Ethical and Unethical Business Practices

s in bussinessSlideShare Submit Search†¦ Upload Browse Go Pro Login Signup This webpage is not available Email Like S ave Embed This webpage is not available Google Chrome's connection attempt to www. linkedin. com was rejected. The website may be down, or your network may not be properly configured. Here are some suggestions: Reload this webpage later. Check your Internet connection. Restart any router, modem, or other network devices you may be using. Related M ore Ethics 1054 views Like Major scandals of 2011 479 views Like Corporate governance 545 views †¹Ã¢â‚¬ º 1 Like /18 2010 807 viewsLike Hdfc bank (2) 202 views Like 2009 2020 views Like 2005 781 views Like Infosys annual report by zelani kurnool 1585 views Like 2011 901 views Ethical and unethical business practices by Pooja Lilani on Mar 06, 2012 + Follow Like Corruption 586 views More†¦ 10,928 views 2 comments Like 1–2 of 2 comments yoonloong-chen 2008 1439 views All words no pictures! Why? 1 year ago Reply Like 2007 1480 views Paagal-S tudent Good slides 1 year ago Reply Like Corruption in india 1373 views Like Post Comment Subscribe to comments Corruption in-india-2010-andbefore 16009 views 4 Likes Philomena Mutindi months ago Like Corruption in-india-2010-andBefore 299 views Norfardilah Nordin at melayan lagu jew hahahah 5 months ago Like India – Economy and Looters 522 views attractalagan 1 year ago Like PLUNDER OF INDIA 701 views Paagal-S tudent Tags business ethics y/n 1 year ago Like Corruption in-india-2010-andbefore 291 views Ethical and unethical business practices Document T ranscript Like Plunder of India (Bharat KI Loot) Aawaaz 229 views 1. ASSIGNMENT ON Ethical and Unethical Business Practices SubjectBusiness Ethics Submitted To Prof Gauri SYMMS Roll No-27 Efforts By- Pooja Lilani 2.Ethical and Unethical Business PracticesBusiness ethics is the most debated topic of our times. The difference is betweendoing the right thing and the wrong thing. Business ethic s are the philosophicalcore of any business Like Like Corruption in-india-2010-andbefore 443 views and their outcome is crucial for economic development. Peter Cooper – the great American Investor says â€Å"I have always recognized thatthe object of business is to make money in an honorable manner. I haveendeavored to remember that the object of life is to do good. Business ethics are more than moral values and principles that determine ourconduct in the business world. It refers to the commercial activities, either withother business houses or with a single customer. They can be applied to all aspectsof business; from generation of an idea to its sale. Business uses the society for itsresources and functioning, thereby obligating it to the welfare of the society. Whilethe objective of all business is to make profits, it should contribute to the interest ofthe society by ensuring fair practices.However, greed has led the present businessscenario towards unethical business p ractices, legal complications and generalmistrust. Code of EthicsLot of organizations implement the code of ethics in their company polices, whichthey implement during induction and regular training. A Code of Ethics isgenerally a more blanket statement of values and beliefs that defines theorganization. So what is it for? Companys assets, funds and records Conflict of interest Management and employee practices Information on competition 3.Ethical Business PracticesHere are a few ethical business practices that should be followed to build a honestreputation and ensure smooth running of any organization. Investors: Ensuring safety of their money and timely payment of interest. Employees: Provision of fair opportunities in promotions and training, good working environment and timely payment of salaries. Customer: Complete information of the service and product should be made available. Personal information of the customers should not be used for Like Like Like Like LikeCorruption in-i ndia-2010-andbefore 925 views 2006 888 views Quality circle 380 views Hdfc bank limited 329 views Corporate governance issues on satyam group 8 2176 views Like Rahul presentation1 505 views Any good business require corporate governance ppt personal gain. Competition: Unscrupulous tactics, competitor bashing and wrong methods should be avoided while handling competitors. Government: Rules and regulations regarding taxes, duties, restrictive and monopolistic trade practices and unlawful activities like corruption and bribing should be adhered to.Environment: Polluting industries should ensure compliance with the government norms regarding air, water and noise pollution. Unethical Business PracticesYou might find many companies who blatantly thrive on unethical behavior andpractices. A free environment is present or promoted where acts of violation ofnorms to amass wealth in an unethical manner is followed. Following are some of the activities that come under the ambit of unethicalpra ctice. Resorting to dishonesty, trickery or deception. Distortion of facts to mislead or confuse.Manipulating people emotionally by exploiting their vulnerabilities. Greed to amass excessive profit. Creation of false documents to show increased profits. Avoiding penalty or compensation for unlawful act. Lack of transparency and resistance to investigation. 4. Harming the environment by exceeding the government prescribed norms for pollution. Invasion of privacy used as leverage, for obtaining personal or professional gains. Sexual discriminationBusiness houses that comply with ethics to determine their conduct are shrinkingin number.The lack of business ethics in the market, is the reason the worldeconomy is presently in crisis. Organizations now recognize the positive effectsand outcomes of being ethical, humane and considerate. They have a competitiveedge in the market, because of the honesty they show in their services. Theirmorally upright reputation attracts better staff and he lps in retention. Though ethicsare legally binding in most cases, self-monitoring, transparency and accountabilitywill go Like Like Like Like Like Like 654 views 2004 423 views Executive summary 167 views Deshmukh & garg 361 viewsS cams 730 views Mrp on the banking industry in india 126 views Corruption in-india-presentation slides v2 22554 views a long way in establishing trust of the people. Besides this, it makes senseto change, before you are penalized. When would we as Indians observe ethical business practices in totality? It is a bigquestion but it has a straight simple answer. Each one of us should be accountableand responsible to stop unethical business practices. We must create an environment which adheres to strictest philosophies of clean,transparent, honest business. Integrity is most wanted. 5.HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FINANCE CORPORATIONLIMITEDFAIR/ETHICAL PRACTICES CODE Intent and Content This Code has been formulated by Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (the Corporation) pursuant to the Guidelines issued by the National Housing Bank on Fair Practices Code for Housing Finance Companies vide its circular bearing No. NHB(ND)/DRS/POL- No. 16/2006 dated September 05, 2006. This Code has come into force from 19th October, 2006 which has been modified pursuant to the Guidelines issued by the National Housing Bank on Fair Practices Code for Housing Finance Companies vide its circular bearing No.NHB(ND)/DRS/POL- No. 34/2010-11 dated October 11, 2010 and has been effective from December 23, 2010 . The said Guidelines has been further modified by the National Housing Bank on Fair Practices Code for Housing Finance Companies vide its circular bearing No. NHB(ND)/DRS/POL- No. 38/2010-11 dated April 25, 2011. This Code has come into force from May 10, 2011. Objectives Follow good, fair and transparent business practices by setting reasonable standards; Encourage market forces, through fair competition, to achieve higher operating standards; Relate t o the customer in such manner so as to promote a fair and cordialLike corporate governance 3789 views Like Corporate governance(final) 151 views Like satyam fiasco 1129 views Like Hdfc company profile 943 views Like hdfc report 652 views Like Accounting scams 213 views Like relationship; Set such standards and practices so as to foster confidence in the housing finance system. Application To be applicable to all persons offering the Products and Services of the Like Airtel n zain 6. Corporation as an employee or otherwise in any manner and/or by any mode.The Code is applicable under normal operating environment except in the eventof any force majeure. The Code is based on ethical principles of integrity and transparency and allactions and dealings shall follow the spirit of the Code. CommitmentThe Corporation shall at all times do its best to act fairly, reasonably and meetthe standard practices prevalent in the housing industry. The Corporation shall abide by all the relevant laws, regulations and meet withthe ethical principles of integrity and transparency during its interaction withcustomers.While interacting with customers, the Corporation may take all steps as may berequired to provide clear information either in English or Hindi or theappropriate local language regarding: o its various products and services; o the terms and conditions, the interest rates/service charges; o benefits available to customers and the implications, if any; o contact persons for addressing the queries, if any;The Corporation will provide a copy of this Code, at request, to the customer.The Code will also be made available on its Website and at every branch/ office. The Corporation would not discriminate on grounds of sex, caste and religion inthe matter of lending. However this does not preclude the Corporation fromparticipating in credit-linked schemes for the weaker sections of society and inrespect of schemes formulated by NHB/ other Government Agencies,implemented through the Corporation.The Corporation shall treat the information relating to customers as strictlyconfidential and shall not share any information, unless required under law orwaived or permitted by the customer. The Corporation shall take necessary steps to inform its customers of their rightto information regarding their account and the facilities available to them. The Corporation shall be clear and not misleading in any of its advertising andpromotional materials.The Corporation shall inform its customers of all financial information such asrates of interest, charges, method of calculation etc through brochures, posters 7. or during the course of meeting with the customers etc prior to entering into any transaction. The Corporation shall endeavor to keep its customers informed of any change in interest rates / charges etc through letters or any other form of general or public announcement or displays, from time to time.The Corporation shall disclose, by such mode and in such manner a s deemed fit, to ensure transparency, all information affecting the interest of the borrower including but not limited to : o fees/charges payable for processing loan application; o the amount of fee refundable, if any, if the loan amount is not sanctioned; o Prepayment options and charges, if any; o Penalty for delayed payment, if any; o Conversion charges (Switching loan from fixed to floating rate or vice – versa); o Existence of interest re-set clause, if any.The disclosure shall be done so as to ensure that the borrower is aware of â€Å"all in cost† parameters involved in processing and sanctioning of loan. The Corporation shall not indulge in any act which is discriminatory among equals. The Corporation will review the compliance of this Code and a consolidated report of such review may be submitted to the Board. LoansThe Corporation in the normal course of its business shall endeavour at all times toguide its customers about the process and procedure to be foll owed for availing aloan.Each application shall be considered independently on merit, upon scrutiny of allthe information, documents required for verifying the title of the property, identityof the person, entity and the security to be offered, including guarantees. The letter of guarantees to be executed by the guarantors would cover theirobligations, liabilities and circumstances in which they can be called upon to paythe dues of the customer/borrower. The Corporation shall communicate in writing to the customer whose applicationhas been reject Collection of Dues 8.The Corporation shall provide the customers with all the information regardingtheir dues and provide reasonable time for payment of the same. The Corporation shall while protecting its interest adopt reasonable and lawfulmeasures to recover its dues from defaulting customers, including use ofpersuasive methods for the purpose of collection of its dues. Complaints and GrievancesThe Corporation shall endeavour to address/r espond to all complaints andgrievances within a reasonable time and keep the customers informed about thestatus of their complaints.The Corporation shall make available facilities at each of its branches andoffices for the customers to lodge and/or submit their complaints or grievances,if any. The Corporation will ensure that its grievance redressal procedure is madeavailable on its website. ETHICAL PRACTICES BY HDFC BANK 9. HDFC only Indian bank in global list of ethical companyPosted: Thu, March 17, 2011 | 12 PM ISTMumbai, March 17: HDFC Bank, second largest private sector bank, is theonly Indian organization got listed in the worlds most ethical companies listthis year.As per the list prepared by the Ethisphere Institute, only one Indianfirm HDFC has made a place in the 110 worlds most ethical companies. HDFC is one of the most trusted brands in the India and for a financialservices company it is quite noticeable that people should perceive that it asethical as well. Commenting o n the attainment HDFC Vice-Chairman andCEO Keki Mistry said: â€Å"It obviously feels nice to be one of the worlds mostethical company and the only one from India. † The new achievement ofHDFC will help to inhance the brand equity of the company going forward.Among the list of companies online market portal eBay, Ford MotorCompany, banking giant Standard Chartered Bank, Accenture, AdobeSystems, software giant Microsoft and food and beverage firm PepsiCo foundin top position. 