Jagger and Richard had a fight over musical direction and the group grew apart from each

Essay on Pioneer petroleu - 717 Words

Pioneer petroleum items for discussion Group#10 Key objectives: calculation of WACC and use of hurdle rates in risk return analysis. 1. Does Pioneer estimate its overall weighted average cost of capital correctly? a. Evaluate technique, weights and rates. b. How should they estimate their cost of equity capital? ANS: To estimate the overall weighted average cost of capital, Pioneer used the weighted average cost of capital method. First, they find the proportions of each source of capital which is equity and debt. Because the firm policy had been adopted that funded debt should represent approximately 50% of total capital. So the weight of Debt and Equity are 50% respectively. The weights Pioneer used are correct.†¦show more content†¦Finally, the firm should use the discount rates times each weights, and get the specific rate for each sector. 4. How should Pioneer set capital budgeting criteria for different projects within a given division? What distinctions among projects might be captured in these criteria? How should the different standards be determined? ANS: Different projects should be set according to their risks and expected returns, even though they are in a given division. The various situation and market fluctuation for each project might lead to different returns. So Pioneer should set the cost of capital and weights distinctly among those projects. Because Beta represents the risk of a project and different projects show different risks, Beta used to calculate the CAPM should be determined depending on the risks. In addition, in determination of weights of debt and equity, they should also consider differently because initially Pioneer set half and half. But we believe in the future capital budgets, being more specific when setting the weight instead of just evenly distributed would be more reasonable. 5. Should the discount rate for environmental projects vary by division or be one corporate rate? ANS: The discount rate for environmental projects should be vary by division. Because environmental project is very special and difficult to predict the return. Sometimes it would show its benefit for the firm in a long

History Unit 2 Free Essays

â€Å"Do you agree with the view suggested in source 5 that the main factor preventing the press from publishing ‘bad news’ during the Boer war was censorship by the military authorities? † Bad news during the Boer war was events such as the mass death which occurred in the concentration camps. Source 5 says that â€Å"some journalists tried to report bad news as well as good, but in the face of military cenecorship, they did not persist†. I do agree with the view suggested by Source 5 because the Boer war was the first to have an official British army censor unlike the Crimean war where the events which went on during then remains questionable . We will write a custom essay sample on History Unit 2 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Source 4 seems to agree with the view suggested in source 5 by describing the war as a time for the press â€Å"to conform to every reasonable restriction it may seem desirable for the military authorities to impose†. However, source 6 seems to disagree with both 4 and 5 as it described the war correspondent as becoming â€Å"increasingly jingoistic† this term is therefore describing the press as being fanatically patriotic. Source 4 is primary evidence which was published in 1990 by a real war correspondent, thus making his claim more reliable that â€Å"to write anything detrimental to the national interest† would be going against military regulations. This suggests that there were restrictions placed upon what the press could print that would paint Britain in a bad name, especially the conservative party. Similarly, Source 5 a book published in 2002 leaves the open question as to whether the publisher Peter Browning has been influenced by different thoughts since the war, therefore making the reliability of the information provided in the source questionable. However the content of the source does suggest that there were limits placed upon what the press could published, this is because the military authorities wanted the British people to remain patriotic as implied by source 6. Source 6 was published by The Daily Mail, one of the most best selling newspaper in the country and was particularly enthusiastic about the war, along with this, it may be accurate to suggest that one of the main of this newspaper was to keep sales going by giving the British people what they want to hear and hide the truth in what really happened as suggested in both Source 4 and especially Source 5, similarly to the Crimean war. In conclusion, I agree with the source given by Source 5 as I know that the military authorities did want to prevent the publishing of bad news in the Boer war. Lord Kitchener felt that the press needed to be controlled, this made him introduce the greater censorship during the guerrilla phase of the way which was between 1900 and 1901, which is ironic because the book was published in 1995, painting the war in good light with the press enjoying â€Å"their war through music hall songs†. Therefore achieving its aim of hiding the ‘bad news which may have occurred during the 1 How to cite History Unit 2, Papers History Unit 2 Free Essays â€Å"Do you agree with the view suggested in source 5 that the main factor preventing the press from publishing ‘bad news’ during the Boer war was censorship by the military authorities? † Bad news during the Boer war was events such as the mass death which occurred in the concentration camps. Source 5 says that â€Å"some journalists tried to report bad news as well as good, but in the face of military cenecorship, they did not persist†. I do agree with the view suggested by Source 5 because the Boer war was the first to have an official British army censor unlike the Crimean war where the events which went on during then remains questionable . We will write a custom essay sample on History Unit 2 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Source 4 seems to agree with the view suggested in source 5 by describing the war as a time for the press â€Å"to conform to every reasonable restriction it may seem desirable for the military authorities to impose†. However, source 6 seems to disagree with both 4 and 5 as it described the war correspondent as becoming â€Å"increasingly jingoistic† this term is therefore describing the press as being fanatically patriotic. Source 4 is primary evidence which was published in 1990 by a real war correspondent, thus making his claim more reliable that â€Å"to write anything detrimental to the national interest† would be going against military regulations. This suggests that there were restrictions placed upon what the press could print that would paint Britain in a bad name, especially the conservative party. Similarly, Source 5 a book published in 2002 leaves the open question as to whether the publisher Peter Browning has been influenced by different thoughts since the war, therefore making the reliability of the information provided in the source questionable. However the content of the source does suggest that there were limits placed upon what the press could published, this is because the military authorities wanted the British people to remain patriotic as implied by source 6. Source 6 was published by The Daily Mail, one of the most best selling newspaper in the country and was particularly enthusiastic about the war, along with this, it may be accurate to suggest that one of the main of this newspaper was to keep sales going by giving the British people what they want to hear and hide the truth in what really happened as suggested in both Source 4 and especially Source 5, similarly to the Crimean war. In conclusion, I agree with the source given by Source 5 as I know that the military authorities did want to prevent the publishing of bad news in the Boer war. Lord Kitchener felt that the press needed to be controlled, this made him introduce the greater censorship during the guerrilla phase of the way which was between 1900 and 1901, which is ironic because the book was published in 1995, painting the war in good light with the press enjoying â€Å"their war through music hall songs†. Therefore achieving its aim of hiding the ‘bad news which may have occurred during the 1 How to cite History Unit 2, Essay examples

Take Me As I Am free essay sample

If someone asked: why is diversity important, I probably would have rambled on about economies, control groups, and ethnicity funding.What if instead I was asked: Why is diversity important to you? Diversity is important to me because I am part of diversity. Diversity is simply explained as different from the normalcy. You can be diverse by your sexuality, religion, ethnicity, beliefs, and how you were raised. In the world no one is the same as anybody else, though some do try to â€Å"fit in† to the standards of billboards and society stereotypes. I am diversity. You are diversity. We are all different. In specific to me I am seventeen years old. I am bi-sexual and extremely proud of that. I have many heterosexual friends, as well as many gay friends. I am Puerto Rican, Mexican and a mix of many other things whereas my friends range from Irish to Guyanese in their bloodlines. We will write a custom essay sample on Take Me As I Am or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As a feminist I organize small movements with neighbors and friends to empower woman and help domestic abuse victims. As a Roman Catholic I was confirmed in tenth grade but I practice Wiccan rituals and Buddhist meditation daily. People should enjoy diversity but of course in life there are some who react negatively towards those who are not the same as them. In life we have different forms of prejudice: Homophobia, racism, sexism. All of which affect the lives of those attempting to live proud of who they are. We should not attempt to live our lives set to the standards of people who do not exist. There is no â€Å"normalcy† in the world. I have learned not to be who I don’t want to be. Before my generation, I’m sure there was a lot of hatred towards minority groups. Nowadays we try to accept people as who they are, not as who we want them to be. Though we are slightly more accepting now, however, there will always be hate. Diversity is important to me because without it, I would not be me as I am today. Learning to accept other people has made me able to accept who I am as well. Diversity is key to the survival of the world, but change and difference will always come as a shock to people, which will make it difficult for the world to grow. . Fitting in is not the most important part of someone’s life. I was told by one woman ,who spent her whole youth attempting to fit in to what her friends and family thought she should be, that I should let my inner light shine and I should never let anyone keep me from being who I am. I am diversity, take me as I am.

An American Childhood essays

An American Childhood essays An American Childhood, by Annie Dillard, is a happy memoir of Annie's own life, a child of a well-to-do Pittsburgh family. Dillard remembers much of her childhood and doesn't hesitate to tell us a bit of it. Author Flannery O'Conner once said, "any novelist who could survive her childhood had enough to write about for a lifetime." This was most certainly the case for Dillard. A person's childhood is something that cannot be forgotten. From grandparents telling their grandchildren about when they were their age, to criminals pleading that their childhood caused them to become evil, our first years are our most important. Annie Dillard It is clear that what Dillard tells us about her life is true. It is easy to classify Dillard as an avid reader as she constantly mentions all her books. "As a child I read hoping to learn everything, so I could be like my father," Dillard said on page 214. An American Childhood is extremely interesting and entertaining. Having taken place in modern times, Dillard was born in 1945 and the story begins when she is five, it is something we can all follow and appreciate as Dillard climbs her way through We, the readers, watch as Annie emerges from a typical five year old to the crazy, intelligent, independent young woman she becomes. Each year is a footstep with new adventures and new philosophies of the world around her. It is hard not to laugh as Annie does such crazy acts as quitting church at age 16 and writing her An American Childhood is not a book for a person without an imagination. As a reader you must be willing to interpret what Dillard says and fit into your own life and your own childhood. We can all relate to her feelings and frustrat ...

