Wall street Journal write-ups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wall street Journal write-ups - Essay Example Mention also of subprime lending as a possible instigator. Outlining further the history of economic crisis and how such circumstances play into crisis like these. How these crisis can have multiple causes and many intricacies. In the process of moving forward to find a solution to this financial crisis, many different options are available for consideration. The need to look at a situation like an economic crisis with logic and rational thinking, rather than emotions. Social Psychologist suggestion that when in doubt, people look to believe whatever they can to get them through. The article makes reference to the issue of regulatory practices which goes with the discussion in Chapter 12 having to do with regulation and its impact. Detailed in the section â€Å"Effect of Regulation on the Actions of Employers† Pages 573-575. The discussion which Claomiris sets forth to have is quite relevant for the times. The issue of how the many different circumstances that can occur could lead to such an economic downturn for many people. It is of the utmost importance to look at the larger picture that comes with the issue of economics and how best to aid an ailing economy. To formulate such solutions without the presence of emotional bias, but rather an educated approach with a rational mind. As is the case with many things, the history of what has happened in the economy before, both at home and abroad, is something that can be quite useful to analyze and consider as Claomiris suggests in his writing. Countless economic crisis have in fact occurred over the years. Each situation being individually different, but also having a central theme that can be tied in with others to find a central path towards a solution. As there are multiple circumstances at the root of the issue, there are just as many people who have played a part. Issues with things such as the real estate market and government

Kant V. Mill Essay Example for Free

Kant V. Mill Essay Kantianism and Utilitarianism are two theories that attempt to answer the moral nature of human beings. Immanuel Kants moral system is based on a belief that reason is the final authority for morality. John Stuart Mills moral system is based on the theory known as utilitarianism, which is based upon utility, or doing what produces the greatest happiness. One of Kants lasting contributions to moral philosophy was his emphasis on the notion of respect for persons. He considers respect for persons (a. k. a the Kantian respect) to be the fundamental moral principle of ethical philosophy. His Kantianism premise is a deontological moral theory which claims that the right action in any given situation is determined by the categorical imperative, which he calls the Supreme Principle. This imperative is a command that applies to all rational beings independent of their desires. It is a command that reason tells us to follow no matter what (P. 31). Kant considers this an objective law of reason and because it applies to all of us, he calls it a universal practical law for all rational beings. The hypothetical imperative, on the contrary, is a conditional command, which we have reason to follow if (it) serve(s) some desire of ours (P. 31). For example, if you want X, then you will do Y, whereas with the categorical imperative, X has nothing to do with why you do Y. Kants categorical imperative is a tri-dynamic statement of philosophical thought. In order to determine the morality of the Hill case from Kants perspective, it is vital to understand the formulations that accompany the categorical imperative. Kant upheld systematic laws as the model of rational principles. A characteristic of systematic laws is that they are universal, such as the law that when heated, gas will expand. Kant thought that moral laws or principles must have universality to be rational. He derives the categorical imperative out of the notion that we should be willing to adopt those moral principle that can be universalized, that is, those which we can imagine that everyone could act upon or adopt as their principle. Thus, the first formulation of the categorical imperative is, Never act in such a way that I could not also will that my maxim should be a universal law (P.31). By maxim, he means the rule or principle on which you act. Consider the example Kant gives of giving a false promise. Making false promises is wrong and therefore could not be a universal law, because every rational being would not adopt this as a principle of action. In the Hill case, if Paul Hill kills the doctor than it is morally permissible for everyone else to kill someone they disagree with. Therefore, Hills actions were not justified, because killing cannot be a universal law. Kant also believes that human beings have unconditional worth. In his passage of, The Ultimate worth of Persons, he says: Now, I say, man and, in general, every rational being exists as an end in himself and not merely as a means to be arbitrarily used by this or that will. In all his actions, whether they are directed to himself or to other rational beings, he must always be regarded at the same time as an end. What we treat as having only a relative value as a means . . . are consequently called things. Rational beings, on the other hand, are called persons because their nature already marks them out as ends in themselves, that is, as something which ought not to be used merely as a means. Such a being is thus an object of respect and, so far, restricts all (arbitrary) choice. The practical imperative will therefore be as follows: Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own or in that of another, as an end and never as a means only (P. 32). According to Kant, as rational beings, we are self-directed beings. We experience ourselves and others as intrinsically valuable, as valuable as an end and not merely instrumentally valuable or valuable as a means to obtaining something. According to this second formulation of the categorical imperative, we should treat people with fundamental dignity and respect. For instance, it would be wrong to make false promises because we would be treating others as merely a means and not respecting them as persons with intrinsic value. In order to avoid misunderstanding Kant, it is crucial to distinguish between treating someone as a means to an end and treating them merely as a means to an end. In a complex network of social relationships, we use other people all the time as means to our ends without dehumanizing them. For instance, we use the services of certain people to deliver our newspapers, groceries, and mail. Students use professors as tools to become educated and earn degrees. By contrast, when you use someone merely as a means only, it is abusive and lacks respect for that person. The abuse of that person shows that you do not believe they have value apart from his or her immediate use. Kant believed that human beings occupy a special place in creation. Human beings have dignity, because they are rational agents, capable of making their own decisions and guiding their conduct by reason. Therefore, we have the duty of being good to all persons. In the Hill case, Paul cannot kill the doctor, because according to Kant, in virtue of being a person the doctor had rights, dignity, and intrinsic moral worth, as well as value. Hence, killing the doctor would be the wrong thing to do and through Kant that action is not morally justified, since the moral law demands that we treat others as ends in themselves, and never as mere means to other ends. In other words, you should always treat other rational beings (persons) as having absolute moral worth, or as the ultimate ends of action. ? This I will call the principle of autonomy of the will in contrast to all other principles which I accordingly count under heteronomy (P. 33). The moral will is the only truly autonomous will. Only by following the absolute dictates of reason (which is the source of will) do we arrive at the moral law, since will is a kind of reason, following the dictates of reason means following the dictates of will itself. Because we are subject only to the laws of our reason, he says, we are autonomous beings. And our autonomy gives us dignity and worth beyond all price. Due to our priceless dignity and worth, all persons are worthy of respect. An immoral will would not be autonomous since it would violate itself, the law it gives to itself. The immoral will is heteronomous. If you pursue ends that are not the ultimate ends (the absolute dignity of persons), your actions are ruled by something other than the true (rational) form of will. You might be ruled by passion, by desire, by the wish for happiness, etc. , but whatever it is, it is not self-rule by reason. Therefore, Paul cannot kill the doctor, because in doing so, he will be violating the inherent worth and dignity of persons. A rational being belongs to the realm of ends as a member when he gives universal laws in it while also himself subject to these laws? (P. 33) By this, I believe he means that Paul Hill cannot kill the doctor, because that will make him a hypocrite. He is strongly against abortion, which is the killing of the fetus who is a person from the moment of conception. Therefore, it is wrong for him to kill the doctor, because in doing so, he will be going against his own belief of taking life. Unlike Kant, John Stuart Mill believed in an ethical theory known as utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is another theory in which the main objective is to explain the nature of ethics and morality. There are many formulations to this theory. Utilitarianism is based upon utility, or doing what produces the greatest happiness. It states that the actions of a person should be based upon the greatest happiness principle. This principle states that ethical actions command the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. Mills main point is that one should guide his or her judgments by what will give more pleasure. He believes that a person should always seek to gain pleasure and reject pain. So, the formulation is that the morality of an act can be held upright if the consequence produces the greatest overall utility for everyone who may be directly or indirectly affected by the action. Utilitarianism focuses on the consequences of an act rather than on the intrinsic nature of the act or the motives of the agent. So Hills killing of the doctor is morally justified based on it bringing Hill pleasure and eliminating the pain he inflicted on the fetuses. Mill states that some kinds of pleasure are more desirable and more valuable than others and that it would be absurd that while in estimating all other things, quality is considered as well as quantity, the estimation of pleasures should be supposed to depend on quantity alone. Therefore, if Paul kills the doctor, he only took away two lives (quantity), which is less than those that would have been lost if the doctor would have continued performing abortions (quantity). However, Mill states that doing ? as you would be done by and ? lov(ing) your neighbor as yourself constitute the ideal perfection of utilitarian morality. He also says that the thoughts of the most virtuous man need not on these occasions travel beyond the particular persons concerned, except so far as is necessary to assure himself that he is not violating the rights, this is the legitimate and authorized expectations, of anyone else. Both of these statements do not justify Hills actions because he should have loved the doctor and he should not have violated the doctors rights. Kantian moral theory and Utilitarianism both attempt to explain how one can go about acting ethically, however they differ in how they measure morality and in the use of rules. Kantianism says that an act is deemed moral if it is done for the sake of duty and if its maxim can be willed as a universal law. Kantianism can therefore be seen as a rational and logical theory in which decisions can be made. Utilitarianism, on the other hand, would only see the act as morally permissible if the consequences of that action produce maximum utility and happiness for all involved. Utilitarianism has no universal set of rules on to which morality is based. In assessing the two moral theories, I believe that Kantianism provides a more plausible account of ethics. Kantianism is more consistent of a theory and can be universally applied to all beings. It is more plausible because even if the consequences of performing an action are not necessarily the best, the agent is still obligated to perform the action because it is there duty to do so. Therefore, ethically and morally they are doing the right thing. In conclusion, this paper has discussed two main theories regarding the ethical behavior of human beings. Kantianism is a theory based on duties, maxims, willing and the categorical imperative. Also, it focuses on the motivation of actions, has clear and distinct set of universal rules, and is morally logical. On the other hand, Utilitarianism is based on the concept that we ought to do whatever produces the greatest overall utility and this will be the morally right action. Furthermore, it relies on the consequences of an action, has no set universal laws as each action is assessed on an individual basis, and morality is based on the results of the assessment. Because of these reasons, I believe that Kantianism is the more ethically plausible theory of the two.

