Monday, September 30, 2019

Manage Business Document Design & Development Essay

1. Consider this scenario. You and four friends have developed a new environmentally friendly heater. You all have extensive business experience. Together, you have established a new company, Green Heaters Pty Ltd ACN 512 302 XXX, which will manufacture and sell the new heater to wholesalers. The five of you will comprise the board of directors. The board has forecasted that Green Heaters Pty Ltd will sell 650,000 heaters in the first year and will employ 100 staff. You have been given the task of designing and developing the standard documentation which will be used by Green Heaters Pty Ltd. You must present details of your plans to the board of directors. Prepare a comprehensive report to the board. Explain what you will do to manage the design and development of business documents. Explain details of the methods and processes you will use to produce high quality documents. Provide details of the types of documents which you will produce and how you will ensure that they will be suitable for requirements. Explain the methods you will use to develop standard documents including templates and macros and provide information about any assistance you will need, including details of external sources. Detail the strategies you will use to ensure employees use standard documents productively. Provide information about the proposed organisational policies and procedures which will be implemented to govern the use of standard documents as well as ensure standard documents meet any changing requirements of the organisation in the short and long term. Document Design & Development – Green Heaters Pty Ltd Having recently been charged with the task of designing and developing the business documents of Green Heaters Pty Ltd I would being the process by consulting with the board to determine the organisational requirements so that I could develop a style guide that employees tasked with document production can use to ensure that the organisation requirements are continually met. The style guide will incorporate the organisations style including; 1. Templates 2. Writing Style 3. Filenames 4. Company Logo Use 5. Hyperlinks 6. Headers & Footers 7. Text & Layout 8. Appearance. As Green Heaters Pty Ltd will continually produce high quality documents to publicise and market the environmentally friendly heaters I will investigate the types of equipment that can be purchased, this will be either via a contract or outright, depending on the best option, that can produce high quality documents on recycled paper and with the environment in mind. We would use a desktop publishing program to design and create the documents internally. There will be a number of documents that will need to be developed these will include; Letters Faxes Reports Memos Invoices Quotes Orders Statements Catalogues Emails Employment Applications These documents will need to be developed and tested to ensure that they meet  the organisations requirements. I would have the staff that are responsible for using the documents to test the documents and provide feedback on these to ensure that they are suitable. Whilst a number of documents will be designed and managed as per the style guide there will be numerous documents requiring templates or macros. Therefore due to the number of documents that will be introduced will be templates or have macros for ease of completion. As this can be quite complex I would enlist the services of an external consultant to ensure that the documentation functions as it should. After much research I believe that â€Å"Office Experts† www.accessexperts.com.au would be the ideal firm to use for this as they have a broad range of skills and knowledge. Once the documents had been established a training program would be developed so that staff that are responsible for output are fully trained in the use of the templates and macros. There would also be very detailed instructions on how to use each template and macro to ensure that all documents are produced to Green Heaters Pty Ltd standards. As there will be a large investment in time and also money in developing the standards and templates/macros, there will be continuous reviews of the documents produced by employees to ensure that they are using the documents productively. There will also be feedback forms and focus groups to determine that the current options available to staff suit the purpose and are functioning correctly. The investment that Green Heaters Pty Ltd would need to make to ensure that the style guidelines and organisational requirements are met would include; External contractor to design develop and implement standard documents including templates and macros. External contractor to provide written instructions on how to use the templates and macros. Staff training in use of the templates and macros. Purchase or contract for equipment to complete in-house printing. To ensure that the standards of the design and development of documents are upheld, specific policies and procedures will be developed and implemented, the policies will outline why the specific formats and designs are to be used and the processes will outline, in conjunction with the style guide, the correct way to manage the development of documents. A continual review of the documents will be undertaken to ensure that changes to legislation, branding, technology and document trends are reflected in the policies, processes and style guides.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Mung Beans

Abstract The Seeds of Mung bean, wheat, and silver beet were tested in environments of differing salinities to note down if high salinity environments were worse for the seeds. It was found that generally lower concentrations were better for germination then higher concentrations. Despite this, the hypothesis was not completely supported as in wheat and silver beet the second concentration had a higher rate of germination than the control and in all instances the highest concentration had a higher germination rate than the second highest concentration. Introduction Salinity refers to salt dissolved in a substance such as water or soil. Different plants have differing levels of salt tolerance, due to certain adoptions to specific environments. If a plant is not adapted to high salinity areas, they can be very detrimental to them. This is due to the process of osmosis. Osmosis is the process that occurs when there are differing concentrations between the inside and outside of a cell (Etomica, 2010). The reason that solutions can travel through a cell is due to its cell membrane, which is a semi-permeable, meaning that only some things and not others can pass through it (Purchon, N, 2000). If there is a higher concentration on the outside of the cell than on the inside of the cell then it is referred to as hypotonic. When this happens, water flows from outside the cell into it, and the cell starts to swell. When the cell swells it is said to be turgid, which means swollen and hard (Etomica, 2010). In plant cells there is a cell wall which prevents these cells from bursting, and when the internal and external pressures become equal the ‘turgor pressure’ prevents the cell from taking in any more water (Etomica, 2010). If the concentration is higher on the inside, however, than it is referred to as hypertonic. When a cell is in a hypertonic solution, water from the inside of the cell will travel out of the cell (Etomica, 2010). When this happens, the cell is said to be ‘flaccid’, and when this happens the cytoplasm of the cell, which is the organelle of a cell concerned with the storage of water, pulls away from the cell walls in a process known as plasmolysis (Etomica, 2010). If there is an equal concentration on both the inside and outside of the cell than it has reached a ‘dynamic equilibrium’ and is referred to as isotonic, ‘incipient plasmolysis’ occurs . Incipient means about to be, meaning that it is in-between being turgid and being plasmolysed (Etomica, 2010). If a fully sprouted plant is in an isotonic solution, then a plant droops because it is not turgid enough to hold itself up (Etomica, 2010). High salinity environments can be bad for plants not adapted to them because their cells become flaccid. This is because the concentration of water in a high salinity environment is relatively low, meaning that water diffuses from inside the cell outwards, and eventually can deprive a cell completely from water (Etomica, 2010). The effects of high salinity environments on plants are an especially large problem in Australia. This is because, over millions of years, salt has been taken from the sea in the form of salt water, and deposited over the Australian landscape in the form of rain (DENR SA, 2010). This salt has stayed even deposited through soil for millions of years due to the native plants living in it, but with the plantation of introduced crops has become a large problem. In deep-rooted, native plants, when rainfall occurs, a large amount of water is taken up through the roots from the soil, resulting in no difference to the environment. However, with introduced, shallow-rooted plants, less water is taken up through the roots. Because less water is taken up, more water remains, and when the water evaporates from the soil, salt which has been low below ground for millions of years is brought to the surface, surrounding these new plants and depriving them of further water (DENR SA, 2010). This process can be made worse by the irrigation of crops, which result in more water soaking into the soil and thus more water to evaporate and carry salt to the soil’s surface (DENR SA, 2010). An example of a plant adapted to high salinity environments is the mangrove. The mangrove is a halophilous plant, meaning that it is a plant that grows in saline soils and waters (Conservancy Association, 2010). This gives it an advantage as not many plants can live in these conditions. The mangrove handles these high salinity conditions in a number of methods. The first method is through salt exclusion, which is the process the mangrove uses to prevent salt from entering its roots and therefore stopping it being transported to the plant cells (Conservancy Association, 2010). Despite this, some salt still gets through to the cells, and there are more methods to deal with it. With mangroves such as the Black Mangrove, salt can be excreted through its tissues, through specific salt glands (Conservancy Association, 2010). Another method is the storage of this salt on the leaves of the plant, in the form of crystals. These leaves then drop to the ground, taking this salt with them (Conservancy Association, 2010). The germination of mangroves is also a process specifically adapted to high salinity conditions. A mangrove seed begins to develop before it is dropped to the ground from the plant, to improve its chances of survival once it is dropped (Conservancy Association, 2010). As a mangrove is surrounded by water, when a seed drops it will start floating, as the seed coat starts to shed. The speed at which this coat sheds depends on how ideal the conditions are for it, as it will fall off slowly if it is in a high or low salinity environment (Conservancy Association, 2010). The best environment for a mangrove seedling is one of a combination of sea and fresh water. If the environment has a high temperature then the process is also quickened (Conservancy Association, 2010). Finding the right environment fairly quickly is important as a mangrove seed can only stay alive a few days, before it needs to implant (Conservancy Association, 2010). In this extended experimental investigation, the germination process of the seeds of mung beans, wheat, and silver beet in differing saline environments are tested to see how high salinity environments can affect plants. Mung beans can grow in both moist and dry environments, and can survive very dry drought conditions if necessary (Jefferson Institute, 2010). Despite this, they are not well adapted to high salinity conditions. Silver beet seeds are also adapted to a wide range of climates, although prefer cool, dry areas to germinate (Primefacts, 2009). Silver beet seeds have some tolerance to saline conditions, but not much tolerance during the germination process (Primefacts, 2009). There are over a thousand different kinds of wheat, whose seeds once again can survive well in drought-like conditions, but are relatively unadapted to saline environments (Shipard, I, 2009). Ten of each of these seeds will be put into five differing solutions. The solutions consist of a control solution, being a distilled water solution with no salt, a solution of 4. 375g/L of salt, a solution of 8. 75g/L of salt, a solution of 17. 5g/L of salt, and a solution of 35g/L of salt, being the average salinity of sea