10. Reliance Unethical PracticesComplaints India enables consumers and users of services and products to posttheir common complaints and suggestions regarding airline, bank, business,companies and Government and non Government organizations in India andabroad. Track your car complaints, mobile phone complaints, bank complaints,credit card complaints etc at this website.Its a consumer forum, board or bureaufor consumers to redress their complaints. Consumer Courts in India now gives the power to consumers to fight for theirconsumer rights at district level consumer forums. However consumers canproceed to confront companies and try to get quicker responses through thewebsite. For companies its important to quickly address consumer complaints toprotect their product or service brand image. Consumer-India web site has anumber of resources for your assistance. Separate new product complaint and NRIcomplaint sections help in easier posting and tracking of complaints. With online internet scams proliferating, its asy to get cheated by fraudcompanies. Consumers need to protect themselves from online scams, emailscams, phishing etc. Complaints can be posted on all products and services. You can post complaintsMobile Services (Airtel, BSNL, Idea, Reliance, Docomo, Unior, Aircel etc),Mobile Phones (Nokia, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Blackberry, 11. MicromaKarbonn etc), Home Appliances like TVs, Refrigerators, ACs,Cooking Ovens etc. Unethical PracticesInfosys Employee Testifies on Alleged Visa FraudBy Megha Bahree and Miriam JordanAn Infosys employee, who has alleged that Indian tech giant, Infosys TechnologiesLtd. engages in visa fraud, provided more details to a U. S. Senate subcommitteethis week. Tony Avelar/Bloomberg News In a testimony, an Infosys employee provided more details about alleged visa fraud at Infosys. In a statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees andBorder Security on Tuesday, Jay Palmer, the whistleblower at Infosys, said thecompany â€Å"intentionally violated our visa and tax laws for the purpose of increasingrevenues. † Mr. Palmer accused Infosys of frequently violating U. S. visa laws and 12. f staffing multiple client projects with illegal employees, including at GoldmanSachs, American Express, Wal-Mart and Johnson Control, among others. Mr. Palmer filed a lawsuit against the company in February in Circuit Court inAlabama, alleging the company sought his help to circumvent U. S. law. Thelawsuit has led to a pro be by U. S. authorities. Infosys, which is cooperating with the inquiry, denied the allegations. Paul N. Gottsegen, chief marketing officer for Infosys, said in a statement Wednesday thatMr. Palmer’s emarks were â€Å"full of inaccuracies, exaggerations and falsehoods. †Ã¢â‚¬Å"There is not, nor was there ever a strategy, scheme, or policy by the company touse the B-1 visa program to circumvent the H-1B visa program,† he said. â€Å"Thecompany did not have a practice of sending unskilled employees to the UnitedStates on B-1 visas to do the work expected of skilled individuals in the U. S. on H-1B visas. †Mr. Palmer disagreed. This is how, he says, it was done. During a March 2010 visit to Bangalore headquarters he says he heard severalconversations between Indian managers and U. S. based managers where it wasmade clear that Infosys was going to increase the use of the B1 visa program to getaround tough new restrictions the U. S. had placed on the H-1B progr am. Infosys,he says, decided to flood the local Indian consulate with visa applications in orderto get as many approved as possible no matter the level of an individual’s skill. Hesays that in many cases the company sent relatively inexperienced workers to theU. S. for projects. He says Infosys sent employees on B1 visas to the U. S. for specific full-time jobsat client sites but instead of paying them U.S. salaries, it would pay them muchlower Indian salaries, calling it a stipend. Infosys, however, charged its clients U. S. rates for the employees, thus getting full reimbursement from their Americanclients for Infosys’ labor costs. He also says Infosys paid no taxes on payments tothese workers. According to Mr. Palmer, Infosys created an internal website of â€Å"do’s and don’ts†with tips including: â€Å"Do not mention activities like implementation, design & 13. testing, consulting etc. , which sound like work. Also do not use words like, work ,activity, etc. , in the invitation letter.Please do not mention anything about thecontract rates as you’re on a B-1 Visa. †He says that in order for this to work, the U. S. contracts had to be written as â€Å"FixedPrice† contracts and not as â€Å"Time and Material† contracts. On a Fixed Pricecontract a customer is charged a lump sum for labor, and the people doing thework do not need to be identified to the client. But on a T&M contract, on the otherhand, the people doing the actual work had to be named along with their hourlyrate. In August 2010 Mr. Palmer says he received emails and requests to rewrite T& M contracts to FP contracts.Describing a specific instance, he says that in December 2010 an Infosys employeeshowed him a spreadsheet with a list of B1 visa workers on a project at JohnsonControl, who should not have been doing such work. He said that these workerswere working full-time testing software code and writing scripts but were paidtheir sal aries by Infosys depositing money into the cash card accounts withoutwithholding any income tax. Mr. Palmer’s testimony comes as the Indian IT industry finds itself facing morescrutiny than ever. Outsourcing has always been a hot-button issue in the U.S. , butwith a stubbornly high unemployment rate in the U. S. , the offshoring of what areperceived to be American jobs has become an increasingly sensitive political issue. Last year the U. S. passed legislation that raised fees for skilled visas, particularlyaffecting Indian IT firms. IT firms based in India generate 60% of their revenuefrom the U. S. On their part, Indian firms have seen the increased visa fees as well as delays ingetting approvals and much tougher interviews as part of a concerted campaignagainst them. Some Indian officials have even labeled the U. S. oves unfair tradepractices. In his testimony Mr. Palmer, says he and his attorney have received over 40communications from individuals at other Indian companie s stating that the sametype of H-1B and B1 visa fraud is being committed there as well. 14. Infosys said it would not rebut Mr. Palmer’s remarks point-by-point at this timebecause of its ongoing litigation with him. â€Å"We take very seriously our obligations under the law and specifically ourresponsibilities to comply with the immigration laws and visa requirements in alljurisdictions where we have clients,† said Infosys’s Mr.Gottsegen. â€Å"Mr. Palmer isobviously intent on spreading his falsehoods about Infosys and our businesspractices as broadly as possible in order to advance his objective of getting as bigof a payout as he can from the Company. †In his testimony, Mr. Palmer also lobbied for more restrictions on work visas toforeign companies. â€Å"My real life experiences have educated me to the point that if Congress decidesthat an increase of Green Cards or legal work visas in the U. S. is a must, then thereshould be limitations or ratios,â₠¬  he said. For example, for every H-1B visa issuedto foreign national company they should have to hire an American worker. †More In Infosys Infosyss High-Margin Quest Comes at a Cost Infosys Earnings Likely Stellar, But Dont Be Fooled Nilekani Says ID Project on Track Quo Vadis Cognizant? Infosys Noses Ahead of TCS After EarningsHe also said Indian companies were benefiting at the expense of the Americaneconomy, a charge the Indian IT industry disagrees with. Indian software andservices industry body NASSCOM has said in the past that the cost savings theyprovide help make U. S. firms more competitive. I have read statements from NASSCOM stating that not increasing Green Cardnumbers and with the current visa restrictions, the Indian economy would suffer,†said Mr. Palmer. â€Å"Let me ask the committee, what about our economy? Whatabout the years and years of ignoring the laws. These companies maliciously donot hire Americans and look at ways to circumvent policy and la w instead of 15. working with it. Look at the stock and growth of these large foreign companies in adown environment — they are not suffering. †ndian financial industry has always been successfully able to race every prospectoffered by the Indias fiscal policy both in terms of alteration and expansion. Inspite of all the endeavors implemented to develop the financial market, it stillremains fatally faulted due to lack of three major key elements namely inadequatemanagement, stringent accountability, and proper punishment. As a result, the capital market of India has remained one-dimensional and hasstaggered from one investment scandal to another. A straightforward listing of thetop 10 investment scams narrates the account of why Indian investors were leftannoyed by the scamsters.Unethical PracticesA brief about Top 10 Investment Scams in India1. The Securities Scam The capital market witnessed its foremost investment scandal in the form of securities scandal in the year 1992. It revealed the utter anarchy and lack of administration in the prevailing fiscal market. The money market at that time permitted funds to be relocated with impunity from financial institution and corporates into equity and consequently witnessed crores of banks capital to transfer into brokers account. This illegal market practice was later asserted as â€Å"legal and acknowledged†.In an attempt to punish the tricksters, a special court was initiated and scrutinized around 70 cases registered by CBI. Surprisingly, not even a single trickster was found guilty by the dreadfully sluggish judicial system. As a 16. matter of fact, the scamsters made frequent attempts to re-enter the market with same set of traps and resulted in losses to investors. 2. The IPO scam Soon after the entry of international organizational investors, the Control over Capital Issues was banned as the market saw heavy bull trend resulting in the revitalization of the secondary market from the previ ous scandals.The ban of Control over Capital Issues unlocked the prospects of massive scandal in Initial Public Offerings (IPO). The scam was executed in two parts; the first part was carried out by the firms that increased their market costs to incur profits in order to sponsor lucrative projects. The second part saw the unison of small time merchants, CAs, investment bankers and traders to hoist new firms and heave public capitals. The IPO scam prevailed for three long years from 1993-1996 and finally saw its downfall when the costs of the registered firm started deteriorating. . Favored share scam The scandal was an outcome of the extensive cost fixing on the derivative market. Besides increasing fresh capital, advocates of Indian firms promptly coordinated general body authorizations to transfer shares to themselves on a privileged basis and at a considerable reduction to the market, thinking that the share prices would never see the ground. Conglomerates started this trend and accrued profits of nearly 55o crores until Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) formulated strict guidelines to abandon the market practice. . CRBs cardboard scam The ` 1000 crore finacial multinational named as Chain Roop Bhansali (CRB) was the only biggest firm and most impudent of all to benefit and disappear in the loosened market ambiance of mid-1990s. The services offered by his firm 17. entailed FC collection, mutual fund, banking, etc. The clearances obtained by the firm for the trading of these services required sufficient inspection by SEBI and the RBI and the fact that they managed to qualify shows the supervisory weariness of the regulators.Facilitated by the clearances and profitable credit ranking, CRB accrued greater profits based on high value financing. The CRB collapse not only affected the investors but also the other finance firms. 5. Plantation firms scam Since few firms in mid-90s were subject to no guidelines, the plantation companies during that time also got away with profit protrusions. The plantation firms projected themselves as a part of IPO and assured massive returns. The investors were lured and the companies accrued profits from fake campaigns of around ` 8000 crores plus. . Mutual Funds scam After several mutual fund scams, the UTI bailout reflected the lack of proper guidelines in the Indian capital market. Since UTI was initiated under its own regulations, it was the tax payers who suffered the loss of ` 4800 crore in the process. After three years, the company was back purchasing Ketan Parekhs controlled scrips and incurring massive losses in the process. The evidence of the private mutual funds performance has also been inconsistent after hitting the downfall in 1999 and 2000.It took a considerable amount of time for capital market to win back the trust of mutual fund investors. 7. The 1998 scam The scamster of 1992 scam, Harshad Mehta came back with a bag of tricks again in 1998. This time he lured investors thro ugh a website by trading stock tips. His unremitting manipulation of several shares resulted in the much expected collapse of Bombay Stock Exchange. 18. 8. Home Trade scam Initiated in 2000, Home trade invested rs 24 crore in promotional campaigns to attract investors. The scam affected 8 co-operative banks that lost ` 82 Crore in EPF scheme.The Chief Executive of Hometrade, Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal was convicted by Nagpur Police later. 9. DSQ Software Scam In the year 2000 and 2001, the Managing Director of DSQ Software, Mr. Dinesh Dalmia, was held responsible for ambiguous mergers and prejudiced allocation of the amount of upto ` 595 Crores. He was later convicted in the year 2006. 10. Satyam Scam After manipulating the firms documents for several financial years, the former Chairman and Chief Executive of Satyam Computers, Mr. Ramalinga Raju, was arrested for committing scam, following unethical practice and forgery.He showed greater profits and committed fraud of ` 700 crores. Search Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook Find us on Google+ Learn About Us About Careers Our Blog Press Contact us Help & Support Using SlideShare SlideShare 101 Terms of Use Privacy Policy Copyright & DMCA Community Guidelines SlideShare on mobile Pro & more Go PRO New Business Solutions Developers & API Developers Section Developers Group Engineering Blog Blog Widgets  © 2013 SlideShare Inc. All rights reserved. RSS Feed ENGLISH English Francais Espanol Deutsch