Supply chain management in operation

Supply chain management in operation INTRODUCTION Background The term supply chain management was first used in the early 1980s to refer to the concept that manufacturing firms should think of their own internal operations as an included whole, rather than as separate departments such as purchasing, stores, production, finished good warehouse, distribution and so on. It was quickly extended to cover relationships with suppliers and with immediate customers the idea being that working more closely and co-operatively with these counterparts would enable a kind of mixing and co-ordination that would lead to reduced inventory, better quality and delivery performance and reduced cost for everyone involved.( Skjoett, L,T. 1999) Today, supply chain management is an important concern in large organizations, and is among the most active areas of research in the academic operations management community. In modern business environments characterized by ever-increasing competition and economy globalization, supermarket companies have been exploiting innovative technologies and strategies to achieve and sustain competitive advantage. As an effective business philosophy, supply chain management has gained a tremendous amount of attention from both the academic and practitioners community in the recent years. (Burnes, B. and New, S.1996). Nowadays, more than ever, companies face an increasing pressure of customers requirements in product customization, quality improvement and demand responsiveness. On the other hand they need to reduce the production cost, shorten lead time and allow inventory level to ensure profitability. In order to survive under these pressure more and more enterprise are serving to develop long-tern strategic partnership with a few component suppliers and collaborate with then in product development, inventor control and non-core process outsourcing. Moreover variou s value-adding process from materials purchasing, production and assembly to distribution and customer order delivery are integrated and synchronized to achieve the common goal of enhancing customer satisfaction. (Beamon, M. B. 1999) A narrow view of supply chain management would restrict it to relatively high-volume industries such as retailing and manufacturing, and would focus on the use of close, ‘partnership style relationships to optimize inventory and production planning, and to eliminate quality problems arising from poor inter-organizational communications. (Haag, S. Cummings, M. McCubbrey, D. Pinsonneault, A. Donovan, R. 2006). It also tends to neglect the service sector and the purchasing of things other than inputs to the final product facts that organizations often spend a large proportion of their total spend on such inputs. Supply chain management (SCM) is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the operations of the supply chain with the purpose to satisfy customer requirements as efficiently as possible. It is the combination of art and science that goes into the way of a company finds the raw components it needs to make a product or service and deliver it to customers. (Chopra, S, Meindl, P. 2003) Supply chain management spans all movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point-of-origin to point-of-consumption. It is all about managing the flow of information, materials, services and money across any activity, in a way which maximizes the effectiveness of the process. This is a continuous process, not a one-time fix. (Chandra, C. Kumar, S. 2000). Supply Chain Management helps to reduce the costs of both clients and suppliers, while sustaining or improving added value and margins. Consequently, companies that have effective supply chains are most successful. The definition one America professional association put forward is that Supply Chain Management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing, procurement, conversion, and logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. In essence, Supply Chain Management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies. (Giannakis, M, Croom, S. 2004) Supply chain management deals with the management of materials, information and financial flows in a network consisting of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and customers. The coordination and integration of these flows within and across companies are critical in successful supply chain management. It is important that the information, material and financial flows are coordinated effectively in a supply chain. Material flows involve both physical product flows from suppliers to customers through the chain, as well as the reverse flows via product returns, servicing, recycling and disposal. Information flows involve order transmission and delivery status. Financial flows involve credit terms, payment schedules, and consignment and title ownership arrangements. These flows cut across multiple organizations within a company as well as across companies and industries. In the last few years, the coordination and integration of these flows have attracted major interest on the part of researchers, management, consultants and practitioners in academia and industry. (Cooper, M, C, Douglas, M, Lambert and Janus, D, P, 1997). Rationale As we have the family business of superstores in Bangladesh, this study would help me to achieve the competitive edge for our own business. My decision to do dissertation on Supply chain management and the recent due to my desire to aim for a career in Bangladeshi Superstore Companies. This initiated from our own business in Supply chain, where I had the opportunity to experience the deeply fascinating influences of supply chain. During my stay in Bangladesh I succeeded is establishing a pressure in our own business within a field I knew very little about. In fact, I manage to occupy myself in a supply chain where apart from being given a chance to be involved in the management of the business I was given an opportunity to test my creative skills, by creating a web page to promote the company. Furthermore, the Business Management courses I attended during my stay at London School of Accountancy and Management gave me the opportunity to utilize and put into perspective the knowledge I had previous acquired through personal experience. This made me realize the effect that a Business School education would have upon me both as person and as future professional. In addition to helping out and run my fathers business more effectively in future and establish my own career, this project will help me to broaden my knowledge about supply chain management in Supermarket Company and also helps me to understand about the new innovation in supply chain management in SCM resulting improved in company performance. Purpose of Study The main purpose of this dissertation is to obtain an understanding of the term â€Å"Supply Chain Management† and its recent innovation. To find out the different factors required to improve the supply chain management in International Business Environment. To understand the fundamental issues of supply chain management in different organizations. To suggest some recommendations and identify topics for further research to better tackle Supply Chain Management in multinational organizations. Research Objectives To determine the importance of supply chain management in British supermarkets. To establish the role played by these new innovations in improve company relationship. To determine critical success factors of recent innovation of SCM To determine any limitation of SCM in British Supermarkets. Research Questions 1) How important is supply chain management in todays business? 2) How SCM in different British Supermarkets solve problems related to: 1) Proper Logistic management 2) Controlling Over Cost 3) Time efficiency 4) Proper way of exporting 5) Relationship with customers. 3) What are the new innovations in SCM? And how do these innovations in SCM can improve company performance? 4) What is the role of technology in SCM? 5) How SCM improve company performance? Statement of Problem The basic assumption was â€Å"the more integration the better the management of the chain†. This study discusses what the term â€Å"management† in the concept of SCM stands for. The integration assumption as a â€Å"cure all† prescription for SCM is challenged, and questions raised as to when it is possible and desirable to exercise management in supply chains. The main thesis is that it depends very much on the â€Å"environment† of the supply chain and the power relations between the participants in the supply chain. Problem of integrating the individual activities into key supply chain processes. Significance of Study This study has examined the supply chain management function in the British supermarkets. And how far are the recent innovations in supply chain management successfully achieving the SCM goals and objectives in improved company performance. It has also delineated the changing way of doing supply chain management which is likely more technology based. To enhance the supply chain management in the super market industry the study has highlighted areas requiring innovation in supply chain management. Building customer-supplier relationships: SCM is the securing, coordinating and maintaining of formal links with all parties that perform a vital function. In order to do this, company needs first to develop a SCM process map describing the activities of all members involved in the supply chain and the relationships among them in successfully achieving the SCM goals and objectives. Information and communication technologies changed the way firms conduct transactions, particularly in understanding and restructuring relationships because relationship creation and maintenance helps to breed future success. Communicating benefits of relationships, clarifying customer needs and expectations, assisting in problem solving and conflict resolution, improving performance measures with suppliers, and creating competitive advantage help to maintain effective relationships (Foggin, J.H., Mentzer, J.T. 2003). Developing partnerships is one of the most important steps in building and maintaining customer-supplier relationships. Implementing information and communication technology: Information and communication technology (ICT) is a very important strategic factor in managing supply chains; it acts as the disseminator and enabler for process and product communication along with reducing paperwork and lead times. Rapid developments in technology have created numerous choices from information technology software. However, the brand of technology used is not as important as how effectively it is coordinated with internal and external supply chain partners; along with its compatibility with other relevant technologies used by them. (Graham, G., Hardaker, G. 2000). The role of transactional IT is to acquire process and disseminate raw data about the companys supply chain and to compile reports to summarize these data. This is particularly important because supply chain managers need timely and accurate information about existing and projected manufacturing capacities and costs, finished and semi- finished goods inventories, transportation costs, and customer demands across the firms supply chain. Enterprise resource planning (ERP), manufacturing resource planning (MRP II), distribution resource planning (DRP), electronic data interchange (EDI), and other e-commerce systems are intended to provide supply chain managers the complete and accurate information of this transactional data. (Gunasekaran, A., Ngai, E.W.T. 2004). Thus analytical IT heavily involves problem solving modelling process and use of various descriptive and normative models to find solutions to various supply chain problems. The SCM managers need to know the form and purpose of these models before they apply them in their modelling process. The development of web-based/internet applications is another tool to process information pertaining to supply chain such as processing procurement activities both operationally and strategically. Use of e-mail/faxes, worldwide web (www), EDI, electronic funds transfer (EFT), internet auctions, etc., are the few examples that web-based/internet technologies can offer to perform SCM activities more efficiently.. It is not expected that intranet use will fully replace the use of electronic data interchange (EDI) systems in the near future (Bharadwaj, A.S. 2000). Technologies including EDI are slower, but the efficiency with which it transfers information allows it to maintain its value. New technologies similar to EDI will increase the speed of operations, reduce cycle times and aid management of materials. Re-engineering material flows: Many practitioners of SCM have recognized that effectively managing the flow of materials across the supply chain as one of the important strategic success factor. This is because the costs involved of providing end customers and supply chain member organizations with the materials required, in the right quantities, in the desired form, with the appropriate documentation, at the desired location, at the right time, and at the lowest possible cost are very high. (Duclos, L.K., Vokurka, R.J., Lummus, R.R. 2003). Quickly communicating with suppliers enhances the use of inventory management techniques as like just-in-time (JIT), which is an inventory system intended to minimize stock levels (White, R.E., Prybutok, V. 2001). Technology will help in managing inventory flow and supply within a given supply channel and is key in evaluating and in reducing resource consuming processes. The development of integrated SCM increased the importance of logistical activities to move materials in a timely and cost effective manner across the supply chain. A supply chain wide logistics strategy became an important strategic goal for many companies. Implementing logistics strategy involving distribution networks, transportation modes, carrier management, warehousing, inventory management, order processing and fulfilment, and all other related activities encompassing the entire supply chain became a necessity to achieve this goal. I am confident that this study will provide significant inputs to the innovations in supply chain management resulting in improves company performance as well as academicians towards unleashing the immense potential of the British super markets and enable to realize its rightful place in the global economic place. Nature of Study Nature of this study is more theoretical and depends more on secondary resources like literature reviews and case studies. The research methodology of this study entails a literature study, and survey with senior managers in some of the multinational companies in UK by questionnaire sent through mail survey methodology. Assumptions and limitations The research was limited by two factors: time and resources. Due to large expenses, the research was conducted on the limited number of companies in a relatively short period of time. There might be some biases like sampling bias, response bias and questionnaire bias. Because of limited time I had to depend more on secondary resources like literature study and case studies. