Saturday, November 30, 2019

X Barbiturate use in the pre-benzodiazepine period Essays

x Barbiturate use in the pre-benzodiazepine period was such that, in the U nited States alone, production of these drugs reached, in 1955, the quantity necessary for the treatment of 10 million p eople throughout an entire year (Lopez-Munoz, Ucha-Udabe , and Alamo 336). While Bradbury's novel was being written, the Durham-Humphrey Amendment (1951) to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (1938) divided medicines into two categories as a reaction to this problem : prescription and over-the-counter. By 1952 and 1956, the Narcotics Expert Committee of the W orld H ealth O rganization recommended that barbiturates should only be available on prescription. The novel's salient overdose episode argues that sedative abuse is the individual's response to a culture hostile to memory and the cultivation of thought. Cultural hostility to critical thought is revealed by structures of formal education. Schooling is " an hour of TV class, an hour of basketball or baseball or running, another hour of transcription history or painting pictures...we never ask questions...they just run the answers at you, bing , bing , bing , and us sitting there for four more hours of film-teacher. That's not social to me at all" ( 37). Schools of the future exploit the television's effect of " quick and wide spreading of current and often emotionally charged information which is designed and desti ned to be forgotten at the inst ant of its reception " ( Mockel-Rieke 9). History , the curriculum's laudator temporis acte , is reduced to rote transcription, a reductio ad absurdam , a simulation of memory. As a curricular subject, Historythe narrative of actual events and speculation about their causes, derived from meditative acts o f reading and questioning other representations of the past , and composing new material about events is purposely rendered impotent.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

What are the regulatory, developmental and manufacturing barriers associated with the future availability of biogeneric products in oncology The WritePass Journal