The Impact of AIDS on Medicaid †Nursing Research Paper

The Impact of AIDS on Medicaid – Nursing Research Paper Free Online Research Papers The Impact of AIDS on Medicaid Nursing Research Paper For more than 50 million low-income Americans, the Medicaid public health program is the primary source of health-care coverage and provider of long-term care (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, September). For this group of people, private health insurance is not a viable option. Such benefits are often times either unavailable from their employers or are priced immediately out of their income-range. In other instances, these low-income Americans are disqualified by private insurers based upon their disabilities or pre-existing chronic conditions. This latter fact becomes particularly poignant when considering the future health-care prospects of the estimated 1 million people currently living with AIDS (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005). Although many individuals begin their treatment with private coverage, the debilitating aspect of AIDS is such that many must eventually give up their jobs and, in turn, lose the source of their costly private insurance. In situations like these, the role of Medicaid becomes paramount to life itself. Without the indispensable doctor care and prescription drugs provided by Medicaid, the recent life-extending advances in AIDS therapy would be lost to an alarming number of patients. The latest published findings by the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS) reveal that, in 2003, over 231,000 people living with AIDS relied upon Medicaid for health services – and this number was expected to rise (2004, January). To understand what these numbers portend for the future, it necessary to examine the historical context of AIDS and Medicaid, the impact of the AIDS epidemic thus far, and what might be done to ensure quality Medicaid care for generations to come. Historical Background of Medicaid The federal Medicaid program was signed into law, along with Medicare, by President Lyndon B. Johnson under Title XIX of the Social Security Act in 1965 (Johns Hopkins AIDS Service, 2004). Medicaid was enacted to address a growing national debate regarding the limitations and failings of the presiding health-care legislation for the elderly and poor, the Kerr-Mills Act of 1960. Under this act, participating states could collect matching federal funds for services tendered to the aged or the impoverished yet it received a lukewarm response from the states for the most part. The reasons cited by critics were Kerr-Mills’ narrow scope of coverage and its inequitable matching-grant formula that often resulted in poorer states receiving the least amount of federal aid. With less than half the states opting to take part in the national health-care program at its peak, it was clear that Johnson’s â€Å"Great Society† was calling for new direction (Michigan State University, School of Social Work, 2004). What it received in Medicaid was a comprehensive replacement for all government health plans and the largest public assistance program in the nation. Historical Background of AIDS On June 5th, 1981, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an â€Å"unusual outbreak of Pneumocystis carini pneumonia among five gay men in Los Angeles.† Around the same time, an aggressive form of Kaposi sarcoma was reported in eight gay men in New York (AVERT.org, 2005). In the coming months, although health officials could not explain the sudden wave of opportunistic infections amongst gay males, the general public was calmed by the overriding theory that these incidents were simply a â€Å"gay plague† – nobody else could be infected. This naà ¯ve assumption was proven false, however, when cases of PCP began showing up in intravenous drug users in December of 1981 and the first documented case was reported in the United Kingdom (AVERT.org, 2005). By July of 1982, the number of recognized cases of this frightening illness had swelled to 453, in 23 states (AVERT.org, 2005). By August, the new disease was finally being called by an official name: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It was also alarmingly apparent that a much larger segment of the population was at risk than had previously been imagined. In December, a child contracted AIDS through a series of blood transfusions, and in early 1983, the first reports of heterosexual transmission began coming to light (AVERT.org, 2005). At the end of the year, the number of official AIDS cases in the U.S. was 3,064, and of these, 1,292 had died. About this time, reports depicting the new, fatal wasting disease were arriving steadily from Europe and Africa as well. The â€Å"gay plague† was now on its way to becoming an epidemic of world-wide proportions (AVERT.org, 2005). Overview of MEDICAID Medicaid is a jointly-financed, means-tested program of the federal and state governments wherein states administer benefits to eligible participants under a broader scope of federal guidelines. On the federal level, Medicaid is governed by the Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, which establishes the minimum requirements that states must adhere to in order to qualify for federal funding. In its current form, the federal government pays for 50 to 77 percent of all Medicaid spending, depending upon state capita income (Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 2005). Simply put, states containing the highest number of â€Å"qualified poor,† receive the highest rate of matching subsidies from the U.S. government. Federal Minimum Eligibility Requirements To meet the criteria for federal matching funds, states must provide services to people receiving â€Å"federally assisted income maintenance payments, as well as for related groups not receiving cash payments (Karger Stoesz, 2005, p.324).† Also known as the â€Å"categorically needy,† these related groups include: Individuals meeting the requirements for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program that were in effect in their State on July 16, 1996. Children under age 6 whose family income is at or below 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Pregnant women whose family income is below 133 percent of the FPL (services to these women are limited to those related to pregnancy, complications of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care). Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients in most States (some States use more restrictive eligibility requirements that pre-date SSI). Recipients of adoption or foster care assistance under Title IV of the Social Security Act. Special protected groups (typically individuals who lose their cash assistance due to earnings from work or from increased Social Security benefits, but who may keep Medicaid for a period of time). All children born after September 30, 1983 who are under age 19, in families with incomes at or below the FPL. Certain Medicare beneficiaries (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2004, December). Federal Minimum Service Requirements In addition to the socio-economic requirements mentioned above, federal policy also mandates a specific array of services that all states must offer in their Medicaid programs. Typical services include: Inpatient hospital services. Outpatient hospital services. Prenatal care. Vaccines for children. Physician services. Nursing facility services for persons aged 21 or older. Family planning services and supplies. Rural health clinic services. Home health care for persons eligible for skilled-nursing services. Laboratory and x-ray services. Pediatric and family nurse practitioner services. Nurse-midwife services. Federally qualified health-center (FQHC) services, and ambulatory services of an FQHC that would be available in other settings. Early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment (EPSDT) services for children under age 21 (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2004, December). Federally Sanctioned Optional Services Finally, there are 34 optional services that states can extend to recipients which also qualify for federal financial support. Some of the more popular benefits include: Prescription drugs and prosthetic devices. Clinic services. Diagnostic services. Optometrist services and eyeglasses. Nursing facility services for children under age 21 (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2004, December). It is essential to keep in mind that once the mandatory federal requirements have been met, states are then free to operate their programs according to their own discretionary rules and regulations. What this means is that states have the power to decide the duration, scope, and reimbursement rate of the medical services proffered in their specific plans. While the limits themselves must be non-discriminatory and sufficient enough to attain the goal of the medical benefit, the end result is a complex assortment of 56 different Medicaid programs operating throughout the U.S. – one for each state, territory and the District of Columbia (Almanac of Policy Issues, 2000). Breakdown of Medicaid Spending The 50 million recipients of Medicaid are generally broken down into four primary groups of people: Children, Adults, Seniors, and Persons with Disabilities. The 2003 statistical breakdown of Medicaid recipients is illustrated in the chart to the right (Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 2005). While it is quickly apparent that children and adults make up the lion’s share of the Medicaid population, it should be pointed out that these two groups account for just 31 percent of program spending. The largest expenditures, 69 percent, go to seniors and people with disabilities – of which the latter group includes people living with AIDS (Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 2005). The explanation behind this lopsided proportion of spending is generally attributed to seniors and people with disabilities’ â€Å"intensive use of costly acute and long-term care services (Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 2005, p. 1).† Dual Enrollees Over 7 million members of the Medicaid population are classified as â€Å"dual enrollees† or â€Å"dual eligibles (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, May).† In these circumstances, low-income Medicare beneficiaries are also enrolled in Medicaid. They rely on Medicaid to pay lofty Medicare premiums and co-payments as well as other benefits like prescription drugs and long-term care which are not covered at all. AIDS and Medicaid The AIDS Epidemic Today There are approximately 1 million people currently living with AIDS in the U.S., out of an estimated 1.5 million total infections since 1981. Forty thousand new cases are reported each year throughout the country – a number that has remained constant for the last 10 years. Unfortunately, reports indicate that 25 percent of those infected with HIV are unaware of their status despite attempts to promote national AIDS awareness along with early and frequent testing (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, December). Consequently, new cases are once again expected to rise, especially amongst higher-risk populations. Groups that share a higher risk for HIV infection are typically ethnic and racial minorities that include African Americans, Latinos, and to much lesser extent, Asian/Pacific Islanders. These same groups have experienced a disproportionate share of the illness since the beginning of the epidemic with African Americans bearing the brunt of the exposure. Today, minorities in the U.S. account for 71 percent of new AIDS cases while making up less than a third of the overall population (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, December). Gender and age play prominent roles in the spread of AIDS as well. On the gender scale, diagnoses amongst women have grown from 8 percent in 1985 to 27 percent in 2003, with women of color accounting for almost 70 percent of these new infections (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, December). Furthermore, latest reports reveal that AIDS is particularly active within the youthful segments of the population, who transmit the virus primarily through sexual relations. Currently, more than 50 percent of all new infections in the U.S. occur in those under the age of 25 (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, December). Women and minorities, once again, share the highest risk amongst this age bracket. Treating AIDS At the present time, it is widely-believed that AIDS is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which is transmitted via sexual activities; needle sharing; blood transfusions; and HIV-positive mothers to their children. Once introduced into a new individual, HIV then proceeds to devastate the body’s immune system, leaving the man, woman, or child extremely vulnerable to opportunistic infections. It is important to keep in mind that people do not die of AIDS, per say. Rather, they eventually succumb to infections or cancers such as pneumonia, Kaposi sarcoma, wasting syndrome, or tuberculosis (HIV InSite, 2004). In recent years, medical science has made significant strides in HIV/AIDS therapy with the discovery of a new class of anti-HIV drugs known as protease inhibitors. Also called â€Å"combination antiretroviral therapy,† or HAART, these drugs have helped to prolong the lives of many HIV-positive individuals by strengthening their immune systems and thereby delaying the onset of AIDS (San Francisco AIDS Foundation, 2005). It should be remembered, however, that HAART is only a treatment, not a cure for AIDS, and it does not work for everyone. Furthermore, the drug regimen is both mentally and physically demanding, has many negative side-effects, and can be prohibitively expensive. Insurance Analysis of the HIV/AIDS Population The only national study of people receiving care for HIV/AIDS, conducted by the HIV Cost and Services Study (HCSUS), revealed that almost 44 percent relied upon Medicaid for coverage. Of this study, another 31 percent held private insurance, while 20 percent had no insurance whatsoever (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, May). Uninsured members of the HIV/AIDS population were most likely relying on publicly-supported care providers like the Ryan White CARE Act clinics, the Veterans Health Administration, and community health centers. Racially, the HCSUS study observed that Medicaid played a much larger role for minority groups than it did for whites. Statistics revealed that 59 percent of African Americans and 50 percent of Latinos living with HIV/AIDS depended upon Medicaid as opposed to 32 percent of whites. Furthermore, the smallest percentage of uninsured was whites, at 17 percent, compared to 22 percent of African Americans and 20 percent of Latinos (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, May). On a gender basis, HCSUS found that 61 percent of women used Medicaid versus 39 percent of men. A probable explanation behind this disparity was reasoned to be that higher numbers of women tend to qualify for Medicaid as a result of pregnancy and dependent children (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, May). HIV/AIDS Spending Services The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimate that, in 2004, the federal government spent $5.4, or 3 percent, of the $176 billion in total Medicaid spending on HIV/AIDS care (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, December). These funds were paid out for a wide range of mandatory and optional services that included: Inpatient and outpatient hospital services. Physician and laboratory services. Long term care (nursing facilities and home health care for those entitled to nursing care). Prescription drugs Dental care. Clinic services. Case management. Hospice Care. Home and community-based services (HCBS) programs (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, December). Who Qualifies For Coverage? Most people living with HIV/AIDS become eligible for Medicaid because they meet the disability and income requirements of the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program for persons who are aged, blind or disabled. To qualify for SSI assistance, the current acceptable income level is about 75 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, May). While this may not seem unusual, further analysis reveals that there is, in fact, a â€Å"Catch-22† situation inherent to the system. Paradoxically, a person living with AIDS cannot gain access to benefits until he or she has physically deteriorated to â€Å"disabled† status – despite the existence of therapies that could prevent the disability in the first place. The consequences of this policy arrangement are such that it establishes an environment where recommended early care for someone diagnosed with AIDS often becomes unviable. In addition, a disincentive to work, or return to work, is created as individuals must weigh the possibility of losing their benefits against earning a paycheck and a life of some normalcy. At this point in time, there are several options being considered to address the inconsistencies in the Medicaid framework but none have been universally adopted as of yet. These include: Section 1115 waivers. Ticket to Work/Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 The Early Treatment for HIV Act (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, May). Thankfully, people living with AIDS, whose incomes are higher than the acceptable SSI threshold, are not completely without recourse. Some can qualify for Medicaid based upon their eligibility for other optional plans offered on a state-to-state basis. One such example is the medically needy program which is now available in 36 states in the U.S. (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, May). For those that meet the categorical requirements, like disability, the program allows them to â€Å"spend down† their incomes on medical expenses to meet the state’s income threshold. Thus, if a person’s income is $300 dollars over the acceptable income level but their medical bills are the same amount or higher, the individual will still qualify for Medicaid. States also have the option of raising the income eligibility standards of parents, children and pregnant women. In cases like these, the suitable poverty level percentage is raised to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) all the way to 300 percent, depending upon the participating state. States can also permit flexible methodologies for assessing earnings which can result in people with higher incomes retaining their Medicaid status (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, May). Such practices are especially significant for HIV-positive pregnant women who would otherwise be unable to afford expensive HAART drugs and could put their unborn children at risk. In a similar fashion, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 gives states the power to make exceptions for elderly and disabled people with incomes up to 100 percent of the FPL. Individuals who fall under this â€Å"poverty level expansion† category enjoy full Medicaid benefits as long as they live in one of the 19 states currently making use of this option (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, May). Looking Forward As concern for the HIV/AIDS epidemic has entered the mainstream social consciousness over the past 25 years, there is no social welfare program where this sensitivity is reflected more than on the face of Medicaid. Medicaid today receives 29 percent of the federal governments’ entire expenditure on HIV/AIDS and, consequently, it is no longer the death knell it once represented for the poor in the U.S. (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, May). However, with more people living with AIDS then ever before and infections amongst low-income groups rising, major revisions to Medicaid are necessary in order to meet the challenges that lie ahead. 1. The Medicaid eligibility requirements must be altered to eliminate the Catch-22 predicament that stalls treatment options for too many people living with AIDS. It is absolutely vital to remember that while legislation is pending and options are being weighed and considered, access to Medicaid is a matter of life and death for potential recipients with AIDS. Moreover, studies indicate that early treatment with HAART drugs can reduce overall healthcare spending when compared to costly inpatient hospital services for acute care (Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, 2003). So why must people be forced to wait until their sickness disables them before they can be saved? In a country that stresses prevention and prophylactic methods as part of its national AIDS awareness campaign, it makes very little sense (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005). 2. Another problem that must be addressed is the issue surrounding Medicaid patients with HIV/AIDS who are entering or returning to the workforce. To provide Medicaid coverage and then yank it away at the penultimate point – when they return to work – is both insidious and â€Å"un-American,† to apply a capitalist perspective to the situation. From a capitalist point of view, more people in the workforce allegedly create a â€Å"trickle-down economy,† where all classes benefit from the profits being added to the Gross National Product. So why would the system provide disincentives to work? If AIDS recipients lose their Medicaid benefits as soon as they begin to earn a little money, they are then faced with what is in essence a â€Å"Sophie’s Choice† between good health and the glimmer of financial independence. Couple this dilemma with the fact that the Federal Poverty Level is a totally unrealistic measure of the cost of living, and the current income ranges allowable by Medicaid take on farcical proportions. What is more, these arguments exist aside from the prevailing moral issue that revolves around true quality of life. The system should not exist to prop people up and then remove their support when the prospect of a normal, healthy life draws near. Living with AIDS should never be the primary focus for anyone. The ability to pursue a rich and natural life should be the goal. 3. The variation in state Medicaid programs across the country also creates a technical morass for people living with HIV/AIDS. Because there is no universal standard for Medicaid care in the U.S., the range of benefits recipients receive can widely fluctuate from state to state. What this means is that many people with HIV/AIDS cannot afford to move around the country for fear of losing benefits that are not offered in another state. A tangential effect of this problem is that potential career opportunities in other areas of the country cannot be explored either. Finally, if the person living with AIDS happens to live in a less-generous Medicaid state, often times the individual must rely on other alternative programs or just forgo necessary services altogether. 4. For the long term, the issue that poses the single, greatest threat to Medicaid and its AIDS recipients is the ever-looming possibility of federal budget cuts. In his 2006 Budget Proposal, President Bush recommended only flat funding for a variety of AIDS programs as well as $18 million in cuts to the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program and the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (The Body, 2005). On top of these cutbacks, the budget also called for an incredible $45 billion reduction in overall Medicaid spending over the next 10 years. While such drastic cuts may seem unfathomable given the enormity of the problems Medicaid programs face, it is important to remember the prevailing social hegemony that has been in place since the Reagan administration. Twenty-six years ago, President Ronald Reagan initiated a new slate of economic policies specifically aimed at â€Å"Starving the Beast,† which in turn, effectively crippled the social welfare state to pre-New Deal levels. Little has changed today. Like his predecessor, President Bush has also increased the defense budget, allotted huge tax cuts for the wealthy, and run up an unprecedented national debt. The end result is a strained fiscal climate where social service agencies like Medicaid are typically the first to feel dramatic pinches in funding. While the Senate did elect to restore the proposed cuts on March 17th, 2005, the House of Representatives voted the opposite way, leaving the matter unresolved and the future financial plans for Medicaid in balance. This is a very haphazard way for the wealthiest country in the world to care for some of the sickest members of its population. Indeed, this â€Å"nickel and dime† approach could later prove to be a financial juggernaut as former Medicaid AIDS patients, victimized by budget cuts, require expensive inpatient and acute medical care at the end of their lives. As Ernest Hopkins, the director of federal affairs at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, laments, How can the president call for an improved response to the epidemic but then cut or under fund the programs that are absolutely critical to achieving this goal†¦ Rhetoric without action is disingenuous (2005).† References Almanac of Policy Issues. (2000, September). Medicaid: A Program Overview. Retrieved July 11, 2005, from policyalmanac.org/health/archive/ hhs_medicaid.shtml AVERT.org, (2005, July). The History of AIDS, 1981-1986. Retrieved July 11, 2005, from avert.org/his81_86.htm Body, The: The Complete HIV/AIDS Resource. (2005, February 8). Bush FY 2006 Budget Proposal. Retrieved July 11, 2005, from thebody.com/ kaiser/ 2005/feb8_05/budget_hiv.html Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2005, June 21). A Glance at the HIV/AIDS Epidemic. Retrieved July 10, 2005, from cdc.gov/hiv/PUBS/Facts/At-A-Glance.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2005, June 21). Prevention. Retrieved July 10, 2005, from cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/faqs.htm#general Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2004, December 3). Medicaid: A Brief Summary. Retrieved July 10, 2005, from cms.hhs.gov/publications/ overview-medicare-medicaid/default4.asp Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2004, January). Medicaid and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection. Retrieved July 10, 2005, from cms.hhs.gov/hiv/hivfs.asp Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2004, December). The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States. Menlo Park, CA. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2004, May). Financing HIV/AIDS Care: A Quilt With Many Holes. Washington, D.C. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2004, September). Medicaid and HIV/AIDS. Menlo Park, CA. HIVInSite. (2004, September). What are HIV and AIDS? Retrieved July 11, 2005, from http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/hiv?page=basics-00-01 Johns Hopkins AIDS Service. (2004). Medicaid Overview: Basic Program. Retrieved July 11, 2005, from hopkins-aids.edu/manage/medicaid.html Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. (2005, January). The Medicaid Program at a Glance. Washington, D.C. Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. (2003, August). Medicaid’s Role for People with Disabilities. Washington, D.C. Karger, H. J., Stoesz, D. (2005). American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Michigan State University, School of Social Work. (2004). Medicaid Primer. East Lansing, Michigan. Retrieved July 10, 2005, from ssc.msu.edu/ ~sw/student_res/medicaid/medicaid_primer_intro.pdf San Francisco Aids Foundation. (2005, February 15). Treatment Information. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved July 11, 2005, from sfaf.org/treatment/ Research Papers on The Impact of AIDS on Medicaid - Nursing Research PaperArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Influences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesTwilight of the UAWMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThe Effects of Illegal Immigration19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andHip-Hop is ArtGenetic Engineering

