Program Planning and Evaluation

Program planning is the starting blue prints or structure of a new program or even used to improve a program already in place. Program planning involves research, making goals, setting up objectives in order to meet goals and gathering information. Program planning also includes information about the budget such as how much it will cost in order to provide the services intended by the program. Program planning tells us what the problem is, who the program targeted population is, where are the targeted population demographically located, and why there is a problem. Program planning involves a lot of thought and information collected by the staff and where available the clients as well. Program planning determines what obstacles the program may encounter along the way and plans to work around the obstacles. Program planning should be done carefully and thoroughly because as a blue print for a program we would like the finishing product to be very well built and organized with a great finished product. Program evaluation is the ongoing collection of data which the staff of the program can take into consideration when making changes for necessary improvements or for future planning of the program. Program evaluations show the staff the strong points of the program they may wish to leave alone and also the weak points of the program they may need to make stronger. Program evaluation is important because it helps to keep the program running smoothly in order to meet their goals and provide sufficient services to the community and clients that the program serves. Program planning and program evaluations work together in order to make a program effective and efficient. Program planning does not stop just because a program is up and running since there will always be changes that need to be made as the program grows and needs to meet the demands of more clients and becomes a bigger part of the community it serves. Therefore program evaluations continue to help keep the program planning on a proper level and help the staff make decisions needed in order to meet demands and still plan goals and objectives successfully. The scenario I have chosen to work with this year is the PEACE Domestic Violence Agency. I believe that both program planning and program evaluation interrelate in this scenario because there is a growing problem with violence in the city of Portland and without action it will probably become worse. There needs to be a program in place in order to give any means of help to the community that can be offered and that will require program planning. The continuous changes of needs, and the need to ensure effectiveness is going to require the implementation of program evaluations in order to help measure the success and continue make the success rates higher. The technical aspects of program planning should consist of inputs to outputs that would in turn provide the community the social justice needed. I believe that the technical aspects are to make a crisis hotline available which would provide 24 hour access to a staff member who can help. I believe that there should be qualified counselors staffed within the program in order to help the individual to identify needs and also to obtain protection orders if necessary. I think that having a shelter or an affiliated shelter would be helpful because some clients are going to need a place to stay and receive a chance at a fresh start through transitional housing. Further I believe that technical aspects would be to also get some community awareness started about violence and ways to prevent it. This can be a fun community activity during which individuals learn to look out for one another instead of hurting one another or turning the other way while someone else is hurt. On the other hand there needs to be rehabilitation for the individuals who act violently. Enabling them to lead a better life and teaching them to protect others instead of causing harm. Aspects that can affect the program planning and evaluation process are that there might be some people still too afraid to come forward and fight for the changes that benefit them. They might have their doubts that the program will work because the violence rates are so high and so many people have failed to fully help them. A person who has been a victim might be inclined to move on but become victim again. A person hurting others may be inclined to feel there is no need for them to get help. The way these aspects can affect the program planning and program evaluation are because they are obstacles that would prevent the program from becoming successful and promoting a better outcome for individuals and the community. In order to prevent hindering the program we have to find other ways to get through and rebuttal the situations. Political aspect of the program planning and evaluation would be to ask for harder punishment for those who are on the violent side of the fence. I would also ask for more police involvement in the community and if needed be the hiring of more police authority in the area to help in lowering the amount of time it takes to get to a situation involving violence. I would ask for education about violence to be implemented through school systems and jail or prison facilities to raise the possibility of positive changes. I would ask for cameras to be placed at stop lights and in other areas where road rage was the worst in order to help in providing proper apprehending of drivers who have a problem. These aspects could affect planning and evaluation of the program because political authorities might not feel there is enough violence to take action. It also could affect the planning and evaluation because the political authorities might not have the funds to provide the help needed. The political authorities might agree to the needs but on lesser terms. This would mean that in order to have success rates we are looking for we need to find other ways to get the help needed.

Gold and Diamond Mining of Africa Essay

* Diamond mining in Africa Ever since the Kimberley diamond strike of 1868, South Africa has been a world leader in diamond production. The primary South African sources of diamonds, including seven large diamond mines around the country, are controlled by the De Beers Consolidated Mines Company. In 2003, De Beers’s operations accounted for 94% of the nation’s total diamond output of 11,900,000 carats. Nicky Oppenheimer, the current Chairman of DeBeers. * The life of the miners The search for diamonds is not exactly easy. Many miners and diamond diggers in sub-Saharan Africa travel great distances to find work and submit to gruelingly long hours for low wages – or sometimes no wages – in substandard conditions. Child labor has long been a problem in informal diamond mines, especially during times of war. Children have often been exploited to do excavation work because they are small enough to be lowered into small, narrow pits by ropes to dig out sacks of dirt, which is in turn washed by other children in search of diamonds. During Sierra Leone’s 10-year civil war, children were often used as soldiers and workers in the rich Koidu diamond mines that funded the country’s rebels. USAID launched the Kono Peace Diamond Alliance in 2002 to try to improve the working conditions in the mines – particularly for children. But it is an uphill battle across Africa to get children who are either family breadwinners, or fending for themselves or conscripted into slave-like labor to stop working and go to school. A child solider in Africa Land is often cleared and vegetated areas dug up to create open pit mines in he rushed search for diamond deposits, leaving them unsuitable for other farming activities. Informal mining in hilly areas also leads to erosion – and, in turn, flooding. The salt, heavy minerals and chemical products from mining equipment can run off into rivers and pollute vital water sources for mining communities and people living downstream. * gold mining in Africa South Africa accounted for 15% of the world’s gold production in 2002 and 12% in 2005, though the nation had produced as much as 30% of world output as recently as 1993. Despite declining production, South Africa’s gold exports were valued at $3. billion USD in 2005. Almost 50% of the world’s gold reserves are found in South Africa. Barrick Gold Corporation is the largest pure gold miningcompany in the world, with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and four regional business units (RBU’s) located in Australia, Africa, North America and South America. Barrick is currently undertaking mining and exploration projects in Saudi Arabia, Papua New Guinea, the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, Australia, Peru, Chile, Russia, South Africa,Pakistan, Colombia, Argentina and Tanzania. For 2008, it produced 7. million ounces of gold at a cash cost of US $443/ounce. As of December 31, 2008 its proven and probable gold mineral reserves stand at 138. 5 million ounces. Peter monk, the wizard of gold mining * The life of gold miners The unknown factor in South Africa is the future of labor costs. The mines employ several hundred thousand miners underground: half the production costs are for wages. Most of the gold miners are members of the black National Union of Mineworkers, which is pressing hard both for political and social reform, and for better wages and working conditions for its members. But the long-delayed beginnings of political reform in South Africa in the late 1980s coincided with a slump in gold prices. The South African gold mines, many of them a century old, were by then the world’s deepest, and were technically very difficult and financially very expensive to operate even in spite of the low wages paid to the miners. The quality of the ore was slowly dropping: the average gold ore now averages less than 5 grams of gold per tonne. Winnie Mandela is on record as saying to black miners, â€Å"You hold the golden key to our liberation. The moment you stop digging gold and diamonds, that is the moment you will be free. † She could not be more wrong. If the gold mines close, the economic disaster will be visited most on the poorer section of society, the blacks. The South African reforms were predicated absolutely on a stable and healthy economy. In 1999, the price of gold dropped to a low point around $250/oz. This was very bad news for South African gold companies, South African gold miners, and the South African government. Gold companies scrambled to reorganize and streamline their operations. By the time the price again reached $290 again in early 2000, the gold industry had changed dramatically, in South Africa and globally. Health problems of gold miners who worked underground include decreased life expectancy; increased frequency of cancer of the trachea, bronchus, lung, stomach, and liver; increased frequency of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), silicosis, and pleural diseases; increased frequency of insect-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever; noise-induced hearing loss; increased prevalence of certain bacterial and viral diseases; and diseases of the blood, skin, and musculoskeletal system. These problems are briefly documented in gold miners from Australia, North America, South America, and Africa. In general, HIV infection or excessive alcohol and tobacco consumption tended to exacerbate existing health problems. Miners who used elemental mercury to amalgamate and extract gold were heavily contaminated with mercury. Among individuals exposed occupationally, concentrations of mercury in their air, fish diet, hair, urine, blood, and other tissues significantly exceeded all criteria proposed by various national and international regulatory agencies for protection of human health.

Animal Testing Essays (2581 words) - Animal Welfare, Bioethics

Animal testing is a popular and controversial issue that has sparked numerous debates between each side throughout the years. Animal testing is a form of experimentation that involves testing different products on all kinds of animals to see if they produce any side effects. These products could be make up, drugs, perfume, cleaning products and various other things. In certain countries, the law specifies that a new drug should essentially be tested on at least two different species of live mammal, one of which must be a large non-rodent. (Retrieved from www.buzzle.com on July 30, 2010.) The Animal act states that animals should not be used for testing of drugs if there is a realistic alternative available. However this has not stopped it from being done. Animals have been the test subject for anesthetics to prevent any pain or suffering during surgery on humans. Some of the testing performed on these animals has caused tumors and the results of the testing were found not relevant fo r any human. It has been found that a lot of the substances used in animals metabolize differently than they do in the human body. Therefore the results cannot transfer safely to patients. Lemon juice is one example of this finding; while it is not harmful to humans it is a poison to some animals. These tests are being conducted and are costing billions of dollars to perform and only a handful of them are providing any real kind of result. If you refer back to the question in our week two discussion of ?Is it ok to do an evil deed if the outcome could benefit others you can clearly see that in the case of animal testing the answer is no. They are not only wasting their time but they are wasting money on something that isn?t beneficial at all. These animals are being put through torture on the hope that ?something big? will come out of it. The acts these people are performing are inhumane and unjust. Proctor and Gamble is a large well known company and is also one of the companies that participate in animal testing. In 1989 P&G received a lot of press for their use of dogs as test subjects. Since then the company claims to only use rats, mice, rabbits and other small animals for testing. Retrieved from idausa.org on July 30, 2010. The company has not released any facts that support this but they still claim to have reduced their animal usage by up to 90 percent. The company has stated that they continue to look for alternatives to animal testing and feel they are using good scientific, ethical, and business sense with their actions. However they fought a deal in 1987 that would have done away with animal testing by their company all together. They also tried to convince people that testing on animals is humane and necessary. Retrieved from www.idausa.org on July 30, 2010. Proctor and Gamble makes so many of the products in today?s market and it is hard to compete. However there are many companies that produce the same products and do not participate in animal testing. The bottom line is this company would rather spend billions on advertising and promotion then on alternatives to testing. Looking for alternatives to testing does not benefit them the way that promoting their product does. People are not going to respond to an alternative to testing like they would to a cool new shampoo commercial. None of the tests that they perform are required by law and very few of them actually produce any results. P&G is just one of the many companies that tests it?s product on animals. Cosmetics companies are another key player in the animal testing field. Eye shadows are tested on rabbits to find out how much damage or irritation they cause. Sunscreen is tested on guinea pigs to see how much of an allergic reaction it will provide. Many of these big companies will hire outside companies to avoid any bad publicity for their company. Another unethical decision made by a money hungry company. These companies claim to be protecting the health and safety of humans with their testing. They claim these tests will prove

