Political Advertising: Candidates for Sale Essay

The Internet has not diminished the importance of television advertisements in presidential elections. The latter remains to be one of the most effective means of obtaining votes. In as short as 30 seconds, a television advertisement can convince voters about the competence and integrity of a particular candidate. The advertisement â€Å"sells† the candidate with as much enthusiasm and gusto as when it is selling products and services (Elliot, n. pag. ). However, political advertisements are not without contention. Akin to all other forms of advertising, they are subjective. As they are geared towards â€Å"selling† specific candidates, it is inevitable for political advertisements to present a biased point of view. Their subjectivity is sometimes obscured by noble trappings that are bombarded with images of American flags, the White House and Mount Rushmore (Elliot, n. pag. ). Despite questions about their reliability, political advertisements will continue to be an indispensable part of presidential campaigns. Candidates in recent presidential elections have focused their television commercials on â€Å"battleground† states such as Ohio and Florida. This trend is expected to increase – there are already about 20 â€Å"battleground† states as of this year. In addition, presidential candidates Barack Obama (Democrat) and John McCain (Republican) are both running nationwide advertisements (Elliot, n. pag. ). Political advertising was first developed and used in the mid-19th century. In order to generate turnout, political parties during this period distributed buttons, banners and posters to voters at local candidate rallies and at polling places on Election Day. But it was not until the advent of mass media in the 20th century that political advertising was elevated to its current status. The first national campaign commercials were broadcasted through radio in 1928 for presidential contenders Herbert Hoover (Republican) and Al Smith (Democrat) (Elliot, n. pag. ). The arrival of television in 1952 increased the cardinality of political advertisements in presidential campaigns. In the same year, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower (nicknamed Ike) was promoted in animated commercials that bannered the catchy slogan â€Å"I like Ike,† tuning him into the first presidential candidate to appear in television advertisements. These were followed with short commercials entitled Eisenhower Answers America, wherein Eisenhower was featured replying to questions from average voters about issues such as the rising cost of living and the Korean War. Eisenhower Answers America was frequently played during the commercial breaks of hit sitcoms like I Love Lucy, resulting in its instant popularity among voters. Succeeding presidential candidates followed suit, paying advertising firms millions of dollars to create catchier campaign advertisements for them (Elliot, n. pag. ). What makes political advertising effective is its ability to provide information to a wide audience within a short period of time. Furthermore, the manner in which they transmit information often appeals to the emotions rather than the intellect. Candidates are packaged as capable and trustworthy leaders who entered public office to serve the ordinary citizen. Candidates are also sometimes portrayed as the long-awaited â€Å"alternative† to a â€Å"useless† incumbent regime. As a result, the latter often makes political advertisements appear as smear campaigns against political opponents. These negative political advertisements, however, are the types of advertisements that have the greatest impact on people. They impart an overly-simplistic, â€Å"us-versus-them† philosophy, which, in the process, does the thinking for the voters. Consequently, negative political advertisements are very potent campaign materials. They reach everyone, including those who do not pay much attention to the campaign (Elliot, n. pag. ). This need for mobility is the reason for political advertising’s gradual shift from the television to the Internet. Websites such as YouTube. com (http://www. youtube. com) contain countless clips of political advertisements which people can access from virtually anywhere at any time. In addition, YouTube. om allows its members to post comments on the video clips that they viewed. In the context of political advertising, this can result in discussions that can help sharpen public opinion regarding politics and the electoral process. While negative political advertisements are effective in gaining votes, they are detrimental to American society and politics in the long run. According to Mike Hughes, president of an advertising agency in Richmond, Virginia, negative political advertisements are also untruthful. They often deceive voters by using stage effects and half-truths that make a candidate appear deserving of the position that he or she is aspiring for. Hughes was quick to add that this was not the fault of advertising agencies – most political advertisements nowadays are created by political consultants who specialize in campaign commercials. Unlike advertising agencies, which face criminal prosecution in the event that they produce inaccurate pitches, these consultants are allowed by the First Amendment to create political spots as part of their right to free speech (Elliot, n. pag. ). The deceitful usage of political advertisements is very dangerous, as it sends the people, particularly the youth, the message that the only way to get ahead in life is through lying. In addition, voters are tricked into voting leaders who will not think twice about resorting to dishonesty just to get what they want. A leader who got into power through dishonest means will most likely remain in power through dishonest means as well. Thus, there is a big possibility that lying in political advertisements will progress to violation of civil rights and liberties disguised as protection of national security.

Graded Assignment South Carolina Secedes Essay

The following question asks you to write a clear essay that analyzes South Carolina’s reasons for seceding from the Union. Use both the documents listed on next two pages and your knowledge of the time period. You may also use the time line you previously completed. (100 points) 1. What were South Carolina’s stated reasons for seceding from the United States in December, 1860? Do you believe that the stated reasons were the complete explanation for South Carolina’s secession? Was South Carolina justified in seceding? Explain your answer in a well-organized essay that demonstrates your understanding of the documents and your knowledge of the time period.  Answer: In my opinion, South Carolina only has one reason for seceding from the United States. South Carolina wrote down all of their reasons why for succeeding. Although, I believe that their reasons were not complete or had enough â€Å"good† reasoning. South Carolina only had one really good reason for seceding. I believe South Carolina did not have enough powerful reasons for seceding. Throughout South Carolina’s Secession, They mainly discussed the Government and how the United States takes care of us. They also discussed what they don’t like about the United States Government. South Carolina also talked about the mistakes and feelings they had about the United States Constitution. This proves they only had one reason for seceding. In excerpt one and two below, South Carolina starts talking about freedom and the rights United States had at that time. In excerpt two, it states; â€Å"An amendment was added [to the United States Constitution], which declared that the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people.† This statement says that South Carolina believed they didn’t have any say in where they lived or how they ruled. In excerpt four, they continued this discussion. People from South Carolina, kept saying how they didn’t agree with the United States Constitution. They proved this statement by saying; â€Å"These ends it endeavored to accomplish by a Federal Government, in which each State was recognized as an equal, and had separate control over its own institutions.† The people of South Carolina said this like it’s a bad thing. This statement also proved that how much they didn’t agree with The United States Government. The reasons why South Carolina seceded from The United States still are not good enough reasons. I still believe they should have had more than one reason to become their own government. I believe their reasons weren’t justified reasons and the statements above proved this. South Carolina could have prove a lot more reasons to secede from the United States but they decided not to. Document A Source: Confederate States of America Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union; adopted December 24, 1860 Excerpt 1 Thus were established the two great principles asserted by the Colonies, namely: the right of a State to govern itself; and the right of a people to abolish a Government when it becomes destructive of the ends for which it was instituted. And concurrent with the establishment of these principles, was the fact that each Colony became and was recognized by the mother Country a FREE, SOVEREIGN AND INDEPENDENT STATE. Excerpt 2 †¦an amendment was added [to the United States Constitution], which declared that the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people. Excerpt 3 †¦in every compact between two or more parties, the obligation is mutual; that the failure of one of the contracting parties to perform a material part of the agreement, entirely releases the obligation of the other; and that where no arbiter is provided, each party is remitted to his own judgment to determine the fact of failure, with all its consequences. Excerpt 4 The ends for which the Constitution was framed are declared by itself to be â€Å"to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.† These ends it endeavored to accomplish by a Federal Government, in which each State was recognized as an equal, and had separate control over its own institutions. Excerpt 5 †¦a new policy, hostile to the South, and destructive of its beliefs and safety. Excerpt 6 We, therefore, the People of South Carolina †¦ solemnly declared that the Union heretofore existing between this State and the other States of North America, is dissolved†¦ Document B Source: Jefferson Davis’s inaugural address, February 8, 1861 â€Å"Resolved, That the maintenance inviolate of the rights of the States, and especially the right of each State to order and control its own domestic institutions according to its own judgment exclusively, is essential to that balance of power on which the perfection and endurance of our political fabric depend; and we denounce the lawless invasion by armed force of the soil of any State or Territory, no matter what pretext, as among the gravest of crimes.† Document C Source: Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address, March 4 1861 Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the Southern States that by the accession of a Republican Administration, their property, and their peace, and personal security, are to be endangered. There has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension. Indeed, the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed, and been open to their inspection. It is found in nearly all the published speeches of him who now addresses you. I do but quote from one of those speeches when I declare that â€Å"I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.† Those who nominated and elected me did so with full knowledge that I had made this, and many similar declarations, and had never recanted them.† Document D Source: Map of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, K12 Inc.