What are the regulatory, developmental and manufacturing barriers associated with the future availability of biogeneric products in oncology Introduction What are the regulatory, developmental and manufacturing barriers associated with the future availability of biogeneric products in oncology IntroductionReferencesRelated Introduction Biopharmaceutical products began to expire since 2004. This has resulted in the development of biogenerics as second generation products. The term biogenerics is used to define a product that is equivalent to a currently marketed biopharmaceutical product that is a recombinant DNA-derived product (Enrico and Little, 2001 and Chamberlain, 2004). Biogenerics are follow-on products of a brand (reference) drug. They may have different physicochemical and/or biological properties to the reference drug, however, they are expected to have similar clinical effects and safety profile when compared to the reference drug. This may be because they may contain the same active ingredient used in the original brand product (Chamberlain, 2004 and Kirmani and Bonacossa, 2003). However, they may have different excipients of non-active ingredients to the original brand drug (Kermani and Bonacossa, 2003). Biogenerics are found to be beneficial in aiding large companies in saving the large amount of money being spent on health care when prescribing a brand product. For example, in 2005, around 5.3 billion dollars has been spent on health care in which almost of 2 billion dollars of this was spent on prescription drugs (Fredrick, 2007). The similar quality, safety, efficacy and the reduced cost of biogenerics compared to the reference brand product have arisen the interest of developing biogeneric products in oncology. However, there are a number of regulatory, developmental, and manufacturing barriers associated with the generation of biogenerics. Such issues are the lack of specific regulatory guidelines for biogenerics. Having regulatory standards may avoid the large sum of money from being spent to develop a biogeneric file (Enrico and Little, 2001). However, having eligible abbreviated procedures for biogenerics is not solving the issue as the Committee on Similar Biological Medici nal Products (CHMP), 2005, has recommended the need of carrying out comparability studies in order to generate evidence of the similarity in quality, safety and efficacy of biogeneric products to the original branded products (Rathore, 2009). Unfortunately, studies have failed in proving biogenerics essential similarity to the original brand products already being marketed (Kermani and Bonacossa, 2003). Furthermore, biogenerics are protein products in which their complexity is the central to challenges associated with safety and efficacy (Enrico and Little, 2001). Biogenerics are heterogeneous products and may exhibit sensitivity towards a specific manufacturing process and may degrade during freezing, melting, formulation, sterile filtration, filling, freeze-drying, and assessment. Moreover, the presence of impurities during manufacturing processes may reduce the efficacy and increase immunogenicity of the product. Immunogenicity may also be affected when handling the product. This may occurs during purification, exposure to light, distribution, or adding excipients, or may be due to the route and frequency of administration (Rathore, 2009). Since such changes may result in alteration in the product quality, safety, and efficacy profile, the need of carrying out extensive clinical trials are important in order to achieve regulatory approval (Enrico and Little, 2001). Also, other factors such as the therapeutic target, and patient’s immune status and clinical condition may be used in determining the immunogenicity of the product (Rathore, 2009). The quality of a biogeneric product is not only affected by the variability between the different steps of manufacturing, but may also be affected by the inconsistency of the starting materials (Kirdar et al, 2008). For example, minor changes in manufacturing biogenerics, such as the use of different DNA vectors, cell culture and purification processes compared to what is being used in the original brand product may result in undesirable effects in the quality of the product (Sharma, 2007). Also, leachable of vulcanising agents from syringes may affect safety and efficacy of the product. The use of phthalate plastic and latex rubber surfaces may result in leaches which may contaminate the product resulting in allergic reactions and enhanced immunogenicity. Therefore, it may be safer if glass surfaces, air-liquid interfaces, and lubricants are used instead (Sharma, 2007). The high complexity of the products, processes and untreated materials are the key challenges in manufacturing. However, having a designed experiment process to carry out experiments and perform data may result in better quality products (Rathore, 2009). Moreover, the interest of customers including patients and healthcare professionals to biogeneric products may also act as a potential barrier. The majority of biopharmaceuticals available in the marker are indicated for chronic diseases, for example cancer, in which switching the patient into a biogeneric product may be unacceptable by healthcare professionals. This may be due to the insufficient evidence of biogenerics quality and the lack of policies relating to such products (Enrico and Little, 2001). The majority of generic medicines depend on the clinical trial data obtained from the original brand drug studies. Only simple tests are required though for these generic medicines to prove bioequivalence of the product quality, safety, and efficacy to the reference drug. However, biogenerics failed in proving bioequivalence to the original brand drug using simple tests, hence, more studies may be required for biogenerics approval (Miller, 2009). Miller, 2009, has stated that the nature and the percentage contamination of biogeneric product is mainly relates to the host systems used to generate the drug and the purification methods used. A 100% purity is unachievable, however, avoiding any source of purity limitation may result in a high quality product. But this does not solve the problem, as protein folding and enzymatic modifications may lead to unacceptable results. Also, biogeneric mechanism, toxicity and contamination human cells are unknown. Therefore, the need to carry out standard sophisticated screening tests or the use of animal studies to ensure drug purity and quality may be necessary (Miller, 2009). Moreover, the FDA stated for a biogeneric to be approved, once bioequivalence tests are successful, safety and efficacy tests are required. This may involve sophisticated analytical chemistry, preclinical (animal) studies, as well as clinical studies (Miller, 2009). However, it is unacceptable to expose patient to unnecessary clinical trials in order to get the approval, and that bioequivalence tests must be decided on a case-by-case basis (Fredrick, 2007). The Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biochemistry, FDA, 1986, stated that new marketing applications are required for biogeneric products. This may be due to that biogenerics are characterised by having different structures, heterogeneity, and the possibility of contamination avai lability, which may affect the safety and efficacy profile of the drug. Biogeneric products may be better if developed in big pharmacy companies rather than a start-up company. This is may be because big companies may already have the experience and resources to carry out the necessary testing. Hence, less money will be spent to develop biogenerics in big pharmacy companies compared to a start-up company (Miller, 2009). Since cancer treatments are very expensive, focus has been shifted on producing biogenerics that would control the large sums of money being spent in biologic cancer treatments. However, it is important to ensure that patients get high quality of care and evidence-based medications. Therefore, principles of approval of biogeneric use in oncology have been published. The principles state the need of clinical trials being carried out to order to test similar efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of biogeneric to the reference biologic drug. This would clear the essential processes to patients and healthcare professionals. Guidance documents may be necessary in order to ensure standards consistency. However, FDA would never accept a system that would limit clinicians’ choices amongst biogeneric products. Biogenerics must be of high quality and fully tested for efficacy. Interchangeability of biogenerics that allows substitutions without affecting the product safety and efficacy mus t be determined through clinical trials (American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2007). The key issue of scientific and regulatory approval of biogeneric products is the lack of understanding of how different quality aspects of a product may result in changing the product safety and efficacy. Also, the lack of being successful in collecting data, analyze and report, and the insufficient non-clinical tools which may help in predicting clinical safety and efficacy of the product. Moreover, the complexity of biogeneric products and the biotechnology processes are extra challenges added to the development of biogenerics (Rathore, 2009). Finally, biogeneric guidelines are still unclear. However, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has decided the future of biogenerics will still require a comparability studies between the biogeneric and the reference brand drug. It may be possible that clinical studies will be carried out instead of bioequivalence studies for the purpose of proving the safety and efficacy of the biogeneric drug, and in particular immunogenicity of the product. Moreover, less non-clinical studies might be carried out and post-market pharmacovigilance plans may possibly be needed as a measurement of authorization promises (Zuniga and Calvo, 2009). In conclusion, the decision on approving biogenerics will remain to be dealt on a case-by-case basis, and will rely on a number of different factors including manufacturing processes, structural similarity to the original product, mechanism of action, pharmacodynamic assays, pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity, and quantity and quality of clinical data. Even though, the major improvements in our knowledge on biogenerics production processes and analytical technology have been achieved, key barriers remain to hinder the development of biogenerics. However, the overall of science and biotechnology fields is rapidly developing (Enrico and Little, 2001). References American Society of Clinical Oncology. (2007). Principles for Legislation to Establish Approval Process for Generic Versions of Biologic Agents. Available: asco.org/ASCO/Downloads/Cancer%20Policy%20and%20Clinical%20Affairs/Biogenerics/Biogenerics%20Principles%20FINAL%205%205%2008.pdf. Last accessed 29th March 2011. Chamberlain, P. (2004). Biogenerics: Europe takes another step forward while the FDA dives for cover. ELSEVIER. 9 (19), p817-820. CHMP. (2005). Guideline on similar biological medicinal products. Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. 437 (4), p555-561. Enrico, T. P. and Little, A. D.. (2001). The future of biogenerics. Available: contractpharma.com/articles/2001/10/the-future-of-biogenerics. Last accessed 29th March 2011. FDA. (1986). Coordination Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology. Available: http://usbiotechreg.nbii.gov/Coordinated_Framework_1986_Federal_Register.html. Last accessed 27th March 2011. Fredrick, J. (2007). Leaders speak out on benefits of biogenerics. Available: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3374/is_6_29/ai_n27227920/?tag=content;col1. Last accessed 27th March 2011. Kermani, F. and Bonacossa, P. (2003). What next for biogenerics. Pharmagenerics. 1 (1), p1-4. Kirdar, A. O. et al. (2008). Application of multivariant data analysis for identification and successful resoution of a route cause for a bioprocessing application. Biotechnology. 24 (4), p720-726. Miller, H. I. (2009). Biogenerics: the hope and hype. ELSEVIER. 27 (8), p443-445. Rathore, A. S. (2009). Follow-on protein products: scientific issues, developments and challenges. ELSEVIER. 27 (12), p698-705. Sharma, B. (2007). Immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins. Biotechnology. 25 (15), p318-324. Zuniga, L. and Calvo B. (2009). Regulatory aspects of biosimilars in Europe. ELSEVIER. 27 (7), p385-387.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Association between departmental stewardship, role stressors and distress among executives