Huck Finn and Social Justice

Huc   Chenxing Ouyang 3/20/2013 American Lit-Social Justice & Huck Finn â€Å"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. † This notice at the beginning is controversial; some people say that it is a warning that was written for readers at the time when slavery was a sensitive issue to talk about, while others interpret it as a satirical comment about the way literature is scrutinized to find means and morals in a book.But I believe what Mark Twain is trying to say is: â€Å"Don’t try to analyze the book, just read it for fun, no pressure! â€Å" In the book   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn   by Mark Twain, the lifestyle   of the Southerners in the mid-1800s are depicted through the eyes of a 13 years old boy Huck Finn living along the Mississippi River. It is a book about the search for freedom. Main characters in the movie seek freedom from social and moral constraints. Throughout novel, Huck learns to follow his own morals and values over what society deemed to be acceptable in the 1800 s.He eventually achieved what he desires the most-freedom. In Twain’s opinion, it is the â€Å"closed mindsets about slavery of the society prohibited the development of personal morality and social justice. †   Ã‚   One of the most important issues presented in this book is slavery. The superiority of whites was one of the causes of slavery. At the time when Mark twain was grown up, White men were born with privilege and superiority whereas blacks were doomed to be slaves. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Papa says to Huck: â€Å"You're educated; too, they say; can read and write.You think you're better’n your father, now, don’t you, because he can’t? I’ll take it out of you†. When Papa finds out that Huck is being sent to school by Ms. Watson and edu cated, he is intimidated by the fact that his son, is being civilized and going to be a better person than he is. A sense of insecurity is developed and Papa immediately sees Huck as a threat to his inherited privileges. This insecurity symbolized the whites’ fear of losing dominance over black people.In Papa’s mind, Huck is his property; it is a bit strange for us to think that someone is actually â€Å"owned† by someone else, but at a time when slavery is tolerated publicly and has been practiced for hundreds of year, it is quite normal for people to dismiss the idea of individuality and personal freedom. The act of taking money away from Huck to buy drinks just because Huck is his â€Å"property† implicates the southern tradition of whites forcing slaves to work on cotton fields in order to make money.Also, Papa saves his pride by kidnapping Huck from Ms. Watson without considering Huck’s willingness of doing so symbolized the privilege of white s dominating blacks in the old times. Hypocrisy plays another major role in the book. Mark Twain presents the hypocrisy of Southern society through the feuds between the Shepredsons and Grangerford. Huck observes that â€Å"He hadn't seen no house out in the country before that had so much style† when he first comes to the family.The fancy house where the Grangerfolds live shows the notations of aristocracy, in this house â€Å"there are beautiful curtains on the windows, white with pictures painted of castles. † The curtains painted with castles give the family a sense of superiority over other villagers. These minor details make them think that they are above everyone else. Along with the false aristocracy the Grangerfords also possess a false knowledge of academics. When Buck is asked to spell Huck’s name, the boy spells â€Å"GeorgeJaxon† instead of â€Å"Jackson†, he misspells it.Buck mentions earlier that he went to school but he is not as ed ucated as he though he is. It is pretentious for the family to consider themselves as highly educated upper classmen when their son can’t spell correctly. Besides being pretentious and falsely aristocratic, the Grangerfords also are very religious. On Sunday both families attend church. When Huck goes in with the family he notices that in both the feuding families, â€Å"the men take their guns along† to church and talk about how the sermon was â€Å"all about brotherly love† after church.They slaughter each other brutally for the rest of the day yet they think they are good and God loving. Morality is another important theme in the book, Twain wrote Huck’s character to illustrate the changing values of morality and ethics in society. Huck is a round character, he starts out an innocent child who expects nothing from life but freedom, then gradually grows up and learns to follow his own morals and values over what societies deemed to be acceptable. For ex ample, in Charpter 31, Huck says: â€Å"All right then, I’ll go to hell! He decides to save Jim out of slavery against all odds. Although Huck was tempted to write a letter to Ms. Watson, informing her of Jim’s location, he follows his own moral value and decides to save Jim. This act shows that Huck has developed the maturity to accept consequences such as going to hell for his willingness to save Jim in order to follow his own value and satisfy his own moral standard. Early in the novel, Huck feels guilty of aiding a runaway slave escape from the good Christian women, but his racial discrimination against Jim lessens as the novel progresses.Their relationship reflects the conflict between the racist environment that Huck grows up in and their needs for each other. Eventually the conflict resolves itself when Huck realized that â€Å"Just because you’re taught that something’s right and everyone believes it’s right, it don’t make it right †. This quote shows that racism has been infused into Huck’s life and Jim’s words show that even though he is uneducated like other slaves, he has the ability to overlook Huck’s racism. Twain brings out these ideas and thoughts with the force of a child’s moral compass elegantly.President Barack Obama said in his inaugural speech: â€Å"we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. † He points out the importance of finding our own moral and ethic principles so that we are capable of facing new challenges the society presents to us. In the Adventures of Huckleberry Berry Finn, Mark Twain points out the the same thing.Huck is in moral conflict with the values and moralities of the society in which he lives. He is deeply confused by what the society needs him to do and w hat he wants to do as an individual. Huck eventually makes a moral choice based on his own valuation of Jim's friendship with him, a moral choice leads that leads an direct opposition to the thins he used to be taught. What President Obama and Mark Twain are both proposing is that it is our unsatisfaction of own conditions drives us to question the received values of society, in which way, we get on the road of seeking our own values.We experience emotions that we never experienced before by fitting on other people's shoes, thus we learn how to sympathize. A new ways of rationalizing and moralizing is developed. Mark Twain used â€Å"n-word† in his book to satirize that South for it long history of slavery and to make people realize how harsh African Americans were treated back in the days. By providing an accurate glimpse in to our horrible past, it makes us retrospect and think about the meaning of fairness and equality. Mark Twain proposes in his Lecture Notes that â€Å" a sound heart is a surer guide than an ill-trained conscience†.He wants us to know how important it is for us to keep seeking and improving their understanding of fairness and justice. Like the way he describes the novel â€Å" a book of mine where a sound heart and a deformed conscience come into collision and conscience suffers defeat† which is consistent with Obama's speech on freedom. â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Speaking in general, Mark Twain identifies the problem of society, and makes us think deeply about things such as individual freedom, personal value and moral principles. President Obama reinforces them, he advocates the importance of certain notation of fairness and equalities so that minorities won't be oppressed because of majority’s decisions. Throughout the no vel, society’s voice is heard through the voice of 13 years old boy Huck. The racist and hateful contempt that existed at the time is at many times present.It is vital for us to recognize that Twain disputes these ideas throughout the novel. Twain brings out into the open of the unfairness of the society and makes the readers to challenge the belief of social norms. By using satire, irony and sarcasm, Twain points out the stupidity of slavery and illustrates society’s viewpoints of morality in contracts with Huck’s own way of identify morality through his adventures with Jim. These social justice issues about slavery, poverty, hypocrisy and morality are real and as a matter of fact, we are experiencing it every day in different degrees.Use the war in Iraq as an example of a religious hypocrisy, while President Bush is trying to convince the Arab world that his war is about liberation, most Arabs see it for what is really is; it is a grab of economic and natural resources, an attempt to avenge Bush’s father’s honor by executing Saddam and a declaration of US’s world dominating power. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn presents the issues on social justices in a humors way, it is exciting to read as well as engaging people into deep thinking.