Virgin Atlantic Airways Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Virgin Atlantic Airways - Essay Example Specifically, the increased research and utilization of renewable energy as a fuel source as a method of attaining progress will be detailed in this case study of Virgin Atlantic Airways. 2. To learn biographical information on one airline company, in particular, Virgin Atlantic Airways, in the discussion of its creation, its creator Richard Branson, and the values that the brand strives to embody. 3. To learn of the innovative ideas, techniques, and implementations that Virgin Atlantic has brought to the airline industry in regards to all facets of the company’s operations, especially in the area of guest satisfaction, including an in-depth discussion of the features of the airline that cater to providing an optimal, luxe, pre, in, and post-flight environment. 4. To understand how Virgin Atlantic and its procedures and offerings have allowed it to remain a profitable venture alongside failing airline companies in times of financial downturns with a look at the financial numbers that the company has released to the public, especially in the past few years. 5. To gain a look at the varying perspectives of those who have utilized Virgin Atlantic’s services as to the strengths and weaknesses of the company through differing eyes, including reviews by customers, critics, and analysts, and those involved directly in its operations. 6. To learn of future innovative implementations that Virgin Atlantic hopes to bring to the table as an airline, and continue to establish its niche among profitable ventures in the industry by reviewing releases from the company as to its goals for the next year and beyond.