Association between departmental stewardship, role stressors and distress among executives In the past few decades, major evolutions in globalization, technology and social collaboration have transformed the nature of work in all sectors. As work becomes increasingly complex and interdependent, employees are expected to take on many new roles and responsibilities. According to Kahn et al. (1964) it is quite common for employees in complex organizations to experience stress regarding their role, which can lead to negative individual and organizational outcomes. Recently, the field of occupational health has recognized that psychosocial factors inherent in the work environment can have considerable influence on the physical and mental well-being of employees, and studies have begun to model contextual moderators in the process of organizational stress. In this article we introduce organizational stewardship as a contextual factor that may build employee resilience to role demands and protect against adverse symptoms of mental health. Stewardship is defined here as an organizational approach in which communication, collaboration and adaptability between organizational actors and stakeholders is used to generate trust, a shared understanding and a sense of purpose. Using multi-level analysis, this study investigates whether departmental stewardship moderates the relationship between role stressors and psychological distress among public service executives. Role Stress and Mental Health The shift to a more knowledge-based society has resulted in many changes to the design, organization and management of factors within the work environment. As workplaces become more complex and multifaceted, employees are expected to take on multiple roles and responsibilities, and thus, it has become more important than ever to examine the impact of role stressors on employee well-being. Role conflict refers to the occurrence of divergent expectations or when role requirements are incompatible with an employee’s value system, making it difficult to perform their work. Role ambiguity refers to a lack of information or unclear information regarding employee’s roles, such that they are unsure as to what is expected of them. According to Cavanaugh, Boswell, Roehling and Boudreau (2000) role demands are considered hindrance stressors, meaning they are viewed as obstacles to personal growth or demands that can hinder an employee’s ability to achieve work goals. As a result, the presence of these stressors can prompt negative emotions (e.g., anxiety or fear) and a passive or emotional coping method (e.g., withdrawing from the work). Because role demands are perceived as uncontrollable and threatening to one’s work they are unlikely to be met with increased effort, instead employees may emotionally and cognitively withdraw from their work. While the process of organizational stress has been implicated in a wide range of physical health ailments, mental health disorders are considered to be the most common outcomes. Stress-related mental health disorders like anxiety and depression place a heavy financial burden on organizations. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), about 30% of short- and long-term disability claims in Canada are attributed to mental health problems. Moreover, mental health problems and illnesses among Canadian employees cost organizations more than $6 billion in lost productivity (MHCC, n.d). A recent meta-analysis by Schmidt et al., (2014) documented the link between role stressors and depression across a variety of work settings. These authors acknowledged that it is important to examine mental health as a continuous construct since even minor symptoms can lead to impaired health and organizational outcomes. In light of this, psychological distress is an important concept to measure in the context of employee well-being, since it can capture a lower threshold of mental health problems and may be a crucial to reducing illness or disability caused by work stress. Distress refers to â€Å"a set of psychophysiological and behavioral symptoms that are not specific to a given pathology† (e.g., anxious or depressive responses, irritability, trouble sleeping, absenteeism) that can cause impairment in day-to-day functions and one’s ability to carry out normal tasks. From Leadership to Stewardship Worldwide societal and economic changes have challenged organizational scholars to question deeply rooted assumptions about leadership strategies and to re-examine organizational approaches that can more adequately respond to the demands faced by present-day organizations. As a result, scholars have begun to recognize that interdependent and global work can counteract the potential power of leadership, making it challenging for those in positions of authority to have an impact on the work environment regardless of their leadership style or the fit between the leader and situation. Recently, scholars have proposed the notion of stewardship as an organizational approach to guide the collective process in organizations. While leadership has been traditionally examined with a focus on interpersonal exchanges, stewardship can be viewed as a meta-phenomenon, reflected in organizational structures and collaborative processes. In this study, organizational stewardship is positioned as a pote ntial moderator in the relationship between role stressors and psychological distress. Stewardship Historically, stewardship came from the notion of managing or taking care of something that was entrusted to you. This concept is finding renewed resonance in current organizational literature and has been described as an alternative approach to governance models of mandate and force (Block, 1993). Stewardship has also been defined as an organizational approach that emphasizes a sense of purpose through the sharing of power, resources and information across networks to serve the public interest. According to Hubbard and Paquet (2016) stewardship is believed to foster a sense of community through building partnerships and networks, and generate the trust and dialogue necessary to work through complex issues. Furthermore, they argue that stewardship practices connect employees to the larger purpose of their work, fostering their sense of meaning. Based on these conceptualizations, an empirical study by Simpkins and Lemyre (2018) has reframed organizational stewardship as a system featu re through the application of a socio-ecological framework. An Ecological Model of Stewardship Taking a systemic approach inspired by Brofenbrenner’s (1979, 1999) systems theory framework, the Socio-Ecological Model, the social environment is subdivided into various systems and takes into account the cumulative effect of multiple factors of the physical and social environment, as well as situational and personal factors, on employee well-being (Stokols, 1996). Beyond the individual, the microsystem includes close interpersonal relations. Then, the mesosystem is composed of various organizations or services. The most overarching concept in this framework is the macrosystem, which includes the overall patterns of the social context such as economy, laws and political events. While the idea that stewardship can contribute to positive organizational outcomes has been implied, empirical evidence supporting this relationship remains quite limited. A qualitative case study of the Edmonton Public School system by Segal (2012) asked employees to describe organizational processes inherent in the control and reward systems. This study concluded that an organizational culture associated with stewardship theory helped to instil integrity among employees, contributing to organizational efficiency. According to Simpkins Lemyre (2018), the examination of stewardship within a workplace stress framework broadens our understanding of the work environment and has important implications for individuals, organizations and society. This role can be operationalized as an organization level resource contributing to employee well-being examined through the Job-Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. The Job Demands-Resources Model As outlined in the JD-R model, employee health and well-being can result from a balance between psychosocial work factors categorized as either demands or resources. Physical, social or organizational job characteristics that require sustained effort