The relationship of DOC/CDOM

The relationship of DOC/CDOM Jiwei Li 1 , Qian Yu 1 , and Yong Q. Tian 2, 3 1 Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. 2 Institute for Great Lakes Research, Central Michigan University. 3 Department of Geography, Central Michigan University. Key Points: The relationship of DOC/CDOM is impacted by the land cover types and temperature. The same CDOM indicates different DOC levels according to watershed land covers and seasons. Abstract The DOC flux from terrestrial to aquatic environment can be monitored at high spatial-temporal resolution through the remote sensing estimation of CDOM. To improve the reliability of DOC remote sensing monitoring, the co-variation of the DOC and CDOM were examined in a series novel mesocosm experiments and six years watershed field samplings. Both the mesocosm experiments and field samplings found the relationships of DOC/CDOM were impacted by land cover types and temperature. The same CDOM absorption represents different levels of the DOC concentra tion for the different vegetation (rank as evergreen, agriculture and deciduous). Meanwhile, the CDOM absorption correlated to high DOC levels in high temperature. Our findings significantly improves efficiency for using the CDOM as the DOC proxy. 1 Introduction The terrestrially derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) inputs a large amount of carbon (2 gigatons) to the aquatic ecosystems each year [ Battin et al. , 2009 ]. More than 1 gigaton ofÂÂ   DOC released to the atmosphere when they are carried through the inland water systems, including the rivers, lakes, and ponds [ Roulet and Moore , 2006 ]. Both the rivers and non-running inland waters (lakes and ponds) actively transform the DOC to the CO2 in the atmosphere [ Holgerson and Raymond , 2016 ]. This DOC flux is the crucial components in the global greenhouse gas budget [ Pachauri et al. , 2015 ]. The input of DOC to inland water and oceans can account for considerable carbon loss from terrestrial ecosystems, which has l arge implications for regional carbon cycling by changing the terrestrial net ecosystem exchange [ Borken et al. , 2011 ; Kindler et al. , 2011 ]. The terrestrial DOC inputs to the aquatic ecosystems also plays an important role in the water quality, controlling metal binding and transport, and modifying nutrients dynamics due to its labile properties in aquatic environments [ Bianchi et al. , 2015 ; Stedmon et al. , 2006 ]. The DOC transport from land to water has remarkable implication on the carbon cycle, biogeochemical processes, and ecological processes at regional and global scale [ Butman and Raymond , 2011 ; Raymond and Bauer , 2001 ; Spencer et al. , 2013 ]. This DOC flux is required to be monitored at high spatial Fichot and Benner , 2011 ; Vodacek et al. , 1997 ]. The CDOM is the colored components of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the water [ Del Vecchio and Blough , 2004 ], which changes the in-water light field through the strong absorption of short wavel ength light [ Rochelle-Newall and Fisher , 2002 ]. The CDOM absorption can be estimated through the detecting of the in-water light field to provide the high spatial-temporal resolution water carbon information [ Jiwei Li , 2016 ].

A description of the values of the 1960s and compared to the values of Essay

A description of the values of the 1960s and compared to the values of today - Essay Example To discuss it further, changes with the values of the society has been notably noticed thus, this paper aims to compare the past and present and then evaluating it through a good reflection of it. A good example for this comparative reflection paper is the television shows â€Å"Leave it to Beaver† of 1960s and the â€Å"Family Guy† of today. Both television shows focus on the story of a certain family. However, these two shows do not portray the traditional type of a family but rather the dysfunctional one. â€Å"Leave it to Beaver†, is under the production where in black and white features are visible. It is pretty obvious that this show has been quite old as well. The way characters act was somehow different and so the film style (such as sound effects, camera tricks and so on) that they had. This show represents the society where in simplicity with fun is the main goal. It is a good thing that they made the show as a contrast of what an ideal family really is so that they could get the people’s attention towards their show. Dysfunctional scenes and actions that were seen during the show are not so deeply intense that children would misinterpret it. It was just like simple immature things that Beaver did thus, making its viewers laugh. This shows that during 1960s, the values of the people are very interactive and simple. They are not so liberated about the world. The culture was not yet abuse in terms of too much immorality that people do. On the other hand, â€Å"Family Guy† discusses the values of the society today. Family Guy is a cartoon show that also portrays family dysfunctions. Just like Leave it to Beaver, it also has its main goal that is to get the attention of every family through a clear and fun demonstration of what the society of today really are. It is more liberated and straight forward of the current happenings with regards with the people’s society. Both television shows showed what type of society they have during their

Consumer Decision Making Process Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consumer Decision Making Process - Assignment Example From this paper it is clear that  considering the case of Williams, it seems that personal and psychological characteristics influence his buying behavior more than cultural and social factors. According to Tehran and Tehran, personal characteristics including occupation, age, education, and sex can have great influence on consumer behavior. Evidently, occupation of an individual is directly linked to the price and brand of the product they purchase. To illustrate, a part-time worker in a retail store is not likely to purchase Rado watches. In this case, Williams is a professional self-employed person who needs to travel across the globe to meet his business clients.  This study outlines that  age and sex of the individual would affect the consumer behavior. For instance, when a teenager is interested to buy Cargo Jeans, an elder adult is less likely to do so. Similarly, young males may be more excited to own 800cc cruiser motorcycles while young females in the same age may not do so. Surveys indicate that young men are more interested in technical features of computer products. Since Williams is in his early 30s, technical features of the product are more likely to influence his buying behavior. Psychological factors including individual needs, motivation, image, attitude, and lifestyle also affect consumer behavio.  Williams is a self-employed professional and his occupational status indicates that he is a business-minded person motivated by the desire for unlimited income.... In this case, Williams is a professional self-employed person who needs to travel across the globe to meet his business clients. Probably, his business meetings include visual presentations and hence he may like to purchase expensive and top-branded device. Since William’s majority of clients are highly reputed professionals, he would not like to use any kind of cheap device to make presentations. Furthermore, as he works in the online business sector and makes business trips all over the world, he may pay particular attention to functionality of the device. The price factor is not likely to affect this purchase because Williams is a global level businessman. In addition, age and sex of the individual would affect the consumer behavior. For instance, when a teenager is interested to buy Cargo Jeans, an elder adult is less likely to do so. Similarly, young males may be more excited to own 800cc cruiser motorcycles while young females in the same age may not do so. Surveys indic ate that young men are more interested in technical features of computer products. Since Williams is in his early 30s, technical features of the product are more likely to influence his buying behavior. Psychological factors including individual needs, motivation, image, attitude, and lifestyle also affect consumer behavior (ibid 2006, p.193). Williams is a self-employed professional and his occupational status indicates that he is a business-minded person motivated by the desire for unlimited income. Hence, he strives to enhance his career development. In short, he has a positive attitude towards life because he has been self-motivated. As a result, he will certainly wish to make his presentations appealing to clients and therefore he may purchase a functionally

Egan's Clothiers Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Egan's Clothiers - Term Paper Example This made the employees want to sell as much items as possible in order to be ranked at a higher level of productivity. This appraisal system did not perform at it best though, the sales of the firm increased. At one time, the store manager acknowledges that the performance of the employees got worse because they did not respect customers. They would harass them in order to make more sales. Performance appraisal is one of the major tools that are used to improve the productivity of workers at their place of their work and to be effective. In order for an organization to attain its stipulated goals, appropriate performance appraisal tools should be put in place in order to increase workers performance. Most organizations perform below the required level, making very little sales per day since their workers are not encouraged to perform better and to work harder. If an organization does not invest in to the welfare of the workers, problems are bound to happen such as low morale and pro ductivity and low level of commitment at work. Attractive systems of appraisal are set up in order to motivate workers to work harder and recognized through promotions and rewards (Selden & Sowa, 2011). For instance, Egan Clothier uses a promotion strategy that is based on the productivity of the workers. The workers are encouraged to sell as much as possible. The retailers made more sales as compared to its competitors because the Egan’s Clothiers hired employees based on their past experiences. The employees would then undergo through a retail selling skills training and customers services training. This put the Clothier ahead of its competitors who hired inexperienced students from high schools (Snell & Bohlander, 2011). Although, the training program cost the Egan’s approximately 750, 000 dollars, the management thinks it was worth the cost because the workers would perform at their best making more sales and hence more revenue in the long run. On the other hand, t he Egan’s associates rewarding of the workers based on their performance. Their on-going sales would be recorded and used to categorize the workers. The firm would then use the categories to promote the workers within the firm. This activity ensured that the workers sold as many items as possible hence increasing the overall sales turn out of the form. This appraisal system was ineffective because the workers would do everything possible to hit the set individual targets. They would even beat up their customers in order to sell. Are there other performance effects directly and/or indirectly caused by the appraisal system? Appraisal system used by Egan Clothiers had several effects, both directly and indirectly. For instance, the system is not effective in reducing cost of labor instead the worker’s productivity is worsening. According to Paul Kelly, the store manager, the workers are beating up the customers in order to make a sale. Peter Drucker, on the other hand say s that establishing effective decision making is important at every level of the employees. Egan failed to acknowledge the satisfaction of the workers based on the appraisal system used. Egan Clothiers only took the first of improving performance of the workers and neglecting other aspects that affected the performance of the organization. An organization should use successful criteria of evaluation. The criteria based on the performance o

Children's Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Children's Literature - Essay Example The cerebellum and basal ganglia follow, to control movement.† (Begley, 2000). Once the system for movement has been established, the child’s limbic system comes into play that enhances the child’s memory as well as feelings. Finally, the child’s cerebral cortex develops to facilitate the process of thinking. New born babies cry when they hear other babies in their surrounding crying. This is fundamentally because of the sympathetic trait of human nature and the intrinsic urge to help others. A 3 months old baby is smart enough to identify his/her mother in the scrambled picture and a 13 to 15 months old child starts to take decisions on his/her level about who to be with and where to be. (Brant and Wingert, 2005). Despite the already developed brain a baby is born with, he/she requires external influence to mature as a child. Intimate relatives, specially the parents play a special role in shaping the children’s approach towards understanding and reacting to the world around them. How a child is treated in his/her early years of childhood has an impact on how the child will treat others when he/she becomes an adult. What he/she is appreciated for and what he/she is taunted for lays the standards for the child to judge the future matters with. If a child is not nurtured properly in the critical initial childhood years, he/she can not be expected to attain leadership qualities in the future. â€Å"Nature and nurture thus appear to act together seamlessly, in a developmental duet.† (Brazelton and Greenspan, 2000). Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine have discovered that brain of kids who have not been into games or else have not been touched by their parents much are ge nerally 20% to 30% smaller than their counterparts. (Nash, 1997). One of the biggest challenges in front of parents in the modern age is to decide in what hands to