What are the implications for the implementation of justice of the Essay

What are the implications for the implementation of justice of the unintended impact of the criminal justice process on ethnic minority people - Essay Example There are several issues that arise in coping with this problem. On the one hand, faith in the criminal justice system can be only restored if the members of the public achieve a level of confidence in the law enforcement process and its results. However, this confidence is being undermined, which has resulted in increased insecurity and sterner measures which are even more ineffective. Part of the reason for this may be seen in the imbalances that exist within the current judicial and law enforcement system as it exists in the UK today. The current composition of the common public has changed drastically from the way it was in the post World War II era. There has been a steady influx of immigrants from Asian and Afro-Caribbean countries as a result of which minority representation in the population is higher and the society has become multi cultural and multi ethnic. There is also a higher representation of female members of the community in the work force and in the criminal justice system. However, to counter balance this, there has been no corresponding rise in representation of these minorities and women in the law enforcement field and in the judicial arena which is still predominantly white and male. As a result, racism and prejudice have been noted within the criminal justice process which have proved detrimental to the interests of the minority communities and created imbalances by pushing a larger proportion of minority community members behind bars. The result of such increased incarceration is that members of the minority public lose their faith in the law enforcement system. An individual who has not been treated fairly by police officers nor given a fair verdict in the Courts as compared to his white contemporaries is likely to emerge bitter and mistrusting. Thus, while a prison sentence is intended to reform an individual and ensure that he or he does not slip back into a life of crime,

Bus 415 How does tort law impact consumers and businesses Essay

Bus 415 How does tort law impact consumers and businesses - Essay Example Despite the creation of tort law, as we know it today, there are many individuals in society who believe that businesses are unfairly targeted by malicious civil cases by consumers looking for a quick (and unjustified) buck. The outcomes of tort cases can have significant impacts on the average consumer, as what might be interpreted as frivolous lawsuit payouts are often passed back to the consumer in the form of retail price increases or the addition of various service fees. Why is this done? Businesses who are forced, by an active judgment, to pay out large sums of money to consumers for any variety of wrongdoing usually attempt to recapture these lost revenues by adding additional costs to the consumer. However, in many instances, it would appear that the consumers who bring up a lawsuit against a business actually do have a very valid case by which to provide evidence that a wrongdoing has occurred. First, it has been said that the only real responsibility of todays American businesses are to earn profit and satisfy the stakeholder and shareholder (Nickels, McHugh & McHugh, 2005). Under this assumption, a business which is unable to provide ample profit due to excessive tort payouts, would obviously not be providing this social responsibility to its investors. How, then, does the business maintain profitability when its revenues are paid out to alleged greedy consumers looking to make a fast buck? Most interesting is the well-known case of the old lady who sued McDonalds for burns received by a hot cup of coffee. In this case, the woman received burns to 6% of her body after spilling the contents of her styrofoam cup on her inner thighs and genital regions. After much professional scrutiny, it was determined that McDonalds did not carry ample warning information on their coffee to-go cups and that they had further experienced over 700 complaints from other

Independent Electoral Commission in South Africa

Independent Electoral Commission in South Africa Introduction The Independent Electoral Commission is a permanent body established by the country’s constitution to promote and organize a well democracy election in a Country. This particular essay will be based on South Africa Independent Electoral Commission and how the management of the organization will perform, Will focus on the challenges that the management of Independent Electoral commission might come across to manage during this forthcoming election. The Independent Electoral Commission was temporary established in 1993 and has five administrators appointed by the president. The president is brief to deliver a free and fair election at all the spheres of government both provincial and local. In 17 of October 1996 the permanent Electoral Commission was established with objectives to maintain and compile the voters’ roll. The Independent Electoral Commission is responsible for counting the vote, verifying, and declaring the results of an election. Functions of the Independent Electoral Commission: Maintaining and compiling a register of parties Promote conditions for free and fair elections. undertaking and promoting research into electoral matters The Independent Electoral Commission ensure that elections run smoothly To manage elections at all spheres of government The Independent Electoral Commission ensure elections are free and fair To promote voter education To maintain quality database of the electorate To be a reputable effective organization Now let take a look at some values that Independent Electoral Commission has. Some VALUES that the IEC possess: Accountability: The Independent Electoral Commission is responsible for the efficient use of resources, production of true election related documents like voter’s rolls and reports. Publish accurate election results. Now in terms of productivity, The Independent Electoral Commission must all provide quality services Productivity: Timeously Satisfactorily Cost effectively Independence: The Independent Electoral Commission takes decisions without fear and liking of a particular party. Impartiality: The Independent Electoral Commission must always be neutral when serving the country during election. Professionalism: The Independent Electoral Commission organizes its business within the confines of the legal. Commitment: The Independent Electoral Commission is committed to fulfill the needs of the election to the best of its abilities. Transparency: The Independent Electoral Commission believes that the must be a free and fair competition between political parties and transparent electoral processes. The Independent Electoral Commission only gets active after every 5 years of the election cycle whereby the have to start organizing and prepare for another election year. The forthcoming election will be held in 7 of May 2014 and the question to ask will be if the Independent Electoral Commission management is ready to run the election smoothly and ready to face all the challenges that come along. All organizations need time to plan and manage the event and the election is one of the biggest events and it draws the attention of many. Management will face many challenges that the organization will come across, therefore the Independent Electoral Commission must be ready beforehand. The following are some of the management sectors of the Independent Electoral Commission and some challenges this sectors might come across to during election period. The financial function The Human Resource function The Information Technology function Financial Function The Independent Electoral Commission receives financial support from parliamentary appropriations according to the Electoral Act 51. The Independent Electoral Commission Chief is the accounting officer and is responsible for keeping all the accounting and financial record. The Independent Electoral Commission Chief makes sure that both accounting and financial records are audited by the Auditor General. The Independent Electoral Commission finance department is one of the biggest, but one of most challenging departments to manage during this period and with the country being financially challenged this makes it even more daunting task. With Independent Electoral Commission only getting active during election time, that might affect the finance department not being more prepared due to lack of well preparation time, not everything will run smoothly financially but with good planning the Independent Electoral Commission can face these issues. Let have look on some financial points: Financial Planning The Independent Electoral Commission management needs to ensure that enough funding is available at the right time to meet the entire requirement needed during the election time. The funding may be needed to invest in equipment that will be needed during election, pay employees, but with the Independent Electoral Commission being significantly active only during the election time this will lead to some issues on how to plan financially without considering how much will be needed to spend on all the assets. On the financial planning side the Independent Electoral Commission will face some issues like on registration of new voters which cannot be planned by focusing on the previous election. New voters have to get registered so that the Independent Electoral Commission can financially plan well in advance about the number of voting stations and where they should be situated. Financial Control The Financial Control for the Independent Electoral Commission as an organization is very important to help the organization to ensure that the Election preparation meet its objectives. Financial Decision-making The Independent Electoral Commission can plan to a certain extent on how much funds the organization would need for the forthcoming election, the amount of fund needed cannot be well decided as there are always financing alternatives that can be consider as we approach the election day. Human Resource functions The Human resource management in the Independent Electoral Commission organization is primarily concerned with the way people are managed within the organization policies system. The Human resources are responsible for some activities in the organization, activities such as recruitment, training and development etc†¦ The functions that Independent Electoral Commission human resources carries: Manpower Planning This particular point include the future planning and finding out the numbers of employees will be needed during the Election Day and what types of skills should the employee have. The Independent Electoral Commission Human resources management having to start getting active only during the election period this will have some challenges by recruiting the correct staff prior to the Election Day. Recruitment The Independent Electoral Commission Human resources must make sure to recruit the best people for the organization during the election. This will be of great significance as the success of the organization will be based on the quality of employees recruited. The Independent Electoral Commission human resources still busy recruiting employee two weeks before the Election Day. This will prove how the recruitment and selection in this department, they will definitely face some few challenges to manage the employees and to do a well prepared selection of candidates needed to assist the voters on the election day. Training The Independent Electoral Commission Human resource department must provide the required training to the employees of the organization, in order to improve on the materials being used during the election days and to be well prepared to assist voters regards to any queries that comes along on the day. The Independent Electoral Commission Human resource has less time to recruit the well skilled employees. This will have influences on the Election Day when it comes to assisting the voters with any queries. Employees that are being placed two days or a week before the election without being well trained, this can cause some problems on that day of the election. Implementing policies in The Organization The Independent Electoral Commission Human resource department must make sure that the organization policies are being implemented in a good manner. The Independent Electoral Commission having to recruit some of the employees at the latest stage of the Election period, and these employees will have some difficulties on how to implement the organizations policies and some of the rules that’s needed during the election. The Information Technology function The IEC Information technology department has the responsibility of dealing with all the issues regarding the technological side during the election. The objective of Information Technology department in the Independent Electoral Commission is to provide all the technical support to the whole organization. The department is responsible for all the materials running on the election that includes the setting up of voting stations in all the areas needed, installing telecommunication facilities and setting up all the hardware needed to link each and every voting station. The Independent Electoral Commission however will face some issues during the Election Day due to lack of preparation on the Information Technology department, having to install and do all the setup needed on that day. Some function of the Independent Electoral Commission Information Technology management during the election and some issue that the organization might face due to lack of time. Helpdesk The helpdesk side of the organization will be responsible to respond to request for technical assistance in person, and via the phone or remotely. Employees have to be computer literate with the devices they are going to use, but with the recruitment still in progress few days before election, employees might struggle with some programs that Independent Electoral Commission uses because of lack of well training time on the materials. Desktop and LAN To perform analysis, diagnosis, and resolution of desktop and LAN problems for end users. The Independent Electoral Commission Information Technology management will collaborate with network and systems administrator to ensure efficient operation of desktop computing environment during the election. The Independent Electoral Commission only getting active during the election, the organization will face some issues on how the department will install, configure, test, maintain, and monitor workstations, LAN assets, related hardware and software in order to deliver required services on the Election Day. Information Technology Site Management The Independent Electoral Commission Information Technology management is responsible for providing support to ensure that voters are all satisfy on the Election Day. The department is also responsible for all desktop support and maintenance related to local area hardware and LAN software. Within fewer weeks to go to the Election Day, the Independent Electoral Commission Information Technology management will have to work under pressure to make sure that all the materials run and work smoothly. The Independent Electoral Commission Information Technology management will face some challenges on how to handle more than 100 voting station plus the employee that will need some training on the materials being used so that everything can run smoothly regards to the Technical materials, hardware and software side that’s needed before the election day. Systems Security Administration The Independent Electoral Commission Information Technology management are responsible for the processes during election by providing appropriate access to and ensuring the availability, confidentiality and integrity of the organization. The Information Technology management is responsible for managing and supervising the execution and use of security measures to protect the Information Technology resources and data during the Election Day. The Independent Electoral Commission recruitment for employees still on the process within few weeks to go to the Election Day and this can have some issues on the security side of the organization. Employing staff two days or week before the Election Day without being well trained on how to respect the integrity of the organization as well as the election itself. Conclusion Over the past 20 years the Independent Electoral Commission has had various challenges to deal with from taking South Africa into a democracy and now in to its bright future. In the past the Independent Electoral Commission dealt with many violent incidences during election times, now we are moving towards out 5th Election and judging from the past it seems like South African citizen’s or voters are not fighting but rather working at making South Africa a better place. Many people are becoming more and more proactive at their in respective political parties. The Independent Electoral Commission can be thanked for this, as it is today there are so many political parties running in the election. This is very interesting to see how the country develops and how the Independent Electoral Commission deals with a new kind of challenge by dealing with all the new parties and the more people interested in voting. In conclusion, to produce a successful Election it demand more preparation based on the various department in the Independent Electoral Commission organization. The Independent Electoral Commission in order to produce a well organize Election, they will need to be more prepare in all departments in advanced, so that they can face less issues as we closer to the Election Day, on the Election Day and during the counting of the votes.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay: The Young Lovers -- Midsummer Nights