Advance Paper 2

Centre Number Student Number CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION OF NEW SOUTH WALES 2009 TRIAL HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION English (Advanced) Paper 2 – Modules Morning Session Tuesday, 11 August 2009 Total marks – 60 Pages 2-4 General Instructions †¢ Reading time – 5 minutes †¢ Working time – 2 hours †¢ †¢ Write using blue or black pen Write your Centre Number and Student Number at the top of this page Attempt ONE question from Questions 3-7 Allow about 40 minutes for this section Pages 10-11 †¢ Attempt EITHER Question 1 OR Question 2 Allow about 40 minutes for this section Section III 20 marks †¢ Attempt EITHER Question 8 OR Question 9 †¢ Allow about 40 minutes for this section Disclaimer Every effort has been made to prepare these ‘Trial' Higher School Certificate Examinations in accordance with the Board of Studies documents, Principles for Setting HSC Examinations in a Standards-Referenced Framework (BOS Bulletin, Vol 8, No 9, Nov/Dec 1999), and Principles for Developing Marking Guidelines Examinations in a Standards Referenced Framework (BOS Bulletin, Vol 9, No 3, May 2000).No guarantee or warranty is made or implied that the ‘Trial' Examination papers mirror in every respect the actual HSC Examination question paper in any or all courses to be examined. These papers do not constitute ‘advice' nor can they be construed as authoritative interpretations of Board of Studies intentions. The CSSA accepts no liability for any reliance use or purpose related to these ‘Trial' question papers. Advice on HSC examination issues is only to be obtained from the NSW Board of Studies. 5400-1Section I – Module A: Comparative Study of Texts and Context 20 marks Attempt either Question 1 or Question 2 Allow about 40 minutes for this section Answer the question in a SEPARATE writing booklet. In your answer you will be assessed on how well you: †¢ demonstrate unders tanding of the meanings of a pair of texts when considered together †¢ evaluate the relationships between texts and contexts †¢ organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audience, purpose and form Question 1 – Elective 1: Exploring Connections (20 marks) To what extent are texts enriched through their connection with other texts?Respond to this question in relation to the pair of prescribed texts that you have studied. The prescribed texts are: †¢ Shakespearean Drama and Film – William Shakespeare, King Richard III AND – Al Pacino, Lookingfor Richard †¢ Prose Fiction and Poetry – Patrick White, The Aunt's Story AND – Rosemary Dobson, Selected Poems * Young Girl at a Window * Chance Met * Landscape in Italy * Azay-Le-Rideau * The Rape of Europa * Romantic * Primitive Painters Question 1 continues on page 3Question 1 (continued) †¢ Prose Fiction and Nonfiction * Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice AND * F ay Weldon, Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen †¢ Poetry and Drama * * * * * * * * * * John Donne, Selected Poetry Death be not proud This is my playes last scene At the round earths imagin ‘d corners blow If poisonous minerals Hymne to God my God, in my sicknesse A Valediction: forbidding mourning The Apparition TheRelique The Sunne Rising AND * Margaret Edson, W;t End of Question 1In your answer you will be assessed on how well you: †¢ demonstrate understanding of the meanings of a pair of texts when considered together †¢ evaluate the relationships between texts and contexts †¢ organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audience, purpose and form Question 2 – Elective 2: Texts in Time (20 marks) Compare the ways in which texts offer insights into the human experience. Respond to this statement in relation to the pair of prescribed texts that you have studied.The prescribed texts are: †¢ Prose Fiction and Film – Mary Shelley, Frankenstein AND – Ridley Scott, Blade Runner (Director's Cut) †¢ Prose Fiction and Poetry – F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby AND – Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh and Other Poems – Sonnets I, XIII, XIV, XXI, XXII, XXVIII, XXXII, XLIII †¢ Drama and Nonfiction – Edward Albee, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf AND – Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own Section II – Module B: Critical Study of Texts 0 marks Attempt ONE question from Questions 3-7 Allow about 40 minutes for this section Answer the question in a SEPARATE writing booklet. In your answer you will be assessed on how well you: †¢ demonstrate an informed understanding of the ideas expressed in the text †¢ evaluate the text's language, content and construction †¢ organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audience, purpose and form Question 3 – Shakespearean Drama (20 marks) How is your person al response to Hamlet shaped by the interaction of characters in the play? William Shakespeare, HamletQuestion 4 – Prose Fiction (20 marks) (a) How is your personal response to In the Skin of a Lion shaped by the interaction of characters in the novel? Michael Ondaatje, In the Skin of a Lion OR (b) How is your personal response to Cloudstreet shaped by the interaction of characters in the novel? — Tim Winton, Cloudstreet OR (c) How is your personal response to Sixty Lights shaped by the interaction of characters in the novel? Gail Jones, Sixty Lights OR (d) How is your personal response to Jane Eyre shaped by the interaction of characters in the novel?Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre Please turn over In your answer you will be assessed on how well you: †¢ demonstrate an informed understanding of the ideas expressed in the text †¢ evaluate the text's language, content and construction †¢ organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audienc e, purpose and form Question 5 – Drama or Film (20 marks) (a) How is your personal response to A Doll's House shaped by the interaction of characters in the play? Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House OR b) How is your personal response to Citizen Kane shaped by the interaction of characters in the film? Orson Welles, Citizen Kane Question 6 – Poetry (20 marks) (a) How is your personal response to the poetry of Yeats shaped by a perception of voice in the poems? In your answer, refer to THREE of the poems set for study. The prescribed poems are: William Butler Yeats, WB Yeats: Poems selected by Seamus Heaney * An Irish Airman * When You Are Old * Among School Children * The Wild Swans at Coole * Leda and the Swan * The Second Coming * Easter 1916OR Question 6 continues on page 7 6 Question 6 (continued) (b) How is your personal response to the poetry of Harwood shaped by a perception of voice in the poems? In your answer, refer to THREE of the poems set for study. The prescribe d poems are: Gwen Harwood, Selected Poems * Father and Child (Parts I & II) * The Violets * At Mornington * A Valediction * Triste Triste * The Sharpness of Death * Mother Who Gave me Life OR (c) How is your personal response to the poetry of Slessor shaped by a perception of voice in the poems?In your answer, refer to THREE of the poems set for study. The prescribed poems are: Kenneth Slessor, Selected Poems * Out of Time * Five Bells * Sleep * Five Visions of Captain Cook * Sensuality * Elegy in a Botanical Garden * Beach Burial End of Question 6 In your answer you will be assessed on how well you: †¢ demonstrate an informed understanding of the ideas expressed in the text †¢ evaluate the text's language, content and construction †¢ organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audience, purpose and formQuestion 7 – Nonfiction (20 marks) (a) How is your personal response to Orwell's essays shaped by a perception of voice in these texts? In your answer, refer to THREE of the essays set for study. * George Orwell, George Orwell: Essays The prescribed essays are: * Why I Write * Notes on Nationalism * Good Bad Books * The Sporting Spirit * Politics and the English Language * Writers and Leviathan OR (b) How is your personal response to speeches shaped by a perception of the passion of the speaker?In your answer, refer to THREE of the speeches set for study * Speeches The prescribed speeches are: * Margaret Atwood – Spotty-Handed Villainesses, 1994 * Paul Keating – Funeral Service of the Unknown Australian Soldier, 1993 * Noel Pearson -An Australian History for Us All, 1996 * Aung San Suu Kyi – Keynote Address at the Beijing World Conference on Women, 1995 * Faith Bandler -Faith, Hope and Reconciliation, 1999 * Deane, William – It is Still Winter at Home, 1999 * Anwar Sadat – Speech to the Israeli Knesset, 1977 BLANK PAGE Please turn overSection III – Module C: Representation and Text 20 marks Attempt ONE question from Questions 8-9 Allow about 40 minutes for this section Answer the question in a SEPARATE writing booklet. In your answer you will be assessed on how well you: †¢ demonstrate understanding of and evaluate the relationship between representation and meaning †¢ organise, develop and express ideas using language appropriate to audience, purpose and form Question 8 – Elective 1: Conflicting Perspectives (20 marks) You are speaking to an audience of your peers.Compose a speech in which you demonstrate how your understanding of conflicting perspectives is shaped by the construction of the texts. In your response, refer to your prescribed text and TWO texts of your own choosing. The prescribed texts are: †¢ †¢ †¢ Shakespearean Drama Prose Fiction Drama or Film – William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar – David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedars – Peter Whelan, The Herbal Bed OR — Barry Levinson, Wag the Dog †¢ Poetry – Ted Hughes, Birthday Letters * Fulbright Scholars * The Shot * The Minotaur * Sam * Your Paris * Red —Geoffrey Robertson, The Justice Game * The Trials ofOz * Michael X on Death Row * ‘The Romans in Britain' * The Prisoner of Venda Nonfiction * Show Trials * Diana in the Dock: Does Privacy Matter? * Afterword: The Justice Game 10 Question 9 – Elective 2: History and Memory (20 marks) You are speaking to an audience of your peers. Compose a speech in which you demonstrate how your understanding of the interplay between history and memory is shaped by the construction of the texts. In your response, refer to your prescribed text and TWO texts of your own choosing.The prescribed texts are: †¢ Prose Fiction – Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs, of a Girlhood Among Ghosts OR – Peter Carey, The True History of the Kelly Gang †¢ †¢ Film Poetry – Stephen Frears, The Queen – Denise Le vertov, Selected Poems * Ways of Conquest * Don't You Hear That Whistle Blowin'†¦ * In Thai Binh (Peace) Province * A Time Past * Libation * A Letter to Marek About a Photograph * The Pilots †¢ Nonfiction or Multimedia – Mark Raphael Baker, The Fiftieth Gate OR Smithsonian National Museum of American History September 11 website End of paper 11 EXAMINERS Pamela Nutt (Convenor) Catherine Anderson Tanya Appleby Nicole Archard Darren Barker Lorna Ciesiolka Marian Henry Katherina Lathouras Alistair Symons PLC Sydney, Croydon St Patrick's College, Strathfield Tara Anglican School for Girls, Nth Parramatta Kincoppal-Rose Bay, School of the Sacred Heart OLMC, Parramatta Educational Consultant Marist College, Pagewood Knox Grammar School, Wahroonga Mount St Joseph, Milperra 12

Off campus visit evaluation II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Off campus visit evaluation II - Essay Example Last July 21, 2008, the Community Development Commission held a meeting with regard to the â€Å"authorization to advertise for the street rehabilitation on Washington Boulevard (Norwalk Boulevard to Westman Avenue) and Norwalk Boulevard (Washington to Boer Avenue),† (Adjourned Meeting Community†¦, 2008). In addition, miscellaneous concrete repairs for the year 2007-2008 were also discussed (Adjourned Meeting Community†¦, 2008). During the discussion, the public was allowed to comment on any community development that concerns the agenda. New business was also discussed in the City Council Meeting of Santa Fe Springs. This is the â€Å"consideration of a request for financial assistance involving the construction and use of a new electronic reader board sign,† (Adjourned Meeting Community†¦, 2008). The members of the community who attended the council were made aware of the project, and would be later notified with the proceedings of the negotiation. The recent City Council Meeting of the Santa Fe Springs allowed the public to tackle the current issues of the city. The local issue regarding the street rehabilitations and concrete repairs were properly discussed and dealt with. The efforts of both the concerned citizens and the Community Development Commission (CDC) â€Å"improved the city’s quality of life,† (Santa Fe Springs†¦, n.d.). It also added to the city’s urban design and streetscape quality. The council meeting improved once again the overall development and potential of the city (Santa Fe Springs†¦, n.d.). All in all, the local issues on transportation were discussed transparently with the

Some argue that outsourcing should not be followed because it export Assignment

Some argue that outsourcing should not be followed because it export jobs overseas Under what circumstances outsourcing should be followed, if any - Assignment Example In the recent developments in technology, firms may outsource so as to ensure the presence of an individual with technological expertise within its workforce. This can result in promoting technological spillover effects thus increasing the output of the workforce. The need for quality improvement can call for outsourcing. This happens when companies seek to bring on board experts who are already performing in other organizations. If an organization does all of its work itself, its work may consume too much time and finances. The quality improvement arises as a result of using different expertise from an external workforce (entrepreneur.com). This mostly features in management consulting where the management consultants advise the company on strategies of increasing its efficiency and product quality. Unavailability of resources, in terms of the skilled workforce, money or even raw materials for the production process. Shortage of a skilled workforce in a given country necessitate outsourcing to take place for efficiency and increased output to be achieved. Finally, the security issue of the data or information may call for outsourcing since some of it has to be handled with great care

Mitochondrial Disease, Parkinsons Research Paper

Mitochondrial Disease, Parkinsons - Research Paper Example [Betelham et al 2007] Mitochondria are large organelles about 1 to 2 micrometer in diameter, upto 2000 of which are present in eukaryotic cells and constitute upto 25% of the cellular volume. The outer membrane enclosing the mitochondria is smooth, while the inner membrane is thrown into a series of folds known as the cristae. The space between the two membranes is called the intermembrane space. Both the structure and the quantity of mitochondria in different tissues can differ greatly depending upon the metabolic needs of the tissue. [Koolman et al 2005] Mitochondria play several vital roles in the normal functioning of the cell. Their most important role is in the production of ATP by oxidative phosphorylation. They also serve as reservoirs of calcium within the cells and play a vital role in inducing apoptosis. . [Koolman et al 2005] The vast range of mitochondrial functions are associated with a range of mitochondrial enzymes. "Pyruvate dehydrogenase, the TCA cycle, beta hydroxylation of fatty acids and parts of the urea cycle are located in the matrix. The respiratory chain, ATP synthesis and parts of the heme synthesis pathway are associated with the inner membrane." [Koolman et al 2005, pg 210] One of the unique features of the mitochondria is that they are a self replicating organelle and can replicate independent of the parent cell. The mitochondrial genome is composed of 37 genes. Of these, "24 specify a mature RNA product, 22 molecular tRNA molecules and 2 molecular rRNA molecules. the remaining 13 genes encode polypeptides that are synthesized on the mitochondrial ribosomes [Strachan and Read 2004, pg 243]. Unlike nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA is very compact, lacking exons. For this reason any coding error in the mitochondrial DNA is far more likely to be transmitted to successive generations of the cell. However, because of the large number of mitochondria, the overall effect of such a mutation remains small unless transmitted in a gamete to the next generation. Mitochondrial DNA is exclusively maternal in origin being inherited from the egg, not the sperm. Thus the descendents of males affected by mitochondrial diseases are safe from inheriting the disease. The di seases can however affect men and women equally. [Passarge 2006] Some common mitochondrial diseases include: Lebers optic atrophy MELAS (mitochondrial encephalopathy with lactic acidosis and stroke like episodes) Kearns- Sayres syndrome Some familial types of diabetes mellitus Some forms of progressive nerve deafness and antibiotic associated deafness MERRF (myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibres) Pearson syndrome [Naviaux 2008] Parkinsons disease is a degenerative disorder affecting the basal ganglia. It causes degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, leading to decreased inhibition of the subthalamic nuclei and more active inhibition of the cortex. Its is characterized clinically by a triad of bradykinesia, tremor and rigidity. The exact cause for the development of parkinsonism has so far remained elusive. A syndrome very similar to parkinsonism is seen to develop in individuals who abuse methyl-phenyl tetra hydropyridine. This lends support to the theory that environmental factors are responsible for the causation of the disease. The current belief is that genetic and environmental factors both have a role to play. There are no diagnostic tests, and the condition is