Biomedical ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biomedical ethics - Essay Example In the U.S. 36 states ban late term abortions, however Alaska has no such ban. Where do we draw the line, or do we? In the early 1960's there was a sleeping tranquilizer/morning sickness agent given to women containing thalidomide; a drug with harmful teratogenic effects producing serious birth defects during the early gestational development period. Thousands of babies were born without limbs, as well as other birth defects. Once research revealed the disaster, the U.S. immediately removed it from the market; however the damage was already done. One such mother, Mrs. Sherri Finkbine, had been abroad with her husband been given the drug. When she discovered the potential for birth defects, she decided to abort her five month fetus. In Arizona, it required three doctors to state that an abortion was necessary. She had the medical opinion; however because of the explosion of thalidomide cases, she was required to go to court to get legal permission to abort; permission denied, requirin g her to go to Europe to have the procedure done. Upon her return, she faced social castigation, losing her job. There were also serious implications for her husband, a professor. Many magazines gave graphic coverage of the story, including Life, The New York Times, The Saturday Evening Post, and numerous others. Thus began the abortion on demand dilemma that has been discussed and theorized for the last fifty years. According to the Free Dictionary Online, abortion is defined as the "expulsion from the uterus of the products of conception before the fetus is viable." Spontaneous abortion is when the pregnancy terminates itself naturally. Therapeutic abortion is when the abortion is medically induced out of concern for the health of the mother or fetus, a form of artificial abortion, not occurring naturally. Partial birth abortion is when labor is induced and the infant is delivered except for the head, which is then opened at the base of the skull and a suction catheter removes the brain, killing the infant. The legal definition of abortion was determined in the famous Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision on January 22, 1973(410 U.S. 113), as the termination of pregnancy, by any means, before the fetus is able to sustain life independently from the womb. This famous court case set a precedence for abortion in the U.S. by prohibiting any state from preventing a woman to choose whether or not to terminate her pregnancy in the first trimester, making it a question of medical necessity to prevent abortion in the second trimester, and, requiring the health of the mother to be preserved above the life of the fetus in the third trimester. The main stipulation was that it should be done by a licensed physician, in order to protect the life of the woman. On the same day, the Supreme Court ruled on another case, Doe vs. Bolton (410 U.S. 179), that supported a woman's right to have an abortion by limiting the ways in which she is counseled so as to influence her decision . Some states have required teenage girls to have parental permission to submit to the procedure; such a signature is required for any medical procedure on a minor. According to Warren, a human being isn't a person until it is a part of the moral

Reflective Autobiography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflective Autobiography - Assignment Example At a very young, when I had just started school, I was taught about the family and here the subject of diversity first emerged. My teachers and my parents taught me on how diversity played a significant role in the family make-up. Not only were roles played by each individual in my family were diverse, but I also came to learn having different families leaving in the same community and in harmony despite their many differences represented a significant role of diversity to the community. Just like a family, the community is linked to a more complex state of diversity as there are so many factors involved in distinguishing not only families but individuals as well. It is at this stage that I was able to learn factors such as ‘nuclear,’ ‘single’, ‘extended’ and many other terms that were used to describe families (Harris). Then while interacting with my peers and the community as a whole I was able to notice how we all looked different. Growing up reflected many incidences of diversity, and I grew to understand its meaning in-depth. Later into life as my education advanced is when I started understanding the meaning of diversity under more complex subjects and contexts such as its role in communication, business, sociological, political, and technological. I came to realize that diversity is the uniqueness in every aspect of our life, the differences that define each of us as a person. These aspects include race, age, religion, political ideology, ethnicity, sexuality, physical appearance and abilities, preferences, as well as cultural practices (Unzueta, Knowles, and Ho). As I grow older, I realized that diversity is what determines every step in my life including the diversity in the choices I made for my lifestyle. Having been born and raised in China and later moving to the US where I have been studying the English language for the last ten years has been a great step for me as far as diversity is concerned. Not only have I

Voluntourism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Voluntourism - Research Paper Example Voluntourism comes from a desire to contribute something, however small, to the wellbeing of people who are otherwise disadvantaged. It gives those who get involved in it the opportunity to visit new countries, experience new environments, and most of all, to learn about the cultures of those people among whom they will be living. Voluntourism provides regular people the chance to visit places, which they would otherwise not normally visit, such as the slums in less developed countries. Some types of voluntourism involve people visiting places for the purpose of studying their environment, or being able to conduct other scientific studies. Those who participate in voluntourism projects have to provide a fee whose purpose is to cover the expenses during their travels in different parts of the world. Furthermore, the participants are required to participate in projects within the countries, which they visit, and this is usually based on their location and their personal interests. The people who originally went for voluntourism tended to have a direct connection to the causes in which they were going to volunteer. The organizations that facilitated their travel considered the duration of their travels to be of the short-term, volunteering in projects in the countries, which they were visiting. ... These often gave people the opportunity to contribute to these projects for short periods before going back to their home countries. The origins of what came to be voluntourism can be traced back to the United States Peace Corps, which created a path for volunteers (voluntourists) to travel all over the world (La Prensa San Diego, 2011). Later, the need to travel, while contributing something to the less advantaged communities in the world, became immensely popular among college students; this led to the development of exchange programs, which enabled students, to tour to and study in the countries of their preference. Not only did these students get to know more about these countries and enjoy themselves, some even volunteer in local projects (Wagner, 2009). Voluntourism also came to affect the scientific field because some scientific organization saw it as a way through which they could get the public interested in science. These organizations facilitated the bringing collectively of scientists and unpaid assistants in various locations around the world, which had scientific projects. This served a dual purpose as it provided free labor for scientists in the field, that is, the volunteers while it was also a source of additional funding to the projects, through the fees paid by the volunteers. Voluntourism picked up pace in the 1990s when companies in the travel industry developed means through which individuals could go on vacation, and while on it, also volunteer in various projects. These companies targeted those people who wanted to travel and had no prior experience with causes. The products provided by the travel industry attracted a large number of young people, who tend to be the most adventurous of all age groups (Hansen, 2009).

Key Causes of Water Scarcity and Researched Solutions Essay Example for Free

Key Causes of Water Scarcity and Researched Solutions Essay 1.0Introduction This report is about the increase in demand for water, and its’ purpose is a twofold, firstly to examine and explore some of the causes of the ever increasing issue of the scarcity of water due to industrial, agricultural and consumer demand in society, and secondly to analyse the solutions of this concern for the Premier of Western Australia, Mr Colin Barnett. This is because water is a valuable resource that is vital for the human race and developing countries such as Australia will be facing an increase in domestic consumption of water by 70 percent in the future (Cashman and Ashley 2008). There were certain limitations surrounding this report, for example the word limit for this report was 1000 words and I was permitted to use a minimum of five scholarly sources and a maximum of seven. The methodology of my research began by using the database: proquest on the Internet, where I found these reliable sources. 2.0Causes of Demand for Water 2.1Industrial Demand Industrial Water Consumption Industries are one of the major key causes of the increased demand for water. Many industries require water to operate and perform the functions that are required to produce the goods or services in question. This is because industries such as oil and mining, are hugely dependable on extreme capacities of water thus, making them susceptible to water shortages (Holbrook 2009). Industries therefore depend on these large amounts of water for production and simultaneously are one of the essential instigators in the ever-increasing problem of water scarcity. In places such as New South Wales, Adelaide and Melbourne where mining operations are carried out, water scarcity is even more extreme. This is because of the material that is being extracted; they are mined in those areas and those areas alone, and therefore the large volume of water that is needed to extract them is adding to the concern of water scarcity. An estimate of water between 100 and 8000 litres are required to obtain one tonne of ore, and to worsen the situation, mining operations cannot be shifted causing water availability to be problematic in those areas (Holbrook 2009). This issue allows an increased strain on the local communities in which mining operations are performed thus causing a concern for the people living in those areas. 2.2Agricultural Demand Population Growth The demand for agriculture is one of the most excessive causes of water scarcity. This is because agriculture needs fresh water in the process of its production. Agriculture consumes the majority of global fresh water, making it one of the most enormous water sources of the increased water demand; the production of food is also rising due to population growth, of about 80 million people per year (Holbrook 2009). According to Irvine and Saulwick (2009), â€Å"Australia is poised to be the worlds fastest growing industrialized nation over the next four decades, with a rate of population growth higher even than India†. Thus with population increasing by a vast number every year, the demand for fresh water will additionally increase, therefore adding to the water scarcity in Australia. 2.3Consumer Demand Economic Growth The development of the economy is another cause of the increased demand for water in the world today. As the population grows, so does the demand for goods and services and therefore results in economic growth which is one of the major causes of water consumption. According to Barbier (2004), the extensive water dilemma is the result of economic development and the rise in population. The production of the increased demand for goods and services require water, and as the need for these goods increase, so will water demand. 3.0Solutions to Water Scarcity 3.1Watershed Improvement in water management is one way to reduce water demand. Water sectors that cross political boundaries amidst a certain watershed come together to meet their needs whilst protecting the ecosystem (Klausner, Mitten and Ingram 2007). 3.2Conservation Techniques In order to protect the earth, freshwater demand has to be decreased and by doing so the majority of freshwater users need to be active in the process of decreasing the chances of water shortages. Therefore by educating users about adequate water preservation techniques, water demand can be decreased. According to Klausner, Mitten and Ingram (2007), by educating farmers about the finest irrigation methods, they can have the opportunity to use water efficiently. Farmers use a vast majority of freshwater and the Australian farmers can be educated about the methods and capital required to conserve water. 3.3Reclaimed Water Reclaimed water is wastewater that has been treated to remove impurities. The substitution of this water can improve the issue of water scarcity. According to Klausner, Mitten and Ingram (2007), countries such as Japan use almost 80% of reclaimed water in their industrial sector. The limited amount of freshwater supplies makes this conservation method more accepted. It is an excellent idea, especially for the south of Australia where there is Mawson Lake and can recycle water. 4.0Conclusion The aim of this report was to outline the causes for the increased demand for water and to provide researched solutions. I provided information on the increased demand for water due to population growth, economic growth and the industrial consumption of water. The damages of water shortage are very dangerous and the consequences are deadly because of ecological and human health issues. Although demand can be reduced by the use of reclaimed water, conservation techniques and watershed methods. In Australia, the methods can be implemented to decreasing water demand for the future. 5.0Recommendations In order to improve water use in Australia, the factors that need to be considered are; water reuse by using reclaimed water to flush toilets, wash clothes and water gardens, educating farmers on water use, by informing them on irrigation techniques and watershed methods. In doing so, water demand in Australia will be reduced in the future if these methods are explored and practiced.