are labeled as job demands. Job characteristics that contribute to meeting organizational objectives, reduce job demands and their accompanying physiological and psychological costs, or that stimulate employee growth and learning are labeled as job resources. Demands and resources are linked to health and well-being outcomes through two underlying psychological processes. An excess in job demands coupled with a lack of resources can deplete an employee’s energy resources in the health impairment process, while job resources can contribute to positive organizational outcomes through the motivational process. Likewise, the JD-R model assumes that job resources can buffer the impact of various demands on stress outcomes. While individual-level resources have been valuable components in the study of stress, Demerouti Bakker (2011) have suggested an expansion of the JD-R model to include multi-level constructs in order to capture the different structural, functional or hierarchical levels of organizational research. Taking a Multi-Level Approach When direct indicators of environmental context are not available, contextual variables can be measured using group averages of individuals’ perceptions, at a cluster level. This is believed to reliably account for non-independence among employees exposed to similar environmental factors, which can influence how they perceive or respond to stress in the workplace. As a result, researchers can more accurately examine how organizational level processes affect individual-level processes and outcomes. Moreover, modeling group-level moderators of stress is particularly important, given its implications for prevention. From a practical perspective, a multi-level approach to stress may result in more effective interventions, as organizations may wish to employ different strategies at each level. Moreover, stress interventions based on group-level moderators can be much easier to implement over individual-based interventions. Thus, identifying contextual factors that can mitigate the stress process, and understanding how they influence this relationship, can contribute to more systemic approach to organizational stress research. Stewardship as a Moderator of Work Stressors As reviewed above, job resources can buffer the negative effects of work demands on perceived job strain through different mechanisms. While stewardship is not anticipated to reduce work demands themselves, the work conditions provided through a context of stewardship may alter employee perceptions and cognitions evoked by work stressors, and moderate the responses that follow. This can potentially reduce the health-damaging consequences of stress. A mission-focused stewardship approach is believed to help employees put their work in a larger context, providing them with a sense of purpose. The alignment between employee demands and the organizational mission may contribute to a sense of coherence among employees, where they perceive their demands as understandable, manageable and meaningful, a strong determinant of successful coping. Moreover, the sharing of information, power and resources can help to develop a common frame of reference, facilitating communication and reducing misunderstandings with regard to work tasks. In this way, stewardship organizations, through the collaboration and the instrumental support of other organizations, may be more resilient to increasingly complex work demands. Thus, a context of stewardship may temper the negative influence of work stressors by repositioning work demands as challenges that can be accomplished collectively, and task completion may seem more achievable in this setting. Stewardship in the Canadian Public Service Canada’s public service is the non-partisan, executive branch of the Canadian government composed of various units, which include departments, agencies, commissions, Crown corporations and other federal organizations. In a typical governmental department there are several levels of leadership at the Executive level (EX position classification). Stewardship as an organizational approach may be especially important in the context of public service work, where many different levels of hierarchy must operate collaboratively and rely on the combined efforts of various departments, agencies, commissions, crown corporations and other federal organizations to deliver quality service to citizens. In summary, there is strong theoretical and empirical basis to consider and formally test organizational stewardship as a potential moderator in the relationship between role stressors and psychological distress among executives. To our knowledge, stewardship has never been tested as a contextual variable using multi-level analysis. This raises the research question: Does a context of stewardship moderate the relationship between role stressors and psychological distress among public service executives? Study Model This study proposes that a context of stewardship reflects the degree to which a department engages in effective collaboration across networks, generating trust, a sense of purpose, and a shared sense of responsibility. We posit that a context of stewardship can help executives manage their perceived role stressors such that when a high degree of stewardship is perceived within one’s department, executives are more likely to experience their work as meaningful, interesting and something to which they wish to devote effort, regardless of stressful demands. In this way, departmental stewardship may help to alleviate the effects of stressors before they become damaging (i.e., psychological distress). Thus, we propose that department-level stewardship moderates the relationship between role stressors (i.e., role conflict and role ambiguity) and distress symptoms. Goal and Objectives The aim in the present study is to investigate the association between departmental stewardship, role stressors and distress among executives. The research goal is to test that there is variance in these relationships that relates to the organizational level above and beyond the idiosyncratic individual perspective. To test the moderation effect, there are two pre-conditions: Condition 1: Executives who report higher role stressors will also report higher distress; and Condition 2 (ecological multi-level effect): Departments with high levels of aggregated stewardship will have a negative relationship with reported distress. Main Hypothesis (Cross-Level Interaction) Moderation effect of the multi-level construct: The relationship between role stressors and distress is moderated by departmental stewardship such that the relationship between role stressors and distress is stronger for departments with low aggregated stewardship, and this relationship is buffered in departments with high aggregated stewardship. Participants and Procedure Data used for this study comes from the pan-Canadian national survey on Work and Health conducted in 2012 in partnership with the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada (APEX). This survey represents the fourth cycle of a multi-phase research project examining the health status of executives, from Director (EX-1) to Deputy Minister (EX-5), in the federal Public Service of Canada. A total of 6688 self-administered anonymous questionnaires were distributed via e-mail to senior-management executives in the Canadian federal public service. Over two thousand respondents returned the questionnaires (N=2314), representing a response rate of 35%. After removing missing data and performing data screening for multi-level analysis the final data set included responses from 1996 executives nested within 59 departments/agencies. Departments, on average, had 34 respondents (range, 2 to 177). The sample comprised 51% male and 49% female executives and maintained fully proportional representation of the actual distribution of executives by gender, executive level, region and age. The average age of participants was 50.2 years. The majority of participants had either a post-grad education (52%) or university education (39%). Participants had been working at the executive level for 7.3 years, on average. While just over half (56%) of executives in this sample worked at the EX-1 level, 24% worked at the EX-2 level, and 20% at the EX-3, EX-4 or EX-5 level.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Rail Transportation system analysis report Case Study