The Young Lovers of A Midsummer Night’s Dream  Ã‚      For the proper view of the plight of the young lovers of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we should look to other characters in the play. We are invited to sympathize with their situation, but to see as rather ridiculous the posturing to which it leads. This is evident in their language which is often highly formal in use of rhetorical devices, and in Lysander's and Hermia's generalizing of "the course of true love" (the "reasons" they give why love does not "run smooth" clearly do not refer to their own particular problems: they are not "different in blood", nor mismatched "in respect of years"). Pyramus and Thisbe is not only Shakespeare's parody of the work of other playwrights but also a mock-tragic illustration of Lysander's famous remark. This is evident in a number of similarities to the scenes in the Dream in which the young lovers are present.    Before the play begins, and at its end, as Demetrius loves Helena, we see two happy couples; but Demetrius' loss of love for Helena (arising from, or leading to, his infatuation with Hermia) disturbs the equilibrium. That Demetrius really does re-discover his love for Helena in the wood (as opposed to continuing merely in a dotage induced by the juice of love-in-idleness) is clear from his speech on waking. Unlike his "goddess, nymph, divine" outburst, this defence of his love and repentance for his infatuation with Hermia (likened to a sickness) is measured and persuasive. The critic who objects to the absence of any stage direction for the giving to Demetrius of Dian's bud, the antidote to Cupid's flower, can be answered thus: in a performance, the audience is not likely to detect the omission; we may supp... ...mbered but, in its many confusions (changes of desire, seeming betrayals, quarrels, voices from nowhere) thought of as a dream. This view is anticipated by the pair of six-line stanzas spoken by Helena and Hermia at the end of Act 3. Each is a moving expression of despair and resignation (though Helena's "O weary night, O long and tedious night" has a hint of Pyramus's "O grim-looked night, O night with hue so black!" about it. If Puck hints at how we are to see the lovers in the wood, Theseus is able, in the final act, to articulate our happiness at the comic resolution: "Joy, gentle friends, joy and fresh days of love/Accompany your hearts", while we inwardly endorse the fairies' blessing and Oberon's promise that the lovers' "issue" shall "ever...be fortunate", the couples "ever true in loving". We rejoice to see Lysander's pessimistic utterance contradicted.    A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay: The Young Lovers -- Midsummer Night's The Young Lovers of A Midsummer Night’s Dream  Ã‚      For the proper view of the plight of the young lovers of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we should look to other characters in the play. We are invited to sympathize with their situation, but to see as rather ridiculous the posturing to which it leads. This is evident in their language which is often highly formal in use of rhetorical devices, and in Lysander's and Hermia's generalizing of "the course of true love" (the "reasons" they give why love does not "run smooth" clearly do not refer to their own particular problems: they are not "different in blood", nor mismatched "in respect of years"). Pyramus and Thisbe is not only Shakespeare's parody of the work of other playwrights but also a mock-tragic illustration of Lysander's famous remark. This is evident in a number of similarities to the scenes in the Dream in which the young lovers are present.    Before the play begins, and at its end, as Demetrius loves Helena, we see two happy couples; but Demetrius' loss of love for Helena (arising from, or leading to, his infatuation with Hermia) disturbs the equilibrium. That Demetrius really does re-discover his love for Helena in the wood (as opposed to continuing merely in a dotage induced by the juice of love-in-idleness) is clear from his speech on waking. Unlike his "goddess, nymph, divine" outburst, this defence of his love and repentance for his infatuation with Hermia (likened to a sickness) is measured and persuasive. The critic who objects to the absence of any stage direction for the giving to Demetrius of Dian's bud, the antidote to Cupid's flower, can be answered thus: in a performance, the audience is not likely to detect the omission; we may supp... ...mbered but, in its many confusions (changes of desire, seeming betrayals, quarrels, voices from nowhere) thought of as a dream. This view is anticipated by the pair of six-line stanzas spoken by Helena and Hermia at the end of Act 3. Each is a moving expression of despair and resignation (though Helena's "O weary night, O long and tedious night" has a hint of Pyramus's "O grim-looked night, O night with hue so black!" about it. If Puck hints at how we are to see the lovers in the wood, Theseus is able, in the final act, to articulate our happiness at the comic resolution: "Joy, gentle friends, joy and fresh days of love/Accompany your hearts", while we inwardly endorse the fairies' blessing and Oberon's promise that the lovers' "issue" shall "ever...be fortunate", the couples "ever true in loving". We rejoice to see Lysander's pessimistic utterance contradicted.   