Sylvia Plath and Spirited Away Essay Example for Free

Sylvia Plath and Spirited Away Essay The inner journey is a metaphysical process in which an individual travels into their own psyche often resulting in form of self realization. Although the journey is not physical, an inner journey is a powerful tool in which one can enhance their knowledge of the world and their own human nature, commonly encountering imaginative obstacles which assist in the individual’s self-realization. The texts that I will use to illustrate the inner journeys are â€Å"You’re† and â€Å"A Birthday Present† by Sylvia Plath and The animated film â€Å"Spirited Away† directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Sylvia Plath utilizes the inner journey as a way to explore aspects of her life through the medium of poetry. Her poem â€Å"You’re† explores the emotional journey of an expecting mother, using poetic techniques to highlight the joys and mysteries of the baby in the womb, In contrast to Sylvia Plath’s poem â€Å"A Birthday Present† which explores the persona’s fear of death, despite desperation to end ones life, effectively using techniques to highlight the fear and want for death. Comparatively Hayao Miyazaki utilizes his film â€Å"Spirited Away† to demonstrate the protagonist’s, Chihro journey to develops and overcome circumstances to become a self-sufficient and self-reflective girl, by emphasizing the development with camera techniques and layout of particular scenes. These texts demonstrate the importance of inner journeys, demonstrating how journeys result in knowledge of their own nature and the world around them. Plath’s poem â€Å"You’re† conveys, a deep sense of joy and excitement, as a mother goes through the emotional journey, going through the delight of bearing a child, while still going through the mysterious and vagueness of the child referencing it to the furthest place imagined, for the persona â€Å"farther off than Australia†. Plath uses a range of techniques to express the joy of bearing a child and the warm comfort of it being â€Å"wrapped up in yourself like a spool†, the simile reinforces the idea of always being safe and loved, as well as the metaphor â€Å"Snug as a bud† creating the sense of the small baby being safe. It can also be lively and playful â€Å"Jumpy as a Mexican bean† all the techniques restate that the journey so far is positive and delightful and how she continues to try to understand her coming child with similes â€Å"like a sprat in a pickle jug†. However the mother experiences the mysteries and vagueness of the unborn child, noting her difficulty in describing it, she relies on terms from the world she knows for example â€Å"gilled like a fish† comparing it to a fish as it is all wrinkled and complex, as well as describing it as a â€Å"travelled prawn† and â€Å"moon skulled†, we understand the difficulty of understanding how it looks. The mother continues to try describing and understand the child she is about to have using the metaphor â€Å"vague as fog† to show how mysterious and undefined the child is, yet it is still eagerly anticipated and â€Å"looked for like mail† showing no matter what, the mother is overcome by joy on having the child. The Mother ventures through all these emotions, grasping to understand the unborn child, using similes and metaphors to figure out how the child may be and reflecting upon the joy of it all. Recognizing the uniqueness of the child arriving with its â€Å"own face†. Comparatively Sylvia Plath’s â€Å"A Birthday Present† deals with the persona inner battle of to decide to live on. â€Å"A birthday Present† is an extended metaphor, symbolizing death, allowing the audience to understand the shocking irony of the poem and the persona’s real want of what is â€Å"behind this veil†. However the fear of death is the only obstacle stopping the persona from killing themselves. The inner journey which is present in this poem is of the personas hesitation to kill herself she â€Å"would not mind if it were bones, or a pearl button† demonstrating her want for something tangible, Questioning her inner self if she actually wants it â€Å"can you not give it to me? † the change of voice to reassure herself. Tempting and luring her inner self to choose death with the continuous repetition of â€Å"let down the veil, the veil, the veil†. Ultimately the persona is fearful of death stating â€Å"You are terrified† confirming to herself that she is unsure reinforced by the simile â€Å"shimmering like curtains† reflecting the unstable curtains as her uncertainty. However her pessimistic outlook upon life and repetitious suppression of adhering to rules, to rules, to rules† gives her the strength to take her life. Her cynical tone â€Å"My god what a laugh† gives her courage to the view the world pessimistically and take her life, as well as continuously referring her life with little importance â€Å"I will only take it and go aside quietly†, â€Å"A marvel to your grandchildren †¦ it is not so† stating that no one will care after she is gone. The persona is now definite about taking her life and that â€Å"only you can give it to me†, representing now that behind the veil is death and how she asks for a quick death â€Å"you will not hear me opening it†. And that there is nothing left to fear as â€Å"the universe slide[s] from my side†, showing that through the inner journey the persona was able to understand the pessimistic world around her and how utilizing repetition, rhetorical questions and cynical tone to find the courage to no longer fear death. Comparatively â€Å"Spirited Away† is both a mental and physical journey to save her parents, which results in the growth and self-realization of Chihiro’s true self, facing challenges that allow Chihiro to learn lessons such as patience and understanding to survive and return home, with important scenes and symbolic items throughout the film to represent Chihiro’s growth. Chihiro was bought up in materialistic and idle world â€Å"don’t worry, you’ve got Daddy here. He’s got credit cards and cash† as well shown when Chihiro lying on the backseat, which is in shocking transition to when Chihiro has to work for herself in the bath house. At first she works ineffectively with other workers commenting â€Å"get out of the way†, representing her incompatibility and unwelcomed arrival, however she slowly progresses and gradually through the determination to save her parents becomes better, with the scene of washing of the stink spirit determining her capabilities to grow and become accepted, with rejoicing music and cheers from fellow workers, showing a close up a shot of Chihiro showing a sense a achievement and happiness, demonstrating Chihiro’s growth of maturity through working at the bath house. In comparison we learn Chihiro is a stoic young girl fearful of changes, shown in the first scene when her flowers start to die representing her old life wilting away. Yubaba takes away Chihiro’s name, she appears completely frightened, whimpering and shaking in a close up shot when Yubaba, and only takes the job to survive. Chihro clings desperately to her old self shown crying and curling up in a ball, with classical music playing in the background emphasizing the scene. Yet during her time as Sen her true self develops, showing unconditional compassion and kindness to several of the bathhouse inhabitants, especially Haku. One particular scene when Sen climbs the bathhouse to reach Haku, demonstrates her growth to protect Haku, even when endangering her life. Using the low angle camera shot to add to the enormity of seeing Chihiro on the roof tying her clothes, to risk her life to save Haku, portraying Chihiro’s growth to not only face her fears, but do so for others. She develops to also be able to stand up to Yubaba, in the final test, a high angle long shot, shows Chihiro striding confidently across the bridge as well as a close up of Chihiro’s determined face while facing Yubaba, depicting Chihiro no longer a scared frightened girl that she used to be. In â€Å"Spirited Away† Chihiro goes on a inner journey, which develops her from the immature, fearful child to the self-sufficient and self-reflective young girl, portrayed by the camera angles and shots and symbolism.