Rail Transportation system analysis report - Case Study Example These elements are framed and designed by the extreme effort of civil and mechanical engineering to build the system for electrical equipment and efficiency of the rail network. Rail Transport System plays a major role in the transportation system in railways. The system assists in developing an important link in the transportation chain for connecting communities and states. It ensures in delivering transportation services with consistency in quality and time. The infrastructure of the system comprises different elements that include wagons, rail tracks, engines, sheds and stations. The system is classed as an Engineering system, as the whole system is based on different structural and architectural designs. Different types of wagons, rail tracks, engines and stations are essential to deliver rail transport services are used in the Australian based system. The system is developed on complex structural design and technology, which requires support of civil, mechanical and electrical engineering. Civil and mechanical engineering works assisted in building the framework of graphical and solid design of rail equipment and vehicles. Similarly, electrical engine ering structures the electronic equipment and materials needed in various rail engines and rail stations (Australian Government, 2013). Australian Rail Transport System is incorporated and supported with excellent performance of various elements that include tracks, trains, stations, power, consumer, government and technology. Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is the largest owner in rail network, which operates and manages standard gauge track in an area of more than 8,500 kilometres in South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. The system with the assistance of the ARTC is able to perform core business works such as access

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Epic Heroes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Epic Heroes - Essay Example Therefore, the extraordinary feats that heroes perform never fail to excite because each feat is unique and distinct in its own way. We read about heroes in storybooks and novels. We are impressed with their good looks and benevolence in movies. We are awe-struck by their deeds in thrillers. We are benumbed with fear as we watch them shadow ghosts and their ignoble cousins. The acts of heroism interest everyone due to their brush with difficult and sometimes seemingly impossible situations. This interest is highlighted even more when it is seen that the principal character in every story has traits and talents poles apart. Undoubtedly, the first ones who come to mind upon anything to do with the concept of hero are the Greek epic heroes like Odysseus with their supreme majestic good looks and gleaming, muscular frames. In the case of Odysseus, he is a mighty man in terms of his physique as well as mental abilities. The source of Odysseus strength and survival capacity is his reverence for the gods. He is capable of doing what no other man could dare through timely support from different gods in different situations. In terms of physical prowess there is no equal to the Greek epic heroes. They defied terrestrial and extra-terrestrial domains. The annals of a bishop wou... On the contrary, religious figures are commonly conceived as those whose lot it is to suffer and die! The Bishop in Les Miserables is tender-hearted and kind, but there is a steely resolve that carries the power to melt the hardest heart. The hero in Les Miserables has the unique ability to grasp a situation and turn it around to everyone's good. Mr Duvitch in The Strangers That Came to Town initially seems repulsive and unwanted in his neighborhood, but his humility and meekness silently impacts the neighborhood. Indeed, the plot in the story uncannily hides the true nature of the Duvitch family until the heroic albeit innate traits of Mr Duvitch unfold towards the end. Conclusion The writers of each story display extraordinary talents unique in their own ways. The Greek epics were written eons ago. But they continue to excite and inspire. Although the reader is well aware that Odysseus' exploits can only have happy ending she is willing to give the writer the opportunity to witness the range of his creativity and imagination. Thus, the plus point in the story is the use of the elements and situations made subtly and intricately delectable, and the reader lets the hero get away with nave tolerance in ingenuous ease since divine interventions and manipulations are treated with more interest and respect. Throughout human history, in each age and era, heroes have appeared center-stage, moved among people, lead from the front, took on mightier foes, and dispensed justice. They also sought peace, pursued noble missions, and built structures of benevolent justice. The mysterious ingredients of heroism have the potential to appear from the most unexpected sources and the most unlikely characters.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Ethical Implications of the Current Government Drone Strike Polices Essay Example for Free

The Ethical Implications of the Current Government Drone Strike Polices Essay Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) first made their appearance in 1919 when Elmer Sperry, who also invented the gyroscope and autopilot, attacked a captured German ship with the first UAV loaded down to with explosives((U. s. army unmanned, 2010). At the time this was a revolutionary weapon, but if we fast forward 80 years from the time of that experiment, UAVs became a common and prolific part of the modern battlefield. Although there is little debate as to the legality of their use on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, in recent years there are been much debate as to the role they should play in the larger American declared Global War on Terror or GWOT. While the government believes that it is acting in the best interest of the American people, more and more scholars and foreign governments are questioning the legality and ethical implications of the current UAV polices governing strikes outside of Iraq and Afghanistan. UAVs first saw action in the opening days of the GWOT in Afghanistan and during its first year of action UAVs attacked approximately 115 targets. This took place just shortly after Hellfire air-to-surface missiles were test fired and approved for use on Predator UAVs. When the war began in Iraq in 2003 UAVs were there helping to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s government and destroy military targets. Drones were utilized in either a direct support role of ground troops in an overwatch capacity with the ability to assist in command and control and the second in a hunter-killer capacity where the UAVs searched for targets (Callam, 2010). The role of UAVs in Iraq and Afghanistan in these roles was seen no differently than the use of traditional aircraft, but their use was quickly expanded beyond what has traditional been seen as the battlefield. The program and its policies drew criticism and questions related to international law. It was not long after UAVs were weaponized that the CIA saw the potential of their use internationally. On November 3, 2002, after the Air Force rejected the mission over legal concerns, the CIA attacked a vehicle in Yemen with a UAV killing all six passengers (O’Connell, 2010). The difference between theses strikes and the ones conducted by the military lies in the fact that the military was striking targets in a recognized warzone while the CIA was operating over the sovereign territory of another nation. The UN Commission on Human Rights noted that this was done with the consent of Yemen and they had the, â€Å"responsibility to protect their citizens against the excesses of non-Sate actors†¦ actions must be taken in accordance with international human rights and humanitarian law. Further, in the opinion of the Special Rapporteur, â€Å"the attack in Yemen constitutes a clear case of extrajudicial killing. † (Jahangir, 2003). Another stark example of the drone program involves the hunt for Baitullah Mehsud who was the leader of a militant group in Pakistan that attacked a police academy in that country. Five months later he was targeted and killed in an UAV attack in northwest Pakistan, but it was not the only strike carried out in an attempt to kill him. In fact, sixteen other strikes were used in a failed attempt to kill one man and in the process between 207 and 321 other people were killed (Callam, 2010). The large difference in the number of people reportedly killed is due in large part to the methodology used in determining how many people were killed (Beswick, 2010). Currently it is known that the United States has carried out UAV attacks in at least six countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. In addition to their expanded area of use their numbers have grown exponentially from 167 in 2002 to approximately 7,000 in 2010 (Deri,2012). The number of attacks has grown as well. According to the New American Foundation, between 2004 and 2007, 9 strikes were carried out in Pakistan. While that number has since fallen, it was as high as 118 strikes in 2010. The US military now trains more UAV pilots than traditional pilots and according Committee on Oversight and Government Reform no private entities are developing new manned aircraft (Deri,2012). While there is no question the use of these weapon systems is legal in countries where there is combat that meets the definition of armed conflict under international law such as Afghanistan, but their use in countries like Pakistan depends on how terrorism is classified. Previously, the government considered terrorism a crime and responded though diplomatic means and law enforcement procedures. It was not until the bombing of embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that the government responded to terrorism with military action by firing missiles at targets in Sudan and Afghanistan. In this case the government invoked the right to self defense in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations (Maggs, 2005). After the government began the drone attacks over countries they were not in direct conflict with, the UN Special Rapporteur Christof Heyns submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council with concerns over, â€Å"the lack of transparency regarding the legal framework and targeting choices. † He requested information from the government and they declined to provide any official response to the UN, but cited a statement made by a government legal adviser named Harold Hongju Koh. Mr. Hongju Koh stated in a speech to the Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law in 2010 that there are a number of legal bases to justify the use of targeted killing. He stated that, â€Å"As a matter of international law, the United States is in an armed conflict with al-Qaeda, as well as the Taliban and associated forces, in response to the horrific 9/11 attacks, and may use force consistent with its inherent right to self-defense under international lawâ€Å" According to that statement, the government no longer believes terrorism is a crime, but now considers it as being part of an armed conflict. Acts of terrorism are not limited to the United States and al-Qaeda is active in other countries such as the United Kingdom, these other countries do not consider themselves at war with al-Qaeda. Sir Christopher Greenwood a British Judge on the International Court of Justice believes that, â€Å"In the language of international law there is no basis for speaking of a war on Al-Qaeda or any other terrorist group, for such a group cannot be a belligerent, it is merely a band of criminals, and to treat it as anything else risks distorting the law while giving that group a status which to some implies a degree of legitimacy† (O’Connell, 2010). Why would the government change it view that terrorism is a crime to an act that has taken place during armed conflict? If they still considered it a crime, the government actions would be dictated by the Constitution and international law. Specifically, the Fifth Amendment which states that no person shall be, â€Å"deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law† and International Human Rights laws which also prohibits the killing of individuals without any judicial process. Abiding by these laws would severally limit the government’s ability to combat terrorism due to the remote locations and unfriendly locations many of the leaders operate out from. Being an American citizen does afford you any protection under the current counterterrorism target selection process either. Attorney General Eric Holder on March 5th of this year stated that if any Americans are working with al-Qaeda it is legal to place them on a capture/kill list. He stated that, Some have argued that the president is required to get permission from a federal court before taking action against a United States citizen who is a senior operational leader of Al Qaeda or associated forces, this is simply not accurate. ‘Due process’ and ‘judicial process’ are not one and the same, particularly when it comes to national security. The Constitution guarantees due process, not judicial process† (Savage, 2012). According to the statement by Mr. Hongju Koh, there are two main justifications that the government is using to rationalize the program of targets killing. The first is that we are in armed conflict with al-Qaeda and the second is that we are acting in self defense. While there is no official definition of armed conflict, The International Law Association Committee on the Use of Force studied the court cases and laws surrounding this issue and found in their final report that there are two â€Å"essential minimum criteria†¦ the existence of organized armed groups† and those groups must be, â€Å"engaged in fighting of some intensity†(Gardam, 2010). Al-Qaeda has a weak command and control structure and its organization has been described as nothing more than a â€Å"diffuse network of affiliated groups†, ruled more by ideology than anything else(Brahimi, 2010). The government has also stated time and again stated that al-Qaeda command and control is diminished and while dangerous are a weak organization. These facts lead to the conclusion that al-Qaeda is in fact not an â€Å"organized armed group† and the War on Terror is not so must a war against a organization, but a â€Å"war of ideas† as stated by Paul Wolfowitz former Deputy Defense Secretary. The second justification is that we are acting in self defense under Article 51, which allows the use of military force in response to an attack. Mary Ellen O’Connell a leading international law researcher pointed out in her paper titled â€Å"Unlawful Killing with Combat Drones†, that The International Court of Justice ruled that the right to self-defense must only result from, â€Å" an attack that involves a significant amount of force† (O’Connell, 2010). Also, when acting in self defense, the level of force used must take into account such things as collateral damage and the loss of innocent life. As shown in the hunt for Baitullah Mehsud, little respect for human life has been shown on behalf of the government. While terrorist attacks can be spectacular and attention grabbing, they are never sustained actions involving â€Å"a significant amount of force†, therefore the drone strikes should not be considered actions taken in self defense. In conclusion it would seem that the government use of drones overseas fails to meet the standards for self defense or actions taken during armed conflict. It would seem as indicated by the UN’s report on Human Rights that large parts international community question the legality of targeted killings by UAVs. The United States is leading the way in both drone technology and it use around the world, and they are failing to lead the way and set an example. In the future the government may find other countries using drones in ways they regard as illegal using the United States prior conduct as part of their justification.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Essays --