The Analysis on the Road Pricing in the UK Essay

The Analysis on the Road Pricing in the UK - Essay Example transportation modes interact in our analytical scheme, cite factors that influence our efforts to arrive at a workable solution, and then discuss other alternatives. Walking is the simplest means of personal mobility, and when the purpose of such action is to move from one place to another, it is known by another term: transport. Mobility and transport depends on several factors ranging from the anatomical, like having two legs, to the external, like having a path on which to move or transport one’s body. Mobility and transport have been amongst the important factors that determined human development, and whether we like it or not, these are subject to the economic law of supply and demand. The development of transport supply and demand has given rise to the complex system of transport infrastructures, modes of transportation, and the propensity for personal mobility we enjoy today. We take mobility as part of a natural ability to be where we want to be, and take it against our privilege any obstacle that restricts this freedom in any way. This is why transport has become subject to the laws of supply and demand, for whereas the demand for mobility continues to increase with human development the supply of transport infrastructure that makes it possible is limited. Fig. 1 shows the effects of developments in transportation in increasing the speed of mobility. Economists (Rodrigue et al., 2006) define transport supply as the capacity of transportation infrastructures and modes, generally over a geographically defined transport system and for a specific period of time. Transport demand is the expression of transport needs, regardless of whether those needs are satisfied fully, partially, or not at all. Both are commonly quantified in terms of capacity (infrastructure), frequency (services), and networks, as in the number of passengers, volume (liquids), or mass (freight) that can be (supply) or needed to be (demand) transported per unit of time and

Reactive Power (VAR) Compensation using Photovoltaic (PV) Inverter Assignment

Reactive Power (VAR) Compensation using Photovoltaic (PV) Inverter - Assignment Example The error is sent via PI controller and summed to the grid’s voltage in order in order to get a voltage amplitude equivalent to that of the inverter. Active power generated by the inverter is compared with reference active power signal to produce error. Error passes via PI controller, giving rise to a loading angle. This loading angle is then summed to grid’s voltage phase angle, hence resulting to an increased inverter phase angle. The Phase Locked Loop will still recognize the fundamental positive sequence of the source voltage even at the worst cases scenarios of voltage harmonic distortion.   At these conditions, the active filter absorbs balanced and sinusoidal currents from the source, which are in phase with corresponding fundamental positive sequence of the source voltages. The development of this regulation structure for active power filter is employed when combining with other structures that are to be connected in dc link bus. The structures are static converters that are capable of exchanging active power between an energy source or an energy storage device (capacitor at night). The inverter easily transfers this active power to the grid.   A Power Conditioner with energy storage capability is a viable solution in improving the reliability and the qual ­ity of an electric energy supply. There are several tasks that are performed at a single time, for example current harmonic reduction, smoothing of pulsating loads and reactive power com ­pensation. Moreover, the Power Condioner should work as Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) at a short time during interruptions of the grid supply. The Power Compensator is a flexible that is coupled to energy storage device like supercapacitor and battery. At the inverter’s dc side, there is a capacitor that stabilizes proper voltage level for better operation of the inverter that acts current source. The rectifier delivers dc power

THE SUCCESS OF A COMPANY DEPENDS ON HOW TO WHAT DEGREE EXERCISES ITS Essay

THE SUCCESS OF A COMPANY DEPENDS ON HOW TO WHAT DEGREE EXERCISES ITS MARKETING STRATEGY - Essay Example ether or not LVMH has sound marketing strategy, and whether or not the extent to which the strategies apply, has implications on company’s performance. Literature will be reviewed to seek evidence from published documented articles on marketing strategies. Specifically in this case, literature will be reviewed on marketing strategy-types, theoretical models and other relevant information based on the case study of LVMH. The study will concentrate its arguments on the 4Ps of marketing model: product, price, promotion and placement; it will also seek to explain why some companies are leaders in business market and others followers; or rater, why some companies remain forever successful while other enter the market but have no solid results to show. Business market is rapidly globalizing. As a result, there is increasing competition in the market environment. Large and small businesses are battling in the same markets to ensure profits; only the smartest in this survival-of-the-fittest game can make it. Therefore, it needs companies to have smart business strategies in marketing as it is the core of customer satisfaction. â€Å"A marketing strategy is a summary of your companys products and positions in relation to the competition; your sales and marketing plans are the specific actions youre going to undertake to achieve the goals of your marketing strategy† (Ward, 2011). Therefore, concerning to the defined values, this study will focus on LVMH’s international marketing strategy and how it has turned the company into a leading luxury brand. Marketing ensures that a customer gets to know the products and services a company offers on numerous prices. Therefore a company that has to maintain its competitive edge amidst the stiff competition has to have a smart marketing strategy. A marketing strategy simply ensures that marketing plans are effectively rolled out. In this study, the first chapter will present an overview of marketing strategies as background

The importance of HBCUs in the modern world Research Paper

The importance of HBCUs in the modern world - Research Paper Example Equality was often the cry. Nowadays, when people think they have achieved the desires of their old folks, social issues such as discrimination or racism are seriously examined on every corner of the world. With the acceptance of the merging of different races towards a global goal, it is being considered if racism has indeed been eradicated or if there is still the scars of racism that show that in the modern world, racism still exists. One of the things being closely examined in relation to this issue is the existence of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in a world wherein such racist impositions are greatly criticized. In this paper, it will be studied if the HBCUs are still relevant or if they should be dissolved just as slavery has been dissolved in order to get rid not only of the pains of racism but also its memories and scars. In order to consider well the different angles of the HBCUs, it is important to learn about the history of the colleges and universit ies. According to the title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965, an HBCU is a school of higher learning whose principal mission was and is the education of African Americans accredited and established before 1964 (thurgoodmarshallfund.net). The Higher Education Center on the other hand specifically mentions that it is any historically black college or university (higheredcenter.org) and continues with the definition mentioned earlier. The first HBCU was established in 1837, twenty six years before the end of slavery (Coleman), in Pennsylvania and named Cheney University. The school catered to African Americans who have just earned their freedom from their slavery, who wanted to earn an education which they believed would grant them better lives. It was birthed by a Quaker who was also known to be a philanthropist, who yearned to educate and train free Blacks to become teachers (Coleman). For years, HBCUs stood for the educational rights of African American citizens and provided them with quality education that helped them actively participate in their communities. Among them are Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University organized in 1875 through the efforts of a former slave, William Hooper Council; Bowie State University which boasts of its dedication to the advancement of knowledge through teaching, research and service; and Lincoln University, known as the oldest historically black university founded in 1854 (thurgoodmarshallfund.net). The Historically Black Colleges and Universities boast of quality education that made way for a lot of African Americans and other cultures alike to succeed in the educational arena not only for undergraduates but also for graduate studies. It is claimed that nine out of ten of those who earn doctoral degrees are from HBCUs. Moreover, the HBCUs also boast about the high percentage of practicing professionals to be their graduates and African American Medical school applicants from HBCUs to have outnumbered the applic ants from Johns Hopkins, Harvard and the University of Maryland, combined (thinkhbcu.org). Among others that make HBCUs proud about their achievements are the significant number of their African American degree holders and doctorate degrees awarded for communications. HBCUs also boast that they are excellent institutions falling in line with the top ten colleges and universities for African American, even placing in the top six

Human Resource Integrated Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Resource Integrated Systems - Essay Example Nowadays due to developing high technologies such systems are used practically by all companies. They are constantly being improved and complemented with additional services. That is why it is possible to draw a conclusion that integrated system play a very important role in every private or public activity. Most of the companies can't imagine their work without these systems as well as without computers. HRIS is a great helper in dealing with human resources. (Reh 2005) The primary functions of the HRIS within the business organization are to monitor the availability of skilled workers, to recruit and to screen applicants for jobs, to help in selecting qualified employees, etc. HRIS can automate and store all the mentioned functions. It is similar to software system, but it is used by employers not by customers. The systems are told to be robust and such as integrate "with third party solutions for payroll tax tables and more". (Human Resources Information System) HRIS disciplinary process gives the opportunity to "flag" employees' records, to send different reminders to diaries and to delete reminders automatically when are not used. (Human Resources Information System) Keeping all copies of employees' certificate

The Atlantic Slave Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Atlantic Slave Trade - Essay Example Such factors acted as drive towards exploitation of profitable commercial opportunities outside Europe and the desire of creating alternative trade network to the one under control of Muslim Empire in Middle East, and appeared as a threat to European Christendom. The traders from Europe wanted gold for trade in exchange for luxury goods like spices without the compulsion of obtaining such items from Middle East (Carson et. al 1-9). Initially, though the Europeans took part in Atlantic trade, other nationalities took part. These include the Italian kingdoms, Iberian kingdoms, Netherland, France and England. Such diversity enhances the initial exploration of Atlantic trade as an international exercise. The African countries that took part in transatlantic trade include Gambia, Nigeria, Mozambique, Ghana, Angola and Benin. The Caribbean and Latin America countries include Brazil, Cuba, Barbados, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Tobago and Jamaica. The North America and European coun tries include Netherland, France, Portugal, United Kingdom, Spain, Denmark, United States of America and Norway (Carson et. al 1-9). The significance of 1492 in relation to the slave trade entailed various events. First, period of Portuguese capture of slave started in 1941 in Morocco and ended in 1492 after discovery of America. The beginning of 1492 witnessed over ten million slaves introduced to New World. This was after famous voyage of Columbus in 1492 that led to adoption of slavery by Spaniards (Carson et. al 1-9). The choice of Africans resulted since Native Americans proved unsuitable for hard labor. They sought slaves to supply labor, and they believed Africans were strong and could withstand harsh conditions. The period after 1660 had the slaves considered inferior to the whites, and the slavery institution appeared first in statute books of the Jamestown. This made historians perceive slave or Negro similar to white indentured servant, making them live together in same c onditions. Black African laborers appeared more efficient and valuable for working in the fields than their white indentured counterparts. Africans were resistant to the hot and arid climate and were thus well adapted to those conditions. African slaves remained slaves for life, but the indentured servants were only slaves for a certain period (Carson et. al 1-9). Slaves were not Christians, hence separated from indentured servants who believed in God. Furthermore, people perceived slaves as dumb, ignorant and lazy as they never understood the dialect of the white man. The Englishmen felt superior, and they considered Africans as Negroes and property of the Englishman. Justification for Enslavement of Africans The governments from the countries that took part in the slave trade used ethical reasons to authorize slave trade. They adopted an ideology to justify their forceful enslavement of Africans. Such justification ensured consistency and unity. They believed that slaves were inca pable of ruling themselves and needed governance by others, especially the Europeans. This made Europeans appalled after realizing that Africans could be independent. They justified this disgust by claims of African being uncivilized and barbaric. The Europeans exploited this savage stereotype in their justification of enslaving Africans on a religious pretext using the name of God. Basis of such a justification was unsound owing to the complexity of civilization and government system in Africa,

Career Competence Factors Essay Example for Free

Career Competence Factors Essay The essential skills and abilities associated with students’ personal learning styles are many of the capabilities hiring managers look for when reviewing applications. University of Phoenix learning goals represent another set of core competencies that can help you become recognized as an exceptional candidate or employee. Part A Complete the Personality Spectrum on pp. 66–67 in Ch. 3 of Keys to Success. Based on the results, respond to the following: What is your primary strength? My primary strengths are that I am a THINKER and an ORGANZER. How does this strength make you a strong candidate or employee? I am good at solving problems and I am responsible and reliable. What is one area of improvement?Being a giver is an area that I need improvement in. How can you improve in this area to become a stronger candidate or employee?I can improve by being more sensitive to others feelings and needs. Part B Read the University of Phoenix Material: University of Phoenix Learning Goals, included in the materials for this assignment. Fill in the following matrix with summaries of how each university learning goal can help you with career preparedness. University Learning Goal How can each goal prepare you for success in the workplace? Professional Competence and Values Having values and ethics can help you in makin important and critical decision in the workplace. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Traditional Costing Methods vs Activity Based Costing (ABC)