The National Innovation System Management Essay

The National Innovation System Management Essay Firms describe innovation an essential factor to increase sustainable profits and market share due to the rapid globalisation and commoditization in goods and services (Westland, 2008). Miozzo and Walsh (2006) also state that firms effectiveness in competitive international trade in goods and service depend on two factors, which are: The scale of RD and other technological activities. The way in which the available resources are managed and organised both at the level of enterprise and at the national level. Thus, National Innovation System (NIS) will enable a country with limited resources to make rapid progress through suitable combinations of imported technology and local adaption and development (Freeman, 1987). With these combinations, national firms will transform to a market leader and countrys economy to flourish. Hence, in my essay, I will define meaning of NIS, my understanding of systemic aspect of innovation and discuss the different institutions involved in NIS in section 2. Section 3 and 4 will discuss how interaction in NIS can affect the innovative performance of national firms with a case study of Taiwan innovation system in section 5. Lastly, section 6 will provide a conclusion of my findings, and the gaps identified for future research. National Innovation System Since the 1980s, various authors (Freeman, 1987; Lundvall, 1992; Nelson, 1993) studied the concept of national innovation system (NIS) which is used as a main conceptual framework for analysing technological change, and to lay the foundations to improve the economic development of a nation. NIS can be categorized under narrow and broad definitions. The narrow approach (Lundvall 1992) is further defined by both Nelson (1993) and Freeman (1987). Freeman (1987) defined NIS as The network of institutions in the public and private sector whose activities and interaction initiate, import, modify and diffuse new technologies and Nelson (1993) defined NIS as a set of institutions whose interactions determine the innovative performance of national firms. Lundvall (1992) defined the broach approach of NIS by saying that NIS includes all parts and aspects of the economic structure and the institutional set-up affecting learning as well as searching and exploring the production system, the marketing system and the system of finance present themselves as sub-systems in which learning takes place. To summerise all the definitions above, I will use the definition by Metcalfe (1995). Metcalfe (1995) defined NIS as That set of distinct institutions which jointly and individually contribute to the development and diffusion of new technologies and which provides the framework within which governments form and implement policies to influence the innovation process. As such it is a system of interconnected institutions to create, store and transfer the knowledge, skills and artefacts which define new technologies. This led me to understand that NIS is a system to manage innovation and the meaning of systemic aspect of innovation. The system consist of various actors and institutions which the main components of the system. The term systemic aspect of innovation refers to how all these actors and institutions interact with each other in order to implement NIS effectively. Innovation is based on learning by collaborating and interacting with organisations and not by innovating in isolation (Edquist 1997:7, p20-22). This is further supported by Fagerberg (2005) who emphasis the systemic aspect of innovation processes. Lundvall (1992) and Nelson (1993) also stress that for innovative performance to improve, it is necessary to understand the linkage among the institutions involved in the innovation process. Main Component of NIS Before we understand the interaction among institutions that is important in NIS, it is necessary to understand what are the different institutions involved. However, the term institution is very subjective as different authors themselves have their own definition. Nelson and Rosenberg (1993) defined institutions as organisations, whereas Lundvall (1992) defined institutions as the rules of the game. This makes the understanding of institutions confusing. Therefore, to make a clear distinction for institutions in the essay, I shall use the definitions made by Edquist and Johnson (1997). Organisation Organisations are the formal structure where the players or actors in NIS are created with a purpose and goals (Edquist and Johnson 1997: 47). They are a total of four players (Pavitt. K and P.Patel, 1994; Capron et al., 2000). Institutions of Industrial RD (Capron et al., 2000). They are the business firms who are the major investors on Research Development (RD) in each nation economy for technological change activities (Pavitt. K and P.Patel, 1994). Institution of education (Capron et al., 2000). They are the universities providing basic research for the business firms and related training to the undergraduates (Pavitt. K and P.Patel, 1994). Institutions of public/private research (Capron et al., 2000). They are the public/private institutions providing general education and vocational training for the workforce (Pavitt. K and P.Patel, 1994). Institutions of technology bridging (Capron et al., 2000). They facilitate the interaction of institution in the innovation process to resolve mismatch or exploit the result of research performed by public research institutions to enhance the absorption power of existing firms and promote the creation of new-venture firms and university spin-offs. Institution Institutions, on the other hand, are the rules of the game which consists sets of common habits, routines, established practices, rules, or laws that regulate the relation and interactions between individuals, groups and organisations (Edquist and Johnson 1997: 46) which shape the behaviour of firms and other organisations by creating constraints and/or incentives for innovation (North 1990) that affect learning, searching and exploring activities (Bozeman and Dietz, 2001). There are a total two institutions. Institution of policy formulation (Capron et al., 2000). They are the government bodies performing a variety of activities to promote and regulate technological change (Pavitt. K and P.Patel, 1994). Institution of promotions of entrepreneurship (OECD, 1999). It is the ethos, culture, and attitude towards entrepreneurship and risk taking that can have an important influence on the innovative performance of firms (Miozzo and Walsh, 2006). Interaction of organisations and institutions in NIS In the past, NIS takes the form of a linear model in knowledge flow (Stoke, 1993). However, there are limitations to the linear model. This is because, in practice, ideas innovation derives from various sources and can be from any point of stage in the linear model. Furthermore, OECD (1997) said that innovation occurs from complex interaction between institutions instead in a linear sequence enabling knowledge flows to other institutions. As economic activities are becoming more knowledge-intensive, the success of firms, regardless of size, depends on how effective it is in gathering and utilizing knowledge from various institutions. OECD (1997) identified four main interactions that occur within NIS. Chang and Shih (2004) made some changes to the main interactions identified in OECD (1997). They combined the concept of joint industry activities and public/private interactions and named it as RD collaboration, retained technology diffusion and personnel mobility, and added a new interaction called informal interaction. Lundvall (1985) also identified the user-producer interaction. Appendix 1 summarizes the main components of institutions and the interaction among institutions which are discussed below. RD Collaboration The benefits of joint activities and public/private interaction have provided the firms a competitive advantage and a positive effect on the firms innovative performance. This is proven by several empirical studies from Klomp and van Leeuwen (2001), Janz et al. (2003) van Leeuwen (2002), Loof and Heshmati, (2002), Criscuolo and Haskel (2003) and Faems et al. (2004). RD collaboration enables risk and cost sharing in times of uncertainty in technological developments (Das andTeng, 2000;Tyler and Steensma, 1995), shorter innovation cycles (Pisano, 1990), pooling of resources to achieve economies of scale and scope and gaining synergies from complementary human and technical assets (Kogut, 1988; Das and Teng, 2000; OECD, 1997) and increase firms competences and skills by monitoring technology and market developments (Hamel, 1991; Roberts and Berry, 1985; OECD, 1997). RD collaboration also enables firms to discover new markets or market segment (Tether, 2002; Monjon and Waelbroeck, 2003). Furthermore, public/private interaction in RD collaboration enables firms to internalise and manage knowledge spillovers and remove the negative effect of spillovers on RD (Amir, 2003; De Bondt, 1996; Kamien et al., 1992; Suzumura, 1992; Leahy and Neary, 1997). In addition, RD collaboration also enables knowledge to be transferred voluntarily to firms (Katsoulacos a nd Ulph, 1998). Informal Interaction Informal interaction normally occurs in personnel communicating with one another in order to gain tacit knowledge and information more efficiently for problem solving and learning which is beneficial for the firm (Chang and Shih, 2004). This is because individuals can elaborate or modify what was said to handle objections and misunderstandings effectively (Kraut et al., 1982). Furthermore, informal interaction can overcome different frames of reference or clarify ambiguous issues to change understanding in a timely manner (Daft and Lengel, 1986, p.560) and when coordination is need in times of uncertainty and equivocality (Daft and Lengal, 1986). This is proven by Argote (1982) literature as it shows that people are more successful in performing their work. Technology Diffusion Technology diffusion is the dissemination of technical information and know-how from products developed by customers, suppliers, competitors and public institutions and the sequence adoption of new techniques and technologies by users (OECD, 1997; Tassey, 1992). Despite technology diffusion is slow-moving process, it is still important because the innovative performance of firms, regardless whether it is from manufacturing or service industries, depends on technology diffusion (OECD, 1997). This is because the innovative performance of firms depends heavily on innovation and products developed elsewhere (OECD, 1997) to obtain the foundations for high-technology development in the firm (Hsu and Chen, 1998). Personnel Mobility As tacit knowledge and skills are important to a firm, the mobility of personnel has become increasing important (Gruenfeld et al., 2000; Kraatz and Moore, 2000; Rao and Drazin, 2002). Personnel mobility is the movement of people and tacit knowledge that moves within industries and between public and private institutions (OECD, 1997; Chang and Shih, 2004). This may cause knowledge and skills to overlap which might result a firm in either reinforcing the firms current way of organizing or questioning the efficacy of existing organizing patterns (Tammy et al., 2003). In addition, Research from Argote and Ingram (2000) has shown firms knowledge library is initially facilitated by individuals. Hence, this determines that personnel mobility is important to the firms innovative performance. User-Producer Interaction Producers and users both have strong incentives to interact with one another (Lundvall, 1985). This kind of interaction is commonly found where the products are specialized and expensive capital goods. Producers can monitor process innovation within user firms and if it is successful, producers can use it to present to other users as product innovation. At the same time, users can monitor the competence of producers to identify which producers are competent to assist them in developing new product innovation. Hence, this helps to improve the innovative performance of firms as it enables them to produce new process or product innovation. Systemic Failure in NIS Despite that NIS approach is successful in various countries, there are still instances whereby systemic imperfections can occur leading to slowing down the innovation as a whole. Literatures from Carlsson and Jacobsson (1997), Smith (1997), Malerba (1997), Johnson and Gregersen (1994) and Edquist et al. (1998) focused on systemic imperfections, leading to a summerised list of systemic imprefections: Infrastructural failure (Smith, 1997; Edquist et al., 1998) is the physical infrastructure that actors need to use and the science and technology infrastructure. Soft and hard institutional failure (Smith 1999; Edquist et al., 1998; Johnson and Gregersen 1994) that may regulate economic behavior and interaction which may hinder innovation. Interaction failure (Carlsson and Johnson, 1997) from both strong and weak network failure can hamper innovation. Capabilities failure (Smith 1997; Malerba 1997) due to the lack of capabilities to learn and absorb knowledge effectively resulting in lock-in with existing technologies and unable to use new technologies. Although there are four factors involved in systemic failure, I will only discuss on how interaction failure can affect the innovative performance of national firms of any sizes in relation to the essay topic. Interaction Failure The innovative performance of firms is dependent on the interaction between institutions to develop and design products (Smith 1999). In the next few sub-sections below, I will discuss how both strong and weak network failure can hamper innovation. Strong network failure Carlsson and jacobsson (1997) describe strong network failure happens when individual actors are guided by other network actors in the wrong direction and consequently fail to supply each other with the required knowledge. These could be caused by the following factors: Myopia due to internal orientation. When relationships established for a long period of time results in trust relationship and habituation, this causes a certain degree of closure (Bogenrieder and Nooteboom, 2002). The group will be unwilling to exit the group or permit new entrants in leading to myopia and inertia (Nooteboom, 2000). This results insufficient attention to the development outside causing a lock-in to existing products. Lack of weak ties. Weak ties are the bridges to industries, educational and cultural background outside their inner circle. Granovetter (1983) and Burt (1987) emphasis the importance of weak ties leading to new knowledge and impulses or provide the knowledge that the individual firm lacks. These linkages can keep them updated with new developments and keep track on new knowledge, skills and resources. Dependence on dominant partners. The dependence may be due to asset specificity, switching costs or due to a lack of alternative partners that results in difficulty to find new partners for new innovation products or process. Weak Network failure Weak network failure (Carlsson and Jacobsson, 1997) happens when connectivity between complementary technologies and actors are poor, causing the possibilities for interaction learning and innovation to be under-utilised and failure to adapt new technological development. In addition, this will hinder the coordination of research efforts and investment due to a lack of shared vision for future technology development. Taiwan Innovation System In 1970s, Taiwan was an island nation with limited natural resources and a scarce domestic market. The government, local and foreign scholars recognized this problem believed they should set up an export-orientated strategy to develop high-technology industry to ensure a sustainable economy in Taiwan (Hsu and Chen, 2003) Hence, there was a joint effort by institutions and organizations to stimulate the development of high-tech industry. ST policies were formulated to assist the framework of Taiwan NIS (Hsu and Chen, 2003) shown in Appendix 2. Interactions in Taiwan NIS: The Case Study of IC Industry To illustrate the interactions in Taiwan NIS, this essay will be how the interaction of institutions (Appendix 3) led the growth of the IC industry in Taiwan (Appendix 4) to become the fourth largest producer in the world. As Fig. 3 shows, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is the main agency responsible for industrial technology development in Taiwan. Their role is to transfer the research results to the private institutions for product development and commercialization through technical assistance, information diffusion and manpower training. MOEA also works to strengthen the interaction between industry, government, universities and research institutions with the goal of optimizing the facilitation of industrial technology innovation. (Hsu and Chen, 2003) Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) was contracted by the government to act as the bridging institutions between industry firms and overseas public/private institutions. They interact with the private sector via technology transfer and collaboration to assist in technology development. National Science Council (NSC) also sponsored universities to collaborate with private sectors in joint research projects. By doing so, it provides technical assistance, technical information, and personnel training to the private sector. In addition, the introduction of new technologies, joint research, overseas investment and strategic alliance via the interactions between overseas corporations and research organizations also benefited the industry firms. (Hsu and Chen, 2003) Interaction Failure in Taiwan NIS: The Case Study of Biotechnology Industry Despite the successful implementation of NIS in the IC industry as mentioned earlier, the Taiwans innovation system in Taiwans biotechnology industry, consisting mainly SMEs, is still fragmented as the current status of industry is still insignificant in the world (Sun, 2005). In Sun (2005) survey for the biotechnology industry, he identified several systemic failures. However, according to the essay objectives, we will only focus the interaction failures that were identified. They are: Knowledge of public research made not available to public which prevented the transmission of the knowledge to the industries to develop (Porter, 1990). Insufficient supply of scientific research causing a lack of linkage between firms and research institutes (Sun, 2005). Lack of cross-border RD collaboration prevented local biotech firms to have access to foreign knowledge (Bartholomew, 1997). Hence, all of these points mentioned pointed that a weak network failure, one of the causes for interaction failure, was the cause that prevented innovative performance of Taiwans biotechnology firm. Conclusion This essay aims at discussing the interaction of institutions which will affect the innovation performance of national firms of any sizes. Based on the above discussion, I conclude that interaction of institutions can improve innovative performance of firms, but it can also hinder the innovative performance of firms as well. Strong interaction of institutions enables knowledge flows from one actor to another which is important to stimulate innovation. This enables firms to develop new technologies, products or processes to maintain its competitiveness for the firm or achieve cost savings which are crucial for its survival in the industry. At the same time, interaction of institutions can also hinder the innovation performance of firms. This is due to the factors mentioned above in interaction failure. Firms will not have access to new knowledge and technologies make them unable to innovate. Despite various literatures identifying the types of interaction among institutions, there is still room for improvement for future research in identifying the different types of interactions involved in institutions. Limited literature has been found to mention the types of interaction between government and the various organizations and institutions that helped to implement the preferred policies to enhance the innovative performance of firms. The interaction between them seems to be a one-way process. Hence, this calls for future research to identify what are the other interactions that can also help to improve the innovative performance of firms of any sizes.