An electromagnet is a magnet that is powered by electricity. Electromagnetism can be found in our daily lives. Driving to school or work? An electromagnet can be found in the cars’ engine. Hungry and want a snack? Electromagnets can be found in blenders, microwaves, ovens, toasters, toaster ovens, dishwashers, and electric can openers. Need to do your hair? Hair dryers, straighteners, and curling irons all have electromagnets in them. Electromagnets can also be found in junk yards on the cranes that pick up cars, electric bells, loudspeakers, tape recorders, VCRs, hard disks, particle accelerators, magnetic locks, drills, speakers, radios, microphones, doorbells, trains, generators, relays, and sorting out metal in junk yards. The electromagnet is a very useful item and can range too many different power levels. Electromagnetism is the magnetic force produced by an electric current. Electromagnetism is very useful, but also harmful. Everything is made of matter, and matter is made of atoms. Inside and atoms nucleus, there are protons. Protons have a positive charge in them. Electrons can be found right outside of the nucleus and they hold a negative charge. As atoms’ electrons break free of the original atom, they jump to another atom to another. This jumping causes a flow of electricity. There approximately 121 protons per inch and 121 electrons per inch. When measuring the different kinds of electromagnetic units, you should use ampere (electric current), coulomb (electric charge), farad (capacitance), henry (inductance), ohm (resistance), volt (electric potential), and watt (power). An electromagnet is made from a magnet, a battery, an iron core such as nail or bolt, coated copper wire, and wire strippers. You can make a si... ...’ route, then it could put many lives in danger, but the train does have onboard batteries that will bring the train down to a slow stop. The cost of these giants is approximately $8.5 billion dollars. This is because new guideways would have to be built since the new technology cannot run on the old rails. Also, many people have concerns over snowstorms. Even if there was a layer of snow on the track, the train would be able to levitate right over it or the snow would be blown away due to the wind underneath the train. If there is enough snow that the Maglev trains cannot operate, then snow removers will come out and plow the snow off the tracks. Finally, since the Maglev trains are extremely heavy (the Transrapid TRO7 weighs in at 45 tons) they need an exceptionally strong electromagnetic field to match. This uses a lot of energy and that can get awfully expensive. Essays -- An electromagnet is a magnet that is powered by electricity. Electromagnetism can be found in our daily lives. Driving to school or work? An electromagnet can be found in the cars’ engine. Hungry and want a snack? Electromagnets can be found in blenders, microwaves, ovens, toasters, toaster ovens, dishwashers, and electric can openers. Need to do your hair? Hair dryers, straighteners, and curling irons all have electromagnets in them. Electromagnets can also be found in junk yards on the cranes that pick up cars, electric bells, loudspeakers, tape recorders, VCRs, hard disks, particle accelerators, magnetic locks, drills, speakers, radios, microphones, doorbells, trains, generators, relays, and sorting out metal in junk yards. The electromagnet is a very useful item and can range too many different power levels. Electromagnetism is the magnetic force produced by an electric current. Electromagnetism is very useful, but also harmful. Everything is made of matter, and matter is made of atoms. Inside and atoms nucleus, there are protons. Protons have a positive charge in them. Electrons can be found right outside of the nucleus and they hold a negative charge. As atoms’ electrons break free of the original atom, they jump to another atom to another. This jumping causes a flow of electricity. There approximately 121 protons per inch and 121 electrons per inch. When measuring the different kinds of electromagnetic units, you should use ampere (electric current), coulomb (electric charge), farad (capacitance), henry (inductance), ohm (resistance), volt (electric potential), and watt (power). An electromagnet is made from a magnet, a battery, an iron core such as nail or bolt, coated copper wire, and wire strippers. You can make a si... ...’ route, then it could put many lives in danger, but the train does have onboard batteries that will bring the train down to a slow stop. The cost of these giants is approximately $8.5 billion dollars. This is because new guideways would have to be built since the new technology cannot run on the old rails. Also, many people have concerns over snowstorms. Even if there was a layer of snow on the track, the train would be able to levitate right over it or the snow would be blown away due to the wind underneath the train. If there is enough snow that the Maglev trains cannot operate, then snow removers will come out and plow the snow off the tracks. Finally, since the Maglev trains are extremely heavy (the Transrapid TRO7 weighs in at 45 tons) they need an exceptionally strong electromagnetic field to match. This uses a lot of energy and that can get awfully expensive.