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW The post-World War II supply chain was a set of linear, individualized processes that linked manufacturers, warehouses, wholesalers, retailers and consumers together in the form of a human/paper chain (Ganeshan, 2002, in his journal New Directions in Supply Chain and Technology Management, Strategy and Implementation,) Beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, firms started to view themselves as closely linked functions whose joint purpose was to serve their customers. This internal integration was often referred to as material logistics management or materials management. During this period, SCM innovations such as material requirement planning (MRP) were developed (Lummus, R., Vokurka, R.,1999, in their journal Defining supply chain management: a historical perspective and practical guidelines,). Those firms that successfully integrated these functions did improve their performance. However, some constraints, such as customers or suppliers unresponsiveness did hinder the improvements. These constraints prevented the firms from instantly responding to market changes. In late 1970s and early 1980s, US firms faced fierce competition from their Japanese counterparts. Especially in the automobile industry, Japanese carmakers utilized just-in-time delivery to achieve efficient inventory management. Detroits Big Three had to find ways to communicate with suppliers effectively. The solution at the time was to communicate through batch orders and via a standard called electronic data interchange (EDI) (Claycomb, C. Drogue, D. Germain, R. 1999)[1]. Since the 1990s, the pervasive adoption of Internet and Web technology have promised an omnipresent and less costly way to tie companies and their business partners together in the supply chain. The great collaboration made e-Commerce buzzwords like â€Å"B2B† and â€Å"B2C† known to almost everybody in business circles (McKeown, P.G. 2000, in his journal Information Technology and the Networked Economy). With the advancement of information technology, the collaboration of business partners will continuously improve the effectiveness of SCM. Supply Chain: Supply chain has become a vast and strong part of an organization, its work place with regards to creativity and sustainability. More importantly it was always regarded as just being a tool for distribution and logistics. But in the recent decade Supply Chain Management has evolved itself as part of the information and financial flow of any particular organization. The work of Supply chain is to get the right commodity at the right place, at the right time with the required level of quality. â€Å"In the search for a solution to get the right product to the right place at the right time, there are five areas that companies should focus on to improve the synchronization of information flow through the supply chain: demand, supply, manufacturing/scheduling, transportation, and network optimization† (Lummus, R. Vokurka, R. 1999, in his journal Defining supply chain management: a historical perspective and practical guidelines). Supply chain has been discussed in many different ways by different authors: According to (Quinn F. J.,1997) the supply chain as â€Å"all of those activities associated with moving goods from the raw-materials stage through to the end user. This includes sourcing and procurement, production scheduling, order processing, inventory management, transportation, warehousing, and customer service. Importantly, it also embodies the information systems so necessary to monitor all of those activities.† (Swaminathan, J.M., Smith, S.F. and Sadeh, N.M, 1996,in their journal multi-agent framework for modeling supply chain dynamics) defines a supply chain â€Å"to be a network of autonomous or semi-autonomous business entities collectively responsible for procurement, manufacturing, and distribution activities associated with one or more families of related products†. [2] Dainty, A.R.J., Briscoe, G.H. and Millett, S.J. (2001) has a similar definition: â€Å"A supply chain is a network of facilities that procure raw materials, transform them into intermediate goods and then final products, and deliver the products to customers through a distribution system.† (Ganeshan, R. 2002) has yet another analogous definition: â€Å"A supply chain is a network of facilities and distribution options that performs the functions of procurement of materials, transformation of these materials into intermediate and finished products, and the distribution of these finished products to custom ers.† Supply Chain Management: The famous way of defining SCM stated by (Cooper, M, C, Douglas, M, Lambert and Janus, D, P, 1997,in their journal Supply Chain Management: More than a new name for Logistics) where they defined SCM as: â€Å"The integration of business processes from end user through original suppliers that provides products, services, and information that add value for customers†. Supply chain management is described by (Ferguson, B.R. (2000,in his journal â€Å"Implementing supply chain management Production Inventory), as to being to â€Å". . . remove communication barriers and eliminate redundancies through coordinating, monitoring and controlling processes†. According to Professor (Martin Christopher,2005) â€Å"supply chain management is the management of upstream and downstream relationship with suppliers and customers to deliver superior relationship with suppliers and customers to deliver superior customer value at less cost to the supply chain as a whole†. Supply Chain Management (SCM) is â€Å"an integrative philosophy to manage the total flow of a channel from the earliest supplier of raw materials to the ultimate customer, and beyond, including the disposal process† (Cooper, M, C, Douglas, M, Lambert and Janus, D, P. in their journal Supply Chain Management: More than a new name for Logistics†, The International Journal of Logistic Management, 1997). Supply chain management is defined as the systemic, strategic coordination of the traditional business functions and the tactics across these business functions within a particular company and across businesses within the supply chain, for the purposes of improving the long-term performance of the individual companies and the supply chain as a whole (Mentzer, J.T. DeWitt, W. Keebler, J.S. Min, S.Nix, N.W. Smith, C.D. Zacharia, Z.G. 2001). Supply chain management is â€Å"treated as key to building a sustainable competitive edge through improved inter and intra-firm relationships† (Chopra, S, Meindl, P., in their book Supply chain management, strategy, planning operation,2003) A range of benefits has been attributed to supply chain management, including reduced costs, increased market share and sales, and solid customer relations From these definitions, a summary definition of the supply chain can be stated as: all the activities involved in delivering a product from raw material through to the customer including sourcing raw materials and parts, manufacturing and assembly, warehousing and inventory tracking, order entry and order management, distribution across all channels, delivery to the customer, and the information systems necessary to monitor all of these activities. Successful Supply Chain Management reduces the costs of both clients and suppliers, while sustaining or improving added value and margins. Consequently, companies that have effective supply chains are most successful. {In recent times, the theory of purchasing and supply operations has been widely studied under a variety of labels and for a number of reasons. Each of these focuses on different operations within an organisation but SCM is the single most wide-ranging approach in its range of study in considering how Firms utilise their suppliers processes, technology, and capability to enhance competitive advantage (Houlihan, 1985; Cooper et al., 1993; DTI, 1995). Tan and Kannan (1998) consider how all strategic suppliers in the chain can integrate to act as a single entity and enhance overall performance in SCM. One definition of SCM is offered by La Londe (1998) as: `the delivery of enhanced customer and economic value through synchronised management of the flow of physical goods and associated information from sourcing through consumption. Johnston (1995) States it as: `The process of strategically managing the movement and storage of materials, parts and finished inventory from suppliers, throu gh the firm and to customers. The various definitions which have been proposed indicate that SCM prescribes organisational restructuring, extended to the achievement of a company-wide collaborative culture. For Rich and Hines (1997), it embraces a strong sense of integration of all activities controlling the timing and synchronisation of material flows. With regards to SCM implementation, a study by- Lambert et al. (1998), conveys the SCM implementation process as a more straightforward matter. In their view, senior management must address the process and they identify three closely inter related elements to aid the SCM task, namely: the supply chain network structure; the business processes; and the management components. For Bushnell (1999), implementing SCM requires a thorough understanding of the concept and its technology over a lengthy and diverse range of activities and organisations. He states: There is nothing worse than trying to train for a technology when employees do not really understand or fear the concepts that it supports. And there is nothing worse than managers pursuing a concept when they do not understand the importance of, or the difficulties related to, the technology on which the concept depends. The supply chain can be regarded as a business process to construct enterprise-wide methods. It is defined in many ways. The International Centre for Competitive Excellence defined it to be (S. Changchien, H.Y. Shen, 2002) ‘‘the integration of key business processes from end user through original suppliers that provides products, services and information that add value for customers and other stakeholders. With the implementation of supply chain management, the narrow focus of managers and the adversarial relationships between logistics providers, suppliers, and customers are replaced by strategic alliances and long-term cooperative relationships. Suppliers and customers are viewed as partners instead of adversaries with the objective of ‘‘maximizing competitiveness and profitability for the company as well as for the whole supply chain net-work including the end-customer (K. Patterson, C. Grimm, T. Corsi, , 2003) Levary (R. Levary, 2000) suggests that the ben efits of a supply chain include: (1) Minimizing the bullwhip effect, (2) Maximizing the efficiency of activities, (3) Minimizing the inventories, (4) Minimizing cycle times, (5) Achieving an acceptable level of quality. The major success factors for a supply chain are effective management of strategic alliances, extensive data management capabilities, and advanced inter-organizational IS to enable better information exchange; this provides more up-to-date information and allows for more accurate inventory responses to change in demand and appropriate inventory levels (M. Whipple, R. Frankel, 2000).} THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Increasing global cooperation, vertical disintegration and a focus on core activities have led to the notion that firms are links in a networked supply chain. This strategic viewpoint has created the challenge of coordinating effectively the entire supply chain, from upstream to downstream activities. While supply chains have existed ever since businesses have been organized to bring products and services to customers, the notion of their competitive advantage, and consequently supply chain management (SCM), is a relatively recent thinking in management literature. (Carr, A.S. and Pearson, J.N., in their journal The impact of purchasing and supplier involvement on strategic purchasing and its impact on firms performance, 2002) Although research interests in and the importance of SCM are growing, scholarly materials remain scattered and disjointed, and no research has been directed towards a systematic identification of the core initiatives and constructs involved in SCM. Thus, the p urpose of this study is to develop a research framework that improves understanding of SCM and stimulates and facilitates researchers to undertake both theoretical and empirical investigation on the critical constructs of SCM, and the exploration of their impacts on supply chain performance. To this end, I have analyzed over 40 articles and synthesize the large, fragmented body of work dispersed across many disciplines such as purchasing and supply, logistics and transportation, marketing, organizational dynamics, information management, strategic management, and operations management literature. The following are five basic components of SCM. 1. Plan This is the strategic portion of SCM. You need a strategy for managing all the resources that go toward meeting customer demand for your product or service. A big piece of planning is developing a set of metrics to monitor the supply chain so that it is efficient, costs less and delivers high quality and value to customers. 2. Source Choose the suppliers that will deliver the goods and services you need to create your product. Develop a set of pricing, delivery and payment processes with suppliers and create metrics for monitoring and improving the relationships. And put together processes for managing the inventory of goods and services you receive from suppliers, including receiving shipments, verifying them, transferring them to your manufacturing facilities and authorizing supplier payments. 3. Make This is the manufacturing step. Schedule the activities necessary for production, testing, packaging and preparation for delivery. As the most metric-intensive portion of the supply chain, measure quality levels, production output and worker productivity. 4. Deliver This is the part that many insiders refer to as logistics. Coordinate the receipt of orders from customers, develop a network of warehouses, pick carriers to get products to customers and set up an invoicing system to receive payments. 5. Return The problem part of the supply chain. Create a network for receiving defective and excess products back from customers and supporting customers who have problems with delivered products. (Christopher, M., in his book Logistics and Supply Chain Management, 3rd edition, 2005). Research Methodology A literature survey was employed as one of the research methodologies in the study to develop a framework for best practices and innovations in supply chain management of British supermarket industry. The literature on SCM practices, application of IT and innovations was collected primary from journals in the areas of operations management, supply chain, operations research, and information systems. In addition to classifying the literature on SCM practices and innovations, the tools used to model and analyse various SCM environments are also presented. The literature search included journals published by numerous publishers, in particular Elsevier, Emerald, and Taylor and Francis, together with journals such as Management Science and Operations Research. The literature search was aimed at primarily helping researchers and practitioners in implementing a successful IT system for achieving an effective SCM. With this in mind, I looked at the literature that deals with IT-enabled SCM. The primary aim of the literature search was to help researchers and practitioners develop an effective SCM practice. The literature on SCM and some associated references Ire classified according to this objective and are reviewed in the following sections. This would be useful to researchers who are interested in modelling and analysis of various decision-making environments with reference to IT in SCM. The literature search has been conducted wi