Deontological Moral Theory Essay -- essays research papers

Deontological moral theory is a Non-Consequentialist moral theory. While consequentialists believe the ends always justify the means, deontologists assert that the rightness of an action is not simply dependent on maximizing the good, if that action goes against what is considered moral. It is the inherent nature of the act alone that determines its ethical standing. For example, imagine a situation where there are four critical condition patients in a hospital who each need a different organ in order to survive. Then, a healthy man comes to the doctor’s office for a routine check-up. According to consequentialism, not deontology, the doctor should and must sacrifice that one man in order to save for others. Thus, maximizing the good. However, deontological thought contests this way of thinking by contending that it is immoral to kill the innocent despite the fact one would be maximizing the good. Deontologists create concrete distinctions between what is moral right and wron g and use their morals as a guide when making choices. Deontologists generate restrictions against maximizing the good when it interferes with moral standards. Also, since deontologists place a high value on the individual, in some instances it is permissible not to maximize the good when it is detrimental to yourself. For example, one does not need to impoverish oneself to the point of worthlessness simply to satisfy one’s moral obligations. Deontology can be looked at as a generally flexible moral theory that allows for self-interpretation but like all others theories studied thus far, there are arguments one can make against its reasoning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One objection to deontological moral theory is that the theory yields only absolutes and cannot always justify its standpoints. Actions are either classified as right or wrong with no allowance for a gray area. Furthermore, the strict guidelines tend to conflict with commonly accepted actions. For example, lying is always considered morally wrong--even a â€Å"white lie.† Therefore, one must not lie even if it does more good. In our society although individuals accept lying as being morally wrong, â€Å"white lies† have become an exception. Only having absolutes creates a theory that is extremely hard only to abide by, especially when deontological though permits you from making a choice when that choice would clearly be optimal... ...individual beliefs, one can form their own educated opinions regarding what kind of action he should take. Morals are also not always concrete. Relativist thought contends each group of people may contain different morals. From that opinion, one may assert that morals themselves are not absolute. Still, deontological moral theory provides a strong base for making correct decisions. There are few realistic exceptions to the theory and one can easily notice when an exception is to be made.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So, knowing that deontology creates a valuable beginning for a strong moral theory, one can simply interpret the theory less strictly. Deontology can be a quite appealing theory when not taken so literally. Clearly, one has morals they consider more important than others. If the theory is adjust for this idea, the notion of moral dilemmas is eliminated and one would be allowed to lie if it saved lives. Deontology when looked at loosely is simply a moral theory that says we have morals and we need to consider them when making decisions. Therefore, one may conclude that the overall principles or deontology are correct and that this moral theory should not be dismissed.

Impact of the Internet on Business in the Middle East Essay -- Informa

New online consumer behavior in the Middle East and globally demands changes in corporate strategy Internet usage that involves online collaboration, networking between individual users, and user-created content - known as Web 2.0 - is growing rapidly and is changing the way companies in the Middle East operate, a new Booz Allen Hamilton study has found. Consumers no longer visit the Internet to passively take in content; rather, they are actively creating content themselves. 'In this new era of interactivity, corporations must be aware of what is taking place on the Internet and in social media spaces like MySpace, Wikipedia, and Second Life. They also must decide how to participate in this new world. They must develop a strategy to address the threats posed by Web 2.0 and seize the opportunities it offers. This is equally true for corporations operating in the Middle East, where Web 2.0 sites have a dedicated following,' said Jad Hajj, an associate with Booz Allen Hamilton, a global management consulting firm with offices throughout the MENA region. He added that companies also may need to change their business models to better fit the new online environment. 'Those that ignore the growing trend of Web 2.0 usage do so at their own peril,' he warned. To understand the full scale of Web 2.0 activity and learn how it might affect consumer behavior, Booz Allen conducted a first-of-its-kind study to investigate trends in Web 2.0 usage, including social behavior and networking, usage of communication and Internet services, and customer expenditure. As part of the study, 4,570 individuals in the Middle East, Germany, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and the United States were surveyed between August 2006 and January 2007... ... certain populations. For example, companies that want to target professionals may choose to advertise on LinkedIn, a business-oriented social networking site, whereas companies targeting the youth market may advertise on FunkySexyCool, a mobile-oriented social network run in cooperation with MTV. Customer service Web 2.0 platforms offer companies the ability to create very interactive high-quality customer service sites that network together customers, staff, and suppliers. In addition, companies can create customer service sites moderated by full-time employees that encourage end-user created content and wide participation among users - enhancing consumers' customer service experience and building loyalty. Branding There are increasing opportunities to brand companies on Web 2.0 sites, also at a much more favorable cost than through other media channels.