Traditional Costing Methods vs Activity Based Costing (ABC) In this report I will attempt to discover whether it is feasible as a company to change the Traditional methods of costing we currently use to the more modern Activity Based Costing methods, looking at the benefits and drawbacks of changing and whether it is worth implementing these new costing methods to our company as a whole. Introduction / Background As a small local engineering firm we currently use the Traditional costing method where we apportion Production overheads on the basis of direct labour hours. Does this give a fair and accurate representation of the true cost of expenditure each product consumes or should we as a company convert to the Activity Based Costing system or ABC as I will refer to it from here in, where we first assigns costs to the activities that are the real cause of the overhead and then assign the cost of those activities only to the products that are actually demanding the activities. Would this give a fair and more realistic look at the way we cost jobs. In this report I will look at both methods and determine whether we as a company should change the way we cost our jobs and if we do change to the ABC method of costing, what the conditions are of implementing this to us. Traditional Costing Methods Currently we adopt the more traditional way of apportioning our production overheads which involves the overhead rate being calculated using direct labour hours, machine hours, or units, in our case using direct labour hours. The advantages of using this system are: Simplicity the calculation of overhead rates is relatively straightforward; They are widely understood in business; They are not expensive to operate; Until the late 1980s they were seen as fairly accurate; They are still being used after many decades. The weaknesses of traditional costing systems are: Their reliance on arbitrary rather than cause-and-effect allocation of overheads; Their inability to give accurate product costs in multiproduct companies; Their failure to analyze non-manufacturing costs. (Traditional costing system. A Dictionary of Business and Management. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 19 Nov. 2010 . ) Currently using the traditional method of cost accounting we are allocating the factorys indirect costs to the items manufactured on the basis of direct labour hours, By using only labour hours to allocate the manufacturing overhead to products, we are implying that the labour hours are the underlying cause of the factory overhead. Traditionally, that may have been sufficient for the companys external financial statements. However, in recent decades the manufacturing overhead has been caused by many other factors. For example, some customers are likely to demand additional manufacturing operations for their products. Other customers simply want great quantities of product. If we want to know the true cost to produce specific products for specific customers, the traditional method of cost accounting is inadequate. ABC was developed to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional method. Instead of just one costing such as labour hours, ABC will use many costings to allocate our indirect costs. A few of the costings that would be used under ABC include the number of machine setups, the pounds of material purchased or used, the number of engineering change orders, the number of machine hours, and so on. So do we continue to use this system because it is simple to use and has been used for decades or do we want a more accurate analysis and breakdown of the way we allocate costs. Activity Based Costing (ABC) Activity-Based Costing (ABC) is an Information System developed in the 1980s to overcome some of the limitations of traditional cost accounting and to enhance its usefulness to strategic decision-making. ABC systems are designed and implemented on the premise that products consume activities, activities consume resources and resources consume costs (Sprow, 1992). ABC systems assign costs to activities based on their consumption of resources, and then activity costs are assigned to products or services in proportion to a selected measure of their individual workloads (Anderson, 1993; p. 7). ABC systems examine all processes (or activities) that are actually relevant to the production of a product and attempt to determine exactly what portion of each resource is consumed i.e. which activity a particular product uses. (M. Gupta, K. Galloway / Technovation 23 (2003) 131-138) Why the need for ABC, you may ask; Nowadays managers are facing global competition and increased productivity in new manufacturing environments. Companies attempt to become customer focused and concentrate on quality products at competitive prices. Under these circumstances, many firms are interested in determining various costs more accurately with the objective to integrate manufacturing and marketing strategies. Various costing systems are used to provide an increased accuracy about product costs, product mix, pricing and other investment decision- makings. Some experiences reveal that the distortion in reported product costs and, in turn, product pricing could be reduced by using activity-based costing (ABC) (A. Gunasekaran, M. Sarhadil Int. J. Production Economics 56-57 (1998) 231-242) What are the benefits then of this new and modern way of costing, is it really the way forward for us. It wont eliminate costs but it will give us detailed information about the way we are consuming them, thus helping us to isolate problem areas with the view to rectifying why the costs are so high in these areas. ABC costing is a good tool where different customers require different needs. Its an unwritten rule respected by many in the business world that you generally treat your best customers the best. The problem is, do you really know who your best customers are, or do you think you know? The majority of business people have the false perception that the best customer is the one that accounts for the largest portion of your income every year. This is not always the case for the simple reason that the same customer may be responsible for the biggest part of your expenses also. Studies have shown that 20% of all customers virtually provide all the profits of a company. Another 60% break even and the remaining 20% only reduce the bottom line. Wouldnt it be nice if you had the names of that 20% of headache-inducing customers that are literally more trouble than theyre worth? To determine how much a customer is costing you, you must first identify the activities that relate to each customer and determine the total cost absorbed by those activities. These activities or c ost drivers should be considered then to measure the level of activity absorbed by each customer. The ultimate purpose of implementing ABC is to separate these activities into individual cost drivers. Then, all you have to do is measure each customers participation in the specific cost. (The ABC Portal is  © 2002 Offtech Computing Pty Ltd.) So with our customers needs being different in terms of specific shelters and designs we could cost jobs more accurately to each customer. Looking at the draw backs to the ABC costing system, we would have to take into account the data collection process for this new system could prove to be very time consuming along with the capital expenditure on this new system and its subsequent running costs. Employee resistance must also be taken into account. This is a major obstacle in implementation of an ABC system. Such resistance is natural as the most common objective is to give a reduction in overhead costs, and in almost all circumstances this could result in a reduction in personnel. So to break it down the advantages and disadvantages of ABC are; The main advantages: Assesses costs of individual activities, based on their use of resources Enables accurate costing of all activities to be obtained throughout an organisation. Easy to identify where high (and low) costs are being incurred and the cause. A valuable tool for both business and process improvement Helps with future product planning e.g. the cost of all activities associated with a product or service can be accurately determined before it is launched. This can then help with determining pricing, and any associated expenditure. Disadvantages include: It may be difficult to set up and establish, particularly if an organisation is using more traditional accounting methodologies. (barriers to change) Can be time consuming if all activities are to be costed May provide too much detail obscuring the bigger picture. Can lead to employee and possible management disharmony.

The Passion Of Saints Perpetua And Felicity Essay -- essays research p

The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity The document, â€Å"The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity,† shows just how mighty and fearless the faith of the martyrs were in Rome around 203 A.D. in which our story takes place. During the rule of Diocletian, Christianity was not the religion of popular belief. Many of Romans practiced polytheism. As a result, numerous Christian believers were persecuted for their divine faith in God. Surprisingly, the Christian martyrs did not care that they were sentenced to death. They believed that by dying for what they believe, it would only bring them closer to God and the Gates of Heaven. The document states, â€Å"For this cause have we devoted our lives, that we might do no such thing as this; this we agreed with you† (para. 18). To the martyrs, nothing was more important than fulfilling God’s duties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The martyrs in the document take on the role of mediator between God and man, spreading the Word of God to the masses of people and the relaying to them his holy message, in a sense taking on the role of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Perpetua, one of the martyrs when confronted about her faith by her father retorts, â€Å"I am Christian† (para.6). Another martyr, Felicity, confidently defends her faith and proclaims it openly by stating, â€Å"Stand fast in the faith, and love you all one another; and be not offended because of our passion† (para.20). This statement portrays to the reader the ...

Animal Testing in the United States Essay -- Science Product Expiramen

Millions of animals die each year in the United States due to animal testing. Animals are used in laboratories to test chemicals in products and also used in research for the study of diseases such as cancer and AIDS. Unfortunately, these animals suffer tremendously while being experimented on and afterwards they are commonly put to death. The government has established legislation which gives certain guidelines for animal in laboratories, but it does not apply to every animal. The government even requires certain animal experimentation on specific products such as pesticides. There is also much dispute on whether or not animal testing is actually reliable in research for human products and diseases. The issue of animal testing becomes an issue of ethics; do humans have the right to harm other species for their own benefits? This would be a much easier question to answer if people actually knew how relevant and useful animal experimentation and research was for humans. As of r ight now, humans are harming animals in experimentation without even knowing how valuable the results will be in benefiting human research. Animal testing is a cruelty to animals and it should be made illegal in the United States. The Draize test and the LD-50 tests are the most common types of product testing. The Draize test is done to measure the harmfulness of a chemical by observing its effect on the eyes and skin of animals. This test is mainly used to test chemicals in cosmetics. It is administered by applying 0.5mL or 0.5g of the test substance to the eye or skin of animal (most commonly rabbits) for four hours. The animal is then observed for fourteen days. There are two types of Draize tests: Skin irritancy test: experi... ... 8 March 2006. "Draize Test." Wikipedia. 22 February 2006. 7 March 2006. "History: Animal Welfare Act." 2005. American Anti-Vivisection Society. 8 March 2006. "http://www.aavs.org/welfare01.html> "Iams... The Suffering Behind the Scenes." 2006. 8 March 2006. "Public Health Service Policy of Human Care and Use of Laboratory Animals." 1 January 2006. National Institute of Health. 6 March 2006. Stephens, Martin and Rowan, David. "An overview of Animal Testing." 2006. The Humane Society of the United States. 8 March 2006. Stevens, Karen L. "Animal Testing Alternatives." All for Animals. 2006. All for Animals. 24 Apr. 2006 .

The American Civil War Essay -- History Historical Civil War Essays

The American Civil War In May of 1861 five states in the upper south United States seceded from the Union and joined the seven states already seceded and created the Confederate States of America. This was the beginning of the Civil War; it was the Union against the Confederates. Many People believed that the war would be over quickly they thought it was more of an uprising then a full on war. Nobody expected it to last four years and take so many lives. The Civil War was a serious test for the new democracy of the United States, it tested the strength of the government and all of the people involved. This would be a defining moment for the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the reasons for the south secession was the fact that the north was going to abolish slavery and the south still strongly believed in slavery. It was a very strong part of there work force, most of the income was from agriculture and the slaves worked the fields for the farmers. Then in early 1863 Lincoln passd the Emacipation Proclamation this stated that all slaves in the south were free and were welcome in the north. The north hope this would bring African American workers north and they would fight the war with the north. Another leading cause of the war was the election of president Lincoln he won the election but did not get a single electoral vote from the south. Lincoln was a strong abolishionist and he thought that if slavery was going to stay it should not be allowed in any new states joining the union. This angered the south and they felt that they had not been fairly represented in the election. This fueled many in the south to question if they should stay with the north. There were many important battles in the war but the first was the first battle at Bull Run. The Union sent a group of volunteer soldiers and they were not ready to fight them lacking training and they were disorderly on the battlefield. The confederate?s army was better prepared for the battle and they had a constant flow of troops coming in so they forced the Union soldiers to retreat. There were nearly 5,000 casualties, this showed that this was going to be long and drawn out. Many civilians came out to watch this battle because they thought that it would be a good form of entertainment, they soon learned that this was not true and that this war would be a bloody one. The Union also learned that th... ... was on of the most important points in American history is proved that our government was strong and here to stay. Through out the entire war congress and the other branches continued to function with out problems. They showed that even under dire circumstances like war in your back yard the American people can be strong. Many people today still honor the soldiers who lost there lives by holding civil war reninactments and the sites of famous battles. The largest one is when they reninact Gettysburg they do it every summer and include more then 3,000 people. When the Union won the war it proved a point, it showed that a sound government and solid leadership is best. The entire time the American people stood behind President Lincoln and General Grant. The confederates didn?t have a full government established and they had problems getting descions made and problems solved quickly. America is now a stronger nation because of this war with its self. Works Cited: ?Civil War? www.civilwar.com Online Google 14 Jan. 2005. ?Civil War? www.civil-war.net Online Google 14 Jan. 2005. Keith D. Dickinson ?The Civil War for Dummies.? New York: For Dummies press. March 2001