Instructional Design Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Instructional Design Model - Essay Example In this model a systems view of instruction is considered so that one segment is interconnected with a series of outside segments in a variety of ways; as indicated this is significantly different from the ADDIE instructional design approach which more restrictedly approaches design from a single segment to the next in a direct and progressive way. This essay considers the varying aspects of the Dick and Carey model, specifically considering stage 1 through stage 3 through an illustrative example within the context of a twelfth grade Honors English class. In terms of the Dick and Carey model, the interrelation of the varying concepts of context, content, learning and instruction, are considered (Leshin, Pollock, Reigeluth 1992). Dick and Carey themselves indicate that, â€Å"Components such as the instructor, learners, materials, instructional activities, delivery system, and learning and performance environments interact with each other and work together to bring about the desired student learning outcomes† (Carey and Dick, pg. 6). Within this paradigm, there exist nine separate stages that designers must attend to in adhering to the constraints proscribed by Dick and Carey. These stages include 1) Instructional Goals; 2) Instructional Analysis; 3) Entry Behaviors and Learner Characteristics; 4) Performance Objectives; 5) Criterion-Referenced Test Items; 6) Instructional Strategy; 7) Instructional Materials; 8) Formative Evaluation; 9) Summative Evaluation (Leshin, Pollock, Reigeluth 1992). The first stage of the Dick and Carey model identifies the instructional goals of the design project. In this stage the identification of the instructional goal considers the relation between the learner’s current knowledge base and the intended instructional goals (Lee). In these regards, the Dick and Carey model in great part mirrors the ADDIE instructional design model. In terms of the working example of the twelfth

Why Business Law is significant and how it impacts our lives Essay

Why Business Law is significant and how it impacts our lives - Essay Example Laws are mainly formulated by the governments and also as a result of court decisions. That is, when a particular form of human activity is carried out by a group of people, there will be inconsistencies as well as violations, which could negatively affect the group themselves as well as other stakeholders including other groups or individuals. To prevent those issues, governments has come up with certain standard rules and regulations in the form of laws on how to carry out the human activity positively without negative impacts on the people. This is quite applicable to the key human activity of businesses because its survival and success mainly depends on how it treats or manages or entices its consumer. So, business laws relating to consumer care are the main laws, which maximally impact our lives. Each business law will stipulate the organizations on how to manufacture the products, on how to pack it, on how to market it or sell it, etc, etc. Although, each organization will have unique and different manufacturing processes, the basic point, is they need to follow certain laws as well as standards stipulated by the laws to ensure that the manufactured goods or offered service is of optimum quality and without any risks to the consumer. However, if there are any faults in the product or service after it reaches the consumer, due to faults or deficiency in any aspect of the organizational functioning, then also those business laws can be used by the affected consumer in the court of law. The laws can be used to get a simple apology to getting apt replacement for the deficient product or even financial compensation. Thus, it is clear that business laws maximally impacts our lives in a positive and helpful manner. Actually, the governments and other authorities will come up with laws including business laws based on common good, and it will be available to us all the time.

Reflection Paper on The History & Philososphy of Education Term

Reflection on The History & Philososphy of Education - Term Paper Example Spreading the awareness of a specific subject matter, in an explicit style is understood as education. Thus the philosophy of education can be either the process of educating others or the wide fields of education and its understanding. The inborn curiosity provoked the earliest man to seek and learn more; of what is around and how to bring betterment and produce comfort from it. This includes the major aim of producing well rounded people and to inculcate the love of learning. The process of learning and teaching is discussed and described by many philosophers. However, all of them hold their view point according to the cultures and times they lived in but some, few elaborated the education purpose and laid the foundation for upcoming generations to understand and explore the horizons of it. Philosophy of Education: Through history one can see that, how the great philosophers of all times learned from one another and left the theories for the upcoming youth to explore and gain. Socr ates, Plato and Aristotle; three pioneers of philosophy of education explained their philosophies, which helped others to understand the aim of learning. Socrates taught Plato and is known for his explicit work on ethics and methods. From there onwards Plato followed the footsteps of his teacher and laid the foundation stone of doctrine for education, and called it Academy. Elaboration: Plato advocated the idea of integrity, not only for the state but for the individuals who are learners. The learners are dependent upon teachers who are fairly in a position to deliver the right kind of knowledge in an appropriate manner. Through his theory, one can understand better the significance of the responsibility on a teacher’s shoulder for educating. He also described the various types of learner and their learning styles and how their learning can be supported, like scaffolding; to enhance the capability of each individual. The core of his ideology was to handle an individual in suc h a manner that the support (scaffolding) is there, but he acquires the skill of learning himself; that he stated can only be achieved in certain environment and through following the knowledgeable. The reasons behind law and rules cannot be understood by all; therefore he promoted the idea of children to learn specific skills under the supervision of knowledgeable personalities. They are the people, who can nourish the positive aspects of a subject, as any subject of knowledge contains; the negative factor which pessimistically impacts the personality of a child; leaving him as a destructive member of the society rather than constructive. Plato strongly believed that arts and literature did not help the learning process; on the other hand they are acting like slow poison, addicting the victims and throwing them in a state of unreality. The general idea is that young children are unable to distinguish between reality and fiction. Thus telling them false stories which are far from re ality; is a disorder one develops readily which later on encourages doubts and imbalanced thinking. He was against poetry, music because they produced uncontrollable passion which later becomes a cause of many ethical issues. Moreover, it doesn’t provide with any knowledge and has no practical meaning to it. His theories revolved around the moral values and thus sustaining and inculcating them in the offspring too. He discouraged the concept of myths and stories to young children, as they are far from real

In defense of international sweatshops Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

In defense of international sweatshops - Essay Example b.â€Å"Living wage† standard – According to De George, the living wage allows the worker to live in dignity as a human being. This standard is â€Å"nice† to hear but may be very difficult to determine as it involves the abstract concept of dignity which would be debatable and may be variable among individuals.c.Donaldson’s test – This standard proposes a moral minimum that complies with the test, â€Å"The practice is permissible if and only if the members of the home country would, under conditions of economic development relevantly similar to those of the host country, regard the practice as permissible.† Again, interpretation of the moral minimum would vary from individual to individual according to the subjective perceptions of each. This therefore will make this standard difficult to use if not altogether useless.d.Classical liberal standard – This standard proposes that a wage or labor standard is ethically acceptable if it is freely chosen by informed workers. The standard is by far the most practical and logical among the four. It allows market and labor forces to dictate the appropriate wage and labor standards in a particular location. Maitland’s criticism of Donaldson’s test is persuasive and easy to agree to. As previously stated, the moral minimum proposed by Donaldson and complying with his test would vary from individual to individual and as Maitland said will confuse implementing managers in the international sweatshops.... usly stated, the moral minimum proposed by Donaldson and complying with his test would vary from individual to individual and as Maitland said will confuse implementing managers in the international sweatshops. Donaldson and De George believe the classical liberal standard is inapplicable to poor, developing countries because in these countries, some sort of market failure or the background conditions are lacking for market forces to work effectively. Such background conditions include the very high average level of unemployment of 40% in developing countries, and background institutions like enforceable minimum wage. These prevent the effective application of neoclassical economic principles wherein the classical liberal standard is based. I disagree with Donaldson and De George's arguments because I consider the very same background conditions that they say prevent market forces to work, as part of the market forces. 2. By American standards, wages in international sweatshops are very low and working conditions appear terrible. Does the fact that foreign workers are eager to take these jobs establish that those wages and conditions are morally acceptable In my opinion, the fact that foreign workers are eager to take sweatshop wages and conditions despite their disparities with American standards make this morally acceptable. Moral acceptability as defined by Kant (1998) connotes universalizability. The concept of universalizaibility states that the only morally acceptable maxims of actions are those that could rationally be willed to be universal law. I would extend the interpretation to apply to the eagerness of the foreign workers. Since all the foreign workers are agreeable to the wages and conditions, then they are morally acceptable. 3. Maitland appears to

Statistics on Violent Crime Among UK Youth (2013) Project

On Violent Crime Among UK Youth (2013) - Statistics Project Example The police and Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) have different descriptions of what constitutes a violent crime: for example, the CSEW categorises robbery as a violent crime provided it was committed by a series of activities involving actual or threatened injury to the body of the victim. The police, however, leave out the crime from a list of violent crimes, mainly because in some cases manifest violence is not present. In addition, law enforcement agencies have also excluded murder and sexual violence from violent crimes for purposes of dealing the perpetrators commensurate punishments. Owing to the fact that 25% of all offences are executed by juveniles, it is estimated that more half of the violent crimes in the United Kingdom in 2013 were committed by individuals who are between the ages of 16 and 25. Statistics indicate that members of the group engaged in more than a million cases of violent crimes in 2013 alone. The children and young adults, mostly in high school and colleges respectively were behind more than 50% of all homicides, robberies and burglaries (United Kingdom Defence & Security, 2014). The Home Office findings indicate that the youth aged between 16 and 25 engaged in the highest incidences of violent crime. Generally, the Home Office established that the young criminals were to blame for more than 50% of violent crimes as demonstrated in figure and table 1. Their overall of one in two violent cases of crimes is greater than previous figures, which put the percentage at less one in four cases. Government statistics show that almost 20% of all juvenile youth first apprehended in 2004 continued their delinquent behaviour through 2013, with 16-year-olds being most likely to engage in repeat offences (Flatley, 2013). As such, the report indicates the youth crime estimates underscore the need of tackling deviance among juveniles in order to reduce violent crime. Reform of youth justice programs since 2003 have seen drastic decline in the prevalence of violent crime, especially for individuals who were subjected to detention, but a 2014 report published by the National Audit Office indicated reoffending rates had soared, especially among the youths subjected to community service as punishment for their violent criminal behaviour in the past (Government of the United Kingdom, 2013).  Ã‚  