Why the Sea is Salty :: essays research papers

Why is the sea salty? One theory states that the sea is salt because of the â€Å"mid-Ocean† rift. Fresh basalt flows up through the rift along with â€Å"juvenile water; water that is made up of many of the components of sea water including chlorine, bromine, iodine, and many other molecules. Also some salts get into the ocean through volcanoes and even fresh water rivers carries salt into the sea. The sea is composed of many other things. Scientist over the years has conducted many experiments to prove not only of what the sea is made have but also many other things. In 1715 a scientist named Edmund Halley had a theory to prove the age of the ocean by the rate of salt that is transported through the rivers. In 1889 a scientist by the name of John Joly decided to test this theory and found out the sea is approximately ninety million years old. Also another scientist by the name of Antoine Laurent Lavoisier conducted the first analysis of seawater two hundred years ago. Another concept developed b y John Murray in the nineteenth century states that the weight is never determined but instead the total amount of chloride ion is carefully measured and a total for all other ions is computed by applying the constancy of relative proportions. Also A.M. Marcet, Johann Forchammer, and Wilhelm Dittmar have researched this theory. Now in the last forty years geochemist have really began looking into the chemistry of the ocean. Not only can the chemistry tell us what the sea is made have but also a history of the sea. For example the salinity of the sea has not really change in its history. The reason the sea’s salinity has not changed is because of its strong buffering zones. Today’s scientist has also begun to look at rain as it reaches the sea.

Military Family

The military family experiences several challenges in their working conditions. This ranges from culture, pressure they experience from work, low pay, and poor housing conditions among others. Culture basically refers to people’s way of life. The military has been treated in the past time in a way that reflects that they live in a vacuum or space. Therefore the major challenge or crisis the military family experience is the stress they get on deployments. These people have physical and family separation when deployed in other areas. They feel that they belong to a different world where people do not exist. The military troops are also not expected to have their families with them. The frequent deployment has therefore made a lot of the military army to remain family less. They can have a family if in the real sense they would not have enough time for them.(Rhea,1998,p21). The other challenge that has been raised by the American Military Service Personnel and their families is the stressful condition in the work place since the September 11, 2001 bombing. These people face psychological risks and mental health-related problems as a result of frequent deployment rates. Life within most of the military families has been constantly changing whenever a service member is deployed to a combat zone. Most of them have been killed with majority sustaining physical wounds and a range of permanent disabilities. Some of the disabilities included traumatic brain injury and eye problems. Some of the members who were deployed in the support of the GWOT returned from the combat zone with a lot of psychological injuries. The military members also are faced to the kind life that changes in areas they are deployed. This was experienced especially those who were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Majority of them found themselves dead. Could be the kind of topography in this area outweighed their experience. They did not have the appropriate survival strategies which are highly adaptive in a combat environment. This was the biggest challenge to the families of these people. The family life was seriously affected by the exposure of the combat environment making the families suffer a lot of psychological stress (Stephen, 1985, p64). A part from sustaining physical and psychological injuries, the military families also faced a number of problems as a result of frequent deployment. The living conditions where they reside is very poor and not worth for human health. These people do have families comprising of children who need special care. So in most cases a lot of health related problems do emerge among the family members of the military officers. This even makes them have a feeling of not having a family. Most of the houses they live in are just meant for survival since they are not permanent in areas they are deployed. Therefore poor housing condition is a major challenge faced by these families. The other challenge faced by the military members and their families is lack of adequate medical care given to them. Generally it is very true that these people tend to live in remote areas where the climate is not friendly. Like in Iraq and Afghanistan the place is just too dry with extreme temperatures experienced during the day and night. Since they lack proper medication most of them return home with several diseases developed. (Sonia, 1999, p34). The other challenge faced by the military members and their families is ineffective deployment timetable. Most of them complain of lacking time for their families. Therefore a suitable deployment timetable should be structured in such a way that their interests are catered for. These people are human beings just like us. Therefore they suffer from emotional stress when subjected to a lot of pressure and stress.   It is the right for these people to have a family member.   It therefore goes without a say that too much work make Jack a dull boy.   Therefore some periods like holiday should be provided to the military troops to help them have time with their families. (James, 1997, p98). Most of these military service men also complain about lack of motivation.   There was no even proper and effective compensation that was given to family members who lost their people during the war and bombing attack.   Those who were compensated were given a low pay that could not match the service offered so lack of compensation and motivation to the military officers and service men bring a lot of issues to be discussed. Several measures have been put into place to address the challenges and problems send by the Military Family Association which is a non profit organization has been formed with an objective to influence the development and implementation of polices.   The polices mainly focuses on the improvement of lives of the military family members.   The National Military Family Association was also formed with a mission of serving the families of the seven unformed services through offering education, information and advocacy.   This is basically offered by its staff who volunteers to help on military family issues. In order to address the psychological needs of the military members and their families, the American psychological Association (APA) President came up with a task force to address the issue.   The task force was given the responsibility to identify the psychological needs of military members and their families during and after deployment.   The task force was also able to develop a strategic plan for working with the military and other organizations such as NMFA in order to meet the military members’ needs.   Among the services the task force was to provide include medication to the members who reformed from the combat zone. (Barbara, 1996, p65). The department of Defense Investigation general has also come up with a program to evaluate the military Mental Health systems to address the health related issues. The American Department of Defense (DOD) has also formed military compensation as one of the tools used to attract more people and even retain the solders in their work.   Military compensation work on the principle that all service members including reserve and active ones should be treated fairly. This was a sign of motivation to the service members and their families. The US president, Bush has also come with a good policy in support of the troops.   There has been tax relief for the American military families.   The military service men have been exempted from paying some tax thus the overall tax they pay is lowered.   This is a motivation factor to make them feel loved by the people they serve.   There has also been improvement on the pay for the military officers/personnel.   The increase in pay is a way of encouraging and also motivating them to perform their duties with utmost good faith. Health care improvement has also been initiated for the families of the military personnel and service men.   This was to address the poor condition of those who returned from war with physical wounds.   The other achievement that the department of defense has made is coming up with a deployment time table to serve the interest of the service men.   Today many people are joining military because of the good condition of the work place the government has put into place. References Barbara, C. A. (1996). Family and Gender and Race; Family and Development Perspectives.   London. The Haworth Press, Inc. James, E. (1997). Fighting on Two Fronts: African, Americans and the Vietnam War. London: Barnes & Noble. Rhea, V.A. (1996). Family and Gender among American Muslims: Issues Facing Middle Eastern; London; Temple University Press. Sonia, P. (1999) Eat First – You Don’t Know What They’ll Give You; New York: Xlibris Corporation. Stephen, M. (1985). The Trauma of War: Stress and Recovery in Vietnam Veterans. New York: American Psychiatric Publishers.

Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance Essay

The report discusses the many flaws in organized financial markets but concludes that these markets should continue to operate on principles of initiative or creativity and with a reasonable amount of government regulation. While greed may be part of the cause of financial market instability, naivety and delusion contributed as well. Innovation in computer technology coupled with the work of Black and Scholes in options pricing gave rise to the modern derivatives markets. (Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance) Natural selection happens in financial markets where companies are constantly changing to the latest product, i. e. retail banks began to focus on investment banking, and investment banks moved into the arena of hedge funds. The report calls into question the new form of financial market regulation. A major area of focus of the report is what factors lead to the boom and bust market cycles that lead to financial instability. The report describes three concepts, globalization, liberalization, and technological innovation as triggers of market booms, busts, and financial instability. (Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance) This paper responds to each of these ideas as set forth in the report. Globalization According to the report globalization embraced by emerging markets along with low inflation in developed markets made credit grow more quickly and easily. (Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance) However, as the markets are today, developed countries such as the U. S. and the U. K. are in near to full blown inflationary economies. Most global markets are exposed to the U. S. subprime crisis. (Caruana) However, many emerging markets can limit their exposure to the crisis by managing their levels of greed and fear. Greed is limited when these emerging markets do not invest in the derivative securities created by the subprime markets. Fear is managed when countries utilize resources such as the International Monetary Fund, the IMF, for lending facilities that will serve to shore up a country’s credit needs and support the county’s banking and financial institutions’ lending and business investment activities. Liberalization Liberalization in terms of relaxing or reducing banking and financial industry regulations in countries such as Japan and the U. S. has led to property value booms and bubbles which are followed by a bust cycle and finally financial instability. (Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance) It can be argued that greed, particularly in the U. S. , led to a relaxation of banking and financial industry regulation in order to facilitate greater innovation, liquidity, and credit availability in the financial markets. Hedge funds are thought to provide great efficiency, liquidity, and returns in U. S. capital markets. Industry regulation, therefore, should have served to facilitate innovation in the hedge fund industry while protecting it from a financial crisis. (Bartiromo) This, however, was not the case. Widespread fears, both speculative and proven, about decline in assets values caused the federal government to step in with a new level of financial liberalization through bank ownership. Previously regulation was intended to provide a legal framework in which the financial markets could operate. The current level of fear has changed the goal of regulation and extended the methods of regulatory activity to include providing financing and operational assistance or mandate to the financial markets. Innovation New technology industries are thought to create the need for specialized types of financing. (Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance) This concept may work in a normally functioning economy. However, one can look at the alternative energy market to see that this concept is not working in the current economy. Industries like energy technology are capital intensive. Newer, more capital intensive industries generally depend on financing from private equities and hedge funds. (Alt-Energy Firms Sink With Prices, Credit; New fuels) Prior to 2008 fear caused the hedge funds and private equities to invest less in capital intensive industries. More recently as many hedge funds disappeared due to insolvency, this designer type of financing is no longer available to new technology industries. The only existing sources of financing available to energy technology, particularly in the U. S. , is government investment or financing from financial institutions in which the U. S. government has a financing or operational interest. Conclusion – the results of Greed and Fear Greed and fear has led to current regulatory practices in which many governments are now owners of many financial institutions as opposed to simple regulatory agencies. The new trend in globalization will be that central banks in both developing and emerging market countries will manage their countries financial markets and systems in a way that will limit exposure to booms and busts in international markets. Once more governments develop controlling interests in banking and other financial institutions the original liberalization referred to in the report should return and these institutions will be able to re-create innovative financing. Governments will regulate these institutions on two fronts – as shareholders and as policymakers. As owners of banks and financial institutions, governments will also become investors in new technologies such as the clean energy industry. Where hedge funds and private equity firms no longer exist at previous levels, new technology firms will look to government equity as a viable alternative form of financing. Works Cited â€Å"Alt-Energy Firms Sink With Prices, Credit; New fuels, technology less competitive now, financing more scarce. (FRONT PAGE NEWS). † Investor’s Business Daily (Dec 2, 2008): A01. General OneFile. Gale. 19 Apr. 2009. Caruana, Jaime. â€Å"Viewpoint: A Significant Test Of Emerging Markets – Taking A Global Perspective Is Vital To Learn Lessons From Financial Market Turbulence And find The Right Approach To Move Forward In The Future, Says Jaime Caruana. (Viewpoint essay). † The Banker (Nov 1, 2007): NA. General OneFile. Gale. 19 Apr. 2009. â€Å"Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance. † The Economist 24 January 2009: 1-15. Bartiromo, Maria. â€Å"Straight Talk from the Fed; New York Federal Reserve President Tim Geithner on housing prices, regulation, and the post-Greenspan era. † Business Week Online (May 4, 2006): NA. General OneFile. Gale. 19 Apr. 2009.