Miss Brill Essay

â€Å"Miss Brill† is a short story published in1922, in which Katherine Mansfield, the author gives great insight into how isolated individuals can begin to twist their perception of the world around them, eventually leading them to unintentionally contradict their loneliness and causing their false perception of the world to collapse and become estranged. Miss Brill, the main character is a middle-aged, unmarried English teacher who lives by herself in an apartment in France. Miss Brill owns a treasured fur which she wears around her neck every Sundays at three o’clock when she goes to the park. The lonely foreigner strolls around the park and has become quite an expert at eavesdropping on other people’s conversations while creating artificial connections or relationships with the people around her. The short story focuses on one particular Sunday afternoon where Miss Brill is forced to step out of her delusions and face reality after her illusions were shattere d by the remarks of a young couple. In the story Katherine Mansfield uses conscious narrative to allow readers to know so much about the main character through the main character’s thoughts and perception of other characters. By doing this, the readers get a complete characterization of Miss Brill, the main character through the responses and emotions that result from other character’s conversations or actions. A good example of that would be when Miss Brill suddenly realized that the people who sat at the bench next to her all seemed odd, silent and old which ironically reflects on her situation although she does not see it at them time. According to short stories for students, â€Å"Miss Brill is told in a third-person, stream of consciousness narrative, a common device in Mansfield’s works which serves to heighten the story’s psychological acuity and perceptive characterization. Though narrative is in third person, the stream of consciousness technique allows the reader full access to nothing but Miss Brill’s thoughts.† This shows us that the point of view is extremely critical to our understanding of Miss Brill’s character and what she is all about. At the beginning, readers perceive Miss Brill’s excitement and mood as pleasant when she describes the blissful weather and her surroundings. â€Å"Although it was so brilliantly fine-the blue sky p owered with gold and great spots of light like wine splashed over the Jardins Publiques  Ã¢â‚¬â€œMiss Brill was glad that she had decided on her fur†. At this point conclusions can be drawn that the fur is somewhat connected to its owner because they are both advanced in age and live in a â€Å"dark room or cupboard† where they get to come out of every Sunday. In the first few paragraphs readers get the sense that Miss Brill is quite pleased and satisfied with her current lifestyle and readers also comprehend that Miss Brill has indeed found a way to compensate for her solitude by sitting in on other people’s lives. We can articulate for sure that Miss Brill is delusional when she refers to herself as an actress in a fantasized play. Miss Brill believes that she somehow serves a purpose when she goes to the park every Sunday and if she did not show up for her role someone would notice. This fantasy is abruptly cut short when a young couple insults her and brings her back to reality. One critic, Robert L. Hull argues that Miss Brill’s world is more than lonely: he claims that it is also an existential world in which she finds herself in complete solitude estranged from God, man, and importantly from herself. The critic goes on and states that the primary theme of â€Å"Miss Brill† is that of estrangement, estrangement f rom love, which Mansfield admits in a letter to John Middleton that it was the primary reason for writing Miss Brill. I completely agree with Robert and I think that Miss Brill was not just lonely, her life made no meaning whatsoever. In a traumatic conclusion, Miss Brill’s life was changed drastically from that one encounter with the young couple. She will never be the same again after that day; the young couple did more than just hurt her feelings, in a way they took away her innocence. To Miss Brill the Sunday the outings was more than just eavesdropping at other people or being noisy, it was the one harmless thing that made her happy, sort of like a guilty pleasure. Finally, Mansfield leaves the readers wondering what would happen next to Miss Brill, would she continue with her normal Sunday routine or was she so traumatized that she wouldn’t dare go back to the park. Works Cited Hull L. Robert â€Å"Alienation in â€Å"Miss Brill†, in studies in short fiction, Vol. V No.1, Fall 1967, pp 74-6 Murry J. Middleton, The Letters of Katherine Mansfield, Knopf, 1930 Wilson Kathleen Ed, â€Å"Miss Brill† Short Stories for Students, Vol.2. Detroit: Gale, 1997, 132 145, Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 19 Sept.2014 Miss Brill, A Character Analysis. 123HelpMe.com. 19 Sep 2014 http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=110412 Nordquist, Richard â€Å"Miss Brill’s fragile fantasy† http://grammar.about.com. Wood Michael Kerry â€Å"The short fiction Mastery of Katherine Mansfield as seen in Miss† www.humanities360.com. Published: July 30, 2009 Scarlett Velveteen â€Å"Characterization of â€Å"Miss Brill† by Katherine Mansfield†http://www.teenink.com 16 Sept 2014

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington essays

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington essays The film Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (dir. Frank Capra, 1939) emphasizes honesty verses falsehood. Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) has great honor and he upholds his integrity. Smith is always in constant danger because he lets his honesty take over. Fallacy and lies manipulate Smiths integrity to achieve their purposes. Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold) and Senator Paine (Claude Rains) play great harm to Smith in the film. Taylor sharply utter, Ill break him so wide open theyll never be able to find the pieces. Taylor is an overall evil person that only cares about himself and his goals. He would destroy a person reputation or a thing to accomplish his objectives. Mr. Smith stands in the way of Taylors goals. Taylor and his partner, Senator Paine, use lies to corrupt Smith. They told the Senate that Smiths bill to build a boys camp is for his own profit. Smiths signature is sign on documents that Smith never saw before and Taylor knows who truly sign the documents. Smith main weapon is his honesty. At the end of the film, honesty prevails over falsehood. One of the Senators expresses his admiration for Smiths sincerity, But most of us feel that no man who wasnt sincere could stage a fight like this against these impossible odds. Smith came into the Senate not knowing such evil that could tear a person apart. He never let the lies and false statements break his spirit that is yearning for truth. A statement exclaim by Saunders, Smiths secretary,, Now youve been living in a boys world, Jeff, and for heavens sakes, stay there. Inside the mind of Smith, he is still a little boy but he has honesty. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington emphasizes honesty verses falsehood. Honesty triumphs over falsehood at the end of the film. Smith lets his honesty scuffle against Taylor and Paine false statements and lies. Smith does not surrender and he...

Cry The Beloved Country Essays (703 words) - Cry, Free Essays

Cry The Beloved Country Essays (703 words) - Cry, Free Essays Cry The Beloved Country 1. This of course is an ever-popular book report book because it is so essential. That is why I chose it. 2. Stephen Kumalos village of Ndotsheni, on the east coast of Africa, is the setting of this novel. 3. Cry the beloved country, by Alan Paton, is a book which tells the story of how James Jarvis, a wealthy estate owner who, because of his own busy life, had to learn of the social degradation in South Africa through the death of his only son. If Arthur Jarvis had never been killed, James Jarvis would never have been educated by his sons writings. One of the first things that James learns of his son, and his views, he learns in Arthurs' room. In reading his writings, James finds that Arthur would have risked anything to help other people, and ended up doing just that. James finds that his son was well researched on the problems of their society, and was interested in helping the development of the social structure in South Africa. From the pictures of Jesus and Lincoln on his wall, James discovered the admiration Arthur had for these two men. These were men of action, who showed love for their friends, and at the same time, their enemies. These two men suffered and died for their beliefs, as did Arthur in a way, this is showing Arthurs' father what a great man his son was by comparison, and similarity to others. This revelation shows Arthurs concern for humanity. After the discovery of his sons views through all of his writings, James begins to realize the problem, and starts to think of the problems of others before his own. Following his sons Death and the acquaintance of Stephen, James donates 1000 pounds to the African boys club. Jarvis is not just giving gifts in memory of his son, or just to give, but giving those who need help ways to help themselves. When James gave the money to the club, he didn't just decide to give it to them, but knew that if he gave it, the club would use it to improve the countrys condition. In all of his donations, James uses t his subtle method to emancipate the blacks. Using his sons views again, James decides to do something about Kumalos' village, which is falling apart. This task is a fairly large one. He first provides milk for the village kids, who only have warm water to drink, and then he builds a church. The rain in Ndotsheni is a bit of foreshadowing of hope for The village, and maybe of what is to come. Through James' education, we learn the similarities between Mr. Jarvis and Kumalo. When we first meet Jarvis, the setting is much the same as when we met Stephen. They both live in the farming areas of South Africa, and they share the love for the land, and what is in their lives. They each are married with one son who they know nothing about, and both are forced to come to terms with the guilt of the whites by the same occurrence. After they both lose their sons, they have a need to understand them, although all that is left are the memories. They each learn of the problems in South Africa Thro ugh their sons, and after the realization, they both try to do Something to improve the social, and racial differences which plague Johannesburg. 4. Stephen Kumalo is a native priest who attempts to reconstruct the disintegrating tribe and his own family. He gains a great awareness of many facets of life by going on a journey. He is a humble person. James Jarvis is a wealthy landowner whose son is murdered. Msimangu is a parish priest in the city who unselfishly helps Stephen, and who wrote Kumalo about Gertrudes plight. 5. I would have better explained the title. 6. When the son dies, because it was so dramatic. 7. This book is about human nature. How racial views can affect other people in different ways. 8. I would cast Sean Connery as Kamulo, Matt Damon as Msimangu, and Scrooge as James Jarvis. 9. The Beloved Country 10. 8

Rights Affecting the Restaurant and House Essay

Rights Affecting the Restaurant and House - Essay Example The tenants are in fact the ones who have been enjoying possession of the property. J has then to note that J's continued failure to take possession of the property may prevent him from claiming ownership of it now. What he ought to establish is whether there is any current dispute between J and his former tenants. 1 (2) Right to enforce the covenants- The neighbour N has the right over the covenants that he had agreed between himself and J, the property owner. The covenant was that the whole premises were never to be used for the sale of food and drinks. But now, J together with her husband, it has converted the shop into an Italian restaurant, whose purpose it to sell foods and drinks. The general rule of covenants is that, they run with property i.e. each person in possession of the property at different time is entitled to enforce the covenant as that one before him. The covenant does not cease to exist with the exit of one tenant of A enters into covenant with B and B later sells the property to C, C has a right to enforce the covenants with A even though he was not privy to the contract that gave rise to the covenant. In this respect therefore it is important for J to recognize and respect N's rights over the covenant. He cannot lawfully carry out the business of running a hotel/ restaurant. 2 (3) Ri(3) Right to non-conveyance of a registered owner: - Any person who has registered his title over his property needs not to prove conveyance. Conveyance is the act of transferring title/ interest of property from one person to another. However, for this to happen he must claim title by adverse possession and also satisfy the chief land registrar. Technical difficulties can be overlooked by the Land Boss. P then ought to know that it is possible for J to have innocently possessed the households fraudulently because of these simple procedures through registration. If this would however be realized at a later stage, difficulties would be experienced in case the property is to be re - transferred. But if in case P incurs losses in the transaction he is entitled to be indemnified by the Land Registry. However, for him to succeed he must have acted in good faith i.e. without knowledge of the defects in title If title to both restaurant premises and the house had remained unregistered, restrictive covenants can be enforced in equity against J. they will still bind P. But conveyance might not be automatic to P because J may be perceived not to be having a better title of the freehold property - The principle of nemo dat quod non habet i.e. "You cannot sell what you don't have". But before the equity principles came into play, purchases of such property could not enjoy such rights as the right to enforce restrictive covenants. (4) Restrictive covenant on leased property: - There is a restrictive covenant between J and T that T that T should lease the above for 5 years. By letting P expand the restaurant onto the first floor of the property, J would be going against her earlier agreements with T. P cannot therefore legally succeed in evicting T as the covenant/ agreement between J and T binds him as well. For variation of the terms of a lease to be effective, a notice must be given which should be forwarded to the chief Land Registrar. And until such a step is taken by J, the variation of terms and