Rise of Nazism :: essays research papers

- Hitler was fully responsible for the order for the mass executions in Poland in 1939 and 1940. He was also actively engaged in setting up plans for a Jewish reservation in Poland and he backed the Madagascar plan. He was continually preoccupied with further deportations and deportation plans. - In 1941 Hitler ordered the extermination of every potential enemy in the occupied Eastern territories. He was fully aware of mass executions of Jewish civilians in the occupied Eastern territories. - In mid September 1941 Hitler ordered the beginning of mass deportations from Germany to ghettos in Eastern Europe. During Autumn 1941 and the following Winter, when preparation for the "Final Solution" in Europe were in full swing, Hitler spoke at various occasions openly about the annihilation of the Jews in Europe. It can be ruled out that the massive preparations for the systematic murder of European Jews in extermination camps in Poland, undertaken in Spring and Summer of 1942, were taken without his consent or his knowledge. - Private diaries of Nazi propaganda maestro Joseph Goebbels and Gestapo chief Heinrich Himmler unearthed from the secret Soviet archives show that Adolf Hitler personally ordered the mass extermination of Jews on December 12, 1941 during a meeting of Nazi German regional governors in the chancellery. As Goebbels wrote "With regards to the Jewish question, the Fuhrer decided to make a clean sweep." - And from a number of letters and speeches of Himmler it becomes clear, that the Reichsfà ¼hrer SS referred to the Holocaust as a task which he had to carry out on the behalf of the highest authority in the Third Reich - Adolf Hitler. - In Germany concentration camps were set up after 1933 to detain without legal procedure Jews, Communists, Gypsies, homosexuals, and others. During world war II extermination, or death, camps were established for the sole purpose of killing men, women, and children. In the most notorious camps - Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Majdanek in Poland, Buchenwald and Dachau in Germany - more than 6 million people, mostly Jews and Poles, were killed in gas chambers. Millions of others were also interned during the war, and a large proportion died of gross mistreatment, malnutrition, and disease. - The idea that the Holocaust represents 11 million lives that abruptly ended is a difficult concept, but this is an important point. The Holocaust was the extermination of people not for who they were but for what they were.

Character Analysis of Scout

Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, is the novel's narrator and principal character. She is a unique and remarkable character who does not quite fit in, or do what is expected of young girls in 1930s Alabama. Readers will note that Scout at the end of the novel is very different from Scout at the beginning and this is because she has developed so much as a character. At the start of the novel, she is a determined, spirited tomboy; she loves wearing trousers. She spends most of her time with Jem, her brother and Dill, her friend who visits every summer.She can't bear to be reminded that she is a girl and she is often excluded from the boys' games because she is a girl. At times, being a girl makes her very lonely- she has no mother, sisters or female friends her own age. She tries to solve all problems by fighting and it takes her a long time to follow her father's advice and learn to fight with her head instead of her fists. Her bad temper is possibly her greatest flaw. She also stands out from the crowd because she is very clever. She can read the newspaper before she starts school and she can't even remember when started to read.Her knowledge of law is remarkable for her age. She is also outspoken, and this gets her into trouble with Miss Caroline on her first day at school. She is stubborn and strong-willed, and this means she clashes with people who have authority over her- Calpurnia, Miss Caroline, Aunt Alexandra. she does not disobey her father, but she certainly challenges him and tries to get around him. However, Atticus always gets around her in the end. Scout grows and develops immensely in the course of the novel.Early in the novel, she believes all the rumors that she hears around Maycomb and picks up many of Maycomb's attitudes- Boo is a phantom, Mr Dolphus Raymond is evil, black people are only ‘niggers' and Atticus should not defend them. She also learns to become more accepting of her femininity. For some, it may seem that she gives into Aunt Ale xandra's pressure to be a lady. In the final chapter, we see that the rebellious little tomboy who fights with her fists has made way for a thoughtful, wise, mature and experienced young lady.

The Depression essays

The Depression essays If you lived between the years 1929 and 1940, would you survive? The stock market crash of 1929 was an indication of serious underlying problems in the United States economy, but it was not the sole cause of the Great Depression. The crash merely made the cracks in Americas superficial prosperity much more obvious. And, since the causes of the economic crises were complex, the solution to the economic problems facing the United States would be complicated as well (Rogge 67-68). After the great crash, the American public sought a scapegoat for the economic collapse. Some held president Hoover responsible, others targeted the three Bs; brokers, bankers, and businessmen. But, the cause of the Great Depression could not be attributed to one individual or even a group of people. The roots of the Great Depression were in the very structure of the American Economy (Rogge 67-68). The Great Depression, a major even in the United States history. The Depression lasted through most of the 1930s. Everyones life changed greatly during that time. Millions of people lost all their savings. Seasons were a part of what some people ate during the Depression. They lived on farms and when the crops did not grow, their menus changed. And, many people ended up sleeping in a shelter for the unemployed. One farmer describes the close friendships made during this time. He explains how there was no relationship between income and the enjoyment of life (Looper). Ninety-nine year old Fentress County man recalls the Great Depression era. Enlo Looper of Clarkrange, Tennessee was only nineteen years old when the Depression began. From 1930 to 1940 some people had it tougher than others. Some just barely got by, and some did not live to see the end of the Depression. Fortunately, for this farmer, Enlo Looper, lived to retell this hard time in Americas history. While Enlo and his family had it easier th...