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Business and Commercial Awareness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business and Commercial Awareness - Essay Example Our objective as the marketing department is to make sure that this project will be successfully implemented to provide present and future opportunities for Eagle Nest Inc. to generate more revenues. 2. Impact on your department As it is well known, it is the responsibility of the marketing department to gather as much information about the market as possible. This information is crucial as it helps the organization to compete with other organizations providing similar goods or services (Hiebing et al, 2011). To obtain necessary information my department will need to undertake several market analyses. We will also need to identify a competent team of marketing consultant and retail shopping planner to assist us with marketing implementation. Due to venturing into new markets we will need to adjust our policies and. We will need our hotels to have a competitive advantage in the new mark. The best way to achieve this is by using cost leadership and product differentiation (Kumar & Phro mmathed, 2005).The project will actually strain my department due to the large area of operation but I believe it is necessary and that it will yield good results. 3. Time plan To ensure success in marketing all members of marketing departments like sales, marketing communication, customer service, product or service development, internet and research must work together (Luther, 2011). For this to happen a proper time planning should be done. Stephenson &Thurman (2007) suggests that if a marketing calendar is designed it can help in coordinating marketing activities as well as marketing ideas. All the activities of this department will be undertaken simultaneously for the first six months. These activities will include research, rebranding, publicity, and promotions. The reason for undertaking them simultaneously is because they are interconnected and they depend on each other. As Luther (2011) state, it is important to be cautious when selecting an advertising agency and to do this we have to undertake some research. 4. Links and dependencies For effective implementation of this project, this department has to collaborate with several other departments. The finance department will be providing as with the necessary fund and will also be assisting us with the budgeting and drawing our financial plan. This department will be monitoring the use of funds allocated to my department since they are mandated as account department. We will also work hand in hand with the human resource department, which will be providing us with staffs and training necessary for project implementation. We will also depend on the procurement and logistics department to provide us with the necessary materials for publicity. 5. Mile stones Some market research will have to be completed before other activities begin. We will have to complete test marketing in the first month of operation. This know the degree of success of our business undertakings (Boone & Kurtz, 2011).We must have compl eted publicity before the completion of the construction and renovation process which is expected to take about six months. We should also have been designed the marketing approach we will use before this time. We should also make sure that we have the necessary staff to undertake marketing and make sure that they are well trained to be able to handle the new

Friday, September 27, 2019

Six blind men & Elephant Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Six blind men & Elephant - Assignment Example It also enables categorization of all the complex information into four simple perspectives: financial, customer, internal and innovation and learning perspective which enables minimization of information overload which is a common thing in modern business. A balanced score card tracks and indicates all the results which have been attained pointing to the high and short scores. This therefore enables the managers put strategies in place rather than exercising control and in the end the success is high and employees and customers are satisfied and happy. With a balanced score card, management of the modern business becomes easier and takes shorter time. The customers, employees and manufacturers are all satisfied by how the balanced score card makes business relations easier than before. Lastly, the financial tracking as well as operations management which have previously proved to be challenging to monitor are simplified and monitored simultaneously ensuring nothing goes wrong (Kaplan and Norton,

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Product and Service Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Product and Service Strategies - Essay Example Style - look, fashion etc. Integrative force: Changing one or more of the above-discussed parameters could differentiate a Product. This will act as the competitive advantage or unique selling proposition of that particular product and to the company as a whole. Product Hierarchy: The hierarchy of a product starts from the basic need of the customer. A product is designed to fulfill the need. Then a product family emerges which includes major categories. i.e. for a life insurance both savings and income schemes will be included here or all insurance schemes will be grouped here. Then a product class emerges. i.e. considering only the income part of insurance. This is followed by product line where age groups come. Here the target market is known clearly. Then finally item comes where the focus will be on countries. i.e. Italian marble items are known world wide. Product Hierarchy Need Product family Product class Product line Product type Item Product Line Analysis This analysis will give clear details about the product Sales Profit Market profile Positioning Competition Identifying market segments Differentiation Finally, the management will be in a position to decide which product to focus more and which one to drop. Product Line Length The product line would be short if profits increase by adding items. The product line would be long if profits increase by dropping items. The General notion about the product length goes like this: A Company will have shorter product lines if its objective is short-term profitability or high profitability. A Company will have longer product lines if its objective is capturing more market share and market growth. The product line would lengthen for companies in due course of time. Commonly, companies...Product line pricing, a type of product mix strategy, sets price steps (also known as price points) between products in the line to appeal to different groups of consumers. Another product mix strategy called price bundling clusters two or more sports products into a single "packaged" price. Conversely, captive product pricing unbundled two or more sports products and sells each at a separate price. This type of product mix strategy is also referred to as two-part pricing. In economics and marketing, a service is the non-material equivalent of a good. Service provision has been defined as an economic activity that does not result in ownership, and this is what differentiates it from providing physical goods. It is claimed to be a process that creates benefits by facilitating either a change in customers, a change in their physical possessions, or a change in their intangible assets Intangibility - They cannot be seen, handled, smelled, etc. There is no need for storage. Because services are difficult to conceptualize, marketing them requires creative visualization to effectively evoke a concrete image in the customer's mind. From the customer's point of view, this attribute makes it difficult to evaluate or compare services prior to experiencing the service. Perishability - Unsold service time is "lost", that is, it can

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 2

Business Plan - Essay Example Student Fast Food (SFF) is a small fast food outlet, working in Cambridge for five years, and now intends to transform itself into a proper pizza hut by means of innovative and resourceful strategies. Presently the point, registered with Department of Food and Live Stock, is offering few local fast food items to the students and general public. Generation of revenue and profit is the main purpose of SFF. Since it’s a service provider unit, therefore, customer service is the base of its existence. Our aim is to become the first choice of the customers and make them staying with us again and again. UK fast food is the largest fast food industry in Europe which is double and triple in size than Germany and French markets respectively. The expenditures have been increased since the start of 21st century in UK. "The UK fast food market grew by 5.2% and reached a value of $2.2 billion in 2008" (Datamonitor, August, 2009). The diversified cultures of UK along with various cultural tastes have put a significant impact on pizza industry. The main contributory items of fast food industry are sandwiches (Greggs, Subway, and Thurstens), burgers (McDonalds and Burger King), chicken (KFC), and pizza (Pizza Hut and Domino). In terms of catering and hospitality, the burger sector is leading that had revenue of  £9.33 billion in 2008. This revenue was 4.2% greater than the previous year and it was 22.2% of the total fast food market. By including the business of coffee shops, the revenue would reach  £11.22 billion, greater than 4.4% of the year 2007. The global turndown of 2008 has bene fited the UK fast food industry as it has increased its presence by 8% in 2009 as compared to the last year (http://www.whatmattersweblog.com). Similarly fast food restaurant has also increased by 8.2% in ten major cities of UK within one year.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The Psychological Effects of Law Enforcement Behavioral Modification Essay

The Psychological Effects of Law Enforcement Behavioral Modification Programs for Juveniles - Essay Example Study suggests that the child’s self-esteem may be damaged in the detention setting, where they are subject to strip searches, institutional clothing, and dictated routines (McShane & Williams, 2003). Research has demonstrated that properly implemented alternatives to detention are considerably less costly than secure confinement and youths placed in alternatives make their offenses while they are living at home (or in the community) awaiting the final disposition of their cases. In fact, well-designed alternatives can actually reduce failures to appear and pretrial crimes, because youth involved in these programs are in greater contact with court personnel in the pre-adjudication period (Krisberg, 2005). In February 2010, Hook featured the R.E.A.D.Y. program, inclusive of some of the stories that the team experienced in the sessions. In Hook’s (2010) article, the different activities done inside the jail were also carried out and the program officers showed toughness and strictness. Most of the parents intentionally brought in their misbehaving children, hoping for some changes, and based on the number of teens that were brought in, only 1.1% of them were truly arrested. Given the relatively sensitive issue of juveniles being sent to real jail, and the possible negative psychological damages that may be brought about by some legislations it is undeniable then, that alternative behavioral programs like the R.E.A.D.Y program be implemented and assessed soundly to prevent the youth from committing any crime. Moreover, it is imperative that the communities to which the adolescents belong to provide a healthy environment that nurtures a positive behavior through assisting those who enter into the program to make better choices, consequently deterring negative behavior. The US Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS] (2008) estimated in 2006 that more than 900,000 children were either