Junk Food Essay Example for Free

Junk Food Essay Junk food is considered an unhealthy food which only contains a small amount of nutrients, or provides much more energy than body needs. Examples of junk food include frozen desserts, hamburgers, pizzas, carbonated beverages, fried chickens. Nowadays, a great many individuals buy junk food frequently. At the same time, people are overweight from day to day. This essay will analyse why junk food is particularly popular. To some extent, junk food has negative effect on health and eating less junk food might be better. Firstly, junk food is harmful to people’s health. It is not only non-nutritious but also including a large sum of oils, sugars, fats, salts, calories and antiseptics. Some serious problem will be generated with eating numerous junk foods for a long time, such as obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and heart disease. My experience is a convincing example. When I was a freshman in the university, my course schedule was extremely busy. I ate Junk Food for lunch everyday. Fresh food was replaced by junk food and my weight rose sharply. At the beginning, I did not realize that it really made me overweight until the semester finished. I found junk food can increase people’s excess weight. It can be seen that junk food has many disadvantages as previous study. However, why do people buy it frequently? On the one hand, an increasing number of fast paced life makes people have to choose the junk food as their daily diet. It is obvious that eating junk food is a time-saving and money-saving way to resolve their problem perfectly, when they working and studying very busily, which makes people ignore the fact that junk food is frequently harmful. The awareness of individuals need to be improved on behalf of people’s health. On the other hand, why do individuals buy junk Food is the result of excellent marketing strategy. Firstly, people are usually misleaded by overwhelming advertisings. For instance, the advertisement of vitamin water from the Coca-Cola always repeats that it just contains vitamin and nothing  about sugar. In fact, the main component of the vitamin water is the fructose which is the major cause of obesity and drinking a bottle of vitamin water is equal to drinking a can of coke almost. It is witness that the advertisings make up the misleading to consumers. In addition, some brand of junk food, like KFC, McDonald’s, push out a meal with toys for children. There is a straightforward purpose to attract children’s attentions. Thirdly, some junk food restaurants have a playpark which supplies several small slides and plentiful plastic balls for children. Parents prefer to choose a table near by the playpark to take care of their children in the McDonalds’ or KFC. Apart from above examples, there are a variety of marketing methods or skills, which influences individuals imperceptibly. Despite the fact that junk food is not only non-nutritious but also destructive, individuals often choose to eat it, due to a series of extraordinary marketing strategies which is hard to resist and fast paced life makes people just have limited choices. Therefore, trying to eat less junk food as far as possible is beneficial to people’s health.

The Use Of Ergonomics Health And Social Care Essay

The Use Of Ergonomics Health And Social Care Essay The practice of safety in workplace has seen incredible advances as time has gone, due to advancement in technology, although there is still considerable amount of challenges that comes in form of injuries and illnesses (Hopwood and Thompson, 2006). This is where ergonomics comes to play a role in making the workplace safe for activities that would be carried out by the employee. Ergonomics draws on many disciplines in its study of humans and their environments, including anthropometry, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, industrial design, kinesiology, physiology and psychology (Wikipedia, 2010). Unsafe, unhealthy, uncomfortable or inefficient situations at work or in everyday life are avoided by taking account of the physical and physiological capabilities and limitations of humans (Dul and Weerdmeester, 1993). Human health and safety is at optimum range when the workplace environmental parameters are suitable for the employee (Story, 2010). Each year, poorly designed products and workplaces account for thousands of injuries and skyrocketing costs. That is why ergonomics the human factor in product and workplace design is fast becoming a major concern of manufacturers (Gross, 1995). This report is about how is about applying and proper training on the use of ergonomics to everyday workplace can prevent life threatening illnesses, discomfort, accidents, and how employers can save money by reducing costs related to issues like workers compensation, absenteeism and turn over, as it makes operations more efficient by creating work place designs with fewer errors and improve on workplace user friendliness (MacLeod, 1995), with the goal of reducing musculoskeletal discomfort, increase work productivity, efficiency and comfort, as an employee who is more comfortable is more productive (Meriano and Latella, 2008). 1.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this report is to know what ergonomics is all about and how it can be incorporated into the health and safety sector. The objectives of this report are; Reduce risks factors associated with poorly designed work stations and, To design a workplace that is suitable for the human body rather than the human body adapting to workplace. To be able to identify, measure, control and monitor the occupational health hazards/agents in the workplace which may cause ill-health to employees. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 WHAT IS ERGONOMICS? Ergonomics is the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of the working population, it tends to look into work related problems that poses a risk of musculoskeletal disorders and ways of alleviating them (Cohen et al, 1997). It is also the applied science that is devoted to provide comfort, efficiency and safety into the design of items in the work place (Shelly and Vermaat, 2010), ergonomic intervention can benefit both employer and employee (Meriano and Latella, 2008). The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows: Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. A large number of factors play a role in ergonomics; these include body posture and movement, environmental factors, information and operation as well as work organization. Ergonomics differs from other fields by its interdisciplinary approach and applied nature (Dul and Weerdmeester, 1993). The benefits of ergonomics include job satisfaction and enhanced worker motivation, added problem-solving capabilities, and greater acceptance of change. Involving staffs can help to identify job hazards, suggest ways to control these hazards and working with management in deciding how to put this control in place. 2.2 WHO IS AN ERGONOMIST? An Ergonomist is one who has adequate knowledge of the relation between humans health and humans performance (Schlick, 2009) taking into consideration the job, equipment used and information used (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics). According to Dul and Weerdmeester, 1993, the professional ergonomists can work for the authorities (legislation), training institutions (universities and colleges), research establishments, the service industry (consultancy) and production sector (occupational health services, personnel departments, design departments, research departments, etc.), they also wrote that the ergonomist highlights the areas where ergonomic knowledge is essential, provides ergonomic guidelines and advises designers, purchasers, management and employees, on which are more acceptable systems. 2.3 HISTORY OF ERGONOMICS: Science of Ergonomics dates back to 1717, when Bernadino Ramazzini, father of occupational medicine, speculated on factors within the work environment that contributed to his patients illnesses, he described violent and irregular motions, bent posture and tonic strain on the muscle as factors that contributed to musculoskeletal pains in his patients (Meriano and Latella, 2008). However, in the United Kingdom, ergonomics started in 1917 in World War I when the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Medical Research Council were asked to investigate industrial conditions, particularly of munitions workers, this led to the establishment of Industrial Fatigue Research Board who performed research on above topic in 1929 because of the expanded scope of work (hours of work, training, accidents, lighting and ventilation, and design of the machinery. In 1949, the Ergonomics Research Society was established at a meeting held by a small group of research workers at the Admiralty; this made the society the earliest to be formed in the world (Meister, 1999). 2.4 LEGAL CONTROL OF ERGONOMICS: The law serves as a vital function in complex social setting as it provides standards or guidelines that define unacceptable and acceptable human behaviour. A breach in this law can be considered violation of the law and the transgressor could face civil or criminal penalties the legal system of every governmental jurisdiction and at every level of organised society must constantly adapt to changing demands, so there has and will be a continuing effusion of controlling laws. It is for this reason that the legal system is based on concepts of human faults. Liability prevention or mitigation is the avoidance of fault by investigation, analysis, evaluation, risk assessment, corrective action, and preventive remedies. The probability of a scientist or engineer having contact with law is high, it is wise to become familiar with the area of entanglement (Marras and Karwowski, 2006), as there are a myriad of roles that can be played in state or federal common law actions, workers compensati on cases, allegations of statutory violations, arbitrations or mediations, government agency hearings, or citations involving Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Vinal, 1999). According to Health and Safety at Work (HASAW) Act 1974, which is legislation, it states that; it is the duty of the employer to carry out a risk assessment in the work place. Failure to this is regarded as a breach in the law and has its consequences. 2.5 METHODS OF UNDERTAKING ERGONOMIC ASSESSMENT The fundamental goal of human-centred engineering is to match human characteristics such as body size, strengths and weaknesses, and capabilities and preferences with the relevant attributes of equipment, tasks, and procedure (Kroemer, 2006). The different methods used in the assessment of ergonomics include; I Physical methods II Psycho physiological methods III Behavioural and Cognitive Methods IV Team methods V Environmental methods VI Macroergonomics methods (Stanton et al., 2005) All these methods make use of the following techniques listed below; Measurement teams Anthropometric techniques Assessing energetic capabilities Assessing muscle strength Assessing mental workload Assessing vision capabilities Systematic gathering of information The ideal field assessment tools used should possess the following attributes; Predictive: the tool should provide predictive measure of risk of musculoskeletal injury, Robust: can be used in any work situation, Inexpensive: tool can be available at minimal monetary cost, Non-invasive: should not affect when worker performs or process work flow, Quick: assessment could be performed quickly, Easy to use: tool could be used with minimal training, (Marras and Karwowski, 2006). 