John Bell Hood in the Civil War

John Bell Hood in the Civil War Early Life Career: John Bell Hood was born either June 1 or 29, 1831, to Dr. John W. Hood and Theodosia French Hood at Owingsville, KY. Though his father did not wish a military career for his son, Hood was inspired by his grandfather, Lucas Hood, who, in 1794, had fought with Major General Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers during the Northwest Indian War (1785-1795). Obtaining an appointment to West Point from his uncle, Representative Richard French, he entered school in 1849. An average student, he was nearly expelled by Superintendent Colonel Robert E. Lee for an unauthorized visit to a local tavern. In the same class as Philip H. Sheridan, James B. McPherson, and John Schofield, Hood also received instruction from future adversary George H. Thomas.   Nicknamed Sam and ranked 44th of 52, Hood graduated in 1853, and was assigned to the 4th US Infantry in California. Following peaceful duty on the West Coast, he was reunited with Lee in 1855, as part of Colonel Albert Sidney Johnstons 2nd US Cavalry in Texas. Adopting the struck in the hand by a Comanche arrow near Devils River, TX during a routine patrol from Fort Mason. The following year, Hood received a promotion to first lieutenant. Three years later, he was assigned to West Point as Chief Instructor of Cavalry. Concerned about the growing tensions between the states, Hood requested to remain with the 2nd Cavalry. This was granted by the US Army Adjutant General, Colonel Samuel Cooper, and he stayed in Texas. Early Campaigns of the Civil War: With the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, Hood immediately resigned from the US Army. Enlisting in the Confederate Army at Montgomery, AL, he quickly moved through the ranks. Ordered to Virginia to serve with Brigadier General John B. Magruders cavalry, Hood earned early fame for a skirmish near Newport News on July 12, 1861. As his native Kentucky remained in the Union, Hood elected to represent his adopted state of Texas and on September 30, 1861, was appointed as colonel of the 4th Texas Infantry. After a brief period in this post, he was given command of the Texas Brigade on February 20, 1862, and promoted to brigadier general the following month. Assigned to General Joseph E. Johnstons Army of Northern Virginia, Hoods men were in reserve at Seven Pines in late May as Confederate forces worked to halt Major General George McClellans advance up the Peninsula. In the fighting, Johnston was wounded and replaced by Lee. Taking a more aggressive approach, Lee soon commenced an offensive against the Union troops outside Richmond. During the resulting Seven Days Battles in late June, Hood established himself as a daring, aggressive commander who led from the front. Serving under Major General Thomas Stonewall Jackson, the highlight of Hoods performance during the fighting was a decisive charge by his men at the Battle of Gaines Mill on June 27. With the defeat of McClellan on the Peninsula, Hood was promoted and given command of a division under Major General James Longstreet. Taking parting the Northern Virginia Campaign, he further developed his reputation as a gifted leader of assault troops at the Second Battle of Manassas in late August. In the course of the battle, Hood and his men played a key role in Longstreets decisive attack on Major General John Popes left flank and the defeat of Union forces. The Antietam Campaign: In the wake of the battle, Hood became involved in a dispute over captured ambulances with Brigadier General Nathan G. Shanks Evans. Reluctantly placed under arrest by Longstreet, Hood was ordered to leave the army. This was countered by Lee who allowed Hood to travel with the troops as they began the invasion of Maryland. Just prior to the Battle of South Mountain, Lee returned Hood to his post after the Texas Brigade marched by chanting Give us Hood! At no point did Hood ever apologize for his conduct in the dispute with Evans. In the battle on September 14, Hood held the line at Turners Gap and covered the armys retreat to Sharpsburg. Three days later at the Battle of Antietam, Hoods division raced to the relief of Jacksons troops on the Confederate left flank. Putting in a brilliant performance, his men prevented the collapse of the Confederate left and succeeded in driving back Major General Joseph Hookers I Corps. Attacking with ferocity, the division suffered over 60% casualties in the fighting. For Hoods efforts, Jackson recommended that he be elevated to major general. Lee concurred and Hood was promoted on October 10. That December, Hood and his division were present at the Battle of Fredericksburg but saw little fighting on their front. With the arrival of spring, Hood missed the Battle of Chancellorsville as Longstreets First Corps had been detached for duty around Suffolk, VA. Gettysburg: Following the triumph at Chancellorsville, Longstreet rejoined Lee as Confederate forces again moved north. With the Battle of Gettysburg raging on July 1, 1863, Hoods division reached the battlefield late in the day. The next day, Longstreet was ordered to attack up the Emmitsburg Road and strike the Union left flank. Hood opposed the plan as it meant his troops would have to assault a boulder-strewn area known as the Devils Den. Requesting permission to move to the right to attack the Union rear, he was refused. As the advance started around 4:00 PM, Hood was badly wounded in his left arm by shrapnel. Taken from the field, Hoods arm was saved, but it remained disabled for the remainder of his life. Command of the division passed to Brigadier General Evander M. Law whose efforts to dislodge Union forces on Little Round Top failed. Chickamauga: After recuperating in Richmond, Hood was able to rejoin his men on September 18 as Longstreets corps was shifted west to aid General Braxton Braggs Army of Tennessee. Reporting for duty on the eve of the Battle of Chickamauga, Hood directed a series of attacks on the first day before overseeing a key assault which exploited a gap in the Union line on September 20.   This advance drove much of the Union army from the field and provided the Confederacy with one of its few signature victories in the Western Theater. In the fighting, Hood was badly wounded in the right thigh which required the leg to be subsequently amputated a few inches below the hip. For his bravery, he was promoted to lieutenant general effective that date. The Atlanta Campaign: Returning to Richmond to recover, Hood befriended Confederate President Jefferson Davis. In the spring of 1864, Hood was given command of a corps in Johnstons Army of Tennessee. Tasked with defending Atlanta from Major General William T. Sherman, Johnston conducted a defensive campaign which included frequent retreats. Angered by his superiors approach, the aggressive Hood wrote several critical letters to Davis expressing his displeasure. The Confederate president, unhappy with Johnstons lack of initiative, replaced him with Hood on July 17. Given the temporary rank of general, Hood was only thirty-three and became the youngest army commander of the war. Defeated on July 20 at the Battle of Peachtree Creek, Hood launched a series of offensive battles in an attempt to push back Sherman. Unsuccessful in each attempt, Hoods strategy only served to weaken his already out-numbered army. With no other options, Hood was compelled to abandon Atlanta on September 2. The Tennessee Campaign: As Sherman prepared for his March to the Sea, Hood and Davis planned a campaign to defeat the Union general. In this, Hood sought to move north against Shermans supply lines in Tennessee forcing him to follow. Hood then hoped to defeat Sherman before marching north to recruit men and join Lee in the siege lines at Petersburg, VA. Aware of Hoods operations to the west, Sherman dispatched Thomas Army of the Cumberland and Schofields Army of the Ohio to protect Nashville while he moved towards Savannah. Crossing into Tennessee on November 22, Hoods campaign was beset with command and communication issues. After failing to trap part of Schofields command at Spring Hill, he fought the Battle of Franklin on November 30. Assaulting a fortified Union position without artillery support, his army was badly mauled and six generals killed. Unwilling to admit defeat, he pressed on to Nashville and was routed by Thomas on December 15-16. Retreating with the remnants of his army, he resigned on January 23, 1865. Later Life: In the final days of the war, Hood was dispatched to Texas by Davis with the goal of raising a new army. Learning of Davis capture and the surrender of Texas, Hood surrendered to Union forces at Natchez, MS on May 31. After the war, Hood settled in New Orleans where he worked in insurance and as a cotton broker. Marrying, he fathered eleven children before his death from yellow fever on August 30, 1879. A gifted brigade and division commander, Hoods performance dropped as he was promoted to higher commands. Though renowned for his early successes and ferocious attacks, his failures around Atlanta and in Tennessee permanently damaged his reputation as a commander. Selected Sources Civil War Home: John Bell HoodNorth Georgia: John Bell Hood

My Professional Career Goals Essay Example

My Professional Career Goals Essay Example My Professional Career Goals Essay My Professional Career Goals Essay I am determined to work in a Career field that will offer me the opportunity to do something that I enjoy doing as a job. My objective career goal is to work as a medical officer in the United States Army, specifically a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). I have thoroughly considered the skills that I presently have and the abilities that I need to either change or perfect. I been embarking on more educational avenues since I have being in the army to get close to this career goal. The ultimate goal I set out for myself was to get accepted in the United State Army Masters of Social Work Program.The program is one that helps determined individuals work on acquiring their Masters Degree in Social Work Services and become officers in the United Army. As I am already in the field of psychology I though a special interest in the Social Work Services and have come to enjoy working in this department. My professional career goal is to get the schooling through the Army because it is al l paid for. Finish my obligation and try to retire from the Army after 20 years of service. I know once I complete my service, I can always work for the federal employee for the Army.Also one may ask the question, but why social work services? I have always been interested in working in the medical field because I am good understanding people and can be a good listener and also because it is a respected profession. I have spent time in many different types of jobs in my short time in the Army but one of the fields I enjoyed the most The Department of Social Work Services. It has become a commonly acceptable practice that we use different methods of learning to obtain information. Information technology allows us to easily identify with the various aspects and methods of social learning.The Web has also made it so easy to collaborate with other student in the process of learning and training. In pursuit of my short term goal which is to attain a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical P sychology, I have taken a few online courses to include this class and it is amazing how much information and insight I have been able to obtain from other students from the online environment. I was also able to obtain an undergraduate certificate in Terrorism and Homeland Security by online education. I am getting closer and closer to finishing my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.Online Education has made my dream meeting all the requirements of the Masters Program possible. The ability to share information with others in a participatory manner has allowed me to see and learn from my peers. The online method of learning brings synergy to the table and can also be very effective within the professional arena. I can’t emphasis enough how I’m able to learn from others in the comfort of my own living room or office. In the world of web learning, I’m able to keep up with current information concerning my career options as well as keep up with advancing techno logies within my career.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the Employment of healthcare social workers is expected to grow by 34 percent, much faster than the average for all occupations in the United States. As baby boomers age, they and their families will require help from social workers to find care, which will increase demand for healthcare social workers. The average full-time medical social worker earned $50,500 per year as of 2011, according to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but wages varied over a wide range with those workers that holds a masters degree in any subject averaged approximately $12,000 more in annual income.Career progression in this field is very rapid because of the constant need and demand for Licensed Clinical Social Workers. I do know that I will have to improve on any skills that could help in making me more sought after; for example a manager could be one that has knowledge, skills and interests in many areas but has no real specialty. T hen there is the professional manager who will conform to the skills, competence and/or character which is expected of a properly qualified/experienced person. I also know I have work to do and things to learn as well as ideas to offer.I see another thing I will need to do and that is to place more emphasis on my writing skills and hopefully I can better myself within the next two years. I know that I still have a way to go in order to reach my goal; but I can withstand all I will need to in order to make dreams come true. With the above plan of completing my Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree, I can be that ultimate military social worker.Cited Sources Eliminating Mental Health Disparities tmhguide. org Health Careers Center is a division of Mississippi Hospital Association. (2002-2004). Health Care Administrator. ttp://www. mshealthcareers. com/careers/healthcareadmin. htm Individual Development Plan fsa. usda. gov/FSA/hrdapp? area=home;amp;subject=trai;amp;topi c=idp Landis, S. (2002). Career Goals. Mountain Area Health Education Center. http://depts. washington. edu/ccph/pdf_files/Landis%20%20Career%20Goals. pdf Occupational outlook Handbook bls. gov/ooh/Community-and-Social-Service/Social-workers. htm#tab-5 Promoting Mental Health in the Web 2. 0 Era (updated version) by Instut Douglas slideshare. net/institutdouglas/promoting-mental-health-in-the-web-20-era-updated-version

My Diamond Ring Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

My Diamond Ring - Assignment Example The essay "My Diamond Ring" describes the fashion item, the Diamond Ring. My family had paid her a visit during one of the Easter vacations. In a remarkable manner, there was a unique bond shared between my grandmother and I. Every member of the family commented about our relation. Arguably, it suggested that I had won her tender spot. The ring only assisted in the cementing of the suggestion. Grandmother disclosed that she had received the ring form our late grandfather as a special present for her birthday. She further disclosed that she saw the little her in my personality, hence the kind gesture. I felt humbled by the present. I wear the ring in exceptional days that mark an excellence in life. Such includes occasions that exemplify my achievements such as graduations and birthdays. I tend to be persuaded that the ring offers a touch of greatness upon being worn. The perception may be related to the impression I had shared towards my grandmother. I once lost the ring after my you nger sibling played a trick on me while on the onset of my thirteenth birthday. I was extremely anxious over the loss. I found myself combing my entire room in search for the ring. Apparently, I used to place it on my drawer to my cloth closet. I cannot recollect the number of times I pulled the drawer in search of the ring. Eventually, my sibling disclosed of the folly, leaving me rather agitated while the rest of the family found the entire scenario rather humorous. I established a secret place for storing my exceptional ring.