Construction Of A Glass Squash Court Engineering Essay

For centuries people have played games that involve hitting ball with racket against wall or back and Forth to each other across cyberspace. The most common illustration is tennis. In 19th century the captives were exercised by doing them to hit little and difficult ball around the walls of big room in the fleet prison in London, England. Subsequently this game became popular in English public school. Squash game was invented at Harrow School, England around 1830 and all of a sudden exploded its popularity worldwide in 1970 ‘s. The ground for the dramatic growing is because squash is a athletics which combines fittingness, merriment and competition. Squash is one of the fastest and most athletic athleticss. This is an international athletics played between two or four participants in a four walled tribunal with a little hallow gum elastic by hitting rubber ball against walls. The participants strike the ball alternately on to the forepart wall, which is 4.75 metres high. Player s can hit the ball straight to the forepart wall or utilize the sidewalls and rise up wall to make elusive winning shootings. Playing squash develops velocity, endurance, legerity, coordination and tribunal understanding. The mean length of the game is less than 45 proceedingss. The popularity of the game is due in big portion to the competitory exercise it generates in a little span of clip. The squash game is simple to larn and it ‘s hard to get the hang. The challenge is to accomplish end against more skilled opposition and you ‘ll play as you improve. This game is mentally and physically run outing and at the terminal of the twenty-four hours you will be satisfied and exhilarated and perchance small tired. The international tribunal was codified by London ; England in 1920 ‘s, with the dimension of 9.75 metre long and 6.4 metre broad. Squash tribunal is a rectangular box with perpendicular walls and changing in tallness, being front wall, side walls and back wall. It has a clear floor and clear height above tribunal. The squash tribunal is constructed by many stuffs supplying suited recoil and safe to play ; nevertheless, the World Squash Federation publishes tribunal specification which recommends criterions. Squash tribunal is constructed by walls or toughened glass ; there are three different types of wall systems: 1 ) Armourcoat difficult plaster: is 100 % gypsum based plaster system formulated with high impact opposition. This is been installed in over 40 states and accreditation with universe squash federation. This system contains no cement based merchandise, therefore extinguishing shrinking and emphasis snap. The entire system thickness is 12.7mm consisting of 2 bed of base coat plaster and 3 beds of finish coat plaster which is applied on moisture for lasting bond and smooth coating. Armourcoat requires no painted coating, finished coat available in bluish, green, white and xanthous coloring material. Armourcoat walls can be cleaned utilizing family, non-abrasive cleaners with scouring tablets and rinse with clean H2O. 2 ) Doweloc border grain: is superior in quality and lastingness, length of service proven is 60+ twelvemonth ‘s tribunal and still in drama. Doweloc is a Northern difficult maple ; edge grain system consists of lingua and groove wood strips held firmly by the aluminum joggle. Each 12inch subdivision is composed of 14 border grain pieces. Walls are so painted to procure wood based on the use of the tribunal. 3 ) High denseness fiberesin panel: is the pre – finished playing surface and engineered specifically for racquetball, handball and squash tribunal. It is a solid and rock difficult sheet stuff used to run into a stiff specifications and demands demanded for the fast action athleticss tribunal. It is composed of high denseness particle board nucleuss and multiple beds of thermalset rosin impregnated sheets that are moulded in hydraulic imperativenesss under controlled heat and force per unit area into sheets of changing thickness and denseness. Fiberesin requires no refinishing and merely occasional lavation. Glass walls: is a replacement for the walls which been mentioned above, since 1980 ‘s vouching to run into universe squash federations high proficient criterions. Glass walls are crystalline, so it makes game seeable for witnesss. Walls must non merely be crystalline, it has to be tough plenty to bounce the difficult ball without interrupting. Since normal glass is non difficult to defy the force per unit area of the ball toughened glass is used. Toughened or tampered glass is really much strong and satisfies all the criterions of universe squash federation, like strength, transparence and safety etc. Toughened glassA is been processed by controlledA thermalA or chemical interventions to increase its strength compared with normal glass. Tempered glass is made by procedures which create balanced internal emphasiss which give the glass strength. It will normally shatter into little fragments alternatively of crisp sherds when broken, doing it less likely to do terrible hurt and deep lacerations. As a consequence of its safety and strength, toughened glass is used in a assortment of applications. The 12mm toughened glass panels are designed to supply a flush coating and easy panel accommodation and alliance. The panels are joined by particular spot adjustments and 15mm thick glass fives. Joints between the glass panels are filled with a clear silicone sealer, to finish the continuity of the glass and guarantee a true playing surface that is tough plenty to defy force per unit area from either ball or participant. This joint constellation distributes and reduces emphasiss, minimizes warp, quiver or harm, and provides true ball recoil.RECOMMENDED STANDARDS OF CONSTRUCTIONInternational Squash tribunal is been constructed from glass or transparent stuffs, to do game seeable for the witnesss. Spectator countries may be located behind the plane of any wall of the tribunal. Play may be televised, filmed, photographed or recorded in any manner from above the tribunal or through any of the walls. No camera or any equipment is projected into the tribunal or below the clear tallness of the tribunal. Camera panels may be incorporated in any portion of the tribunal playing walls provided that any such panel shall: ( a ) Be flush with the next wall surfaces on the tribunal side ( B ) Match every bit closely as possible the coloring material of the next surfaces on the tribunal side. ( degree Celsius ) Have similar recoil features to the environing tribunal playing surface ( vitamin D ) Be fixed in such a manner as to defy indefinitely the impact of the ball, rackets and participants in normal drama ( vitamin E ) Be constructed of a stuff ( for illustration safety glass ) which will non be apt to do serious hurt to participants or witnesss if it breaks. Court dimensions and tolerances: is the of import criterion which has to be taken into history. The dimension of the tribunal varies based singles or doubles tribunal. The length and breadth of the singles tribunal is 9750mm and 6400mm severally with tolerance of plus or minus 10mm. Diagonals is 11665 millimeter and tolerance of plus or minus 25 millimeter. The dimensions of the doubles tribunal will be much more than singles tribunal. The length of the tribunal remains same, but breadth and diagonals will be more for doubles. Width is 7620 millimeter and Diagonals is 12375 millimeter, tolerance will be same as singles tribunal. For WSF recognised World and Regional events and Commonwealth Games, the breadth of the tribunal between playing surfaces may be expanded from 7620mm to 8420mm. The Court Walls should be perpendicular to within plus or minus 5mm in a tallness of 2 meters when measured within 250 millimeters of each corner of the tribunal and at three extra intermediate points equally spaced along the length of each wall. The walls of the tribunal shall be straight to within plus or minus 15 millimeter in the length of any wall when measured horizontally at a tallness of 1 meters above finished floor degree. The floor shall be degree to within plus or minus 10 millimeter in the length, breadth and on the diagonals of the tribunal. The walls of the tribunal and all constituents of them shall be capable of defying all the emphasiss which may be placed upon them in normal drama and shall non endure any lasting or impermanent harm as a consequence of: the impact of balls or rackets, the impact of participants defined as equivalent to that of a human organic structure with a mass of 100kg and a coefficient of soaking up of 47 % ( i.e. 47 % of the impact energy is absorbed by the organic structure and 53 % transmitted to the wall ) , going at the minute of impact at a velocity of 4.5 meters per second and striking the wall at right angles to it over an country of non more than 0.25 square meters at a tallness to the Centre of the impact country of 1.47 meters ( plus or minus 50 millimeter ) over the whole of its length. Where tribunals have transparent walls they shall be constructed of safety stuffs tested in conformity with the appropriate national criterion and shall run into the declared demands for safe breakage. The walls of the tribunal shall non debar under the impact of the ball in normal drama to such an extent or in such a mode than the recoil of the ball is affected. The walls may debar under the impact of participants if it is necessary for their structural unity that they should make so ; nevertheless, they should non debar to such an extent or in such a mode so as to impact the safety of the participants. Any wall which deflects as above shall return to its original inactive place within one second of the initial impact and shall non endure any breakage or any lasting or impermanent harm as a consequence of the warp. All playing walls of the tribunal shall hold a difficult smooth finish. Any forepart or side walls, or any crystalline panel in the playing surface of the forepart or side walls, shall be treated and/or lit in such a mode as to do it non-reflecting when viewed from inside the tribunal. The mean coefficient of reflection of the forepart and side walls shall non be less than 50 % at any point when in a clean status. The coefficient of reflection of the forepart and side walls shall non change at any point by more than plus or minus 5 % of the mean coefficient of reflection. The ball shall bounce genuinely on striking all parts of the playing walls. The ball bounce shall be consistent over the whole country of each wall. All wall surfaces including crystalline stuffs shall hold surface clash such that the gait and wall angle features are tantamount to that encountered in a plaster tribunal. Any unfastened articulation in the coating of a wall of panel building shall non debar the recoil of the ball in any manner. There shall be no bulges of any sort into the tribunal at the junction of one wall with another. The bounciness of the ball shall be of even height and gait over the whole country of the floor. When viewed from vertically above the line of flight of the ball, the additive way of the ball shall non be affected when it bounces on the floor.SpecificationGlassAll walls and fives are 12mm clear tempered or toughened glass with finished borders. All holes on the playing side are countersunk and dimensioned to have particular flower mounted adjustments and hardware. A clear silicone compound is used to bond all articulations. No glass-to-glass or glass-to-metal contact is permitted.AdjustmentAll glass-to-glass connexions are manufactured in hi-tensile GSM Nylatron. Nylatron GSM is a dramatis personae and partly cross-linked. Nylatron GSM is manufactured by modifying Nylon 6 stuff by a carefully controlled degree of finely divided atoms of Mo disulphide additive. TheA Mo disulphide enhances its bearing and have on behavior without impairing the impact and weariness opposition built-in t o unmodified dramatis personae nylon classs. All parts are moulded for maximal strength. These parts will hold tensile strength of 773 to 984 kg/cmA? with Hardness durometer of 2.3 and Shear strength of 541 to 668 kg/cmA? . Base angle brackets which is been used to repair wall to the floor and are available in either steel or anodized aluminum. Size of the brackets will be 12 † ten 3 † x 2 1/2 † ten 1/4 † . Two ground tackle bolts of 11mm Defense Intelligence Agency. x 89mm are used for each angle bracket. Aluminium channels of size 25 ten 25 ten 3mm and Aluminium angles of size 50 ten 50 ten 6mm are used to keep panels and attached to fives.