3.0 METHODOLOGY 3.1 INTEGRATED ERGONOMICS ASSESSMENT FOR THE WORK STATION For the purpose of this assessment to be done, several protocols would have to be met. The first thing that would be done is to get a work station that can be used to carry out an ergonomics assessment, and the Help Desk in the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) has been selected. A proposed meeting was set up with the Manager of the LRC to get permission to carry out the assessment, the manager approved of this and forwarded necessary messages to the supervisors in the LRC who helped in completing the task. A confidentiality questionnaire was handed to one of the supervisors, which was filled and returned and would be used as a point of reference in the results. Using anthropometric method of ergonomic risk assessment, measurement of the work station would be taken using a measuring tape and pictures snapped for further evidence of the work station for ergonomics assessment. Ergonomics assessment on the work station would be done on the basis of the task carried out. The task carried ou t in the Help Desk in the LRC involves helping students use the computer systems to locate books in the library and helping to arrange books in shelves. For this reason, there is the need to alternate between sitting down and standing. Below is a chart that shows a plan on how the work would be carried out. Observation Hazard Identification Ergonomics Assessment Evaluation Risk Validation Control and monitor Review Chart 1: Flow Plan on the methodology of the ergonomic assessment. 4.0 RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATION The particular work station selected for this ergonomics was carefully observed for the different task carried out to see if there is any problem associated with the work place. Anthropometric technique was used to carry out this work by getting measurements of the work place. 4.1 OBSERVATION: The help desk offered assistance in carrying out this work after permission was granted by the Manager of the LRC. Looking carefully at the way work was done and asking questions from the staff being monitored were put into consideration, also photographs were taken to also get a clear picture of how the employee carries out the task. Fig 1: A Staff carrying out her duties on a Visual Display Unit. 4.2 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION: hazard identification was obtained mainly by asking questions from the employee on the work station, making use of a questionnaire and viewing the work station for possible activities that may cause health disorder(s) and affect the employee. Health and Safety at Work (HASAW) Act 1974 demands that the employer should make sure that employers carry out a risk assessment in the work environment to ensure safety of staffs. See result in table 1 below. Table 1: Hazard Identification on the help desk. Hazard Hazard aspect Impact/ Effect Posture Stooped posture (resulting from fatigue and long hours of working) Stiffness of the back, neck, and wrist from working too long on the Visual Display Unit Variety of health problems, like caved shoulders, muscular imbalances, rounding of the upper back and a tendency to lean forward while walking. Incidence of lower back disorders. Movement Twisting of the waist, neck, stretching the hand and holding in that position for a long time (straining muscles in the hand) Pain and strain on neck muscles and waist. Stress on muscles of the arms while stretching causes fatigue of the arm muscle. Visual Display Unit (VDU), keyboard and mouse. Fixed position of the neck when staring at the VDU, and stress on fingers from too much typing, twisting and flexing of the wrist when handling the mouse. Makes the employee aware of some eye defects that he/she was not aware of. Straining of the arms to reach the mouse and twisting of the wrist to get to the keyboard and grabbing the mouse. 4.3 ERGONOMIC ASSESSMENT: Ergonomics assessment on the work station showed that the design of the station has a moderate score as it accommodates the employee and has a low risk level. Below is a table of the total ergonomic risk factor and how it was derived. Table 2: Ergonomic Work Position Evaluation. Assessed by: Igho Date:14/12/2010 Ergonomic Evaluation Risk Factor Static Points Comments/Action Work Positions (Sitting) 0 pts 2 pts 4 pts √ if 20 secs + X 3 if static Neck (Flexion) bending head forward √ √ 6 Moderate Shoulders (Raising elbows) √ √ 6 Moderate Wrists/Hands √ √ 6 Moderate Back (flexion) bending forward at the hips √ √ 12 High Hiking Shoulders √ √ 0 Low Twisting (incorrectly with feet stationary) √ √ 0 Low Table 3: Task factor Evaluation Task Factors Points Awarded Muscle force Low √ Moderate High 0 Vibration Low √ Moderate High 0 Lighting Good √ Fair Poor 0 Workplace Temperature Comfortable √ Warm/Cool Hot/Cold 0 Table 4: Risk Factor total on the work station. Risk Factor total Risk Factor Points Total Comments/Action 0 pts 2 pts 4pts Work Positions 0 7 8 15 16 pts+ = 4 High (8-12) Task factors 0 8 9 15 16 pts+ = 0 = 4 Moderate (4 7) Lifting 0 7 8 13 14 pts+ = 0 Low (0 3) Table 5: Key Descriptor Scale Descriptor Consequence Control 0-3 LOW Little or no complaints of muscle aches and pains Taking of short time breaks 4-7 MODERATE Stress and fatigue on muscles which is tolerable Selection of an employee to monitor how tasks are being carried out 8-12 HIGH Work Musculoskeletal disorder, static load on muscles leads to painful fatigue on muscles Reduction of work that can cause musculoskeletal disorder and training of staffs to become more aware of ergonomic risk factors related to musculoskeletal disorders. Below is a sketch on the work station used in the LRC, measured in cm. 48cm 24cm 96cm 48cm 72cm Floor Fig 1: Sketch and measurement of the work station. The sketch above can be compared to the British standard dimension to know if the measured work station meets up with the standard. Table 6: Work place measurement compared with British Standard Dimension Measured Work Station British Standard Dimension (5th 95th Percentile (mixed Population 19 65 yrs) Popliteal height 48cm 44cm Thigh Clearance 23cm Table Height (Popliteal height + Sitting Elbow height) 72cm 68.5cm Sitting Shoulder Height Position 57cm 59cm Back rest 48cm RISK VALIDATION Based on the production of a well ergonomically equipped work station, a good control and review of the work station, and everything put in order, information and training of employees there may still be a problem that can pose as a threat to the work place. This can be seen in workers habit; sitting forward on the chair, sitting in the middle of the chair, leaning on arm rest and back rest, arms resting on the table are some examples of employees habit, and this can result in intervertebral disc injuries and back problems as the muscles of the back are easily stressed. CONTROL AND MONITORING To control occupational health and safety risks, improvement of performance and benefits in work places in order to eliminate or minimize risk to employees and other interested parties exposed to risks associated with its activities, it is necessary to implement, maintain and continually improve occupational health and safety in the work place. The following can be used to control and monitor on-going activities and tasks in the work place; Avoid Unnatural Posture: bending the trunk/head sideways is more harmful than bending forward The working area should be located so that it is at the best distance from the eyes of the operator. Hand grip, materials and tools should be arranged in such a way that the most frequent movements are carried out with the elbows bent and near to the body. Manipulations can be made easier by using supports under the elbows, forearms or hands. Padded/soft warm materials that can be adjustable to suite people of different sizes. It is essential that the workplace should be suited to the body size and mobility of the operator/employee, since neutral/natural postures and movements are a necessary part of efficient work. Neck and head posture: head and neck should not be bent forward by more than thirty degrees when the trunk is erect, else fatigue and troubles may occur. 4.6 REVIEW Having seen that ergonomically, the work station is tolerable, and staffs have been informed on how to position themselves whilst working, there is need to review work practice every three months to ensure and enforce that the mode of working is still in place to avoid injuries that may have built up with time. 4.7 RECOMMENDATION After measuring the work station and comparing with the British standard measurement, it is recommended that the chair (adjustable) should be adjusted to fit the user so as to get the comfortability needed in order not to stress and strain muscles in the back and feet. The mouse and Visual display unit should be ergonomically put in place to the comfort of the operator, to reduce tension and strain to the eyes, hands and wrist ERGONOMICS POLICY AND CONCLUSION 5.1 ERGONOMICS POLICY: The purpose of this policy is to endeavour staffs to adhere to guidelines in the work place with the aim of ensuring a safe working environment as well as to bring health hazard to a minimum. It is the managements responsibility to carry out duties under the Health and Safety at work Act 1974 and other legislation including amendments to ensure safe working practices and work environment. For this reason, the help desk shall abide to the following guidelines; Ergonomics efforts shall be embedded, maintained and preserved on the help desk in Learning Resource Centre (LRC) to ensure a safe and healthy work place environment for employees. Cooperation of work force in making sure that ergonomic improvement is realised. (Joint effort of managers, supervisors, employees and other supporting staffs) Designation of post to a responsible employee to check that workers are well positioned, to prevent Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders in the work station. Training of staffs to be more aware of ergonomic risk factors related to Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders. Informing staffs about ergonomics and its risk factors can help to reduce cost of treatment of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders, as the budgeted cost can be used as employees benefits. This policy would be implemented and reviewed three times a year to ensure that the health conditions of the employees are in order, to reduce money spent on treating employees for work related musculoskeletal disorders. This policy would be handed to each staff through information and trainings and in written form. 5.2 CONCLUSION After a thorough ergonomic examination of the help desk in the LRC, and assessing the working environment, proper ergonomics evaluation was done and control measures put in Place as well as a policy for the safety and health of the employees so as to reduce chances of the risk of having a staff complain about a work related musculoskeletal disorder. Control measures used after ergonomic assessment and risk validation was carried out is to help in reducing the chances of getting a work related musculoskeletal disorder and cost of treatment from injuries sustained (if any at all, considering the tolerable amount derived from the evaluation and chances of any injury sustained, this is as a result of proper training of the staffs).