Monday, November 11, 2019

The Purchase of Alaska

There are many states in North America. Formally known as the United States of America. From New York to California, you could find millions of different types of people, and cultures from around the world. But how about a state that is so isolated from them all, that many people forget it was even added as the 49th state to the country? The lone state of Alaska is to the north west of the major states and if laid on top of the other states, would cover about two-thirds of the land. And for a state that is so large, it is surely simply thought of as the coldest state.Alaska is much more then that, and has a lot of history behind just a land of snow and mountains. Alaska was discovered in 1741 by Russian settlers and had been colonized by them in 1784. With over 660 thousand square miles, Alaska was surely a big find by the Russian settler Vitus Jonassen. Not much was done at the time with Alaska, for the living conditions were really rough and treacherous. It took about forty years f or the first settlements to come about in Alaska. Grigorii Shelikhov and his wife Natalia came to the Kodiak Islands along the coasts of Alaska and made a settlement along with hundreds of their kind.This was the first settlement of Alaska. From then on, settlers from Russia, Britain, the Spanish, and even American explorers and adventurers all settled in Alaska. Russia was going through financial issues and did not have sufficient funds for their country. â€Å"In 1867 United States Secretary of State William H. Seward offered Russia $7,200,000, or two cents per acre, for Alaska† (3). This was Seward’s most pronounced achievement as Secretary of State, and kept the British from taking over Alaska.This brought much more land into the United States at an extremely cheap price of 7. 2 million dollars. This purchase increased the value of America as a whole and offered many more revenues and resources. There were resources such as the huge line of seafood and fishing. Mos t of the seafood at the time and currently for America is brought out from the waters that surround Alaska. Most of Alaska was not explored during the time of purchase and the full benefit of Alaska was not known. After many years of exploring and the tate becoming close to what it is today, there was a discovery of oil in 1968 and this would, â€Å"have the most recoverable oil of any field in the United States† (5). After such a find, the purchase of Alaska seemed like an amazing idea, even though Seward had no idea at the time of purchase. In 1977, a pipeline for the oil recovery was laid down, and is now able to draw over eighty thousand barrels within only one hour, and the pipeline runs eight hundred-eighty miles from the top of Alaska to the bottom, going straight thru mainly the middle of the state.Even though America was bought off of Russia back in 1867, it was not a state instantly. In fact, it wasn’t even close. The population was far to low for it to becom e a state and also needed proper governing to be taken into consideration of being a state, â€Å"†¦worried that Alaska's population was too sparse, distant, and isolated†¦too unstable for it to be a worthwhile addition to the United States† (5). Under president Eisenhower, Alaska was signed on as a state by the Alaska Statehood Act on July 7th, 1958.Overall, Alaska has brought many new and useful resources into America since it was bought and turned out to be more then just a beautiful place, but a place with plenty to offer. From food, to oil, Alaska has proved to the United States that it has helped tons with the nations economy.Works Cited 1. ) Library of Congress. â€Å"Treaty with Russia for the Purchase of Alaska† LOC. 4 August 2010. Web 16 Sept. 2010.http://www. loc. gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Alaska. html2. ) America’s Library. Purchase of Alaska: March 30, 1867† America’s Stories. 9 July 2004. Web 16 Sept. 2010. http://www. ameri caslibrary. gov/jb/recon/jb_recon_alaska_1. html3. ) 50 States. com. â€Å"Alaska Facts and Trivia† 2010. Web 24 Sept. 2010. http://www. 50states. com/facts/alaska. htm4. ) Thinkquest. â€Å"The first Settlement in Alaska† Web 26 Sept. 2010 http://library. thinkquest. org/22550/1784. html#5. ) Wikipedia. â€Å"Oil discovery, ANSCA, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline† 25 September 2010. Web 25 Sept. 2010. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_Alaska

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Superstition in a Taiwanese Family