Monday, September 23, 2019

PETA and the true about animal rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PETA and the true about animal rights - Essay Example Through the years PETA has made advances for animals that are abused by individuals, corporations, and governments throughout the world. The organization has won several cases against animal abusers and has convicted several animal researchers. One popular example is the Silver Spring monkeys case where researcher Edward Taub experiments 17 macaque monkeys inside the Institute of Behavioral Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. Alex Pacheco spied the lab and took pictures of monkeys tied-up inside the lab. The pictures were then turned-over to the local police as evidence. The lab was raided by the police and researcher Edward Taub was convicted of several counts of animal cruelty and abuse. PETA was founded by Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco in March 1980. It receives donations from its multi-national companies and individual donors. The organization’s financial statements revealed millions of dollars of revenues a year. This is likely coming from millions of dollars worth of cash and non-cash donations from its donors worldwide and the rest came from its fund raisings for animal rights. PETA says that their revenues will not be kept for themselves but for the improvements of their programs on pursuing their global missions. Thus, its income tax returns revealed donations and grants to and from various individuals and non-profit organizations working on animal rights. They say the money they have in the organization will be spent for the benefit of the animals and the improvement of their life as living things.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Management of Technology10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management of Technology10 - Essay Example The bio-data collected assists the system to track down individual traits that are critical for record keeping. Modern day technology has evolved greatly where sharing of data between departments as well as organizations is possible through online systems. Much of the organizational data and sensitive information has been stored in electronic form through internet systems especially through hired computer cloud services. The access and management of the information is often through coded security passwords but the organization realizes the critical need for cyber security because of such threats as system hacking and destruction by malware. This is the most important reason why the board of directors needs to consider installation of cyber security systems in our organization. Other organizations often fall victim to loss of data by hackers who use malware to access and corrupt system data. Banks are often the major targets by such hackers with the intention of financial gains. Our organization needs to install well functioning antivirus programs, which are in a position to present any harmful file from opening in the computer systems. Besides, regular scanning of the systems in use is necessary in order to remove any virus or such other malware that would have gotten access into the system in any manner. Laudon K. C, Laudon J. P. and Elraga E. A., 2013. Management Information Systems, plus MyMISLab with Pearson eText, Global Edition, 13/E. Available at: (Accessed on 21 December

Saturday, September 21, 2019

A modern audience Essay Example for Free

A modern audience Essay But her marriage to will is all a practical arrangement as she is good at her job and Will is a skilled craftsman. As this partnership moves on the pair become more successful, they manage to pay back Mrs Hepworth the loan she gave then to get started and we see a more romantic side to Maggie as she saves a flower from her wedding day bouquet.  I thought Id press it in my bible  For keep sake A factor about Maggie that would appeal to a modern audience is that she is very intelligent. She controls the accounts and organises everything at Hobsons. She taught Will to read and write, because Will was born into the lower class she was not properly educate and so he was illiterate but Maggie changed that by educating him herself:  Ill just set you a short copy, for tonight.  Maggie is honest and fair, when Albert and Freddy are trying to get more money than they agreed out of Mr Hobson, she knows he cannot afford what they are asking and so she gets them down to a more realistic price:  I know perfectly well what father can afford to pay, and it is not a thousand pounds nor anything like a thousand pounds. Maggie is also humble because she is not afraid to ask for help when she needs it. She asks Mrs Hepworth for money as her and will havent got any from their previous jobs because Hobson didnt pay Maggie and Will came from a lower class and had little pay, all to get married and start up a good business  Weve paid back Mrs Hepworth what she lent us for our start and made a bit o brass on top o that.  At the beginning of the play Will lacked self-confidence and he was poor. He was also a victim of Hobsons exploitation:  What does she want to praise workmen to his face for? But Will is a talented craftsman and a skilled worker which is why Mrs Hepworth complimented him and asked that he makes her shoes in the future:  These are the best-made pair of boots Ive ever had. Now, youll make my boots in future.  This is a great compliment for a working class man because they were not often praised for their work and didnt often do so well. This is a point about Will that would appeal to a modern audience.  Will, like many other working class in the 1880s could not read at the start of the play but due to Maggies help he learns how to read and write. By starting up his own business shows he is a good business man and he pays off Mrs Hepworth the money back she lent the couple to get the business started. Weve paid off Mrs Hepworth what she lent us for our start.  Will is from a working class background; he is one of Hobsons boot hands and suffers social prejudice from Maggies sisters Alice and Vicky but now is near equal class to them but they still see him form a lower class and treat him with a lack of respect  Will Mossop do you know who you are talking to?  As the play progresses Wills confidence increase as he now dares to stand up to Hobson, Alice, Vicky and Maggie  Ill take you into partnership and give you a half share. The Audience may find Wills character comical due to his sayings Well by gum  And make the viewers laugh. When Maggie tells Will she wants to marry him he is a bit worried at tries to back down from the proposal because he did not love her, but they get their partnership up and running and as the story continues he realises that he can learn to love and give Maggie the respect she needs to create a successful business. From the start to the end of the play Will Mossop changes a lot. He went from working in Hobsons cellar to owning his own successful business and being married to Maggie. His main change was that he went from poverty to being a member of the working/middle class. By doing this he has made his way up the social ladder, which was very hard to do in the 19th century. Wills struggle could be compared to a dream going from rags to riches. In my opinion this would be the most important factor about Will that would appeal to a modern audience.  Maggies determination to make a success of hers and Willies marriage and the business that they start would make her popular with a modern audience because she did not really love Will when they were married, but she had to do something to get away from Mr Hobson, her authoritarian father and she also managed to get her sisters married.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Analysing Differences Between Different Party Systems Politics Essay