Greed Field Ventures Limited Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Greed Field Ventures Limited - Case Study Example This study declares that the accumulated profit of the company grew from $35,070.00 in 2001 to $1,000,078.00 in 2009 representing 2,851% increase. Likewise shareholders interest grew from $142,570.00 in 2001 to $2,876,628.00 in 2009 representing 2017% increase. As a result of this growth the ownership structure, management structure and business strategy have been transformed. Two key partners invested in the expansion process. The management team is gradually developing a corporate identity and governance strategies. The work force has increased in quality and quantity to meet the human resource needs of the new GFVL. From on-the-farm and warehouse sales the company has developed a modern marketing strategy involving advertisement, promotions and direct supplies. Allison Madison has been in agricultural production since 1980s. He inherited a vast land at different locations. All together he inherited about 1150 acres. Only about half of the total farm land was cultivated at the init ial stage. Farming was highly seasonal. Hence there the capital base was small. The turnover was about $89,500.00. Only the farm lands close to villages were cultivated. Labour was provided by villagers and seasonal migrants. There were no built structures except small round-shaped mud warehouses scattered in the village settlements. The crops produced were crops produced in the neighbouring village settlements. They were all cereals: maize, millet and guinea corn. Although production was above subsistence level, farm produce were largely sold in the village market. Thus prices were highly variable and unpredictable. There was no proper record of the inputs and outputs in the production process. Except for the processing of maize stalks into fence, there was no value added to the production process. By late 1990s Allison has settled down. The acreage inherited was fully utilized. The types of crops produced have increased. From this paper it is clear that ground nuts, soya beans and rice were produced. Manual labour was complimented by tractors. Two tractors were hired. The size and type of crops produced were not for village market. Two warehouses were consequently built, where farm produce were stored and sold when prices are favourable. A truck with capacity of conveying 3 tonnes was bought purposely for transporting produce to distant markets and buyers. Allison was assisted in the management of the farms by his son, with a degree in business administration, and his nephew with a diploma in agricultural economics. These two young men began to transformation of Allison's business. They were initially not salaried and had no offices. They relied on informal commissions and returns from their small farms. The Launch In 2000, new windows of opportunities were opened as a result of new agricultural policies implemented by the government. The Cassava Enterprise Development Programme was more promising. To benefit from the loans, technical assistance and other in centives under this programme, Allison had to formalize his farm holdings. His son and nephew handled this task and Madison & Sons was born. A bank account was opened in the new to access the loan. Also, an office with at least a farm manager, accountant and clerical staff was needed to benefit from capacity building on farm management.  

In a study in this unit, you found an organizational improvement Term Paper

In a study in this unit, you found an organizational improvement model, process, or tool for addressing health care laws or poli - Term Paper Example The nurse supervisor studies surveys and other quantitative and qualitative data as a basis for implementing significant changes to improve the health care facilities’ current service quality. Currently, the changes in the present organization’s health care policies are to slow. This is understandable because some persons deter the unfavorable effects of change. On the other hand, some health care subordinates feel disgruntled with the disparity between current health care policies and the real situation in a typical patient – nurse relationship. The current policies are too outmoded or too general. The policies are made without regular consultation from the most affected persons – the nurse subordinates. The current health care policies are implemented without conducting an in-depth survey of the real situation within the wards and other departments of the health care facilities. Paul Bate (2007) reiterated the nurse supervisor should not focus on gatheri ng of data as an end. On the other hand, the nurse supervisor must implement a timely gathering of relevant data to update and enhance the health care facilities’ present patient-based policies.

Biography of Florence Nightingale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biography of Florence Nightingale - Essay Example status and the family would rather prefer she marry into her own upper social class as a dutiful, devoted wife and a zealous, dedicated mother to future children. However, she refused to give up her dream of becoming a nurse; she also claimed to have religious visions regarding an obligation to serve other in conformity with her reformist ideas of a woman going beyond her home and be an asset for service to humanity. She went ahead with her plans of taking up nursing despite opposition from her family because she had sincerely believed affluent young women should contribute more to society than just attend a series of afternoon tea parties as was customary at that time for wealthy English families. She had rejected several serious marriage proposals from different suitors who found her beautiful, witty, slender, and graceful. She thought marriage would seriously interfere with her plans of serving others through nursing. Florence Nightingale can be considered as one of the pioneers of the feminist movement as she rejected the traditional roles which a woman is supposed to do but instead charted her own path and destiny based on her convictions. She is generally considered as the founder of modern professional nursing as practiced today. Nursing before Florence Nightingale was not practiced professionally in the sense it had no set rules and regulations regarding how to treat patients properly for them to recover their health and wellness back soon enough; most hospitals were dirty and medical practices were likewise not very hygienic which was why many patients died in hospitals due to some infections instead of getting better. Florence Nightingale professionalized the art of nursing by implementing reforms in how nurses should conduct themselves and how to treat the patients. She found nursing to be the ideal vehicle by which to answer her calling of serving others as it is a basic service neglected by most government authorities and the medical industry. The

Welcome to India 2012 - Documentary (Episode 1 of 3) Essay

Welcome to India 2012 - Documentary (Episode 1 of 3) - Essay Example They wake up at 3am to dust the street to get gold that, in turns; they sell to Naukada- one of the gold merchants (YouTube). They get poor pay and gets frustrated. However, the have to sell to the same man as he own house in which they live in. Their struggle is highlighted as the prices for gold goes up. This means there is less available gold in dust, in the street. They opt to go for sludge. They acquire sludge in a most inhumane way, as it is full of ‘shit’. We are also shown Javeds employees working tirelessly to get pure gold (YouTube). The film also focuses on live of poor in Mumbai beach. The life is highlighted using Rajesh family. Rajesh is married to Sevita. They own a pub with no license from the council. Rajesh had been jailed due to this illegality. Sevita his wife also does part time jobs as a cleaner despite physical challenges (YouTube). The family also goes through challenges of constant eviction. They are forced to rebuild the house every time after the eviction. Rajesh is also forced to rely on moneylender to boost his stock and is faced with challenges of repaying. I disliked the way young people are forced to go through inhumane ways of making ends meet. In this film, I have learnt it is advantageous to learn how to interact and interview in order to get facts about people ways of

Racin way Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Racin way - Essay Example 2. Is the deputy in compliance with the use-of-force policy? Defend your answer. The answer to whether the deputy is in overall compliance with the use of force policy is highly nuanced and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. Firstly, due to the aggravating circumstances and inappropriate actions that the deputy took as a means to exacerbate the situation, the use-of force policy is further complicated with the fact that no mention of when to use the taser was referenced (Johnson 2011). Rather, the deputy has clearly abrogated the rules by using a less-than lethal device for which he was not specifically trained. However, ignoring the other wrong doings, it would appear that imminent officer harm was something that the deputy was faced with. As such, discharging his side arm as a means of firing warning shots at the ground was justified. However, due to the extenuating circumstances and the clear ignorance or disregard the deputy showed for the other use-of force policies gre atly jeopardizes the sheriff department’s case in this matter. 3. Should the lieutenant end Ripley’s pursuit? Explain. ... Due to this fact alone, a clear felony has been committed. As such, according to the departmental policies that have been enumerated upon, the deputy and the lieutenant as well as the department are justified in seeking to pursue the criminal. 4. Should the deputy have fired warning shots under these circumstances? Why or why not? With regards to whether or not the deputy should have fired shots, the answer is a resounding yes. Due to the fact that the deputies life was in danger he was well within his rights to fire shots and alert the suspect that the actions that he/she were taking were putting him/her in danger of their life and in clear violation of the law. 5. Assume that the people who were in the parked vehicle lodge a complaint because of Ripley’s actions with the dog, the warning shot, and the Taser; what kinds of policies and procedures normally cover Ripley’s actions? Would your Internal Affairs Unit find that the deputy was at fault with any of them? Which of the deputy’s actions do you as sheriff feel should result in disciplinary action against Ripley? Why or why not? The unfortunate fact of the matter is that even if the suspect/suspects are proven guilty of seeking to evade arrest, charging the officer/attempted vehicular manslaughter, they would still be able to lodge a valid complaint to the Internal Affiars Unit and find the deputy at fault for not following a litany of procedures involving use of an unauthorized dog while on patrol, over-aggressive tactics, and the unauthorized use of a taser. In this manner, the use of the unauthorized police dog and the unauthorized and untrained use of a taser should be disciplined by the department as clear abrogation of the training procedure and rules of conduct that bind every officer