Final Writing Assignment: Superstitions in my family Talking about superstitions is a common fact in my family, and in ours modern societies. Even the more reasonable person at least once in his life had been superstitious. Even if we are not extreme in this belief; whom had never crossed their fingers or ran away if we see a black cat. We all even unconsciously believe in fate, good or bad luck. Some people are really extreme in their belief of superstitions but I tend to think that is a way for them more easily to accept some facts whenever the science can not explain it.Superstitions are not limited to a particular part of the globe, people, or community. All superstitions exist, in one form or another, and get different degrees of implication. Superstitions are passed on from one generation to another, through habits or religious practices. No doubt that less educated people are more sensitive to these believes because their understanding of the world and sciences are limited. I am however a rational and educated person. I tend to believe more in reason than feeling but I also happen to be superstitious.My superstitions are those ones my family has, and more precisely my mother conveyed to me. Also my country, Taiwan, where I have grown up is full of superstitious beliefs. Superstitions are a real part of the Asian culture. I totally experience it everyday in my proper family. Some examples of common superstitions of my culture are: you have to knock the door when you enter a room in a hotel in order to tell the ghosts that they have to leave. Or do not use your finger to point the moon or you take the risk to get your ears cut.Another, the most common in all over the world as well as in my country is the belief is link to a number for us the number four which pronunciation in Chinese is really close to the word, die. The another is that a black cat crossing your path can affect your luck, something bad will happen to you soon or later. Firstly, I think it is important to know what a superstition is: According to The Oxford Dictionary, superstition is â€Å"excessively credulous belief in and reverence for the supernatural.A widely held but irrational belief in supernatural influences, especially as leading to good or bad luck, or a practice based on such a belief. † Now for the really scientific mind this belief can seem totally stupid or wrong. But I tend to think that there is no real rational explanation to this belief, we just follow those superstitions because we may be unconsciously afraid of the consequences in next second if we do not follow. For example, my mother used to tell me since I am a kid that do not whistle during night because hypothetically some ghost could be attract by the sound and follow me home.The elder generation really keeps and respects this kind of belief and we grow up with. Lots of people in Taiwan respect those believe that most of foreigners who do not know it and make the mistake are rapidly warned. Maybe this superstition could seem preposterous but most of people here believe in it, so you tend to believe too. For other example, in my family everybody believes that during the Ghosts month, it is inauspicious to travel, to marry, to swim, or stay late outside at night because they believe that all the ghosts of the universe walk on the earth during that month.So, that is why my mother asks me not to stay out at night because she wants to prevent any possibility that I meet any of this â€Å"unknown but possibly dangerous ghosts. † My country may be full of superstitions but many of them can be mock through scientific experimentation. For example, my mother believes that a woman during her pregnancy cannot use any sharp tool or glue without take the risk that her baby gets some bad after-effects. So does it mean that during all her pregnancy, she cannot use a knife so she cannot eat meat by herself.If we think more reasonably I do not see which does not enter the body can get the baby any consequences. This superstition must have evolved with the science but still in Taiwan that lots of family believe in it and really pay attention to pregnant woman. I ignore from where this superstition comes from but we still scare of the unknown and invisible things. In conclusion, the superstitions had been through centuries brought down from our ancestors. All these superstitions affect people’s life and have been kept and brought forward until now.In Taiwan superstitions are a real part of our customs and traditions. I really think that my family is really affected by these beliefs and divided between tradition and modernity. Eventually though I am a realistic person, I sometime get caught up in my mother's superstitions. I do not believe in superstition but unconsciously, I put myself into these through my youth. These superstitions are more than only simple beliefs they are my culture, and my identity. I would love to know how people of my ge neration and other countries live their proper superstitions.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Seven Chances essays

Seven Chances essays Out of Dawn, SunLight, and Dove, which brand of dish-washing detergent performs best at a variety of tests? Three brands of dish-washing detergent will be tested for pH level, flash-foam formation, foam stability, relative viscosity, cost per liter, and a standard cleaning test. I think the brand Dawn will perform the best overall. 1 15 mL sample of each brand of detergent; 3 test tubes; 1 universal pH tester ink with dropper; 3 test tube stoppers; 3 50 mL graduated cylinders; 1 stopwatch; 15 BBs; 1 bottle vegetable oil; 3 500 mL beakers. 1.) Dilute 1 mL of each detergent into 100 mL of water. 3.) Put 10 mL of the solution into a test tube and then place the Universal Indicater into the test tube. B.) Determination of Flash Foam Formation 1.) Pour 25 mL of solution into a 125 mL graduated cylinder. 2.) Put a stopper (or hand) over it. 4.) Measure volume of foam produced (Amount of foam = total volume - 25 mL). 1.) Continuing from part B, uncap the graduated cylinder. 2.) Continue measuring volume of foam every sixty seconds for five minutes. D.) Detemination of Relative Viscosity 1.) Fill a test tube with water and measure the time it takes a BB to reach the bottom once dropped from the top. 2.) Fill a new tube with detergent and measure and record the time. 3.) Repeat five times and record the data. 4.) Return the detergent to its bottle. E.) Determining the Cost per mL of Detergent 1.) Divide the total volume of the bottle by the cost in cents. total volume (mL) x 1 mL = cost/ ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts - Essay Example All the activities that are taking place in the different functional departments are working in an integrated mode with the implementation of the Enterprise Resource Planning software. The functional departments in the business are the accounts and finance department and the human resource management department (Parsons, 100). The business can use the benefits of ERP to run their business in an efficient and effective manner. The planning of product types, the purchasing of raw materials, the inventory control process, and storage of the product in the warehouse and then the distribution aspects of the product along with the process of tracking the orders can all be handled by this one software of Enterprise Resource Planning. ERP can be considered as back-end software for businesses. ERP takes the order from the customer and then through the path designed in the software, the order is worked out through the different functional departments. The customer services representative has all the information readily available when the customer id is inserted in the ERP software. Within a matter of clicks, information about the customer becomes available for completing the order forms. All the information available on the ERP software is available for everyone. Any type of update in the information can be viewed easily by the whole organization and also have the access to update at their end too. Management in the business organizations is one of the most important functions of business and it needs to be carried out in the most specialized way possible so that everything works out in a systematic mode. The ERP software has made it possible for businesses to manage and integrate their information in a systematic way and also ensures that all the activities taking place in the functional departments are easily updated with the latest information.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Introduction to business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Introduction to business - Essay Example The expansion and diversification of consumer market with time has established the need for employing a diversified workforce that can satisfy the diversified demand of today’s consumer. The world’s demography is changing constantly, now no country is a complete blend of one race and ethnicity. Due to increased migrations, the minorities are increasing in world developing countries. With all of these changes, it has become important for countries to have a diverse workforce that represents all aspect of the society; this representation projects a better image of the organization in the society. A major advantage of an organization attempting to acquire diverse workforce is that it have access to a large pool of candidates by which it can hire the best possible person for the job. An organization that places importance on skills and talent over characteristics like age, gender, race etc is able to achieve competitive advantage over other organizations. Another advantage of diverse workforce besides projection of better image is that it helps diversified consumer to believe that they share common grounds with the company and it helps to increase their trust in the organization. Furthermore, employees with different perspective can provide the organization with different and varied objectives helping to identify unmet needs and new opportunities. Recruitment of a diversified workforce and creating a welcoming environment for these employees helps to increase motivation and commitment of employees towards the organization. This is because these employees feel valued. Recognition and acceptance of an employee’s unique perspective helps to create a comprehensive work environment, which is very beneficial for the organization. It is evident from the above discussion that the benefits of a diversified workforce far out-weigh the cost of it. It is an essential utensil for