Analysing Differences Between Different Party Systems Politics Essay Why are political parties important for a democratic society? What are the different political consequences of one party system, two-party system and multi-party system? In modern societies, political parties seem to be an indispensable part in almost every country. A political party is a group of people organized to seek influence in government policy and for the purpose of winning government power, by nominating their candidates in electoral and other means. In a democratic society, a political party is on the input side of a political system, that is, the demands and interests of the people are collected from political parties and analyzed by the government before any policy decision is made. E.E. Schattschneider (1942), a political scientist, did a comprehensive research over party politics, concluded that political parties created democracy, and modern democracy is unthinkable save except in terms of parties. To a certain extent, it is impossible to run a democratic government without the help of political parties as they have quite a lot of important functions to the government. The main function of political parties is to ensure a two-way communication system between the government and public. Public opinion has long been of vital importance to democratic governance. And political parties, under this circumstance, act as a bridge between government and public. Public opinions would be collected by political parties. Different viewpoints from the public would be delivered to the government after the integration of opinion and moderation of differences by political parties. As a result, different people can be brought together so that they can compromise and reach a consensus for policy making, which in turn create a more democratic and harmonious society. Another function of political parties is to bring aggregation of people of different interests. Apart from political parties, it is not uncommon to find interest groups in the society, which simply want to promote their groups interest and inform the public of it. However, chaotic and unstable government would be resulted if interest groups became the highest form of political organization. As interest groups would mainly focus on their needs and have conflicts with each other easily, it is difficult to set comprehensive goals or values in policy making. Political parties, in this situation, help pulling interest groups into a larger organization. In doing so, interest group conflicts can be calmed and settled by interest aggregation. Therefore, many large political parties nowadays, such as the Democratic Party in the United States and the Labour Party in Britain, are coalitions of different interest groups. Integration of different new groups into political system can also be done by political parties, especially for integrative parties, which attempt to mobilize, inspire and educate the public instead of only responding to public concerns. Political parties usually welcome new groups join in and provide them support by giving them educational opportunities, welfare benefits and so on. In doing so, members of the group may feel represented, thus develop a sense of belonging and loyalty to the political system. The U.K. Labour Party and German Social Democratic Party would be related examples. Labours in the above parties are integrated successfully into the political system and learnt to strive for their needs by democratic rules. On the contrary to countries where integration of working class into the political system was failed, radical movements might easily be resulted. After integration into political system, political socialization is essential for transferring knowledge of the political system and social concern to the people. Political parties provide political values and factual assumptions in politics. For instance, they teach their members to organize meetings, speak in public and influence government policies. Through these teachings and trainings, the public can form positive attitudes, values and beliefs which sustain the political system As a result, members can be politically conscious and get more involved in politics. Political parties can also be the training grounds for leaders through political socialization. As a result, citizens can be represented by the educated officials and democracy can be achieved by bringing public opinion in the government. Apart from the aforementioned, political parties act as a monitoring tool to the government. As party members can be part of the government after winning elections, they can oversee the government by participation. And they can bring peoples voice in and suggest alternate policies and choices to the government, then hold the government to be accountable and responsive. Once the government has done something wrong that would harm the citizens, political parties can immediately voice out the opposition. Under this situation, it would be relatively harder for the government to ignore public voices and thus achieve a more democratic society. From the above mentioned, political parties serve a number of vital functions to create a democratic society. Political Parties, as a communication channel, facilitate the interactions and understanding between the government and the citizens. Peoples demands can be effectively transmitted to the government. To achieve real democracy, other aspects, such as honest and well-informed press and a stable party system, are other important factors as well. Nevertheless, political parties are the most direct way to influence government policy-making. Without political parties, the government may be loosely organized and peoples opinions would hardly be reflected. Therefore, political parties are necessary for the advancement of democracy. Political parties operate within party systems, and the type of system will have profound effects on party behavior. Party systems are the interactions of different political parties. There are three types of party systems briefly, which are one-party system, two-party system and multi-party system. By definition, one-party system has only one party dominates the political system. According to Almond, one-party system can be divided into three types. The first type would be authoritarian party system. Under authoritarian party system, there is only one party controlling the interest aggregation and articulation. There is no other competition for political powers, and opposition is suppressed and disallowed. Another type is totalitarian party system. Under this system, only one party has the legitimate right to govern. No competition for political powers is allowed. Party uses indoctrination, highly emphasizes people interest and party interest should be equal. The system uses the official ideology to mobilize the mass so as to gain political support. For instance, China was under this party system and used mass campaign, such as the Cultural Revolution to mobilize people. In modern society, it is believed that North Korea is one of the remaining countries that is still under this totalitarian party system. The last type is dominate non-authoritarian party system. This system exists with only one strong party. Even though other parties are permitted to exist in the country, they are not strong enough to challenge or compete with the dominant political party for power. As a result, practically, there is only one party in power. Take the example of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), a system called multi-party cooperation under the Chinese Communist Partys leadership has been developed. That is, there are at present eight so-called democratic parties in China apart from the Communist Party. However, these eight other political parties, such as China Democratic League, China Association for Promoting Democracy and Jiu San Society in the PRC are only under the leadership of the Communist Party. At the end, the only party that matters and gains the power is the Communist Party. No matter which type of the one-party system does the country follow, various political consequences might likely be resulted. Decision making under one-party system is efficient. As there is only one party in power, other viewpoints need not to be concerned much. Without public consultation and discussion process, swift changes or decisions are likely to be made. Take China as an example, the Communist Party holds all political power and has the exclusive right to legitimize and control all other political organizations. As a result, the Communist Party, alone, determines all the social, economic and political policies and goals for society efficiently without too much hesitation. Nonetheless, corruption would be possible as there is no checks and balances in the country. No out party is there to supervise in party. Even there are other parties in the state, they are too weak or ineffective to challenge the political power. And as there is only one party who gains the political power and controls the government, politicians would have a low risk to be prosecuted, punished, or to lose their seat. As a result, it may be relatively easier for them to take bribes. In the long run, corruption under one-party system can undermine public trust towards the whole political system and government and threaten the viability of democracy. Moreover, political apathy may be caused due to only one party in power. No matter how people express their point of views to the government, the political party may only focus on its narrow point of view, not accepting others. In some countries, such as China, would even have censorship to control peoples freedom of speech, preventing them from expressing opinions harm the partys governance. As time passes, people may feel themselves as incapable and powerless in politics, led to the cause of political apathy. Apart from the one-party system, two-party system is adopted by some countries nowadays as well. It is a competitive system with two major political parties dominating the system and competing for power. Other political parties are allowed to exist under the two-party system, but they are not strong enough to challenge the two large ad well-supported parties under most situations. Usually, the two dominant parties hold equal power, having an equal chance to win the general election depending on their previous performance. The United States of America is one of the countries adopting the two-party system, which the Republican and Democrats are the major two parties in the country. With two strong parties in the system act as opposition party, the governance may be relatively stable. There would be checks and balances between parties and the government. Unlike the situation in one-party system, the political ideas would be relatively diverse as the two parties do not incline to only one and narrow standpoint. And the two parties may ensure the government is responsive and responsible towards peoples need and concern. Although the opposition from the two parties ensures the government is responsive and responsible, several political drawbacks may be resulted. The political views from the two parties might vary a lot. Take the two-party system in the U.S. as an example, within each party, there are moderate republicans or democrats and extreme republican or democrats. For moderate republicans or democrats, sometimes they may express ideas based on their views but not following the party lines. For extreme republican or democrats, as they need to distinguish themselves from the other, their political views may become more and more extreme and two-sided, and lead to the rivalry of partisan politicsmay lead to rivalry of two parties like partisan parties may lead to rivalry of two parties like partisan parties. The great variance on political viewpoints within a party may cause confusion to the citizens. And if the views are too extreme or mostly only divided into two standpoints, it may be hard and t ime-consuming to have consensus between two parties on certain policy and peoples choice on policy making may possibly be limited. In addition, it may discourage independent or third-party candidates due to low winning chances in elections. For example, in the U.S., people have tried to set up others parties, such as the Green Party. Ralph Nader, a person who was not from the two major parties, was one of the president candidate in 2004 election. However, candidates like him simply have no chance of winning in the election, so it is hard for them to survive. Under this circumstance, in long term, new political ideas and opportunities of participation may be limited, as the major parties may be too stuck in their ways, affecting policy-making quality. The last type, the multi-party system, consists of two or more major political parties with equal strength, but none of which can win majority votes and the general election. A coalition government can be resulted, which composed of the two or three parties that win the largest number of votes or seats in the legislature. The existence of a multi-party system reflects efficient aggregation and expression of minority interest within the society. Parties concerning minorities may also get the chance in winning elections and thus the related viewpoints can be brought in various policy discussions. Under this system, a willingness to compromise and cooperate may be shown. However, this system is often criticized to be unstable. As there are many different political parties holding different political platform, values are extremely diverse, they may not be able to keep government in power for long. Germany Parliamentary election, with parties having extreme diverse values, in September 2005 showed as an example of unstable multi-party system. Besides, Italy and Israel, with multi-party system, has had years of diverse politics. And the coalition government under the system is inherently unstable, since when a party withdraws from the coalition due to internal conflicts, the government will no longer enjoy majority support from the legislature. Instability, to both the government and citizens, is non-beneficial. In long-run, citizens may lose confidence in governance. To conclude, each political system has its own political consequences, with merits or demerits. In modern democratic society, checks and balances are of certain importance in the government and any political system. Therefore, one-party system may not be preferable for a countrys governance. For two-party system and multi-party system, it is hard to conclude which is better, and there has been even a middle ground version of these two systems- two-plus party systems. But anyway, as long as parties can effectively use their power and represent public opinion, a stable and moderate party system can be established. And this, in long run, can make democracy possible.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

A Comparison of Practical and Principled Nonviolent Action Theories Ess

A Comparison of Practical and Principled Nonviolent Action Theories Introduction The phrase "nonviolent action" brings to mind a wide variety of sometimes conflicting images. The image of a Chinese student at Tiananmen Square standing in the way of a tank was portrayed around the world, along with the stories of those who were shot and run over by those tanks. Indian participants pressed forward undauntedly in columns and then in groups to the salt depot at Dharasana while being beaten back with clubs by police forces who were infuriated by the nonresistance of the people. Individual Danes sneaked onto the Nazi occupied airfields at night to sabotage their own planes to prevent them from being used against the Allies and the Danish people. Polish workers during the Solidarity movement refused to vote even though it was illegal and succeeded in preventing the election of unwanted single ticket politicians. Though widely varied, these images all accurately represent nonviolent social change movements of the last century. Two theories have dominated the recorded history of the nonviolent social change movement as motivation for keeping the movements nonviolent: pragmatism and principle. A pragmatic approach has led to what is called practical nonviolent action--action based either on the lack of violent options or on the direct efficiency of nonviolence. Action based on a theory of moral, ethical, or religious principles is known as principled nonviolent action. Both theories have motivated successful campaigns and both have spawned actions in which the goals of the movement were not accomplished. A number of authors in recent years have carefully examined and articulated both theories along with the case studies of moveme... ... 1989. Douglas, James. Lightning East to West: Jesus, Gandhi, and the nuclear age. New York: Crossroad, 1983. Gandhi, Mahatma K. Satyagraha. Ahmedabad: Navajivan Publishing House 1958. King, Mary. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr: The Power of Nonviolent Action. Paris: UNESCO Publishing, 1999. Powers, . Protest, Power and Change. Roberts, Adam. Civilian Resistance as National Defense. Schell, Orville. "Children of Tiananmen." Rolling Stone. December 14-28, 1989: 185-8+. Sharp, Gene. The Politics of Nonviolent Action volume 1. Boston: P. Sargen, 1973. Touraine, Alain. Solidarity: The Analysis of a Social Movement. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1983. Walesa, Lech. A Way of Hope. New York: H. Holt, 1987. Yi, Mu. Crisis at Tiananmen: Reform and Reality in Modern China. San Francisco, CA: China Books & Periodicals, c1989

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Compare and contrast Mr. Birling and Sheila Birling Essay -- English L

Compare and contrast the characters of Mr. Birling and Sheila Birling in their attitudes to social issues. In the play â€Å"An Inspector Calls† by J.B. Priestly, Mr. Birling and Sheila Birling have contrasting attitudes to social issues. The author uses this difference to highlight the diversity between generations and their reactions to situations faced. Arthur Birling is the father to Sheila Birling and so is presented as the older, â€Å"old-fashioned† generation whereas Shelia is the younger generation, who is more aware of the responsibilities they have towards other people. (?) The play begins with Mr. Birling and his family celebrating the engagement of Sheila to Gerald. The atmosphere is happy and light-hearted. Before the Inspector arrives, Birling is happy with life and himself. He says, â€Å"It’s one of the happiest nights of my life†. This shows that he is quite selfish because he only thinks that it is one of the happiest nights of his life, not of Sheila and Gerald’s. He also shows that he can accept economic change in business but not social and personal change, as we see later in the play. He says, â€Å"There’ll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere – except of course in Russia, which will always be behindhand naturally.† Mr. Birling’s tone of voice at the beginning of this quotation is boastful which changes to scorn when he talks about Russia. His scornful attitude towards Russia emphasises Mr. Birling’s lack of attitude towards others. Sheila, too, is in a happy and playful mood at the beginning of the play. The stage directions say â€Å"half playful, half serious† which emphasises her good mood. Sheila doesn’t say much at the beginning as it is Mr. Birling doing most of the talking. Bot... ... still affected by what has happened even though it may not be true. She doesn’t understand how her father can go back to normal. Mr. Birling emphasises the differences between the older and younger generations and refuses to accept social change. Sheila gets stronger throughout the play and she symbolises the new generation and society. Sheila accepts change and knows what they did was wrong. She understands that if it had happened, there would have been consequences. The message that J.B Priestly is putting across is that people have a responsibility towards others. The Inspector says, â€Å"We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other†¦if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish.† The party at the beginning represents society but underneath the happiness, society is rotten.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The Montgomery Bus Boycott Essays -- Rosa Parks, civil rights