Is the United States winning the war in Iraq? Essay

Is the United States winning the war in Iraq? War is a word that brings a sad feeling in the minds of listener. This word is associated with fight, blood, death, miseries, pain and trouble for many but war is also associated with winning, freedom, and authority. Iraq is a very small country as compare to United States of America, but having a tradition of love for expansion, power and control. On the other hand United States of America, the only existing super power after cold war but seriously threatens by terrorist, expansionist and extremist forces of the world after attacks on twin towers in 2001. US has launched war against terrorism as a counter measure to curb above mentioned forces and attacked Afghanistan which was favored by most of the countries like Britain, Nato Countries etc. Attack on Iraq was also a continuation of War against terrorism due to charges of human rights violation, coalition and support to extremist and terrorist groups coupled with construction of weapons of mass destruction. Iraq was facing sanctions after Iraq Kuwait war in 90’s; its economic conditions were severely awful. Being a country with plenty of natural resources Iraqi people were suffering from economic recession, political aggression, and poor international relations. Iraqi ruler was a dictator having tradition of violating human rights. These issues were not only a threat for United States but to all peace loving forces of the world. All the above facts paved ways for a new turn in War against terrorism. President Bush said it clearly in an interview with MSNBC that â€Å"Americans did not start war against terrorism but we will win it† (Bush, 2004) According to American lobby they are victims rather than slaughterers. America attacked Iraq to safe themselves and all the people of the world because if those weapons of mass destruction will left with Iraqi regime then no individual in any part of the world will be safe. It seems reasonable to the world. Therefore it gained favor from majority of nation and their population. Thomas Donnelly, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) said â€Å"The American and coalition forces invasion was justified and paved ways to a new era of democracy and justice in Middle East. † Iraq claimed that all claims made regarding weapons of mass destruction are bogus and America attacked Iraq because of American strategy to take control over Iraq’s oil reserves and enrich land. It will also give ways towards a solid position in Asia and will helpful in curbing down China. The war started and is still going on and according to officials will not end in near future. Is America winning war in Iraq need many other questions to address for having a clear, unbiased and logical reasoning like what war in Iraq has given United States specifically and to the world generally? War in Iraq brought peace and harmony in the world. It gives strength to the peace loving forces of the world and shows all the dictators and extremist forces of the world that human lives are most important assets and United States of America will not let any one play with innocent souls of innocent civilians. Taking Sadam Hussain’s into American custody gives end to an era of violation, obsession, and victimization. It also convey message to the world that justice is still prevailing in the society. On the other end war in Iraq was fought to save lives of innocent civilians of the world from cruel weapons but the weapons used in Iraq by united forces and America were also cruel because they were also not able to differentiate between terrorist, and innocent people when they explode in markets and civilian places of Iraq. Innocent people were dead due to the attacks in Iraq in fact they are still dying. In these innocent people not only Iraqi civilians are included but it also included all those military officials and soldiers those were dead in Iraq due to the counters attacks and gorilla fights between Iraqi people and United Forces. These soldiers were sent to Iraq on a war that was started to reduce miseries, trouble and pain in lives of 9/11 victim’s families but now their families are suffering with same pain, trouble and miseries of loosing their loved ones. Strategically if one calculates what United States is spending in Iraq till today, it will be equal to millions of dollars and if that money will invest on welfare activities it will resulted in better outcomes. The war in Iraq asks a very important question to all peace loving nations that â€Å"Is war a solution of all problems? † Is life of American those dead in 9/11 and other terrorist attacks are more important than lives of Iraqi and Afghani civilians? Even if America is still not able to prove it claims regarding presence of weapons for mass destruction in Iraq. Is an attack on twin towers is more vital than several attacks on Iraq? No. Definitely not and this is what general consensus is started to develop among neutral actors inside and outside USA. Vast majority in United States of America is feeling that the cause of war against terrorism was correct, genuine and need of the time but the way it was fought should be different. Because if we critically analyze the current situation we will feel that War in Iraq gave us nothing except lesson that â€Å"Any War that is fought with weapons give nothing except pain to both winners and losers. † This concept is enforce by the decision of American nation to giving votes to the democrats in recent elections rather than republicans those election campaign revolves around the effects of war in Iraq and Afghanistan on American nation and the future of war on terror. The war in Iraq was started around three years back and no body knows when it will end. Apparently Sadam Hussain and his allies are in custody, Iraq has American and Coalition forces deputed for peace keeping but there is also a doubt that this war is leading towards the same situation that has happened with USSR for America. â€Å"No one can guarantee that any course of action in Iraq at this point will stop sectarian warfare, growing violence, or a slide toward chaos. If current trends continue, the potential consequences are severe. †(The Iraq study Group report December 2006) because world has seen the what has happened with USSR in Afghanistan, how Afghanis threw them out of their country after more than 8 years and as a result USSR itself was vanished from the map of the world. The solution for this situation is address by Iraq study group in their recent report â€Å"Our most important recommendations call for new and enhanced diplomatic and political efforts in Iraq and the region, and a change in the primary mission of U. S. forces in Iraq that will enable the United States to begin to move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly. † (The Iraq study Group report December 2006) The war in Iraq is a war between ideologies, it is a war between rights and wrong, it is a war between justice and cruelty but the American Nation as one unit need to develop consensus towards the future strategy against war in Iraq because it will not end unless it will be fought on all possible grounds rather than military and force because weapons can only create destructions, they can only win lands but not hearts of people and United States of America has a tradition of winning hearts with love, sympathy and understanding. Therefore it is essential to understand that â€Å"This struggle must be fought with ideas and undertaken not just by the political leadership and the military but also by all levels of government including diplomatic, informational, economic, social and cultural mean. †(Effect based operations and counter terrorism, pg 27). The conclusion of the prolong war lies in self assessment and self realization. It includes reviewing our strategy and reassessing our goals. The targets are many but the way to achieve them is still ambiguous. The elite leadership of Al Qaeda and Taliban are still out of reach of United States. The strategy need to device through cooperation and collaboration on diplomatic and political fronts to support self sufficient and democratic Iraq where freedom and respect will prevail because peace and harmony in America cannot be kept at sake of Iraq. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1.Effect based operations and counter terrorism, Air & Space Power Journal fall 05, 2005, Diane Publishing, pg 129 2. Bush clarifies view on war against terrorism ‘We will win,’ just not in conventional way, NBC, MSNBC and news services, national journal. com, Aug. 31, 2004 retrieved on Nov 20th 2006 from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/ID/5865710/ 3. Executive summary of The Iraq study Group report December 2006 4. Iraq transition to power retrieved from http://www. cnn. com/2006/POLITICS/10/23/iraq. poll2/index. html on 15th Dec 2006.

Principles for implementing duty of care in health, social care or children’s and young people’s setting Essay

1.2 All practitioners have a duty of care all the children the setting, this also includes the staff. A duty of care is where a practitioner has to take care of them and not let them get harmed in any way. This will involve the children attention, watching out for hazards and preventing mistakes or accidents. If a practitioner has not met the duty of care required then they can be held accountable for allowing it to happen. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a framework that provides an assurance to cares and parents that the setting that they put their child in will keep them safe and help them thrive. The aim of the EYFS is to help children achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes which are †¢Staying safe †¢Being healthy †¢Enjoying and achieving †¢Making a positive contribution †¢Achieving economic wellbeing These can be achieved by having quality, consistence and a set of standards which apply to all settings. 2.1 Children are entitled to basic human rights such as food, health care, a safe home and protection from abuse but because children can’t always stand up for themselves they need a special sat of rights to ensure that the adults around them take responsibility for their protection and development. The UN convention on the rights of the child applies to all children under the age of 18 and it spells out the basic human rights children and young people should have. All children have the right to survive, develop and be protected from harm. There can be potential conflicts or dilemmas with professional’s record and share information about a child, the information on a child should only be collected and stored with the parents constant and should have free access to this information on request. The constant will be gained formally with a signature; the only exception is when a child might  be at risk of immediate and significant harm if you share the information with the parent. Safeguarding a child requires practitioners to make difficult judgments. As an early years practitioner your duty is promote the welfare, development and learning of each child sometimes this means raising difficult or sensitive issues with a parent or carer. It is important that the issues are raised in a way that shows concern for the child and not criticising the parent or carer. In general it is important to have a confidential space and a clear focus on the child best interests, the vast number of parents will be supportive even if the first reaction in negative and it is important to involve senior staff in these discussions such as a room senior or the manager. 2.2 Whatever setting you are in, situations may arise where you need to respond to a complaint. People react in different ways to a situation. When responding to a complaint it is important to take into account the other persons point of view and find a solution to the problem. You should aim to deal with the complaint in a constructive manner in order to maintain positive working relationships. There are four positive steps that may help you respond to a complaint keep cool, listen, apologise if necessary and try for a win/win solution. 2.3 The colleagues that you work with should be able to provide additional support and advice about conflicts and dilemmas such as your room senior or settings manager. In addition there are a range of organisation that can provide support and advice for those working with children, young people and their families. These include local education authority, health services, social service department and charities and voluntary organisations. You should always remember to follow your settings guidelines regarding confidentiality and the sharing of information when concerned about the welfare of a child or young person.

Driving Age Should Be Raised

Should homework be banned. Yes, I feel it should be banned because you don't get any time for yourself, pointless. Because you already get work at school, seriously, home too? It kills trees, waste of time, boring, some parents don't even get it, it completely stresses you out. Not only you, but the teachers because all they do is grade tests, homework, classwork, and projects. I'm pretty sure they're tired of doing it too. I don't feel homework necessary. Homework should be banned because it just isn't useful and wastes time.Homework is pointless because kids do enough work in school and they don't need more. When they come home they want to chill out, hang out with friends, or do something. Kids are in school for 8 hours a day doing work, other than lunch and recess. Homework is not relevant for kids. I did a survey at school at resource, and a majority of kids say that homework should be banned in school because it is stressful and they procrastinate until the last second. There i s no point in homework.It takes away from spending time with family. According to the text with research ‘Homework Should be Banned,' â€Å"Schools has increased from 9 to 3 with 1 ? hour of recess and lunch to 8:40 to 3:15 with only 30 minutes of lunch and recess. † This quote shows that too much is just too much homework. Also, another reason is that, according to research, some of the smartest countries like Finland and Japan don’t have homework. We can be just as smart as them without homework.Compare and Contrast Driving in the Winter and Driving in the SummerThis shows that homework has no academic benefits for grades. Stress on kids. I’m definitely not the only student who agrees with this topic. Students all over the world have their lives controlled by homework, because not only is it boring but it takes up so much time and effort and after 8 hours of school, it feels absolutely useless. Firstly a 12-13 year old should be getting at least 8-10 hou rs of sleep but it can be hard when you have homework to finish and worries about it

Research Data Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research Data Memo - Essay Example It is calculated as: As we can see most of the variables have relationships with the price of the apartments. The price of the apartments is most strongly related to the number of bedrooms. The lower limit of the 95% confidence interval of the correlation between price and the number of bedroom is 0.30 whereas the upper limit for the same is 0.61. The positive value of r indicates that the price increases as the number of bedrooms increase in the flat. As expected from intuition, the price is inversely related to the distance of the apartment from the town. As the distance from the town increases, the price of real estate decreases. Both the lower limit and the upper limit of 95% confidence interval of r is in the negative region. The number of pools is also inversely related to the price of real estate. The upper limit and lower limit of the correlation coefficient is both in the negative region which implies that in 95% of the samples, the two variables will have a negative relationship amongst them. The variable Township is positively related to the price of the real estate for the data set given. But, the lower limit of the correlation coefficient between the two variables is negative indicating that in certain data sets, the relationship between the two variables might be negative indicating that the price of the real estate decreases as the number of township increases. Possible reason for the same might be the increase in the congestion levels which may result with increased number of townships. Generally, Pearsons r coefficient is significant when it is higher than 0.2 with degrees of freedom 103 and p