environment is under constant threat as a result of modernisation

environment is under constant threat as a result of modernisation The environment is under constant threat as a result of modernisation, business activities, constant growth and development. All these are human activities that affect the immediate environment. The depletion in natural resources especially by the oil and gas companies such as the Pipeline Product Marketing Company (PPMC) has resulted in serious environmental impacts. Therefore, the need for sustainability and sustainable development cannot be overemphasized as it has become more important over the last two decades (Micheal Lan, 2000; Carbon Trust, 2008; Hahn, 2001; Cunningham et al., 2005). These accounts for the increasing pressure on governments to develop a response to a variety of problems which range from the use of natural resources to pollution control. In response, variety of environmental protection legislation and regulations were formulated with the aim of protecting the environment (Powley, 2004; IEMA 2005). The increase in natural resources consumption between 1961 and 1990 by 25% every 10 years resulted in serious environmental impacts in the form of acid rain. This leads to raising acidity in the soil and water thereby causing damage to forest crops, and freshwater fish and wildlife. Methane emission and mining waste, oil spills, air pollution by sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide as a result of burnt coal, oil or gas including climate change are also causes of environmental impacts (Micheal Lan, 2000; Edwards, 2000; Jaccard, 2005). PPMC is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation owned by the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The company is involved in oil processing, production and marketing. PPMC was established to offer excellent customer services by transporting crude oil to the Nigerian three refineries as well as moving white petroleum products to existing markets. Its main objective is to profitably and efficiently market refined petroleum and petrochemical products in the domestic market as well as in the ECOWAS sub region and also provide marine services (PPMC, 2009). INVESTMENT PROJECT The PPMCs monitory and inspection department has 36 vehicles, a vehicle in each of the 36 states of Nigeria. The vehicles are used as official cars by staff in order to move in-between their offices, depot and filling stations and monitor and inspect their daily operational activities. Each car covers hundreds of kilometres daily due to the long distance between their office, filling stations as well as depots which are located far out of the city for environmental purpose. Every car consumes approximately 50 litres of petrol per day. However, it is environmentally unfriendly as they pollute the environment with carbon emissions. The company has set a target to drastically reduce or if possible to stop polluting the environment. Therefore, the senior management wants to accomplish a viable project with a length of 4 years, to improve their environmental performance and upgrade its corporate social responsibility. This project is expected to be a non-profit project that could bring ma ny savings to the company and return the initial investment in 3 years in order to avoid risk. The decision of expecting the payback period of 3 years was made by the senior management after careful consideration of the companys payback criteria which is 5yrs. PPMC has a standard of judging all its investments objectively, so as to determine whether the payback period is good or bad thereby passing an objective judgement as to know if the investment is worthy to be taken or not. Reducing or stopping the amount of petrol that is used during their daily activities, will support the company to obtain good corporate image and cost savings as each litre of petrol is N65 (Naira). In addition the company spends an average of N25, 000 monthly for maintenance on every car. PPMC is experiencing a great loss of resources as a result of this high petrol consumption every day there by polluting the natural environment. The vehicles have been used for approximately 6 years which has exceeded its guarantee period of 1 year. They are being used at maximum level as PPMC operates everyday including weekends and public holidays due to their nature of work and huge demand for their supply. The company is currently spending N52, 920,000 annually trying to main tain and fuel the old vehicles. The breakdown of these expenses is shown below: Annual cost of fuel and maintenance (Running cost). This includes running cost of fuel, repairs and monthly checks. Monthly cost of fuel = 50 x 36 x 30 x 65 = N3, 510,000 Annual cost of fuel = N3, 510,000 x 12 = N42, 120,000 Monthly cost of maintenance = N25, 000 x 36 = N900, 000 Annual cost of maintenance = N900, 000 x 12 = N10, 800, 000 Total Annual Expenditure = N42, 120,000 + N10, 800, 000 = N52, 920,000 In order to solve the above mentioned issues, PPMC management have decided to replace the old vehicles with brand new electric cars. These electric cars use neither petrol nor diesel, they have zero emission and their only by product is water. The car is known as Honda FCX Clarity, it is a Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV). This vehicle has worn the world green car award, during the 2009 World Cars Awards in Newyork. This award has upgraded Hondas corporate image by exposing its commitment towards a green environment. In addition, Honda already has an excellent history of environmental leadership as they are known to be manufactures of low emission vehicles under an improved regulatory requirement (Honda, 2009). It is rated by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) as the greenest auto maker for four different times in a row (UCS, 2007). The car generates electricity through the V flow fuel cell stack and stores it by the use of its highly efficient lithium ion battery, which helps recover energy. It also monitors electrical flow through its power drive unit and propels the vehicle (Honda, 2009). Honda FCX Clarity has an improved safety measures such as the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), six air bags and a unit body structure that is well reinforced. It also has a visual and audio alert which alert the driver in case of any potential collision. Another safety precaution programmed in the vehicle is the prompting of the driver by the automatic tug of the seat belt in case of an unavoidable accident it minimises the speed by breaking force to reduce the impact of collision. Furthermore, it has a very strong electric motor as well as groundbreaking new fuel cell stack. These safety measures have been tested by the United States Federal Safety Standards and it was a success story (Honda, 2009). The purchase of Honda FCX Clarity by PPMC will demonstrate the companys commitment towards the reduction of Co2 emission thereby protecting the environment. The company will also be recognised as the first to introduce zero emission cars to Nige ria and it will serve as a solution that could bring cost savings. Total cost of investment Number of cars to be purchased = 36 cars Cost of each car = N3, 000,000 Total amount to be spent on cars = N3, 00,000 x 36 = N108, 000,000 Cost of delivery (Shipping) = N300, 000 x 36 = N10, 800,000 Total cost of investment = N108, 000,000 + N10, 800,000 = N118, 800,000 Annual savings The investment is expected to save the annual cost of fuel and maintenance; N42, 120,000 + N10, 800, 000 = N52, 920,000 Since the vehicle also comes with a free maintenance package including running cost for 3years 6months in form of a guarantee, as it is a newly introduced vehicle. Honda Company is trying to advertise this environmentally friendly vehicle to the world and attracting customers by covering maintenance and running cost. This is better compared to the guarantee of the old vehicles which is only 1 year. N52, 920,000 will be saved in the first year, while in the subsequent years N1 per litre will be added due to the projected annual oil product price increment. Therefore the total cost of investment will save the annual cost of fuel and maintenance. It is important to note that N65 is the current price of the petrol in Nigeria. Investment appraisal is a technique used by managers to achieve their target. It is the duty of the manager to determine and prove the importance of the project (Akalu, 2001; Mulholland et al., 2003). Therefore, it is important in the planning of this particular environmental project. PAYBACK PERIOD The duration of time for the PPMC to gain its initiated investment of N118, 800,000 on implementation is known as the payback period (Layard Glaister, 1994). The period of time that cash inflows will become the same with cash outflows is also known as the payback period (ACCA, 2008). However, it does not consider time value for money which expresses that, amount saved today is much more valuable than the same amount saved in 2 years. This is considered as one of the greatest setback (Dury, 1997). Initial investment Annual savings Table 1 Payback period   Ã‚                                                            Cash flow                                              Cumulative cash flow Initial Investment                     (118,800,000)                                                (118,800,000) Savings Year 1                                                   52,920,000                                                      (65,880,000) Year 2                                                   42,768,000                                                      (23,112,000) Year 3                                                   43,416,000                                                       20,304,000 Year 4                                                   44,064,000                                                       44,064,000 Total savings                           N183, 168,000 Initial Investment = N118, 800,000 Year 1 and Year 2 savings            =         52,920,000 + 42,768,000 = N95, 688,000 Year 3 = N43, 416,000 In order to calculate the payback period with precision and accuracy, the year 3 savings should be broken down to monthly by dividing it by 12 and then the cumulative savings for year 1 and 2 should be subtracted from the initial investment. The result should then be divided by the monthly savings of year 3 to have the actual number of months (Mclaney, 1994). This is calculated below: Savings per month for year 3 = N43, 416,000/12 = N3, 618,000 N118, 800,000 N95, 688,000 = N23, 112,000/N3, 618,000 = 6.38 Approximately 6 months. Payback period is 2years 6 months   NET PRESENT VALUE (NPV) NPV is realised by using a discount rate to determine the current value of future savings and subtracting the capital cost (Hannagan, 2008). This method accepts with projects that have positive NPV. The method also makes comparison between present value of cash outflows and inflows from an investment (ACCA, 2008). The table below shows the number of years (4), future value (FV), cash flow, discount factor (DF) 15% and the present value (PV). The first step in calculating NPV is to multiply the cash inflow (savings) by the DF of each year to get the PV. Then, sum up the PV and deduct the initial investment from the total PV to arrive at the NPV (Mclaney, 1994). 15% DF was selected not to make profit but to avoid risk; it was selected after considering the current base rate of the Central Bank Nigeria which is 13.2% as the base rate keeps appreciating every year (CBN, 2009). Inflation rate in Nigeria increases, therefore oil product price will also appreciate. Table 2 NPV calculation   Ã‚                                                        CF in Naira (N)                DF (15%)                PV in Naira (N) Initial investment                      (118,800,000)             1.000                            (118,800,000) Savings Year 1                                                    52,920,000                                    0.870                               46,040,000 Year2                                                      42,768,000                                  0.756                               32,333,000 Year 3                                                    43,416,000                                  0.658                               28,568,000 Year 4                                                    44,064,000                                    0.572                            25,205,000 Total savings                                 183,168,000                                                                            132,146,000 NPV = Total PV of savings PV of investment N132, 146,000 N118, 800,000 = 13,346,000 The project has a positive NPV as such it should be undertaken. INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN (IRR) IRR is a very important technique that influences the decision making as to whether or not an investment should be approved. It is interested in projects whose IRR are greater than the target rate of return. It also considers time value for money (ACCA, 2008). In order to have precision in calculating the IRR similar steps will be taken as how the NPV was sorted. However, it will require calculations at two different stages (NPV1 and NPV2) with two different DFs and normally both DFs should be greater than the DF used to determine the NPV. Finally the IRR formula will then be applied. IRR = NPV1 x (B A) + A NPV1 NPV2 Table 3: IRR calculation Years                           Cash Flows                DF (at 18%)                   PV Year 0                           (118,800,000)                      1.000                         (N118, 800 Initial investme-+nt) Year 1                               52,920,000                            0.847                                     44,823,000 Year 2                               42,768,000                              0.718                               30,707,000 Year 3                            43,416,000                            0.609                                     26,440,000 Year 4                               44,064,000                              0.516                               22,737,000 Total savings             183,168,000                                                                      124,707,000 NPV1 = 124, 707,000 118, 800,000 = + 5, 907,000 Table 4:  Ã‚                                 Years Cash flow                               DF (at23%)          PV Year 0                  (118,800,000)                                     1.000                                     (118,800,000) Year 1                                             52,920,000                                          0.813                                        43,024,000 Year 2                                             42,768,000                                          0.661                                          28,270,000 Year 3                                             43,416,000                                          0.537                                          23,314,000 Year 4                                             44,064,000                                          0.437                                          19,256,000 Total savings                         183,168,000                                                                                              113,864,000 NPV2 =      113,864,000 118,800,000 = 4,936,000 IRR calculation:                           Ã‚   5907  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  x (23 18) + 18   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5907 (- 4936)   Ã‚                                                                                   IRR=20.7% NON FINANCIAL FACTORS The key purpose of an environmental initiative according to Sheldon and Yoxon (2003) is to reduce environmental impacts of an organisation in ways which makes business sense. The direct result of this provides organisations with benefits which include the use of alternative source of energy to increase in an organisations efficiency, thus providing the organisation with a competitive edge. In addition, it ensures compliance with environmental regulations and increases organisation understands of how its activities impact the environment (Brady, 2006). PPMC has a lot to benefit apart from the financial savings. The organisation will be contributing its own quota towards achieving sustainability. This will result in environmental performance improvement through the initiative of purchasing brand new cars to reduce or stop carbon emissions. The initiative will reduce pollution, minimise waste, protect the natural environment and provide better corporate social responsibility as well as good corporate image to the organisation. Furthermore, status of the companys reputation will be upgraded as it is encouraging green environment and legal compliance (Aslaksen Synnedstvedt, 2003). It will also assists in the implementation of environmental policy, while improving compliance with legislation and corporate image (Sheldon Yoxon, 2003). Moreover, PPMC will demonstrate good operations within a safe and clean environment thereby creating a friendly environment for staff and the public (Edward, 2004). This will help sort out social matters and improve health and safety. Since, the electric cars have a highly improved safety measures that could provide ways of pollution control to protect the people and their environment (Edward, 2004). The company could also benefit from changes within the organisation, by delivering this environmental initiative that deals with environmental impacts such as climate change and global warming caused by their emissions (Murray, 2003). In addition, it will support the company to identify and minimise its impacts on the environment so as to enhance its corporate social responsibilities through the use of an alternative source of energy. This will not only promote their business environment but will promote the global environment at large. Purchasing the zero emission vehicles will pave way for the organisation to achieve sustainable development since it is a strategy that could consider maximum utility of resources. In addition, the project is not aimed at profit making but returning of initial investment. SUGGESTIONS/DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION. The rate of interest at which the investment cost leads to investment benefit is known as the IRR. This means that, all investment gains are with the time value for money and at the interest rate, the investment has a zero NPV (ACCA, 2008). This investment appraisal has demonstrated the use of IRR to value the cash flow and raise it as a consequence of the investment while determining it with inflation (ACCA, 2008). For example, a higher target rate of return was chosen, so that even in a situation where the inflation rate rises the company will still save cost. Interest rate may rise to 15% during the life time of the project due to the increasing inflation rate in Nigeria, as history has shown that Nigerian base rate rises up to 0.45 every year. Therefore, risk is incorporated and the project is considered less risky. The IRR is 20.7%, this has shown a very good risk margin considering the Nigerian economic instability. Furthermore, the advantage of the IRR being 20.7% is that, eve n if the interest rate increases the project will still be economically good. Base rate of the Central Bank of Nigeria was used to determine the cost of capital and calculate the initial NPV. The base rate was also used to incorporate inflation by discounting cash flows to get the future value. Inflation changes value for money, this is the main reason for using the base rate in determining the discount factor for the NPV calculation. Two discount rates were used to solve the equation of IRR which assumes that NPV changes with discount rate but this is not the case in reality. The positive result of the NPV means that the project should be accepted and the chosen discount rate of 15% helped identify the actual value of the savings to be made, based on the fact that the project is anticipated to make an overall savings. However, the actual value of IRR is more important as it considers the current economic climate and the future interest rate of Nigeria. The result has shown that the IRR is higher than the target rate of return. It is important to note that, ba se rate is used to determine NPV not IRR while IRR assumes that NPV is zero. The savings to be realised by PPMC as a result of the new initiative as well as the indication of an attractive Payback period upon investment is clearly exposed. Payback period 2 years 6 months is a good payback period since, the criteria requires payback of the initial investment in 5yrs. Hence, it would have been a bad payback period if it exceeds 5years. Furthermore, PBP was used to support other data because it is not enough to serve as criteria for investment. The company will continue to benefit from the project for years even after returning the initial investment. PPMC could consider using a different discount rate for this project since it is aimed at executing an environmental project and not profit making. This appraisal has been thoroughly evaluated and has proven that the investment is reasonable (Mclaney, 1994). Since, the company will spend only N65, 880,000 more on the annual maintenance cost (52, 920,000) and save N52, 920,000 in the first year and more in the subse quent years at the same time stopping the carbon emissions from the old cars. In addition, it is a mandatory for the company to meet up the governments requirement to reduce environmental impact and comply with the prevailing legislation. If the organisation was not to invest in this project the money would have been channelled to the federation account and budgeted to execute other projects in other sectors or Nigerian ministries. However, PPMC has the authority to use any reasonable amount to improve its environmental performance or execute any viable project that will be beneficial to the organisation. Finally, the calculation resulted in a less discount rate where NPV1 became positive and a greater discount rate where NPV2 remain negative and IRR fell in between the two discount factors (ACCA, 2008). The 3 investment appraisal techniques were fully utilised to determine the projects viability. This has proven that the project is economically viable (Mclaney, 1994). In view of this, the investment appraisal is affordable and worthy of acceptance. Moreover, the purchase of the electric cars is the best option, as it will not only reduce carbon emissions but will stop the emissions from the old vehicles completely, thereby upgrading the companys image as well as enhancing its overall environmental performance.