In the late eighteen hundreds, the Reconstruction by Congress was overturned by the Supreme Court. Segregation or separation by skin color was made a law which was adopted by private organizations, institutions and businesses (loc.gov). Physical violence and mental harassment was imposed upon those whom were deemed inferior in color. Some citizens accepted the law, as is, without question while others believed it was their supreme right to remain separate without modification. Human activists, that opposed this way of living, pursued an extensive battle to abolish racial inequity and segregation from American life (loc.gov). During the nineteen hundreds, many understood this treatment as an offense to human beings and activists began receiving assistance toward this common goal. Support and hindrance, for equality, were both on the rise throughout the Montgomery Bus Boycott. There were also citizens and organizations or groups who neither supported nor opposed segregation. They just wanted some sort of compromise or settlement to put a stop to all the chaos happening in their city. Two groups in particular that attempted to acquire an agreement between Montgomery city officials, the transportation company and protest leaders were the Men of Montgomery and the Alabama Council on Human Relations. The Men of Montgomery, a businessmen’s group, recruited by protest leaders to resolve the issues was unsuccessful in obtaining a consensus to meet the demands of the bus boycott. These men were able to construct a meeting with the opposing sides; however, they did not take a stand for complete humanity. Choosing sides would possibly gain repercussions from either side. City officials were only willing to produce a partial agreement that... ...unity joined together which was not normal among them. Civility was the conquest among boycotters. Montgomery wasn’t ready for the change. They were forced, by the Supreme Court, to accept the terms of the protesters. The long process and struggle finally paid off, integration legally was adopted. WORKS CITED Garrow, David J. â€Å"Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.† Bearing the Cross. William Morrow. New York Quill. 1-82. Interview, â€Å"Montgomery Bus Boycott,† Mrs. Janice Chapital, 09 Apr 2014. Library of Congress Exhibitions. 06 Oct 09. A Century of Racial Segregation, 1849-1850. 22 Feb 2014. Olson, Lynne. â€Å"The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 To 1970.† Freedom’s Daughters. Murrow. New York. Scribner. 13-17, 87-191.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Analysis of Biff in Death of a Salesman

Camilla Tanzi Year 12 An analysis of the character of Biff. Biff Loman is portrayed as the root of Willy’s mental illness and instability. He is also the only member of his family who acknowledges his own failures in life. On the whole, Biff Loman stands out as the most intriguing and strong character in â€Å"Death of a Salesman. He is not a successful man and never will be, he is however able to admit this, even in a harsh society as the one of the 1960s America. Biff knows he is a â€Å"nothing† and tries to make his father see that he is â€Å"no good.I am a dime a dozen, Pop, and so are you. † He begs for Willy to communicate with him and accept him for who he is. Although Willy is forced by Biff to see some of his own failures, he never accepts that Biff will turn out the same way. At the end of the play, Biff seems to have developed a strength of his own; he has faced and accepted the truth about himself and his father. Now that he acknowledges his proble ms, there is a hope that he will be able to reach his potential. If â€Å"Death of a Salesman† offers any hope, it is only through the character of Biff. Also read: Expressionism in Death of a SalesmanMiller implies there is a chance that he will one day be able to live a normal life, away from the shadow of Willy Loman. Biff stimulates reactions out of his father’s lunacy and is portrayed as the main cause of Willy’s problems. We understand that Willy has been a bad influence on his son and in spite of this; he has big ambitions for Biff and does not want to admit that he will never reach the goals he wishes for him. Being Willy’s oldest son, Biff seems to be the perfect child to his father.However, as the play develops and especially when it shifts from Willy’s dreams to the reality, we see a change in his attitude towards his son. When Biff was the star rugby player, the only thing that mattered to Willy was his success in the sport. As a matter of fact, when Bernard informs Willy and Biff about the possibility of him being â€Å"flunked in math†, Willy’s reply is stiff and arrogant:  "Don’t be a pest, Bernard! (To his boys) What an anaemic! † The use of the word â€Å"anaemic† is a perfect example to show what the man’s morals are; he considers Bernard a teenager who lacks vitality, boring.The author could possibly be implying that Willy is actually envious of Bernard and even though he doesn’t want to admit it, his is just jealousy when he shows aversion towards him. Willy has different ambitions for his sons’ futures than most people had for theirs at the time; he believes that sport will be enough to help Biff succeed in the business world, make him rich and notorious; â€Å"That’s just what I mean, Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you’re going to be five times ahead of him. Arthur Miller provides us with a lot of evidence that Willy has been a bad influence on Biff. While Biff is in some ways desperate to impr ess his father, he is also conscious about the fact that Willy has failed his attempt to be successful in his career. He considers his dad’s dreams materialistic and unreachable. As a matter of fact, in the Requiem, even after his father’s death, Biff says: â€Å"He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong. † Unlike Happy and Willy, Biff is self-aware and values facts; Willy never was a successful salesman and he never wanted to face the truth.On the other hand, Biff is conscious about his failures and the weaknesses of his personality. During an argument with his father, Biff admits that his dad made him â€Å"so arrogant as a boy† that now he just can’t handle taking orders from a boss. I think this is what truly differentiates Biff from the rest of his family; he is honest and sincere about himself and would rather work on a ranch than try to be successful in a work field that he knows will never accept him. Biff is also the only character that acts as a reminder that the American Dream is not an every man’s dream.Bernard has become a successful lawyer as his father Charley, Willy and Happy try to pretend they have too, but Biff is the only one who surrenders to his destiny. Rather than seeking success and money, he wants a basic life working on ranches. He does not try to push into the crowd of people aiming for a good job and a wealthy life-style, but instead wants to be seen for who he truly is: â€Å"Happy: The only thing is- what can you make out there? Biff: But look at your friend. Builds an estate and then doesn’t have the peace of mind to live in it. In a way, Miller is trying to tell us that Americans are made victims of the country’s success. â€Å"Death of a Salesman† seems to argue that America as a whole does not value people who look for simple pleasures such as working in the countryside, and the American Dream pushes people to only aim for jobs in the industry. It is ironic how Ber nard turns out to succeed as a successful and well-known lawyer. It is ironic because during high school Willy used to mock him for studying hard and always praised Biff for not studying at all.Bernard is presented as a weak and shy character and Miller wants us to believe that Biff will turn out to be successful rather than him and not the contrary. However, things turned out differently to how both Willy and Biff expected them to. Bernard’s success irritates Willy because his own sons’ lives do not measure up to Bernard’s: â€Å"(after a pause): I’m- I’m overjoyed to see how you made the grade Bernard, overjoyed. It’s an encouraging thing to see a young man really-really- Looks very good for Biff- very (He breaks off, then) Bernard- (He is so full of emotion, he breaks off again). Once again, Biff is the cause of his father’s despair; he does not want to pursue Willy’s dreams, he wants something other than material things fr om life, and this destroys the man. Biff has learnt from his father that to be â€Å"well-liked† and attractive are the most important ingredients for success. Up to now, I have only analysed the differences between Biff and Willy, however, it is also very important to highlight the few similarities between the two characters. When he was a teenage boy, Willy’s authority on Biff was evident.We find that when the three Loman men are talking about Bernard, Biff echoes small bits of his father’s view on life when he says that his friend is â€Å"liked but not well-liked†. This implies that Biff once used to have respect towards Willy; he admired his strong personality and approved his view on the business world. Biff Loman is aware that he will not succeed as a salesman or any other job without his maths degree. On the other hand, his father is convinced he will and does not what to face the reality of facts. However, towards the end of the play we see a cha nge in both the men’s attitudes.As a matter of fact, they have switched opinions; â€Å"Biff: (horrified, gets down on one knee before Willy): Dad, I’ll make good, I’ll make good. (Willy tries to get to his feet. Biff holds him down. ) Sit down now. Willy: No, you’re no good, you’re no good for anything. † Biff is now desperate and is obviously worried for his father’s mental health and tries to encourage him to be positive in any way he can- even if this involves lying to himself about his potential. As I previously mentioned in my introduction, Biff seems to be the only character that offers any hope whatsoever in â€Å"Death of a Salesman†.At the beginning of the play, he tells the audience about his dreams of living in the south: â€Å"What the hell am I doing, playing around with horses, twenty-eight dollars a week! I’m thirty-four years old, I oughta be makin’ my future. That’s when I coming running home. And now, I get here, and I don’t know what to do with myself. † This clearly shows that biff aspires to better things, but does not know what to do in an industrial city as New York. He wants to succeed and build a future, but at the same time he enjoys the pleasures of living in the countryside and not having any stress.Here is where we understand that Biff is fundamentally lazy. He would like to have a nice and wealthy life, but he just does not have the strength or the motivation to work for it. On the whole, through the illusions that Willy believes, he cannot see Biff as a â€Å"nobody† and cannot accept that he won’t be successful as he hopes. Eventually, Biff finally sees the truth and realises that he is â€Å"no great leader of men†. He also comprehends the delusions that Willy lived on. Biff is destined to no greatness, but he no longer has to struggle to understand what he wants to do with his life; â€Å"I know who I am, kid. â₠¬ 