Nursing and health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nursing and health care - Essay Example angles. The American Thoracic Society Quality of Life Resource defines it to be an individual's ability to perform normal daily activities to meet basic needs to fulfill usual domestic and social roles (Leidy, N.K., 1994) and maintain health and well-being appropriate for age that subsumes into functional capacity and functional performance (Wilson, I.B., Cleary, P.D., 1995).Functional Performance: Functional performance, hence, is related to physical activities of daily living, simply assessed by self-report. Functional status can be influenced by biological and physiological impairment, symptoms, mood, and other factors like socioeconomic parameters. It is likely to be modified by the patient's health perceptions, for example, a person who thinks himself ill will have a poor functional status as measured by performance. Functional status is an aspect of health, and it is, in turn an aspect of useful, active life, and that becomes a problematic area in the elderly or geriatric age group.WONCA: In the perception of the World Organization of General Practice and Family Physicians (WONCA), it represents actual performance level or capacity to perform both in the sense of self-care or being able to fulfill a task or role at a given moment during a given period. The WONCA classification committee defines function as the ability of an individual to cope with and adapt to the changing elements in his or her individual environment and to perform certain tasks, like grooming, transferring, ambulating, bathing, and dressing to a measurable degree (WONCA Classification Committee, 1990).CICD: The Center to Improve Care of the Dying simply expresses this concept to be the...Laviolette, Melissa A. Bernstein, David Kaliton, Carmen Castaneda, Charles T. Pu, Jeffrey M. Hausdorff, Roger A. Fielding and Maria A. Fiatarone Singh,, Association of Muscle Power With Functional Status in Community-Dwelling Elderly Women, The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 55:M192-M199 (2000). Tomonari OKADA, Toshiyuki NAKAO (1998), Physical Functional Status And Factors Contributing To Disability In Japanese Chronic Dialysis Patients, Nephrology 4 (3), 195-203, doi:10.1046/j.1440-1797.1998.d01-27.x Valderrama, E., Gama, J Damian, J Perez del Molino, M Lopez, M Perez, and F Iglesias, Short Report. Association Of Individual Activities Of Daily Living With Self-Rated Health In Older People, Age Ageing, May 2000; 29: 267 - 270.

Anna in the tropics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Anna in the tropics - Essay Example This was the only form of entertainment for the cigar factory workers of the time. So, I expected this play to portray the dilemma of the time when factory owners were faced by the choice of switching to modernization or carrying on their traditions. Apart from this, I expected it to have a tinge of romance in this which was enhanced by the presence of conflict and then its resolution. The play, Anna in the Tropics, revolves around a Cuban family that settles in Tampa, Florida and sets up a cigar business in the city. The factory owner, Santiago and his wife Ofelia have two daughters named Conchita and Marela who also work in their family cigar warehouse rolling cigars. A new lector comes into the factory named Juan Julian who reads the exciting Russian story of Anna Karenina. Marela, who wants to experience life outside the factory and Conchita who does not seem to be having a happy married life with her husband, Palomo, are very intrigued by the story of Anna Karenina. Santiagoâ₠¬â„¢s brother, Cheche, on the other hand, despises lectors due to a previous event where his wife ran off a previous lector and therefore wants to remove the lector and bring modern machineries to aid the rolling of cigars. My favorite characters include Marela, Cheche, and Juan Julian. In the first Act, Marela characterizes a very comic and humorous character with slightly immature thoughts. She feels restricted within the boundaries of her family cigar warehouse and wants to enjoy life outside of the factory. She is dumbstruck when she sees Juan Julian when she was waiting for him with her mother and sister. Marela is very influenced by the story of Anna Karenina narrated by Juan Julian. I feel that Marela is child-like initially and wants to live life more than just rolling cigars at her father’s factory. I can Marela’s feelings because being in the factory all the time with only a lector’s story to entertain can be boring particularly for a merry girl like M arela, who wants to enjoy her life. Cheche, Santiago’s half brother does not seem to like Juan Julian which results from his past experience where the lector ran with his wife. Even Juan Julian finds out when he first meets Cheche but I believe Cheche’s feelings are natural having his wife run off with a previous lector. Perhaps the most interesting character is that of Juan Julian, the lector who has been hired by Ofelia as a lector to entertain the cigar workers. Julian’s character becomes more compelling when he narrates the story of Anna Karenina which interests both Marela and Conchita equally. The play repeatedly tries to emphasize on the theme of tradition and change, problems and resolution, and love. Although it is apparent that Cheche already despises lectors due to his bitter past experience his dislike is added by the fact that he wants to introduce modern machinery to aid the factory workers in making cigars. As he aims to bring new machines into th e warehouse he threatens the existence of old Cuban traditions of having a lector and workers roll cigars with their hands. And Conchita who is having a troubled marriage with her husband who is having an affair. Conchita feels influenced by Julian’s story of Anna Karenina and to some extent with Juan Julian. Music and lighting has been one of the most important elements of the play enhancing its theme and effect. Every scene in the Act was followed by music inspired by Cuban music. This helped the

Strategic Analysis Of Starbucks Corporation Essay Example for Free

Strategic Analysis Of Starbucks Corporation Essay Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service !!Case Write-Up 2 Hamayun Khan In der krà ¼mm 8 65934 Frankfurt E-Mail: [emailprotected] ID: 6495923 16.11.2017 Submitted to J.-Prof. Simone Wies Strategic Market Management M.S. Program Marketing Analytics Goethe University Frankfurt Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Winter Term 2017/2018 Success is the best when it shares, according to case study Starbucks branding strategy, was live coffee which associates to keep national coffee culture and also provide high quality coffee. Starbucks  ´Ã‚ ´Service ´  ´to customize the drink that customers want. Their brand strategy was a big large location to make an environment to gathered peoples, in order to pursue customer satisfaction. One of the distribution strategies in high traffic areas was retail centers, and university campuses etc. Depending on stores, size and it offers a variety of coffee accessories. To reach their customers Starbucks creates third parties distribution like joint venture with Pepsi. Delivering quality service, well-trained workers are important as Starbucks focused. Just say  ´yes ´ policy to deliver best service to the customer. The main problem that Starbucks faced is that their customers customized their products which also affects product quality and customer focus for the company. Mystery shopper program, which is called Customer snapshot, was also a good tool to monitor better service, product quality, speed of service and the most important is cleanliness, that also customers rated high importance in creating customer satisfaction. A great move of the company ´s growth is RD in product innovation and Starbucks also innovates 3rd waves coffee experience which is also a good move for better service, that new fancy reserve stores which are large. Starbuck introduce a concept in urb an areas an evening program. Also a mobile app which offers to customers order and pay from their smartphone. Another big idea to brews up delivery service, which is not free but according to research suggests that people will pay additional surcharge but its riskier too like Frappuccino loses cream balm in some time and whipped cream also it mild into hot drinks. If it fails it will be a huge dark spot in a company. The campaign  ´Ã‚ ´Halo ´Ã‚ ´ effect also increased sales of bottled Frappuccino. This successful campaign also affects business model. I think its possible to deliver customer intimacy through different strategies like customer loyalty programs or music event because most of customers are young and university students. And increasing customers touch points. The Starbucks cards and reward programs brought a big change for customer loyalty and retention, and also to investigate customer ´s need and want. Another way to gain competitive advantages as well as customer satisfaction is low cost leadership and high quality product and service. In todays business world most of the companies focus more on CSR activities like not only to sell a product or provide service but also to do something for the community. Fairtrade is the best way. Consistent customer base and tailored marketing campaign is also possible way to achieve customer satisfaction. Starbucks always pride in retail service but not meeting customer experiences in area of customer satisfaction. To improve speed of service, reduce employees stress increase customer satisfaction. Because companies who build customer intimacy they understand customer ´s world which also helps to closer and trustful relationship with customers.