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 56

Essay Example The various methods that can be applied in the research include participant’s observation. A sample of participants are selected and keenly scrutinised so as to note the characteristics and record appropriately. The other method may include the cross cultural comparison. This may involve the comparison of varied linguistic users basing on their culture. A survey research can also be applied to the research work so as to find the general trend of linguistic aspects. It may also involve interviewing of participants and use of archival research retrieval. Media analysis of the same can be done in order to carry out an efficient historical analysis. There are various indigenous languages that face the risk of extinction. This call for the need of anthropologists to carry out research on the community. In this article, the above methods have been used to carry out the research on pormpraaw which is an aboriginal community in Australia. Native languages which are faced by extinction may be chosen for such analysis in order to prevent the language from extinction. From this linguistic methods analysed from the research, the main objectives of the research are

Managerial report on design of Honda Element Essay

Managerial report on design of Honda Element - Essay Example The rear doors open in a suicide way even though the suicide doors open independent from the front doors. To be on the safe side the front doors should be opened first to open the rear doors. After the doors are opened the interior is totally spacious. There is plenty of rear sear room and these seats can be folded either up, to the side, even folded down or the most astonishing part removed totally. The Element being motivated by Box on wheels the headroom is very plentiful. The front seats are very comfortable and there is ample amount of space given. The hatch opens in two sections in which one door flips down and the other flips up. This is also a utility and loading stuff is easy. With the hatch just being opened the lifting of stuff is very low. The theme of the car's interior is somewhat rugged. The floor is not covered in carpet and the entire floor is covered with a material, which does not absorb any moisture. Dirt, sand and even mud wipes totally. To achieve a rugged interior Element unlike other SUV's does not come with a hard plastic. A rubber like material covers the door panels and the dashboard area and it feels as if this material will come up against all kinds of punishment without scratching, cracking, denting or fading. The Element is an unusual vehicle with its utilitarian mode for Honda but they have come up with a good SUV. Element has a functional interior and combining that with its exterior design it has the features of a SUV and a pick up truck and is a target for the young and active buyers. It has been designed to serve also as a base camp, room for the young buyers. The Element can hold up to four adults and they can have a splendid journey. With the rear seats easily folded anything can be put in for the weekend trip. The interior has been designed in such a way that it could be easily cleaned. There are some additional features too including an AM/FM radio with a 6 CD Changer and a MP3 player, which has video game outlets. Honda has never excelled in its audio system area. The previous Honda systems were just a simple four-speaker system, which sounded tiny and flat. With Honda knowing the target market for Element, there was a big no for a simple and tiny stereo. The end result was in the Element EX, Honda put in a mid range, nice system with a good bass, treble and sub woofer. The system, which is a 270-watt, uses 7 speakers and gives out a deep bass, clean and a brilliant sound. Additional bonus is the adjustable sub woofer. When driving the Honda Element it feels as if driving a Jeep of Sorts. The windscreen, which is upright and seat position, which is very high, it gives a good view of the road with out sacrificing the interior understanding. The Gauges are arranged in three circles, which are similar to a Pontiac Vibe, but Honda has finished the rings in a silver matte rather than shiny chrome found on the Pontiac. Every thing in the Element has quality, feel and a nice variety of textures, which work together to drive the concept theme of a car. The Element is powered a 2.4 liter, inline 4, I-VTEC engine which produces 160 horsepower. The Element is not a sports car but there is sufficient power available for many driving situations. The Element never feels underpowered. The 5-speed manual

Elevating Brand Values Through Corporate Social Responsibility in Essay

Elevating Brand Values Through Corporate Social Responsibility in China A Study on Sporting Goods Companies - Essay Example On the other hand, advocators of CSR say that companies exhibiting social responsibilities can gain the trust of customers thereby increasing sales. In China, the CSR activities are conducted more for serving the interests of the government than the consumers and therefore companies mostly focus on ethical issues that are initiated by the government. This paper is based on a survey conducted on 200 Chinese consumers and also representatives from Nike and Adidas to assess their perception on CSR activities of their companies. The survey result showed that although majority of people are aware of CSR activities, almost 65 percent of the respondents’ purchase decisions are not affected by a company’s CSR activities. In contrast, the company respondents generally felt that although CSR activities are necessary for positive responses from customers, only 22 percent of them felt that CSR activities are responsible for their companies’ success. Corporate social responsibility is one of the main aspects that almost all the organizations in the world now focusing at. In its earlier stage, the performance of any organization was always measured by its overall business volume, its awareness among the people across the globe and by its innovativeness. But in modern age, along with the business performance, corporate social responsibility also plays an important role in creating value for the organization in the society. Moreover, different organizations across the globe now use CSR strategies as one of their branding and promotional activities to reach out to more consumers across the globe. The Cone Communications/Echo Global CSR Study organized by The Cone Communications, 2013, carried out a clear fact about the test to enterprises in present world’s continuously challenging and ever changing market place, and that is: the challenge of creating a â€Å"real and meaningful impact†. In modern world the question is not about engaging in Corporate

Analysis of Electronic Payment Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Electronic Payment Systems - Essay Example Electronic payment systems (EPS) can be classified into four main categories namely Online Electronic Cash System, Online Credit Card Payment System, Smart Cards based Electronic Payment System and Electronic Cheque System. These categories can be compared using various features. In terms of actual payment time, electronic cash and smart cards are prepaid whereas online credit card payment and electronic cheque are post paid/paid later. In Online Credit Card Payment and Electonic cash, all transactions are online but offline transactions are allowed in electronic cheque and smart cards. In Online Credit Card Payment, payments are made by the credit account, in electronic cheque, it is done by the bank acount and in smart cards, it is done by the smart card account. In electronic cash, there is no involvement of a bank account (Laudon and Laudon, 2008). As for their users, online credit card is open for all legitimate users of credit card, electronic cash is open for everybody while electronic cheque and smart cards are open for anyone with a bank account. In addition, smart card is also open for anyone with a credit card account. Online credit card can partially be used in real world, electronic cash can only be used in virtual world, smart cards can be used in used in real and virtual world and electronic cheque is limited to real world although its checking count can be shared with real world. Online credit card and smart cards are mobile whereas electronic cash and electronic cheque are not mobile. Transactions costs for online credit card are high thus it is not suitable for small payments. As for electronic cash and smart cards, their transaction costs are but low hence they are suitable for low transactions. Online credit card, electronic cash and smart cards have high levels of user anonymity but it is not found in electronic cheque (Laudon and Laudon, 2008). I mostly use electronic cash because it is open for anyone and there is no

War and Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

War and Psychology - Essay Example With rising onsets of PTSD in veterans coming back from active duty, it has become more imperative in developing treatments that can combat this effectively. Conversely, psychology has also opened up windows in how current wars are now fought in respect to psychological treatment and persuasion. War has opened many new fields in psychology, such as military psychology, and expanded already pre-existing fields, such as traumatology. This comes into play when dealing with counseling. Originally, when soldier’s would suffer from the psychological ailments of war, counselors would simply dismiss it as trivial and being â€Å"shell-shocked†. As a result, many of the earlier engagements did not have adequate psychological care. As more and more veterans began returning to society after war, problems linked with PTSD such as domestic violence, drug/alcohol abuse, depression, suicide, etc. became more prevalent. Therefore, war had an effect on the way in which therapy was condu cted in special cases of PTSD. There have also been additions to grief counseling, as the knowledge of grieving and effects of depression have been understood. The advent of psychopharmacology allows psychologists to have their therapy supplemented by medicine through a psychiatrist (Herman, 1997). Conversely, the understanding of the human mind has affected the way in which war is conducted. For example, there is a branch of the United States Army, which is entitled Psychological Operations. The goal of this branch is to use propaganda and persuasion tactics to coerce the local population to see that they are not a threat. This also requires an understanding of group dynamics in order to coerce a population. On a more negative note, psychology has also taught military and government officials to understand the workings of the human mind. They have been learning better interrogation techniques, some of which have been under review by the United States government. In addition, better understanding into the work of memory and information extraction has lead to the development of technologies and medicines to aid in this effort (Goldstein, & Findley, 1996). The psychology of war has also had benefits in other areas that are more civilian related. For example, again with trauma, there are traumas that occur in the civilian realm. These can include rape, child abuse, etc. The techniques used in traumatology are derived from those that are used in military PTSD cases. The logotherapy and CBT counseling is used in all trauma related counseling (Reyes, Elhai, & Ford, 2008). Concluding, not only has war had an impact on the development in psychology, but has also had an impact on the way in which the psychology of war has been approached. Many good things have developed through learning how to counsel those affected by wartime. Constrastly, there have been what some people would consider negative developments in which psychology has aided to defending our country throu gh interrogation and coercion methods. References Goldstein, F, & Findley, B. (1996). Psychological operations: principles and case studies. New York, NY: Air University Press. Herman, J. (1997). Trauma and recovery. New York, NY: Basic Books. Reyes, Gerald, Elhai, J, & Ford, J. (2008). The encyclopedia of psychological trauma. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &

Importance And Role Of Economic Information Essay

Importance And Role Of Economic Information - Essay Example This mutual understanding is for the reason that businesses do not require to end up in price wars among competitors that ultimately eludes the profitability of the businesses. Owing to the interdependence and resulting price stickiness characteristic of industry, the demand for the product turns elastic in case the price is increased as compared to industry participants. If the competitors will attempt to increase the price as compare to other participants and this will result in losing revenue as demand will switch to other competitors. While in case of lowering price customers show inelasticity as all industry participants reduced price taking all firm to competitive positions again. Even in case of a high increase in marginal cost, the considerably low impact has to be transferred to customers. Since profit is maximized at a point where marginal cost equals marginal revenue therefore as long as marginal cost cuts marginal revenue in vertical position price will remain at P. Furth er, in case MC cuts marginal revenue vertically the price is retained same and a benefit is not passed on the customer.Further, competition is supported in other aspects such as branding, services accuracy etc, ABB has developed a competitive advantage with fast delivery services supported by online operations as compared to competitors in certain areas in order to retain differentiation from competitors. Other competitors based on respective capacity compete on aspects such as quality or differentiated range of products offered.  ... Further, incase MC cuts marginal revenue vertically the price is retained same and benefit is not passed on the customer. Further, competition is supported in other aspects such as branding, services accuracy etc, ABB has developed competitive advantage with fast delivery services supported by online operations as compare to competitors in certain areas in order to retain differentiation from competitors. Other competitors based on respective capacity compete on aspects such as quality or differentiated range of products offered. All these factors ensure increasing barrier to entry for new entrants while retaining competition. Therefore, securing industry from competition authorities to charge participants with accusation of cartelization; practice that is followed in oligopoly. Hence, being abreast not only with respective business position economically ABB has to remain updated as well as linked with the strategies of competitors to retains the competitive business positions. IMPOR TANCE AND ROLE OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION Financial information and respective understanding forms the back bone of the business. Importance of financial information is not only critical for top management that are concerned for decision making with respect overall business goals but at the same time financial information is critical for every department (Brealey, Myers, Allen, & Mohanty, 2007). For instance, marketing department’s investment in the advertisement and sales campaign are concerned to fetch sales that add considerably to profitability. Similarly, HR department also evaluates performance of departments, respective employees and comparison of efficiency of company employees with other