Sunday, September 15, 2019

The Host Chapter 40: Horrified

I slowed when I heard the sound of voices. I was not close enough to the hospital for it to be Doc. Others were on their way back. I pressed myself against the rock wall and crept forward as quietly as I could. My breathing was ragged from running. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle the sound. â€Å"†¦ why we keep doing this,† someone complained. I wasn't sure whose voice it was. Someone I didn't know well. Maybe Violetta? It held that same depressed tone that I recognized from before. It erased any notion that I'd been imagining things. â€Å"Doc didn't want to. It was Jared's idea this time.† I was sure that it was Geoffrey who spoke now, though his voice was a little changed by the subdued revulsion in it. Geoffrey had been with Trudy on the raid, of course. They did everything together. â€Å"I thought he was the biggest opponent to this business.† That was Travis, I guessed. â€Å"He's more†¦ motivated now,† Geoffrey answered. His voice was quiet, but I could tell he was angry about something. They passed just half a foot from where I cringed into the rocks. I froze, holding my breath. â€Å"I think it's sick,† Violetta muttered. â€Å"Disgusting. It's never going to work.† They walked slowly, their steps weighted with despair. No one answered her. No one spoke again in my hearing. I stayed motionless until their footsteps had faded a little, but I couldn't wait until the sound disappeared completely. Ian might be following me already. I crept forward as quickly as I could and then started jogging again when I decided it was safe. I saw the first faint hints of daylight streaming around the curving tunnel ahead, and I shifted into a quieter lope that still kept me moving swiftly. I knew that once I was around the gradual arc, I would be able to see the doorway into Doc's realm. I followed the bend, and the light grew brighter. I moved cautiously now, putting each foot down with silent care. It was very quiet. For a moment, I wondered if I was wrong and there was no one here at all. Then, as the uneven entrance came into view, throwing a block of white sunlight against the opposite wall, I could hear the sound of quiet sobbing. I tiptoed right to the edge of the gap and paused, listening. The sobbing continued. Another sound, a soft, rhythmic thudding, kept time with it. â€Å"There, there.† It was Jeb's voice, thick with some emotion. â€Å"‘S okay. ‘S okay, Doc. Don't take it so hard.† Hushed footsteps, more than one set, were moving around the room. Fabric rustling. A brushing sound. It reminded me of the sounds of cleaning. There was a smell that didn't belong here. Strange†¦ not quite metallic, but not quite anything else, either. The smell was not familiar-I was sure I had never smelled it before-and yet I had an odd feeling that it should be familiar to me. I was afraid to move around the corner. What's the worst they will do to us? Mel pointed out. Make us leave? You're right. Things had definitely changed if that was the worst I could fear from the humans now. I took a deep breath-noticing again that strange, wrong smell-and eased around the rocky edge into the hospital. No one noticed me. Doc was kneeling on the floor, his face buried in his hands, his shoulders heaving. Jeb leaned over him, patting his back. Jared and Kyle were laying a crude stretcher beside one of the cots in the middle of the room. Jared's face was hard-the mask had come back while he was away. The cots were not empty, as they usually were. Something, hidden under dark green blankets, filled the length of both of them. Long and irregular, with familiar curves and angles†¦ Doc's homemade table was arranged at the head of these cots, in the brightest spot of sunlight. The table glittered with silver-shiny scalpels and an assortment of antiquated medical tools that I couldn't put a name to. Brighter than these were other silver things. Shimmering segments of silver stretched in twisted, tortured pieces across the table†¦ tiny silver strands plucked and naked and scattered†¦ splatters of silver liquid smeared on the table, the blankets, the walls†¦ The quiet in the room was shattered by my scream. The whole room was shattered. It spun and shook to the sound, whirled around me so that I couldn't find the way out. The walls, the silver-stained walls, rose up to block my escape no matter which way I turned. Someone shouted my name, but I couldn't hear whose voice it was. The screaming was too loud. It hurt my head. The stone wall, oozing silver, slammed into me, and I fell to the floor. Heavy hands held me there. â€Å"Doc, help!† â€Å"What's wrong with her?† â€Å"Is it having a fit?† â€Å"What did she see?† â€Å"Nothing-nothing. The bodies were covered!† That was a lie! The bodies were hideously uncovered, strewn in obscene contortions across the glittering table. Mutilated, dismembered, tortured bodies, ripped into grotesque shreds†¦ I had clearly seen the vestigial feelers still attached to the truncated anterior section of a child. Just a child! A baby! A baby thrown haphazardly in maimed pieces across the table smeared with its own blood†¦ My stomach rolled like the walls were rolling, and acid clawed its way up my throat. â€Å"Wanda? Can you hear me?† â€Å"Is she conscious?† â€Å"I think she's going to throw up.† The last voice was right. Hard hands held my head while the acid in my stomach violently overflowed. â€Å"What do we do, Doc?† â€Å"Hold on to her-don't let her hurt herself.† I coughed and squirmed, trying to escape. My throat cleared. â€Å"Let me go!† I was finally able to choke out. The words were garbled. â€Å"Get away from me! Get away; you're monsters! Torturers!† I shrieked wordlessly again, twisting against the restraining arms. â€Å"Calm down, Wanda! Shh! It's okay!† That was Jared's voice. For once, it didn't matter that it was Jared. â€Å"Monster!† I screamed at him. â€Å"She's hysterical,† Doc told him. â€Å"Hold on.† A sharp, stinging blow whipped across my face. There was a gasp, far away from the immediate chaos. â€Å"What are you doing?† Ian roared. â€Å"It's having a seizure or something, Ian. Doc's trying to bring it around.† My ears were ringing, but not from the slap. It was the smell-the smell of the silver blood dripping down the walls-the smell of the blood of souls. The room writhed around me as though it were alive. The light twisted into strange patterns, curved into the shapes of monsters from my past. A Vulture unfurled its wings†¦ a claw beast swung its heavy pincers toward my face†¦ Doc smiled and reached for me with silver trickling from his fingertips†¦ The room spun once more, slowly, and then went black. Unconsciousness didn't claim me for long. It must have been only seconds later when my head cleared. I was all too lucid; I wished I could stay oblivious longer. I was moving, rocking back and forth, and it was too black to see. Mercifully, the horrible smell had faded. The musty, humid air of the caves was like perfume. The feeling of being carried, being cradled, was familiar. That first week after Kyle had injured me, I'd traveled many places in Ian's arms. â€Å"†¦ thought she'd have guessed what we were up to. Looks like I was wrong,† Jared was murmuring. â€Å"You think that's what happened?† Ian's voice cut hard in the quiet tunnel. â€Å"That she was scared because Doc was trying to take the other souls out? That she was afraid for herself?† Jared didn't answer for a minute. â€Å"You don't?† Ian made a sound in the back of his throat. â€Å"No. I don't. As disgusted as I am that you would bring back more†¦ victims for Doc, bring them back now!-as much as that turns my stomach, that's not what upset her. How can you be so blind? Can't you imagine what that must have looked like to her in there?† â€Å"I know we had the bodies covered before -â€Å" â€Å"The wrong bodies, Jared. Oh, I'm sure Wanda would be upset by a human corpse-she's so gentle; violence and death aren't a part of her normal world. But think what the things on that table must have meant to her.† It took him another moment. â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"Yes. If you or I had walked in on a human vivisection, with torn body parts, with blood splattered on everything, it wouldn't have been as bad for us as it was for her. We'd have seen it all before-even before the invasion, in horror movies, at least. I'd bet she's never been exposed to anything like that in all her lives.† I was getting sick again. His words were bringing it back. The sight. The smell. â€Å"Let me go,† I whispered. â€Å"Put me down.† â€Å"I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry.† The last words were fervent, apologizing for more than waking me. â€Å"Let me go.† â€Å"You're not well. I'll take you to your room.† â€Å"No. Put me down now.† â€Å"Wanda -â€Å" â€Å"Now!† I shouted. I shoved against Ian's chest, kicking my legs free at the same time. The ferocity of my struggle surprised him. He lost his hold on me, and I half fell into a crouch on the floor. I sprang up from the crouch running. â€Å"Wanda!† â€Å"Let her go.† â€Å"Don't touch me! Wanda, come back!† It sounded like they were wrestling behind me, but I didn't slow. Of course they were fighting. They were humans. Violence was pleasure to them. I didn't pause when I was back in the light. I sprinted through the big cavern without looking at any of the monsters there. I could feel their eyes on me, and I didn't care. I didn't care where I was going, either. Just somewhere I could be alone. I avoided the tunnels that had people near them, running down the first empty one I could find. It was the eastern tunnel. This was the second time I'd sprinted through this corridor today. Last time in joy, this time in horror. It was hard to remember how I'd felt this afternoon, knowing the raiders were home. Everything was dark and gruesome now, including their return. The very stones seemed evil. This way was the right choice for me, though. No one had any reason to come here, and it was empty. I ran to the farthest end of the tunnel, into the deep night of the empty game room. Could I really have played games with them such a short time ago? Believed the smiles on their faces, not seeing the beasts underneath†¦ I moved forward until I stumbled ankle deep into the oily waters of the dark spring. I backed away, my hand outstretched, searching for a wall. When I found a rough ridge of stone-sharp-edged beneath my fingers-I turned into the depression behind the protrusion and curled myself into a tight ball on the ground there. It wasn't what we thought. Doc wasn't hurting anyone on purpose; he was just trying to save – GET OUT OF MY HEAD! I shrieked. As I thrust her away from me-gagged her so that I wouldn't have to bear her justifications-I realized how weak she'd grown in all these months of friendliness. How much I'd been allowing. Encouraging. It was almost too easy to silence her. As easy as it should have been from the beginning. It was only me now. Just me, and the pain and the horror that I would never escape. I would never not have that image in my head again. I would never be free of it. It was forever a part of me. I didn't know how to mourn here. I could not mourn in human ways for these lost souls whose names I would never know. For the broken child on the table. I had never had to mourn on the Origin. I didn't know how it was done there, in the truest home of my kind. So I settled for the way of the Bats. It seemed appropriate, here where it was as black as being blind. The Bats mourned with silence-not singing for weeks on end until the pain of the nothingness left behind by the lack of music was worse than the pain of losing a soul. I'd known loss there. A friend, killed in a freak accident, a falling tree in the night, found too late to save him from the crushed body of his host. Spiraling†¦ Upward†¦ Harmony; those were the words that would have held his name in this language. Not exact, but close enough. There had been no horror in his death, only grief. An accident. The bubbling stream was too discordant to remind me of our songs. I could grieve beside its harmony-free clatter. I wrapped my arms tightly around my shoulders and mourned for the child and the other soul who had died with it. My siblings. My family. If I had found a way free of this place, if I had warned the Seekers, their remains would not be so casually mangled and mixed together in that blood-steeped room. I wanted to cry, to keen in misery. But that was the human way. So I locked my lips and hunched in the darkness, holding the pain inside. My silence, my mourning, was stolen from me. It took them a few hours. I heard them looking, heard their voices echo and warp in the long tubes of air. They were calling for me, expecting an answer. When they received no answer, they brought lights. Not the dim blue lanterns that might never have revealed my hiding place here, buried under all this blackness, but the sharp yellow lances of flashlights. They swept back and forth, pendulums of light. Even with the flashlights, they didn't find me until the third search of the room. Why couldn't they leave me alone? When the flashlight's beam finally disinterred me, there was a gasp of relief. â€Å"I found her! Tell the others to get back inside! She's in here after all!† I knew the voice, but I didn't put a name to it. Just another monster. â€Å"Wanda? Wanda? Are you all right?† I didn't raise my head or open my eyes. I was in mourning. â€Å"Where's Ian?† â€Å"Should we get Jamie, do you think?† â€Å"He shouldn't be on that leg.† Jamie. I shuddered at his name. My Jamie. He was a monster, too. He was just like the rest of them. My Jamie. It was a physical pain to think of him. â€Å"Where is she?† â€Å"Over here, Jared. She's not†¦ responding.† â€Å"We didn't touch her.† â€Å"Here, give me the light,† Jared said. â€Å"Now, the rest of you, get out of here. Emergency over. Give her some air, okay?† There was a shuffling noise that didn't travel far. â€Å"Seriously, people. You're not helping. Leave. All the way out.† The shuffling was slow at first, but then became more productive. I could hear many footsteps fading away in the room and then disappearing out of it. Jared waited until it was silent again. â€Å"Okay, Wanda, it's just you and me.† He waited for some kind of answer. â€Å"Look, I guess that must have been pretty†¦ bad. We never wanted you to see that. I'm sorry.† Sorry? Geoffrey'd said it was Jared's idea. He wanted to cut me out, slice me into little pieces, fling my blood on the wall. He'd slowly mangle a million of me if he could find a way to keep his favorite monster alive with him. Slash us all to slivers. He was quiet for a long time, still waiting for me to react. â€Å"You look like you want to be alone. That's okay. I can keep them away, if that's what you want.† I didn't move. Something touched my shoulder. I cringed away from it, into the sharp stones. â€Å"Sorry,† he muttered. I heard him stand, and the light-red behind my closed eyes-began to fade as he walked away. He met someone in the mouth of the cave. â€Å"Where is she?† â€Å"She wants to be alone. Let her be.† â€Å"Don't get in my way again, Howe.† â€Å"Do you think she wants comfort from you? From a human?† â€Å"I wasn't party to this -â€Å" Jared answered in a lower voice, but I could still hear the echoes. â€Å"Not this time. You're one of us, Ian. Her enemy. Did you hear what she said in there? She was screaming monsters. That's how she sees us now. She doesn't want your comfort.† â€Å"Give me the light.† They didn't speak again. A minute passed, and I heard one set of slow footsteps moving around the edge of the room. Eventually, the light swept across me, turning my lids red again. I huddled myself more tightly together, expecting him to touch me. There was a quiet sigh, and then the sound of him sitting on the stone, not as close beside me as I would have expected. With a click, the light disappeared. I waited in the silence for a long time for him to speak, but he was just as silent as I was. Finally, I stopped waiting and returned to my mourning. Ian did not interrupt. I sat in the blackness of the big hole in the ground and grieved for lost souls with a human at my side.