Biography of Florence Nightingale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biography of Florence Nightingale - Essay Example status and the family would rather prefer she marry into her own upper social class as a dutiful, devoted wife and a zealous, dedicated mother to future children. However, she refused to give up her dream of becoming a nurse; she also claimed to have religious visions regarding an obligation to serve other in conformity with her reformist ideas of a woman going beyond her home and be an asset for service to humanity. She went ahead with her plans of taking up nursing despite opposition from her family because she had sincerely believed affluent young women should contribute more to society than just attend a series of afternoon tea parties as was customary at that time for wealthy English families. She had rejected several serious marriage proposals from different suitors who found her beautiful, witty, slender, and graceful. She thought marriage would seriously interfere with her plans of serving others through nursing. Florence Nightingale can be considered as one of the pioneers of the feminist movement as she rejected the traditional roles which a woman is supposed to do but instead charted her own path and destiny based on her convictions. She is generally considered as the founder of modern professional nursing as practiced today. Nursing before Florence Nightingale was not practiced professionally in the sense it had no set rules and regulations regarding how to treat patients properly for them to recover their health and wellness back soon enough; most hospitals were dirty and medical practices were likewise not very hygienic which was why many patients died in hospitals due to some infections instead of getting better. Florence Nightingale professionalized the art of nursing by implementing reforms in how nurses should conduct themselves and how to treat the patients. She found nursing to be the ideal vehicle by which to answer her calling of serving others as it is a basic service neglected by most government authorities and the medical industry. The

Racin way Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Racin way - Essay Example 2. Is the deputy in compliance with the use-of-force policy? Defend your answer. The answer to whether the deputy is in overall compliance with the use of force policy is highly nuanced and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. Firstly, due to the aggravating circumstances and inappropriate actions that the deputy took as a means to exacerbate the situation, the use-of force policy is further complicated with the fact that no mention of when to use the taser was referenced (Johnson 2011). Rather, the deputy has clearly abrogated the rules by using a less-than lethal device for which he was not specifically trained. However, ignoring the other wrong doings, it would appear that imminent officer harm was something that the deputy was faced with. As such, discharging his side arm as a means of firing warning shots at the ground was justified. However, due to the extenuating circumstances and the clear ignorance or disregard the deputy showed for the other use-of force policies gre atly jeopardizes the sheriff department’s case in this matter. 3. Should the lieutenant end Ripley’s pursuit? Explain. ... Due to this fact alone, a clear felony has been committed. As such, according to the departmental policies that have been enumerated upon, the deputy and the lieutenant as well as the department are justified in seeking to pursue the criminal. 4. Should the deputy have fired warning shots under these circumstances? Why or why not? With regards to whether or not the deputy should have fired shots, the answer is a resounding yes. Due to the fact that the deputies life was in danger he was well within his rights to fire shots and alert the suspect that the actions that he/she were taking were putting him/her in danger of their life and in clear violation of the law. 5. Assume that the people who were in the parked vehicle lodge a complaint because of Ripley’s actions with the dog, the warning shot, and the Taser; what kinds of policies and procedures normally cover Ripley’s actions? Would your Internal Affairs Unit find that the deputy was at fault with any of them? Which of the deputy’s actions do you as sheriff feel should result in disciplinary action against Ripley? Why or why not? The unfortunate fact of the matter is that even if the suspect/suspects are proven guilty of seeking to evade arrest, charging the officer/attempted vehicular manslaughter, they would still be able to lodge a valid complaint to the Internal Affiars Unit and find the deputy at fault for not following a litany of procedures involving use of an unauthorized dog while on patrol, over-aggressive tactics, and the unauthorized use of a taser. In this manner, the use of the unauthorized police dog and the unauthorized and untrained use of a taser should be disciplined by the department as clear abrogation of the training procedure and rules of conduct that bind every officer

Cambodian Genocide Essay Example for Free

Cambodian Genocide Essay Mass graves overflowing with bodies. Bodies which have been mutilated and burned lay on the ground. Carelessly thrown everywhere as if they are not even human. This was the sight in war torn Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge controlled Cambodia and terrorized the people. They killed people who were educated, from a certain ethnic group, from a certain region, opposed the Khmer Rouge or just wore glasses. People were taken to facilities used for killing and torture and were never seen again. People were forced out of the cities and put in work camps. The people from the cities were called the New People while the existing farmers and rural peasants were called Old People. The New People were despised by the Khmer Rouge for their Western ideas. The leader of the KR, Pol Pot set up the communist government in Cambodia after the U. S. A carpet bombed Cambodia and made it politically unstable. The genocide that followed this was horrendous. The effects of it still remain. The Cambodian Genocide followed the eight steps of genocide and negatively impacted Cambodia for years to come. Classification categorizes people based on their ethnicity, race, religion or nationality. A classification in this genocide was the Old People and the New People system. The people that were kicked out of the urban cities were called the New People because of their Western ideas. The people that were farmers before the Khmer Rouge takeover were called the Old People. The Khmer Rouge got most of their support from the rural people unlike the Soviets who gleaned their support from the urban elements. The New People were more abused than the Old People. They were considered the lowest in the village and had no freedom of speech. They had to listen to the other classes. They were also not allowed to farm because they had led â€Å"corrupt† lives and had to be trained to be â€Å"productive† workers. In order to break their spirits and instill a sense of loyalty, the New People were given the longest and hardest work. The New People were not the only people that were abused and killed by the Khmer Rouge. Muslim Chams were heavily killed and oppressed. They were forced to eat pork (which is highly discouraged in Islam). If they refused to eat it then they were killed with a blow to the back of the neck with a hoe. About 400,000 Muslims were killed through this extermination process. The classification stage was heavily used in the Cambodian genocide. Symbolization refers to how people apply symbols to these different categories. The Khmer Rouge assigned a blue scarf to the people who were from the Eastern Zones of Cambodia. This blue scarf was a basically a sign that told the Khmer Rouge who was marked for extermination.. They also killed people who wore glasses. They said that the glasses symbolized that the wearer could read and was therefore literate. They also targeted cities. They destroyed some and others were re purposed to fit their needs. They believed that the cities depicted a westernized ideology and that they could not fit into their peasantism ideology. Dehumanization is the third stage in genocide. It is the denial of the other groups humanity. It depicts the other group as being less human and helps the extremists get over their squeamishness to kill. This tactic was used to demonize higher ranking people of the opposition. This means that they painted their enemies as demons who threatened the well being of the revolution. All genocides are organized. No matter how little. The Khmer Rouge evacuated Phnom Penh which led to the desolation of cities. They also classified people as Old or New People which led to the division of the people. They separated families and children and sent them to work camps where they were forced to do hard labor. They also processed city dwellers and asked them to provide autobiographies in order to document their class background. This helped them draw up kill list for people who were suspected of treason or were just from an ethnic class that was despised by them or was unfit to live. Polarization is the act of killing the opposition or the moderates who oppose the extremists. The Khmer Rouge basically decided that they wanted to show that they had enemies. So they put the New People against the Old People. The New People hated the Old People because they were favored more by the Khmer Rouge and were not worked so hard and received more food. The Old People hated the New People because the Khmer Rouge hated them. This widened the gap between the people and made them easy to manipulate. They also painted the U. S. A and Vietnam as their enemies. Basically anyone who was tied to the West was considered an enemy. Dehumanization made it easier for the to kill the â€Å"enemy†. Identification is identifying the victims and classifying them. The Khmer Rouge was secretive from the beginning. They had an agenda that included the eradication of the Vietnamese in Cambodia, yet they relied on them as allies. In preparation, the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia secretly killed Cambodians that had been trained by the North Vietnamese. They were also forced to remain hidden because they were violently attacked by Prince Sihanouks government. Ironically after his exile, he joined forces with the Khmer Rouge. But all their alliances were temporary even though the Vietnamese and Prince Sihanouk thought of them as permanent. The Khmer Rouge had their own agenda. The forced evacuation of Phnom Penh was a preparation step for the genocide. Extermination is basically a fancy term for genocide but the frankness of it shows the effects of dehumanization. Extermination is a term that describes the killings of pests. The victims are not considered humans. They are considered vermin or pests. This prompted the makings of mass graves and the brutal killings that took place. People were killed by harsh forced labor, mass executions and internal killings. The KR imposed harsh labor. They forced the people to work from dawn till dusk. They barely had any food and they were not allowed to grow their own. The KR also conducted mass executions in which hundreds of thousands of people were executed. After sometime the KR became paranoid and started killing their own members who they suspected of treason. They also killed members who were not behaving in a way that the KR wanted them to. Denial is when the country in which the genocide took place tries to cover up the evidence and divert attention away from the atrocities that were committed there. They basically burned all the records and then don’t allow historians to view the very little records that have survived the burnings. They hide the evidence. They cover up the mass graves. They burn then or try to dig them up some more. This is done to make sure that they cant be tried by a court for their actions. Denial is a big problem because the destruction of the evidence makes it harder to try the people behind the genocide. The cruelty that the Cambodian people under went is unimaginable. But the worst part is that we could have stopped this atrocity during the first six stages of the genocide. Our reluctance caused suffering for people who unfortunately lived in Cambodia. The people who were behind it may have been brought to justice but their actions are still affecting Cambodia today. The Cambodian Genocide followed the eight steps of genocide and negatively impacted Cambodia for years to come.