Minitab Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Minitab - Assignment Example To determine whether the wording of the cover letter influences the response rate, three different cover letters were used in a survey of students at a Midwestern university. Suppose that each of the three cover letters accompanied questionnaires sent to an equal number of randomly selected students. Returned questionnaires were then classified according to the type of cover letter (I, II, or III). Use the accompanying data to test the hypothesis that the true proportions of all returned questionnaires accompanied by cover letters I, II, and III are the same. Use a 0.05 significance level. As shown in Minitab output, all expected frequencies are greater than 1 and no expected frequency is less than 5. Furthermore, as stated in the problem, the sample is a simple random sample. Therefore, all the assumptions of the test are met. At the 5% significance level, the data provide sufficient evidence to conclude that the hypothesis that the true proportions of all returned questionnaires accompanied by cover letters I, II, and III are the same. 2. A survey was conducted in the San Francisco Bay area in which each participating individual was classified according to the type of vehicle used most often and city of residence. A subset of the resulting data is given in the accompanying table. Do the data provide convincing evidence of an association between city of residence and vehicle type? Use a significance level of 0.05. You may assume that it is reasonable to regard the sample as a random sample of Bay area residents. As shown in Minitab output, all expected frequencies are greater than 1 and no expected frequency is less than 5. Furthermore, as stated in the problem, it is reasonable to regard the sample as a random sample of Bay area residents. Therefore, all the assumptions of the test are met. Standardized residuals greater than 2 in absolute value provide evidence

Partnership and Its Types Essay Example for Free

Partnership and Its Types Essay A partnership arises whenever two or more people co-own a business, and share in the profits and losses of the business. Each person contributes something to the business such as ideas, money, or property though management rights and personal liability will vary. In Pakistan the partnership firms are registered under the partnership act 1932 which defines the partnership as â€Å"The relation between persons who have agreed to share the profits of a business carried on by all or any of them acting for all† There should be at least two or maximum twenty partners in a firm with the exception of banking where maximum of ten partners could make the partnership A partnership may be registered with the Registrar of Firms of an area where the office of the firm is situated or proposed to be situated. A statement in prescribed form must be delivered to the relevant Registrar stating: †¢Firm name †¢Place or principal place of business of the firm †¢Names of any other places where the firm carries on business †¢Date when each partner joined the firm †¢Names in full and permanent addresses of the partners †¢Duration of the firm †¢Foretasted statement signed and verified by each partner Types of partners Active or working partner: Such a partner contributes capital and also takes active part in the management of the firm. He bears an unlimited liability for the firms debts. He is known to outsiders. He shares profits of the firm. He is a full-fledged partner. 2. Sleeping or dormant partner: A sleeping or inactive partner simply contributes capital. He does not take active part in the management of the firm. He shares in the profits or losses of the firm. His liability for the firms debts is unlimited. He is not known to the outside world. 3. Secret partner: This type of partner contributes capital and takes active part in the management of the firms business. He shares in the profits and losses of firm and his liability is unlimited. However, his connection with the firm is not known to the outside world. 4. Limited partner: The liability of such a partner is limited to the extent of his share in the capital and profits of the firm. He is not entitled to take active part in the management of the firms business. The firm is not dissolved in the event of his death, lunacy or bankruptcy. 5. Partner in profits only: He shares in the profits of the firm but not in the losses. But his liability for the firms debts is unlimited. He is not allowed to take part in the management of the firm. Such a partner is associated for his money and goodwill. 6. Nominal: Such a partner neither contributes capital nor takes part in the management of business. He does not share in the profits or losses of the firm. He only lends his name and reputation for the benefit of the firm. He represents himself or knowingly allows himself to be represented as a partner. He becomes liable to outsiders for the debts of the firm. A nominal partner can be of two types: 7. Minor as a partner: A minor is a person who has not completed 18 years of age. A minor cannot become a partner because he is not qualified to enter into a contract. But he may be admitted to the benefits of partnership with the mutual consent of all the partners. On being so admitted, a minor becomes entitled to a share in the profits of the firm. He can inspect and copy the books of account of the firm but he cannot take active part in the firms management. His liability is limited to the extent of his share in the capital and profits of the firm. He cannot file a suit against the firm or its partners to get his share except when he wants to disassociate himself from the firm. After becoming a major, the minor must give a public notice within six months if e wants to break off his connections with the partnership firm. If he does not give such a notice within six months or if he decides to remain in the firm, he becomes liable to an unlimited extent for the debts of the firm from the date he was admitted to the benefits of partnership. He also becomes entitled to take active part in the management of the firms business. 8. Sub partner: He is a third person with whom a partner agrees to share his profits desired from the firm. He does not take part in the management of the firm. He is not liable for the firms debts.