Organizational Structure of Walgreens Essay

This week’s learning team assignment focused on the organizational structure and design. Team C will examine the organizational chart of Walgreens and restructure it to make it more efficient and beneficial for the company. The students have decided the CEO of the organization is overwhelmed with departments reporting to him. Therefore, some departments will be consolidated and moved to more specialized officers under the CEO for a more productive company. The officers to receiver these additional departments will be Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and Chief Informational Officer (CIO). This paper will discuss structural changes, the work to be completed and how this work can be done effectively. Financial Reorganization Currently, the Administration and the Human Resources departments report directly to the Chief Executive Officer. We have proposed a change to the chain of command with Human Resources being combined with the Administration department and have that new, combined department report directly the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Human Capital Management (Human Resources) directly affects the bottom line of an organization through the workforce, benefits costs, training and development and finally employee engagement. The Administration department manages the overall direction of Walgreens. Since the management of the workforce is one of the main driving factors that directly relate to the financial success of an organization, it will be efficient and cost effective to reorganize and combine these departments under the CFO. To accomplish this reorganization, we will use cross-functional teams to address each department’s work specializations, strengths and weaknesses. And then outlay an effective plan of action. The CFO’s financial expertise will be used to analyze the underlying financial  implications of the reorganization as well as the daily cost of business operations. Strategy and Community Management Reorganization The Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) will continue to report to the CEO. To be more efficient in work specialization, we have decided to move the following departments and make them branches under Strategy: Customer Experience, Customer Experience and Daily Living and Community Management. As Walgreens embraces today’s consumer, creating a unique customer experience is apart of the strategy to build their trusted brand and set them apart from the competition. Moving these departments will be beneficial because the leaders in each department can collaborate on strategies and plans that are customer focused. In addition to reporting to the CSO now, the Community Management department will also receive new responsibilities. Currently Facilities Development and Store Operations report to them. In order to create a more efficient department they will now oversee two additional departments; Well Experience and Operations Community. The Community Manager will have Store Operations and Operation Community work as a specialized team focused on lowering operational cost for the company. One of Walgreens key strategies is to create a â€Å"Well Experience† (Walgreens 2014). The Well Experience â€Å"starts with leading-edge store design, new layouts, enhanced product assortments and state-of –the-art pharmacies, including bringing the pharmacist from behind the counter for a greater interaction with patients (Walgreens 2014). They will work with the Community Management department in collaborating together to create a partnership for success in â€Å"Well Experience† initiative. Once the pharmacist is engaged with the customers in their community it creates transparency and trust not only in them but also in the Walgreens’ brand. Information Technology Reorganization The eCommerce and Design departments will be moved under the direct supervision of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) to reduce the direct reports of the CEO. Consolidating these two departments under the CIO will help turn Walgreens into a technology-driven company that has consistent creative across all platforms. These two departments will also benefit from the CIO’s more specialized technical skills. The Chief Information Officer  already oversees the enterprise technology that supports Walgreens operations, including security software. For eCommerce, security is a major concern for Walgreens’ customers. The CIO’s specialization in the information technology will help him better implement the eCommerce tools and keep those tools secure. The Design department produces the creative that is used to promote the Walgreens’ brand. As Walgreens expands its digital presence with an enhanced web experience and new mobile app (Walgreens, 2014), it is important that creative remain consistent and functional across all platforms. Having the Design department working hand-in-hand with Information Technology and eCommerce will produce consistent creative that is technology-focused across all marketing channels. The CIO’s technical skills will allow him to lead the Design department in an every-growing online world. Conclusion The team decided to restructure the organizational chart of Walgreens. Ultimately, taking responsibilities off the CEO and moving those departments to more specialized officers. In doing so, this will allow the CEO to be more productive because his or her workload is more manageable. The reorganization of these departments under the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, will make these departments more efficient because they will benefit from their specialized skills. References Robbins, Stephen, & Coulter, Mary (2012). Management, 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Press. 978-013253894-7 The Official Board (2014). 2014 organizational chart of Walgreens Co. Retrieved from http://www.theofficialboard.com/org-chart/walgreen Walgreens Co. (2014). 2013 annual report of Walgreens. Retrieved from http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/WAG/3514601079x0x709191/5F506D54-9148-47D1-9494-D4E4A4CB95B1/WAG_2013_AR_lo.pdf

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Athens vs. Sparta Reflection Essay Essay