Effect of Genes on Personality

Effect of Genes on Personality To do what extent do genes influence one’s personality? Personality is, traditionally, one of the most important objects of study for psychologists due to its major contribution to individual differences. Previous research explored the mystery of human personality to some extent, people gradually realize what determines their behaviours, why somebody feel excited in a certain situation while others do not. However, there is still huge debate with respect to various perspectives of personality. First debate is about the definition of personality which is much more complex than everyday uses of this term. It can depend on what psychologists believe about the causes and formation of personality. A generally accepted definition was proposed by Robins who defined personality as the distinctive and relatively enduring ways of thinking, feeling and acting that characterizes a person’s response to life situations (Robins et al, 2007). Furthermore, psychologists also ask â€Å"what causes personality differences?† Why some twins rais ed in the same family could have different personalities while others could have more similar personalities (Bouchard et al. 2001)? It is generally believed that personality is formed under the combing effect of genes and environment (Riemann et al., 1997; Bouchard et al.,2001; Caspi et al., 2002); however, there is no final conclusion about to what extent genes and environment influence personality. Some psychologists suggest that genes could play a more important role in shaping one’s personality than environment (Schuett, 2013), and some believe that the plasticity of personality is lost after the age of thirty, that is, people’s personality remains constant as a result of their unchanged genes (Conley, 1985). In this essay, the influence of genes on personality will be discussed and evaluated in relation to two perspectives: Eysenck’s biological basis personality theory and twin studies carried out by various psychologists (Eave et al., 1989; Bouchard, 1997; Waller, 1999; Jang et al., 1996). One important theory which is still regularly cited today is Eysenck’s biological basis personality theory (Eysenck 19xx, 19xx; Eysenck and Eysenck, 19xx). This theory explains individual differences in personality in terms of genetic factors based on Eysenck’s â€Å"Gigantic three theory†, which is one of the major theories and instrument for assessing personality traits. According to Eysenck’s account, People’s personality traits can be classified according to three dimensions: Neutroticism the extent to which people experience negative emotion; Extraversion the extent to which people prefer to be alone or with others; and Psychoticism the extent to which people are tough-minded. After the description of â€Å"gigantic three theory†, Eysenck states (1985) that there are two major systems responsible for physiological and psychological variations between individuals: the reticulo-cortical which is located in the brain-stem reticular forma tion as well as the reticulo-limbic which is located in the visceral area and which consists of the amygdala, hippocampus, septum, cingulum and hypothalamus (Eysenck, 1985, cited in Matthews Gilliland, 1999). Although mutation can occur, these differences in the cortex are genetically determined. According to Eyseneck (1985), differences in the Reticulo-cortical could determine whether someone is extroverted or introverted, as the reticulo-cortical controls the cortical arousal produced by nerve impulses which determines levels of motivation, emotion and condition depending on either inhibitions or excitations of the cerebral cortex. To illustrate, Eysenck claims that introverts are more likely to be cortically aroused than extraverts, as a consequence, they are likely to generate larger arousal by themselves than extraverts when they are in exactly the same situations such as in a party (EysenckEysenck, 1985, cited in Matthews Gilliland, 1999). Discrepancy between cortical arousa l of extroverts and introverts, which have a genetic origin, means that the former feel comfortable to talk to people in the party because they are seeking external stimulation compensating for their low level of arousal, while the later remain quiet as they have higher level of cortical arousal in their brain and do not need the external stimulation (ibis). Eysenck also accounts for people’s emotional stability in terms of reticulo-limbic activities (Eysenck Eysenck, 1985, cited in Matthews Gilliland, 1999). Reticulo-limbic in the brain controls people’s response to emotional stimuli. Emotional stimuli induces arousability of limbic system. Eysenck states that the brains of neurotic people are more easily aroused than emotionally stable people (ibid). The arousing activities can then be translated into a predisposition to experience intense emotions such as anxiety or sadness. Therefore, when the same event happens to neurotic and stable person, strong arousability could be generated by the brain of the former, as a result, he or she may response intensely either psychologically and physiologically, on the contrast, little arousability is generated in the brain of the later, leading to very few response in return (ibid). A major limitation of Eysenck’s particular biological account of personality is concerned with its testability. The difficulty to test Eysenck’s hypotheses is considerable, especially due to the lack of appropriate technological instruments (MatthewsGilliland,1999). For example, a measure of cardiovascular activity is sometimes used to measure arousal differences between introverts and extraverts. However, the cardiovascular system has a considerable interaction with the respiratory system which could be a confounding variable in this experiment (ibid). It is very difficult for scientists to exclude all confounding variables and reach a valid result, hence it is difficult to verify the relationship between arousability of brain and personality traits. Nevertheless, further experiments carried out by other psychologists offer evidence that Eysenck’s biological theory was not as well substantiated as predicted. To illustrate, associations between extraversion and t onic measures of central nervous system and automatic nervous system arousal are actually much weaker than that were expected from Eysenck’s prediction (ibid.). It is worth considering, therefore, whether there is any other more important factor giving rise to the differences between extraverts and introverts apart from arousability of cortex as proposed by Eysenck. While the genetic account of personality theory proposed by Eysenck (1985) has remained purely theoretical and is difficult to substantiate, more recent research on twin studies also reveals that personality could largely be influenced by genetic factors (Eave et al., 1989; Bouchard, 1997; Waller, 1999; Jang et al., 1996). Twins can be divided into two types: monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins. Monozygotic twins come from the same fertilized egg and are, therefore genetically identical. Dizygotic twins refer to twins who come from two separate fertilized eggs and only share half of their genetics. In the study of influence of genetics and environments on personality, twin studies prove to be an important strand of research (Bouchard, 2001). Because MZ twins shared exactly the same genes, it is reasonable to assume that any variation in their personality could be attributed to environmental differences in their upbringing, which indicates, to a certain extent, the possible envi ronmental influence on personality. Meanwhile, DZ twins shared only half of identical genes and most of them are raised in the same environment. Their personality differences could largely be a result of genetic variations instead of environmental influence. In 1989, Eaves et al. carried out twin studies using the â€Å"Gigantic Three†(Eysenck, 1985) as three major personality dimensions and differences between twins’ personality traits( Neuroticism, Extraversion and Psychoticism) were thus investigated. Twin meta-analysis suggested a nearly zero correlation between shared environments and twins’ personality traits for all three traits, while correlation for MZ was twice that for DZ, indicating that genes play an important role in this difference. Eaves et al. then used falconer heritability to describe the heritability of a personality trait based on the difference between twin studies. The Falconer heritability for Extraversion, Neuroticism and Psychoticism wa s 0.58, 0.44 and 0.46 respectively, which means around half of one’s personality traits could be inherited from parents (BouchardLoehlin, 2001). While Eysenck (1985) described personality traits according to his â€Å"Gigant three † and proposed a genetic account for them. Costa and McCare (1992) proposed an alternative personality trait theory: â€Å"the Big Five† which classifies personality trait into Extroversion, Neuroticism, openness to experiences, agreeableness and conscientiousness. Neuroticism can be described as the tendency to experience negative emotions, notably anxiety, depression and anger. Extraversion refers to high activity, the experience of positive emotions, impulsiveness, assertiveness and a tendency towards social behavior. Openness to experience represents the tendency to engage in intellectual activities and experience new sensations and ideas. Agreeableness refers to friendly, considerate and modest behavior. Conscientiousness is associated with proactivity, responsibility and self-discipline (Costa McCare, 1992, p.xx). There are psychologists, however, who suggested that the â€Å"Big five model† is a more robust and superior interpretation of personality traits compared to â€Å"Gigantic three†, as it could include wider personality scales in the input data(AzizJackson,2000) and more scientifically acceptable nowadays. Similar twin study of â€Å"the Big five† rather than â€Å"the Gigantic Three† was conducted. Those studies yielded similar results as those for the Giant three (Waller,1999 ; Jang et al., 1996a ; Riemann et al ., 1997), stating that around 40 per cent to 60 per cent personality traits was influenced by genes and the rest of them most influenced by non-shared environment(also 40-60 per cent). Although twin studies(Eave et al., 1989; Bouchard, 1997; Waller, 1999; Jang et al., 1996) has provided a relatively convincing answer for the question to what extent do genes influence one’s personality, studies from different researchers have not always provided consistent results (BouchardLoehlin, 2001). Furthermore, a main limitation of all twin studies is that MZ twins can not be treated as a homogenous group. MZ twins can be further divided into two types: monochorionic MZ twins who share the same placenta and amniotic sac and dichorionic MZ twins who do not. Sharing the same placenta means the twins have the same prenatal environment, which could lead to their higher correlation in personality traits. However, this high correlation was not resulted from similarity of genes but the same prenatal environment. This could be a large confounding variable of twin studies, giving rise to larger proportion of genetic accounts than reality. REF In conclusion, both Eysenck’s biological basis of personality theory and twin studies have revealed that genetics can play an essential role in the formation of one’s personality. However, limitations of these theories and experiments exist and cannot be excluded due to difficulties of current technology. On the other hand, it is worth pointing out that the extent of influence of genes and environment have on personality could be different depending on individuals. For example, people in adverse situations are more likely to change their personalities sharply, while those without big change happened in their lives could keep relative constant personalities. Nevertheless, it is still very difficult to draw a valid conclusion; more research needs to be conducted in this field in the future in order to draw a more valid conclusion. References Chamorro-premuzic, T. (2011). Personality and individual differences (2nd ed.) 46-48. Blackwell: Sussex. Eysenck,H.J.(1981): General features of the modal. In H.J. Eysenck(Ed). A model for personality. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Eaves, L.J., Eysenck, H.J., and Martin, N.G.(1989). Genes, culture and personality: An Empirical Approach, Academic Press, New York. Eysenck, H. J., and Eysenck, M. W. (1985).Personality and individual differences, Plenum, New York. Matthews, G and Gilliland, K (1999). The personality theories of H.J. Eysenck and J.A. Gray: a comparative review Personality and Individual differences 26(1999) 583-626 Riemann, R., Angleitner, A., and Strelau, J. (1997). Genetic and environmental influences on personality: A study of twins reared together using the self- and peer report NEO-FFI scales. J. Personal. 65:449– 475. Tomas J. Bouchard, Jr.,and John C. Loehlin (2001). Gens, Evolution, and Personality. Behavior Genetics. Vol 31 No. 3. Waller, N. G. (1999). Evaluating the structure of personality. In Cloninger, C. R. (ed.), Personality and Psychopathology, American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC, pp. 155–197 Schuett W, Dall SRX, Wilson AJ, Royle NJ. (2013) Environmental transmission of a personality trait: foster parent exploration behaviour predicts offspring exploration behaviour in zebra finches. Biol Lett 9:20130120.http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2013.0120 Jang, K. L., Livesley, W. J., and Vernon, P. A. (1996a). Heritability of the big five personality dimensions and their facets: A twin study. J. Personal. 64:577–591.