Public Sector Reform In Ghana Politics Essay

Public Sector Reform In Ghana Politics Essay Ghanas public sector serves as the largest employer of her labor force and also contributes significantly toward the countrys development. Contrarily, people generally tend to hold negative perceptions about the sector. However, in her bid to instill sanity and promote a good image of the system as well as ensure increased productivity of the sector, the Government of Ghana recently introduced several reforms within her public sector. This paper therefore explores the current public sector reform programs such as the wage reforms popularly dubbed Single Spine Salary structure (S-cube) that have been implemented in Ghana. The author however investigates whether or not these current reforms programs would be sustainable. INTRO DUCTI ON The catchphrase Public Sector Reforms has emerged over the past decades in both advanced and developing countries where governments have embarked upon sweeping reforms to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the public sector. Efforts at reforming the public sector is more pronounced in Africa where the sector in many of its countries is seen as a mere watchman rather than serving as a facilitator for the private sector to drive the pace of growth and development. As Fatile et al (2010: 145) aptly put it All African countries are caught in the web of Public Sector Reforms. Ghana, a country in Sub-Saharan Africa has witnessed its share of these reforms and continues to experiment with new ones. Like many African countries, Ghanas attempt at reforming its public sector can be traced back to the 1980s when it underwent the World Banks Structural Adjustment Programs. From that time until now, successive governments have consistently implemented reforms in its Public Sector which has been full of mixed results. Amongst these include, Civil Service Improvement Program (CSPIP), Public Administration Restructuring and Decentralization and Implementation Committee (PARDIC), the Civil Service Reform (CSR) and Public Sector Reform Program (PSRP) of the now defunct Ministry of Public sector Reform (Holm- Graves, 2011). Quite recently, the public sector of Ghana came under intense criticisms from the public with many citing the sectors inability to meet the needs of its employees, corruption, poor delivery of services, and a host of other issues as the ills plaguing the sector. These issues alongside global pressures have made the Government of Ghana to introduce and implement new reform initiatives ranging from pay reforms to improvement in service delivery. This paper as part of a larger project aimed at investigating the new reform programs that have been implemented in Ghana and to contribute to the broader discussion of public management literature focuses on the on-going pay reform program popularly known as the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) that is being undertaken to replace the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS) which proved to be marginally successful (Cooper-Enchia, 2008). Unlike the GUSS which is the first comprehensive pay policy implemented in Ghana, the SSSS tries to bring more order to the pay setting process by promoting adequate comparability of similar jobs across public sector services and institutions (Cavalcanti, 2009). This paper therefore attempts to examine the sustainability of the on-going SSSS in Ghana. Due consideration is also given to the prospects and challenges faced in the implementation of this new pay reform program. The rest of the paper is structured as follows. The next section looks at public sector reforms in Ghana by narrowing the discussion to pay reforms that have been implemented in the country to put the paper in perspective. Section three provides an overview of Ghanas Single Spine pay reform program. Here, the prospects and challenges facing the implementation of the on-going program have been discussed. The final section of the paper discusses the way forward for the current reform program in Ghana. PUBLIC SECTOR REFORMS IN GHANA: A HISTORICAL CONTEXT Historically, efforts at reforming the public sector in many countries have been diverse which can be largely attributed to the issues that occasion such initiatives. In Africa and other developing countries, public sector reforms have been heavily driven by worldwide decline in public finances and the need to get more for less (Caiden cited in Ayee, 2008: 2). These initiatives were promoted to improve the image of governments in the global arena and to mitigate the dead hand of bureaucracy. It is against this background that Ghanas public sector reform efforts have evolved. A closer look into past reform efforts in Ghana shows that initial attempts dates back to 1980s when many African countries implemented a wide range of reform programs with the support and supervision of the World Bank and other reform institutions (Owusu,2006). Ghana vigorously pursued these reforms with the aim of halting economic decline and stagnation to institutional reforms and poverty reduction. The Civil Service Reform Program implemented in 1987, a component of the series of the economic reform programs was the first reform program to be undertaken in the country. The implementation of the CSRP was aimed at reducing overstaffing and trimming redundant civil servants (Owusu, 2005). However, between 1994 and 2003, reform initiatives in Ghana took a new look with the establishment of the National Institutional Renewal Program (Owusu, 2003). Efforts at this stage were centered on improving the public sector through enhancing its efficiency. Recognizing the failures of all the reforms that were implemented from 1987-2003, the erstwhile Kuffour administration took a giant step to establish a Ministry of Public Sector Reform in 2005 to ensure the development of home grown reform initiatives which oversaw the implementation of a number of reforms in the public sector until it was eventually replaced with the Public Sector Reform secretariat under the Mills regime. Having undergone several reform efforts, Public sector reformers in Ghana have realized that many of the problems associated with poor performance, lack of professionalism and corruption are directly related to low salary levels and ineffective pay administration (Cooper-Enchia, 2008), thus, the introduction of the Single Spine Pay Policy which forms the crux of the paper. However, any discussion of this new pay policy calls for a critical look into past wage and salary reform attempts. Past Public Sector Pay Reform Attempts in Ghana Over the years, governments in Ghana have introduced several pay reforms and reviews in order to bridge the disparity and inequity gaps in its pay administration systems (TUC bulletin). Prominent among these efforts are reviews under committees and commissions such as Mills-Odoi (1967); Issifu Ali Committee (1973); Azu Gabbe Commission (1979), the National Committee for Wage and Salary Rationalization (1983) and the Gyampoh Salary commission (1992) (Ibid). All these efforts notwithstanding, the problems that these reviews sought to address still lingered on since most of these committees and commissions which were set up remained adhoc and short-lived (source). Moreover, the recommendations that the committees and Commissions made on the existing pay system were never implemented by the government. For instance, the NDC government accepted the recommendations of the Gyampoh Commission in 1992 to consolidate allowances into basic salary but failed to implement them (Kiragu et al, 2003). These gives credence to the fact that political will is key in ensuring the implementation and success of reforms and buttress what Polidano (2001) says account for the why reforms in government fail. Having failed in its bid to achieve the objective of rectifying the imbalances in the pay administration system, there was the need to develop a more realistic and sustainable mechanism to reform the public services pay structure. Therefore, a more comprehensive approach to reforming the public sector pay inadequacies known as the Ghana Universal Salary Structure ( GUSS) was introduced in 1997 to forestall the problems inherent in the existing pay structure. The GUSS, a 22 level salary structure was put across to be implemented in all public sector institutions in Ghana. However, the aim of universality underlying the implementation of the pay policy could not be achieved since some sections of the public service institutions were made to opt out of the policy without any sanctions melted out to them. Moreover, the central body which oversaw the implementation of the GUSS did not have any legal mandate that established its legality to implement the policy and were also not adequately resourced (Government of Ghana, 2009). THE SINGLE SPINE PAY POLICY Overview The Single Spine Pay Policy is a new comprehensive pay reform program introduced to replace the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS). It is anticipated that the Single Spine Pay Policy will be able to restore equity and transparency in Ghanas public service remuneration structure (Government of Ghana, 2009). The Policy is designed to cover all the public sector employees specified under Article 190 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. Those in these category include the civil service, the Judicial service, the Audit service, the Education service, the Prisons service, the Parliamentary service, the Police service, the Immigration service, and the legal service. Others include workers of the constitution and all other public services as Parliament of Ghana may by law prescribe to part of the policy. However, the policy excludes all public employees specified under Article 71 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana. The officials who fall under this classification include the speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice and other justices of the superior court of Judicature, the Auditor- General, the chairman and Deputy Chairmen of the Electoral Commission, the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice and his deputies and the District Assemblies Common Fund Administrator; and the Chairman and Vice- Chairman and other members of the National Council for Higher Education, the Public services commission, the National Media Commission, the Lands Commission and the National Commission for Civic Education (Constitution of Republic of Ghana, 1992; Ankomah, 2010) The SSSS places public sector employees on a 25-level unified salary structure as compared to the 22-level salary structure under the GUSS. Moreover, since the SSSS attempts to put all public sector employees on a common structure, it utilizes the so called base pay (Cavalcanti, 2009) which is the minimum pay on the structure (Ankomah, 2010). Aside the common base pay, there are other remunerations such the Market Premiums as to induce certain category of professionals which is over and above the common base pay. Other commissions and allowances are also expected to be made specifically to certain group of public sector employees (Cavalcanti, 2010) It is worth mentioning that, the first time in Ghanas pay reform history, there have been an establishment of a Fair wages and salaries commission (FWSC) legally mandated by an Act of parliament (Act, 737, 2007) to oversee to the implementation of this pay reform policy (Ankomah, 2010; Cooper-Enchia, 2009; Government of Ghana, 2009). Rationale for Ghanas New Pay Policy There have been serious debates concerning Ghanas public sector pay over a long period of time. Issues that have been at the center stage of such debates concerns how to manage the pay disparities within the public sector and the rising cost of the public sector wage bill. For instance, although public sector salaries in Ghana constitute a major proportion of the government expenditure, it still remains very low and uncompetitive thus making the attraction and retainment of technical and managerial talents difficult (Ankomah, 2010). In addition, pay disparities continues to widen among public sector workers. It is against this backdrop that the Government has introduced this new pay policy. Hence, the Single Spine Pay Policy seeks to address the following key issues; Pay disparities that have emerged within the public services Rising cost of the public sector wage bill Large number of public sector pay negotiations Linkage of pay to productivity ( Government of Ghana, 2009) Aim and Objectives of the SSSS The overarching aim of the Single Spine pay policy is to ensure equity, fairness and transparency in the public service pay administration. Specifically, the objectives of the policy are to; Place all the public sector employees one vertical structure Ensure that jobs within the same job value range are paid within the same pay range (i.e equal pay for work of equal work ) Allow Government the ability to manage the wage bill more efficiently Ensure compliance and ease of monitoring the pay structures of self-accounting institutions Minimize industrial-relation tensions related to low pay and distortions across the public services; and Link pay to productivity ( Government of Ghana, 2009) Ghanas SSSS Implementation The implementation of Ghanas Single Spine Pay Policy commenced in July 2010 with the Police service being the first public sector institution to be migrated onto the new pay structure. The full scale implementation is scheduled to be undertaken within a five year period. Currently, all government employees specified under Article 190 of the 1992 Constitution of Republic of Ghana have been moved onto the structure. The stages that were followed in implementing the policy are listed below; Job analysis and evaluation Design of a grading structure based on the results of the job evaluation Placement of jobs on the grading structure Determination of the base pay and relativity through negotiations Design of the SSSS Placement if the individual jobholders on the SSSS Standardization of the allowances Negotiation of other conditions of service between Fair wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and Unions/ Associations in the nine service classification Development of public sector-wide performance system Monitoring and ensuring compliance (Ankomah, 2010;Government of Ghana, 2009 ) Emerging Challenges The implementation of the single Spine pay reform in Ghana like its predecessor policies have faced several challenges. Amongst the key challenges the policy has been beset with include the following; First, the migration of public sector workers onto the SSSS have been met with mixed results. While, the Police Service who were the first institution to be moved onto the new pay policy have hailed the policy as a good approach to ensure substantial increase in the salaries of all Ghanaian workers. Other Public sector workers share lukewarm attitudes toward the new pay policy. For instance, the health sector workers have consistently raised issues about internal relativity distortions and lack of transparency in the Job placement. They contend that the re-evaluation that was done prior to the placement of workers onto the SSSS was a total flaw (Ankomah, 2010). These same issues have also been advanced by other workers including Ghana Prison Service Staff, Civil Service and Local Government staff (Ibid) Another major challenge confronting the SSSS implementation has to do the payment of market premiums to certain categories of workers such as doctors, nurses, etc who are said to possess special skills set that are in short supply. It is argued that the absence of such professionals could throw the country into chaos (Abbey cited in Ankomah, 2010) A third critical issue that has been raised by the labor unions and associations particularly Civil and Local Government Service Association of Ghana as far as the implementation of the SSSS has to do with collective bargaining arrangements. Under the SSSS, there is only one umbrella negotiation committee, that is, the Public Services Joint Negotiation Committee that can negotiate Public Salary which comprises Fair Wages and Salaries Commission on one hand and organized labor / associations on the other hand Ankomah (2010). This threatens workers right as stipulated in the Labor Act, 2003 to collectively bargain and renders them powerless to fight for future improvements in their salaries and conditions of service. Poor management systems on human resources in Public institutions in Ghana have also been cited as a major challenge facing the implementation of the SSSS. According to Ankomah (2010), the current policy will require a thorough and complete assessment and review, which would demand a lot of competences and skills. Unfortunately, the human resource departments and units do not have the capacity to adequately manage this change. Moreover, the data base and Monitoring and Evaluation systems in the public institutions are not enough to cope with this new policy. WAY FORWARD CONCLUSION