The Feeding Of The Five Thousand Religion Essay

The Feeding Of The Five Thousand Religion Essay Meier believes the version of the feeding of the five thousand story from Mark 8: 14-21, when compared to the second feeding miracle, is a redaction; that is being reworded. This comment is loosely based on the fact that the disciples did not experience the miracle face to face (vis-à  -vis). The version of John has similarities from the one in Mark 8: 1-10, said while the same cannot be said about the one found in Mark 6:32-44; it cannot be found. For example, the question of whence occurs in both Mark 8: 4 and John 6:5. The main difficulty that Meir has is the John story of the feed story is independent on the version found in the book of Mark. He feels it does not make sense that the version found in Mark 8 is considered the redaction of Mark 6, if the one found in John 8 share much similarities with that of Mark 6, instead of version in Mark 8. He is aware that many people run into problems when trying to explain such a thing. Meier questions how is it that Mark creates a reword ing of the story, that shares many key points with John 6 and not Mark 8; Mark 6 and John 6 share the feeding story with the five thousand people fed with five loaves of bread and two fishes, while the Mark version feeds four thousand people with seven loaves and a few fishes. On the other note, they both share the Greek name for baskets (two hundred pennyworth of bread), as opposed to Mark 8. According to Meier, Mark 6:32-44 has the greatest numbers of parallels with the independent version of John 6: 1 15. The theory that Mark 6 is a Marcan redaction based solely on Mark 8 is unsustainable. Not only is John 6 is the independent version of the feeding, but also that Mark 6 and Mark 8 represent two different versions of the feeding miracle; both were spread in the pre-Marcan tradition of the first Christian generation. There has been great debates on which elements should be assigned to tradition or redaction in the feeding stories based in Mark 6, Mark 8 and John 6. Meier believes some redaction traits are more in the open. The Johnanne version takes great care in letting the reader know that Jesus already knows what Philip is going to do, even as Philip ask John for information. Another redaction intervention can be found in John 6:4, with the mention of Passover; which is more debatable. The best way in indicating the essential elements of the primitive feeding story is to list the elements most prevalent in at least two out of the three stories, or even from the three. Since John has the independent version of the feeding story, it makes sense for the John version and one of the Marcan versions to be used. According to Meier, the way to tell which version of the feeding of the multitude is primitive it would have to contain the following elements: The Setup (which is the temporal and geographic al setting, the introduction of the characters, and the need to be met). The setting is on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, which is an uninhabited, desolate place. The actors include Jesus, his disciples and a large crowd that had followed due to the miracles performed by Christ. The dialogue in presenting the problem, Jesus and his disciples discuss on the subject about the lack of food for the multitude; there are only five loaves and two fishes. The lack of supplies is pretty obvious. The command in which Jesus tells the crowd to relax on the grass brings the setup to an end and provides the connection to the miracle proper (which is the words and deeds that affect the miracle and the awareness of the miracle taking place). Jesus takes the five loaves, give thanks, he breaks them and gives it to his disciples to distribute, same thing with the fish. Everyone is filled. The Conclusion is the confirmation that the miracle actually happened: There are twelve baskets full of leftov er bread, as the multitude have become full. Other possible conclusions are that Jesus dismisses the crowd, found in the Mark versions, or the crowd acclaims Jesus, found in Johns version. During Jesus pubic ministries, many have believed he performed miracles of exorcism and doubt that the feeding of the multitude goes back to any event in his lifetime. One of the reasons is that many commentators believe the feeding story was strongly influenced by old testament stories, particularly the story of Elisha feeding one hundred people with twenty barley loaves found in 2 Kings 4:42 44, the accounts of Jesus actions over the bread and wine at the Last Supper, and from the regular repetition of the words and actions of Jesus in early Christian worship. It is from these stories that many critics believe the feeding of the multitude arose in the early church. In Meiers view, each sources have left their individual mark on the various versions of the story; some versions more than others. It still remains to be proven if Jewish and Christian influences had any part with creating the Gospel miracle story. The Old Testament story that has the most in common of the feeding of th e multitude is the miracle of feeding by the prophet Elisha. In 2 Kings 4:42-44, a man comes from Baalshalisha, brings Elisha an offering of twenty loaves of barley bread. Elisha orders his servant to give the bread to the people to eat. The servant questions how this amount of bread can satisfy them. Elisha repeats his command with a small prophecy from Yahweh They shall eat and there will be some left over (v 43). The servant obeys and the prophecy is fulfilled (v 44). The parallels of the both feeding of the multitude stories are obvious: (1) The prophets apparent impossible order: a prophets orders his servant to feed a large group of people with a known small amount of bread (20 loaves to hundred men, 5 loaves for five thousand), (2) Bread with some other foodstuff , (3) The objection from his servant: the servant does not understand what is to happen, so he protests and stresses the impossibility of satisfying one hundred people with twenty loaves, (4) The prophets insistent c ommand: overriding his servants objection, insisting the order be carried out as planned, (5) The miracle and its confirmation by way of surplus: when the order is obeyed, the people are fed and there is leftover bread present. In order for another miracle to seem even greater, the number of people fed would naturally be increased in the Gospel story (from one hundred to four or five thousand), and the number of loaves on hand would naturally be decreased (from twenty to seven thousand or five thousand). At the same time, there are apparent differences between the Elisha and the Gospel feeding miracles. (1) There is no exact geographical or temporal setting to the Elisha story, unlike the feeding of the multitude (ex by the Sea of Galilee, near Passover, in the late afternoon), (2) In 2 Kings, there is nothing said of a crowd following Elisha. (3) There is no description to who the hundred people are and it is unclear where they came from in this concise story. (4) There is no indication that the hundred people were suffering from great hunger, lack of food or are unable to get any food by normal means. (5) The miracle story in 2 Kings begins with the surprising command of Elisha, with no preparation, background, or motivation in the narrative. When compared, the conversation between Jesus and his disciples setup the problem of the peoples lack of food before any food is present on site. (6) In the Gospels, the disciples are the ones that supply and locate the little food, and they d o so only after the story is under way. (7) Jesus first commands the crowd to sit on the grass, performing the Jewish household ritual for beginning a formal meal, which does not happen in the Elisha story; including the fish. (8) The questions and objections of the disciples precede his actual order, thus introducing the miracle proper. (9) The amount of leftovers in the Elishas story is unknown, compared to the twelve or seven baskets of bread left over in the Gospel narratives. (10) The basic structure of the concise Elisha story is based on prophecy and fulfillment, not so much the Gospel story. There are many other parallels that some versions of the Gospel story have with the Elisha story; but the parallels are not necessarily part of the most primitive form of the Gospel miracle of feeding. For example, the notion that the bread is barley is found only in Johns version (6:9, 13) of the Gospel story; the same adjective used in the Elisha story. While the mention of barley might be a relic from the primitive form of the Gospel story preserved in John, it is also possible that Johns version is late and secondary. Another possible explanation of the specification of barley loaves, John mentions that the miracle takes place near Passover (which is the time of the barley harvest). In other words, Johns notion that the bread was barley might simply be his way of emphasizing his beloved Passover symbolism. That goes to show that every parallel found between the present Gospel versions of Jesus feeding of the multitude and the Elisha story does not go back to the primitive form of the Gospel story. Even though the Elisha story shares a number of basic elements with the primitive version of the Gospel story, there is much in the Gospel miracle not found in 2 Kings 4:42-44. The other major text suggested as sources for the feeding miracle are the various forms of Jesus words and actions over the bread and wine at the Last Supper. According to Meier, not all commentators agree that the feeding miracle was affected by the Last Supper. Among the two Marcan and the one Johanne versions, the overtones of the Last Supper seem more evident in the structure of the second Marcan story. In Mark 8: 6-7, it says (over the bread) And taking the seven loaves of bread, giving thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciplesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Over the fish) and pronouncing a blessing over them, he commanded them also to be set out, and they ate. At the Last Supper, Jesus said And taking the loaf of bread, giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to the disciplesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Over the cup) giving thanks or pronouncing a blessing, he gave it to them and they all drank. It is obvious that they share similarities in words. In the second Marcan version, there is a delay in the mentioning of the fish. This causes the bread to dominate the story from the beginning to the end. In the Marcan version of the Last Supper (Mark 14:22 -23), Jesus first pronounces a blessing over the bread and then gives thanks over the wine, with the same participles, in reverse order, that are used in Mark 8:6-7. The parallel with the Last Supper narrative is not quite clear in the first version of the feeding miracle, and less clear in John 6. The commentators that reject the Last Supper as a parallel stress the actions of Jesus over the bread and wine was merely the thanksgiving to God, as done by the head of a Jewish household over the bread that is broken to begin a formal meal. While there is some truth to this claim, it does not take into account a number of factors. (1) Mark 8:1-10 is so significant in the debate is because the tradition has evidently been carefully altered to provide a balanced pattern of giving thanks and then pronouncing a blessing over the dishes of food. The parallel of thanksgiving or blessings over the bread first and then over the side dish (fish) does not match the original Jewish ritual of thanksgiving; but matches the narrative of Jesus parallel thanksgiving or blessing over the bread and wine. (2) Within the context of the Synoptic Gospels, it really misses the point to say that the actions of Jesus over the bread and fish are similar to ones of a Jewish host at a formal meal; the actions of Jesus over the bread do not echo with those of the Synoptic Jesus at the Last Supper. (3) The isolated version of the feeding miracle found in Mark 8:6-7 are mostly likely later developments in the tradition of the Gospel story. Neither the Last Supper nor the Elisha story can prove the presence of fish alongside the bread. The fish tends to be increasingly downplayed in most of the Gospel versions of the feeding story; they are a primitive element rather than a later development in the tradition. In Meiers opinion, there is no explanation for their presence in all the versions of the story of some originating event in the life of Jesus. The earliest form of the feeding miracle available to us does not seem to have crossed with Elisha or Last Supper motifs and some of the elements of the earliest form (notably the fish are not explainable on the g rounds of the Elisha and Last Supper traditions. Rather, the account of Jesus feeding the multitude was defected. The stories of Elisha and the Last Supper do not seem to have created the Gospel feeding miracle. (4) Although the feeding miracle concerns the multiplication of loaves and fish, in every version of the feeding miracle the fish falls into the background. The subject is kept mostly on the bread, probably because the bread offers a direct cross-reference to the Last Supper. As seen in the second Marcan version of the feeding miracle (Mark 8:1-10), the story speaks almost entirely of loaves of bread or leftover pieces of bread. A few fish is only mentioned in one verse (8:7). Meier takes an unbiased position. On one hand, he rejects the views of the commentators that the Elisha story or the Last Supper had any influence on the feeding miracle. The parallels are so clear. On the other hand, the parallels are not much that the origin of the feeding miracle narrative can be en tirely explained merely by application to the Elisha story or the Last Supper tradition. The Elisha story and Last Supper tradition cannot completely explain the origin of the story of Jesus feeding the multitude. The question that comes into place is whether there are indications that some historical event in Jesus ministry may be behind the early Christian narrative? The answer comes from two criteria of historicity. (1) When compared to most Gospel miracle stories, the feeding miracle is supported by an unusually strong verification of multiple sources. It is not only verified independently in both Mark and John, but also two variant forms (cycles) of the tradition lying behind Marks Gospel; each one begins with one version of the feeding miracle (Mark 6:32-44 and Mark 8:1-10). Before the cycles were created, the two versions of the feeding miracle would have spread as independent units, the first version attracting itself to the story of Jesus walking on the water (a development that can be witnessed in John 6), while the second version did not receive much detail. B ehind all the versions of the miracle story, it would have had some primitive form. (2) Jesus normally spoke of the coming kingdom of God under the image of a banquet. The emphasis of a banquet or festival meal as an image of the kingdom were not just words spoken; it played an important role in Jesus actions as well. Jesus has been known for his presence at festival banquets (Mark 2:15-17; Matthew 11:18-19; Luke 7:33-34). Based on Meiers opinion, in comparison to the various celebrations of table fellowship hosted by Jesus, the most memorable one was the feeding of the multitude; due to the unusual number of participants; also this one was held at the Sea of Galilee, rather than in a town or village. Some have suggested that Jesus and his disciples shared what little food they had with others, which influenced the rest of the crowd (especially the rich people present in the crowd) by their good example to share their supplies until all were fed. Other critics came up with the assumption that Jesus hid supplies of food in a cave and made his disciples distribute it to the crowd. Albert Schweitzer gave his own twist; Jesus gave everyone in the crowd a piece of bread as a symbol of the heavenly banquet to come; the meal was thus the antitype of the messianic feastà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a sacrament of redemption. Meier believes the sources do not allow us to specify the details of the event, especially since the influence of both the Elisha miracle story and the Last Supper tradition on the retelling of the story in Christian decades. Whether something actually miraculous happened is not open to verification by the means of a historian; it ultimately depends on a persons worldview, not what historical investigation can tell us about the event. In the last analysis, nothing connects these widely different stories together. For some time, it has seemed that at least one link, non-historically, would connect all the natural miracles together. But now the common link has been broken by the story of Jesus feeding the multitude, in Meiers view, that goes back to some memorable meal of the public ministry. Once again, the common category called nature miracles is viewed to be an illusion. According to Daniel Harrington, the story of the miracle feeding is the only miracle of Jesus proved in all four Gopsels, and the only one that is recounted in two forms. The feedings occur in the wilderness or desolate places and are gift miracles similar to the water from the rock (Exod 17:1-7) and the miraculous feeding of the Israelites through manna in the wilderness (Exod 16:1-36). Daniel says the Wisdom tradition feeding is linked with teaching and bread is linked with knowledge. Harrington states the closest the story in the Old Testament that parallels the miracle story found in Mark is the feeding story of Elisha; he agrees with Meier. In both stories, the main characters (Jesus, Elisha) give an impossible order involving a small amount of food and a large crowd to feed. In both cases, there is food left over even though there are more people than there is food. The narrative follows the general structure of a miracle story with a setting that describes a situation of need, a request, the mighty work itself, and some demonstration of the action. There are a number of elements that brings up the question of relations between the two Marcian feedings. They have similarity in setting, content, and structure but also, significant differeneces. The differences are the number of individuals in the crowd (5000 vs. 4000), the amount of food originally available, and the disclosure between Jesus and the disciples. Harrington points out that in Mark 8:1-10, the disciples give no indication of knowing that Jesus will perform his mighty work, even after the participating in the feeding of Mark 6:30-44. There have been various proposals to help relate the narratives: (1) there was a single early narrative that took different forms in the tradition, (2) Mark 8: 1-10 is an early pre-Markan narrative that Mark uses to compose the one found in Mark 6:30-44 ( which can detested by Meier, himself); and (3) there were two different pre-Marcian versions of the story and both were edited by Mark. There is a belief by the majority of interpreters that there was an early narrative that the individual evangelists reworked and adapted to their theological perspectives. Harrington agrees with Meier on the thought that all the feeding stories and the Last Supp narrative, despite the significant differences, describe Jesus saying a blessing or a prayer of thanksgiving; taking bread, breaking it, and giving it to disciples or crowds to eat. The similarities outweigh the differences. One option that should be avoided is the belief that the people were so moved by the words of Jesus that they divided their food with others, as Meier also stated. The narrative rather gives a picture of Jesus as compassionate toward the hungry people and concerned about their physical hunger. Harrington believed a church that invokes the name of Jesus must be concerned about the spiritual and physical hungers of people today. According to William Lane, the account of the feeding of the multitude has a particular significance in the framework of Marks Gospel. The elaborate introduction (Mark 6:30-34), the extended dialogue with the disciples (Mark 6:35-38) , the frequent references to this occasion (Mark 6: 52; 8:17-21) and the sequel in the feeding of the four thousand (Mark 8:1-10), shows that the evangelist regarded this event as crucial for understanding the dignity of Jesus. The book of Mark shows the glory of God unveiled through the abundant provision of bread in the wilderness where Jesus is Israels faithful shepherd. The extended conversation of Jesus with his disciples concerning bread is the distinctive element in the Marcan account of the feeding of the multitude, as Meier would agree with. Overall, I do believe the feeding of the five thousand found in Mark 8 is the redaction of Mark 6. It only makes sense, because the version of the story in Mark 6 and John 6 share many similiarities , compared to the version in Mark 8; Mark 6 and John 6 share the feeding the story with the five thousand people fed with five loaves of bread and two fishes, while the Mark 8 version feeds four thousand people with seven loaves of bread and two fishes. It goes to show that the feeding story found in John 6 is the independent version of the feeding miracle and that Mark versions represent two different versions of the feeding miracle. Growing up in the church, I would say that I strongly disagree with Meirs belief that Jesus performed miracles of exorcism, during his public ministries. I was taught that Jesus performed miraculous works because he had compassion and love for his people, and wanted his disciples and follows to witness the good works of the Lord, his Father. I do agree that the Old Testaments stories (particularly the story of the Elisha feeding) and the Last Supper do share many similarities, but I do not see substantial evidence to say that these two stories influenced the miracle feeding of the five thousand. As Meier said it, I also believe it still remains to be proven if Jewish and Christian influences had any part with creating the Gospel miracle story. Even though the Last Supper has parallels with the miracle feeding story found in Mark 8, the parallel in Mark 6 is not quite clear and less clear in John 6. Like Meier, I believe the actions of Jesus over the bread and wine was him giving than ksgiving to God, also done by the head of a Jewish household over the bread that is broken to begin a formal meal and sometime he acts out constantly. The parallel of thanksgiving or blessings over the bread first and then over the fish does not resemble the original Jewish ritual of Thanksgiving; only the narrative of Jesus parallel over the bread and wine. I also agree with Meier that the Elisha Story and the Last Supper tradition cannot completely explain the origin of the story of Jesus feeding the multitude. It is debatable as to whether there are any indications that some historical event in Jesus ministry may be behind the early Christian miracle stories. I do believe the emphasis of a banquet or festival meal as a image of the kingdom were not words spoken, but played an important role in Jesus actions; he was known for his presence at festival banquets. I strongly agree with Meier that the most memorable banquet or festival meal is the feeding of the multitude. Growing up, I always knew and was aware of the feeding miracle; I knew a little bit of the Last Supper and knew nothing of the Elisha story. Personally, the feeding story was one of the stories that always stuck to me. I believe that whether something miraculous happening in the feeding miracle depends on a persons worldview, not from the results of the historical investigation of an event. It is up to everyone to do their own result and have their own beliefs.