Employment contract Essay

To raise a grievance at work the first step would be to talk to your line manager, explain the situation and see if the problem can be solved informally. If, however, the grievance cannot be resolved informally then the issue can be raised formally using the following procedure: Stage 1 Employees may request in writing a formal meeting with the line manager to state the grievance. Where the issue involves the line manager, this request should be made to the manager’s manager (area manager). Grievances should be made as soon as possible and in any event within 3 months of the issue complained about taking place. A hearing will be arranged, normally within 10 working days, for the employee to discuss the issue with the manager. A decision will be made once the matter has been fully investigated and the manager will communicate their response in writing within 5 working days. This should include details of the employee’s right to appeal. Stage 2 If the employee is dissatisfied with the decision then they have received in stage 1 then they can take their grievance further and request in writing a formal meeting under stage 2 of the grievance procedure. This will be conducted by a manager other than the manager that carried out the stage 1 meeting. The employee will receive the decision of this hearing in writing within 5 working days. Stage 3 If the employee is still dissatisfied with the decision then they may appeal in writing to the Chief Executive of the Trust within 10 working days of receipt of the stage 2 decision. A further meeting will take place and the decision will be confirmed in writing within 5 working days of the hearing. The decision at stage 3 of the procedure is final, in so far as the Trusts internal procedures are concerned. Bv 1. Data Protection All confidential information should be kept secure by employees in order to protect customers and their families. Confidential information (e.g. customer support plans, support notes and medication administration forms) must not be left in a place where non-authorised individuals may view it. Data should not be passed on to anyone without the consent of the customer or their next of kin. 2. Grievance Any grievances should be reported to the line manager to try to resolve the issue informally. If, however, it is not resolved at this level then there is a grievance procedure in place which enables employees to pursue the matter formally. 3. Conflict Management If employees have a problem with another member of staff and it cannot be resolved between themselves then they should contact their line manager for assistance with resolving the issue. If the conflict involves the line manager or if the employee feels that they are not receiving adequate support then they should report to the area manager. 4. Anti-discriminatory Practice All employees are expected to act with dignity and respect towards each person’s individual beliefs and identity. Customers, accessing Oaklea care and support services, should not be treated less favourably based on their; age, sex, disability, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marital status or pregnancy/maternity or gender. 5. Health & Safety All employees have personal responsibility in ensuring their own and others health, safety, and welfare at work. We are required to read and apply organisational policies and procedures regarding health and safety, undertake necessary training, wear personal protective equipment (PPE) provided, use safety equipment and safety devices where required and report any hazardous conditions to the line manager or Health and Safety Officer. 6. Confidentiality All information concerning customers and/or their families must be treated  with the upmost respect and all employees have an obligation to protect this information. Confidential information must not be disclosed to a third party either formally or informally (gossip). The sharing of information may be necessary for continuation of good care and support of customers (e.g. between other employees or professions). If employees are asked to disclose information about a customer and are concerned that doing so may breach confidentiality then clarification should be sought via the line manager. 7. Whistle blowing If employees need to raise concern about a risk, malpractice or wrongdoing that affects others such as customers, other staff members, the company or the public then the company’s whistleblowing procedure should be followed. The first stage of this procedure would be to raise concerns with the employee’s line manager either in writing or through a meeting. If the issue involves the line manager or if the employee has already raised their ~@ ?U: concerns with the line manager and feel that they have not been adequately addressed then the second stage of the procedure should be followed. At this stage, issues may be raised either in writing or through a meeting with a Director. If stage 2 has been undertaken and the employees concerns are unresolved or if they feel that the matter is so serious that it should be investigated by the Chief Executive immediately then concerns should be raised either in writing or via a meeting. Any employee raising concerns under the whistleblowing procedure has the right to remain anonymous. Bvi As a Community Home Carer, my role is to provide individualized care and support to people with social care needs so that they may continue to live in their homes and in the community. A care plan is in place for each customer that explains their specific needs and what care they require from us. My duties/responsibilities may include: Assisting customers with washing, bathing, personal hygiene, dressing, toileting, continence and catheter care. Meal and drink preparation and help with feeding where necessary. Helping customers to comply with their prescribed medication and fill out Medication Administration Records (MAR). Supporting customers  with cleaning, laundry, shopping and other household duties as required. Helping customers with mobility skills, transferring them safely where required (e.g. from bed to chair) and helping them to use aids and personal equipment. Providing end of life care. Documenting the care given at each visit in the Daily Support Notes (DSN). Liaising with other carers and health care professionals to ensure continuity of care. By carrying out these duties to a high standard and conforming to all policies, procedures and guidelines, customers will receive a quality service that will help them to maintain as much independence as possible in a safe environment within their own homes. The safeguarding carried out by carers is essential in protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of vulnerable adults, and ensures that they live free from harm, abuse and neglect. It is our duty to report any safeguarding concerns to the appropriate person(s) so that action may be taken to protect the wellbeing of service users. Bvii a) Following best practice within my work role helps to safeguard vulnerable adults living in the community and ensures that they receive a quality service that promotes health and wellbeing. It is important that I stay within my job role, follow policies and procedures, keep up to date with changes in policies and legislation and keep up to date with training to develop my skills in the workplace. It is also important to work as part of a team, passing on skills where necessary (e.g. to new staff members) and gaining feedback from colleagues. Good communication skills are essential between team members and other professions involved in the care of the service user as this enables continuity of care. b) Failing to carry out the requirements of my role by not following policies, procedures and legislation and not complying with regulatory bodies endangers the health and wellbeing of service users and may put other team members at risk. Not following manual handling procedures, for example, would put me and the service user at risk of injury and not wearing personal protective equipment  when necessary may put me and others at risk of infection. Poor practice may also result in complaints from service users, disciplinary action and in severe cases it may lead to me losing my job, being prosecuted and/or prevented from working in the health and social care setting. Bviii As a Community Home Carer I must follow best practice within my work role and work to the company policies and procedures that mirror laws and legislation. There are also external factors which influence the standards that I must adhere to in my work such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) essential standards, Skills for Care’s Common Induction Standards (CIS) which are the standards people working in health social care need to meet before they can safely work unsupervised (e.g. manual handling, first aid, health and safety training), the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) codes of practice and ADASS’ ‘Safeguarding Adults: A National Framework of Standards for good practice and outcomes in adult protection work’, which sets out a framework of best practice standards. Government initiatives also have an influence on the roles of carers such as ‘Our Care, Our Health Our Say’ which sets out policy goals to make health and social care ser vices that are designed around the patient rather than the needs of the patient being forced to fit around the service already provided. ‘Putting People First’ also aims for a personalised approach to the delivery of adult social care. Bix a) Two different representative bodies which influence my area of work are the care quality commission and the health and care professions council. b) The role of the care quality commission (CQC) is to regulate, inspect and review all adult health and social care services in the public, private and voluntary sectors in England and make sure that they are meeting national standards. These services include hospitals, care homes, GPs, dentists and services in the home (e.g. home carers). The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) are a regulatory body set up to protect the public by keeping a register of health and care professionals that meet their standards for training, professional skills, behaviour and health. If professionals fail  to meet these standards then they may be removed from the register and prevented from practicing. The HCPC replaced the General Social Care Council (GSCC) which was abolished in 2012.