As all civilizations do, Athens and Sparta have provided many things for the modern world. And as everything else, both have their strengths and weaknesses. Athens focused more on education and the arts while Sparta revolved around military strength and battle. Because Sparta had such a massively influential military, we use tactics and strategies derived from them even today. They invented the Phalanx; a military formation of standing closely packed and moving forward slowly to break enemy lines. Spartans also conceived the idea of militaristic schools. They were also the first to enforce conscription. The Spartans would also train their women to fight for themselves so they would be prepared to defend their homes and lives if there was ever an invasion. They also had many more rights than in the other city-states. They could own property, talk to other men aside from their husbands, and be physically educated. Women were not useless. This ideal planted the seed for our way of society today. Athens, on the other hand, dedicated itself to the arts and architecture. Which we do see traces of in the works of the modern world. The Athenians also practiced the first notion of democracy. Although, only men could vote. Women, children, nor slaves had that privilege. They were not citizens. Girls were educated (cleaning, cooking, and sewing) until the age of 15, when they were married off to an older man. Before Athens, Greece had no large architecture; only what was necessary. They developed the idea of having large, ornate building built from mud, clay, terra-cotta, marble, and eventually stone. Many of which still stand today. The Athenians used a system of terra-cotta tubing underground to distribute water throughout the city. This led to a boost in the economy and the workings of plumbing today. They used trial by jury and produced some of the best philosophers of both their and our time. Despite being rivals, both Athens and Sparta (and the rest of the city-states in ancient Greece) came together for the Olympics. They put aside their differences for that short time and honed their dislike for each other into beating them at the games. The tradition of the Olympics has carried on for about 2700 years from ancient Greece. In conclusion, both were colossally important. They both have their pros and cons. They’re so enormously different but both prospered because of totally different reasons. Sparta: strong, fierce, striving for absolute perfection in their citizens and warfare. And then Athens: philosophical, educated, and artistic. Their economy was largely different. As was their government, gender roles, social structure, education, and many other things. If they had put aside their differences and worked together, they would have been able to achieve far more than they did separately.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Is Debt Relief Possible to Poor Countries Article

Is Debt Relief Possible to Poor Countries - Article Example I will present the article from Stanford University done by Marguerite Religioso that goes to prove in her article†¦ that debt relief is possible only for some poor nations. She cited that the International Monetary fund has been continuing its efforts to come up with an instrument that would help the poor countries who are heavily indebted. Her theory of â€Å"Is debt relief a viable solution to worldwide poverty or a waste of time and money† has pros and cons which she cited in the article. To evaluate the rationality of arguments, the author cited the study done by Stanford graduate students Henry and Arslanalp who used the stock market as a reliable source of the economic indicator. The significant result of the study proved that the stock market of the countries that obtained debt relief from the Brady plan (named after the U. S. Government Treasurer) showed 60% appreciation in 1989 to 1995 in real dollar terms even before debt relief was formally accepted. This is t he period that debt relief is being studied for implementation in sixteen countries identified in Brady Plan. The study confirmed Henry’s theory that the behavior of the stock market is an accurate predictor of economic movement/ Henry says, â€Å"within a year of each country’s Brady agreement, foreign capital began flowing back in, and robust economic growth resumed† that only goes to show debt relief is beneficial. Religiose referred to the study of Henry that explains a debt relief situation that is usually happening when a country suffers temporary difficulty of debt servicing. Its creditors get to be apprehensive and quickly collect their loans all at once. Since no one could be paid at all, a complete economic standstill occurs. When some of the debts are relieved, new funds will come to stimulate growth and investment. While the basic objective of debt relief is supposed to be applied to all poor countries, Regiglioso reported that debt relief doesn†™t work for the poorest of the poor.  

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Issues to consider when a neighborhood may be exposed to Hazardous Case Study

Issues to consider when a neighborhood may be exposed to Hazardous Emissions - Case Study Example "(Sacramento, California Board of Waste Management, 1982) This means that California must either find new land to bury garbage, or develop other means of disposal of waste that does not consume the state, land of the participant. Of paramount importance is the effect of such a facility will have on property values near the site. Business office space and residential land that are at least in vision, hearing, smell, or the distance of the project will likely face a decline in property values. On the other hand, energy from waste facilities in themselves relatively offer few jobs. Theoretically, an installation of waste to energy has a differential impact on the economic community: residents living near the plant to incur decline in property values that outweigh the benefits, while the community on a whole can reap greater economic benefits and suffer little. Health Risks There will always be potential risks to health posed by waste facilities. The problem of leaching eaten leak persis ts. Ash residue from waste to energy facilities may warrant concern. Waste to energy facilities are also a potential risk to health in terms of air pollution. Emissions from a plant can include varying amounts of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons and particulate matter and other substances for which standards of health have not yet been established. Aesthetic factors The aesthetic impact of such a facility is regularly greater concern for those living near the proposed site or real. Aesthetic factors include installation, appearance of the participant, odor, litter, noise and congestion that accompanies the transport of waste. Although aesthetic factors are the most easily controllable problems faced by technical projects related to waste, they are also the problems that come first in mind, forming the public, AOS immediate impression of the facility. Social perceptions The feeling of being dumped on, seems to be the greatest source of opposition to the proposed conversion of waste into energy. This feeling manifests itself in two separate complaints: the social stigma of living near a waste facility, and the resentment of the host community to serve as a dumping ground for garbage from other communities. Besides the embarrassment of what others will think, residents may detect a nearby site as a recognition of lower social status. Conclusions Although the waste to energy facilities have little in common with hazardous waste sites, the public often does not perceive it that way, as evident in the above literature. Public opposition has become the biggest obstacle to the success of projects sitting Waste-to-Energy in California. Many reasons for this public concern is rooted in past experience with poorly managed waste facilities, landfills, particularly hazardous waste as people in the literature have been experiencing these issues from the past 20 years. Other complaints from the public are not so easily resolved. The most problem atic of those complaints is oriented around the inconveniences and annoyances management facility provides homes nearby. There are methods to reduce the costs imposed on local residences. Unloading 50 trucks a day adds a good amount of waste on the site. Most important, of course, is to select at least one site that offends

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Personal bias paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal bias paper - Essay Example They also acknowledge that the phenomenon of socio-economic status is real. Apart from these fundamental realizations, the education also focuses on the physical ability of individuals (Prasad 67). The issue of physical ability is fundamental in explaining the divergences between people. Not everyone can have the ability to undertake certain actions. This is attributable to the nature of their physical ability. Family education requires committed educators who must have adequate faith and appropriate styles in their roles as educators. Faith allows educators to believe in the culture and meaning of culture practice. This implies that the educators make their students acknowledge the existence of cultural practices because of the faith that they continue to show. It also makes the family educators develop a consistent style while they deliver fundamental lessons on family life (Prasad 43). It is beneficial for people to undergo both prescribed and informal family education classes. This will improve human relations in families and societies. People will understand why certain occurrences take place and in turn prevent conflicts. Elements of misunderstanding between people from diverse socio-economic status will also be

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Social Welfare Policy in the US Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Social Welfare Policy in the US - Assignment Example There was also an indication of the growth of private employment in a period of 54 months after the enactment of the Recovery Act by Obama and the Congress in February 2008. The second part looked into the effect of the recession on the economy, and it was notable that the GDP was far below what the economy was potentially able to produce. Job losses were never known before. With the recession ending in June 2009, the unemployment rate in August was still at 6.1% confirming high rates of unemployment. The distribution of jobs in the population fell to levels that had not been witnessed since the 1980s. The recession also caused a long-term unemployment rate rise to levels never witnessed in six decades with levels of 1.9% in August 2009. The labor market was considerably affected by the unemployment rate reaching 12.0 percent in August 2014. Job seekers exceeded job opportunities at times with seven people seeking employment for a single job opening. The last part considers evaluating the extent of damage of the recession if the financial stabilization and the fiscal policies adopted were not used. It has been recorded that the GDP would have decreased with the absence of the recovery act and at the same time, the rate of unemployment would have increased considerably an estimation of 0.1 to 0.4% higher in 2010 if the recovery plan was not adopted. The Strength of this policy is that it offers the employed with financial protection thereby making sure that they are not financially exploited. The policy helps maintain financial levels that can effectively better the lives of citizens through better incomes. The policy sets a minimum amount wage for other state governments and thereby universally protecting the citizens from poor pays. The Weaknesses of this policy is that employees may be compelled to raise their prices to customers in order to cover the high wages  making the policy less effective.  

Monday, September 9, 2019

Health Care Reform in America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Health Care Reform in America - Research Paper Example The contention was supported by authors Siegel, Mead and Burke (2008) who revealed an analogous argument in the rising costs of healthcare services coupled with the increasing number of Americans who are uninsured. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) emphasized that â€Å"some  47 million U.S. residents have no health insurance, and the numbers keep growing† (AFL-CIO, 2011, par. 1). In view of this, the current administration has enacted the Affordable Care Act that envisions implementing â€Å"comprehensive health insurance reforms that will hold insurance companies more accountable, lower health care costs, guarantee more health care choices, and enhance the quality of health care for all American† (USDHHS: Health Care, n.d, par. 1). The purposes of the reform are as follows: to broaden the population that receives health care coverage through either public sector insurance programs or private sector insurance companies; to expand the array of health care providers consumers may choose from; to improve the access to health care specialists; to improve the quality of healthcare; to give more care to citizens; and to decrease the cost of healthcare, among others. (PLS CITE YOUR SOURCE) Health care reform is therefore important to all Americans in terms of making health care accessible to more affordable health coverage through the following strategies, to wit: â€Å"(1) sets up a new competitive private health insurance market; (2) holds insurance companies accountable; and (3) puts our budget and economy on a more stable path† (USDHHS: Health Care, n.d., pars. 6 to 8). 1965 President Lyndon Johnson Lyndon enacted legislation which introduced Medicare covering both hospital and general medical insurance for senior citizens paid for by a Federal employment tax over the working life of the retiree, and Medicaid permitted the Federal government to partially fund a program for the poor, with the program managed and co-financed by the individual states.Â